Later that night, Ororo found herself sitting on the porch staring at the garden. She should have been relieved not to have to spend her time in the basement being taunted by Sabretooth and Mystique, but instead she felt odd. She didn't feel quite like she was being left out, more that she was missing out. Strange.

Victor. She found herself still thinking of him in terms of his real name and wondered if he had shifted his attention to Jean now that she was banned from going downstairs. A shameful wisp of jealousy floated up, which she quickly surpressed. What is wrong with me? Perhaps, she had simply gone too long without a man, that even the advances of Victor Creed were, to some hidden part of her mind, welcome. It was too pathetic and woeful a thought, so she dismissed it.

A dark form stepped out onto the porch and sat down next to her. "Kind of chilly for sitting out here without a jacket."

She smiled at Logan. "Haven't you realized by now that I am immune to weather? Or were you talking about yourself?"

He scrunched his face. "Yeah, that's it. I'm the one that's cold. Maybe you could use some of your body heat to help keep me warm." He held his right arm open, an invitation to slide in next to him. She smirked, but took him up on his offer, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Logan, do you think I'm pitiful?"

"Now, where'd you get a damned idea like that?" he asked incredulously. "You're the opposite of pitiful."

"But men don't like me," she said in a teasing, school girl tone.

Logan turned, and looked at her seriously. "Is that what you think?" he asked quietly. His eyes searched her for a moment, before she shrugged.

"Oh, I don't know. I was just trying to figure out why Sabretooth fixated on me. I thought that perhaps he smelled weakness, or some sort of pathos."

Logan sighed and pulled her a tad closer. "Well, I don't know what 'pathos' means, but as far as men, I don't think it has anything to do with them not liking you, and everything to do with being intimidated by you. Hell, I'm intimidated by you."

Ororo lifted her head off his shoulder momentarily. "Logan, I thought that you weren't intimidated by anyone or anything. You certainly aren't intimidated by Scott, chasing the poor man's girlfriend right under his nose."

"Are you intimidated by Scott?"

At this, she laughed. "No."

"Well, there you go."

She chuckled into his shoulder before becoming subdued again. "And what about Sabretooth?"

"Sabretooth is a psychotic bastard and nothing terrible coming from him surprises me."

Ororo listened to Logan's heartbeat speed up at the talk of Victor. "You really despise him, don't you?"

"And I shouldn't?" Logan snapped back.

"Well, Logan, please don't take this the wrong way, but you don't remember what you did before arriving here. What if you did some..."

He cut her off sharply. "What if I was just like Sabretooth?" He growled defensively, but there was a nervous edge to his voice.

"What if you were? Now you're not. Now you're the wonderful Wolverine we all know and love." She grinned at him, and he smirked despite himself. "But you didn't answer my other question, Logan. Why do you think Sabretooth has targeted me exactly?"

Logan's demeanor grew grouchy as it always did when he was unsure or uncomfortable. He shifted irritably in his seat, but kept a protective arm around Ororo. "Maybe he's just playing some mind game. Maybe because he was unsuccessful killing you, he's decided to screw with your head. He's fucked up, what can I tell you?"

A mind game. Vengeance for humilating him. A ghost of disappointment brushed past her as she recognized the logic of the idea. It made sense, but somewhere inside of her, she rebelled. "I'm sure you're right, Logan," she sighed. But somewhere at the edge of her consciousness, a secret thought stirred. But I hope you're not.