**Deja Vous**
Logan's nose proved to be right about the Lasagna. Dinner was held in a large dining room. The students shuffled in, and the adults sat together at one of the larger tables. Logan and Dani brought their trays over and joined the professor and the other Xmen. Dani recognized Scott and Jean, and the guy with the funny red eyes, but there were a few new faces. A very attractive looking woman with white hair was seated beside a blue man with pointy teeth and ears. To their left sat a large blue hairy man and the professor. Logan sat down his tray and pulled out a chair for Dani.
"Good evening, Danielle," Xavier said. "Allow me to introduce the rest of the team. You've met Scott and Jean, and Logan, of course. This is Ororo Monroe, Kurt Wagner, Hank Mc Coy and Remy LeBeau."
Each gave her a nod at mention of their names and Dani just smiled shyly. Soon a discussion broke out among the team about some recent mission and Dani was grateful to not be included. Logan only half listened as he was paying more attention to the woman beside him. Finally, Scott broke into his thoughts with a direct question.
"So, Logan, how'd you get back so fast?" he asked.
Dani just slipped a bite of lasagna in her mouth and tried to look like she hadn't heard the question.
Logan looked right at her and just said, "Ask Dani here."
"I'm a transporter," she said quietly, with a blush on her face. "We were avoiding obstacles."
Kurt took a keen interest in that answer. "I'm a transporter too," he said with a smile.
"She doesn't do it like you do, Elf," Logan said. "We crossed half the continent in one jump."
Xavier cocked a brow at Dani, "Really?"
"It isn't difficult," she said. "Distance makes little difference."
"How do you know where you are going?" Kurt asked.
"I just think about where I want to go and see a picture of it in my mind," she said. "I've never had any problems."
"She heals like me," Logan said. "And she seems to have control of some sort of electricity. Before I'd convinced her I wasn't the enemy she gave me a respectable jolt."
"That was nothing, you big whiner," Dani said in annoyance. "Anyway, what's so fascinating about it? Aren't you all mutants?"
"We are indeed, Danielle, but each of us has a different gift," Xavier said. "It is often prudent to get to know everyone's abilities. Some are dangerous if not closely controlled."
"Well, relax professor, I'm not dangerous unless you piss me off," Dani said. "And I'm pretty even tempered."
"That is not what the Susanville Gazette says," Xavier said. "According to those that were interviewed, the Sierra ghost was a menace."
Dani calmly set her fork down and looked at the professor with sheer fury in her eyes. "Those that were interviewed were the same poachers that killed my father. That they lived to give an interview should prove my reign on my temper."
There was dead silence at the table. Logan obviously hadn't gotten the whole story. He watched Dani force herself to calm down and then return her attention to her plate. She poked at it absently and then stood.
"I lost my appetite," she said with a frown. "I think I'm going to go to my room."
"I'm sorry to have upset you, Danielle," Xavier said.
"Look, you wanted me to come here," she said. "Why?"
"I believe you were confronted with the reason on your way here. The Brotherhood showed a definite interest in your abilities…" Xavier started to say but Dani interrupted.
"Did you bring me here to help me, or to exploit me, like they would have? As far as I can tell, there doesn't seem to be much difference between you and them except that you found me first," Dani said angrily.
"Yeah, but I just wanted to talk to you, they burned your house down," Logan said.
Dani glanced at Logan in frustration and just backed away from the table. She looked at their expectant faces and panic set in. What the hell was she doing here with these lunatics? Why did she let that man bring her here?
"I gotta get out of here," Dani said, "This is just too much."
Logan smelled panic, "Dani, wait…" His words came too late; in a flash of white light she was gone. He abruptly stood and swore, "Damn!"
Xavier closed his eyes a moment and then sighed in relief. "She is in the guest room," he said. "I suggest we give her a little space. Sit down Logan."
Logan slumped back into his chair, but his thoughts were far away. Jean was eyeing him with definite interest. She wasn't blatantly probing his mind, but she caught quite a few echoes, and Danielle was the center of every one. Jean smiled and glanced at the professor.
Keep it to yourself, Jean, Xavier warned her.
Jean bit her lip and kept eating. The rest of dinner was rather quiet, and as the table emptied, Xavier caught Logan's attention. Logan, I'd like to talk to you in my office.
Logan frowned, but after the table was cleared, he joined the professor as requested. He strode into the office and plopped down on the couch like a student in a dorm lounge. His expression was dark and it was obvious he was preoccupied. Xavier observed him a moment and waited patiently for Logan's full attention.
