Title: Homecoming

Author: Kravitzkid

Rating: PG; some naughty language

Disclaimer: I still don’t own any of these characters, so don’t call your lawyers yet, folks.

A/N: This is the first in a series of stories about Kendall. I have blended elements from the comics, cartoons, and the movie to make this work.

:::::talking in the mind:::::


Kendall Logan sat in her mother’s history class. Her mother and father, Ororo and Logan, went to pick up a new recruit in the city today, so she had to cover her mother’s classes. Ever though Kendall was only nineteen and didn’t have any formal teachers’ training, her mother trusted her with the responsibility. She’d only taken the class one year earlier, herself.

She had just finished her first year at NYU and was coming home for the summer. Her mother had somehow talked her into covering her classes today, and now here she was. Stuck in her mom’s classroom, instead of roaming the grounds, as she should be.

Class hadn’t started yet and Kendall was sitting in sill of one of the huge windows trying to focus on the notes her mother had left for her, but was failing miserably. Her attentions were constantly being drawn back to the beautiful spring afternoon just beyond the glass. It was a few days before the end of the spring semester, and the days were getting longer and warmer. The air was alive with the smells of trees and flowers in bloom.

Kendall was a mutant, just like her mother and father. She had the ability to control the weather and an enhanced healing factor that rivaled her father’s. Days like these tend to make creatures of nature antsy.

Kendall pulled her ponytail down and let her silver, shoulder length hair hang. She stood up and opened a window, letting in a warm summer-like breeze that felt like a warm caress against her face. She took off her blazer, exposing a black spaghetti strap t-shirt. Her honey-colored shoulders shone in the bright sunlight. She adjusted her flared jeans and leaned out of the window.

A bell rang from inside the building and Kendall hung her head and sighed. She hated being indoors on days like these, plus being stuck inside this room all day wasn’t helping either. She liked seeing her old friends again, but making them pay attention to the lectures was an entirely different story. The excitement of the students, awaiting the beginning of summer vacation was beginning to grate on her nerves, and she had a notoriously short temper.

:::::Goddess, I need to get the hell out of here. Maybe I could get a quick flight in before the kids arrive. Yeah, I’ll buzz over the mansion and get back here, real quick like. No-one will even miss me.:::::

Kendall slipped off her shoes and perched herself on the windowsill. She was just about to summon a wind to carry herself away when a voice called out from behind her.

“I know that teaching is frustrating at times, but I hardly think it’s bad enough to hurl myself out of a two-story high window.”

“Damn it.” Kendall muttered as she climbed down from the windowsill. “Hey, Uncle Scooter.” She flashed him the best smile she could muster.

Scott Summers strode into the room. He had always been her second favorite uncle, right behind her uncle Remy. Kendall gave him a bear hug and he kissed her forehead. “I heard you were back, but I’ve been really busy today.”

“That’s alright. I just got back last night. I haven’t even unpacked yet.” Kendall sat behind her mother’s desk and Scott sat on top of it.

“I hope the kids aren’t giving you too much hell today.” He picked up one of the textbooks and flipped through it idly.

“No, not really. But I had to threaten to electrocute that Drake kid last period.” Kendall grumbled.

Scott laughed. “Yeah, someone should have warned you about him. I wouldn’t worry about that. The next class is less rowdy.”

“I hope so.” Kendall replied. She leaned back, folding her arms over her chest and crossing her legs at the ankle.

Scott looked at her and smiled. “You look just like your father when you pout.”

A few students came in and wandered to their seats. Scott stood up. “Well, I’ll leave you alone now, but do me a favor.”

Kendall eyed him, awaiting a statement.

“Just don’t fry anybody. Charred remains don’t have a very pleasant aroma.”

Kendall smiled and waved behind him. “Later, Scooter.”

Her gaze fell on the kids that had gotten to class so early. “History nerds, I presume.” She thought to herself.

A few minutes later, the rest of the room filled up and the final bell rang. Kendall quickly took roll and was about to begin her lecture when she took a good look at the class in front of her. They were squirming around, half-heartedly paying attention to her. It looked as if she wasn’t the only one suffering from cabin fever today.

