Deception

AU: Now, in this story, everyone is a little older. Well, the younger

guys are. Bobby, Rogue, Jubilee are all at least 20 and are members

of X-Men, not just students.



Now, my Storm is kinda what I think she would be like if she were

never found by Xavier. Kinda if she had grown living as she had as a

thief. I don't know...maybe you'll see it. lol.



Let me try to clear this up...I've brought together many things. My

own AU ideas, but Logan is sorta based on Ultimate X-Men Logan, with

the background kinda of his assassin stuff and Brotherhood

associations stuff put in there. You'll get it once you read the

story. But pretty much everything else is my own stuff...ok...sorry

I tried to explain, probably just confused ya some more. lol.





Title: Deception

Rated: NC-17

Summary: Alternate X-Men Universe: Ororo Munroe, assassin, is hired

to kill Logan, (a.k.a. Wolverine) a former assassin and current

member of the mutant team X-Men.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. Marvel does. :(

Though, I do like to have my fun with them. But it's just fun, so

don't sue...please.

Feedback: Yes, that would be lovely.







Professor Xavier sat behind his desk, his hands clasped together

under his chin. Jean sitting quietly in one of the chairs set in

front of the desk. Rogue is staring intently at a strand of the white

hair in her hand and sitting next to an extremely serious Beast. A

frowning Bobby Drake is leaning against the wall and staring at the

floor. Scott himself, watches the Professor, waiting for some clue as

to what he wanted them to do.



"She won't talk," the Professor finally says, his eyes moving up to

quickly look at each of the X-Men in turn. "I cannot get her to even

admit that you found her in the room."



"So, we still don't know why she tried to kill Logan?" Scott asks. If

only we knew why and who hired her, he thinks. Before Logan wakes

up...he's going to go ballistic.



The Professor shakes his head, "no, but I have not probed her

thoughts yet. I was trying to allow her a way to make things more

lenient on her by talking, but she doesn't seem to want to budge.



"I could try to talk to her, Professor," Jeans supplies in her soft,

calm voice.



"No, we can't just sit around and try and talk to her!" Bobby says

sternly. "She tried to kill Wolverine! You guys are acting like she

just broke a few plates in the kitchen."



Everyone turns to look at him. Scott frowns and says, "We aren't

treating it like that, just trying to allow her the chance to tell us

what's going on instead of having to pull it out of her."



"Well, I say just pull it out of her! I don't think she deserves this

nice treatment."



"I don't know about you guys, but I'm less worried about this woman

then I am with Logan!!" Rogue shouts suddenly, turning their

attention to her. "He was almost killed and nobody is down there with

him right now!"



Beast sighs beside her and puts a calming hand on Rogue's

shoulder, "It is all right. I assure you that Logan is safely

sleeping in the lab. He is going to be just fine."



"I just think our first priority should be Logan, not Storm," Rogue

says the woman's name venomously.



"Who is it that wants him dead anyway?" Jean asks quietly, as if to

herself but everyone hears in the sudden silence. The question

weighing down on them, presenting danger to all of them. If someone

was after Logan, then they very well could be after each of them

also.



"What I am curious about is what we are going to do with this woman,

Professor," Beast asks, his voice precise and steady as

usual. "Obviously she cannot stay here in the mansion."



"She'll stay here as long as she needs to be here," Scott says. He

puts a hand to his head, trying to fight back the sudden headache

threatening him. These recent events are making it difficult to think

straight. Why had this Storm tried to kill Logan? Who had hired her,

if someone had? How had she fooled Logan?



Scott shakes his head at that. She hadn't exactly fooled Logan. Jean

had called him out of his room and asked him about the woman. She had

told him that something wasn't right with her, that she had a

threatening feeling about her, but she couldn't quiet tell what it

was because the woman knew how to hold in her feelings and thoughts

quiet well. Logan had only frowned, grunted, nodded, then turned and

walked back into the room.



As Scott thought, chaos seemed to reign in the room. Rogue and Jean

were arguing over something now about Logan's state and Beast was

trying to interrupt enough to get a few words in. Bobby is yelling

that they should get rid of Storm as soon as possible.



"He was stabbed behind the back, the knife cut through his spinal

cord!" Jean exclaims in a moment Rogue falls silent.



Beast nods and looks to the Professor, "Yes, it is extremely

remarkable!"



Jean's eyes go wide with excitement, "That's why Logan couldn't see

straight or move correctly right away, and why she had so quickly

almost killed him, she had hit his spinal cord dead on."



"Yes, and it healed!" Beast says, leaning forward as the Professor

finally opens his eyes to look at them. "His healing factor is so

great that an ordinarily un-healable wound to any other creature is

healed in the matter of hours...actually, I believe he may still be

recovering from it, so maybe not that quickly. But either way, it is

a remarkable thing."