Logan finally glanced up and just said, "Well?"
"I think that you are the only reason that she is still on the premises," Xavier said. "You must have made quite and impression."
"Hmph," Logan growled bitterly.
"You told her about your dream," Xavier said in surprise. "Was that wise?"
"Damn if I know, but it got me a kiss," Logan said with a sly smile.
Xavier pondered Logan's simple logic and ventured a question, "Your memory of her, did you notice anything?"
Logan closed his eyes, "No, it's fuzzy."
Xavier gently probed Logan's memory, and as he found the memory he was looking for, Logan observed with him. After a few moments, Logan opened his eyes and stared in shock. "That was an Xmen uniform she was wearing…" he said.
"Yes, it was," Xavier said. "Do you recognize the dark haired man?"
Logan frowned, "No. What are you thinking?"
"Perhaps time travel, I am not certain," Xavier said. "It is obvious that she knew you."
"So what now?" Logan asked.
"Just try to help her get settled in here. Perhaps with your friendship, she will begin to trust us as well," Xavier speculated.
"I ain't promising to keep it at friendship," Logan said firmly.
"Be careful, and be discreet," Xavier said. "Your liaisons have not always been…"
"This is different," Logan said. "No lecture needed."
Xavier cocked a brow at him and could tell that this situation was indeed different from Logan's usual pursuits. The man had scarcely had more than the occasional one night stand since Jean finally made up her mind. For a short while, Xavier thought he'd go after Rogue, until the Cajun showed up and stole her heart. Since then, Logan was a confirmed bachelor with little interest in the female population. But this new arrival had him wound up tight. This was going to be very interesting to watch. Perhaps he would gain a new team member before too long.
*****
Dani stood under the hot stream of water and tried to calm down. This school was not what she'd expected. She felt boxed in, and suffocated by all the attention. She wanted to go home, but there was nothing left to return to. The water ran down over her head and she wished it would just wash her down the drain with it. She should just get dressed and leave. It would be so easy, just the blink of an eye and this place would be little more than a memory. But then she thought of Logan. He'd fed her the most ridiculous story she'd ever heard, but she believed him.
"Damn, I'm a lunatic too," she whispered to herself.
She turned off the water and dried off. She felt sick to her stomach, and knew she needed a little boost to her charge. She glanced at the outlet and then touched it. The lights in the mansion flickered a moment as she pulled just what she needed. Then they returned to normal and she sighed. She hated that… damned dependence. She was like a junky who needed a fix on a schedule just to feel normal. She hoped that no one would pick up on the cause of their momentary brown out. Explaining her dependency on electricity might be a little difficult.
Dani went to the closet and rummaged for something to wear. There was a modest nightgown hanging right next to a clean pair of jeans and she debated. Stay… or go? Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
She frowned, threw on the nightgown, and went to the door. "Who is it?"
"Logan," he said. "Can I come in?"
Dani wordlessly opened the door and went and sat on the bed. Logan closed the door behind him and followed. He stopped at the end of the bed and just stared at her. Her hair was dripping wet, and it was quickly soaking her cotton nightgown. She started absentmindedly combing her fingers through it and just frowned up at him.
"Was there something you wanted?" she asked.
"I wanted to apologize for dinner," he said.
"The lasagna was fine, no apology needed."
"Damn it Dani, you know what I meant," he said in frustration as he sat down.
"You told me no strings," she said. "I don't get that vibe from your friends. They were looking at me like I was a shiny new toy when you told them what I could do. Why the hell did you do that?"
"The professor gets excited about discovering new abilities," Logan said. "Most mutants only have one, but it seems like you have three."
"No, it's just one," Dani said. "And it's no picnic either. There are drawbacks, believe me."
Logan cocked a brow at her, but she looked away. Somehow they'd hit a nerve with her, and she was pissed. "So why didn't you just leave?"
Dani gave him a dismal look and just softly said, "I have nowhere else to go."
Logan scooted closer to her and just put his arms around her. He could feel the tension in her body, and knew she was near the verge of tears, but she refused to let go. He tried to think of something comforting to say, but holding her in his arms was distracting. Her thin gown left little to the imagination, and he felt his jeans getting tight.
"Tell me the truth," Dani said. "The professor wants me to join up, doesn't he?"
Logan was afraid to say yes, but knew she'd know he was lying if he said no. He closed his eyes and gave her what she'd asked for. "Yes."
