Antiwa - thanks for joining. Hopefully I can keep it up and you like what I have in store.

Canuckle - saw your review for way back. Seeing as how I spend time going back through your work for inspiration and just because...I mean come on it's amazing, glad you feel the same way. And of course, thanks for the guidance.

Retro - not much I can say (speechless right?). I'll keep writing, you keep reviewing.

Cheshire - thanks for the Greer assist (as always). Hope you like how it all ended up.

Greer was running. She was running through a forest...

Everything around her whipped by in a hyper focus...

She had never felt such exhilaration. Her heart pumping furiously in her chest...

She was running after something. She could smell it's scent...

Fear...sweat...blood...

She saw him...his back to her as she crouched low and slowly approached...

He turned just as she leaped with her claws extended...

She could see the fear in his eyes just as she...

BRRRRRRRRR...BRRR -

Greer shot awake and silently cursed as she saw the remains of her alarm clock under her fist.

Greer rested her head in her hands as she tried to both shake what she knew must have been another nightmare while still trying to retain at least some part of it.

She was getting tired of waking up like this.

Giving her head a final shake, Greer trudged out of bed hoping a shower would wash away another tired morning.

After a shower, Greer was feeling more like herself. The new semester had officially begun and with her full teaching schedule taking up most of her afternoons and evenings Greer tried to make the most of her mornings.

She was also making it a point to spend more time as her furry self, trying to keep her promise to Colton, and hopefully make him and everyone else more comfortable. She did get some stares from the younger and newer students...but Greer did her best to ignore them. 'What...they've never seen a tail before?'

Greer finished a quick breakfast and headed towards the gymnasium in order to get to work on the new gymnastics routine for the semester. The basic routines were easy but now that some older students still wanted to take her class, Greer actually needed to come up with something a bit more advanced. Once the secret got out that Greer had done so well in Professor Logan's classes from her background in gymnastics, more students wanted to stick with it if for no other reason than to gain an edge.

As she was making her way down towards the sub-levels, Greer saw Kitty fast approaching, head down and seeming to be doing her best to not look like she was running from something. Of course, the phasing through a pillar without noticing was not helping.

"Hey, Kitty. Something wrong?" Greer stepped in front of the hurrying girl, causing her to come up short or risk phasing straight through Greer.

"Oh, me? Nope, nothing wrong. Just got back from the gym. Wanted to get some running done." Greer could tell, as Kitty was in her favorite black running shorts and tank top. But the lack of perspiration or heavy breathing was a bit odd.

"Must not have been much of a run." Greer asked suspiciously. She could tell Kitty was uncomfortable about something.

"Well - I mean I was going to run but - ummmmm...I just realized I really didn't need to right at this moment." Kitty tried to scoot past Greer but Greer was more than fast enough to stop that from happening. She crossed her arms and gave Kitty a look that made it clear she expected an answer she could believe.

"Look, don't get mad. I just didn't want to bother him. He looked like he was really...focused in there. It's really not a big deal." Kitty said quickly, trying to avoid Greer's slanted eyes.

"What do you mean him?"

...

He had the rock music blaring, but his ears quickly turned as he could still hear Greer's boots coming down the hall. And from the pounding, he had once again done something "unsociable".

'Greer...'

That was another thing. She refused to refer to him as Apex or respond to Tigra and demanded he learn everyone's name.

"What difference does it make?" Greer had met up with him in the woods earlier in the week and the two stood high up in the canopy of pines. He had agreed to stop waiting for her outside of classes so long as she found him afterwards. Usually that involved tracking him into the woods.

"It makes all the difference."

"No, it doesn't. Apex...Colton. It's just a name. It doesn't change what we are."

"And who exactly are you?"

"I'm a Wea-"

"Don't you dare say that to me." Greer took a step closer with a low growl and poked Apex in the chest. Apex just met her gaze until she finally sighed and took a step back to rest on her haunches.

"Ororo is Storm in the field. Bobby is Iceman for god's sake. It's not who they actually are. I think we use those names to separate ourselves from what we need to do. Does that make any sense?" Greer looked sideways back at Colton.