Scott nods in fascination too, that is an extraordinary thing. He had

never heard of someone's spinal cord healing. But he still wonders

how Storm had gotten Logan to let his guard down long enough to get

such a blow in. Scott will admit that Logan is the best at those

types of attacks. He frowns as he remembers that part of Logan's

past. The man used to be an assassin himself...one of the best he was

told. At least, that is what Logan said.



Suddenly something occurs to Scott and he cuts into Beast's and

Jean's medical discussion. "Professor, what are we going to do when

Logan wakes up?!"



"What do you mean?" he asks, his eyes looking weary, tired of hearing

more bad news on top of bad news.



"I mean, if Logan wakes up isn't he going to be a little pissed? What

are we going to do?" Scott asks again.



The Professor frowns and says, "I do not know...I guess we will--" he

suddenly stops speaking and looks up at the door. His eyes widen

slightly. Everyone's eyes follow his and Scott can't see anything but

the door.



"I think we will have to figure that out rather quickly," the

Professor says. Just then the door bursts open, flying back and

hitting the wall and bouncing back. Logan is standing there, and

stops it's rebound by slapping his palm out and the door stops as it

smacks into his hand. Bobby jumps back in shock and Rogue gasps in

surprise.



Logan growls and glares straight at the Professor, "WHERE THE FUCK IS

SHE?!" he roars. His chest is heaving angrily and his teeth are bared

in a snarl.



"Now, Logan, just calm down," the Professor says quietly.



"Calm isn't how ya handle someone like her, Chuck," Logan growls. His

claws unsheathe with a *Snipkt* sound and Scott stands up, ready to

stop Logan physically if he has to. "This is how ya handle someone

like her." Logan holds out a fist with long admantium claws shining

straight up.



"We need to get information from her, Logan, not gut her," Scott says

sharply and Logan directs his glare at him. His sharp eyes

penetrating and violent.



"She's come the closest anybody's come in a long time to killin' me,

you think you can handle her?!" Logan asks.



"I wouldn't be stupid enough to let her close enough to stab me in

the back of the neck," Scott says.



"Scott, Logan," the Professor interjects quickly before Logan can

react. "Logan, we will find out everything, you just need to calm

down and let me speak with her."



Logan growls, "Let me share a few words with her, I'll get her

talkin'," he says, then turns on his heel and leaves the doorway.



"Logan!" Jean calls but he doesn't come back. Scott curses under his

breath.



The Professor tosses his hand angrily and mutters, "Go stop him!"



**********



"What do you mean Xavier has her?!" a tall and very imposing white

haired man says. He turns and glares at the man and woman standing in

front of him. He's well aged, wrinkles on his face but eyes sharp

enough to suit a man in his prime.



"Well," the tallest man, by at least two heads, says in a dark,

growling voice. "Ororo didn't get the job done. Cyclops and Jean

caught her before she could kill Wolverine or escape."



The woman beside him nods and says in a soft but somewhat menacing

voice, "I told you she wouldn't be able to do it."



"I don't know why you sent her, Magneto," the large man says, his

large mane of golden hair flowing down his shoulders as he tosses his

head angrily. "I coulda taken care of Wolverine for you," he growls

as a sharp, viscous smile crosses his lips.



"You've tried to take care of Wolverine before now, Sabertooth, and

you failed," Magneto says, turning his back on them once again and

clasping his hands behind his back. Sabertooth bares his teeth at his

back and glares down at the woman as she raises a red colored eyebrow

at him, a smile on her face.



"Well, I could have handled Wolverine nicely," she says, brushing her

red hair behind her ear with an arm with skin colored blue. Her

entire body's skin is a dark blue leaving her yellow eyes and red

hair standing out immensely.



"Are you sure," Magneto asks, looking at her over his shoulder, a

silver eyebrow rising over his eye. "You know Storm well, Mystique.

You know she is one of the best at what she does."



Mystique frowns and then nods slowly, "That is true, but she was

unable to use her powers. Her powers are what make her so formable."



"Yes, Mystique. But her skills are still great."



"So, what are we going to do?" Sabertooth asks, his voice a raspy

growl. "Wolverine is still alive and now they have Storm."



Magneto smiles slightly at them both. "Go find Toad and Gambit. We

are going to be getting the two mutants that rightfully belong in the

Brotherhood."



"You mean, you're we're not going to try and kill Wolverine anymore?"

Mystique asks, a little confused.



"No, we aren't. I've decided that he is too valuable to get rid of,

he just needs to be redirected. Him leaving to follow with Xavier's

brainwashed X-Men was the only true mistake I've ever seen him make.

But it's time he joined us once again."



"What makes you think he will just leave the X-Men?" Sabertooth asks,

frowning deeply at the thought of having Wolverine around all the

time again.



