** Confrontations**

Dani was startled awake.  Was that a dream?  Did that really happen?  Her heart was pounding.  She was about to get up when she remembered she was not alone.  Logan was practically wrapped around her.  His arms hugged her close, and one of his legs was draped over hers.  If she even twitched, she'd wake him for sure.  She needed to investigate that dream.  If Logan's Jeep was still in the garage, and the girls were still in bed sleeping, she would know it was just a nightmare. 

She orbed herself to her room.  She hoped that wouldn't wake him, but just in case, she dressed really fast.  She listened by the wall, but it was quiet.  She put on her shoes and her X-men sweatshirt.  She'd sort of grown attached to it. 

What to do first?  Check the garage.  She orbed herself there, and Logan's Jeep was gone.  She panicked, and orbed herself upstairs to the student quarters.  Oh, great.  Which door?

"What are you doin'?" Logan asked sleepily.  He was standing there looking confused.  He really looked sexy with rumpled hair and a bare chest.

"Which room is Rogue's?" Dani asked him quietly.

Her voice was calm, but her fear hit Logan like a tidal wave, and he was instantly wide-awake.  He turned around and went to Marie's room.  When he opened the door, he saw three perfectly neat, made beds.  He looked at Dani, and she was standing there with a look of utter dread on her face. 

"Explain," Logan said quietly with an unyielding expression.

"I had a nightmare.  The girls snuck out, in your Jeep, and Magneto caught them," she said.  "I hoped it was just a dream, but I was so upset, I wanted to be sure so I checked the garage, and your Jeep is gone."

"Where?" he asked her, but didn't wait for her answer.  Logan grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the hall with him.  He pounded on Scott and Jean's door.  "Jeannie, get Scooter up and call the professor.  We have an emergency!"  

Beast poked his head out of his room.  All he was wearing was a pair of pink paisley boxers. "What's all this commotion?  Can't you two keep it down?  It's Saturday," he growled.

"We have three missing students," Dani said. 

"Oh, my stars and garters!"  Beast said.  "I'll meet you in the war room, er...um, as soon as I get dressed."

Logan dragged Dani back to his room.  He closed the door and leaned against it.  He was trying not to look angry, but he did.  "Why didn't you tell to me?" he demanded.

"You were sleeping, and besides, I told you I thought it was just a dream," she said defensively.

"I don't think so.  You don't go checking the garage for missing cars if you think it's just a dream.  You knew something was wrong. You should have told me," Logan said calmly.  He regarded her skeptically, and for the first time since he'd met her, Logan had doubts.  No one could possibly be as sweet as she seemed. 

"You're right, Logan, I should have told you.  I was just hoping to find out that there was nothing to tell," she said, and was about to orb, when he grabbed her.  She was so startled, her glow disappeared and she just stood there.

"Oh, no you don't!  That trick of yours will not get you off the hook this time.  You owe me an explanation, and I want to know the truth," he practically shouted.

 "What are you talking about?" she asked nervously. 

"Ever since we first met, you've avoided talking to me.  I've let it slide for a while because you were so shy," Logan said seriously.  "But you're over that now and you're still not talking to me. Why?" he had hold of both her arms and was staring her down.  He was practically daring her to try lying to him.

 "We've spent nearly all our time together since I got here.  I talk to you more than anyone else," Dani said defiantly.  "I don't need to explain myself to you!  Why does everything I do or don't do have to be your business?" Logan was riding her last nerve.

Being independent is a good thing, being stubborn is not.  Danielle was hiding something from them.  Chuck hadn't found it in her head, but Logan could feel it.  He pushed his feelings aside, he knew something was wrong.  "What is it you're not telling us, Dani?  What are you afraid of?" Logan challenged.  He was not backing down.

"What do you want to know?" Dani asked angrily.  "You think I have a dark secret?  You want to know that I was more than a magic band aid to Stryker?  Maybe I'm a spy, or a ticking time bomb!  You remember how you found me?  I was created in a glass tube, and I lived in a glass tube.  End of story.  Should I make something up?  Would that make you happy?  What do you want from me?" she demanded.

