**Shopping Spree**

The next morning Dani decided she better go talk to the professor.  He had been patient, and given her some space, but it was time. She knew she was ready to talk to him.  She wasn't ready to run into Logan, but it was inevitable.  She usually didn't care what people thought of her.  But here she did, and the opinion that mattered most to her was Logan's.  She hadn't been doing so well with him.  She always felt vulnerable in front of him.  She wanted to get herself together a bit before she was ready to be a part of the team. 

Danielle dressed in a pair of jeans and a pink button down shirt.  She pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail that was most becoming with all her curls.  She looked at the time.  Six o'clock was too early for breakfast.  Maybe she'd go for a walk to clear her head before she visited the professor.  She quietly left her room, by way of the door for a change.  She went downstairs, and found the back door.  The trees behind the mansion weren't her redwoods, but they made a fair substitute.  She liked walking alone, it was peaceful. 

Logan was jolted awake by the sound of her door.  Where would she be going this early?  He quickly dressed and followed her.  She was no trouble for him to track; she barely had a five-minute lead.  She was in the woods.  Go figure.  Dani seemed to really love the outdoors.  He stayed where he could see her, but kept himself hidden.  She walked for a while, but then stopped and sat down against a large gnarled old oak tree.  She leaned against its trunk and closed her eyes.  She was peacefully lost in her thoughts.  He wondered where she was when she shut out the world that way. 

She hadn't moved a muscle in ten minutes, and he noticed she started glowing faintly like she had in the gym.  The leaves on the ground started floating up, and swirled around her and the tree.  She looked exquisite, and she reminded him of some mythical tree nymph.  He took in a sharp breath, and the leaves dropped as she opened her eyes.  He gave himself away.  -Damn.

Dani had been outside for nearly an hour when she realized she wasn't alone.  She instinctively knew who it was.  Logan had followed her.  Well, she knew she'd see him sooner or later.  She might as well get it over with.

"You like sneaking up on people?" she asked.

"Just out for a walk," he lied.  He didn't expect her to buy that.

"Right," she said as she got up and walked over to where he had been standing.

"It's about time for breakfast, can I walk you back?" he asked.

"Why not?" She said as she strolled past him and headed down the path.

"Dani, I've been getting the impression that you've been avoiding me," Logan said frankly.

"Don't feel so special, Logan, I've been avoiding everybody.  I was a little humiliated yesterday, several times.  I thought I'd just slink away and let it blow over," she admitted.

"There was absolutely nothing that happened yesterday that you should have felt embarrassed about.  You are the most amazing person I have ever met.  I was proud of you yesterday," Logan was sincere.  She had to get over this shyness.

"I don't like being the center of attention.  I got a little too much of that yesterday.  I hadn't meant to put on a concert for the entire school!  I just missed playing," She blushed slightly as she remembered turning around to find so many people staring at her.

"Everyone was very impressed.  Charles thinks you'd make a great music teacher," Logan assured her.

"I hardly think I'm qualified to teach. I never finished school, my education was...interrupted," she said flatly.  "Besides, those were the only songs I remember.  I don't even remember how to read music anymore."

"How old were you when they took you?" Logan asked.

"Fifteen," she said.

They reached the back door, and he opened it for her.  She didn't seem to want to talk anymore, so he stopped asking questions.  After breakfast she tried to get rid of him.

"So, do you teach any classes here?" she asked.

"Charles wants me to start a self defense class.  I'm still working on it.  Why?" He gave her a suspicious look.

"I was just curious.  I got the impression that all of the X-men doubled as teachers here." She saw the professor heading to his study. "Look, Logan, I'll see you later.  I gotta go."

He followed her line of sight and realized why she was giving him the slip.  "Okay, Dani, I'll see you at lunch."  It was about time she talked to Xavier.  Good.  If anyone could help her adjust, it was good ol' Chuck.  She disappeared into the professor's office. 

Logan walked back down the hall toward the back door.  A visit with Xavier could keep her tied up for at least an hour if not more.  He thought he might go for a walk and clear his head.  He was nearly to the door, when he recognized a familiar scent.  He turned around and smiled.

"Hi, Jean, how are you feeling?" he asked her.

"I'm fine.  How's Danielle?" she asked.

"She just went in to talk to the professor," he said, sounding annoyed.  He hadn't been invited, and he was a little miffed.