:::::If I even attempted teaching them anything, it wouldn’t stick. I know that for a fact. Hell, a few of them might even fall asleep.::::: Kendall thought to herself. She would have just canceled class altogether, but the class had a final exam coming up and everything had to be covered.

“Hey guys.” She began. “Does your regular teacher ever teach outdoors on nice days.”

A few students shook their heads.

“Well then, it’s time for a change. I want all of you to meet me outside the greenhouse in five minutes.”

A hand went up. “Umm. Ms. Logan, how are we supposed to get way out to the greenhouse in five minutes.”

Kendall put both hands on her hips. “Ya’ll are mutants aren’t you. I know at least six of you can fly. Right” A few more heads shook. “Well, I think the rest of you kids can figure something out.” She waited for the class to slowly clear out, collected her notes, and took off out of the classroom window.


************************************************************

About forty-five minutes later, Kendall dismissed the class and they went their separate ways. She was sitting underneath one of the huge oak trees next to her mother’s greenhouse. Feeling a bit drowsy from all that history, Kendall crafted herself a makeshift pillow from books and her blazer. She laid down, crossed her legs at the ankles and folded her arms across her chest. She had just begun to drift off when yet another familiar voice roused her.

“Evenin’ chere.” Remy LeBeau’s southern drawl drifted into Kendall’s ears and she smiled instantly. He was he favorite uncle and her first love. She’d fallen for him when she was nine years old and she still had a soft spot for him in her heart. “Mind if I join you?”

“Nope. Won’t bother me at all.” Kendall slid over a little and made room in the shade for her uncle.

“So, you found your way back to your old tree, non?”

Kendall grinned slightly. “So I did.” His statement didn’t really sink in for a few moments, then it hit her. This was her tree. She had memories of climbing to new heights before her powers developed, of lounging on a branch watching her mother working inside the greenhouse. Hell, she even remembered the time she fell out of the tree and broke her arm.

“This really is my tree, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, chere. Ever since you were a little bitty ‘ting.” Remy poked her in the side. “Do you ‘member when your folks started teaching you how to fly? You daddy was standin’ right about ‘dere while you climbed ‘dis tree and scooted out to ‘de end of a branch. Stormy was trying to explain how it worked an’ you were just hangin’ on for dear life. It was just about ‘de funniest ‘ting I ever saw.”

Kendall laughed. “I remember. Then I jumped out of the tree and Dad caught me every time.” She smiled at the memory. “Hey, how in the hell do you know, you weren’t there.”

Remy grinned at her. “Remy was always around, chere. You were too young to notice, I guess.”

Kendall felt her cheeks starting to get warmer and desperately wanted to change the subject. “So, what’s been goin’ on around here since December.”

Remy laid down and mimicked his niece. “Nothing much really. Hank proposed to Cecilia in March and everyone round here’s been helpin’ with ‘de arrangements.”

“That’s nice.” Kendall replied sleepily.

Remy tried to question her a little more. “How do you like teaching?”

Kendall yawned. “I could honestly live without it.”

Remy glanced over at his niece. “Does old Remy bore you, chere?”

Kendall was practically talking in her sleep. “I just find your voice incredibly soothing.”

Remy kissed her forehead. “I’ll wake you before dinner, chere.” He got up and walked toward the house.

************************************************************



Kendall’s images of sunset over the Canadian Rockies were shaken from her mind as someone was rocking her gently. Then she heard her father’s voice.

“Come on, wake up kid.” Logan’s rough voice brought her back to reality. “Your mother’s gonna have a fit if you miss dinner.”

Kendall sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “When did you get back?” She asked groggily.

Logan helped his daughter up and she dusted herself off. “About an hour ago. She was looking for you and the Cajun just told us where you were.” He picked up her things and carried them as they began to walk back toward the mansion.

Logan and Kendall had a strong relationship. He was her protector and personal super-hero. She looked up to him in every way. Logan had personally taught Kendall every self-defense move and Martial Art he knew ever since she was three. Kendall was closer to him than her mother and everyone knew it. They hardly had the time to get together since she went away to college, but it didn’t seem to affect them very much.

They walked up to the mansion in relative silence. Words weren’t necessary. Logan wasn’t much of a talker and Kendall never tried to force conversation.

Upon reaching the back door, Kendall opened the door and her nose was assaulted by the smell of roasted chicken.