"I'll tell you what I want!  I want..." he stopped abruptly.  What did he want?  He let go of her and went to his closet to grab some clothes.  He swore under his breath as he dressed.  Logan wanted more.  Last night had given him a taste of what he was missing.  After spending the night together, he would have thought they would feel closer.   But this morning he didn't feel closer to Dani, he felt like they were farther apart.  She still didn't confide in him unless she was pressed.  When she did talk, she was holding back.  What was she hiding?

Dani stood with her back to him.  She was thankful he was dressing; it gave her an excuse to not look at him.  She heard him swear.  She'd made him mad, and didn't know how to smooth it over.  She didn't want him to be angry with her.  Last night had been so wonderful, but today, she couldn't do anything right.  She knew that the only way to fix things was to rescue the girls. 

"Logan, I'm so sorry," she said barely above a whisper.  "I'm sorry I've been shutting you out, and I'm sorry about your friends.  I'll make it right I promise," She turned to look at him and knew he heard every word.  He had a dark look on his face. 

"Dani, no," he said softly.  A knot formed in Logan's throat and his eyes were full of emotion.  He'd known what she was going to do the second she'd said 'I'm sorry'.  But by the time the shock wore off enough for him to protest, she was already gone. 

Logan ran to the war room.

*****

Dani stopped on the road by Logan's abandoned Jeep.  There was no sign of them.  How far could they have gotten?  Where would they go?  She thought about her telepathy.  She knew she had some telepathic ability, that's how she navigated so well when she orbed.   But reading people was not her gift.  This situation was urgent, so maybe she could find the girls out of dumb luck and desperation.  Rogue had a strong connection with Logan.  Maybe that could be something to focus on.  Dani orbed to California, and sat in her redwood fort to get her bearings.  She closed her eyes.  Nothing.  How does the professor do this?  Oh who was she kidding?  She needed help.

If she went back without the girls, she might as well forget about joining the X-men.  Dani could never face them again.  She couldn't live with the guilt if something happened to them.  She tried concentrating again, and suddenly felt like she was not alone.

Danielle, your disappearing act is working poor Logan into a frenzy.  You can't find the girls on your own.  Come back, and we'll find them together.  Xavier said.

Can't you just tell me where to look?  I'll scout the place for you, and keep them safe until the team gets there.  She answered.  Please, professor, I need to do this.  It's my fault this happened.  Don't try to say it isn't, because you know it is. 

Dani, this is not your fault.  I do not approve of this, Xavier said, but I think I understand.  The girls are still en route via helicopter.  They are over the Montana badlands.  You should be able to find them.

Thank you professor.  Tell Logan I won't let anything happen to his friends. Dani said.

Just be careful.  Xavier said.  He hoped he was right about this.  Dani felt like she needed to prove herself.  He hadn't wanted her to do that alone.  He knew they could be there in a few hours, but that could be too late for the girls.  Dani could be the distraction they needed to give them time to arrive.  Logan wasn't going to like this.

*****

The office was a sterile, drab room with a desk, a computer, and a large window that looked into Gabriel's private lab.  Gabriel was sitting at the desk, staring at the two mutants in front of him.  The blue woman was giving him the evil eye.  Shape shifters are creepy.  He ignored her.  Eric was obviously waiting for a comment on the peace offering he had brought.

"You and I really need to work on our communication," Gabriel said dryly.  "Either that, or you need your eyes checked.  I said bring me Violet, and you brought me not one, but three substitutes."

"Patience, Gabe, I brought you bait," Magneto informed him arrogantly.  "Violet will come to save them from me, and she'll find you."

Gabriel looked at the three girls through the window.  They were young, but they had interesting powers.  His mutant power inhibiter was the only thing keeping them quiet.  Maybe he could find a use for them.  He knew they would be his trump card when Violet showed up.  Good-hearted people were easy to manipulate.  Just threaten their friends.  That ploy had worked on her for years, but as she got older, she'd stopped cooperating.  She'd suddenly refused to heal his patients.  Her defiance cost him several interesting subjects.  But he'd learned that she had a very ruthless side.  She watched her friend die a horrible death, and never shed a tear.  He was so proud of her that day.

"I hope you're right.  I'd hate to lose another partner," Gabriel said arrogantly.

