disclaimer: All recognizable characters are owned by Marvel, except Jenny who is MINE! (though I have been known to share if you ask nicely.) I expect to make no money off this fic. Dammit.

Human and the Demon
by Dizi

Chapter 6

Knocking on the door for the third time, Kurt peered through the window and frowned. Jenny was always ready and waiting for him. Today, there was no sign of her but he could see her purse on the couch and her backpack against the wall.

After knocking one more time, he teleported inside. Walking into the kitchen, he really became alarmed at the dirty dishes in the sink. Jenny never left the kichen less than immaculate.

Quietly, he continued through the house and relief flooded him at her bedroom. The door was ajar and he could see her still asleep on the bed. It was short-lived however, when he noticed her flushed face and the restless way she slept.

Kneeling down beside the queen-sized bed, he felt her forehead.

Jenny's eyes fluttered open and she stared at him. "Did I oversleep?"

"Ja, but do not get up. You are sick." He told her when she started to do just that.

"No, I'm not. I never get sick." she protested. He pushed her back down when she started to get up again, so she rolled over instead.

"You haf a fever. I vill look for medicine." He went to the hall and was almost in the bathroom but stopped when Jenny called after him.

"I don't have any. I told you I never get sick." She coughed, trying to hide it.

"Today you are sick. Stay in bed, I vill go to ze store and get some medicine." And he left before Jenny could protest further.

When he returned, Jenny was sitting on the couch, fully dressed, a box of tissue in her lap.

"I'm sick." she informed him grumpily. "You shouldn't stay, you don't want to get it."

He just smiled and dug a box of tablets out of the grocery bag.

Kurt stayed with Jenny the whole day. Made her soup, handed her tissues as she needed them, even brushed her hair. She was better by evening when they watched a Disney movie, which she fell asleep in the middle of. So, he put her to bed and set about putting her house to rights.

Then he went to check on her before he left. Feeling, her forehead again, he nodded to himself. The fever had lessened and she was starting to get better.

Grabbing his hand when he pulled away, Jenny murmured, still mostly asleep, "Don't go."

Smiling, he climbed onto the bed fully dressed and curled around her. In the week since he had learned of her traumatic past he had held himself back and kept things slow, but she was sick and it couldn't hurt to stay with her.

When Jenny woke the next morning, he was gone.

Irritably, Harry eyed Jenny sitting at the end of the bar. Jenny was a nice girl, pleasant and probably too sweet to work at his place, but she had a tough core. She was actually pretty serious. Nobody smiled all the time, especially when doing the inventory. Jenny had been smiling more than usual lately. Almost constantly, in fact. It was driving him up the wall. Even snapping at her didn't stop the irritating smile.

"Will ya stop it already!" he exploded.

"What? I'm just reconciling the inventory, just like usual."

"That infernal smile! You never stop. You're driving me crazy!" At Jenny's blank look and then sudden blush, he flushed before grinning wickedly. "Oh-ho."

"What? What is it now?" she demanded. He wasn't the only one being driven crazy.

"That boyfriend of yours got ya in the sack." His look was both pleased and knowing.

Jenny blushed deeper and looked away. "Um, no, not yet."

"Well, what the hell's that boy's problem?" Harry barked. "You been seeing each other for more'n two months!"

"He's not a boy," she said firmly, "he's a mature man. He's also considerate and wants to take it slow. Nothing wrong with that. I seem to recall once-upon-a-time you wanting me to go out more and I am."

He grunted. "He make ya happy?"

"Yes," Jenny went back to the constant dreamy smile. "Yes, he does."

"He gonna walk ya home again tonight?"

"I believe he mentioned something of that nature." she grinned.

"Still say there's something wrong if you ain't goin' at it yet." he muttered.

Jenny arched a brow at him, "And how's Lori?"

"You want the details?" He grinned at her quick head shake. "Didn't think so. Everyone knows I got a sex life, yours is the one in question."

"Well, I'm getting there, Daddy." she teased.

