Sorry about the wait! And this chapter may be a little dull, but the next update will have a lot more action, so no worries! Please review!

Thanks!

J.C Posch

I was playing checkers with Benny on the floor of the living room when the apartment door opened. I glanced over to see who it was and automatically smiled. Letting out a squeal, I leapt up and ran to it, accidently knocking over the board. I flung myself at Dad as if I was five again.

He let out a tired laugh and returned my hug.

"Hey kiddo, glad to see you're finally awake." He greeted, ruffling my hair. "Why the big tadoo?"

"I haven't seen you in a couple days, why shouldn't I be excited?" I replied, squeezing him tighter.

"Eh now, what 'bout me? Don'cha have any love for poor Remy?"

I looked past Dad to see Remy leaning in the door way. He looked as Dad did, tired and a little battleworn. Gorgeous as ever, as he flipped me his bright smile.

But no matter how much I tried, I couldn't force myself to run to him. I felt a tightening in my chest and my throat squeeze painfully as I looked at him.

This is stupid, go to him! He's your boyfriend and he's done nothing wrong! The sensible part of me scolded.

But still…

I tried a smile I hoped looked real and said, "Hey Remy."

There was a slight switch on his face. Anyone who didn't know him as I did would not have even noticed. But I did. The calm, pleasant expression he was wearing was his pokerface. I had hurt his feelings.

I'll make up to him soon, I promised.

"Okay Logan, you've seen her. Now you promised if you got to see Leah you'd come down to the lab with no argument." Jean said sternly from the hallway.

"The lab?" Mom entered the living room and pecked Dad's rough cheek.

"It's nothing." Dad replied.

"Logan…" Jean practically growled. It was very out of character of her, but she had been up the whole night.

"Alright, alright, I'm going." Dad put his hands up in defense.

Mom studied Dad's face. Just as I knew Remy's, Mom knew Dad's poker face. Slowly she said, "Maybe I'd better come down as well."

"It's noth-" Dad began to say, but Mom was already dragging him out of the apartment.

"Why's Wolverine gotta go to the lab?" Benny piped up from the floor.

"Just like he said homme, it noth'n. Jeanie just gett'n worked up, dat all." Remy said easily, dropping to sit beside Benny. "What'cha play'n here?"

"Checkers!" Benny said before shooting me a glare. "At least we were before Leah knocked over the board."

"You were beat'n her dat bad?"

Benny smirked smugly. "Yup. You wanna play Remy?"

"Sure, Ah love games. Just give me a sec, 'kay? Ah got ta get somethang ta drink first."

"Okay, I have to reset the board anyway." Benny said agreeably, getting to work.

Remy stood up and met my eyes. He inclined his head towards the kitchen, silently asking me to follow him. I nodded and followed.

"Hey petite, what da matter?" Remy asked in his oh-so-sexy voice, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close to him.

My heart beat faster, but not in the way it usually did when Remy held me. Not in a good way. But still, I resisted from pulling away.

"Nothing." I answered, trying to sound normal. "How'd the mission go? Did you find the guys?"

"Yeah, we got 'em. Da Avengers escort'n dem to their cells now." Remy answered.

"Great." I felt a little better knowing my blood wasn't in someone else's hands. I gently withdrew from Remy's arms and went to the fridge. I pulled out some lemonade and began to pour three glasses. "Do you know what's up with my Dad? Why does he have to go to the lab, did something happen?"

"Nah petite, he fine. Jeanie really just want to do a check up on da old guy." Remy answered smoothly, accepting the drink I offered him.

I studied his face, for once unable to tell if he was being truthful. "You'd tell me if there was something wrong with my dad, right?"

"Of course cher," Remy replied, smoothing back his auburn hair. "Just like yah'd tell me if dere was somethang bother'n yah, right?"

I offered him a smile, "Come on, Benny's waiting for us."

xXx

Logan sat shirtless on the metal examining table in Hank's lab. He hated labs, even more than he hated hospitals. He fought to behave himself knowing that the procedures had to be done. Thankfully he had 'Ro nearby to help keep him calm.

"He received a full injection of Leah's blood," Hank pondered, looking over a chart in his hand. "And yet he still retains his mutation…"

"We know that," Dr. Hank Pym (who had been flown in on Hank's request) "The question is how."

"None of our tests have proven anything yet, we just have theories." Jean responded.

"Maybe it is because of his relation to her that made him immune." Dr. Rao suggested.

Storm shook her head, "We both have been experiencing mild decreases in our mutant abilities. Logan's aging again and I don't have quite the power I used to. Hank agrees that it's because of our exposure to her over the years. If just her presence can do that, wouldn't it be unlikely that being injected with her blood would result in no change?"

"A valid point." Dr. Rao nodded.

"You got enough samples out of me?" Logan asked roughly.