Jean could read his thoughts, "She'll be fine," she said.  She wanted to say something more, but decided there was no longer any point.  Logan's thoughts and body language confirmed what she had already suspected.  Whatever attraction they had shared was gone, at least for him.  He was over her.  She knew she should be relieved to not have him and Scott constantly at each other's throats.  But she felt a little disappointed to see the twinkle in Logan's eye directed at a different woman.

*****

"Your story is very frightening," Xavier said.  "I think you have filled in the details as you remember them.  I wonder if you might permit me to probe your memory to help fill in the gaps.  It may also give me a better insight into your unique abilities."

"I don't know. Does it hurt?" she asked nervously.

"You mean will I invade your privacy?" he amended her question, "No. I'm looking for memories of your captivity, and your powers.  I wouldn't want someone poking around in my head either, but it will help me understand you better.  And that will help me teach you to develop your powers, and control them."

"Well, okay," she replied a little reluctantly.

"Good.  Now just try and relax."  Xavier was surprised to find her mind so open now.  She was making an effort to allow him this look.  He saw flashes of memories randomly at first:  A childhood piano recital, a twelfth year birthday party, baking cookies with her mother as a child of six. 

Then he tapped into the memories he was looking for.  She was walking in the woods, and discovered her teleporting power for the first time.  He felt the flood of emotions she experienced, fright, confusion, acceptance, and eventual understanding.  She developed it quickly, and learned pinpoint accuracy over great distances.  He skipped ahead to the day she was taken, saw the fire, felt the tranquilizer dart. 

Her memories from Alkali Lake were nothing like her story.  He was horrified with her treatment.  She had obviously given him the PG rating when she told him about it.  Then he saw flashes of recent memories.  Logan took up a lot of her thoughts.  He discreetly skipped over those.  He just looked at her time in the gym, moving objects.  Very interesting.  Then, the images stopped, and he found himself standing on a small bridge.  He was above a little creek, in a redwood forest.  He could smell the fresh air and hear the birds.  He walked toward a small clearing up the path from the creek.

Danielle?

Yes, Professor, I'm here.  She was sitting on a tree stump drawing pictures in an art book.

He walked over and knelt down beside her.  What are you drawing?

My mother.  I can remember her face now, thank you.  She showed him the picture. Did you see what you needed to?

Yes, Danielle, I think I understand now.  This sanctuary in her mind perplexed Xavier.  He had never experienced a conversation in this way before.  He realized this was where she hid to keep herself safe, sane.  She set down her book and looked around. 

I don't come here very much anymore.  She told him.  Not much reason to.  Sometimes I end up here when I have nightmares.  I just can't seem to get away from that lab. 

A look of pain crossed her face briefly, but she covered it quickly.  Xavier heard faint screaming in the background, as if off in the distance.  She closed her eyes, concentrating, and the screaming stopped. -Interesting.

Are we done professor?

Yes, Danielle.  A rush of soft wind swirled around him, and he was back in his chair, and she was on the couch in front of him.

"Is it always like that?" She asked expectantly.

"No.  You are a very complex individual.  Your mind is strong.  That's how you survived so much mental and physical trauma.  Your power is different than any I've seen before.  It is only one power that manifests itself in several ways."  He thought about everything he had experienced in her mind.  He would need to proceed carefully with her.  She was much more powerful than she realized.  Her abilities could prove to be dangerous without caution and control.  "I think we've done enough probing for today.  Besides, there's a friend of yours pacing outside.  Maybe you should go tell him you're fine before he decides to break the door down."

"What?  Why would he do that?  Everyone here trusts you," she was puzzled.

"Yes, well, trust not withstanding, Logan is protective of you," he explained carefully.

"I can take care of myself.  He hasn't figured that out yet," she said sarcastically.  She didn't use the door.  She just orbed outside to face him.

"Don't you have anything better to do than follow me around?" she stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot dramatically.

"Hey, I was just walking down the hall..." she cocked a brow at him, and smirked.  He knew that story wouldn't fly, "Okay, I was waiting for you."  He had wanted to hear what was said, but unfortunately, it was all said in telepathy. 

She sighed and started down the hall.  Logan was on her heels.  "Are you annoyed with me?" he asked, confused by her reaction. 

"No, Logan," she said.  Here was this really great guy giving her all this attention.  Why was she trying so hard to avoid him?  What was really bothering her?  She knew what it was.  He said he had feelings for her.  That was scarier than the lab.  She wasn't sure how to handle that.

