When Kayla came walking down the stairs, the last thing she expected to see was Logan sitting across from Cameron. They were staring at each other.

"Do you even know how old you are?"

"No. Could be decades, centuries."

"If only your skeleton is coated, how is it that your organs have survived so long?"

Kayla pretended to be indifferent to their conversation, even though she so badly wanted to know more about her boyfriend. Her respect for him forced her not to pry; something Cameron's medical interest and brand new bewilderment allowed. She wouldn't ask the questions, but she needed to hear the answers, a lot more than Cameron did. So she sat on the couch, with Logan and Kayla at the kitchen table, behind her to the right.

"She told you I heal..." Logan tilted his head. "Guess I'm not the only one with amnesia."

Already accustomed to a scathing personality, Cameron's smile was gentle. "Well, as much as I'd love to be the company to your misery, I didn't forget. I never will." Then her smile faltered and she added, "Unless she makes me."

"How do you like knowing?"

"Hm." She tried to smile again, shrugging. "Well, I don't. Life isn't what I thought it was... But I like knowing those attacks were targeted and not random. I know it sounds cruel," she added, when she saw him frown slightly. "But it helps."

"You're not disgusted by what we are?"

"No."

Movement on the table caught her eye, and she looked down to see his claws sliding out of his right hand, curled into a loose fist on the rough wooden surface. The whole time they slid out of his arm, she could see the ripple under his flesh. The reflective surface of each claw caught the moonlight.

Her eyes flew up to his.

"How about now?"

"I... I—" she said gracefully, and went silent as her body turned to stone. Logan studied her for a moment, then retracted his claws. The sudden motion and the metallic clang made Cameron flinch, and she withdrew from the table, still avoiding his eyes. The room was quiet for a moment; then she quietly asked, "Will you tell House? Again?" she added, reluctantly meeting his eyes.

"Why would I want to do that?"

"For my sake. He and...well, she—the girl, the woman—uh, they both think you're criminals. They think I'm helping you, and I'd bet my life, they've got the people back home worried."

"Back home?" Kayla asked, coming up beside Cameron. "Wait. How many colleagues does this guy have?"

"Six."

"Including you?"

"No."

Logan stood up and stepped away from the table. "Is he a spy? Are you?" he demanded.

"No, neither of us... He just wanted to go—"

"Sightseeing, yeah, he told me. Total bullshit, for all I know."

Cameron stood up quickly, her eyes level with his chest. "And I know it isn't," she snapped. "You're wrong about them."

The man of steel stared down at yet another petite woman, cranking her head back to stare into his eyes. Seeing him tower over her and feeling the intense power radiating from him, she frowned into the chilly depths of his dark eyes. "But are they right about you?"

"Listen, lady, don't ask me half a question. You got an accusation to make, don't do it half-assed."

"Are you a criminal?" she demanded loudly.

"I guess that depends on the type of crime you're thinking of."

"Have you ever taken a life?"

He didn't hesitate long. "No."

She raised her brows, then nodded at him and meandered away from him, past Kayla; who gave him a disapproving glance.

"Alright..." Cameron turned back, hands on her hips. "Then I'll cover for you."

She expected some gratitude, but the pair of mutants were surprisingly indifferent. "I mean, if that's alright," she added.

"No, it... It is," Kayla said, turning around to face her.

"But?"

"But that doesn't take care of the people back home," Kayla reminded her. "Only I can do that. And I can't do it long-distance."

"You know, I don't even give a shit. If this Gregory guy told 'em, they don't even know our names," Logan growled. "If they know we're mutants, they'll want to kill us. Kill her," he added, and turned his eyes to Kayla then. "Let 'em think we're criminals. Let 'em think we're human."

"They won't want to kill you. I promise."

"No, just stay out of it!" Logan shouted.

"What about her colleagues?" Kayla asked him. "If they think Gregory's affiliated with us, they think Allison and Lisa are, too."

He had to steady his breathing before he could speak again. "Take it away. From all of 'em."

"I can't do it long-distance, Logan..."

"Then leave."

"Is that what you want?"

"I just want you to live," he snapped, and moved heavily to the stairs. Kayla was wrestling with her choices and emotions when a loud snap startled both women, and they turned to see Logan pulling his foot out of a hole in the steps. "Fuck sake," he growled, and came back to the bottom landing.

