Chapter 3: How Stubborn Is She?

Summer was waning steadily into fall. It had become a joke around the mansion ... anyone trying to give K a message from SHIELD or Fury was sorely disappointed. She ignored, burned, recycled and returned every one. Bobby was starting to take bets on how she'd handle the next one when Stark came to visit.

"Would you at least talk to me? Tell me your version of events?" Tony asked her as she came in from what had started as a run through the woods with Logan.

"Why? You were there. You know what happened," K said, blowing him off entirely on the subject. She knew what he was doing, and she didn't appreciate it one bit. "Playing lapdog for Fury. For shame, Tony."

He chuckled and shook his head at that. "Come on, I've got to go to Paris in two weeks, I could use a lovely bodyguard to keep me safe," Tony grinned, hoping to even just rile her.

K shook her head as she set down her bottle of water. "No, you're just hoping to watch another girl kiss me. I know your modus operandi, pervert," she teased him, getting a good laugh from him in response.

"OK. I'm busted," he chuckled. "And if it weren't for the fact that Viper was the one kissing you it would have been the highlight of the year. Seriously, I was equal parts terrified and turned on."

Logan leveled a glare at him as K waved Tony off. "Pathetic," she drawled out. "Besides, I don't work for SHIELD."

"Oh no – you'd be working for Stark Industries," Tony told her, hoping that would make a difference.

K burst out laughing and set her water bottle down on the counter to face him - her expression one of sheer disbelief. "What, and have YOU for a boss? You couldn't afford the sexual harassment suit. Nope. Not interested. I'm sure Happy'll look great in couture. Heels will be hard to find though, " K snarked as Logan led her from the room.

Stark had to laugh. She wasn't going to be an easy one to crack. He'd told Fury as much, but obviously, the message didn't get through nearly as easily as Fury had hoped.

Nearly another week passed when Steve Rogers showed up this time. "Here we go," K commented under her breath as she and Kitty watched him walk across the room to where they were planning out fall lessons together. He greeted them respectfully as ever as he sat down across from K while she made a point to avoid eye contact.

"Would you be interested -" Steve started to say before K cut across him with a resounding 'No.'

"You didn't even hear what I was going to-"

"No."

"You're not being very reasonable," Steve got out as K finally looked up at him.

"Not my strongest point," she replied. "And, no." Without another word, she simply turned back to her schedule while Kitty hid her face, trying not to laugh at the look of sheer disbelief on Steve's.

"So you're going to try and sit here telling me that your life is perfect as a schoolteacher?" Steve asked, hoping she'd take it as a jab.

"Well, first of all, I'm not really a teacher, I'm a riding instructor. Totally different, and no. But it's a far cry better than being a messenger boy. How's that working for you?" She shot back.

"Hey, I'm just trying to do my job here," Steve told her, frustrated at her non-compliance.

"Then understand that part of your job may mean taking 'no' for an answer once in awhile. Let's practice - NO. Now ... you walk away," K told him, staring at him wide eyed, clearly waiting for him to leave. He met her gaze for a few moments until she shrugged at him as if to say 'your turn' when he finally cracked a smile, shook his head and stood up.

"I'm really sorry we couldn't come to terms," Steve said.

"Me too," K replied, finally giving him a little smile. "I've always enjoyed your body of work."

Steve paused, mid-step and turned to face her before he had to chuckle at her phrasing and shake his head. On his way out of the room, he pulled Logan along with him to have a word in private outside. "You know, sooner or later, Fury's gonna get mad and try to force her," Steve told him low.

Logan looked up at him with a grim expression. "You and I both know that's a bad idea. Ya know, maybe Fury could try a little sugar for a change. I'm told force doesn't always work."

Steve grinned as the two men shook hands, clearly with an idea on deck on how to go forward.

Three days later, after no contact from Fury outside of another returned letter, a large box truck rumbled up the driveway with Steve at the wheel.