“Kenny, I’ll put these upstairs for ya. You go grab some grub before there ain’t any more left.” Logan started up the back staircase but Kendall stopped him.

“Thanks, daddy.” Kendall kissed her father’s cheek and watched him climb the stairs.

“Kendall, how were your classes today.” Ororo’s voice surprised her as she make her way into the dining room.

“Just fine.” Kendall hugged her mother and sat down next to her at the table. “So what’s this new guy like?”

Ororo drank some water and cleared her throat. “You’ll find out soon enough, child.”

Kendall snorted quietly. “Mother, could you please stop calling me that. I’m not a child anymore.”

Ororo looked at Kendall with at smile. “You’ll always be my child.”

To some extent, Kendall was aggravated with her mother’s response, but it made sense. She was the baby of the house, always had been. None of the other couples around the mansion ever had any children. That’s why she loved her solitude so much. A person can get used to entertaining themselves if they have to do it for almost twenty years.

Kendall got up and retrieved some food from the kitchen. As she came back to the table, she noticed that, for the first time in a long time, her whole family was there. Her mother was talking to her father, whom had just come back downstairs. Her Aunt Rogue was semi-arguing with Remy, with her Aunt Jean playing referee. Uncle Scooter was talking to Charles at the head of the table. Uncle Hank and Cecilia were at the other end of the table with Aunt Betsy and Uncle Warren.

“I would like to propose a toast.” Charles Xavier’s strong voice rose above the din. Everyone quieted down and awaited the rest of Charles’ speech.

“In honor of my Granddaughter’s return..” He turned to her. “May I be the first to officially welcome home, Ms. Kendall Logan.”

Various shouts of “welcome home” and “congratulations” went up and Kendall blushed slightly. “Thanks, Everybody.”

:::::Yeah, I’m finally home.:::::

Chapter 2

After dinner and the following clean-up, Kendall retired to her attic bedroom. The attic was formally occupied by her parents, but they gave it to her for her seventeenth birthday. Logan and the other male x-men had built a log cabin out in the woods, not too far away from the mansion. Her parents now lived out there, giving Kendall the space she wanted.

The attic had always been her sanctuary. Ever since she was little, Kendall could come up here and be herself. Not just the smart, well- behaved, weather witch in training that everyone else expected her to be. Even while her parents still lived in it, the attic was her escape. It was large enough for her to amuse herself for hours, poking her nose into every crack and corner. Her mother would try to keep her out of the darker places, but her father liked to let her explore.

Kendall got into all sorts of mischief when she was younger, but after her powers developed, control became the most important word in her vocabulary. If she lost it for a second, a lot of damage could occur. Her abilities were linked to her emotions, she trained herself to show as little emotion as possible in public. In the attic, she could scream, cry, laugh, and just plain old jump up and down whenever she wanted, without causing too much of an atmospheric disturbance.

Kendall entered her room and flopped down on the bed. She stared up through the skylight and admired the stars. The full moon shone through the skylight, throwing light on and around her bed. The rest of the room was still dark.

"It smells like old coats up here." Kendall thought to herself.

She got up and went over to a small table and lit several candles. The largest of which was sandalwood scented, and her favorite. Kendall picked it up and used it to light more candles scattered around the attic. Her task completed, she placed the sandalwood candle in its original place and stood in the center of the room. She looked around and smiled contentedly.

"Now we need some music."

Music was Kendall's obsession. She loved all kinds of music, but Jazz was her personal favorite. It could calm her down when she felt like electrocuting someone and hype her up for her morning workouts. Kendall could play the piano herself and had even won a scholarship in an amateur competition.

She stood in front of her stereo and pressed a few buttons. The sound of John Coltrane's Tenor Saxophone started to pour out of the speakers. Kendall wrapped her arms around herself and slow danced around the room. Kendall remembered a few times when she would dance with her father when she was little. He liked John Coltrane and he made sure that his little girl did too. She swayed and twisted to the music, silently wishing for a partner. Kendall closed her eyes and found herself in front of her dresser.

She sat down and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair hung around her face, looking slightly disheveled. Her blue eyes were slightly slanted upward. She smiled just enough to check out her teeth and ran her tongue over her canines.

