CC - Greer has been through a lot...been broken down and is a long way from where we first found her (this is a moment for me to suggest everyone reads Cheshirecat's Greer and X-Men work just to get the full scope of what I'm talking about). But she's fighting her way back and obviously she's not the same...both for the worst and the better. So yea...Adult Greer all the way. And yea...sneaky old man : )

Cheshire - glad you liked my brief Black Widow moment. Actually one of my favorite character so it was fun to play. Speaking of...another lethal lady will be making her appearance soon...

A/N: not that I do it for the adoration but...reviews are always nice. Not to mention...make the author a faster worker. It's science.

Apex didn't require an alarm. Years of training got him up before the sun...typically around 6 a.m...sometimes a little earlier. Sleeping next to Greer however had changed up his morning routine...usually having to compensate for staying next to her by shaving a few minutes off of his usual morning stretches and workout. Greer could be very grouchy in the mornings when he simply tried to slip away. Overall...he didn't mind.

He actual found her ruffled, mumbling, morning self one of her most endearing.

But this was the first morning since Greer had been staying in his room that he woke up to find Greer's side of the bed empty. He shot up only to let out a low breath as he heard the shower turning off. Glancing at the clock he saw it wasn't really morning anymore...but coming in with the sun coming up was grounds for a disruption to even his schedule.

Which just brought Apex back to everything that had happened last night...and what that meant for Greer.

'I failed...'

Greer came out of the bathroom feeling oddly...relaxed. She finally had a handle on what was going on...and what her role was going to be in it. No more secrets...no more separation. She felt focused...confident.

"All yours...and do not use my conditioner again. You have no idea what it costs to buy that stuff in bulk."

Apex got up without a word and walked passed her as Greer began the arduous process that was her drying off. But in another first, by the time he came back out Greer was already dried and dressed...in her yoga outfit.

"I'm going to get a quick session in with Betsy and then I thought we could get to the Danger Room. Aside for a couple hours this evening, it's all ours." Apex just stared at her a moment before shaking his head and leaning against the door.

"You shouldn't have to do this Greer."

"Do what?" Greer was tying her hair up into a high ponytail as she glanced over at Colton questioningly.

"You know what." Apex grumbled. Greer just gave him a look before walking over to wrap a hand around the back of his neck, ensuring he wouldn't be looking anyplace else. She wanted to make sure this was going to stick.

"Colton...I'm not mad at Fury. And I'm not mad at you. I want to be doing this. I want to take down Weapon X...this is important to both of us." Greer leaned forwards, bumping her forehead to Colton's. "Besides...there can be benefits to us having to train together." Greer took another small step as she finally saw a small smile from the darker feral.

"Fine...but that means you're training is under my direction." Apex growled. He assumed Greer would get nervous at his implication, but instead, Greer just matched his growl with a playful one of her own.

"That's what I wanted to hear," Greer closed the distance so that she could nuzzle him for a few moments. Satisfied, Greer softly bumped foreheads with Colton one last time, "Gotta run." she whispered and went down to find Betsy.

Apex meanwhile looked after her with a small smile before letting it fall...they had a lot of work to do and not a lot of time.

...

Greer took a deep breath, before trying to stop her hand from shaking as she reached for the object she despised so much. She tried to keep her breath steady. She knew Colton and Logan were looking at her expectantly...and there was no way she would allow them to see that she was afraid.

They talked about her behind her back, they didn't believe she could do this. They always felt the need to protect her. Greer scowled before closing her hand around the metal, and lifting it. She didn't need anyone to protect her…she could handle herself...if anything the last few days should have proven that.

...

After yoga, she had met Colton for a quick lunch. Greer had headed straight for the mac-an-cheese, but Colton had just directed her over to their preferred corner. Waiting for her had been...an entire grilled chicken...veggies...and some kind of weird looking smoothie. At first Greer didn't panic, after all, Colton ate 'clean' like that all the time while she taunted him with the wonders of fried food and soda. But when she saw he had already set the table for two...

"Oh no...please tell me this isn't what I think it is." Greer looked at Colton plaintively as the two took a seat. Greer however seemed to be doing her best to give the food some distance.

"Your body is your tool...and that means you need to start taking care of it." Greer just looked from her 'lunch' back up to Colton.

"In case you forgot...healing factor...right here." Greer gestured rather dramatically at her toned self, while turning her attention back towards the real food on the counter.

"To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear." Now Greer just looked at Colton as if he had sprouted a second head. Apex meanwhile had already begun working his was through his own two chickens.

"Where the hell did you learn that?"

"Buddah." Greer let her mouth hang open for a moment as Colton calmly kept his gaze on his food as if he hadn't just admitted to quoting the freaking Buddah.