"Good, so what do you want to do today?" He asked, changing the subject.

"She wants to go shopping with us," Rogue said as she, Kitty, and Bobby came around the corner.  Bobby was rolling his eyes.

"Sounds great.  I haven't been shopping in quite a while," Dani said, lighting up at the prospect.

"Logan, the professor wants us to take Danielle shopping, she needs a better wardrobe, but he told us we gotta bring a chaperone.  So, what car are you driving?"  Rogue asked sweetly.

"I'm not really shopping mall material.  Why don't you drag Jean or Storm shopping?"  Logan could tell already that he was fighting a losing battle.

"Because Jean and Scott are busy, and Storm and Kurt are busy, and Dr. McCoy would be a little distracting to the general public.  Besides, the professor thought you needed to get out more," Kitty informed him. 

"Storm and the Elf, eh?"  That got started kinda fast.  Well, good for him.  Logan liked Kurt. "Aw, heck, go load up the Jeep.  We'll leave in ten minutes."

The girls squealed and ran to their rooms to grab their purses.  Bobby just waited by the stairs and looked bored.  He wasn't much for shopping, but would go anywhere to be with Rogue.  He watched Logan and Danielle discreetly while he waited for the girls.

"Technically, I'm an adult, I can chaperone," Dani said, "You don't have to go."

"Yeah, Dani, I do.  You can't drive, and the professor wants me to get out more, remember?"  Logan said chuckling.  The girls obviously made that up, but that's okay.  He'd use it to his advantage.  It was Dani who needed to get out more.  He wanted to see her away from the mansion.  He also knew that she needed protection.  His gut told him that she was powerful enough to be of interest to all the wrong people. 

*****

It was sunny, the top was down, and the drive to town was pretty.  It was country roads all the way.  Logan was driving, Dani was in the front, and the kids were in the back. Dani liked the open road, with the wind blowing her hair back.  She really enjoyed being with her new friends.  They treated her like she was already part of the group.  Not just Logan, but all of them.  She loved that.

The mall was a bustle of activity.  Logan and Bobby were at the mercy of the women as they dragged them from store to store.  Logan watched Dani with Rogue and Kitty.    They were talking like old friends. 

Bobby got up the nerve to talk to Logan.  "You'd think she were one of the gang for years the way they are carrying on.  Girls make friends so quickly."

"Shopping is bonding for women," Logan said casually.  Why couldn't Dani relax around him like that?  Logan wished she would laugh with him that way.  He wanted Dani to look at him the way Rogue looked at Bobby.  Logan sighed.  He was acting like more of a teenager than the kids. 

The two girls came out of the changing rooms at the same time to get opinions from the guys.  Rogue had a rich wine colored dress on. It hugged her curves and Bobby obviously approved.  Logan admitted it was becoming, if a bit tight.  Kitty had a similar dress in a deep blue, also a good fit. 

Logan looked past the girls as Dani came out with her dress on.  His breath caught in his throat. She wore a deep violet dress that seemed to light up her eyes.  It accentuated every luscious inch of her, and Logan had to control his response, there were kids present.  He knew his expression had been more than approving.  He cleared his throat.

"Those dresses look great on all of them."  Bobby said, but had barely looked at anyone but Rogue.

"Logan, what do you think of Danielle's dress?"  Kitty asked mischievously. 

"It was made for her," he said. "You all look great."  Logan felt his ears get warm and knew he was blushing.  Thank God for bushy sideburns.

They had been seriously shopping for a couple of hours, and Logan felt like a pack mule holding Dani's bags.  Bobby was in the same boat with Rogue's and Kitty's.  The girls were finally all shopped out, and Bobby suggested stopping to eat before going back to the Institute. 

They sat around a table eating Cinnabons and chatting.  Logan just sat back and listened.  Dani was relaxed for once.  She seemed to be opening up a bit more, and genuinely happy.  He noticed that she would occasionally look over at him and smile.  She laughed at Kitty's jokes, and pretended to be impressed by Bobby's stories.  The kids obviously liked her.

Logan stopped listening and suddenly perked up his other senses.  He smelled something familiar, and unfriendly.  Mystique.  He casually looked around the room to see if he could spot the enemy, but it could have been anyone.  It was too much of a coincidence for her to be there shopping, she was up to something.  Dani could see the change in his demeanor right away.