"How many times we have to have the 'Daddy' discussion? Told ya what you gotta do to call me that." He walked away muttering under his breath about she was looking to call the wrong person 'Daddy'.

Jenny grinned and whispered, "Yes, Daddy."

Kurt waited impatiently for Jenny to turn off the security and unlock the door. He almost teleported them inside.

Looking at him with a twinkle in her eyes, she turned into his arms as soon as they were inside, ready for his kiss. One of his arms went around her waist and his other hand threaded through her hair, releasing it from her head and causing it to cascade around them, while his tail wrapped around one of her legs.

They were both breathless when they broke apart, and Jenny rested her head against his chest. She loved the feel of his arms around her, not to mention that tail. After two weeks of touching like this, she felt brave and Jenny's hands started roaming. Sliding one under his shirt, she smiled at his quickly indrawn breath.

Kurt pulled her hand away, kissed her fingertips, and stepped back, avoiding Jenny's enquiring eyes. "I haf to go, Jenny."

"I... okay." She couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice. The last few nights he'd been leaving earlier and earlier. Tonight they had just gotten here and he was already leaving.

He reached behind him to turn the doorknob, kissed her again quickly, and hurried outside.

Leaning against the doorjamb, Jenny watched him go with a puzzled frown on her face.

A couple days later, Harry saw Kurt come in just after closing and was stunned at the way he acted. Before the man would immediately put his arms around Jenny, maybe kiss her cheek or neck, rub her shoulders, do something, anything to get his hands on her. This time however, he stood back and waited for her, not even trying to get close.

Squinting at Jenny, Harry saw she didn't act any different and he wondered what could have thrown off a guy acting as love-struck as that one.

But then Jenny's guy took her hand and smiled down at her, so Harry shrugged it off. Wasn't any of his business.

(ring) ... (ring) ... (ring) ... (ring) ... "The person you are trying to call is not available-"

Pushing the button to end the call, Jenny glared at the phone. She hadn't talked to Kurt in three days and it was the longest time they hadn't spoken to each other, or seen each other, since they had gone to the shelter that first time - unless he was on a mission. Even then he had taken time to call and reassure her he was safe.

Over the past week he had only walked her home three times and they had spent only one of her days off together. Jenny was starting to get worried about him. Something had to be wrong. Maybe something X-Men related? She didn't feel free to pry there, feeling it wasn't her business no matter how many of them were her friends or how much she cared. She wasn't a mutant and was no longer a member of the household. X-Men business was X-Men business.

She almost wished they hadn't started on to a more intimate level in their relationship. Kurt was the first person she'd ever wanted to be close to physically and she liked it when he touched her. Her hands itched to touch him whenever he was nearby. She felt like he had opened a door for her. Now he was gone and it was closing again.

Since her first night at Harry's she'd had men making passes at her, sometimes groping or grabbing her, all had left her feeling cold inside. They weren't Kurt, there was no one like him.

Even Remy had never made her feel like Kurt did. He'd come close, but she'd always known he was taken and way outside her league. Jenny had never really expected Kurt to be truly interested in her either. Despite his mutation he also seemed out of her reach, but he had made it clear he was interested in her from almost the beginning.

Closing her eyes, Jenny remembered when Kurt stayed with her, he had held her all night. At the onset of a nightmare his arms had tightened around her and she hadn't felt the need to get up and do something. She had even gotten to sleep again quickly, and she was sure it wasn't because of the medicine. His chest against her back, his arms and tail wrapped around her, she had felt safe and protected.

Something had to be wrong. Things didn't change that fast with absolutely no warning. Did they? Or had she missed something?

"Maybe the damn thing's broken." Jenny muttered and looked up to see Harry watching her - Harry the Worrier, judging by his expression. "Harry, will you call my phone? Maybe it's not working right."

Saying nothing, he obligingly walked to the other end of the bar, picked up the cordless phone, and dialed. Immediately the little phone in her hand started playing 'Fur Elise'.

"Damn." Jenny swore, barely stopping herself from saying something worse. She had started keeping the phone on her to be able to get Kurt's calls. When he called. If he called.