"I need to get Hank to stop giving you so many books..." the feline grumbled as she finally started on her own plate...giving the green colored drink a distrustful stare. How was she supposed to argue with Buddah?

Her irritation at her 'healthy' meal only grew when outside the window she spotted Logan, cigar in hand while he read the paper ... eating a cheeseburger with a beer between his knees. There had to be some kind of curve for healing ferals. Clearly.

But Greer found that her diet was only the first thing to change.

Aside from her time 'training' at Weapon X, Greer had never been pushed this hard before. The first time in the Danger Room that a bullet didn't simply leave a bruise but had actually cut through her arm, she knew Colton hadn't been kidding. These sessions weren't to make sure she could go on a mission...they were to make sure she could handle herself and survive.

But Greer wasn't the only one to pick up on a change.

It didn't take Apex long to see that...Greer was different. Unlike at Weapon X, Greer wasn't just doing this because she had to...she was engaged. More than once where he had been ready to shut the session down, she simply told him to keep it coming. She would ask questions and make him show her exactly how to pull a particular move off. At first, he had assumed she was simply putting up a brave front...an attempt at being stubborn. But that just wasn't the case...evident from the amount of damage she had been taking.

"I told you...I'm fine." Greer was exhausted...and annoyed. This was the fourth time she had gotten hit that Apex would rush over and check on her. "Already healed...see?" Greer pointed at the orange tuft of fur poking out of the hole in her uniform. But Apex wasn't taking any chances...

"That's enough for today...we'll pick it up in the morning." Greer crouched panting in the middle of the room, having just cleared it in tandem with him. She was doing her best to learn all the calls and signals Colton was throwing at her all while not getting her head taken off.

"Lets just...do one more...after dinner..." Apex just watched as she got back to her feet...the look he gave her making it clear she was serious.

"Fury might contact me,"

"Us." Greer corrected with a small growl. Apex couldn't help but smile a little.

"...us, any time. You wearing yourself down won't do either of us any good."

"But I need to be ready." Greer crossed her arms...there was so much she needed to learn...

"You will be, but not in one day. Besides...you're training doesn't end in the Danger Room." That got Greer to finally agree to follow Colton upstairs.

...

Greer had sat down to yet another tasteless meal with a huff to find what other 'training' Colton had been referring to. Telling her to keep her eyes on her plate, Apex had her tell him which was the closest exit to where they were sitting...the seating arrangements at all the tables...whether Scott or Bobby had the best line of sight...how many steps there were between Rogue and Betsy...

"And you do this...all the time?" Greer felt the need to whisper after yet another correction (it had been eight steps, not ten).

"All the time." Apex didn't say it with any pride but Greer didn't pay it much attention. Colton had referred to it as 'situational awareness'.

"And this is relevant because..."

"Because danger won't always come at you in a uniform or guns blazing. And when I ask you where a target is and you're pinned down, I need to know that you're right." Greer couldn't really argue with that.

After dinner the two had gone to the library and played chess. Colton had mentioned something about cognitive development and linear thinking...but she wasn't buying it. He missed his games with Xavier.

Still...her body ached from the rapid healing she had put it through and though she wasn't about to say it, a few games of chess was worth the rest. Although now, the game wasn't done in silence. Every few moves, he would ask her to repeat the last few minutes of play...moving the pieces backwards or forwards as she spoke...or she'd have to explain her previous move and where she intended to go afterwards...or predict his strategy and then counter it...by the end Greer's head ached to match her body.

She spent a good amount of time just standing under the hot water before throwing on some shorts and one of Colton's tanks, turning off the light, and just draping herself across his chest. Apex hadn't expected Greer to react to her training like this...he had expected distance, not the tigress resting on top of him. But seeing her so exhausted...

"Are you alright?" Greer felt the rumble...she loved when she felt that and smiled a little...she was just tired..."Greer?"

Popping one eye open, she saw a look on Colton's face she hadn't really seen before...

"I'm fine...just tired." Greer turned her head, sliding her hands down and up until they got under her fuzzy pillows shoulders.

"Greer..." Now she heard it...concern. Greer let out a sigh (she really was exhausted) before she popped herself up so she was balanced with her hands on Colton's shoulders, effectively pinning him in place.

"Enough. Case you missed it, I was actually enjoyed today. I finally feel like I'm doing something...like I'm fighting back. So unless you want me going to Logan, you take an order from me for once: shut up, stay still and let me fall asleep on top of you. Got it?" Not waiting for an answer, Greer slid back into position. She was still agitated...muttering to herself about over-protective panthers...until she felt the claws slip under her tank and slowly going from the base of her tail up the middle of her back.

'oh...that's why he likes it...'

Greer gave one deeeep stretch before she finally relaxed and let out a steady stream of purrs until she fell asleep.

...

