Author's Note:

Hey, I'm back and it hasn't been forever! Big surprise, right? Anyway, time for Clint to get to know an X-man closer to his own age. It'll be a bumpy ride. Remember that Kitty is a teenage girl, so don't hold it against her. Enjoy!

Chapter 19- New Friends

Clint knew that Logan wanted to talk about him with the two blue mutants. He kept his frustration at acceptable levels at being left out, but at least he had some pretty company in his exile. Kitty looked completely normal, for a mutant. He tried to not stare as he pulled on his gloves and arm guard. Most of the mutants he'd known had something that made it obvious if you knew what to look for. The few he'd know about in the circus were obvious with physical mutations and even Ms. Munroe and Logan had that something that made them stand out. Kitty just looked like a normal girl. It was throwing him off just a little. He really wanted to ask what she could do, but he wasn't sure if that was polite. He didn't want to insult her or make her angry. It'd be nice to have a friend his age, one that might understand how crazy his life was.

"So, what do you want to see first?" Clint asked jovially, picking up his bow.

Kitty crossed her arms and gave him an unimpressed look. "Let's see what you've got, hotshot," she challenged. Her smile made him think of Wendy, back in Colorado.

Clint grinned, confident about his skills. He winked at her. "They didn't call me amazing for nothing, you know," he said and sent an arrow at the target on one of the trees without looking.

Kitty's eyes narrowed but she couldn't stop the tiny smile that peeked out. "Let's see you do that again," she teased.

Another arrow hit another target without Clint's eyes leaving Kitty's face. Then he released two more in quick succession, all hitting the targets, all apparently without looking.

Kitty laughed, a bright cheerful sound. Clint really liked her laugh. "Okay, okay," she said waving a hand at him. "I'll admit you're not bad, but, like, what can you do when you actually look at your target?"

That stirred up Clint's dramatic flair. He showed her some of his best trick shots. She wasn't easy to impress, she was an X-man after all, so just hitting the bulls-eyes wasn't going to be enough. Good thing Clint had a wide variety of tricks to show off for a discerning audience. He hit leaves as they fell, knocked coins out of the air, and split a couple arrows. He only did that one twice because he didn't like it. He was more than a little attached to his arrows, and he didn't like destroying them. But Kitty's attention was worth a couple arrows. She gasped and cheered and egged him on to more impressive feats. Clint hadn't had such an impressed audience since the circus.

"Hey, can you do the William Tell trick?" Kitty asked after a while.

Clint was pulling one of his arrows out of a knot in a tree that Kitty had pointed out for him to hit. The tip was stuck and Clint despaired of getting it out whole. He considered asking Logan to cut it out for him so he didn't lose another arrow, which drew his attention back to the cabin. The men had been talking for a long time, and Clint knew that Logan had beer under the sink, so they were probably drinking. Clint still wasn't comfortable around alcohol, so when Logan bought beer or whiskey, they kept it out of sight, so Clint didn't have to see it every time he opened the fridge. It was a good arrangement, better than the one foster-mother who had tried to hide her tequila from her husband and the other kids. Clint had always known when she had slipped into the pantry for a nip, and he usually hid for as long as he could when he saw the signs. She hadn't liked that, which lead to the usual punishments. Clint shuddered. That happened long time ago, long enough that he couldn't even remember her name, only the way her face flushed when she was drunk and the way she turned her wedding ring inwards when she spanked her foster kids. Still, knowing that three strong men were drinking while he and Kitty were out here, made him nervous. He pulled his attention back to the pretty teenager, telling himself that he trusted Logan and the X-men.

"What was that, Kitty?" he asked, abandoning the arrow for now. "I was wool gathering." He swung off the branch he sat on with a flip and a flourish, but Kitty didn't seem impressed. Apparently, living with people like Dr. McCoy and Kurt made acrobatics a little boring.

"I asked if you knew the William Tell trick," she repeated with an eye roll. "You know, the one with the apple?"

"Duh," Clint scoffed. "How can I be an archer and not know that one? That's how I met Logan, you know. He was the volunteer from the crowd and I shot the apple off his head and the cigar out of his mouth."

Kitty laughed. "Oooh, I bet he didn't like that."

"He was a good sport," Clint answered with a shrug. "We don't have any apples right now, sad to say."

Kitty would not be deterred. She grabbed a big pinecone and tried to balance it on her head. "We don't need one. This will work."

Clint eyed the teetering cone and shook his head. "Sorry, it's not stable enough. It'll fall as soon as you take your hand away."

Kitty pouted. "Come on, if you're so good that shouldn't matter."

"No, Kitty, I'm not going to chance you moving at the wrong time."

