A/N: If some of this looks familiar...well some of this might look familiar. Not to worry, that just means I'll be posting another chapter VERY soon and hopefully you'll still find it worth reading. Oh...and reviews can be nice...

CC: That girl needed a good walk of shame...unfortunantely that might be her last one for a little while. A storm is coming...

Cheshire: Glad you like all of this. And more is definitely coming...now go check on those kittens ; )

The sun had yet to rise but Apex didn't mind. He usually preferred the Mansion when it was silent. When he could have some time alone...or with Greer. Although...time with Greer was beginning to win out. Especially after nights like tonight. Slipping through the open window, Apex closed it silently behind him, intending to slip next to Greer and rest. It wasn't until he turned and saw her eyes glint in the early morning light that he sensed he was in trouble.

Shit.

"Where the hell have you been?" Greer had been waiting in one of the darkened corners and now stalked towards him, her eyes accusing. This was not good...

I said, where the hell have you been?" Greer didn't even try to hide the growl in her voice. She had slipped back into her shorts and tank top, meaning she must have woken in the middle of the night to once again find Colton missing. But this time...this time she wanted to know the truth...and had followed his scent across the grounds and into the woods. At first she had been relieved, following his path around the Mansion, certain that Logan had been wrong.

Colton had gone out to patrol the grounds. She might have wanted him to stay with her but...he did it for her. For everyone...it wasn't like he...

But then Colton had turned right and soon Greer found herself standing on what she knew to be the edge of the Institute's grounds. Colton had gone beyond that point. He had left...and having spent the rest of the night and early dawn awaiting his return, she intended to find out why.

Greer noted that Colton was dressed in shorts he usually wore around the Mansion but that still seemed off. He certainly did not smell like someone that had spent the night in the woods...Greer growled again as her patience waned.

"I won't ask you again...now tell me what you have been up to. I know you've been leaving the grounds." She was standing right in front of him, hackles raised and a growl permeating every word.

"Where I've been isn't any concern of yours." Greer was actually taken aback by Colton's frigid response and his move towards the door. She had been ready for a lie, hopefully the truth, but not such a cold dismissal.

Before Greer could even muster a response, Apex had left the room without so much as a look. Closing the door, Apex left Greer alone in the dark, much to her dismay.

"Colton... Colton... COLTON I WANT TO TAK TO YOU!"

Colton tried not to flick his tail in annoyance... This had to be the tenth... No. Eleventh Greer had try to corner him that day. After how he had dismissed her the morning before, she seemed more hell bent then ever to talk to him and his efforts to avoid her had thus far been unsuccessful.

"I'm not feeling well..." he said simply while quickly turning to walk the opposite way. He had intended to go work out with Colossus... Vent his frustrations off but it seemed highly unlikely if Greer was going to continue to interrogate him. He should have known better though... Greer was far too stubborn and curious to be satisfied with such a feeble lie. He held back a growl as Greer daringly grabbed onto his arm, freezing him to the spot.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you avoiding me?" she asked softly, her hand tightening on his arm. Apex rumbled low in his throat. 'She cannot know...'

"It's nothing Greer. I just want to be alone."

"Why won't you just tell me the truth? Colton...I won't tell anyone else but you need to tell me. Please..." Greer demanded still refusing to budge, Apex didn't even turn to face her, he knew she was holding in the urge to bare her teeth. Another low low rumble formed in Colton's throat... Even Stryker had been much easier to answer to compared to Greer. He was always satisfied with a simple "yes" or "no". Greer was never satisfied with a "yes" or "no"... she expected details upon details and had this strange talent for making him feel guilty when he lied to her. Stryker had never had that sort of control over him...and Colton tried not to snarl back with frustration. He wanted to end this interrogation, not escalate it.

He needed her to back off...or he'd never get back to...whatever it was he was doing. He had come too far.

"I was out patrolling the grounds."

This time the low growl didn't come from him...

"Don't...don't even try it. I wasn't born yesterday Colton, I know you left the grounds. I know you've been going somewhere." The two ferals just stood staring at each other for a moment.

"Wherever I go...whatever I might be doing...is to protect you. To protect everyone. Isn't that enough?"

"No...it's not. Colton, if I don't know what you're doing...if you don't trust me enough to even tell me that, how can I trust you? I thought...How...do I even really know you if I know you lie to me?"