Hank looked to the other doctors before nodding, "I believe so-"

"Good." Logan stood up and pulled his shirt back on. With that he stormed out of the room.

Storm looked to the others apologetically. "I'm sorry, it's just very difficult for him to be in these situations."

"What if…" Jean trailed off, chewing on the end of a pen. Everyone turned to her. "What if her blood didn't work because it was expired? Anytime her blood has been used, it came straight from her. The blood Logan was exposed to had been taken out for a few days and they weren't even attempting to preserve it with refrigeration. So…"

Hank flashed Jean a smile, "Let's run some more tests."

xXx

I knocked on Remy's apartment door and waited. I didn't have to wait long before Remy opened it.

"Hey petite, Ah got yo' message. What's up?" Remy greeted.

Remy had spent the morning at the apartment with me and Benny, playing checkers. He eventually had to leave to get some sleep, since he had spent the whole night out on the mission. The entire time he was there, I was withdrawn. I watched him play with Benny and only spoke when a question or comment was directed at me. I could tell that I was worrying Remy, but I still couldn't force myself to get involved.

So in the afternoon while he was asleep, I had thought up a way to make things up to him. I had sent him a text, asking him to tell me when he woke up.

"You'll see." I said with a small smile as I slipped past him in the doorway and into the apartment. Remy followed me inside. I went over to his small kitchen table and started pulling supplies out of my bad. A deck of cards, a bag of smuggled Ruffles all dressed potato chips (I had kind of gotten Remy addicted to them), and some poker chips I borrowed from my dad. I then turned back to Remy smiling and made a 'tada!' gesture.

"What's all dis?"

"Listen, I'm sorry I've been acting weird today towards you. It wasn't fair." I apologised. "I want to make things up to you, if that's okay?"

Remy studied my face before answering. "It okay cher, Ah ain't upset with yah at all. Ah just want ta know why yah seemed so…scared of me."

"I'm not. Really." I insisted. I know I should tell him about what happened with Fang. I should probably tell Dad as well. But I had made up my mind that I didn't want them freaking out and going into crazy protective robot mode. I hate it when they do that, it makes me feel pathetic. Besides, it would just upset them.

I came closer to Remy and looked up into his eyes. "I care about you so much Remy. Even when I'm acting weird or withdrawn, please still know that I have never felt anything like this about anyone else and I would do anything for you. Things happen and I get moody, but that doesn't change how I feel."

Remy smiled back at me. He knew I wasn't one for speeches and how much I sucked at talking about my feelings. So he gave me the best response I could hope for, which was a loving kiss.

"So, what we play'n here petite?" Remy asked, taking a seat at the table.

I flashed him a mischievous grin. "Strip poker."

xXx

Storm found Logan out in the garage working on one of his bikes. He was smoking a thick, smelly cigar and listening to a familiar sounding rock song on the old radio as he used a torque. Frowning, Storm went over and snatched the cigar out of his mouth.

"Hey!" Logan glared up at her.

"You know I hate you smoking these things." Storm said sternly.

Logan looked as if he was about to say something angrily, but instead took a breath. Leah and Storm were the only people he tried to never lose his temper with. "I know, I'm sorry. I was just-stressed."

Storm knelt down beside him on the cement, placing her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry we had to put you through that. It couldn't have been easy, but it was the only way we could get answers."

"Find anything out?"

"Jean came up with a theory that so far seems pretty valid. Her blood has to be able to act like blood to work. Just like you can't use some blood for a transfusion if it hasn't been kept." Storm answered. "We still don't know anything for sure though."

"Hmmm," Logan tightened a loose bolt.

"So does this make her safer or in more danger?" Storm asked quietly. "If people want to use her blood, they have to keep her alive to do it. But that would mean taking her…"

Logan stopped fiddling with his bike and stared off into the distance for awhile. He then stood without answering and walked over to the wall.

"Logan?"

Logan turned back to her, holding up a helmet. He tossed it to her.

"What are you-"

"We're going for a ride." Logan said simply. "We need to relax and not worry about the latest crisis and waiting for the next. It's just going to drive us nuts. Besides, when was the last time we rode together?"

Logan sat on his bike and patted the seat invitingly.

Storm looked down at the helmet in her hands. He was right in a way. Then again, he didn't know about Leah being attacked by Fang (everyone had neglected to tell him, at Leah's begging). If he did he certainly wouldn't be offering to go for a joy ride, he'd be spending every minute at Leah's side as her personal guard dog. Or hunting Fang.

Still…

The Professor and Scott had vamped up the security and Leah had to check in with them every hour. And it was unlikely Fang would try anything again, since he last attempt failed. And Leah hated when they hovered and treated her like a child who needed absolute protection…

Storm put on the black biker helmet and took a seat behind her husband. She wrapped her arms around him as the bike's engine roared to life and they sped out of the garage.

xXx