Darkness. It enveloped me like a cold cloud and it was all I could perceive. I had snuck out of the mansion hoping to test the extensions of my power without Logan knowing. I didn't want him to try to boost anything to help me. I had to see how far I could go before I lost his emotion feed, and if my newfound ability to heal like him required me to tap into my link with him or if it was spontaneous. I meandered off into the woods with no real destination in mind. I sighed when the familiar pictures started flashing through my head. Logan was dreaming again. But, after a few minutes of the usual Alkali Lake scenes, new ones appeared. Ever since the Professor had somehow reached us and revealed Logan's past, Logan had been having dreams of the wars he fought in. From the looks of the current dream, it was…WWI. Yep, that's what it was. These dreams were worse than the old ones. They were violent and very traumatic. I hated it.

Finally, after an hour of walking in the horror of the 1st world war, Logan's mind quieted. I sighed and continued on for another mile or so. I hadn't brought a jacket and was beginning to regret it when suddenly I heard a noise to my right. I solidified my link with Logan and pulled his heightened sense of smell. I tested the air and deduced: canine…a lot of them. I was weaponless. Logan and most of the others were asleep with no strong emotions for me to use. So I ran. I ran over boulders and under branches, scraping my shins and scratching my face. My horror grew as I ran into a rock wall that was to tall for me to climb in time. I spun around and put my back to the wall as the wolf pack closed in. So this was my glorious end. Eaten by a pack of stupid wolves. I closed my eyes and waited, but something roared and dove into the pack sending them flying. I pressed closer to the wall, hoping I wouldn't be seen. Once the wolves had been dispatched, the dispatcher turned and stared at me from the protective shroud of darkness. I again sniffed at the air. It smelled like Logan…but not entirely. As if this person was partially Logan.

"Logan?" I called.

A dark chuckle rumbled out of the darkness. "Not quite," a male answered. He moved into the moonlight, his hands in the deep pockets of his big, black trench coat.

My breath caught in my throat. I knew this man. He cocked his head, waiting for a response. "Victor Creed," I choked.

His feral grin revealed his sharpened teeth. My heart beat was continuously speeding up, and what was worse? He could hear it. He started to close the gap between us in slow, even steps. "And just who might you be?" he drawled.

Shaking in my tennis shoes, one because I was freezing, two because I was terrified, I answered, "Leslie. Leslie White."

"Well, Leslie White, one has to wonder what you're doing out here all alone. I think it would've been smarter to bring my brother along. You do know him I presume. Little Jimmy."

"His name is Logan."

"Not to me. Do you know anymore than my name?"

"You're his cruel half-brother! I know what you did to him. Professor Xavier told us all about what happened with Stryker. You're a real bastard." I was babbling. I knew it. He knew it. He laughed at it.

The space between us was getting smaller and smaller, and suddenly, with a flash of feline agility and speed, he was right in front of me, leaning on the rock wall, each hand on the wall, blocking me in. His face was only centimeters away from my own. "I'm not a bastard," he hissed. "I'd only be a bastard if I snapped your neck right here." His breath was hot on my face, and the sideburn/beard thing he had going on was kind of tickling my nose.

I managed to answer, "And if you snap it a few feet away? What are you then?"

He barked a laugh and backed up a bit. "I like you," he said. "I do. I won't be snapping your neck at all."

"Oh joy," I breathed sarcastically. The steam from my breath rolled around his face. He suddenly seemed to realize it was cold.

"What kind of fool are you? You come out here alone AND without a coat?" He backed up a few steps and shed his coat. Then he offered it to me. I stared apprehensively at the fabric hanging from his hand, but then my eyes traveled to the nails. Those razor sharp nails that I knew he could retract and extend at will. He noticed where my eyes had gone and laughed from deep in his chest. "I'm not gonna hurt you kid." I half-smiled as the memory of those exact words coming from Logan's mouth resurfaced. That was almost 4 years ago. Had it really been that long? I took the jacket from him and slid my arms into the sleeves. It was still really warm from his body heat and I wrapped it around me closer, surprised at how cold I actually was. "You one of Xavier's kids?"

I almost nodded, but then said, "I'm not really a kid. I'm 21."

"Well, excuse me!"

I gave him a disparaging look and continued, "But to answer your question, yes, I am one of Xavier's. One of his X-Men."

"Doesn't that sound high and mighty? X-Men. Oooo." Again, I made a face at him. He chuckled. "Come on. Best get you back to that mansion over the hill."

I took a few steps but then turned and asked, "Aren't you superhumanly fast?"

He nodded. "Yup. But it's not easy with extra baggage. We're walking."

I shrugged. "Fair enough." He came up and matched my stride as I started off again. We walked in a slightly awkward silence, but I took advantage of the time to look him over. He was about 6'3". Only and inch shorter than Logan. He was muscular…very muscular. And he was good looking. He noticed me looking, so I hastily averted my eyes. To cover my discomfort, I started a conversation. "You seem different."

"Different?"

"Yeah. You're…I dunno. Cool, I guess. From past experience, you've always been…intimidating. Evil."

"I am evil."

"And here you are, escorting a helpless girl home."

"How do you know I won't tackle you and rape you halfway there?"

"You said you wouldn't hurt me."

"Do evil people keep their word?" I stopped and faced him. He followed suit. I hated wrenching my mutation away from Logan to read other people, but sometimes it was necessary. With a sigh, I reached deep into my mutation and pulled my empathy away from Logan and forced it onto the handsome villain in front of me. An onslaught of emotions poured into me. I tried to keep a straight face, but the pain and sadness was overwhelming. That, combined with the anger and hate from his past…tears stung the back of my eyes. That was bad enough, but when I gasped and stumbled under the pressure of his emotions, I gave myself away. He caught my forearms to steady me. "Hey, are you ok? As more waves hit me, my fingers dug into his biceps. "Hey, look at me!" I shuddered and shook until finally I just let Logan come back through and let Victor fade away. Once I had calmed and stopped shaking, I let go and backed up. "What the hell was that?" Victor demanded.

"My attempt to read your emotions. Remind me not to do that again." I took a few deep breaths and added, "How do you cope?"

His face had darkened, but he answered, "I've learned to block it out."

I glanced up incredulously. "Block it out? How the devil to you block THAT out?"

"It's not easy." He made sure I was steady on my feet before letting go of my arms and asking, "Do you do that a lot? Just go around and read people's emotions?"

"No. Only when required. I was going to see if you were being honest about not hurting me…but I can live without that information. I'm not braving that again."

"Can you read anyone?"

"Yeah, but I have to focus really hard. I'm really Logan's empath." Suddenly, I stopped and wondered if perhaps I shouldn't have told him that, but he didn't mention it.

"You're a strange girl, Leslie White."

"You're not so normal yourself, Victor Creed."

"This is true," he said while spinning on his heel and starting towards the mansion once more. I caught up and matched stride. We walked the remaining time in silence, but my mind was talking too fast. I was walking beside Logan's one enemy. And I found him charming. Charming for goodness sake! And he was good looking. This was the man that ruined Logan's past life. He murdered countless people and helped Stryker do the same. And I liked the guy. I really liked him