Kendall was a little self-conscious about her teeth. She thought they looked strange compared to the rest of her face. Remy liked to tease her about looking like a Cheshire cat when she was up to something. He usually got punched shortly afterwards. Kendall reached behind her neck and removed her black choker. It had one of her mother's old lightning bolt earrings hanging from it. It was a Christmas gift from her Uncle Remy. Kendall loved it so much that she rarely took it off.

She put the choker down and ran her hands through her hair. It only reached her shoulders, but at one point a few years ago, it went down to her knees. Kendall had it cut when she started college and her mother had nearly had a heart attack. Kendall explained that she enjoyed having the extra weight off of her neck, but she honestly didn't care what anyone thought about it.

She absently played with her hair as she looked at the few pictures that she liked enough to have in frames on her dresser. The first one that grabbed her attention was a picture of her biological grandparents, David and N'Dare Munroe. The were standing in front of a large tree, somewhere on the Kenyan savanna. The picture itself was in a white frame. Kendall had never met her grandparents, but her mother had supplied her with hours of stories from before they were killed.

The picture in the gold frame was lying face down. Kendall picked it up and frowned slightly. Inside the frame was a picture of her parents, coming down the Blackbird's ramp after one of their missions. Logan looked a little more exhausted than usual, but physically, he was fine. Ororo had her arm around his shoulders and was limping out of the plane. She had a bandage around her right ankle and looked like she was in a lot of pain. Kendall's frown deepened as she recalled the story behind the picture. Logan had offered to carry Ororo to the infirmary, but she refused and insisted on getting there herself. She had gotten about three steps and almost fell over. Logan rushed to her side and helped her as much as she let him. Kendall had no idea how she got this picture, but she loved it just the same. She admired her parents love and respect for each other. Her father didn't want his wife in too much pain, but loved her enough to let her do things her way. Kendall smiled again place the picture back in its original position.

The next photo was rather silly and Kendall had to stifle a laugh just to look at it. It was a pic of herself , Jubilee, and Lucas Bishop that was taken at one of the many holiday parties that happened at the mansion. Warren had snuck the trio a bottle of wine and Jubilee and Bishop had proceeded to get falling down drunk. Kendall couldn't get more that a warm feeling in her forehead before her healing factor kicked in. She sat between the two and both Jubes and Bishop had kissed her on her cheeks.

Kendall sighed and fondly stroked the red frame. Jubes and Bishop were the only real friends she'd made in the whole time she was in high school. They'd all graduated together and went their separate ways afterwards. Jubilee had returned to California to attend some college out there. She and Kendall stayed in contact with one another via e-mail.

Bishop decided to travel the country and see what was out there. Kendall hadn't really heard from Bishop since the beginning of the school year and she was worried that something had happened to him.

The last framed picture Kendall owned was turned around to face the mirror. The black frame was covered with dust and Kendall turned it around. She felt her heart rate picked up a little while she dusted off the frame. It was a picture of herself and Bishop the day after graduation, when they were presented with their X-Men uniforms. They were trying them on and had posed for the picture afterwards. Kendall's was comprised of knee-high boots and tight leather pants. She had an equally tight black leather halter top that connected behind her neck. A pair of long leather gloves with adamantium bracelets were on her arms. Bishop wore a leather jumpsuit, much like her father's that showed off his beautifully toned body. Kendall remembered using all of the self-restraint to keep from ogling her friend.

Kendall didn't want to admit it to anyone else, but she had a huge crush on Lucas Bishop. He was about 6'2'', and was around 250 pounds of pure chocolate muscle. His blue-black hair was twisted into long dreadlocks. Bishop was the only student that could give Kendall a decent sparing match. He'd even beat her a few times. They were academic rivals and graduated numbers one and two in their class. Probably the best part of the entire package was that her father didn't hate him, as far as Kendall could tell.

A strong wind rattled the windows and Kendall felt the mansion shift from the force. Kendall sighed heavily and stood up.

"I'd better find some cold water before my repressed libido causes a tornado."

She stretched her arms over her head and jogged in place for a second or two. She started to head toward the small bathroom area of the attic, but paused mid-stride. It had gotten pretty late and chances were that no-one would be wandering around the grounds at this time of night.

"A quick dip in the lake would do me some good."