"He may not come right away, that is why I was willing to have him

sacrificed, but now things have changed. Xavier having Storm is

giving him too much power, and having Wolverine...those two are a

very deadly duo. They need to be on our side."



"What are we doing? Attacking his school?" Mystique asks.



"Exactly, now go...inform Toad and Gambit."



*********



A loud "Pop" sound echoes through the almost empty hallway and

Jubilee sucks the gum back into her mouth and stares at the wall

across from her.



"Why do I have to do this job?" she asks, turning to glare at the

door beside her. She's sitting on a small wooden chair and keeping

watch on the woman they had brought in from somewhere. All she knows

is that the woman had almost killed Wolvie and she had been assigned

to make sure she didn't try to escape. She sighs loudly, wanting to

be anywhere else but here.



She really wants to be down in the med lab with Wolvie, making sure

he was alright. The idiot was always getting himself in trouble with

some woman or another. He probably just insulted this Storm woman

enough that she finally had enough and stabbed him. Jubilee smiles at

the mental image of an angry white haired woman smacking Logan across

the face.



So far this sitting in the hall has been pointless. The woman hadn't

tried to escape through the door, so she either is sleeping, thinking

of a way to escape, or has already found a way to escape some other

way. Jubilee doesn't know which, because she had been instructed not

to open the door. The Professor had said that this Storm lady was

very dangerous.



Jubilee blows out an offended breath and rolls her eyes at the door.

That Storm didn't look so tough. But then she frowns and thinks, but

if she could hurt Wolvie like that then she was most definitely

tough. Looks could be deceiving, she knew that.



She blows another bubble, letting it grow larger then finally it

pops, sending another bang down the hallway. The hall's walls are

growing really boring and she is running out of ways to entertain

herself. The hallway is a long one, the walls shining white and bare.

The rooms on the hallway not much more then rooms to hold people sort

of like Storm temporarily. Only having a low, single bed and bathroom

set up in each. But the doors weren't meant to hold in a serious

criminal if they wanted to really escape. Only being made out of the

thick wood the rest of the doors in the mansion are made out of. It's

in the lower levels of the mansion, under the med lab and Cerebro, on

the same level as the Blackbird's hanger, but kept separate from it.



Jubilee looks at her fingernails and starts humming some unknown song

loudly. The she stops abruptly as she hears something. She falls

completely silent and listens. Footsteps...and voices, and they are

getting closer! Yes, maybe someone's finally going to take this

boring guard job from me, she thinks.



"You gonna shoot me with your laser, Scoot?" It's Logan's voice!

Jubilee jumps out of her seat and doesn't listen to her body's aches

from being stuck sitting the entire day and begins running down the

hall toward his voice.



"Logan, you're acting insane," Jean's voice echoes down the hall.



"Jean! Damnit! Let go of me!!" Logan suddenly roars, making Jubilee

come skidding to a halt before turning a corner, where she can hear

everything clearly, sure they are standing on the other side.



"If I do, will you calm down?" Jean asks.



"If ya don't let go of me, I'm gonna--"



"You're not gonna be doin' anything, sugah," Rogue says in her

southern drawl. "Not if Jean doesn't let go of ya." She laughs and

another person joins her, a guy. Jubilee sticks her head around the

corner and sees Bobby holding a hand over his mouth, covering his

smile. Beast standing behind him, shaking his head at Logan who is

standing in the middle of all of them, his legs spread out like he's

in the middle of taking a long stride, but not moving forward and

suddenly Jubilee knows what Jean is doing.



"We are going to talk with Storm, Logan," Jean says softly,

calmly. "We know what she did, but that doesn't make it right for you

to go in there claiming some kind of revenge on your standards."



"It`s right in my mind," Logan growls, his eyes narrowing

dangerously.



Jubilee shakes her head at him. She knows all about his more violent,

dark, primal side but he is just being stupid now. Killing Storm or

hurting her like he wanted to wouldn't help anything.



She steps around the corner and puts her hands on her hips, glaring

at Logan. "Just calm down, Wolvie," she says, knowing that her

nickname for him will transfer some of his irritation and will remind

him of more happy things then this. "Why don't you think first this

time before going in there and trying to cut the woman apart! You

want to know why she did it first, don't you?!"



They all look up at her and stare, but Logan watches her sharply, his

anger not dissipating in the slightest. But before he can answer a

loud sound of a something crashing to the floor rings in the silence

and they all stop. Jubilee, being right on the corner of the hall, is

the first to turn and look.



The door to the woman's room is hanging wide open, and laying on the

tile floor is the chair she had been sitting in. The woman, to

Jubilee's horror, is sprinting down the hall in the other direction.

OH SHIT!!, she curses in her head.



The rest of the team comes turning the corner behind her, Logan

finally freed from Jean's telekinetic hold. He's the first one to

react. Jubilee can hear a low growl erupt from his throat and see his

eyes glow predatorily before he bolts off down the hall behind her.