"Logan, what's wrong?"  Dani asked him with concern.

"Hey, kids, I hate to break this up, but we have some company, of the shape shifting kind.  Let's go, shall we?"  Logan spoke low so only those at the table heard.  Everyone trusted that Logan knew what he was talking about, and there was no argument.  They dumped their trash, and made for the exit.

Logan took Dani's hand and kept a close watch as they moved through the parking lot.  "Logan," She said quietly, "Why are you so tense?   You don't think someone would try to hurt us?"

"Everyone get in the Jeep and buckle up," was his only reply.  He felt sick to his stomach.  They were twenty miles from the school, and it was country roads all the way.  There were too many places they could be ambushed, and he had three kids, and Dani to protect.  He had to stay sharp.  Mystique being around was always bad news.

"Logan, what does Mystique want?" Rogue asked.

"I think they want Dani," he said harshly.  He was starting to get angry.

"Why me?" Danielle asked incredulously. "I don't understand."

"Your power, Dani.  Magneto must want it.  He exploits mutants with desirable abilities in order to promote his own agenda.  Your power is pretty incredible," Logan explained.

"What's so great about my powers?  I can't even fight," she said angrily.

"Dani, I can't fight either, and Magneto wanted me.  Did Logan ever tell you how my hair turned white?"  Rogue asked her.

Dani didn't seem to hear her.  "By living at the school I'm putting everyone in danger, just like my mother," she said sadly.

"No, Dani, it's not like that," Logan said quickly.  He didn't like where this train of thought might be going.

She was about to say something, but a helicopter came down in front of them and Logan slammed on the breaks.  She recognized the blue woman and the old man from Alkali Lake, they just smiled at them.  Logan heard a familiar roar from the trees and was going to jump out to fight Sabertooth, but Danielle took them out of danger before he could move.  She transported the Jeep, with all its passengers right to the school garage.

*****

Logan knew what happened, and turned to look at Dani.  She was passed out, with a dart in her shoulder.  He growled and plucked the dart out.  "Rogue, run and tell Jean and Hank.  Kitty, get the professor.  Bobby, get the door."  Logan gently lifted her out of the car and carried her to her room.  He laid her on the bed as Charles, Jean and Hank came in.  Jean went to examine Dani.

"Here's the dart she was hit with," Bobby said handing it to Hank.

"It appears to be an ordinary tranquilizer dart," Hank said, "but I want a closer look anyway." He headed to the lab.

Logan's emotions were a strange mixture of rage and worry.  He was pacing like a caged animal, ready to spring. 

"She was just knocked out.  She'll be fine," Jean said. 

"Logan, the girls said you believed that they were after Danielle.  I find it hard to believe that Magneto would be so...sloppy," Xavier said.  He was baffled about this one.  Danielle was powerful and strong willed.  Magneto would have trouble controlling her, why would he risk it?

Logan just growled again, and sat beside her.  He didn't touch her this time.  Everyone else left them alone with Dani.

"Do you want to talk about what happened the last time you were in here?"  Charles asked.

"She was having a nightmare.  I came in to wake her up.  When I touched her hand, I was drawn into her dream.  It was horrible, Chuck.  I thought my nightmares were bad.  I can't explain how it happened, unless it was her power.  She said it never happened before."  Logan was looking lost in thought, but Xavier patiently waited for him to continue. "I think I'm ...I mean ... I have strong feelings for..."  Logan didn't usually confide in the professor, but for some reason he felt he needed to.  "I guess you already know."

"Logan, you don't need my permission to pursue a relationship with Danielle."  Xavier didn't think Logan was asking permission.  He was touched that Logan seemed to be comfortable enough to confide in him.  He knew there was something bothering him.  "What's troubling you?"

"Today, at the mall, who were they after, and why?  Dani is the only new mutant here, besides Kurt.  She was with us, so I just figured it was her, but I don't get the plan.  They didn't seem to have it together.  If they were after her, they would have to know what she could do.  They would have had to be prepared for it.  It was too easy to get away.  Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I don't like it." Logan didn't believe it.  Something was wrong.