Kitty snorted, and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Like you could hit me, I'm an X-man. Just do it already, unless you're chicken. "

Clint glared at her. She was baiting him, he knew it, but he wouldn't fall for it. "I will, but how about we wait until we have a real apple or get Logan to stand in. I bet his crazy hair would hold the pinecone just fine."

"Are you scared, Clint?" Kitty taunted him. "Come on, I promise you won't hit me."

"Kitty, I said no," Clint answered, turning his back to her.

"Fine, how about I hold it in my hand? You never miss, right? That shouldn't be too hard."

Clint turned around to look at her. She was holding the pine cone in her cupped palm, away from her body. He sighed, and then forced a chuckle. "Okay, fine, if you want to see it so bad. Come over here, so I'm not shooting toward the cabin."

The teenagers got lined up and Clint selected an arrow. He didn't like this. Kitty was smiling, but it wasn't as nice as it had been earlier. "Just hold still," he told her. "On three. One, two, three!"

Clint released the arrow and it flew true, just as he knew it would, but before it could hit the pinecone, the cone sank through Kitty's hand and hit the ground while Clint's arrow sailed right by, thunking into a big tree behind her.

"What was that?" Clint asked, surprised.

Kitty smirked and shrugged her shoulders. "You missed. I guess, you're not so hot after all."

"What the… hey, come on, you cheated!" Clint snapped back defensively.

"Don't get your panties in a twist. It was just a joke," Kitty argued, brushing off his anger. "That's my power. I can phase through things. You just weren't expecting it." She tilted her head and gave him a long considering look. "You know, maybe you should try harder if you're going to keep up with Wolverine. He's used to dealing with people with abilities."

Clint glared at her as he felt his cheeks burn. He clenched the bow in his hands, which were suddenly sweaty, as he tried to come up with some way to argue with her. She was right, he should be better prepared for mutants if he was going to stay with Logan, but that wasn't the point. She set him up. "Fine, pick it up. Let's do it again," he said sharply. This time he'd grab another arrow and shoot the stupid pine cone on its way to the ground.

Kitty shook her head, all sweetness again. "Nah, I'm hungry again. Let's go see what the teachers are up to," she replied, already walking to the door. She turned with her hand on the handle. "You coming?"

Clint shook his head. "Um, okay, yeah." He took two steps toward the cabin before he stopped. "Actually, you go ahead. I have to collect my arrows. I'll be there in a minute." He turned and ran pick everything up. She shrugged and went inside, leaving him alone in the hot late summer air.

The young archer's mind was confused. He thought he had been getting along great with Kitty, and then she tricked him like that. But it wasn't like she was trying to be mean. She didn't know how missing would screw up his insides and make him anxious. Crud, he'd need to get that under control before he went inside or Logan would be sure to pick up on it. He didn't want to make things awkward with the X-men; it was his fault anyway for overreacting, anyway. It was fine, he was fine. He'd just be more careful, more aware in the future. At least now he knew Kitty's powers. Phasing through stuff, that sounded pretty cool. He could think of a lot of uses for that ability, but he still thought Logan's healing was cooler.

\\\/\\\/

"There might be something I could use your help with," Logan admitted to his friends. He considered Kurt and Hank two of his closest friends, and while he was certainly expecting them to tease him unmercifully; he trusted their advice.

"Wolverine asking for help?" Kurt asked, feigning surprise. "The world must be ending." He smacked his cheeks and let his mouth fall open in shock. The effect was ruined by the grin he couldn't hide.

Logan glared at his friend and took a pointed sip of his beer. Maybe he should have phrased that better.

"What is rattling around in that adamantium skull of yours?" Hank asked, distracting the mischievous elf from picking on Logan. He at least seemed to take Logan's request seriously, until one noticed the twinkle in his eye.

"Is it Clint?" Kurt asked, suddenly worried and dropping all attempts at teasing. "Is he still having nightmares?"

Logan's shoulders slumped a little. "Yah, the nightmares are still an issue. They've gotten worse since Oklahoma." He rubbed a hand over his face. "I think seeing me kill those Hydra agents scared him."

Hank and Kurt exchanged looks. Logan knew what those looks meant, but he ignored it. He knew Kurt worried about him, and his tendency to blame everything on himself. It's hard not to when he had done so many things and he knew the he didn't even remember everything. He knew there were worse things in his history that hadn't come to light yet. It scared him to think about any of that coming down on Clint, and he knew, down to his bones, that it was only a matter of time. "That...that worries me," he admitted, "But there are bigger issues. November is coming up fast. I need to make sure that Clint won't be connected to me, when he comes sniffing around." He knew he wouldn't have to elaborate on who "he" was, not with these two.