Kendall went to her closet and pulled out a deep purple, terry-cloth robe. She tossed it over her shoulder and walked over to the stereo and put her CD on repeat. Quickly, she walked over to the window and pushed it open wide. A strong wind rushed into the room. It extinguished some of the candles and Kendall mentally directed the breeze to put out the rest. She kicked off her shoes and stepped out onto the roof.

Chapter 3

///////=flashback

::::::=Talking in the mind

Kendall flew just above the forest’s tree line, carefully avoiding the taller ones. The late evening winds pushing her along toward her destination. Suddenly, she felt the urge to take in her surroundings. Kendall stopped, aloft in mid-air and looked around. The mansion stood proudly in the distance, just above the trees. She could see the windows on the third floor, some dark, some still pouring out light. Kendall turned back around and noticed a small plume of smoke coming from the direction of her parents’ cabin. If she strained a little more, she could even make out the rest of the town of Salem Center. It reminded her of the medieval kingdoms she’d talked about earlier today. The peasants homes and small businesses surrounding the Lord’s Castle.
Kendall flew on and found herself hovering over a large lake. She lowered herself to the ground and stretched her arms over her head. The Lake was at least thirty feet deep at its center and a quarter mile long, surrounded by dense trees. It was a pretty good distance away from the mansion and anyone who didn’t know better wouldn’t have known it existed. Hardly anyone ever came out there, making it as good a place as any to run around naked if you didn’t want to be disturbed.
Kendall finished her warm-ups and took off her clothes. She threw them and her robe over one of the lower tree branches. She was about to take a running leap into the water when an even better idea crossed her mind.

///////Kendall was about fifteen and had just gotten the hang of controlling the winds and was zooming around the grounds. Her parents had told her not to fly that fast, that close to the ground. She would have to go way up high if she wanted to cause any outrageous windstorms. Kendall didn’t like that idea too much, so she snuck out to the woods at night and buzzed around the trees.
One steamy October evening, Kendall had been out particularly late and had worked up one hell of a sweat. She needed to cool off some before returning to the mansion and decided to have a quick dip in the lake. Kendall used hurricane-forced winds to propel herself into the air before beginning her decent.

“This had got to be some sort of world record” she thought to herself.

At that particular moment, her father was out in the woods looking for her. He’d been looking around the house for almost an hour when he’d scared his daughter’s whereabouts out of Jubilee . Now he’d stalked his way out to the lake and he inhaled sharply. Logan twisted his features into a menacing snarl and looked upward. Kendall was about 300 yards away from the water’s surface when she heard her father roar.

“KENNNDALLLLL!!!!”

Kendall’s concentration was lost and so was her control. She screamed as she plummeted into the water. She didn’t come to the back to the surface for almost a full minute and when she did, she only poked her head, up to the nose, out of the water. Logan stood there, arms folded, non-verbally scolding his daughter. Speeches weren’t his deal, search and retrieval, that’s where he came in. Her mother would deal with her.

“Indoors. Now.”///////

“Nobody around to tell me not to now, is there?” Kendall smiled evilly to herself and took off.


************************************************************

Clinton Barton Jr. had thought he’d been lost before. In his own mind, he’d been lost thousands of times, but nothing he’d ever experienced before came even close to the forest behind Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. The labyrinth of trees had held Clinton captive for nearly an hour and he was beginning to get frustrated.

“All I wanted was a god-damned walk, not a fucking quest into the unknown.”

Clint had come to Xavier’s simply because it was where almost every super hero he’d ever met got their start. He was a mutant by definition, but not like most of them. His abilities had been present at birth, instead of manifesting during puberty. Clinton had inherited his powers from his parents, She-hulk and Hawkeye, which included super strength, telescopic vision, and not to mention, green skin and hair.
Clint’s had been a spoiled little rich boy since the very beginning. He got anything he wanted, whenever he wanted and didn’t give a damn about anyone else. Clint was under the assumption that he was quite possibly the best thing since to happen to the world since disco went out of style and had no problems telling anyone about it, whether they cared to know about it or not. In his own mind, Clinton was the sexiest, most thought provoking, and most intelligent person on this side of the planet. But at this particular moment, he wasn’t proving to be any of those. Going around the only tree he thought he’d recognized for the millionth time and grumbling to himself like a child.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind knocked him over, sending him crashing to the ground.