His sturdy legs carrying him quickly, and silently after her.



"Wolverine!!!" Scott yells, but he doesn't stop. Scott's jaw

clenches tightly and he leads the charge after the two.



**********



Moment's earlier:



Storm stands with her ear to the large wooden door, waiting and

listening carefully. Taking slow, quiet breaths so she can hear

better. The slightest of sounds make it past the wood, she can hear

loud pops of something, maybe bubblegum, she isn't quite sure.

She frowns at that, bubblegum? They have someone chewing bubblegum

guarding this door? Goddess, it better not be a kid out there.

Getting angry at the underestimate of her abilities she reaches out

again to the skies, but she can't escape enough to feel the ozone.

These walls or something, keeping her from reaching out enough. Her

powers weren't gone or blocked, she is just unable call to the

elements here...she knows she's in a room underground, and that alone

frightens her, plus the inability to use her powers so far from the

sky. It's enough to make her desperate for escape. She eyes the four

walls closing her in and tries not to shudder. Storm felt more then

slightly uncomfortable in rooms with no windows or natural wind

brought air in them.



Storm returns her attention to the sounds outside the door and her

eyebrows rise in surprise as she hears loud footsteps ringing on the

tile, getting fainter and fainter. Moving away from the door. She

smiles and kneels in front of the door and pulls out a pin she always

keeps hidden deep in her hair. Placing it inside the small keyhole,

she goes to work.



Her tongue darts out between her teeth as she concentrates and

fiddles with the pin, twisting it slightly and then a little harder.

There's a resounding "click" and her smile turns into a full fledged

grin of happiness. Quickly standing, she turns the doorknob. It moves

and the door opens easily. She peeks out the door and finds nobody

there. But she hears people's voices to her left, around a turn in

the hallway.



Pushing the door open wider, it hits something and she cringes as the

thing crashes to the ground loudly. Damnit, she scolds herself but

doesn't take time to think. She immediately begins running as fast as

she can down the hall, away from the voices. Her legs pump faster as

she hears people behind her.



"Wolverine!" she hears screamed and her eyes widen as she runs, legs

pushing even harder, burning under her. Not Wolverine, she screams in

her mind. She knows, that unable to use her powers down here and

being unarmed, if he really is behind her then she's not going to

make it out of here alive. Not sparing energy to glance behind her,

knowing that it would cost her precious speed, she continues on.



The hall is long and not seeming to be ending soon. Storm pants hard

as she runs, hearing distant footfalls of people running after her.

Nothing close behind, she says to herself. Then suddenly, the hallway

does end, but turns to her left and right.



Quickly, she darts to the left and runs for a couple steps before she

sees that the hall only leads to closed and most likely locked set of

giant metal doors.



Turning around she cries out as a long, muscular arm shoots out in

front of her face and long, metal claws slice into the wall, making a

wall of sorts on their own. She takes a deep breath and moves back a

step, looking up to see Logan glaring down at her.



"Miss me, darlin'?" he asks, his teeth baring in an angry version of

a smile. Her eyes widen in horror and she stumbles backward.



"No," she says, "I was supposed to kill you."



Logan pulls his arm down, his claws ripping out of the wall and he

holds his hands out to his sides. "Well, you're welcome to try again,

Storm," he growls, stepping forward. She moves back. "What? Scared

without me below ya and just laid out for ya?" He moves closer,

stalking as she steps backward, trying to think of a way to

escape. "That was a good move though, I gotta say. I really didn't

think ya had it in ya."



"Stay away from me, or you'll be sorry," she warns, blue eyes darting

over his face but only seeing complete cold fury.



"You have a nice little innocent look about ya," he continues, moving

closer, pushing her back toward the dead end. "I thought that ya

would chicken out, but ya didn't." He frowns and tilts his head at

her. "You know what it feels like ta have someone stab ya in the back

of the fuckin' neck?" he snarls and presses toward her more quickly.

His eyes sharp and hard, holding no mercy.



Storm grits her teeth and glares at him, then suddenly shoots

forward. She swings a punch, intending to hit him in the jaw, but

Logan's hand darts out and grabs her wrist before her fist is halfway

there. She gasps as his grip tightens and she can feel his strength

and admantium laced fingers grinding against her bone. Struggling,

she pushes at him and spits in his face, but he just growls and grabs

her other wrist.



"You messin' with the wrong fuckin' guy, sweetheart," he says, his

face inches from hers. "Who wants me dead?" he asks, fingers

tightening a bit more. She closes her mouth and returns his hard

stare silently. He growls at her and repeats, "Who wants me dead!?"



"You should know," she snaps.



"What does that mean?!" he asks, growing even angrier and more

impatient.



