Chapter 2 – The Claws Come Out

Chapter Synopsis: Jack tries to get settled in but his sister seems a bit more reluctant. After a confrontation between the two, she storms out and runs into another mutant. And these two begin to start a friendship.

& Key Points: Don't worry! The friendship between Logan and January is strictly platonic. The two share no feelings for each other. Remember – this is an Angel OC story. &

brookie666: Thanks for being the first reviewer! You win a night with Angel but then he must come home to me. Haha. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who hates Bobby and Kitty. Go us! We should form a hate club or something.

Cries In Vain: I really like the penname. Really cool. Well I'm glad you like January's character. Originally she was supposed to have black hair with a blue streak but number one, Rogue has the streaks and two, I can't see Angel with someone with too dark of hair. Well here's the update.

angels-wings42: I really like Jack's character too. Total smart ass and a huge flirt. Plus he has an Italian accent. Whoa baby. Haha. No I am NOT falling in love with my own character. I'm too smitten with Angel whom yes, is very hot. It would take a long while to say how hot. Well here's the update!

Anaharath: Thanks for the review! Glad you think it's cool.

Rogue stepped off of the bus and breathed in, closing her eyes to everything around her and letting out a contented sigh with a pretty smile playing with her glossed lips. She couldn't help the feeling of happiness that had suddenly possessed her. She hadn't felt this happy about anyone since she had dated Bobby. It seemed almost unreal. When they had parted ways, Rogue had become very in to being single. She spent nearly every night out on the town with Kitty, dancing with any and every guy that approached her with no strings attached. And she loved it…until the moment she had met Jack.

She hadn't spent longer than ten minutes in the guy's presence and for some reason she found it very hard to forget his face, his voice, his smile. He had been so cavalier, so valiant, when he had stood up for her and Kitty in the museum. He had also been very charming afterwards, his Italian accent alluring and attractive. She wondered what he had thought of her if he had thought about her at all.

It was true that she was very good friends with Kitty, but it was also true that she had been one of the main factors in her and Bobby's breakup. Even after the two had given themselves to each other a year before on Christmas Eve, he admitted to feeling something for Kitty though she made it clear to Rogue that she didn't have any interest in him. It was all a big train wreck of a mess.

With a less contented sigh, Rogue felt the regret from having sex with Bobby wash over her again. It had been when the mutation was still apparently 'cured' and at the time it seemed like something that they both really wanted to do. It all seemed so romantic: lying wrapped in each other's arms in Bobby's bed while the snow fell outside in the dark night sky. But afterward, when problems started to arise, the both of them agreed that they had really done it to see if it would help to smooth out the rough patches in their relationship. And it hadn't.

"What's up Rogue?" Kitty asked suddenly, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. She had heard all of the sighs and was trying to decipher whether or not they were supposed to mean something or if it was nothing. She smiled when Rogue suddenly turned her head towards her.

"Nothing. Just thinking is all." She answered with her cute, Southern drawl. Ever since she had seen Kitty skating with Bobby, she had refrained from sharing too much information with her. She felt as though the gap was still there between them and wasn't sure she wanted to fix it.

Kitty accepted the answer and the two of them followed the flood of students back into the mansion. Storm had told all of them that classes would be dismissed for the day, due to the fact that she would be busy with the two newcomers, and so all of the students were making their ways to different parts of the mansion with their friends. The two girls walked up the stairs, heading towards the room they shared to get changed. They had planned on spending the night out at Hustlers', their favorite dance club.

As they walked down the hall towards their room, Rogue spotted one of the doors open, Angel standing outside of it. But it wasn't him that she was looking at. Her eyes focused on Jack, who was also standing in the doorway. And there was a girl standing at his side. The same one from the museum. Rogue's shoulders slumped and her smile was pulled down. She had forgotten about that girl. She wondered if the two were involved. But as she continued to look at Jack, he suddenly flickered his eyes in her direction and she froze. He smiled stunningly and she nearly died when he winked. That was more than just a friendly look. She knew those kinds of looks, the same ones she got from guys who danced with her.