"I don't think its paranoia, Logan.  I believe they know who Danielle is, or she would not have received the first dart.  They may have pulled this stunt just to rattle us a bit.  Eric is very dramatic with his schemes.  He's only just gotten out of prison, so I don't think he's quite ready to create too much havoc yet.  He is preparing.  He may want us on our guard, for some future purpose.  Or perhaps we are over analyzing this.  It could have merely been a failed attempt to apprehend any one of you."  Charles would be spending some quality time in Cerebro after its repairs were complete.  "Try not to worry, Logan.  But for now, let's restrict the students to the grounds.  I suggest you keep a close eye on Danielle, just in case."  Xavier gave him a playful look. "Do you think you can handle that assignment?"

Logan shot him a sideways glance, and then smiled. "Yeah, professor, I think I can handle it."

Xavier turned to leave just as Logan took Dani's hand again without thinking.  Xavier and Logan both felt like they'd been struck by a jolt of electricity.  Then they were falling through space.  Logan looked over and saw the professor a few feet from him. 

"Well, here we go again." Logan said sarcastically.

"Is this how it happened before?"  Charles asked.

"Yeah, the falling will end soon, wait... yeah, here we go," Logan explained.  They were standing in the forest.  Logan recognized it from his field trip with her, and Xavier had been there just this morning.

"Where is she?" Xavier asked, "She should be here.  This is where we spoke this morning."

Logan looked at him.  Logan had very little experience with this sort of thing, but he felt that this was somehow unusual.  "Is this normal?"

"Normal is a relative question when dealing with the human psyche.  Normal for you and normal for me are vastly different from normal to each and every other person in the world.  And yes, to answer your question, this is a very unique mind.  She has built herself a sanctuary, and this is where she hid when she was in that lab." Charles found it fascinating.  Most people would have lasting damage to their psyche after such an ordeal.  Danielle had triumphed, because she was still sane.

Logan followed the path that went to her house, and found it in one piece.  It was a very nice log home.  He and Xavier stepped up onto the porch.  They both smelled the cookies at the same time, and looked at each other.  Then Logan knocked on the door.  Xavier just watched.

An older woman opened the door.  Logan knew at once that it was Dani's mother. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Logan, this is Charles.  We're Danielle's friends," he answered.  This was weird, but he'd play along. 

She regarded them casually. "Come in and sit down.  I'll bring you some cookies," she said, disappearing into the kitchen.

They entered a large room, with vaulted ceilings.  The opposite wall was nearly all glass, which gave a great view of a well-tended garden.  To the left was the door to the kitchen area, and a fireplace.  To the right was an open staircase.

"Dani," Logan gasped as he saw her coming down the stairs.  He noticed that she was younger, about fifteen.  She was wearing jeans, a flannel shirt, and hiking boots.  She carried a large art book. 

She spotted Logan and the professor.  "Logan, what are you doing here?" she exclaimed, dropping her book to run to him.  She thought something might be wrong.

"Do you remember our drive home from the mall?" he asked.  She furrowed her brow trying to remember.  That's when her mother came in with a tray of cookies.

"Danielle, I see you ran into your friends.  Here are some fresh cookies," she said setting the tray down, and then went out to the garden.

Logan watched her mother go.  It reminded him of a cheesy family sitcom.  The scene playing out here was pure fantasy.  Dani was trying to relive some happy time in her past, but it was too perfect to be real.  This was getting her nowhere.  She needed to come back to reality and let go of this place in her head.  She had real friends now, she didn't need this anymore.

"Dani, why are you hiding in here?" Logan confronted.

"I'm not hiding; I'm just having a nice dream for a change.  Is that okay with you?" she crossed her arms and gave him an angry look. "Who invited you into this dream anyway?"

"I believe that you did, and I find myself at a loss as to how or why," Xavier said as he picked up the art book and started paging through it.  He was very interested in the pictures.  Apart from being very good, they were also very informative.  A worried look crossed his face, and his heart skipped a beat.  "Logan..." was all he said.  Logan could see his concern and knew something was up. 

Logan ran to look.  There were several pictures of the lab, and what they had done to her there.  She had a picture of Logan, freeing her from her cell.  There was one of him fighting Yuriko.  There were pages of very nice portraits of the students, including Rogue and Bobby.  The pages that interested Xavier most were the pages that showed some other familiar faces.  Magneto, Mystique, and Pyro, were getting into a helicopter.  Jean was standing in front of the plane, surrounded by water.  And the last picture made Xavier's blood run cold.