Behind him, six people come barreling around the corner. Two she

recognizes as the ones who caught her right before she had almost

killed the man holding her right now. The others she has no clue on

who they are. One a very large thing covered with blue hair, sharp

teeth, and glasses over his eyes. Another is a slim girl with auburn

hair with a white streak. There's a young man also, blond hair, who

stares wide eyed at Logan's back. Then another woman with black hair

and a bright yellow jacket over a black t-shirt and jean shorts.



"Logan, stop!" the woman she recognizes says and moves forward, the

man with the red lens over his eyes moving forward with her.



Logan shaking her suddenly makes Storm focus back on him.



"What are you talkin' about, I should know!?" he asks in a rough

voice. "You tell me, and I might think about lettin' ya walk out of

here in one piece."



Storm stares into his eyes for a long moment then says only, "You

used to work for them, Wolverine," she whispers fiercely. "I guess

you made a lot of strong enemies when you left the Brotherhood."

Logan's eyes widen and Storm smiles. "Past finally come back to

haunt you, Logan?" she asks.



The woman puts a hand on Logan's shoulder but he doesn't seem to

notice it, his grip still strong as iron on Storm's wrist. Damn

creep could at least loosen up, I told him didn't I, she thinks

angrily.



"Past haunts me every single day," he whispers even more quietly then

she had and her eyebrows fall in curiosity. His eyes seem like they

are staring at nothing then suddenly he blinks and focuses back on

her. "So you're just a cheap killer for them?" he asks, pushing her

away from him.



She stumbles back a couple steps and stands up straight, "Cheap?!"

she asks, offended. Her eyes move from Logan to the man to his right

and the woman to his left, no path left for her to run. She curses

and resolves herself for having to stay here for awhile longer.



Logan huffs, "That's all you are. You're just a killer...someone he

just calls on to do his biddin'. You're a slave to Magneto,

darlin'," he says angrily. The red-headed woman takes a quick breath

and stares at Logan in surprise. The man stands as still as ever,

eyes never leaving Storm.



"Magneto?" the girl in yellow asks from behind the three in front of

her. "Is he the one behind all this?"



Logan ignores her and waits for Storm to say something, but she

decides not to. She's already said enough now. She can't even

believe that she said as much as she did.



"I believe Magneto is the one behind this," says a calm, wise voice.

Storm looks past Logan to see that Professor guy wheeling forward.

Then she quickly looks at the three in front of her and frowns in

disappointment at finding Scott and Logan still watching her. Never

going to get out of here, she thinks depressingly.



"I should have realized it sooner," the Professor says and moves up,

the red-head moving back to he can move right in front of

Storm. "With Logan's recent past, it's a wonder Magneto hasn't

struck at him earlier. Or all of us."



"So, do you think we could expect something else from him?" Jean

asks.



The bald man shakes his head, "Maybe, we should be alert in case he

does. Storm," he says and looks directly into her eyes. She's

started by the lack of animosity there. They hold caring and a

willingness to understand. "Will you please come with me and we can

talk? What Magneto has told you about us cannot be all correct. He

has a way of bending things out of proportion."



Storm stares at him for a long moment then looks up at all the X-Men

standing in front of her, "Doesn't seem like I have much of a choice,

does it?" she says.



"It will make things easier if you tell me why exactly you were sent

by Magneto to kill Logan," he says, eyes still caring.



Logan glares hard at her as she finally nods and the Professor smiles

and nods back to her. "We'll just go to my office, I feel you don't

like it much down here."



Storm shakes her head, "Not much, no," she admits and tries to ignore

the massive body that is Logan falling in right beside her as she

moves to follow the Professor and his wheelchair. The rest of the X-

Men follow as well, talking softly amongst themselves and watching

her carefully.



***********



"He really only just called me up three weeks ago and informed me of

everything I needed to do. I don't stay much with the

Brotherhood...only coming in on missions that I think are worthy."



"What made you take on the job of tryin' to kill me?" Logan asks,

leaning against the wall to the side of the chair. He hasn't taken

his eyes off of her since the moment the Professor had brought her

into his office. Storm glances toward him and matches his stare.



"Because, Magneto seemed so passionate about it. He told me you were

a danger to the Brotherhood's work and that you needed to be

terminated," she answers him and smiles at his frown.



"Listen, Storm," the Professor says and she looks back to him. "I

offer this choice to any who seem to need my help and guidance--"

"I do not need anything from you!" Storm says and moves to stand up,

but a quick movement from Logan, a stiffening of his entire posture,

and this Cyclops dude raising his hand to his visor makes her stay

seated.



"Well, I am not saying you need my help, Storm. But you could use

some help," he says calmly. She frowns at him dangerously. "I can

help you learn to control your powers."



She glares at him, "How do you know anything about my powers?! They

are fine! I can control them perfectly," she snaps. Trying to keep

the lie from her voice. She had somewhat control of her powers, but

not total. Sometimes, she could do everything she wanted and other

times she can only get a slight sprinkle to fall.