"And Cyclops?" Greer gave another growl.

"Fine...Scott."

"Alright...you have me there. He's uptight all the time. But that doesn't mean I'm wrong. Just try it OK?" Greer finally gave a crooked smile before dropping back to the ground. Apex weighed what Greer had implied and finally decided that giving her what she wanted was easier than fighting her. At least on things that mattered little to him.

If pretending to listen made her happy, so be it. Which brought Apex back to the new issue at hand...

'What did I do this time?'

"What the hell did you do?" Greer shouted over the music blaring from the speakers in the gym. Her sensitive ears were ringing and she was still unsure how exactly someone else with her kind of hearing could stand to listen to anything that loud. Apex reached over and pushed a button on the wall to make speaking at a normal volume possible again.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Apex continued his workout and resumed doing his bicep curls. Not that I ever have an idea what you are talking about.

"Oh really? Than why does Kitty seem to think that if she had dared to enter your 'domain' she risked life and limb? I thought we had talked about this." Greer responded accusingly. Her eyes were narrowed, arms crossed and her tail was flicking dangerously behind her. Never a good sign, Apex grumbled to himself.

"I didn't even say anything. I just looked at her when she came in and she left. How can that be my fault?" He grumbled.

Greer could tell he was holding something back just from the way he refused to look at her. Colton might think he was unreadable but Greer was picking up the signs of when he was trying to hide something from her...like now.

"Colton what's wrong? Why did you look at Kitty like - like that." Apex kept working out doing his best to ignore Greer's stare. It wasn't like he had meant to do it to scare her.

Who knew a growl and a stare would get him in trouble.

"Well?"

"Because I could smell it when she walked in." He said quietly.

"Because what?" Greer wasn't sure she had heard correctly. 'Did he say smell it?'

"Because I could smell it. The fear." Apex slammed the weights back into the rack on the last word, causing the whole thing to shake. He rested his hands on the weights, so that his back was to Greer and he could look at her through the reflections on the mirror. Greer looked like she was having a hard time believing what he was saying.

"Colton don't be ridiculous. No one is afraid of - "

"They all reek of fear!" Apex turned to Greer in a fast, aggressive motion as he roared but Greer didn't budge. She simply kept her arms crossed and the same determined look on her face.

"You finished?" Greer asked calmly, never looking away from Colton's glowing eyes until they had faded back to amber. Some things Greer learned were best dealt with on a level Colton understood: Greer was not afraid of him and refused to ever show otherwise.

"You are wrong Greer...They are afraid. Tiptoe around me like I'm an animal ready to attack." Apex sat down on a bench, head bowed. He had spent the last few weeks acting as Greer's shadow. Where she went - he went. It was after all what Greer had wanted. But as time went on he had quit the practice and simply found Greer when he knew that she would be free...and alone. Greer might not have picked up on it but he knew - her friends kept their distance whenever he was around.

Greer sank into a crouch in front of Colton so he couldn't avoid her gaze.

"They're just kids Colton. Well most of them anyway. With all the powers and the training and fighting I guess we all sometimes forget that. But they are still just kids. And the rest of the X-Men will come around. You just need to give them some more time." Greer said earnestly.

"More time..." Apex looked at Greer skeptically.

A few days after his...altercation with Logan, Xavier had informed Apex during one of their games that the name Colton Haynes was not listed in any civilian database. However, Kitty had been able to...declassified some DOJ intel and find a record of a First Sergent Colton Haynes of Marine Special Forces. The file however had been wiped clean, the only entry being that he was MIA and assumed dead as of four years ago.

Most of Apex's memories were only what he remembered of his time at the facility, so the news that he may have had a life before it seemed...impossible. Like staring at a blank void expecting it to suddenly reveal its secrets.

The Professor assured him that he would do what he could to help Apex uncover the truth, but so far Apex had continued refused any psychic help and had told Xavier to leave it alone.