"Danielle, your work is very good.  When did you do this one?"  Xavier showed her the picture of Logan rescuing her.

"I don't remember.  I did that one a long time ago.  I thought it was strange when I saw Logan for the first time.  He looked like my picture.  I drew a lot of these a while ago.  I was about to draw a few more when you arrived," she said.

Logan looked at her and pointed at the drawing, "Dani, is that why you trusted me?" he asked seriously.  He remembered that he had expected surprises from her, but this one had floored him.

"No.  I trusted you because when I looked into your eyes, you didn't look away.  No one else has ever done that," she answered seriously.  Somehow she had judged him based on that.  He had to admit, looking into her eyes could be a bit intimidating, even for a hardened soldier like himself.

"What do you see when you look into people's eyes?"  Xavier prompted.

"Too much.  I don't like to see that much of a person," she glanced at Logan shyly, "usually."

Xavier stifled his smile.  When these two finally get together, he's going to have his hands full. 

"Dani, do your pictures always come true?" Logan asked what he knew Charles was thinking.

"Not always, sometimes I draw what I see in people's eyes.  That is why I try not to do that.  I didn't get to look into the eyes of nice people very often," she tried to explain.  "Why are you so interested in these drawings?"

Xavier held up the last picture, and waited for recognition to set in. "Danielle, who is this man?"

She studied the face as if it were the first time she'd seen it.  Then she remembered.  "I saw him when Stryker questioned me.  He's the man Stryker was working for.  He's the one who set fire to this house," she informed them.

"Stryker wasn't the leader?  This guy is the one who ordered this!" Logan growled, and popped his claws for emphasis.  *snikt!* "Who is he, Charles?"

Xavier figured Danielle only knew him by sight, and wouldn't know his name.  He had to find out more and fast.  The man in the drawing was standing in another lab, and Xavier recognized several of his students in cages.  If his intuition was right, Danielle could have drawn a picture of a serious enemy.  Anonymous enemies were the worst kind.  You never see them coming.

Danielle looked at the drawing and realized its significance.  She recognized several students that she had met only today.  Stryker was dead, but it wasn't over, not by a long shot.   She blanched.  She knew this was bad.  "Professor, why can't I wake up?"

"It's the tranquilizer dart, you're still drugged," Logan reassured her. "You'll wake up soon." 

He reached out and pulled a wayward curl away from her eyes.  She looked like jailbait, but her eyes were the same.  They were the eyes of someone who had seen too much suffering.  He wanted to comfort her.  He wanted to be the one she went to, instead of this fantasy in her head.

"You and the professor can't wait for that, you better go now," Dani handed the book back to Logan.  She closed her eyes, and focused on releasing them from her dream.

Logan felt a wind blowing over him.  Purple lights swirled around him and the professor.  Then they found themselves back in Dani's room.  Logan was still holding the art book Dani gave him. 

"Charles, how is this possible?  The book was in her mind, but now it's real." Logan was in shock. 

"The book was always real. It was her power that altered its form so it would be real out here, not just in there," Xavier said as he pointed to her head.  "She knows we need this picture to find out who this man is.  I'm going to call a meeting in the war room.  We'll research everything we can find on Alkali Lake.  Perhaps this fellow will turn up.  You stay here with her.  Inform us the second she wakes up."  As he wheeled himself down to the war room, Charles' mind was going every direction at once.  As he called the other X-men to the war room, he thought of all the places records might be kept on the lab, and he searched his own memory.  The man's face had been vaguely familiar. 

Logan had given up on ever finding the answers he had wanted when the lab was destroyed in the deluge.  Now, there was another chance.  This man in the picture was the one with the story.  But even that was of little concern.  He was worried about the students, and Dani.  She must have been there six or seven years.  Whoever went through the trouble of catching and containing a mutant with her abilities would want her back.  He looked at her sleeping peacefully.  She didn't deserve all this trouble.  He made a silent promise to protect her.  He hoped that was a promise he would be able to keep.

*****

The atmosphere in the war room was tense.  Scott and Jean were sitting at the table waiting for Xavier.  Storm and Kurt walked in and took seats across from them.  Jean flashed Storm a smile, and dropped a comment in her head, A weather Goddess and a Nightcrawler make an interesting combination. Things are working out between you?

Storm smiled back and offered a reply. You'd never believe me if I told you, her smile broadened slightly as she took Kurt's hand.  And I'm not going to tell, she added firmly.