:::I know more then you think::: The Professor's voice rings in her

head and her eyes go wide.



"What was that?!" she shouts, staring at him in shock.



:::Don't hide behind this false attitude, Storm::: his voice sounds

again and she realizes. He's a telepath!!



"What are you going to do with me?" she asks, suddenly feeling

frightened and overwhelmed, surrounded. Logan to her left, Cyclops

to her right, Jean the red-head and Beast behind her and the

Professor in front of her.



"Nothing," the professor says. "You are free." Logan growls and

finally takes his eyes off of her to glare at the professor. "But I

offer you this, Storm. You may stay here, with us, and I can help

you with your control over the weather." Her eyes widen again at him

knowing that. "Let me help you, Storm. I am not asking for you to

join us or find my cause the way to go, but I understand your

troubles."



"You would help me, even after I tried to kill him?" she points her

thumb out at Logan and he growls again, louder this time. She

pretends to ignore him.



He nods slowly, steadily. "Yes, I do not discriminate, and I believe

that you truly did not want to hurt Logan. You, in fact, even had

your doubts and question yourself," he says. Storm frowns and wishes

he will stop voicing what she had been feeling and thinking. "You do

not wish to cause Logan any harm right now do you?" he asks, waiting

quietly for an answer. The entire room waits, the silence even more

quiet now.



"No," she says, then corrects. "Well, yeah, because he held on to my

wrist so tight, that hurt!" she turns to look at Logan but finds no

humor in his eyes. Her small smile falls and she looks back at the

Professor.



"I do not even think you care much for Magneto and his Brotherhood,

do you?" he asks, continuing on with question after question.



Storm thinks and finally shrugs, "Magneto took me in, he's always

been there for me," she says.



"Yes, yes...well," the Professor says. "I believe you have no ill

intentions toward anyone here and I do hate to punish people, so I am

giving you the choice. You can either leave promptly or stay here

and let me help you hone your abilities and learn control.



"Wait a god damned minute!" Logan growls, stepping next to the

chair. "You're just gonna let her stay here?!"



The Professor calmly looks up at Logan and nods, "I let you stay

here, Logan. After your plan to kill me. Does that seem fair to say

I should treat her any differently?"



Logan frowns at him then at Storm and shakes his head. Then he

turns on his heel and walks out of the room.



The Professor shakes his head and sighs tiredly, "I wish he would

stop being so angry all the time."



"That's just how he is, Professor," Cyclops says from her right.

"So, Storm, what do you say?" the Professor asks.



Storm turns to look out the large window at the sunny sky and soft

clouds. "I'd say why not? I've got no place to go, and Magneto

probably wants me as dead as he wants Logan by now."

The Professor frowns but nods.



***********





That night Storm finds herself roaming the halls of the huge mansion,

unable to sleep in such a new and very uncomfortable place. Knowing

that everyone is watching her every step she doesn't know if she can

last long here before she leaves and tries to convince Magneto that

she had tried her best to kill Logan. But apparently, Logan is a

hard man to kill.



Stepping out onto the back porch she inhales the night air and wraps

the silk robe that Jean had given her around herself tighter. Then

she hears an odd sound to her right and turns her head. In the

darkness a small red glow is shining and she can see a dark shadow

shaped like a man sitting there on the bench. It's a dark place on

the porch, the moonlight unable to reach it enough to let her make

out who it is clearly.



Curious, she steps close and the glow grows and it brings the

faintest outline of face. A hard face and sharp eyes that are

staring directly at her. She gasps as she realizes it's Logan and

she gets ready to defend herself from him.



Logan seems to sense her sudden mood shift and chuckles darkly but

doesn't say a word. He pulls the source of the red glow away from

him, it's a cigar she realizes as the smell reaches her. A deep

smell, of earth and a musky smoke.



Storm, growing more confident that he's not going to try anything

moves a bit closer and puts on a wavering smile.



"Hey," she says softly, hoping to somehow apologize for what she had

done. The Professor was right, she really had not desire to hurt

him, it was just a job. And now that she knew it would probably be

impossible for her to do so anyway, she had given up on the idea.

Now she stands in front of him, willing to make peace.



The small glow she can make out as Logan's eyes don't even blink as

he watches her. He brings the cigar back to his mouth and she can

hear him puff on it slowly. The red on the tip glowing bright again

and she can make out his face. The dark hair, wildly straying

about. The rough facial hair that gives him a dark, menacing look.

Almost like a wolf or bear, some animal like that, she decides.

But, he doesn't say a word.



"Look, I know that it probably doesn't mean much, but I'm sorry about

what I did, ok?" she says, stepping a bit closer. Logan takes the

cigar away from his lips again and blows the smoke up at her. Storm

glares at him as she coughs and waves a hand in front of her face,

trying to move the smoke away.