When he had informed Greer of what he had learned, she was ecstatic. Since then, among her many missions concerning Apex, was helping him rediscover who Colton Haynes was. So far, the efforts had not been very successful, aside from Apex wanting to listen to music. All kinds of music it turned out, so long as it drowned out what was going on around him.

Life in the Mansion was more activity and noise then he was used to and could become...overbearing. The music helped him focus when he couldn't simply escape to the forest.

But in terms of social interaction and behavior...Greer preferred to say he was "readjusting."

"Well a good way to speed things up may be to finally let me go and get you some real clothes?" Greer suggested hopefully for what felt like the hundredth time.

But this was a very sensitive subject and she knew it. Along with his military file, the Professor had included the picture that had come with it. When he had showed it to Greer she was actually a little taken aback about how...good he looked. A defined chin and cheek bones, light brown eyes and dark hair in a classic military cut. Greer had tried to imagine what Colton may have once looked like but she was still surprised that the mutant before her had once looked like that.

When had spotted Greer the claw pendant on a leather string in Apex's hand, she knew immediately what it was and urged Colton to put it on. But he had refused.

"Why should I have to pretend? I don't even know who Colton Haynes is - was. Besides, what do either of us have to be ashamed of? It's not me that's afraid... so why should I be the one that needs to hide." Greer had hoped this news meant she would be able to resume using her own pendant and was taken aback by Colton's position. She had hoped more time in the Mansion would help on this issue but it was clear that as far as Colton was concerned, there was Greer...and then there was everyone else.

When Greer tried to explain that a whole life was waiting outside the Institute, a life he could reclaim, he had simply refused to respond and the necklace was still sitting untouched on the dresser in his room.

This of course led back to Greer's suggestion.

Except for a few pairs of school sweatpants and tanks, Apex's refusal to wear the hologram had led thus far his refusing to leave the Institute to go shopping for new clothes. He even refused to allow Greer to go for him. Something that was slowly driving the fashion conscious Greer insane.

All of this passed silently between Greer and Apex as she awaited a response before finally breaking the silence herself.

"Listen, Colton. I know none of this has been easy for you, but I also know that despite what you may show that you actually want to stay here. That you want to belong. The people here are about as close to a family as I have had these past couple years before my mom came around. They can be one for you too if you give them the chance. Just show them that you want to." Greer said earnestly.

Apex looked at Greer and was about to respond but instead just kept staring. Greer shifted her gaze subconsciously.

"Well are you -"

"What's wrong?" Greer took a step back but Apex just rose from the bench and took two forwards.

"Colton don't change the subject. I'm totally -"

"No...you're not." Apex had been avoiding looking directly at Greer but once he did he began to notice that something was...off. Immediately after their return to the Mansion, Greer had made a quick recovery in terms of her health, and had relished in being reunited with her friends. Apex equated it to her returning to her 'natural habitat.'

But now...

"Why haven't you been sleeping?" Apex noted that Greer looked slightly thinner, her fur less vibrant and that her ears drooped ever so slightly. Apex had kept a close watch to ensure that Greer had recovered from her time at Weapon X and had even checked her file in Dr. McCoy's lab. According to him she had fully recovered within a week of returning and that was already three weeks ago. She shouldn't suddenly be becoming worse. Unless...

"Greer, tell me what's been going on."

"How could you - Colton stop it. I'm fine."

"You have all the signs of sleep deprivation. You should go see Dr. Mc -"

"I told you that I'm fine. Some bad dreams don't need a doctor."

"Than why have you been avoiding your friends? Skipping classes?" Apex challenged.

"I have not been avoiding my -" Greer blinked as she realized what she was answering. "Have - have you been spying on me?" Greer's voice was all the cue Apex needed to realize he had revealed too much. His silence was all Greer needed to hear.

"Colton..." Greer heard the growl in her voice but choose to ignore it.

"Me keeping watch over you should not be the most pressing concern. What dreams are you talking about?" Greer shook her head in disbelief over Colton's sudden concern over...over...

"Jesus...they're dreams. What does it matter?" Apex noted the haggard tone in Greer's voice, only increasing his concern.