"Ah, I understand, my friend," Hank mused. He drummed his fingers on the desk before taking a sip of his beer. "What were you thinking? Do you want to bring him to the school?"

Frustrated, Logan growled softly. "No, Hydra and SHIELD are still poking around. I'm not risking the school with that mess. No, I need to do something else. Get some distance from Clint," he snorted and took a long drink, "might be good for the kid anyway."

"We've been getting reports of missing mutants and Cyclops heard about some marauder sightings down in Louisiana. He thinks it's Sinister. We could use you when we find the monster," Kurt said, his tone making it obvious that he was thinking out loud. Then he turned to face Logan, his tail stiff as he decided on a possible plan. "Could take a couple weeks, and we'd be in the public eye, so he'll know exactly where we are, where you are. That could keep him from sniffing out your trail and finding out about Clint."

"Is there anywhere safe for Clint to stay while you help us hunt down that pale-skinned mad pseudo-geneticist? " Hank asked, idly spinning his now empty bottle in his hand.

Logan nodded, a grin starting to spread across his face as he thought about it. "Sounds exactly like what I need. And I think I know where to send Clint. Of course, Coulson won't appreciate it, but he'd take care of the boy, probably teach him better than I could for a while." He took a swig of his beer and chuckled softly to himself, imagining Phil's face when suddenly faced with babysitting duty. Logan would try it with Fury, but he wasn't going subject the kid to overexposure to the director of SHIELD. No impressionable youth deserved that. He glanced at the window to see Clint showing off for Kitty. The kid certainly had flair as he bowed dramatically to the girl after a perfect shot. "How do I make sure he knows that I'm not abandoning him?" Logan asked his friends. "Kid's been through enough of that already."

"That is a question for which I have no answers," Hank said. "I have only just met the youth."

Logan turned to his best friend, knowing the elf would have a better suggestion. People didn't go to Beast or Wolverine for advice about people's feelings, they went to the dashing, charming, Nightcrawler. Kurt had been making friends and sweeping ladies off their feet since he was a child in the circus.

Kurt leaned forward, catching Logan's eyes. "Be honest with him, mein frund," he advised sternly. "Explain why you are doing this, explain the danger. No secrets, ya?"

Logan tipped his head in acknowledgement at the admittedly decent advice. He had promised Clint, from the beginning, to be honest with him, so it wasn't much of a stress, even if it would have rubbed him the wrong way, coming from anyone else. "Let me know when Slim's ready to move against Essex. I'll tell you where to pick me up." He finished his beer and grabbed a second. "What about Clint's school work? What have you got?" he asked, putting an end to the conversation, for now.

"That inquiry, I do have answers for," Hank perked up. "Ororo and I have compiled a lesson plan for your young archer. We have some workbooks that should catch him up on the basics fairly quickly. We also threw in some lessons in German, Kurt's idea, and I recommended some more advanced reading." He grinned wider, his white teeth gleaming brightly against his blue fur. "And just for fun, I included some college physics lessons. Just some lecture notes from a friend of mine."

"Sounds like a lot for a teenage boy," Logan pointed out with a raised eyebrow. He tipped his beer at the doctor. "You remember that he hasn't been in a classroom in ages. We don't want to scare him off." He was also thinking that they didn't want to chase Wolverine off too. He only taught two classes at the school, History and Self Defense, and that had taken the combined pressure of the Professor, Cyclops, and Jean to get him to agree. How was he going to teach everything to Clint?

"Never fear, Logan, I would never dissuade a young mind from academia. In fact, all of the us put our heads together to make all of this as enjoyable as possible," Beast promised. He pulled out a list from his pocket. "I think he'll like my assigned reading, and Storm assures me that he could be a physics prodigy. There should be more entertainment than drudgery in his education." He grinned, showing a little more of his animal side than he was probably comfortable with if he saw himself. He looked a little predatory, which in Logan's opinion was a good look on him. "And do not, worry, my good friend. I have lesson plans and answer sheets for you. I believe both of you will be fine."

"Clint is very smart, ya?" Kurt pointed out cheekily. "He'll absorb everything you can teach him like a sponge."

Logan nodded. "He's a good kid," he agreed, proudly. "We've been working on his fighting. He's improving quickly."

"He's got some good people looking after him," Kurt pointed out, grinning. "He's got you."

Logan raised an eyebrow at his friend but didn't comment. He didn't want to argue. He glanced outside to check on his ward and Kitty. "What are they doing?" he asked, mostly to himself. Kitty was up against a tree, holding a pinecone while Clint took aim.

"Mayhap you are out of apples?" Hank asked teasingly. "Though, I must ask, is our young Kitty in any danger?"