"Something wrong?" Harry asked mildly, while thinking Uh-oh, trouble in paradise.

"I know he's in town because Remy and Logan came in, but Kurt hasn't called."

"Did you have words?" His voice was neutral.

"No," she mumbled, "he just isn't calling."

"He hasn't been showing up to walk ya home lately." Harry observed.

Jenny frowned darkly. "I'm aware of that."

"Ya sure he didn't say anything? Some guys don't just come out with what's wrong." He knew he didn't.

"I know that, dammit!" she burst out. At his arched brow, she mumbled, "Sorry."

Harry walked away leaving her contemplating the phone.

After closing, Jenny sat at the bar sipping a rum and coke while she helped Harry count the night's take for the bank deposit.

"So... no call from the boyfriend?" Harry asked casually.

"No call."

"Ain't nothing to worry about. Men forget to call all the time."

"Yeah, I know. I get to answer those calls when your girlfriends are looking for you."

"Huh." He didn't want to talk about himself. "So... you're alright then."

"Peachy.I've been walking home on my own for a long time. I'm fine, he's probably just busy. Work or something." she defended Kurt loyally.

"Fine."

"Fine."

Harry wrapped a stack of five's. "You coming in tomorrow?"

"Since he hasn't called, I might as well." she answered without looking up.

"Fine."

"Fine."

He decided to change the subject. If her man was turning out to be a sonuvabitch... well, he wasn't the only one out there and Jenny should know that by now. "Weather looks like it's gonna turn bad. It gets bad enough we'll close down 'til it passes."

Jenny nodded. "I'll pass the word."

"You'll be alright by yourself in a snow storm?"

Rolling her eyes, Jenny humphed at him. "I always have been before." But she smiled good naturedly, because it was funny when Harry got all protective. "It's a good house and I've got supplies if I get snowed in. Plenty of Moonpies."

"Don't see what you see in them things, Twinkies are much better." He knew she'd been alone a long time but couldn't help worrying about her. Especially after the incident last year. "It'll be your first winter in that house. You'll find out how good it is with a good snow storm."

"Yeah." she sighed as she put the stacks of carefully marked money in the night deposit bag and pushed it toward him. "I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Jenny," he called softly, before she could walk away. "Don't worry about your guy. If he don't know what he's got, he don't deserve you."

"Funny, I keep feeling like it's the other way around." she shrugged sadly. "I don't deserve him."

"You're probably right and he's just busy." Harry tried to reassure her.

Before leaving, Jenny turned toward him but avoided his eyes, knowing Harry hated sentiment. "Harry?"

"Yeah?" he grumbled.

"Thanks, but please don't worry. I'm fine. Really." Jenny hurried out the door, not seeing the sympathy written all over his face.

The next day when her phone rang, Jenny jumped for it hoping it was Kurt. "Hello?"

"Jenny get some stuff together. I'm comin' ta get ya. 'Ro says its gonna be a blizzard an' we don't want ya there by yerself."

She closed her eyes in disappointment at Logan's voice and tried not to let it show when she replied, "I'm sure I'll be fine, I can stay right here."

"But ya aint' gonna stay there. I'm on my way. Ya don't need ta be by yerself durin' a blizzard."

"Logan, I'm a big girl. Remember?" she said, exasperation evident.

"Jenny," Logan was trying to be patient, she could tell. "We got generators an' stuff if the power goes out. Why be alone an' cold if ya don't gotta?"

"Well..." It was looking really bad outside, and she'd like to see everyone. She'd been working so much she hadn't seen anyone for awhile, except Logan and Remy. She missed them all. "Okay, I'll be ready."

"Good girl."

By the time Logan pulled up in Remy's truck, the snow was falling in earnest, the wind was howling, and Jenny was glad she had agreed to go to the mansion. She ran to the vehicle before he had a chance to get out and help her with her bags.

"Don't worry, darlin'. We got time before it gets really bad." Logan told her as they started down the road, ignoring her wide eyes.