The next morning, after another 'healthy' breakfast of Greer muttering answers to Colton's questions, the two ferals had headed straight for the Danger Room. When Logan had stood there waiting, Greer had been surprised when Colton had simply stalked right past and started their training, acting as if he wasn't there. Greer had given Logan a quick look over her shoulder before shrugging and getting to work.

That day was more of the same. Sometimes when Greer was crouched behind cover he'd yell at her to tell him where a sniper was...or even if the one shooting at her from the left was left or right handed.

After that it was a focus on hand-to-hand. Greer felt she did alright...until she wasn't. Every time Greer thought she had him, Colton would shoot out and use a technique she hadn't seen.

Krav Maga...Silat...Muay Thai...Sambo...Greer felt like she was getting a crash course in how best to break down the human body...with her's as the substitute.

But each time Apex was certain Greer had had enough, she would just get back up and ask him to show her again.

And through it all...Logan never said a word. After a particularly nasty slam, Greer had glanced over, certain Logan would be marching over to stop them, but instead, all he had done was bark at her to, "Stop bein' so damn passive."

'Passive is right...' Apex and Greer were running through yet another live scenario. The last one of the day. Greer was doing well...listening to order and executing a number of moves she had only learned in the last 48 hours...but she wasn't following through.

Greer had yet to make a kill. In any scenario.

She would disarm...maim...break...but not kill. More than once he would see her hesitate..and each time Logan barked at her. But Greer would just shake her head and move on with the mission. It was just a line Greer didn't want to cross...

"This isn't a game." Apex had Greer wrists in his hands, refusing to let go until he was certain all of her wounds were superficial and healing. But it wouldn't be long before he heard from Fury and he needed to know Greer was prepared...at least for this.

"I know that." Greer snapped, pulling her hands out of Colton's grasp but Apex just shook his head and placed his hands on her arms.

"They'll kill you Greer. They will kill you...or worse. You can't hesitate...you can't be weak." Logan slowly put down his coffee at that statement as Greer let out a snarl but kept herself in his grasp this time.

"Not killing is not the same as weakness."

"But Greer -"

"I will - do it...if I have to. But…killing here…right now…it isn't necessary. I won't just kill because it's easy...I won't let us become what they wanted us to be." Greer drifted closer until she wrapped her arms around Colton's waist, turning her face into his chest; his hands wrapping around her lower back and shoulders.

Apex took a deep breath...upset at the lesson he feared Greer would have to learn.

Apex gave Greer the next morning off, allowing her to sleep in and find a few pieces of bacon with breakfast. Arranging for Jean and Ororo to include her in their plans hadn't been difficult, all the time Greer was spending with him had made convincing Jean easy enough. Greer had tried arguing, but a shoe sale had finally won her over.

The few hours gave Apex a chance to resume some of his own training...the kind he didn't particularly want Greer having to watch. Too many familiar faces...

He had worked the program down to one, enjoying the feeling of separating Creed's head from his body, before turning to face her...somehow it always ended up being her staring at him last...

"Who were you just fighting?" Apex called out his override code, ending the program as he turned to face the incoming Logan, a curious look on his face.

"Just Weapon X assets." Apex headed over to the panel to quickly review his session and ensure it was cleared, but Logan was still staring at the spot where the last hologram had disappeared. He could have sworn that it was a tiny brunette that was going toe to toe with him before she had disappeared in a shimmer.

"I don't remember anything like that ..."

"Some of them are...obsolete."

"Then why were you fighting it?" Logan asked with a growl. Colton just shrugged. It wasn't like Logan only trained against the living.

"Is there something that you need?" Apex and Logan were now standing just outside the door to the Danger Room. Both knew that they were the only ones on that level.

"Yeah. You've done a bang up job workin' with Tigger. But ya kind of glossed over somethin'." Colton's eyebrows pulled together. He knew they'd missed some things, but with the time-frame he'd made a point to hit the most likely tools that Greer would need. "She needs more work disarmin'."

"She needs work on a lot of things..." Logan inclined his head in concession.

"Yeah, but like you said, she's not going to learn it all in a week. She can't. No one can. Give her what she can use the most - what's gonna keep her most safe?" the possibilities were endless, but before Colton could venture a guess "She needs to be able to disarm. You've started her on it - now finish the job, or as close to it as ya can."

Apex didn't have a response for that. Obviously Logan was right...but the prospect of Greer staring down the barrel of a gun wasn't something he was particularly fond of recreating. Logan pushed his point.

"That is something you know damn well she's gonna need - not in a year, but NOW. She's reluctant to kill. If she's not gonna kill she needs to disarm."

"Greer won't kill."

"Then maybe we need to show her that isn't a choice...not where she's going." With that, Logan walked off leaving Apex to think over his words as he headed up to the control booth. He had a program he needed to write and Greer would be back soon.