"Come on Rogue. What's with you?" Kitty tugged at her arm, dragging her friend into their room. But not before she peeked over her shoulder and returned the smile, hoping that the wind hadn't messed with her hair too badly.

Jack watched the good looking girl disappear behind the door, still wearing the grin that she had somehow tickled his lips to form. He still hadn't properly introduced himself and planned on doing that as soon as possible. He could see his sister looking up at him, having seen that exchange, and smirking as she usually did.

"Storm wanted to meet you both, she asked me to bring you to her office once you've freshened up." Angel pointed down the hall. "The bathrooms are just down the hall. There are towels, soap, and other stuff like that in the closet."

"Thanks a lot. But I'll have to go back and-"

"Your things? If you'll give me the address, Kurt will just go and retrieve them if you don't mind."

"That would be cool. There isn't much anyways, but the address is-"

"Non dargli l'indirizzo. Sapranno dove viviamo." (Don't give him the address. They'll know where we live.) January suddenly said, taking hold of Jack's arm. The look on her face seemed horrified, her eyes filled with worry and her cheeks tinting pink as if she were slightly embarrassed. Or ashamed.

"Dunque che?" (So what?)

"Loro. Volontà. Sapere. Dove. Noi. Vivere. Ed in ogni modo, perché abbiamo bisogno delle nostre cose? Non stiamo qui noi sono? Possiamo non." (They. Will. Know. Where. We. Live. And anyways, why do we need our things? We aren't staying here are we? We can't.)

Angel noticed that her voice was beginning to sound pleading and desperate. She seemed rather upset, still gripping her brother's arm and trying very hard to convince him of something. He saw all of this while he awkwardly stood there, not understanding a word being spoken.

"Parleremo di questo quando l'Angelo parte. La calma per favore giusta giù." (We'll talk about this when Angel leaves. Please just calm down.) Jack gently unhinged his sister's hand from his arm, eyeing the inside of the room. She seemed reluctant to do so, but quietly went inside.

"If there's a problem-"

"There isn't. 6146 Dixon Avenue. And tell Kurt not to worry if he can't find the place quick enough. It's there." Jack assured Angel, who was still feeling like an intruder. He wanted to know why January was so distressed.

"Well if you're sure. I'll come back to check on you later on. Are you all settled?"

"Yeah, thanks man." Jack gave Angel a good thump on the back, even making him jump a little, as he was surprised. They both exchanged friendly smiles before Angel left Jack to tend to whatever he and his sister needed to discuss.

Jack went into the bedroom, closing the door. It happened to be the room he would be staying in – eight. But for the moment he knew he and his sister had some things to talk about. He prepared himself, knowing that she would defend her reasoning and that she would be very upset with him. He sighed heavily and walked towards her.

"Che diranno Jack? Eravamo perfettamente bene prima che abbiamo incontrato queste persone ed adesso tutto l'improvviso abbiamo bisogno di un luogo per stare? Abbiamo un luogo per stare. Non è come se siamo senzatetto ed ancora lei fa sembra come siamo un caso di carità. Adesso ci compatiranno e vuole ci aiutare. Ancora - non abbiamo bisogno dell'aiuto!" (What will they say Jack? We were perfectly fine before we met these people and now all of sudden we need a place to stay? We have a place to stay. It isn't as if we're homeless and yet you make it sound like we're a charity case. Now they'll pity us and want to help us. Again - we don't need help!) She spit all of that out in no time at all, whipping around to face him from across the other side of the bed.

"Lei ha dimenticato che il luogo che stiamo è esattamente che non lei chiamerebbe umano? Non possiamo vivere quella maniera più." (Have you forgotten that the place we've been staying isn't exactly what you would call humane? We can't live that way anymore.) Jack answered. He was tired of moving he and his sister to the run down homes they were used to living in. He wanted a better life, even more so for her. She needed a better life.