She'd never actually been out during a snow storm always having been able to find shelter of some sort. Logan's driving was an adventure at the best of times but to be driving with him in the onset of a blizzard? It was a good thing Charles was at the mansion, she might have to go back into therapy.

Feeling antsy and breaking his self-imposed isolation, Kurt had been looking for Logan for the last thirty minutes. Logan was always good for a training session or something to get the edge off, and having stayed away from Jenny and everyone else for the last week, he had some edges. And if he could bring himself to talk to the other man about it, he might be able to understand his problem concerning Jenny.

Impatient, he gave up looking and went to the rec-room to ask Bishop for Logan's location. Bishop always seemed to know these things, and he'd seen him there when he was looking for his friend earlier.

Without taking his eyes off the newscast, Bishop answered, "He went to get Jenny. We don't want her staying by herself during the storm. The others all felt the same. We didn't see you but figured you wouldn't want her to get snowed in and be all alone either."

Kurt stared at him a moment, "Jenny is coming here?"

Glancing at him, Bishop frowned. "That's what I said. Didn't you notice the weather? There's a blizzard brewing and her house is good but it's safer for her to be here with us, so Logan's getting her. Something wrong?"

Letting out a curse in German, Kurt said something too low for Bishop to hear, and he turned the volume on the TV down. "Sorry, say again?"

"I do not vant to see Jenny!" Kurt burst out.

Logan and Jenny hurried inside the mansion from the garage.

"Brrr, it got really cold fast. I don't remember the weather changing so fast when I was on the streets." Jenny complained.

"Hmph. If you're outside in it, it don't seem as fast. Gets worse in Canada."

"And that's why I don't live in Canada." she quipped with a grin.

Kitty came down the hall with two steaming mugs. "Hey, Jenny, got you some hot-chocolate, and here's some coffee, Logan."

"Oh, thanks." Jenny gratefully took the warm mug in her cold hands.

"I fixed up a room for you." the younger girl said amiably. "Here, I'll take your bags."

"Nope, I'll take 'em. I know which room's hers." Logan snatched the bags before Kitty could get to them and hurried up the stairs to get away before the two women started chattering.

"Well, that's taken care of." Kitty grimaced. "C'mon, most of us are staying in the kitchen. There was talk of board games or something."

Jenny followed Kitty as she started chattering about the talk of activities planned for during the storm. She was barely listening, just happy to be getting warm again and holding the mug without drinking from it yet. As they passed the rec-room both women froze at the sound of Kurt's voice.

"I do not vant to see Jenny!"

Both women gasped. After seeing Kurt so happy, Kitty's was in surprise, while Jenny's was filled with pain. She hadn't wanted to believe his feelings for her had changed but she had heard it from his own mouth and couldn't deny it any longer.

Jenny slowly backed up, whispering, "I shouldn't be here... I-I-I need to go... I..."

Taking her by the arm, Kitty changed directions and started leading her upstairs, with an uncertain look at Kurt. He was her friend before Jenny, but the woman was obviously in shock. "Come with me. I'll take you to... someone."

to be continued.

note:
Elizabeth Robbins- Uh-uh-uh! No hints! That's so cheating.
nanaroxu- Yes, I do, but I'm insecure and need it in writing.
GothikStrawberry- Wow, and I thought my family tree was many branched. Thanks bunches, and you just might hear from me.
B Oots- Lots going on now. Hope you're not disappointed.
afreddiefan- Yes! A new Jenny fan! Isn't she fun? Just when I think her story is over something else happens, but even when her story is over she'll still be around. Promise.
Jinxeh- I guess the computer people suck, huh? And 'Hah!' to you! X-Men never really die (including their students, hint hint) they just gloriously return from the dead.
CaptainTish- (whistling innocently) Uh... not telling! Nope! Would I really do something like that? Don't answer that.

Okay, plans have changed because one of the short stories I wrote is timed between chapters 4 and 5, so I'm going to post it Wednesday and then will post chapter 7 on Saturday. If I'm still progressing well I'll continue posting more frequently.

Next chapter! Jenny deals with her heartbreak.

Thanks for reading and the support,
Dizi