Running to Stand Still

Jubilee took a flying leap and landed on the couch between Kat and Rogue. "Guess who's back?"

Rogue kept her gaze on the TV but asked, "Who?"

"That big, growly man who came here with you when you first got here. Wolf or somethin'?"

Rogue rolled her eyes while Kat turned to look at Jubilee. "Wolverine, yah dingbat. And his name is Logan."

Kat raised an eyebrow. "Is he that guy with the claws Bobby was telling me about?"

Jubes giggled. "That'd be the one and only. Got some funky sideburns going on, too." She fell over onto Kat's lap when Rogue poked her in the ribs.

"Why don't yah go harass that Cajun yah got the hots foh," the southern girl replied, flicking idly through the channels with the remote in her gloved hand. "Ah'm shoh he's all ly wiy without yah."

Jubes stuck her tongue out at Rogue before bouncing to her feet. "I'll just go see if Kitty's interested in a game of air hockey. At least she's fun."

Kat watched the Asian girl leave and then turned to Rogue. "What was that about? You sounded angry with her."

"I'm not angry with Jubes." Rogue's eyes grew dark. "Logan was the one who brought me heah, aftah ah ran away from home. He saved mah life twice an' then left without so much as a good-bye."

"Oh, so you're angry that he's back. I'm guessing he hasn't kept in contact with you."

Rogue smiled bitterly. "Not even so much as a postcard."

Kat shifted uncomfortably and then got to her feet. "I'm gonna go for a walk. See you at dinner." She left the room and headed out a side door that lead into the woods that surrounded the Institute. It was about a mile's walk to Breakstone Lake, a sort of bay that was just inside the Atlantic Ocean, near Long Island.

She was just settling onto the shore, sitting cross-legged, when someone crashed through the trees with a low growl. Kat turned and found a man standing there, short of stature but looking more feral than any man she'd ever seen.

"You must be Logan," she guessed, judging by his appearance and the claws that extended from between his knuckles. There were three on each hand and had to be around a foot long. Her answer was a grunt and then he plopped down next to her, the claws retracting into his hands.

"How'd ya know that, kid?" he asked, his eyes taking in the area.

Kat shrugged. "Jubilee and Rogue told me about you."

Logan cocked his head and looked at her. "Got a name?"

"Katherine, though everyone here calls me Kat." She glanced over at him. He sat with his knees up and his arms resting on them, his hands dangling down. "Where'd you get the claws?"

"Fuck if I know," he replied honestly. "That's why I left Xavier's in the first place, to find out where they came from." He squinted at her, his nostrils flaring a bit. She smelled good, like roses and something earthier. Hair that was more red than brown fell just past her shoulders, cut to frame a sweet face with high cheekbones, full lips, and deep green eyes flecked with gold. "Weren't ya scared of me when I came out of the trees?"

Kat snorted. "Should I have been?" she countered, raising an eyebrow when he chuckled. "Guess not," she muttered.

They sat in companionable silence for a time, staring out at the waters of Breakstone Lake as if it held answers to their souls' deepest questions. Kat was the one to break the quiet when she asked, "Do the claws hurt?"

He grunted, balling one hand up into a fist before the claws came flashing out from between his knuckles. "O' course they do, kid, they go through my skin."

Kat reached out with inquisitive fingers and touched the flat side of one of the blades, running her fingers along it. "They're warm," she said, her voice soft and surprised. She'd expected shiny metal to be cold, and then it occurred to her that they stayed inside his body when he wasn't using them. Of course they were warm.

“So, that’s your mutant power? The claws?”

Logan shook his head, retracting the claws. “Healing factor, actually. I can take a beating and keep going.”

“So that’s how you saved Rogue. She touched you and took your healing factor.” She winced when she saw the angry frown on his face. “Sorry, that must be a sore point. She told me some details, I just pieced the rest together myself.”

He nodded. “So, then, what do you do? Read people’s minds?”

“Nah, that would be too easy.” She held her hands out, palm up. “I do magic, in the sense of witchcraft. Kinda like the Scarlet Witch, only it’s not chaos magic, it’s more connected to the earth. And I’ve got some healing powers myself, though probably not to the extent of yours. I’ve heard some wild stories about you.”

A smile curved his lips and his eyebrow went up; Kat couldn’t help noticing how attractive he was. “Really?” he asked. “Like what?”

“Mmm, not much, just that you growl a lot, like to run around with your shirt off, harass Scott and pursue Jean.” Kat flashed him a conspiratorial smile. “Although, if you ask me, Jean’s not worth it. I’m just waiting for Scott to give that bitch the boot.”

Logan chuckled. “I guess I’ve missed a lot in the past year or so. Are those two really having problems?"

Kat nodded. "They seemed so in love when I first got here, and they think that no one can see the strain between them, but it's there and it's obvious. It's only a matter of time, if you ask me."

"So, what are you doing at Xavier's?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she said quickly, her hand moving in a dismissive gesture. "I mean, I'm just not comfortable talking about it."

"Yeah, I can relate to that. You're not so bad, Kat, I think we might get along."

The young woman laughed. "Well, dinner is supposed to be starting soon. Wanna go get something to eat?"

Logan shook his head. "Nah, I think I'll stay here for a while. Got a lot to think about it."

"Ok, well, then I guess I'll see you later." She got to her feet easily, her hiking boots keeping her from slipping on some of the rockier spots as she walked into theds tds towards the mansion.

He watched her go, intrigued by this girl even though he didn't really know her. She reminded him of himself, keeping secrets and not wanting to talk about her past. Hell, she even dressed like him, in jeans and boots and a flannel shirt. It made him wonder where she was from.