Author's Note- The plot line from this chapter is taken from Excalibur #93

Second Note- I am SO sorry it has taken me so long to update. I had just about given up hope that I'd ever write a new chapter for this one. Hope it was worth the wait.

Rahne and Doug's Excellent Adventure

You thought you were there to guide me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that
I'll be just like you

I could be cold
I could be ruthless
You know I could be just like you
I could be weak
I could be senseless
You know I could be just like you
-Thee Days Grace

Rahne breathed in the air and the million stories the scents in the air told her. Times like this, running around the island as fast as her four legs could carry her, she could forget all the things Reverend Craig had preached. She spotted her quarry ahead and slowed to a stalking jog. She was as silent as the wolf she appeared to be. Her quarry looked around as though sensing her presence, and she crouched low. As soon as he looked away she pounced. She shifted back to her human shape giggling at Doug's expression.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he murmured back sitting up.

"You should have seen your face." She was laughing again. He arched an eyebrow. "It was too easy."

"Yeah?"

"What are you-? Ah!" She tried to squirm away as he started tickling her. "I give!"

He stopped. "Thought so." The two sat for a while just enjoying the day. The sun was warm on their backs. The sky was blue, with a few fluffy clouds. A cool breeze wafted off the ocean. Rahne smiled. The perfect day.

"Excuse me?" the couple turned at the new voice. A young girl who looked to be around ten years old stood behind them. She had violet hair and eyes that clashed with the drab brown sweat clothes that she was wearing. "I was told that you could help me." The voice had an accent different than the one from the town the group visited on the mainland.

"Um, sure," Rahne said standing and helping Doug to his feet. She gave the girl an inviting smile. "Are ye a mutant?" The girl winced as though struck but nodded.

"Come on inside," Doug said straightening his glasses and getting to his feet. The girl followed them inside but kept looking around as if waiting for an ambush.

"Gutan tag!" Kurt exclaimed from the ceiling where he was hanging. Doug and Rahne looked at the girl afraid of how she would take Kurt but she was staring at the blue mutant entranced. Kurt jumped down and took her hand. "Kurt Vagner, at your service."

"I'm Katie," the girl said shyly.

"Where are my manors?" Rahne exclaimed. "I'm Rahne Sinclaire, this is Doug Ramsey."

"Hello."

"What can we do for you, Katie?" Doug asked.

"I'm a mutant."

"That we could guess," Kurt smiled at the girl. "But I'm sure you could not tell that I too, am a mutant."

"I'm sure she couldn't guess that one," Doug drawled.

It got the girl to smile though. "What can you do?" she asked them.

"Watch," Kurt teleported all around the room before landed in front of her again.

"He teleports," Doug said. "Saying that would have been a lot less smelly."

"Doug here is like a decoder ring," Kurt told her. "He deciphers things."

"Cypher!" Doug exclaimed. "That can be my codename."

Kurt and Rahne exchanged glances. "Nah."

Rahne went half wolfen then back human. "What about you?"

"Well…" Katie took a deep breath and began to float. She made it to about four feet before breathing in again and floating back down. Rahne cocked her head to one side as the guys exchanged glances. "But I can only float when I'm holding my breath. It's a silly power."

"It's not," Rahne assured her.

"And you're young," Doug told her. "Your powers might not be fully developed yet. And you could even have a secondary mutation."

"What made you seek us out?" Rahne asked.

"I was chased out of my town… My mother she died three years ago. A minister took me in." Chills went down Rahne's back. "He preached about how I was the spawn of the devil. I… I believed him… then I saw you guys on the news, I saw Nightcrawler. If he wasn't a demon I wasn't either."

"Of course not," Kurt said angry anyone would tell this child that.

"I told him that and he got angry. He tried to burn me alive!"

"Who was he, Katie?" Rahne asked softly. "What was his name?"

"Reverend Craig."

An hour and half later

"Do you want me to wait for you?" Brian asked as the plane touched down.

"That's okay," Rahne said. "We'll get a hotel for the night. Thanks, Brian."

"Anytime." The plane took off.

Doug shouldered their duffle bags. "You sure about this, wolf-girl?"

"This has been a long time coming," Rahne said. "He hurt me, I can deal with that. I've forgiven him."

"You forgave that bastard?"

"Don't curse, Dougie."

"How could you forgive him after he tried to kill you?"

"To err is human, to forgive is divine. 'Judge not lest ye be judged.' It goes on from there."

"You are a spectacular human being."

She blushed. "Be quiet."

"Yes, ma'am." He checked them into a hotel the town over.

"I need to do this alone."

"Uh-uh. Last time you were with him he nearly burned you at the stake."

"I was also just a child," Rhane pointed out. "I'm not a child anymore."

"This much I know," Doug grinned. "Come on, hon, let's go take care of this."

"Can't I convince you to stay?"

"Nope."

"Then lets go." They walked into town, enjoying the brisk day. It was a beautiful, clear day for Scotland, although Rahne warned that it would rain before the day was out. They finally arrived at a church. It was beautiful and picturesque. Rahne looked at it a million emotions running across her face.

"Are you sure?" Doug asked.

"Yeah," Rahne said, "let's go." They walked inside. The church was empty, it appeared to be abandoned. "Reverend Craig!" A man who appeared to be around forty-five, maybe fifty, walked out.

"Get out!" he ordered. "You have no right here!"

"I have as much right here as you," Rahne snapped. "I came here to talk to you about a girl named Katie."

"Demon spawn," Reverend Craig growled. "I should have burned her and you when I had the chance."

"Probably." Rahne sat down in a pew. Doug hung back leaning against the door and watching. "You probably should have killed me before I got away from you and learned about myself, and about you. I found out a lot about you. For instance how you met my mother in Ullapull."

"She was a whore," Craig growled.

"I'm sure that's what you think. She was a party girl my mum. So you decided to make her yuir new project. You prayed over her all sweaty and determined. But then she "betrayed" you by falling pregnant with me."

"I don't know what you think you're implying."

"I'm not implying anything. But my mother died and you ended up as my guardian. I have to wonder why you'd bother. I mean if I was just the daughter of a whore why would you care what happened to me? But that isn't my point. I came here to tell you that I'm through thinking about you. I've dreamt about you and your hatred and the fire you tried to burn me with for so long. I know all about you and if I hear anything about you hurting another girl I'll be back."

Craig glowered down at her. "May God strike you down."

"I'll pray for your soul," Rahne said solemnly. She stood and walked out, taking Doug's hand on the way out. Doug followed her out looking bemused.

"Rahne?" he asked noting the way she was trembling. "Are you all right?"

"No," Rahne said.

"I appreciate the honesty. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I just didn't realize how hard this would be," she sniffled. "I still have so much hate for him and it's wrong. I shouldn't." Doug stopped walking and pulled her into his arms.

"Shh…" he whispered as she cried into his shoulder.

"Why does he hate me?"

"Because he's a small minded moron."

"Moron?" Rahne asked looking up with a small smile.

"Yeah, how else could someone hate you?"

"Thanks, Dougie. Let's go find something to eat."

"Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, thanks to you." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. Doug smiled wrapping his arms around her waist and deepening the kiss. Rahne made a small noise in the back of her throat and arched into him. Doug broke the kiss moments later, his breathing ragged. "Um, wow."

"Yeah, food, right?"

"Yeah, food sounds great." Hand-in-hand the couple walked out of the town.