January walked around the bed and stood in front of him, poking him in the middle of his chest with her index finger. Her eyes were narrowed and angry though all he was trying to do was give her the best that he could give her.

"Lei non si è mai lamentato prima. Non mi sono mai lamentato. Siamo stati sempre felice. Perché deve cambiare adesso?" (You've never complained before. I've never complained. We've always been happy. Why does it have to change now?)

"Felice? Ciò è che lei chiama la vita che viviamo? Ciò è perché lei ha fatto questo?" (Happy? Is that what you call the life we've been living? Is that why you did this?) Jack grabbed her wrist and flipped it towards her so that she could see the scar. The scar that stood out from the rest of her sun kissed skin. This part of her skin was raised and colored a lighter shade, almost pink. Upon seeing it she ripped herself from his grasp and fell back onto the bed.

For the first time that whole day, Jack frowned. He knew how sensitive his sister was when it came to talking about her scars and yet he had brought them up. But he had been right. It was proof that the life they had been living had been insufficient and anything but happy. She was just afraid and he knew that.

He sat down beside her on the bed, slowly putting his arm around her slender shoulders. Unlike others touch, she didn't stiffen underneath him. He rubbed her arm with his large hand, trying to come up with something to say to her. He wanted more than anything for her to be happy but it seemed as though she shied away from anything that could end up doing just that. His theory was again, that she was afraid. And if he needed to, he would help her confront that fear before something bad happened…again.

"Sono spiacente. Voglio appena ciò che è migliore per lei." (I'm sorry. I just want what's best for you.) He said gently. Instead of the reaction he was hoping for, in which she accepted his apology, she jumped up just as quickly as she had sat down.

"If you want what's best for me then maybe you should have listened. But, as usual, you're only concerned about yourself, Jack." She grabbed hold of the doorknob and threw the door open quite violently, turning her head slightly to look at him.

"Jan, I-"

"I'm going to go and see if I can get home before they can. I guess I'm just going to have to get used to conforming to what you want to do." She then disappeared, slamming the door in an incensed manner.

Jack sighed, his face falling into his open hand. He closed his eyes, knowing deep down that his sister hadn't meant the things she had said. Well, most of them. He knew that she knew that he cared about her, that he was a loving brother. He did everything for her. But he also knew that she really did wish that he had listened to her when she tried to tell him not to give away their address. He knew he probably should have just gone himself but he felt that if he and his sister had gone, they wouldn't have come back.

He sat on the bed for a few more minutes to try and collect himself. But then he knew he had to go after her and so he got to his feet and went to the door. He opened it up and was about to close it behind him when he caught sight of something rather spectacular just across the hall. The girl he had seen, the one with the white streaks, was standing outside of her room, back against the wall while she examined one of her fingernails. She looked up immediately, and seemed just as struck as he was.

He accessed her choice of clothes, raising an eyebrow as his gaze traveled from the very bottom to the very top. On her feet were a pair of red heels, paired over black tights that clung tight to her shapely stems. Her short, black mini skirt was shiny and appeared to be fashioned from foe leather. Her top was long sleeved and striped red and black to match her excellently coordinated outfit. He couldn't help when his eyes ran over the neckline where her cleavage was, well…eye-catching.

It was as if neither really knew how to react. They just continued to stare at each other, mouths opened as if to say something but no words came. It seemed as though one were finally going to break the silence when someone else decided to do it for them.

"Hey Rogue I'm ready so-oh." Kitty closed the door behind her and saw Jack there. She smiled at him. "You're the guy from earlier today."

"Yeah, Jack." He offered his hand, shaking hers. He returned the smile, only because he was so amused by her electric green tights and loud, pink top. He wondered if her good looking friend ever wished to give her fashion advice.