"Maybe you can't."

He watched Greer's eyes widen, but then was actually quite surprised when she simply slumped her shoulders and moved to a side and allowing him to pass through...He almost hesitated, the way those emerald eyes had hardened worried him. However, not wanting to take any chances and without meeting her gaze again, Apex quickly stepped into his room and shut the door.

Greer sighed at Colton's hasty retreat.

Why was he lying to her? No really...why was he doing that? He had no reason to...Everything had been going so well between them...Did she make a mistake confronting him about this?

Greer bit back a snarl and shook her head...Her tempter rising quickly she felt the need to hit something and then rip something else in two...Emitting a low hiss, Greer lashed out at a nearby table, knocking it over before coming to her senses when the crash echoed around the corridor.

She blinked...'Why did I do that?' She knew she was grouchy from the lack of sleep and the return of her damn nightmares...but this? This wasn't her...she'd never been...Shakily, Greer bent over to return the table to its original position, still disgusted by her sudden violent outburst. Come to think of it...she had been acting rather off again now that she was back in her room...Was it possible that...

'Stop! Stop...I'm just being paranoid... This has nothing to do with Weapon X...it was a long time ago...I'm just...tired.'

But a part of Greer couldn't help but reason that if Weapon X couldn't change her...how much had she really been able to change Colton...and with that, Greer turned back around and in a weak attempt to comfort herself and gather her nerves, activated her image inducer, catching her human reflection on a window, she smiled a little...before just shaking her head and flicking it off, tail between her legs as she made her way back to her room.

...

Apex stood silently behind the closed door now separating himself and Greer. He silently berated himself for having caused her harm, even of the non-physical sort. He had been attempting to prevent this exact scenario. All this time he had thought he would gain distance from her...only instead he had only been getting closer. And now...he had been doing his best to gain some distance from Greer, and all that seemed to be doing was encouraging her to try to fight to stay closer.

'But that's the way it has to be.'

He let out his breath as he heard her walk away from the door. He almost swore he heard a swallowed snarl followed by something being knocked over before she had left. Another wound he knew he was responsible for. It was starting again...Worse, it was starting again and Greer was trying to hide it, to keep it from her...friends, but he knew what Weapon X was capable of. He knew that Weapon X had done everything possible for Greer's feral side to assert itself during the weeks Greer had been captive. And Weapon X did not fail...and always left scars.

Apex surprised himself when he found his hand on door, wanting to open it, let her know that what he was doing was only to protect her, to keep her safe, to keep everyone safe. To prevent her from learning the truth. Or maybe he could tell. But no...telling Greer was still a mistake. He just couldn't take the look he knew the truth would cause Greer to have when she looked at him. That look of disappointment.

'She just won't understand...She'll never understand.' Going to the window, Apex quickly made his way to the forest.

After all, he had work to do.

...

Over the next week, Greer just spent her time ignoring Colton, or maybe he was ignoring her…She didn't know, but he didn't make an effort to stop her from continuously doing so anyway. So...

'Let him do what he wants… If I'm just going to be such a bother to him than I just won't go near him. He's probably happier that way…' She concluded remembering how eager he was to escape her.

That had hurt her more than she wanted to…

Greer did her best to keep her head above water, not wanting to worry Jean or give Logan the satisfaction...she just told Jean she thought she was coming down with something. It gave her an excuse to stay in her room and keep a safe distance from the rest of the Mansion. It took most of her will to not just growl at Jean whenever she asked her, 'If everything was alright.'

At first she would try figuring out what Colton might be doing on her computer, but he kept all of the work he did in the Mansion protected or wiped and Greer really had no idea what she was looking for outside of that. Eventually she just ended up sitting in her room in silence...

Although Greer couldn't bring herself to confront him about what he had been doing…Or rather… has been doing… She kept awake at night, watching him disappear into the woods…. And she'd stay like that, by the window until he came back, always relieved that he was safe but always terrified when her thoughts drifted to the possibilities of what he could have done…but it was better than the alternative. It was better than falling asleep.

Because the nightmares were getting worse.

'Damn it.'

Apex sat up with his feet on the floor at the edge of his bed. He couldn't help but look over his shoulder and notice the empty space next to his...he could still smell her scent...'Stop it.'