"You're just leaving me here?" Greer was incredulous...and a little suspicious as Apex plugged in the training program. Logan had taken up his usual spot against the wall.

"I need to prepare for the next mission," he heard a growl, "just going over intel that Fury sent last night. Don't worry...I'm not going anywhere."

"You better not..." Greer grumbled, but took a more active position as a lone, armed hard-light hologram appeared.

"The program is simple. Disarm the targets. Don't get shot." Greer looked from Colton back to the lone opponent.

"That's it?" Logan had been teaching Greer how to disarm an opponent since she had first joined the X-Men.

"That's it. The program will shut itself down when you complete it." Greer let out a snort as the 'soldier' approached her with his gun raised at chest level. 'Piece of cake.'

...

Greer let out a roar of frustration as yet another bullet bounced off her back.

"Are you tryin' to get killed, Tigger?" Logan growled out, this was her eighth attempt in the last hour and although she felt as if she was nailing it, it wasn't good enough. "Again. Try gettin' a damn grip on it this time." Logan called out his own code, stepping in to the spot one of the holograms had stood.

She huffed, the lost tendril of hair floating up out of her face as she blew it and again tried to disarm her three assailants – Logan, and two hard light holograms.

With Logan holding the gun at her forehead, she did exactly as he'd taught her, grabbing the slide with her left hand and shoving it to the side before punching him in the face and wrenching the gun from his grip. When the second assailant came in, she pulled off the same move, only when the third came in, Logan had gotten back to his feet, and she found herself in a full nelson and a gun pointed at her heart.

"Come on, girl – use your head. Three guns, three men ... how are you gonna stop 'em?" Apex watched carefully from the observation deck as Logan pushed Greer back towards the middle of the exercise. Logan was quickly growing frustrated with her reluctance to do what was necessary.

"Why don't you just show me what you'd do, Logan! Instead of riding my ass, try teaching me!" she was more frustrated than Logan was.

"You gonna do as I do?" he growled out in return. At the end of her rope, she blindly agreed. Apex restarted the sequence and it was over in less than five seconds, with three assailants dead on the floor, a bullet in each one's head. He never even popped a claw.

"But...no. I told Colton I won't...can't you just disarm .."

"No. They want to kill you, honey. You gotta meet 'em with that same level."

"Isn't there another way -"

"Nothin' that's tried and true and safest for you to pull off. Come on now, I'll take ya step by step," She looked sick to her stomach, but was watching intently, particularly after she noticed Apex in the booth.

The first assailant was the same, but the second, Logan used a little different technique, grabbing the slide with his left hand and hitting (breaking) the wrist holding the weapon with his right before grabbing the gun himself and shooting number three between the eyes, followed quickly by one and two. When he'd done it a third time, he stepped back and waited for her to follow his instructions.

Greer took a deep breath as she saw Colton reach for the switch. Were they really forcing her to do this…She knew what they were trying to do…She knew it would be necessary but… Killing here… Right now… It wasn't necessary...It wasn't necessary at all...There had to be another way…Greer curled her fists. She was going to find another way...

Greer got into an attacking stance, her mind rapidly formulating a plan.

"Sorry Logan…" she whispered before leaping for him, however, instead of repeating what he taught her, she executed a low kick to unbalance him and then proceeded to use her height advantage to get leverage on his wrists, she grimaced as she felt them break. The cracks unnerved her but she reminded herself it was still better than the alternative.

Throwing a snarling Logan aside, she had more than enough time to deal with the second assailant and more importantly, by the time Logan had managed to get back on his feet, Greer had already rendered the third unconscious and was crouched low, snarling softly should Logan try to attack her.

There was a silence in the danger room followed by the slight static of the machines, indicating that the program was shutting down, causing Logan to get out of his defensive position. Greer taking this as a sign of the test was over, and that she had succeeded, smiled apologetically towards him but Logan only shook his head and frowned.

"Hit the showers Tigger. We're doing this again tomorrow."

Greer felt her jaw go slack.

"Again? Logan, in case you didn't notice, I passed the test! Why would I need to-"

There was a low growl from Logan.

"We're doing it the PROPER WAY tomorrow."

He snarled before storming towards the exit, mumbling complaints about his wrists. Greer watched him go, anger and frustration bubbling at the base of her stomach. With a snarl of her own, she turned around and promptly smashed her fist into the wall. She was about to leave herself when Apex came into the Danger Room. Greer's ears fell flat as she realized he had seen the entire thing.

"I'm sorry, I just..." Greer stopped as she saw the look on Colton's face, wakling up to him and putting a hand on his chest, his eyes just seemingly taking her in, "Colton what is it?"

"It's Fury...we leave tomorrow night."