Pompous ass!  Magneto was a patient man.  He knew that Violet would find a way to come here, alone.  She would keep Gabriel busy so he could retrieve the formula.  By the time the X-men found this place, he could be long gone. 

*****

The badlands were pretty.  There were lots of rock formations that seemed to have been thrust straight up out of the ground.  Between two large formations was the complex.  The terrain gave it good cover, and the location was remote.  There was a large hangar, and a few smaller buildings.  Dani looked the place over a bit.  It was clear that most of it was underground.  She tried scanning for the girls.  They were all right, but in three separate cells.  Each one had a forcefield.  That was going to be a problem.  She couldn't just orb them out. 

Then she recognized Gabriel.  He and Magneto were working on this together.  She had to come up with a plan.  Dani had to get the girls out of there.  Gabriel was a madman, and he would hurt or kill them without hesitation or remorse.  She would offer herself as a trade.  That would buy enough time for Logan and the others to get here.  It wasn't the greatest, or the smartest plan, but it was the only thing she could come up with.

*****

The X-men were headed to Montana in the Blackbird.  Kurt sat there in his new X-men uniform.  It felt weird, but Ororo had lit up at the sight of him wearing it.  He could endure the fit, for the smile she gave him.  He was hoping they could get to the students before they got hurt.  He wasn't too worried about Dani.  She can transport herself out of danger if things got to be too much.  He was just glad he didn't have to sit next to Logan.

Storm was piloting the jet with Scott.  She glanced back at Kurt.  He looked good in that uniform.  She smiled to herself as she remembered last night.  Kurt was remarkable.  She saw Logan fidgeting in his seat.  He was going crazy with worry.  It wasn't just Dani he was worrying about, it was the girls.  He had a soft spot for Rogue and her pals.  Most of the students thought Logan was scary, but he was a softy.  He was very protective of the kids.  She watched him sitting there, popping his claws in and out.  She was really glad she wasn't sitting next to him.

*snikt* The flight to Montana was taking forever.  *snikt* Logan wanted to rip someone apart. *snikt* He was wound tighter than a jack-in-the-box ready to spring.  *snikt* His jaw was tight, and his expression was murderous.  *snikt* He stared at the back of Scooter's chair, and waited.  He was going to make someone pay for this.  *snikt* His friends were alone in the hands of a crazy mutant, and all he could do was twiddle his thumbs on this jet.  *snikt* He stopped playing with his claws.  The shock of pain every time they burst through his skin was keeping his rage at bay.  But everyone else was watching him nervously.  He smirked. 

Scott thought about the three kidnapped students.  Rogue had nearly died at the hands of Magneto once, and he did not want to see her get hurt again.  Jubilee was a sweet kid and so was Kitty.  As the leader, he would go to the ends of the earth to rescue any one of the Institute's students, but he had three to worry about.  And Dani would be there too.  Scott hoped she knew what she was doing, going there alone.  She was untrained, and didn't fully understand her powers.  She was probably walking into a trap.  Scott hoped they would be in time.  They were over North Dakota now, and their destination was less than fifteen minutes away.  He was just glad to be in the cockpit, and not sitting next to Logan.

Logan was thinking about Dani.  She thought everything that had happened was her personal responsibility.  Logan knew she felt guilty about the girls.   Sure, she was in the middle of it, but that didn't mean it was her fault.  She ran off to try and fix things.  She could have taken him with her if she wanted to do that.  He would have been all for it.  But she went alone, again.  What did she think she needed to prove?  Even Logan had come to realize that you can't always do it alone.  If anything happens to any of them, there is going to be hell to pay.  When he finally gets his hands on Dani, he's gonna kiss her, or kill her.  This waiting was torture.

*****  

Dani orbed herself into the room where Gabriel was.  Magneto and Mystique were there, and Dani orbed them both a mile from the complex, in opposite directions.  She could see Rogue and Kitty in cages that looked like smaller versions of hers.  There was a third girl, but Dani couldn't remember her name.  Gabriel stood there with his arms crossed, looking pleased with himself. 

"So the prodigal daughter has returned," Gabriel said. 

