Running to Stand Still

Jean stretched her arms over her head once she finished injecting Kat with some nutrients her body had depleted since she'd been abducted. She smiled at Logan.

"She's stable, but there's nothing more I can do for her here. Why don't you take her up to her room?"

Logan looked up from where he'd been watching Kat's face. "Are you sure she's okay?"

"She's stable, and there's always the possibility that the sedatives they gave her could harm her, but I've flushed those from her body as best I could and now all we can do is wait." Jean touched his arm. "She'll be fine, Logan."

He nodded absently, gathering Kat into his arms again. She stirred and murmured something against his chest, snuggling her face into his neck. He couldn't help the feeling of contentment that ran through him.

He carried her upstairs to her room, nudging the door closed behind him. Still balancing her in his arms, he pulled the blankets back on her bed and laid her down. She curled into a fetal position, making her odd snuffling noise when he pulled the covers over her again.

Logan laughed softly, reaching out to touch her hair. His chest tightened to see her, thinking about how close he'd come to losing her to the people who had already made him lose a part of himself. A low, angry growled trickled from his lips, his claws flashing out before he could react. He watched as they flashed in the light from the sun through the window. It was mid-day, a quiet weekend afternoon in the Xavier mansion.

He pulled her desk chair over to the bed and sat down, retracting the claws when it became too much of a temptation to rip something apart. Right now, Kat needed someone to watch over her, to keep her safe.

Yeah, and you did a great job of keeping her safe the other day a voice in his mind said. You let your past take precedence over taking her to her lesson, and this is what's come of it. He looked at the bruises on her face, knew that there were matching bruises along her body where the needles had been. Her fair skin looked mottled and unnatural; he wished he could add to her healing factor and speed up the process.

Listening to her deep, even breathing, he eventually fell into a deep sleep, exhausted and sore from the mission. If Kat made any noise while he slept, he'd hear her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The surface beneath her was soft, a huge comfort after the cold metal she'd been strapped to. When she tried to turn onto her side, she was overjoyed to find that she could do it easily. She was still tired but she opened her eyes anyway to be greeted by the familiar sight of her room.

Logan sat in a chair next to her bed, head in hands and shoulders moving as he breathed in sleep. Kat couldn't help laughing, and the sound woke him up.

"Hey darlin'," he said softly, touching her face. "How you feelin'?"

Kat shrugged. "Tired," she said softly. She was surprised at the effort it took just to speak. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Definitely, babe. You just go back to sleep."

She nodded back sleepily, eyes sliding closed. He watched as her body eased back into sleep.

Logan had gotten up and gone to the bathroom, and when he came back she was awake again. "Kat, what's wrong?"

"I'm cold, Logan," she said, her voice pathetically weak. She thrashed a little on the bed even under her three blankets. Her body was just naturally cold, and she couldn't seem to get warm after the lab.

He looked around the room, trying to find something else to warm her with. When he saw nothing, he kicked off his boots and climbed in with her, pulling her against his chest and tucking her head beneath his chin.

Kat almost immediately stopped shivering and snuggled into him. "Thank you," she whispered, spreading her hand across his chest, above his heart. She felt the steady beat and smiled.

"Your welcome, darlin'." He wasn't quiet sure what she was thanking him for, but he wanted her to relax and let her body heal. "I'll stay with ya until you're better."

He heard her murmur of contentment and smiled, feeling himself drift off with her into a deep sleep.


When Kat woke up she noticed that she didn't hurt as badly as when she'd woken up the first time. The room was dark, barely lit by the little nightlight she kept on all the time. Someone was wrapped around her from behind, spooning against her body with an arm draped across her middle. A large, rough hand rested gently on her stomach.

She turned onto her other side, memory returning when she saw Logan lying next to her. His eyes were open, having woken when he felt her stir against him. "Hey, Logan," she said softly, reaching out to touch his face. "Sleep well?"

Logan nodded, noticing that the bruises on her face were gone. "Fine, darlin'. You feelin' any better?"

Kat stretched, feeling the wonderful pull of muscles. "A lot better, actually." She lifted her shirt to show her flat stomach, revealing smooth, unmarred skin. "I think all the bruises are healed." She shifted slightly and winced, hands going to her knee.

"Dammit," she cursed softly. She rolled her loose jogging pants up to reveal her knee, a bruise darkening around the joint. "Y'know, this was supposed to be healed by now. Stupid motherfucking lab freaks."

"Kat," Logan began, waiting until she was looking at him before he continued. "The ones that took you, they were the ones that experimented on me fifteen years ago."

She nodded. "I know, they kept talking about you. I was supposed to be bait for you." She slipped her hand into his, squeezing gently. "They took me, hoping that you'd come after me, and then they'd have you again."

His hazel eyes darkened, filled with fear and anger. He hugged her to his body, holding her tight. "God, Kat, I'm so sorry. What they did to me … I see it almost every night, and now you've gone through it, too. I can't tell you how sorry I am."

She frowned, twisting away from him so that she could look him in the eyes. "Logan, why do you think it's your fault? You did nothing wrong!" She felt a bit angry with him, if only because of his stubborn idea that he was to blame. "Hell, you saved me from them. If it was your fault, then the rescue more than makes up for it. But I don't blame you for anything."

Logan lowered his head so that his forehead touched hers, his eyes closing in relief. If she could forgive him, maybe he could forgive himself. He heard her yawn, opening his eyes to see her eyelids drooping.

"Go back to sleep, darlin'," he said softly, tugging the covers back up over her.

Kat nodded, then stopped. "Wait a minute. Could you go over to the jewelry box on my dresser? Your tags are in there."
Why Why are they in there?" he asked, getting up to retrieve them from the box.

"I had to take them off the other day for my ballet lesson. My instructor is very strict about the no-jewelry rule, and I left them here so I wouldn't lose them."

He nodded, satisfied with her answer. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but knowing that she wore them made him feel better. "Here ya go," he said, slipping the chain over her head and easing her hair out. When she sighed happily, he turned onto his side, moving under the covers with her.

She automatically turned onto her side and moved back into him, her hand keeping his arm in place around her stomach.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Within a month, Kat was almost fully recovered from the affects of the drugs the lab people had pumped into her. She had some trouble sleeping at night, waking with nightmares of her abuse, both at the hands of her stepfather and her latest abusers.

Logan kept an ear out every night, and if she made any sort of noise he was in her room in a flash to comfort her.

The gesture wasn't lost on anyone in the mansion. The other members of the X-Men watched the way Logan dealt with the young woman, saw the way she smiled just for him, how she drew strength from him when she was weak. Xavier watched her development, how Logan made sure she ate three meals a day and sneaked her treats in between.

Scott watched the way she began to look healthier, more vibrant, more like the young woman she was supposed to look like.

The younger kids just thought it was romantic.