"I'm Kitty." She let go of his hand and nodded towards Rogue, who was still speechless. "This is my non coherent friend, Rogue."

Rogue shot Kitty an evil look after that little comment, and almost didn't see Jack offering his hand to her as well. She jerked back impulsively, feeling a bit bad upon seeing the slightly hurt look cross his face. She was quick to retrieve her gloves from her skirt pocket, pulling them on impatiently.

"Sorry," she finally spoke, offering her own hand, "I just can't…touch other people."

Although he was surprised, Jack was glad that it hadn't been something else. He shook her hand, daring to give it a squeeze before letting go, and by the blush that invaded her cheeks, he was sure she had felt it.

"We should get going Rogue." Kitty pressed her friend, tugging her sleeve. Both Jack and Rogue were highly annoyed that she was blind to the fact that they were having a moment. So Rogue took matters into her own hands, trying to get rid of her friend for the time being.

"Why don't you go ahead, I have to grab something. I'll meet you in the foyer in five minutes. Alright?" She tried to stress the need for alone time with her widened eyes, darting them quickly from Jack to her friend. Finally she got the message.

"Oh, oh, oh." Kitty seemed embarrassed, running a hand through her short hair. She nodded, scampering a little ways down the hall before turning to say goodbye to Jack, which he returned with a wave, before disappearing. Rogue shook her head, letting laughing along with Jack.

"Sorry, she can be a little…" She shrugged her shoulders, still laughing.

"Stop it." Jack suddenly said, though he was still grinning. Rogue was confused by his request, furrowing her brow and waiting for him to continue.

"Stop what?"

"That's twice you've apologized. The only thing you should apologize for is being so attractive and not even having the good sense to invite me along, wherever you're going." He chuckled under his breath when the blush reappeared.

"Well you didn't even give me the chance to. But I would love to have you along." She offered, purposefully adding a sensual tone to her Southern accent. As she had hoped, it seemed to dazzle him for a second. "How does it feel?"

Jack managed to form a response though he was trying very hard to keep from pushing this girl up against the wall and kissing her. What he didn't know was that if he had done it, she wouldn't have minded in the least.

"How does what feel?"

"Using your charming accent to…well…charm people." She took a step towards him, strategically placing both hands on her hips and shifting her weight to one side while peeking up at him from under dark lashes.

"I'm not complaining." He slowly reached for a section of her snow white hair, moving his thumb over it to feel how soft it was. "I'd like to know how this happened. Not many girls can have white hair and look so beautiful."

"It's a long story, but if you'd like…you could come with me and Kitty and I'd love to tell you." She batted her lashes, hoping her flirtatious invite was enough to entice him into joining her.

Jack groaned inwardly, releasing her hair. He had nearly forgotten January, and knew that he had to run after her. It was his older brother duty. Boy was he going to give her an earful when he found her…

"It's hard to resist, but my sister ran out and I should go after her." His tone proved that he was sorry he couldn't go, and that it wasn't just an excuse. But Rogue wasn't about to let him go.

"Yeah I saw her. She looked pretty mad. You two have a fight?" When he nodded, she continued. "Look, just a bit of advice, whenever I blow up, I like time to be by myself so that I can cool down. Why don't you let her go and come out with us. When you get back she'll have had time to relax and think things through."

"Are you just saying that because you want me to come?"

"Well, yeah, but it's also true. You should let her have some time alone, whether or not you come with me. But I hope you do come with me." She looked up at him hopefully.

Jack cracked a smile.

January threw the door open to the garage, having already accidentally walked into the kitchen and also into the gym. She knew that Kurt could somehow transport or something, but was hoping that he hadn't gotten to the house before her. She was planning on taking one of the cars, having learned to hotwire them among many other talents she had picked up on.

She was angry with her brother for actually thinking that they could live there. Where had he been their whole lives? They didn't just accept help. They never did that. They were always on their own and it had been working. Why did it have to change all of a sudden.