"Release them now, and we'll leave in peace," she said coolly.  She was furious.  The man had the audacity to look smug.  She wanted to borrow Logan's claws for just five minutes.

"And if I refuse, are you going to heal me to death?" he asked her with an evil grin on his face.

"Try me," she said confidently.  Where was all this bravado coming from?  What was she going to do when he called her bluff?

*****

"We're within range to scan the area now," Storm said.  "There are several buildings just up ahead.  I'll set down by those rocks."

"That looks like a hangar," Scott said.  "A perfect place to hide a helicopter."

"Jean, can you pick up Rogue or the girls?"  Logan asked.

Jean concentrated, but couldn't pick up anyone.  The buildings were empty.  She scanned underground and found the girls, and Gabriel.  "There's a large underground complex.  The girls are in a lab, inside cages.  Gabriel is in there."

"Gabriel!" Logan exclaimed.  "And what about Dani?"

Jean just nodded.  Dani was there, and hopefully she was not in over her head.  If anything happens to Dani, Logan was going to go ballistic, she just knew it.

"I thought we were here for Magneto," Scott said.

"Remember Danielle's picture?  Gabriel, a lab, and the exact same three students we are here for?  I think we are dealing with both of them," Storm said.

"I think we are dealing with Magneto first," said Kurt, "look."

*****

Magneto was standing on top of the rock formation, looking pissed.  He wasn't looking at the Jet; he was looking at the complex.  The X-men would think this was his doing.  He might have to fight them before he could get back into the lab to get the formula.  He wondered what was happening in there.  That woman Gabriel wanted was fairly powerful.  Gabriel deserved everything she could dish out and more.  Magneto thought he could use another female in the Brotherhood, maybe he could get her to join up.  No, Mystique was rather territorial and she probably wouldn't stand for it.  He was still about a kilometer out, and the only metal out here was that jet.  -Hmmm.

He raised the jet, and hovered himself over to it.  He stood on the roof and used it as a sort of magic carpet.  Magneto maneuvered it around the rocks, and right up to the front door.  He set it down, and then hovered back to the ground.  As he passed by the cockpit window, he smirked at Cyclops and said sarcastically, "Thanks for the ride." 

Eric ripped apart the entrance doors to the main building.  He had to get into Gabriel's private office and retrieve the files on the formula.  There was a great deal of information on some of those discs that Magneto wanted.  Gabriel had been obsessed with mutation for twenty years, and some of his experiments were very disturbing.  Logan's adamantium hardware was installed against his will, at Gabriel's command.  Magneto found that to be a very Nazi behavior.  Gabriel had definitely outlived his usefulness.  This partnership was officially over.  He was going to get what he came for and let the X-men do what they pleased with Gabriel.

*****

Gabriel reached his hands out towards Violet, and let the energy build.  A pale green glow emanated from him, and his hands sparked with little bolts of green energy.  There was never an easy way to get what he wanted.  She'd made the wrong choice, and he had to teach her a lesson.  He looked into her eyes grimly as he said, "This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you, but it's for your own good.  You need to respect your father!" 

He let the energy burst from his hands right at her chest.  She braced herself for the inevitable blow, but it never came.  The green energy snaked around her, and swirled into a ring of energy like a great green hula-hoop around her waist.  The shock on Gabriel's face was evident.  He had expected to knock her off her feet.  His look of shock quickly turned to fear as he set off the complex alarm. 

Danielle was in shock as well.  What was happening?  She reached up her hands to touch the unspent energy that surrounded her.  Like a bolt of lightening it entered one hand, passed through her body, and built in her other hand.  Now her hand glowed bright violet, instead of green, and she felt the raw power.  She knew she had complete control over it.  Purple sparks fell from her fingertips and her body glowed a soft white.  She stared at Gabriel with an evil expression that looked completely out of place on her.

"Now, you've done it, Dr. Frankenstein.  You've created a monster, and she's going to burn down your castle," she said as she let the energy explode from her hand. 

*****

"Magneto doesn't seem to care about us being here," Scott said.  "What is going on?"

"Scott, Logan.  I think Dani may be in trouble," Jean said.  She kept scanning.  She found no sign of Mystique or Sabertooth inside the complex, but she could swear she saw John in there.