"Captain Rogers? When did you take up a job as a delivery boy?" Scott asked as he walked up to the cab. "What's in the truck?"

Steve was grinning broadly as he climbed out of the cab. "Little present for K. She around?"

"Is Logan going to be alright with you giving her something that needs a box truck?" Scott asked, looking skeptical. He knew Fury was trying to get her to comply, but this was getting insane. He made a mental note to talk to her if whatever trick this was didn't work.

"He'll even appreciate this one," Steve promised as Scott shook his head and went to find her. But he didn't have to go too far. As luck would have it, he bumped into Betsy having tea in the kitchen.

"You don't want to interrupt them. Especially not for Steve," Betsy told him smoothly over the lip of her cup.

"So they're upstairs then?" Scott asked, not at all surprised. When Betsy nodded, Scott decided to take his chances. He himself was a little curious as to what was in the truck. So he ignored Betsy's warning and headed upstairs, shaking his head at how utterly peaceful it had been once Logan got married. He raised his hand to knock, thought better of it, then pushed forward anyhow. "K, Logan – there's a truck here for you." Scott called out, his hands on his hips. "And I can't sign for whatever it is."

"Fine. Be down in a minute." K said back, falling into a fit of laughter while a growl could be distinctly heard in the background.

Scott shook his head. "I don't want to know," he muttered to himself as he quickly cleared out of the hall.

A solid fifteen minutes later, K stumbled into the kitchen, Logan at her heels looking irritated at being disturbed on what he'd declared his day off. "What did you do, Scott?" K asked with a smile on her face.

"Not me, it was Cap," Scott replied as he lifted his coffee to his lips.

K froze, and the smile fell from her lips. "No," she said seriously, before she turned and bumped into Logan, who was standing right behind her.

"You're gonna see what it is, darlin'. We didn't get interrupted for nothin'," Logan growled at her.

Her shoulders dropped. "Really? You're going to make me talk to him just because you got blocked?" K asked, her hand on her hip, and Scott tried very hard to hide the fact that it was probably the funniest thing he'd heard all week.

Logan glared Scott's way for just a moment while Scott determinedly kept as much of his smirk under control as was humanly possible before he turned back to K looking dead serious.

"You're so spoiled," K growled back with her nose crinkled as Logan turned her around, pushing her forward. And Scott lost his tightly reined in control and burst out laughing.

"And I thought he was in a bad mood when he wasn't getting any," Bobby mumbled, adding to Scott's total breakdown. Logan snarled at him as they passed, getting Bobby to involuntarily ice up and take a step back.

When they stepped outside and saw the truck, K backed into Logan. "What the hell is this?" she asked, clearly a bit freaked out. Somehow she wasn't expecting a big truck, and her most recent experiences with large trucks were not ones she wanted to repeat. Logan grabbed her hips and pushed her forward, still irritated, and not wanting to drag this out one moment longer. He only stopped pushing her when Steve opened the back and raised the platform.

"We never did thank you for the job you did for Stark. Viper is recovering and locked up in a Hulk buster cell. So, I thought you'd like a little touch of home," Steve told her, grinning in earnest as he worked in the truck. "It took me forever to track it down - you … are a hard woman to find." His voice was echoing in the back of the truck as he worked.

Scott couldn't take the suspense and walked around back for a peek. He let out a low 'wow' as his jaw dropped and he shook his head with a smile. "Don't let her look until it's on the ground, Logan. Trust me, it'll be worth it," Scott said with a smile.

His curiosity piqued, Logan agreed, turning her around to him and holding her tightly, the plan of course, to keep her that way until it was safe to let her see. But the entertainment factor wore off quickly for K, and she pushed against him, struggling in his arms as he forced her toward the front of the truck. "Logan, stop please," she said quietly, her voice shaking a little.

He was taken back by her reaction, though he quickly realized he should not have been. "I'm not gonna hurt you, K, you know that," he told her, though he still let her go instantly.

"I know – I just – just don't manhandle me like that," she told him looking pale. "I'll behave."