“God damned wind!” he yelled.

He sat up and began brushing the grass and dirt away from his body when a glimmer of light caught his attention. Clint stood up and walked toward what discovered to be a lake. He walked around a tree and noticed several items of clothing thrown into its branches. Clint made a quick circle where he stood, looking for the young lady that had somehow misplaced her clothes. Finding nobody around, he made his way toward the lake. The water was making small waves against the bank and looked very inviting.

“Aww, what the hell. It might calm me down a bit.” Clinton shrugged and looked around again making sure that he was alone. Then he stripped down to his boxers and slowly waded into the water. Once his body had adjusted to the temperature, he began bobbing beneath the surface, testing his lung capacity. After about twenty-five seconds, Clint returned to the surface. He shook the hair and water out of his eyes, just in time to see a streak of silvery-white drop into the middle of the lake with a huge splash.

“What in the holy hell was that?” Clint rushed back to the shore and scanned the water’s surface. There was no sign of …whatever it was aside from the water rushing into its original position. He was just about to chalk the whole thing up to exhaustion when a white-haired woman broke the water’s surface. Clint’s mouth hung open for a second when he got a good look at her. She was smoothing hair back against her head and laughing loudly. To the best he could tell she was almond skinned and relatively young. The woman then began to float on the water’s surface and Clint fought hard to suppress the sudden tightness in his boxers. She had a wide grin and a perfectly content look on her face as she pumped her legs and began to come in his direction.

Clinton’s mind was racing as he slowly got off the ground. “Holy shit, what do I do? I don’t think she’s seen me yet, maybe I can get back to the trees before…”

A startled gasp reached his ears and suddenly the wind picked up. Clint turned around and noticed that the mystery woman was gone without a trace. Out of nowhere and small thunderhead appeared just above his head, black and full of energy. Hail and freezing rain began to assault his skin and he, once again, fell to the ground. Clinton tried to get up but the hail just got thicker and harder. Just when he thought that it was all over, her heard a strong, female voice.

“I don’t know who you are or what the hell you’re doing out here, but you’ve got five seconds to explain yourself or you’re a dead man.” Thunder boomed from inside the cloud above his head.



************************************************************

Kendall wasn’t mad, she was royally pissed. Here she was, out here, minding her own business, having a great time in the water, then some big, green pervert has to come along and ruin her good mood. The nerve of him just sitting there in his underwear, ogling her like there’s no tomorrow. True, she didn’t really mind the fact that he’d seen her nude, it was just that he’d invaded her privacy. In fact she was hovering just above him right now, totally naked, creating this small maelstrom that was pummeling him silly.
Just then, she noticed that he was trying to say something. Kendall let the storm ease up a little and stuck her head through the cloud that she’d created for herself.

“What was that you were saying?” She inquired.

The green stranger stared up at her in total horror. He was trying to speak, but she still couldn’t make it out. Kendall rolled her milky eyes and let the storm dissipate totally. She stood between his splayed open legs with her hands on her hips, drumming her fingers impatiently. He just continued to stare at her.

“I’m listening.” Kendall stated angrily, her blue eyes blazing.

He stammered over several words until he was finally able to speak again. “I…I.. I’m really sorry miss. I didn’t know anyone else was out here. I got lost in the woods and found the lake and decided to go for a swim. I really didn’t know, honestly, I didn’t.”

Kendall curled her upper lip into a snarl not unlike her father’s “And that still doesn’t explain who you are.” The black cloud began to reform itself just over Kendall’s head.

::::::I believe I can explain that.::::: Charles Xavier’s voice rang though Kendall’s mind.
::::::Kendall, I would like for both of you to collect yourselves and please come to my office. I will clarify everything.:::::

:::::Yes, sir.::::: Kendall reluctantly answered. She extended a hand to the green stranger and helped him to his feet. Then she walked over to the tree and put on her robe. The man looked at her with a look of complete confusion.

“What was that all about?” He asked impatiently. Kendall tossed him his pants.

“You aren’t allowed to say another word until we get to where we’re going. Is that clear?” Thunder boomed from the cloud just above the stranger.