Logan growled and stormed over to the door.  "Ro, open the door if you don't want me to rip a hole in it!"  He was going to go rescue Dani.  He could kill her for making him worry like this.  She hadn't figured out that she was his woman yet.  "Damned obstinate woman!" he said under his breath. 

"Logan, calm down.  We're all going in, but we need a plan," Scott said as he came up to stand by him.  The door was opening and the team was ready to go.  "Storm, stay with the Jet, in case we need to make a quick exit."

"A plan? …dick head!" Logan said to Scott as they entered the complex.  Scott smirked.  That insult had almost turned into an endearing term, coming from Logan.  Neither one of them wanted to admit that they liked each other.  But they both knew that they did.  Scott hadn't given Logan an obnoxious nickname, that just wasn't his style.  He leaned a little more toward sarcasm.

"We got trouble, Pyro is blocking our way," Jean said, pointing.  He was using a wall of fire to block the elevator that led down to the hidden part of the complex.  He seemed pleased with himself.  He wasn't aggressively attacking them, but he was an obstacle to be reckoned with.

Kurt just smiled, "I'll take care of this."  -Bampf- Kurt appeared behind him and then transported him outside, some fair distance away, and then transported himself right back. 

The fire had dissipated without John feeding it.  They were headed down into the complex, when the alarm went off.  Logan got a knot in his stomach.  He hoped the girls and Dani were all okay.  The door to the elevator opened into a very clean, white looking hallway, full of armed soldiers.  They were commandos, like the one's that had stormed the school and guarded the facility at Alkali Lake.  *snikt* Logan popped his claws, smiled, and leapt into the hallway.  There was a roar of gunfire, but Logan had already taken out two of them before the first shot rang out.  Logan picked a direction to sweep the hall.  Scott stuck his head out of the elevator and sent an optic blast down the other end of the hall.  In just a few short seconds, they had taken out most of them.  Only a couple got away, but they were no concern.

"Jean, which way," Logan asked.  He was a grisly sight standing there over several bodies with his claws dripping with blood.  He was all business, there were no grudges here.  The soldiers were obstacles, and he was removing them.  Gabriel and Magneto were another story.

"Keep going, then take a right," Jean said.  "It's not far."

They were all startled by the sound of an explosion, and shattering glass.  It came from the direction they were headed.  Logan looked at the others with a panicked expression, and then ran in the direction of the disturbance.  Scott, Jean and Kurt followed on his heels, but were brought up short by Jean's abrupt command, "Stop!"

Logan ignored her.  There was no way he was going to stop until Dani and the girls were safe.  He turned and headed for the door.  Only a few guards in his way... easily dealt with.  He dispatched them quickly and cleanly as he stalked down the hall.  He could smell fire, and scorched hair.  And then he caught Dani's scent, and broke into a run.

*****

Gabriel was struck in the center of the chest, and went flying through the window, shattering the glass.  He landed in the center of the lab, covered with bloody cuts.  Dani orbed herself into the lab and stood over him.  Her hair filled with static, and tiny purple sparks were dripping from her hands.  Her face was full of fury, and she glowed with a soft white aura.  The alarm was blaring in her ears and seemed to bring her to her senses.  She didn't come here for revenge; she came to get the girls.  Gabriel was still gasping for air, and didn't appear to be an immediate threat.  His guards, and the other scientists could be here any second, she needed to deactivate the forcefields.

"Answer me if you want to live, how do you turn off those forcefields?" she said in a tone that meant business. 

"Go to hell!  I'm not helping you escape.  As long as I have them, I have you," he said sneeringly as he wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. "I made you! You belong to me."

Dani let out a scream of frustration and gave him enough of an energy jolt to knock him out for a few minutes.  She started sending energy bursts into all the control panels until one by one the forcefields went out. Rogue, Kitty, and Jubilee climbed out of their cages and rushed over to Dani.  

"That was amazing!  Where are Logan and the rest of the X-men?"  Rogue asked her.

"Your friends are in the hall, waiting for you.  Tell them not to wait for me," she said.  Dani knew the X-men had arrived, she had felt Jean looking for them.  She orbed the girls to the hallway where Jean and the others were.