Kurt gave Storm's hand a gentle squeeze and smiled back at her.  His eyes were full of affection.  The past few days had been a whirlwind of excitement and emotion.  He found himself in the midst of new friends.  His appearance had always been a hindrance to him.  He was one mutant that couldn't just 'blend in'.  But here, no one treated him like a sideshow freak.  They accepted him for who he was.  Storm had not only looked into his eyes that first day; she had looked into his heart.  She was so beautiful.  They had spent all their spare time together.  He never felt such strong feelings for anyone before, and no one had ever felt the same about him. 

Xavier arrived, followed by Beast.  He was holding a large sketchbook, and had a grave expression.  Beast's expression was just as pensive.  Everyone waited for Xavier to speak.  What had happened to prompt an urgent meeting like this?

"We have been presented a challenge.  We need to identify, and possibly neutralize this man."  Charles tossed the book on the table, and everyone gasped.

"Where did you get this?" Scott asked angrily.  He recognized Jubilee, Rogue, and Kitty in the background.  He didn't like the look of it at all.

"Danielle."  Xavier said, and quickly raised a hand to quiet any further outbursts.  He quickly relayed the story of his conversation with her, and his own theories.  "She sometimes sees future events, but only in flashes.  Like that picture.  This man has been identified, by her, as Stryker's employer."

"So where do we start?"  Storm asked.

"We ought to start with Cerebro, but the repairs are going slowly," said Xavier harshly.  It was bad enough that Stryker's commandos had attacked the school, kidnapped several students, and shot the place up.  Stryker had stolen parts from Cerebro to complete his own cheap counterfeit of the device.  To Xavier, that was the most personal intrusion possible.  Cerebro was designed to enhance and magnify his telepathy.  He used it to find and help mutants.  It also helped him get important information that he used to protect them.  He needed it now more than ever, and it was not available.  He was not by nature an angry or vengeful man, but he could almost make an exception for Stryker, and his anonymous partner.

"There is evidence that the lab, though located in Canada, was a US controlled and funded project.  Follow the money trail," Beast said.

"I'm on that," said Scott.  He had a head for numbers.

"There will also be records on the experiments.  Government funded projects have to maintain documents at Washington, and they cannot be destroyed," Jean said, she was familiar with some of the regulations.

"Those won't be easy to get a hold of," Storm said.  "We'll start with some of the personnel listings at the capital, and run his picture through the database."

"Excellent.  I'll do a little research of my own, I know a few people who may be able to assist us," Xavier said.

 "Professor," Kurt interrupted, "how is Danielle?"

"Danielle is still sleeping, but she's fine.  Logan is watching her," Xavier reassured him.

"I'll bet he is."  Scott said under his breath, just loud enough for Jean to hear.  The comment provoked a smirk from both of them.

"What?" Storm asked Jean.

"They are enjoying a little mirth, at Logan's expense," Beast explained.

"That's enough, Hank," Xavier said. "We all have our assignments.  Let's get to work," Xavier ordered.

"Well, you heard Charles, let's get to work," said Beast.  "I'll stop and check on Danielle, and then I'll join you in your office, Jean." 

They all dispersed with their respective jobs, and nothing but a picture of the man's face to go on. Beast found Logan sitting on the bed next to Danielle, watching her sleep.  She seemed to be resting comfortably, and he figured she'd probably sleep through the night. 

"Hey," Beast said quietly, "she still out?"

"Yeah, she hasn't moved a muscle since you all left.  Find out anything?"  Logan asked.

"Nothing yet, but we have a few ideas where to look.  Why don't you go get some rest?  She'll be fine."  Beast could see Logan was tired.  He knew he had been doing a lot of worrying, and not much sleeping.

"I think I'll stay here, if it's all the same to you.  I'll just crash in that chair over there."  Logan pointed at the overstuffed chair in the corner.  He walked over and sat down.  He took off his boots, put his feet up on the edge of the bed, then leaned back and slumped into an uncomfortable looking position.  He smiled at Hank.  "See?  Very comfortable.  Goodnight, Hank."

"Goodnight, Logan," Hank said smiling.  Stubborn fellow, that Wolverine.  Hank knew he wouldn't sleep much tonight no matter where he laid his head.  The man was obviously going to worry about Dani until she woke up.  Hank left and returned to his research.