Review Replies:

Wow, I got two flames...I don't expect them to be reading this since they disliked it so much, but I might as well reply. I realize I have a problem with switching my verb tenses. I started it in present, then typed it all out as past. Some of the verbs and phrasing weren't changed over. And there may be a typo here or there, but it happens. If the grammar is what you're referring to, it's called local color (or at least that's what I was taught in composition).

As for the Mary Sue comment...haven't had that one before, but maybe jumping into just this story it appears that way. Like I'd said in the first chapter, you probably should start at the first story. But to each his own. Like I said, I was posting this for the reviewers on the last story. Whether they're reading or not is their business.

That being said, I'm going to finish posting, flamers or no, reviewers or none. I might as well get it out of my head.

Chapter 2

I avoided both men throughout the weekend. Presumably, Wolverine didn't track me down to give us both time to cool off. We could get along reasonably well; most of the time I followed orders and he left me alone. But it was fairly common for one of us to get into a mood and set the other off and we'd be snarling and yelling in each others faces at the snap of a finger. Ferals feed on energies like that.

Monday I couldn't avoid him any longer. At team training, I barely got into the Danger Room door before he informed me, "Cyke is waitin' for you in his office. Ya gotta go over some plans for the mission."

My teammates all went still at that.

"I don't have a mission," I reminded him, moving to the floor to do some stretches.

"Not gonna tell ya again, kid," he warned, pushing buttons on the Danger Room's touch pad.

Everyone was shooting me questioning looks but I shook my head and focused on my hamstrings.

"Cougar," he growled and when I looked up he was staring me down, "Go on yer own or take yer other option."

Glaring back for a moment, I suppressed my own growl and rose to my feet. I avoided eye contact as I stomped maturely out of the room. My stubbornness told me to stay, but my pride didn't want to be dragged out of thee kicking and screaming in front of my teammates.

I stormed into Mr. Summers office and remained silent as he explained the background of Udinov (who was a sadist) and Wolverine's cover, Patch (which is a stupid name).

"Do you have any questions?" he asked politely, completely ignoring my sullen mood. Jerk.

He excused me to lunch where I tried to get in and out without incident. My team was waiting just inside the door for me.

"You get to go on an actual mission?" Amber jumped me.

"Not if I can help it," I grumbled, walking by.

"Are you going solo?" Conner asked, "Or with one of the X-Men?"

I don't answer because Amber reasoned out loud, "Must be with Wolverine since she's so bitchy about it."

"How did you manage to get picked for a mission with him?" Joseph sounded a little envious but also relieved.

"Just my luck," I rolled my eyes, moving toward the food table.

"How are you not excited about this?" Conner asked, lining up behind me. "Oh," he stopped in thought, "There's gonna be a lot of people who aren't going to like this."

I groaned, thinking about the super seniors. At least I wouldn't have to deal with Jubilee's jealousy. She was in the city attending college. I was not sure why she had such a liking for Wolverine. Clearly he wasn't an asshole to her, even when she like to sneak out an party, and she'd been caught several times unauthorized on X-Men missions. I understood her view, she'd been a resident of the mansion before it was a school with all us kids, but she was still a student too.

"How does a group of under grads get to go out for field work?" Vanessa, one of the super seniors came up behind us. Damn her super sensitive hearing.

"Not all of us, just Cougar," Ana corrected without thinking.

"Oh yea," Kyle, the red head sneered at me, "Cougar's got lots of experience on missions with Magneto, that's right."

By then, those types of remarks were used often enough that I no longer became offended by them. Ana, on the other hand, tried to by my champion whenever my name was smeared with my past. "That isn't fair and you know it." She stepped up to Kyle and glared at him, "Cougar just has better training than you egg heads."

A roll got half way to my plate as I paused at her choice of insult.

Yea, right," the boy huffed.

"Snappy retort," Amber backed up her friend. Just keep in mind that Cougar's the one that dislocated that shoulder of yours."

"She cheated," Vanessa spat.

All I wanted to do was just get my food…

"I could take her easy," Kyle assured them.

"There's no way in hell," Joseph was egging him on too, "She has the highest stats in our class. Probably higher than yours."

I was sure that that was an exaggeration, though I'd never cared enough to look up my stats.