He shook his head in agreement. Kendall turned on her heel and quickly began the long walk back to the mansion as the thunderhead disappeared from the sky.

Chapter 4

::::::Talking in the mind::::::


The walk to Xavier’s office didn’t relax Kendall’s nerves much. Just the sound of the big, green idiot walking behind her pissed her off more and even though she wasn’t cold, Kendall kept her arms wrapped around herself to keep from punching him in the chest. She purposely walked through the more dense part of the forest and let several of the lower branches smack the “supposedly” lost man behind her.

“You are so damn lucky that Chuck broke in when he did. You have no fucking clue.”

The winds picked up as Kendall’s mind began to wander again. She reminded herself of the look on the green idiot’s face when she poked her head through her cloud. Kendall grinned at the thought while she heard the man behind her stumbling through the underbrush that she’d easily avoided.

“He’s a big one, isn’t he?” Kendall mused silently. She let his physical appearance drift into the front of her mind. The idiot was at least 6’8” and had a very well-developed chest with broad shoulders. As far as Kendall could tell, his eyes were green too. She glanced behind her to make sure that he was keeping up. Sure enough, he was trudging along and had been staring at her back the entire time. His wet hair hung around his face and Kendall had to refocus her energy on walking to keep from drowning in the sight of him.

************************************************************
Clint stalked behind the woman as quietly as he could, but due to his large frame, that was proving to be a challenge. Every so often, he would hear the lady leading him grumble to herself and he’d have to stay alert because of the branches that were stinging his stomach.

He rubbed his bruised mid-section as they cleared the trees and approached the mansion. Once in better lighting, Clint got a better look at the rather aggressive woman in front of him. Her hair was slicked back and tucked behind her ears. She had her robe tightly wrapped around her body. It only reached her knees and exposed well-toned calves and small, shoeless feet. From what he could recall in the midst of his terror, she had a body any man would kill or be killed for. Clint laughed to himself. If he’d run across her in any other situation, he’d probably try to pick her up. Clint shook his head. Now really wasn’t the best time to start having erotic thoughts of a woman who had just tried to kill him.

************************************************************

They reached the back door and Kendall tried the knob.

“If you wanted me to bring him indoors, you could’ve at least unlocked the damn door” She thought to herself. “Well, I know I don’t have my keys, but I‘ve got the next best thing.”
Kendall reached into her pocket and revealed a large hair pin. She placed it into the lock and fiddled with it for a few moments. Quickly, she tried the knob again and the door swung open. Kendall replaced the hairpin in her pocket and stepped into the house. She’d gotten in a few steps when another thought crossed her mind. She turned on her heel and glared at the green idiot, who had just entered the house.

“You didn’t just see what you just saw. Alright?” The green idiot nodded and they proceeded onward. Kendall been told not to break into the house before, but at the moment, she really didn’t have a choice. Seeing as how she didn’t have the patience left for yet another lecture tonight, Kendall decided to keep this one as quiet as possible.

************************************************************

She let him through the expansive kitchen, past a huge staircase and down a long hallway. There were pictures hanging on the walls, blown-up photographs of the past teams of X-Men. Clint looked at each of them as he walked past and noticed a few people that he recognized. Several of them being people that he’d seen around, including the white-haired woman and her husband that had delivered him from the airport. Clint noticed that some other people, who were currently members of the Avengers, seemed to have spent some time at the institute, including his own father.

He kept walking and admiring the photos until one of the earlier ones caught his attention. It was a group photo from about twenty years ago.

“The roster hasn’t changed much over the years.” Clint said to himself. Upon closer inspection, Clint spotted a white-haired little girl, cradled in the arms of the man he only knew as Logan.
A shrill whistle reached his ears. The girl, now years older, was beckoning him in her direction. Clint quickly glanced at the child in the picture and made his way toward the young woman, who was now standing in front of a set of double doors.

************************************************************
Kendall watched he traipsed toward her. The jolly green bastard still hadn’t replaced his shirt and the lights and shadows in the hall were dancing across his muscles. Kendall swallowed hard, but quickly regained her composure.

When he’d gotten close enough, Kendall opened one of the doors and stalked into the huge office. There were books everywhere, on shelves and stacked around the room. More books and magazines, mostly old medical journals, were piled on the desk. There was also a computer and a small reading lamp. In the middle of all the clutter, with an amused look on his face, sat Charles Xavier.