"You don't like me much anymore, do you?" asks, just asking anything

to try and get him to talk to her. She couldn't go walking around

this school with this guy ready to turn on her at any moment.



Logan tilts his head and she can see the white of his teeth in the

night, "What the hell makes ya think that?" he growls, bringing the

cigar back to his mouth again. His voice surprising her enough that

she tenses immediately.



She sighs and holds out her hand, "I said I'm sorry, there isn't much

more I can do, so I'm wanting to make friends...or whatever," she

says.



Logan looks at the offered hand then dismisses it as he looks back up

at her face. In one smooth motion he stands and Storm moves back a

few steps, but still with her hand held out, urging him to shake.



But he only leans closer and says seriously, "Just stay the fuck

outta my way and we won't have any problems." He pushes past her and

walks back into the mansion.



Storm frowns and turns back to the night. "Just stay outta my way,"

she mimics Logan's words and sound then glares. "Stupid idiot better

stay out of my way. Thinks he's so big and bad. Bet he's only angry

because a woman almost killed him...such a fool man."



Turning, she stares at the door, then thinks. She wonders what will

happen if she follows him, if she doesn't leave him alone. He wasn't

going to kill her now, she is sure of that. He would have already,

if he wanted. And he wouldn't likely even hurt her. She smiles, it

wouldn't hurt anything to find out.



Moving quickly, she goes back into the mansion and walks for a

moment, thinking about where he could have gone. Where would a guy

like him go this time of night? she asks herself. He's not going to

sleep, he's wide awake. He's not a reader, he a little angry, wants

to let off some steam. An idea occurs to her! The Gym that

Professor guy had talked about and pointed out to her earlier.

She looks around quickly, trying to get her bearings then goes

sprinting down the hallway in the direction she thinks the gym is

in. And once she sees a walking figure in front of her she slows

down, following as silently as she can, hoping that he won't be able

to smell her.



He turns off into a room and she follows, happily realizing that it's

the gym! Slowly, she peaks through the small windows on the doors.

Logan is nowhere to be seen. She frowns and she slowly opens the

door, looking around carefully.



Then she catches movement but before she can react massive arms grab

her. One wrapping tightly around her waist and a fist comes to rest

right below her jaw. Storm's eyes go wide and she tries to fight out

of his grip, but the arm doesn't budge.



"What are you followin' me for, Stormy?" Logan growls into her ear,

an angry sound. She pushes against his hold again with the same

result.



"Let go of me!" she demands.



"I don't think so," he says. "Not `til you give me a good enough

excuse to."



"I just wanted to see if you would get mad if I followed you," she

says truthfully. Logan is silent for a long while and she pushes

against his hold again. Suddenly, it breaks and Storm stumbles

before catching her balance. She turns to glare at him.



"You are an asshole!" she says sharply.



"You're the one that tried to kill me," he says, holding out his

hands and shrugging. "But however your twisted logic works, I'm the

asshole then." He walks over to a large mat in the middle of the

room, turning his back on her. The first time he had since her

attempt to kill him.



Must think I can't hurt him anymore, she thinks to herself angrily.

"What are you doing?" she asks.



Logan turns and gives her a hard stare, "I thought I told ya to stay

away from me," he says harshly.



"You did, but I don't really care, so what are you doing?" she asks.

"You should care," Logan growls.



"Why? You think I'm scared of you?" she asks, looking him up and

down and rolling her eyes.



"I think without your little knives and me sittin' in prime position,

yeah, you are scared of me."



"Well, I'm not," she says, standing up tall. "Come on, I'll show you

I'm not some weak woman who got a lucky shot in."



Logan scoffs at her, his eyes glaring hard but holding a hint of

amusement. "Are you sayin' what I think your sayin'?" he asks.



"Yes, now come on," she says, stepping closer.



"You can't fight in that," he says, pointing at her silk robe.



"I'm not going to fight in it," she says and sheds the silk robe,

tossing it on the seat of a bike. Logan glares at her even harder.



"Get the hell outta here," he says angrily. Storm raises an eyebrow

at him, looking down at herself and smiling. She is only wearing a

tight little spaghetti strap shirt and light blue panties.



"What, scared of little old me?" she asks.



Logan's eyes burn as he stares into hers. Anger glowing in the gray

orbs.



"You think just `cause Charlie thinks your all good now, that I do?

You think I care if you can really take me or not, I don't!" he

snarls. "You can stay here or go, but you better leave me the fuck

alone, or I'm gonna kill you."



The blunt threat doesn't phase her and she puts a hand on her hip,

faking a calm she doesn't really feel. His challenging, angry stare

making her body tense and ready for some attack at any moment. Logan

turns away from her again, he peels his shirt off, leaving him

standing in only sweat pants and he begins walking toward some

exercising machine she doesn't know the use of.



