((I do not own Buffy or X-Men))

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Chapter 4: "Hunny, I'm home!"

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"It's like that coffee shop on Friends only with alcohol and a band and occasionally people of color." Willow was describing The Bronze to Kitty after Buffy had cordially invited her to join them for a little R&R her first day in sunnydale. There was something about Kitty that Buffy liked but she couldn't put her finger on it. Willow had a little more in common with the curly-haired teenager from what Buffy had managed to glean thus far. Still Kitty had a sensibility to her that made her seem a little old for her age, something Buffy was very familiar with.

"Yeah, I just gotta stop by my house, and get permission you know." Kitty accepted.

"Sure, we can meet there at 8. Any earlier and you look like a loser." Xander commented. "Not that I would know cus I've never been there before eight, I'm naturally cool like that."

"Procrastination equals cool now?" Buffy asked sardonically.

"Being late is the coolest." Xander retorted. "Ask any super-hero."

Everyone gave xander a blank stare.

"Well they never show up BEFORE they need to save the day. You never see batman hanging around a dark alley waiting for someone to get mugged." Xander explicated.

Kitty shook her head dissaprovingly, "Lazy Dark Knight, doesn't he know timelyness is next to goddlyness?"

Xander beamed approvingly.

"Maybe if he made his presence more known you know." Buffy pondered "I mean like, have Bat-men and they could hang out all over gotham."

"Then he'd just be police." Xander chided.

Alright I should get going, thanks for showing me around!" Kitty picked up her bag and waved as she headed off down the paved sidewalk.

"I like her." Xander said happily.

"Yeah, too bad her parents moved her here." Buffy agreed darkly.

"Don't the gays have special senses like dogs or something?" Xander asked, half-joking. "Like shouldn't they have known better?"

"A helmouthdar?" Buffy tried the word. "Helldar... Mouthdar..."

"THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING GAY!" Willow suddenly blurted out of no-where.

Xander and Buffy jumped, looking around instinctively for some unseen danger.

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The three story, rented, track-home stood on the corner of one of the neighborhoods many streets named after one of the neighborhoods many street names. It had just as many doors as you would expect in a track home. Lots of windows with very even spacing. A well-manicured lawn with a single blemish, a small indentation near the mailbox caused by the absence of a "FOR RENT" sign.

Yes this house was certainly very house-like. Why it even had a garage, a driveway, a roof, and many many layers of paint.

The inside of the house was decorated in white plaster walls and ceilings, off-white carpet, the kitchen had tile floors as did the bathroom. The refrigerator was steel and the cupboards, just for a touch of elegance, were made of wood.

The front door swung open and an energetic teenager bounced inside. "HUNNY! I'm HOooOOOOOoooME!"

Much to her surprised disenfranchised teenage mind Kitty pride was immediately answered by a voice from the kitchen, first door down the entrance hall to her left. "Oh good, come in here sweetie! I want you to try something!"

The voice was male with a very soft edge that sounded perfectly natural.

Kitty cautiously approached the doorway and peaked inside. She saw an apron-clad man bent over an open oven, the kitchen was immaculate with the slight exception of a recipe book sat amidst a well organized collection of ingredients.

"Logan?!? (o.0)" Kitty emoted.

The clean-shaven man stood up perkily, tilted his head to one side and smiled. "Well there you are, pumpkin. Try a cookie for me I'm working on this recipe."

Kitty suspiciously took a cookie from the tray and tasted it. It was actually pretty good, "Pumpkin?" she asked after a moment.

"With poppy-seeds." Logan responded.

"No. What you said I mean." Kitty corrected grabbing another cookie.

"Oh well, I'm your father aren't I?" Logan said taking off his oven mitts.

Kitty scowled. "I said you were gay I didn't say you were Martha Stewart."

"I can't be both?"

Kitty huffed. "Aren't you being a little offensive?"

"Well... " Logan thought a moment "... yeah, you're right, the cookies are good but I'm no Martha Stewart."

Kitty just huffed again. "Fine." She sat down promptly at the Kitchen table and began pulling school-books out of her bag.

Logan grabbed some glasses, a bottle, some herbs and a pitcher of pink lemonade out of the refrigerator. Pouring Kitty a glass, he joined her at the table. "So, tell me about your first day, make any friends?"

Kitty eyed him over her books. "If you're subtly referring to my mission, yes, I did, and I can't confirm anything one way or the other. The summers girl seems to be pretty level headed, and smarter than she lets on. Miss Rosenburgh is a genius, but that doesn't really mean anything, and their friend... well he's just a bit strange. But nothing to make him a target for anyon.... Logan WHAT are you making?"

The older man looked up at her with a twinkle in his eye as he stuffed mint leaves into his glass, poured a clear liquid over them and began stirring and crushing the mixture together with a thin glass pestle. "A mojito. It's what they drink in California, I got the recipe from Mrs. Kravits next door."

"You drink beer."

Logan just smiled and kept mixing. "I'd offer you one but you're a bit young don't you think?"

Kitty just shook her head. "I've been invited to go to a club with them tonight. Is that alright with you and papa?" Kitty asked sarcastically.

"Oh fine fine, just no alcohal, and be home by eleven." Logan smiled innocently. "It's a school night."