"I thought we trusted each other Greer. I though you trusted me." Something wasn't sitting right. Greer should have been long past her road of recovery. If something was wrong with her...He needed to know. Even if that meant challenging Greer on something he knew she would scramble to recover. Seeing her recoil at his accusation was not what he wanted...but necessary.

"Of course I trust you...but I couldn't even tell you about them if I wanted to. I can't even remember these dreams. Alright? They're just nightmares...probably doing myself a favor not remembering...right?" Greer wrapped one arm around her stomach and grabbed her other arm. It was something she always did when something was bothering her...Apex had seen her do it at the Facility. This was the first time he had seen her do it here.

Unsure of what to do, Apex just nodded his head in silent agreement. Something was obviously troubling Greer...but pushing her further was unlikely to improve anything.

"Don't worry about me Colton. But I'm serious. You are to stop spying on me. Got it?" Apex just looked back at Greer obviously reluctant to agree.

"This is a safe place. You need to relax. I will be fine. But I won't be if you keep spying on me. Got it?" " Apex let out a rumble of frustration. Greer always seemed to make things difficult.

"Colton..." Greer reached out and grabbed Apex's wrists so that her weight pulled him down to look at her. She was not going to have Colton following her around like a shadow. He needed to make his own life in the Mansion that didn't revolve solely around her.

"I'll do my best." Greer looked relieved.

"Good. Now when I'm done here you can help me look for Scott." Apex dropped his hands out of Greer's grasp.

"Why..."

"Because it's time. I'm done sitting around. And I was kind of hoping you might want - " Apex realized what Greer was talking about.

"No." Greer took a step back and eyed Colton cautiously.

"What do you mean no." Greer put her hands on her hips as Apex closed his into fists.

"You can't. It's not...safe." Until he figured out what was going on with her, the last place Greer should be was operating in the field. Where he couldn't keep an eye on her.

"I'm sorry...but since when did I need your permission to do anything?" Greer's voice rose and a few students that had been walking by stopped in the doorway. Thus far no one had seen the two ferals yell at each other...hell...basically no one had ever heard Colton speak.

"Greer this isn't up for discussion. You can't go. I won't allow it." Apex took a step to tower of Greer but Greer just stood her ground making them inches apart.

"Oh really? What are you gonna do...lock me in a glass box for four weeks?!" That got a growl out of Apex that Greer automatically felt the need to match, neither one wanting to be the back down.

"I'm rejoining the X-Men...deal with it." Greer's whisper was mixed with a snarl at the last words and stalked out of the gym. Any thoughts of a routine quickly forgotten.

Apex just watched her leave through the quickly parted students who after one glance back at Apex made a hasty retreat.

'This is going to be a very long day.'

Greer was so focused on getting into uniform that she almost fell out of her chair when she finally caught sight of Jean standing in the doorway.

"Jean! God you almost gave me a heart attack." Greer stood up and gave herself a quick look in the mirror to make sure everything was in place. 'I'll show Colton...I'm an X-Men. Not a sentinel...not a weapon. He just doesn't understand how important that is. And if he doesn't, well -'

"Greer...are you sure this is a good idea?" Jean stood in the doorway to the women locker room eying Greer as if she were about to go do something incredibly stupid.

"Yes Jean. I've been cooped up here for long enough. Besides, Scott's making me go through some stupid simulator before he gives me the all clear for active duty and I don't need you piling on."

"And the Professor gave you the all clear?" Greer crossed her arms as her tail thumped in annoyance. Arguing with Colton bothered Greer. Getting treated like a student by Scott was testing. But she did not need Jean questioning her as well.

"Yes mother. The Professor cleared me when I woke up in the infirmary remember?" Jean did remember Xavier saying something along those lines but that didn't mean Greer was ready to head back into the field.

"Don't you think having another session with Xavier just to be safe might -"

"Jean. I'm fine. Now excuse me as I go ace your boyfriend's ridiculous waste of time." Jean barely got out of the way as Greer stormed past towards the Danger Room.