Logan scoffed and leaned back, taking a pull of his beer as he watched the pair outside. "Even if the kid missed, which he won't, she's just let the arrow phase through her. Honestly, I think it's one of his less impressive tricks."

"Only because you've been shot with arrows before," Kurt pointed out. He knocked Logan's hat off with his tail. "You know you have nothing to fear from an arrow pointed at you."

Logan tipped his chin outside. "Does she look scared to you?" he asked as Clint released the arrow.

They watched as the arrow flew true, but Kitty let the pinecone phase right through her hand. The boy was shocked, and Kitty just laughed.

Kurt laughed as well. "Oh, she got him good. Wunderbar!" he cheered quietly.

Logan wasn't so sure. Of course, he agreed that Kitty meant no harm and it was a good prank on someone who didn't know her powers, but Logan knew how Clint dealt with missing his target. Or rather how he didn't deal. It rarely happened, but every time, the boy flinched and curled into himself, like he expected a blow, even when he thought he was alone. Still, Clint seemed to brush off Kitty's trick pretty quickly. They talked for a moment then, Kitty came toward the cabin.

Logan turned to Kurt. "I think I'll take Kitty out for a while, have some fun, check on her training. In the meantime, you and Beast can talk with Clint about his studies."

Hank nodded. "Of course, Logan, but we'll need to talk with you about what Clint needs as well."

Logan waved his hand dismissively as Kitty walked in. She smiled warmly as she glanced around the room before flinging herself straight at Logan again, phasing through the table in her way. "Watch the beer, half-pint," he chided her before answering Hank. "We'll go over that later. And Kurt, if you could, take a minute to talk to Clint about that other issue. He won't talk to me."

The elf gave him a three fingered salute. "Ja, leave it to me."

"What issue?" Kitty asked, curiously, coming up from her spot on Logan's chest to look him in the eye.

"Nothing you need to worry about, kitten," Logan promised, pushing her off and getting up. "Let me talk to Clint for a minute, then you and I'll go have fun in the forest for a while. Need ta make sure you're keepin' up with your training."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Like Cyclops would let anyone slack off," she pouted.

"Bobby," Logan threw over his shoulder as he stepped outside. Behind him, Kurt laughed out loud and Kitty giggled. Hank, as the one who had known Iceman the longest, felt the need to come to rescue of his friend's reputation, even though he knew it was a bit of a lost cause.

"Hey, I was just coming in," Clint said as he saw Logan walking toward him. He was putting the last of his gear away and arranging his arrows. "What's up?"

Logan paused, smelling just a whiff of anxiety on the breeze. It wasn't strong, but it was certainly there. He considered if he should ask about it, mention that he saw the failed pine cone trick. Clint rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding Logan's eyes. Of course the kid didn't want to talk about it now. Logan decided to ignore it, for now. "Nothing, just letting you in on the plan. You're with Kurt and Hank for the rest of the afternoon. They've got a lot they want to cover with you, so I'm taking Kitty out to train with her. Get us both out of your hair while you focus on the lessons they got set up. I bet Kurt wanted to do a sword lesson while he's here, too. We'll meet back up for dinner, and then you can hang out with Kurt and Kitty while Hank explains my job in teaching ya."

Clint nodded, relieved that there was nothing wrong. "Okay, sure. Sounds like a barrel of laughing monkeys."

Logan snorted. "Get in there and get your thinking cap on," he ordered with mock severity.

Clint laughed but followed direction easy enough.

"And send the half-pint out while you're at it," Logan called after him. He watched his ward's back as he went into the cabin. He was tenser than he should have been, and it wasn't just from Kitty's prank. Something was still eating at him and Logan would bet that it was related to the dreams he'd been having. Hopefully Kurt would have better luck getting the kid to open up. Resolutely, Logan turned his mind away from the boy and toward his other young pupil. Kitty obviously needed some fun away from Slim's carefully controlled exercises. A nice game of mutant tag would fit the bill perfectly. Last time they played, Kitty couldn't touch him, but it'd been awhile. Time to see how she's improved while he's been on the road.

Wolverine smiled as Kitty came out. "Let's change into our uniforms, half-pint. Then let's see if you can catch me this time," he taunted her.

"Oh, you're on, old man," she shot back, grinning ear to ear. "Storm's been giving me pointers on how to deal with you. Let's see if you can keep up with me." She took off running to the Blackbird, her completive streak already showing.

Logan shot one more look at the cabin before following her at a more sedate pace. There should be a couple spare uniforms in there for him. The one he trashed in Oklahoma had been the last one he carried. Time to stock up again, after he reminded Kitty what humility felt like.