"Lets go then," freckled fingers grabbed my shoulder.

For no real reason that I could pin point, I snapped. My tray, loaded, swung back, sending food in a high arc through the air before it connected solidly with Kyle's face. He stumbled back into the suddenly gathered crowd, his nose pouring blood. Friends pushed him back in and he came swinging. I blocked the first flurry of blows, but got one fist slammed into me, sending me back ten feet until the wall caught me. Oh yea, Kyle has super punches. Even though I tucked my chin down, the impact snapped my head back into the wall. I watched him effortlessly leap over the buffet table through my starts. Very pretty. When he was close enough, I tried to sweep his legs out from under him. He stumbled enough that I could launch myself off the floor and, lacing my fingers together, clubbed him under the chin with both fists. Less gracefully, I clambered over the food table to put more distance between us and give me more space to fight. His face was an unattractive red as he hurdled at me.

Vanessa waited until I was focused on him before grabbing me from behind. My teammates shouted objections, but I'd already ground my heel into her instep and wrenched free enough to give her a good kick before someone else grabbed me.

Snarling, I twisted in the arms until I saw Rogue with a grip on Kyle.

"Ya'll planning on this ta be a monthly thing or what?" she didn't look impressed.

"Let's go, petite," Gambit said, pulling me back through the crowd and out into the empty hall. I didn't quit trying to pull away. I was mad and holding me back wasn't helping. "Let me go," I growled through clenched teeth.

He chuckled against me, "An where ya gonna go if Ah letcha go, heh?"

I was used to Wolverine breaking up any public fights of mine, matching my anger and forcing me to calm down. I was not used to getting laughed at. So I stopped.

"Dat's better," he unwrapped his arms and let me step away. "Now, petite, what was dat about?" he indicated the lunchroom, where I could sort of hear Rogue yelling at my team.

"I didn't start it." With a frown, I rubbed at the back of my suddenly throbbing head, "I don't think."

"Gambit knows dat. 'Less ya started swingin' trays at people fo' no reason," then he frowned down at me, "Ya haven't, right?"

I squinted up at him, "No." The lights were remarkably bright then.

He watched me for a minute before deciding, "You not gonna tell me den? Dat fight wasn't bout nothing'?"

It was harder than usual for me to decipher his thick Cajun accent but I shook my head, making it hurt worse.

"Gambit think you got a concussion, petite," he said next, "Keep yo' secretes, but go on down ta the med lab."

"Am I in trouble?" I ask, suddenly hopeful that I'll get grounded and banned from Wolverine's stupid mission.

"Non, we take care o' it," he disappointed me.

I trudged down to the med lab where Beast confirmed my head injury and gave me an ice pack along with a lecture about my temper. I didn't bother telling him that I didn't start it. They never believed me anyway.

Mr. Logan passed me out in the hallway, stopping and turning from his destination to ask with his ever present scowl, "Ya go a month without getting into trouble and now ya can't go a week? Playin' catch up or something kid?"

"Leave me alone, Wolverine," I reply very disrespectfully, "I'm concussed."

"Serves ya right, getting into a fight with someone who has enhanced strength." He pulled a cigar out of his shirt pocket and chewed on it.

"Why do you always think I'm the one who started it?" I didn't really care if he answered or not, I was already walking away.

"Ya hit Kyle in the face with a servin' tray. Ya almost broke his nose."

"Kyle," I turned around to face him while awaiting the elevator, "Is a self-centered, egotistical bully and if he ever touches me again his nose aint gonna be the only thing I break."

We stared at each other for a moment before he finally snorted and ordered, "Get ta class."

The elevator door closed on him still studying me. It must have been my concussion, because he didn't comment on my attitude.

I made it through afternoon cases with a headache and as soon as school was over, headed int the woods. My balcony had been repaired last year and in the summer months was annoyingly occupied. I walked until I hit the brick wall surrounding the school grounds and then headed left toward a scraggly tree that grew up against it. It was a nice spot, far enough away from the school that I felt a little solitude, and the woods continued on the other side, keeping it quiet. It was also a nice spot to escape from, if need be. I thought about it, but decided to sit down in the shade for a while instead, tipping my head against the wall.

"No pack this time," Wolverine observed from my right, startling me but not enough to make me open my eyes. "Runnin' light this time, kid?"