Cameron approached him slowly, hands raised in front of her torso. "It's okay," she said gently. "I promise, they would never want you dead."

Still breathing hard, he looked up at her. His hair had fallen in front of his eye, which she found rather endearing. "How do you know that?"

"Because they never wanted House dead."

He was almost smiling as he reached down to pull the massive splinter from his calf. He was stopped by the surprising question, "Can I watch it heal?"

He hesitated, then quietly pulled up his pant leg. With the other hand, he yanked out the splinter; then quickly lifted his pant leg out of the way. Cameron watched, fascinated, as his injury healed before her eyes. Her thoughts not on Logan's calf but on House's thigh, her eyes suddenly teared up. Seeing the confusion on his face, she gave a dismissive shake of her head as she went to the closet and pulled out her purse, retrieving a photo. With her free hand she wiped her eyes as she went to where he leaned on the wall. Turning her back to it, she held it up in front of her and pointed to each colleague as she introduced them, to the best of her ability. "Chris, um...he's very soft-spoken. Eric, too. I think they would be curious. I think Eric would ask more questions. Chris is sort of timid," she added with a soft laugh. "Remy—or Thirteen, if you recall—well, I can see her being afraid. She's actually one of the bravest people I know... But her life hasn't been turned upside-down."

Logan spared her a glance and she met his eyes.

"I'm trying," she told him, and returned her attention to the photo. "Oh, um...Jessica. I don't know much about her. But yeah, I can see her being your biggest threat."

Logan's voice was back to normal as he stated, "The little boy doesn't look very threatening."

"That's a woman." Cameron saw his chagrin without looking at him, and she smiled then. "I would think you wouldn't judge what you don't know. She whacked House in the head with his own cane."

"She's violent?"

"No. Saved a patient's life."

"Because House is violent?"

"Yes," Cameron whispered, and met his eyes.

"Well, I'm a threat, too," Logan said. He detached from the wall. "This guy can't kill me. But if he harms Kayla, if he even tries... I'll whack him. With my claws."

"You said you weren't a killer."

"I lied."

Cameron stared at him a moment longer, then turned and went to the closet, grabbing her purse and coat. But as she moved past Logan to the door, his hand was suddenly on her arm.

He tried not to squeeze too hard with his metal hand, or throw her across the room as he turned her back around. "Sorry. Can't let you leave."

Seeing the look on her face, Kayla quickly approached. "There's no need to scare her," she said calmly. "What he means to say is," she added, and squeezed Cameron's hand. "Please stay."

Cameron gazed into her eyes, then suddenly pulled herself free.

"No," she said simply. She turned and walked to the door, leaving both mutants bewildered.

Pulling House's keys out of her pocket, she approached his motorcycle and sat down, pulling on his helmet.

"You have to get her," Logan growled.

"I'll get them all."

Cameron drove until she felt safe, then pulled out her phone. She dialed quickly and kept looking over her shoulder as Cuddy's phone rang.

This time there was no answer. "No, no," she murmured, as she disconnected. She dialed House's phone, with the same result. "Shit," she muttered, and waited for it to go to voicemail while continuing to look over her shoulder. "House, it's Cameron. Do not go back to the cabin. Logan has killed people. He put his hands on me and he threatened your life. Go home, House. Take Cuddy with—" her words ran out as she looked ahead and saw Kayla standing directly in front of her. Startled, she dropped her phone.

"You don't seem to have much faith in him," Kayla said. "So why should I?"

Seeing the gun in her hand, Cameron angled the front wheel and burst off to the side, speeding off.

Kayla raised the gun. She fired. Cameron screamed as the back tire blew. The motorcycle came to a hard stop and she was ejected off the seat, landing with a yell on the pavement as the bike clattered onto its side. Moaning in pain, Cameron clutched her throbbing arm and crawled away from the bike. Behind her, Kayla began calling to her.

"I'm not going to shoot you! I just need to block it out. Then you can go free. You live."

Cameron picked herself up and started limping as quickly as she was able.

"At least I won't shoot to kill," Kayla called. "But I'll shoot you in the foot if you don't stop!"

Cameron wouldn't stop.

Kayla raised the gun at the same instant a cop car pulled around the corner. She looked at the police car, then turned to face it and fired, shooting the officer in the face. As the vehicle spun out and crashed, Kayla pursued Cameron into the woods.