She takes the moment and charges, her feet falling almost silently on

the floor. As she reaches him and kicks, he turns abruptly and

catches her leg in the air. He glares at her, baring his teeth

angrily and she meets his eyes.



"I fuckin' warned you," he growls loudly and throws her leg upward,

sending her falling backward and slamming into the mat hard.

He looks down at her with hard, studying eyes. Eyes now like a

predator, and he moves closer. Storm swings her leg around and hits

him directly behind the knee. Logan's leg buckles but he catches

himself, only stumbling forward instead of falling. He growls and

turns to her as she picks her body up quickly.



Logan crouches, standing in a low stance, ready to pounce. Storm

takes a careful step to the side, and he moves with her. They begin

circling each other slowly, surveying the others movements with

accuracy only combat and fighting training can bring.



Then, Logan moves forward and swings at her, she brings her arm up to

block it and stumbles back from the force. And at that moment he

brings his leg around and kicks her directly in her stomach. Storm's

breath leaves her in a rush and she bends over, trying to breath.



Logan gives a hard laugh, "Darlin' it wouldn't even be worth my time

killin' you."



"Oh yeah, big boy?" she asks, pushing her body up again. Logan

stands there, folds his arms over his chest and watches her, an

arrogant smirk on his face.



Storm charges him immediately. Logan's arms fall and he blocks her

first punch easily, but she quickly side steps his. Then she moves

swiftly, her body slimmer and easier to manuveur then he is able to

with his bulk. He swings again and she ducks under the blow, then

sidesteps his kick, allowing her a look at his side. She brings her

fists together and moves in, bringing her fists down on the back of

his neck hard.



Logan stumbles forward, having to bring his hands out to stop himself

from falling flat on his face. He growls angrily and

stands. "You're pushin' your luck, woman!" He touches the back of

his neck and his eyes grow harder as he watches her.



Storm just smiles and charges him again. This time he crouches like

he had the first time and waits. She concentrates, allowing herself

to flow out of her body and into the sky. Feeling the cool night

air. Then she falls back to her body and as she approaches Logan, her

eyes clouded over white she calls on the winds. Pushing a hard gust

in front of her, it slams Logan back and he falls back startled.

Storm moves in, she quickly gets a blow to his stomach, feeling his

hard muscles make the blow virtually useless, but she also brings her

fist up under his jaw, knocking his head back. He gives a wordless

yell as she calls on another gust and it hits him as her fist

connects with his chest. Logan's feet lift off of the ground for a

few inches and he falls to the mat on his back.



Storm grins and steps forward, standing above him. "Wow, didn't know

you were so weak, Wolverine."



Logan's eyes are something else now, she doesn't know what. But he

roars loudly and his strong leg sweeps under her so hard she thinks

he might have broke her knee. She falls to the ground in a surprised

cry and doesn't have time to realize she's on the ground before Logan

is above her, and she has three sharp claws pressed against her

neck.



He's panting hard and his teeth are bared and she actually is a

little scared now. Maybe he would kill her. She can feel the middle

claw graze against her skin, cutting it slightly and she tries to

ignore the blood on her throat.



"You seem to think I'm playin' with you," he growls. "But I was just

tryin' to keep a promise not to kill you, but you are itchin' to make

me break it aren't ya?"



Storm watches him with wide eyes, not wanting to say anything for

fear it will make her throat rub against his claws. For what seems

like years, decades he stays there, straddling her waist, claws ready

to sink into her neck. Then he sheathes them. The sudden movement

and wind from the claws making her jump and goosebumps rise up all

over her skin.



But he doesn't get off of her. He leans down close, wrapping his

fingers around her neck and smiling that angry smile again. "I won't

tell ya again," he warns. His hot breath brushing against her lips.

She suddenly licks her own and fights down the odd feeling of lust

she's feeling of having his hard body on top of hers. Remembering

the other night...that had been good sex, even if she had to try and

kill him after it.



Logan sniffs the air and slowly pulls his face away from hers. He

shakes his head and laughs shortly. "Go fuck yourself, Storm, `cause

you ain't gettin' it from me again," he growls and pushes himself off

of her, standing above her. He gives her one last hard glare then

turns. He walks over and picks up his shirt and leaves the room.



Storm lays there on the ground for a little while, wishing her body

hadn't betrayed her like that. Goddess, why did he have to kiss so

well? she asks. Finally, she pushes herself up and fetches the silk

robe and pulling it over her body.



It doesn't matter. She won't be staying here that long anyway. Just

long enough to see if this Professor can help her with control and if

he can, just long enough to learn. She smiles at the memory of her

powers working perfectly just a few minutes ago. That is what she

wanted, all the time.



Walking out of the gym she sighs to herself wondering if she'll have

enough time to learn control before Magneto chooses to come for her.