"And if I say no?" she asked.
"You can leave whenever you want to," Logan said. "I left before I joined up."
"Why'd you come back?" she asked.
"Because I'd seen enough of the world to know how damn lucky I am to have this place. I never had a family before I came here," Logan said.
Dani pulled away and looked at Logan with an unreadable expression. "I did."
"I'm sorry about your mom," Logan said.
"I don't know that it was anyone's fault. She was dead before the fire, and she'd been dead for a while. Maybe she had a heart attack or something," Dani speculated. "But I shouldn't have left her. I should have stayed, or tried to revive her. God, I never should have left… What kind of a daughter leaves like that? If I'd have stayed that day on the ridge he might still be alive…" Dani suddenly stopped. God, had she really said that out loud?
Logan stared at her in shock. She was carrying some major baggage. "What happened, Dani?"
Dani closed her eyes and cringed, but it was too late now, she might as well tell him. "There was poaching going on in my dad's territory. We'd found evidence in the woods twice, and Dad and I were staked out waiting for them. He had an advantage that no one expected… me. But there were more hunters than we'd anticipated, and we were discovered before we could spring the trap. Dad told me to go for help, that he had a plan. I put him up on the ridge, where he thought he'd be safe, and then I left. When the other rangers finally found him… they said death had been instantaneous. He didn't suffer. But they called it an accident, just a three hundred foot fall. I couldn't tell them I'd been there and seen the poachers. I couldn't explain how without telling them I was a mutant…" Her voice trailed off and the tears finally hit.
Logan pulled her into his arms again and let her cry. The tension went right out of her as the silent sobs racked her small frame. She quickly recovered herself and looked up at him. Her violet eyes were red and puffy, but she was beautiful. Dani sat up and stared at him in confusion. She'd felt that deja vous thing again, and it unnerved her.
"Who are you?" she asked him.
Logan paused a moment. That sounded like a loaded question. "My name's Logan… we met in California…"
It was like catching sight of an old friend on the edge of your peripheral vision, and when you turn to look, they're gone. She felt it every time he was close to her. This man was familiar, but damned if she knew why. His arms were the most comfortable place she'd ever been, and it terrified her. She barely knew him, yet… she knew him. Dani suddenly started shaking as she pulled back and pointed to the door.
"Get out," she said softly. "Please."
"No, not until I know you're okay," Logan said seriously. "You act like you're scared of me. What's wrong?"
"I just need you to go," Dani said. "Please just go."
Logan stood and took a couple steps back when he realized what was going on. "You know me, don't you?"
Dani hugged her knees and looked away, "No I don't, now get out."
Logan knew she was lying but she was also terrified, bordering on panicked. He headed to the door and paused. He leaned his head against the door and sighed. "I don't know why I know you either. All I know is I've never felt… When you're close I… Damn, woman, I'm dying here," he said in frustration. He glanced over his shoulder and she was still looking away, biting her lip. He just opened the door and left.
His room was next door, and that wasn't far enough. He closed his door and stared at the wall that separated them. This was all wrong. He belonged in there with Dani, he knew it, and so did she. He growled involuntarily and kicked off his boots. He undressed and headed to the shower, but paused when he pulled his t-shirt off. God, her scent was all over it. He held it up to his nose and inhaled deeply. Her scent mixed with his… God, he needed a cold shower.
*****
Dani sighed with relief when the door closed. She looked around the room for her things, one jacket, one outfit and four pairs of underwear. The rest came with the room. She didn't like hand outs. She didn't like freeloading. She didn't like being here… but she liked… Logan. God! He wasn't Adonis or anything, but he was handsome in a rough Hell's Angels kind of way. And he was rugged and outdoorsy like her father… was. He had respect for nature, letting the deer cross his path without startling them. He'd shown a great deal of restraint to not fight back when she'd jolted him on her porch. At first glance you'd think he was just a thug, but Logan was perplexing, like the old adage about still waters running deep. There was definitely more to the man than his first impression implies. Logan… why the hell was he so familiar?
Dani sighed, crawled into bed and tried to think of something else… anything else. She'd give the place one more day. Maybe tomorrow she'd figure out why he seemed familiar.
*****
Logan knew the moment she fell asleep, he could hear the change in her breathing. He finally relaxed. He'd been afraid she would just disappear and he'd never find her again. He grabbed his t-shirt and smelled it again… salty tears, shampoo and Dani. He finally closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