Ok, so maybe I'd used it as an escape point a time or two…"I'm eighteen," I reminded him lazily, "It's not running away anymore, it's just leaving."

"We got a problem that might come up on Friday. Cyke wants ta have a meeting about it tonight at eight."

"Hows about," I suggested, "You just tell me what the problem is and I won't have to waste my time with the meeting." I was pushing it, I knew, but maybe he'd get sick enough of me to go away. Pretty thinking…

"Udinov's already got a handful of girls. Jean can't tell where they're at, he hasn't been there yet himself."

"What's that mean?" I wonder if he's getting tired of me talking to him with my eyes closed.

"It means we can't bust him until we get ta those girls" he explained still patiently, which surprised the heck out of me. "I can't track him there if he never goes there himself. I gotta have someone's scent ta follow."

Slowly I opened my eyes and stared at him, "Yer gonna sell me ta that sadistic lunatic."

He was leaned up against the wall, frowning down at me. "It's the only way we can be sure ta get ta them.

"Awesome," I snapped, getting myself up from the grass and turning toward the tree, "Tack more shit onta this stupid mission that I didn't wanna be part of ta begin with."

"What the hell's yer problem?" he finally yelled as I started up the tree.

I knew the hand holds, it took me the blink of an eye to scurry up to the safety of the top of the fence, "Forget it."

"So what? He hollered up at me, "Yer gonna just take off and leave them girls ta be sold?"

We both knew that I couldn't. But it still made me mad that he would try and use that against me. "I can't take off, Wolverine; I don't have that freedom, remember?" His face darkened but I continued, "My curfew's not until one, so until then, leave me alone." I jumped down to the other side of the brick wall and ignored his cursing.

When I finally returned to my room for the night (with two minutes to spare, I might add) a note had been shoved under my door. Mr. Summers wanted to see me in his office. Briefly, I considered ignoring it, but the thought of getting awoken to a pissed Cyclops didn't sound overly appealing.

Cyclops is alone in this office, writing out bills or something. "Sit down, please. Logan and I assumed that you wouldn't be back until curfew, so he'll be here in a moment. Until then," he leans forward, "You understand that this office is a safe, judgment free space. We only want to know why you're so adamant about not accompanying Wolverine on this mission. We're not angry—"

"Yer attitude is really starting to piss me off, girl," Wolverine barged in at the perfect time. "What the hell is yer problem?"

"Logan—" Mr. Summers warned.

"Right now?" I asked sarcastically, "You, ya big dumb jerk." I must have still been concussed.

"Cougar—" Summers admonished, trying to regain control of his office.

Suck it up, kid," he glowered down at me, "Not every mission is gonna be yer choice."

"This aint about the mission," I snapped, a little too loudly.

""So yer just tryin' ta be a pain in my ass?" he barked back.

"The world doesn't revolve around you, Wolverine," I replied snidely. "But, yea, that's a perk."

"All Right!" Cyclops slammed his palms into the desk, standing up. "That is enough. You two are both going on this mission and you're going to get along. Have I made myself clear?"

"This is stupid," I rolled my eyes in frustration, turning toward Logan. "I aint ready ta go on a real mission, and if you weren't such a control freak you'd realize that. Take one of the super seniors."

"That," Cyclops spoke up, "Is where you've been chosen for this mission."

"What?"

"I could call each of the graduates in here," he explained, "And have Logan yell at them for one thing or another. I can guarantee that none of them will even be able to look him in the eye. You just yelled back, which is disrespectful," he put in, "But a quality that will be needed to convince Udinov that you're honestly furious at 'Patch' here for selling you out. You're perfect for this job and, believe it or not, your training stats are still higher than theirs."

"Compliments of Magneto," I reminded him bitterly.

"Doesn't matter," he leaned toward me and explained, "It's not where the training came from; it's what you do with it that counts. The girls that are in Udinov's possession will be sold as child sex slaves by the end of the week. You have the opportunity and skills to save them from that fate. We can't force you to put yourself in danger, but that is what the X-Men do."

I looked down at his polished wooden desk. From my childhood in my dad's wood shop, I knew that it was maple. This thought, for some reason, made up my mind. With a sigh, I asked tightly, "So what's the plan?"