Kat began to sniff the air before she opened her eyes. She picked up a couple of voices talking around her but wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. Soon, the words became clearer as her mind was aroused from her slumber.

"She's waking up," she heard someone say.

Her vision completely cleared to see Hank McCoy hovering before her. ON the other side of the room, was Jean Grey. She groaned as she placed her good hand up to her head.

"Welcome back. I didn't know when you were going to wake up," he told her with a smile.

"How long was I out?" wondered Kat as she stole a glance around the room. "Where am I now?"

"It's been a few hours since the attack. We're now at the mansion where I stay with my friends. This is Jean Grey," Hank explained.

"These are same friends who thought I'd be a threat to you and your safety?" she pondered.

Jean gave a deep sigh, crossing her arms at the accusation. Hank slowly looked from her to the cat and nodded. Kat inwardly smiling to herself. She gave herself a deep sigh as she climbed off the bed, wincing as she pulled her shoulder close to her body.

'Finally, I can try to convert him to my cause. Soon enough, I will have him,' she thought. "I-I would like to take a walk if that's fine with you. Can you show me around?"

Hank stole a glance with Jean to see what she thought and she gave a slight nod of her head.

'Go ahead but just be careful,' she told him telepathically.

Kat gave a Hank a smile, who began to lead her towards the door. He noticed that she was taking care with her injured shoulder and made a note to himself to check on it later. As they headed down the hallway, Kat took in every detail she could while she listened to Hank talk about the mansion and some of its history and functions.

"One of my friends would like to talk to you later once you're feeling better. He has a few questions concerning the attack earlier," Hank told her.

She nodded, fully knowing it was Xavier to see if she had been involved at all with the attacks in the park. In the back of her mind, she was also wondering how her first encounter with Wolverine would play out. She knew he suspected something about the faux-Gambit, so she had to play careful around him.

"Kat? Kat! Are you alright?" Hank called out to her.

Snapping her attention back to Hank, she gave him a smile and nodded.

"Sorry about that. I was thinking about - other things. Now what were you saying?" she replied.

"I took the liberty of preparing a guest room for your stay here. Would you like me to show you were it is?" he asked.

Kat nodded and they were soon on their way. Kat inwardly grinned to herself for this was happening better than what she ever could have dreamed. Once they arrived at the door, Hank led her inside where she moved forward to look around the room.

"Make yourself comfortable. There's just something I have to take a few minutes to do. I shall be back to show you around some more and in particular where you can and cannot go. I may have brought you here but unfortunately there are still restrictions," he told her.

Kat nodded and once he left the room, she immediately headed for the phone. She knelt down and manoeuvred the fur around her ankle to find a small microchip. She smiled as she stared at it for the briefest of moments before taking the cord out of the phone and placing the chip inside. She carefully replaced the cord and returned the phone to its position back on the table.

'Now all I have to do is gain access to a computer. Hopefully I can persuade dear Hank to allow me to use one before I have to disappear,' she thought.

00000

As soon as Hank stepped out the door, he was met with Wolverine, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"I hear you brought your girlfriend into the mansion. I didn't know you brought the girl home on this early into the relationship," he snickered.

"Logan..." started Hank, knowing exactly where he was going to with this.

"Don't worry Hank, I won't bother you about it..." Wolverine assured him."...much. All I ask of you is allow me to get a sniff of her while she's here. She may be your friend but I still want to confirm whether or not she's the one we're after."

Hank gave a deep sigh for he knew everyone was warranted in their suspicions about Katastrophe. But at the same time, he didn't want to believe that the woman who helped him on two separate occasions could be responsible for attacking so many people. There was simply no motive in his mind. At the moment, Wolverine and the professor were the only ways to prove whether or not she could be trusted.

"I will and if you find she has no connection to the site of the attacks, will everyone leave her alone and allow her to show she can be trustworthy?" he replied.

"You have my word Hank. There will be absolutely no problems if she smells clean," came the reply.

Hank smiled before he and Logan walked down the hallway to meet up with the professor. Neither saw or heard the door behind them open a crack.

00000

Gambit managed to crawl into the corner of the cave. With each shuddering breath he took, he could feel the pain course through his body.

'And Magneto said I was one of de luckier ones. Plus I'm going to be 'ere for up to four more days! Mon Dieu! How can I warn de others about the chatte?' he thought to himself.

Out of the corner of his eye, he happened to detect movement near the mouth of the cave and he glanced over long enough to see it was Mystique. He pretended to ignore her as she stepped towards him.

"You know I'm here. I just want to talk," Mystique told him.

"Y-you just w-want to talk? About wat?" he questioned.

Mystique hesitated for a moment and he noticed this. She quietly sat down next to the wall before she continued.

"Kat," she finally replied. "You should know why she's doing what she doing."

"La chatte is workin' wit' you and Magneto. She trying to convince Hank dat she's his friend before she tear his 'eart out," Gambit snorted.

"True, that is what's she's doing but you should also know that just like Hank, she was normal looking at one point. Her entire family shunned and abandoned her because of her transformation, just like a lot of others in her situation. You might've even met her family in your travels," Mystique explained.

That confused Gambit for he wondered how she could possibly know such a trivial thing. Even he was certain that the probability was slim.

"Wat makes you think so, chere? I don't tink I did," he replied.

"I think there's the possibility you could have. She is, after all, originally from New Orleans, Louisiana," the shape shifter told him.

That caught the Cajun's attention as he slowly turned his head towards Mystique. She could tell that he didn't trust her.

"If you don't believe me, you'd better talk to her then if you ever have the chance," Mystique told him.

She carefully climbed to her feet and walked to the mouth of the cave. There, she stood and kept watch in the slowly diminishing sunlight. Several possibilities ran through Gambit's mind as he tried to figure things out before the pain completely enveloped him.

00000

Katherine walked through the hallways with Hank by her side. He was talking about the mansion and some of its history but she wasn't listening. She knew the basic floor plan of the mansion from Magneto but she was taking in every nook and cranny she could see. Memorizing every last detail

"Hank, would it be fine if I could use a computer either tomorrow or the day after? There's some information I need to get for a project I'm currently working on and I normally don't get a lot of access to what I need," she requested.

"I see no problems with that but I will pass it by the others just to make certain," Hank replied.

"The others. Do you always have to check in with them? I mean, you seem perfectly capable of making a decision on your own," wondered Kat.

Hank was a bit surprised by the question and he tried to find the words to properly answer her. It took him a few moments before he was able to do so.

"Well, w-we are a team and w-we do have to be wary for our security," he stammered.

"That includes me? I saved your hide twice and this is the thanks I get? Maybe I should just leave and then you won't have to worry about me being on my own out there," she posed.

Hank quickly shook his head, his mouth suddenly getting dry. They soon found they were at the hallway with all the bedrooms and Hank led her to the quarters where she was staying. As she walked inside the room, Hank had a apologetic look on his face.

"Please stay for a couple more days. I'm certain that once the others get to know you, they'll see you the way I do," Hank told her.

"Hank, why do you stay with people like them? They appear to be distrustful of anyone new, particularly me. They won't stop trying to prove that I'm a threat to you and them. Haven't I proved enough to you otherwise?" Kat wondered.

"I suppose they've grown accustomed to me and I to them," Hank answered.

"That still doesn't change the fact that we're different. We'll never be able to fit in anywhere completely, even if humanity does eventually accept us," she told him.

Hank thought about what she said as she said as he stepped towards the door. He walked out as Kat closed the door. He began to walk down the hall to his own room and the thoughts swirled through his mind.

'Maybe she's right about one thing: we'll never really be able to fit in, no matter what happens,' he thought.

TBC...