The red head shook her head in confusion. Greer had never acted this...hostile before... especially not to her. They were best friends. Jean sighed.
'Maybe she's just having a rough day...' she concluded and went to the Observation Deck where she found Scott preparing the simulator.

"Alright Greer. This should be nothing new. This is going to be a group scenario. Your mission is to avoid detection and secure the hostage while the rest of the team create a distraction. Alright?" Scott's voice boomed down to the waiting Greer who just nodded her head silently. Greer shook her arms out to clear her nerves...

She hadn't felt so tense before a mission in years...never mind a simple simulation. Like a coil ready to finally spring. A smile crossed her life as she heard Scott counting down.

"Alright...3...2...1..."

Greer sat with her head down as Scott and Xavier droned on. She knew she should probably be listening...arguing in her own defense. But she just couldn't...her mind was still back in the Danger Room...working her way backwards...

"Greer!"

She shook her head...

'What...where..' Greer had looked around the Danger Room confused as to why her session hadn't started...wait...

One minute Greer had been following Scott's voice as she worked her way through a darkened warehouse while "Amara" and "Peter" took the east side. She had been taking in the scent of potential threats to discern that best path to remain undetected...and that was when things had become fuzzy. A red haze had tinged her vision and Greer had suddenly felt a change in focus.

She had dropped to all fours, intent not on avoiding those scents...but following...no...stalking them.

The first guard she came upon screamed, causing the second to fire blindly in her direction. Greer used the first as a shield, his body going rigid as the bullets found a home, before rushing the firing guard mid-reload, slamming the gun into his face before using her claws to slice his throat to silence him.

Footsteps…lots of footsteps.

Greer had nimbly scaled a support until she was in the rafters above the darkened warehouse. Six guards rushed to where she had been only moments before, calling out to each other in confusion. The bodies of their comrades causing most to panic. Flashlights attempted to penetrate the darkness. Greer had simply rubber her shoulders in anticipation before dripping silently into their midst, satisfied as her claws dug into one underfoot. Dropping low, she disabled another guard by slicing through his achillies, the panicked cross-fire dropping three other guards. Greer shot forwards, eliminating the last two, but allowing them to scream this time…she had wanted the targets to know that a predator had done this...no not a predator...a Wea -

"Greer!"

It had been Scott's voice that had finally cut through to her. That and the fact that the body Greer had been holding had vanished.

Greer remembered feeling...the rush. The exhilaration. Her head felt slightly light headed at the drop in adrenaline. But then Greer had realized what she had done. How it hadn't been a blackout...no...that had been her...

"Greer? Greer what happened in there?" Greer lifted her head to meet Scott's concerned gaze.

"Nothing happened. I just...I completed the objective didn't I?" Greer tried putting at least some cover on what she had done.

"No Greer. You were supposed to stay undetected. Not kill everyone." Greer put her head back down as Xavier wheeled over.

"Greer...perhaps it's time we spoke. You need to face what happened while you were gone. Weapon X -"

"No!" Scott and Xavier jerked back at the snarl that had escaped Greer. Greer herself clasped a hand around her throat in shock.

"Just...I'm suspended aren't I..." Greer spoke at a whisper, as if afraid raising her voice would invite another roar.

"It's only temporary. Once you've had some more time -" Xavier's voice sounded gentle but Greer saw the way Scott was looking at her. Even with his visor...Greer saw it.

"I understand. Excuse me." Greer backed out of the room slowly before finally finding the door and making a quick escape.

"Greer...what happened?" Jean had been waiting by the door and moved to follow Greer as she walked out of one of the smaller debriefing rooms.

"Go away Jean." Greer had her head down as she tried to outpace the tall red head.

"No Greer would you just talk to me?" Jean reached out to turn Greer around but when she laid a hand on her shoulder Greer recoiled away with a hiss, causing Jean to quickly retract her hand. Greer saw the look in Jean's eyes, all the anger quickly dissipating from her body, replaced with something else. Something hollow.

Without another word...Greer turned and ran like hell.