She tried to gain her composure; she needed to think clearly when he woke up.  The man had habit of bragging, but never seemed to deliver.  Now it was time to learn the truth.  She had learned a lot in seven years.  You can make people talk if you have a strong enough stomach.

Logan stepped into what was left of the doorway, and stood with his arms crossed.  He had been there long enough to see her powers, and hear what Gabriel had said to her.  When he heard that scream, it nearly ripped his heart out.  She was really going to need to talk after this.  He hoped that she would talk to him.

"Don't wait for me?"  Logan repeated. "What the hell are you planning?"

"When sleeping beauty wakes up, we're gonna have a real nice chat," she said sarcastically.  "He owes me the truth.  I want to know why!  I want to know what the hell I was made for."

All the anger went right out of Logan when he heard those words.  He had been selfish.  All he could think about was what he wanted.  He'd forgotten how much she had been through.  He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms.  "As far as I'm concerned, Dani, you were made for me.  Who cares what they had planned."

"I do." Dani said firmly, "My whole life is artificial.  That is the bastard who did it.  He's the same guy who headed the weapon X program.  Don't you recognize your handiwork on his cheek?" she asked him.

Logan's blood went cold.  He had a few questions of his own for old Gabriel here.  His mind was racing through a list of questions that had plagued him for fifteen years.  Who was I before?  Then Logan remembered Magneto.  He realized he hadn't seen him since their little joyride up to the front door.

"I want to know what Magneto wants," Logan said.

"That loser wants my formula," Gabriel rasped. "He thinks I wrote it down on a recipe card that he can steal," he laughed ironically.  "He'll never get it, because it's all in here," he said pointing to his head.

"What formula?" Logan demanded.

"He used to call it 'Love Potion #9' but that was a joke.  It's his mutation enhancing formula," Magneto said as he came in from the other side of the lab.  "I really am disappointed in you Gabriel.  I thought you could handle your own daughter.  It appears she mopped the lab with you."

"Parents always want their offspring to be better than themselves.  She has surpassed even my expectations.  Too bad Stryker is dead," Gabriel said smiling, he loved provoking people.   "He was the only one who had any success with adamantium implants.  Why don't you show us those nice claws of yours, Wolverine?  You know you really are a modern success story."

Dani started glowing brilliant white and her hands filled with bright violet electricity.  "The man's name is Logan.  You'd do well to remember that in my presence," she said icily.  She hated the way Gabriel used the name Wolverine, like Logan was some animal.  It really pissed her off.  Her eyes glowed, and her expression was sheer fury.  "By the way, Gabriel," she said as she sent tiny jolts of purple energy at him, "How'd you get that big ugly scar across your cheek?"

Magneto seized Logan with a magnetic field and raised him above the ground, stretching him painfully.  "You are a little too new at this to be so confident, Violet," he said smugly.  But he had no time to gloat over this standoff as he was hit in the chest with a red blast from Cyclops.  Magneto flew backwards and Logan fell hard.  

 Logan was quickly to his feet, grabbed Dani, and spun her around to look at him.  "Get to the jet, Dani.  Scott and I will take care of this."  His expression was adamant.  He expected to be obeyed.

"Oh, don't tell me that you two are sleeping together," Gabriel sneered.  "Violet, don't you know what you are?  You're a walking power converter.  You're the ultimate weapon!  I didn't go through twenty years of work to create a sex toy for Wolverine, here!" he said harshly.  "He'll hurt ya, Violet, I guarantee it," he added as he pointed to the scar across his cheek.

Dani spun around to silence him with another energy burst, but Magneto had already silenced him for her.  He had used his power to run four broken power cables to him.  Gabriel's body twitched as he was electrocuted.  The smell was ghastly.

Logan was outraged.  If Magneto hadn't killed Gabriel, he would have.  He suddenly didn't care about answers anymore.  The man needed killing.

"Insufferable man, I should have done that sooner," Magneto said. "Consider that my apology for his rudeness, Violet," he added smiling.  Then he started throwing large metal objects around to distract them so he could slip out the back way. 