He stared at her a moment, realizing that her tone was a little more anxious than he wanted to hear for something so simple, but before he could delve into it further, the truck began to move as the platform went back down. Steve called out for her to come back and she looked to Logan, not moving until he reached out for her hand. He kissed her palm, hoping to get her to relax, which of course she did, going back to wrap her arms around him as they made their way to the back.

"Cover your eyes, K," Steve shouted out. K rolled her eyes but turned her back to them as they reached the rear of the truck.

Logan's expression was her only clue when he saw what was unloaded. "Where the hell'd you find that, Cap?" he asked, pure admiration clear on his face.

"K knows where I found it," Steve grinned as Logan finally turned her around to reveal her old pan head sitting on the ground in front of her, exactly as she left it at her cottage.

For a long moment she just stared at it, and then up at Steve with a small frown. "You drove this all the way here?" she asked, clearly taken off guard by his gesture. Steve smiled as he nodded at her. Her gaze drifted from the bike to Steve and very suddenly she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. He squeezed her back, laughing as Logan scrunched up his eyebrows.

"Thank you," she said quietly in his ear. "It means a lot to me that you went to the trouble, even if it was a bribe."

Steve couldn't help but laugh. "Did it work?" he asked finally.

K smiled as she broke the hug. "Not really. But I'll sit down with you and give you your report."

Steve had to shake his head at that. "Anyone ever tell you you're a hard ass?"

K shrugged lightly as she stared at the bike again. "Who, me? Nah, I'm a snuggly little thing," she replied as Steve stepped back and Logan slid up next to her.

"Will she start?" Logan asked, which really got a smile from K.

"Wanna give it a shot and see?" she asked, handing him the key moments after Steve handed it to her with a nod.

Logan couldn't stop the grin as he took the key and knelt down to check it over.

"It's been a while," K said looking a little wistful. "... so twist the throttle, half-choke, then give it two kicks before you turn the ignition on and one more kick should make it fire. That's what this one always liked." He stared at her for just a moment before he had to grin outright. "But I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't work at all."

Logan shook his head as he threw a leg over the old motorcycle, starting on her instructions word for word.

"Is it me, or are they talking in their own language?" Scott asked as he and Steve let out a little laugh and both of them watched Logan finish the second kick. He flipped the ignition on and took a deep breath as K nodded to him with a smile as he kicked one last time, as per her instructions, the bike snarled to life. He gave it some gas, letting the motor roar, loud and throaty, closing his eyes as he took it in with an involuntary smile.

K slipped her hands across his shoulders as she leaned close to whisper in his ear. "Why don't you clear the kinks out for me while I talk to Steve."

He looked at her over his shoulder in a disbelief. "You sure you don't want to take her out first? I know you missed it. Been a while for you and your own bike."

She leaned in and kissed him then grinned openly. "Whats mine is yours. Enjoy it," she told him and he pulled her closer for another kiss.

"I won't be long," he promised, the engine rumbling over his voice before he kicked it into gear and headed off down the road.

"Let's get this over with," she said turning to Steve. "I have some very pressing questions of my own now … like how the hell you figured out where that motorcycle was."

Steve looked guilty for just a moment, but quickly answered that question for her. "It was SHIELD," he said. "And … from what I saw in the very thick file Fury has on you … they've known about that cottage for a long time."

K frowned and nodded at that. "We have a lot to talk about then," she agreed as the two of them headed into the mansion to have a chat.

…...

When Steve left, he was sure to thank her for finally finishing the report and promised her he'd do everything he could to get Fury to forget about her. However, K decided that when Logan came back in she'd have to take a little time to clear her head before classes started. The pull of the north had been getting stronger every day and the arrival of her motorcycle didn't help matters at all.

It really only served to remind her of the place she left behind. And while she was enjoying her time at Xaviers with him and his adoptive family, talking with Steve just reminded her that she couldn't keep ignoring her past. Sooner or later, Fury was going to press.