She could see that she had many choices as she looked around the garage. She didn't really care what kind of car she took as long as it was fast and as long as it worked. She didn't have time to fix any of them. But then again, somebody already was.

January suddenly heard something metal drop on the cement floor and jumped. Her eyes flickered towards the motorcycle where she could now see someone kneeling down on the opposite side of it.

"Damnit! Damn it all to hell!" The person was definitely male and definitely mad. As he stood up, she saw that he was very tall and was indeed mad. His hair was oddly cut, made to look like two spikes sticking up on both sides, while his sideburns were unkempt and fuzzy. A cigar was being tightly held between his lips, smoke sifting from the end.

It was then that he seemed to take notice of something. His nostrils flared just slightly as he appeared to be smelling something. Or for something. His eyes met January's a split second later and with a quick SNIKT, there were suddenly metallic like claws protruding from the skin in between his fingers. Three on each side.

"Who are you?" He demanded, though his speech was a bit hard to comprehend with that cigar in his mouth.

January commanded his claws to return to their resting place inside of his body with her fingers, feeling threatened with them out. And she didn't like to feel threatened. She scowled at him, wondering just how many times a day he popped his claws out when someone happened to cross paths with him. It was quite annoying.

The man looked shocked as he studied one of his hands. But she was surprised when a look of annoyance suddenly crossed his face. If anyone was allowed to be annoyed it was her. He had just threatened her with knives when all she did was walk into the garage. Did he really think that she was there to ambush him or something? Did he think he was the President of The Untied States?

"Don't tell me you're just like Magneto." He grumbled, pulling the cigar from his mouth. He then placed it in the palm of his hand, twisting it against his skin. January's eyes widened as she watched him put the cigar out using his hand as an ashtray. Didn't that hurt? "Relax. Look."

He offered his hand to her and she was amazed to see the ashy, circular wound in the palm of his slightly trembling hand. She was about to retort with something along the lines of, "You're a psycho," when suddenly the wound began to shrivel up and close. New skin covered up where the bloody mess had been and it was as if it had never happened.

"First of all," she remembered his statement earlier, "I have no idea what a Magneto is." She noticed him snort when she said this and stopped, giving him the dirtiest scowl she could muster up. This seemed to amuse him further.

"You don't know who Magneto is?" After he said this, they simply stood there, looking at each other. They both seemed to be waiting for the other to speak, the man becoming impatient quickly. "And second of all?"

She realized that he had been wanting to hear the rest of what she had to say but had decided not to continue. He was distracting her from getting home and she didn't want Kurt to beat her there.

"Well I was going to let you in on my mutation since you seem to assume it's something else, but now I don't think so. Muto fotte."

"What'd you just call me?" He asked, taking a step toward her. To say the least, January was startled that he had understood her. She took half a step backward, feeling a bit intimidated.

"You understand Italian?" To this he chuckled, a smirk crossing his face.

"I don't have to know Italian to know when I'm being insulted. So what'd you call me anyway? Asshole? Dickhead?" He wiped his hands off on his jeans, oil staining the denim. She returned the smirk with her own.

"Actually I went with dumb fuck. I could go further if you wanted…" She was only half surprised when he laughed out loud, but it was deep and husky. He had seemed to think the whole confrontation was humorous.

"Well though I'd like to call you bitch, I guess I should know your name then?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

"If I tell you my name, you have to let me take one of these cars." She glanced around at the display of vehicles. She figured he must have been the keeper of them or something, but she could have been wrong.

"What? Don't want to know my name?" He raised an eyebrow, wondering why she needed a car.

"I could care less what your name was." She replied icily. "So do we have a deal?"

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business sideburns!" She snapped angrily. She became even angrier when he chuckled again, shaking his head.

"We don't have a deal anymore darlin', because I just figured out who you are." Giving up, January turned around to head out of the garage when he suddenly spoke again. "You live at 6146 Dixon Avenue, you're that girl."