Logan, Scott and Dani ducked for cover in three different directions.  By the time they turned to fight off the debris, it all fell to the floor, and Magneto was gone. 

Scott got up, brushing himself off. "Can we go now?" he asked. "I'm double parked outside, and I have a date with a redhead later."

"Come here, both of you," Dani sighed.  They stood on either side of her, and Logan wrapped an arm around her possessively.  Logan already knew what to expect.  Scott was hesitant.  He didn't think he was going to like this.  Dani just grabbed Scott's hand and orbed them into the Jet.

"Whoa," Scott said.  "You need to warn a guy before you do that."  That was not the mode of travel for him.  He'd stick with flying, thank you.  He went to sit in the cockpit.  He glanced back at Logan and Dani.  Those two had a lot to talk about.

*****

When the team arrived back at the school it was late.  Dani had fallen asleep in her seat.  Logan thought she looked beautiful when she slept, and he couldn't bear to wake her.  He carefully unstrapped her, and lifted her into his arms.  She must have been exhausted because she didn't even stir.  Logan exited the jet.  The rest of the team had already scattered.  He stood in the empty hangar cradling Dani in his arms.  It seemed like an eternity since the first time he held her this way.  She'd been the hero that day too. 

"Logan, where are we?" she asked sleepily. 

"In the hangar, back at the school," he said quietly as he kissed her forehead. "You've had a long day. I'll take you to your room."

"That's okay, I got this," she said as she orbed them to her room.

Logan didn't think he'd ever get used to that.  He laid her on the bed, sat down beside her, and started taking off her shoes.  She finally opened her eyes and looked up at him.  "Are you mad at me?" she asked.

He cringed.  She sounded like a child that had just pulled a fast one and got caught.  He wasn't mad anymore.  He was just so glad to have her back safe.  He turned to look at her.  "Look into my eyes and tell me what you see there," he said.

She locked eyes with him.  She had never wanted to look too hard, she was afraid of what she would find there.  He was always so open with her, like now.  She lost herself in his beautiful eyes, and saw what he wanted her to see.  He loved her.  Why didn't she notice it before?  She thought back over the past few days.  She had seen it, but she had been denying it.  She finally understood why she had been running from him.  She loved him too.  As long as she thought that was one-sided, she didn't have to deal with it.  She blinked as tears filled her eyes.

"Dani, what do you see?" he asked again.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?  Oh, Logan, I love you, too," she said as Logan wiped the tears from her cheeks.

He bent down to kiss her and she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.  He lay beside her and deepened his kiss.  A flood of excitement washed over him.  She loved him.  He was careful to be gentle, but his kiss was demanding.  He coaxed her mouth open with his tongue and was rewarded for his effort with a very accepting response.  He raked his fingers through her hair as his tongue explored her sweet mouth.  He toyed with her tongue, teasingly.  She shyly explored his mouth with her tongue, and he nearly went wild.  He felt himself losing control, and he broke their kiss.  He hovered above her, a breath away from her soft lips, and looked into her eyes.  He wanted to know that she was okay with this; he didn't want to go too fast.

"Logan," she whispered.

"Yeah, Dani," he answered.

"Don't leave this time, I want you to stay," she said. 

That was good enough for him.  He wrapped his arms around her and rolled over so that he was on his back and she was lying on top of him.   He kissed her, but unlike any dream he'd ever had of her, he had to fight to maintain control.  Her scent filled his nostrils, and it fueled his passion.  She was intoxicating.  He'd wanted her since the first moment they'd met.  Now that he could finally have her, he was trying to make it special for her.  This was not some bimbo he met in a bar.  This was Dani, the violet-eyed angel who had touched his soul and stole his heart. 

Dani pulled away from his kiss, and smiled.  He saw a glow surround them briefly, and then disappear.  A second later he saw a flash of light on the floor.  He immediately realized what she had done.  She'd orbed their clothes off.  She watched his shocked expression, and giggled.  He hugged her body close and basked in the softness of her skin.  He stroked her soft mane of hair that draped over them like a blanket.  It was like silk.  He felt her body relax against him and could feel her breathing and heart beat slow.  She was exhausted, and had fallen asleep.  Damn the luck… but he smiled to himself.  There's always tomorrow.