He knew she had been ignoring him. In fact, he was fairly certain that aside from briefly appearing at meals Greer had returned to spending all of her time locked away in her room. Jean had asked him about it but he claimed to not know either. Logan had kept his distance as well...but he assumed he was satisfied with the distance now between himself and Greer.

He got up and started pacing but it felt like his room was too small...all he could smell was her...He had considered simply slipping out to the forest but found himself wandering through the hallways, the rest of the Mansion blessedly silent with so many students home for break and the hour. He just kept going until he found himself in a very familiar hallway.

Greer...why couldn't he just -

His ears twitched when he heard a stifled scream. It almost sounded like it came from…

"Jean?" Apex spoke softly, unsure of what he was supposed to do. He had made his way to outside of Greer and Jean's room in seconds, but now that he was standing there he was hesitant. What if he was wrong? What if...But now a roar rang through the Mansion along with what he now knew to be Jean's own screams.

"Greer!" Apex tried the door to find it locked. Hearing what sounded like a struggle going on inside the room, Apex took a step back before kicking down the door, breaking it into splinters. Apex rushed into the room to find Jean with a look mixed of terror and pity as she had her back flush to the wall, still cornered on her bed. Apex turned his attention from Jean to the mass thrashing on the floor.

She looked around nervously, her ears swiveling wildly, cold sweat rolling down her forehead. Danger... Danger everywhere... She couldn't see it... But she could hear it... She could SMELL it... Something behind her snapped and she instinctively froze. Her breathing quickened while her heart rate doubled and then... she started seeing red...

"No... No... No..." she muttered clutching her head, pulling at her hair, anything to hinder the process...

"Greer?" a familiar voice called.

"Jean? No! Not Jean! NOT HERE! NOT NOW!" scrambling to her feet, Greer started to run only to get her foot trapped in something she couldn't see, her vision blurring... She snarled in frustration, thrashing wildly in an attempt to free herself only to have the red haze get clearer and clearer while Jean's footstep got closer and closer until finally to Greer's horror, Jean's face loomed over her , her bright blue eyes filled with fear.

"Greer? Your eyes..." Jean's voice was all around her. That look of fear filling her vision. Her mutant scent filling her senses.

"Jean…Jean get away!" But suddenly Jean's face blurred and for a moment Greer relaxed, but then she felt something holding her. Greer panicked and tried to force herself free but froze when a face suddenly appeared. At first Greer didn't immediately recognize who she was looking at. It had her eyes and her hair but the face…it was familiar but...it wasn't a face…it was a muzzle. Suddenly Greer realized what she was seeing and that was when Greer felt herself snap.

"NO!" Greer screamed as she thrashed and sat up violently, her claws tearing at whatever was holding her. Greer could feel her claws ripping into something and her mouth filled with an familiar copper taste...she wanted more...

"Logan take her!" Greer thought she heard a voice she recognized but kept fighting. Trying desperately to get away.

"Greer…Tigger! Breathe girl! Breathe…you know me! Wake up!" Greer kept struggling but as she breathed in her senses were filled with pine and cigar smoke.

"That's it girl. Come back to me."

Greer kept breathing, her struggles lessening, following the familiar voice and scent until Greer slowly opened her eyes.

It too her a moment but Greer eventually recognized what she was seeing...that she was back in her room...destroyed. Her vision filled with her room and bed in tatters. Deep gauges marking the floor. The next thing she noticed was that Logan was holding her. He had her back wrapped to his chest by his arms, her hands clasped together under her chin.

Logan noticed the change in Greer's breathing but kept his grip tight.

"You back with me Tigger?" Logan asked quietly. All Greer could do was slowly nod her head. As Logan relaxed his grip Greer suddenly tensed up, causing Logan to resume his hug but Greer didn't notice. What Greer had noticed was the most overpowering smell she had ever encountered. Greer felt frozen, unable to move. Because Greer knew what was standing in her door. The acrid smell of fear radiating off of them. Greer could imagine all of their faces just from the look she could see from her position that was plastered on Jean's face.

"No…please no…" Greer whispered quietly to herself as Logan's grip softened into a tight embrace. Logan could feel Greer softly shaking. Keeping her face buried in his shoulder, Logan adjusted his position silently picked Greer up and carried her out of the room.