Charles was an old man. He’d been old for as long as Kendall had known him, ranging from newly old to very old, which is where he was now.

“He’s got to be pushing 80 by now.” Kendall thought.

:::::::Actually, I’m only 78, but close enough.::::::: Charles’ voice rang through Kendall’s mind. She shook her head and tried to get rid of the strange sensation of having a telepath inside your head.

:::::::Never could get used to that.::::::: Kendall replied.

Charles smiled at his granddaughter and removed his glasses. He calmly leaned back in his wheelchair and put his folded hands in his lap.

“Please, have a seat.” He began.

‘Thanks, but I’d rather stand.” Kendall replied flatly. Clinton took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Charles’ desk. Charles nodded and continued.

“Clinton, this is Kendall Logan. A lifelong resident and mutant in good standing.” Charles chuckled.

Kendall interrupted. “Sorry to bust your bubble, Chuck, but I’m afraid he’s already had the pleasure. She glared at Clint and he turned a deeper shade of green.

“I told you that was an accident.” He protested. Kendall growled at him and Charles laughed again.

“Yes, I understand that you’ve already “sampled” some of her abilities.” Kendall folded her arms and Clint sunk a little lower in his seat.

Charles continued. “At any rate, Kendall, this is Clinton Barton Jr.” He nodded in Clint’s direction. “He’s going to be spending some time here with us.”

“Well, isn’t that lovely.” She sneered. “May I ask why?”

“I believe he’s here to hone his skills and use them in the service of mankind. Much like many others. Charles replied.

“Couldn’t he hone his skills at Moira’s” Kendall said coldly.

“Yes, but I’m afraid she’s already has her hands full and she doesn’t have the proper facilities to tend to Clinton’s abilities.”

Kendall started pacing and Charles followed her with his eyes. The man had a point. Xavier’s institute for Gifted Youngsters was probably the best equipped and most diversely staffed mutant academy she could think of.

“If combat training was what he wanted, then that was what he was going to get.” Kendall though, allowing a small grin to cross her lips.

“What abilities?” She asked, pretending to care.

“Clinton, here, has amazing strength and agility, along with telescopic vision and near flawless physical invulnerability.” Charles answered. “I, for one, believe that he will make and excellent addition to the team.”

Kendall locked eyes with Charles. “What team. Not the X-Men.” She exclaimed. Kendall had learned to pay very close attention to what exactly was being said and exactly what wasn’t after living with thieves and telepaths for so many years.

“Eventually, yes.” Charles calmly replied. “But for now I’ve decided to form a sort of a junior team of X-men. Mostly used for back-up and smaller missions.” Kendall’s eyes widened as Charles continued. “As I’m sure you already know, the current X-men are getting older and can’t perform as they used to . I believe that we should start training replacements as soon as possible.”

“But isn’t that what you were doing anyway?” Kendall asked.

“Sort of” Charles answered. “But, as you know, most of our graduates just want to return to a normal life, or as normal a life as they can have.”

Clint yawned widely and Charles did as well. “You’ve had a long day. Why don’t you get some rest.” Clint nodded. “I trust that you can find you own way to your room.” He nodded again and started toward the door. “Oh, and Clinton.” Charles added. “Try not to wake anyone, will you please?” Clinton laughed shortly and left.

Kendall stopped pacing and sat in Clint’s chair, crossing her legs. “So.” She started. “Who’d you have in mind?”

“Whomever wishes to remain here after graduation.” Charles replied. “Along with a few recent graduates willing to help out.”

Kendall lifted an eyebrow. “Recent graduates, as in…?”

Charles picked up one of the larger medical books in front of him and wheeled toward one of the shelves. “I don’t have very many conformations yet, but I know that one Ms. Lee and a Mr. Bishop have already signed on.”

Kendall’s heart skipped a beat. “Really?” She asked nonchalantly. “And when will they be arriving.” Charles turned back towards her.

“Lucas will be making an appearance sometime tomorrow afternoon, so he says. Jubilee’s flight won’t get in until 8 p.m. and I’m fairly certain that she’ll need a ride.”

Kendall smiled brightly and stood up. “I’ll take care of it.” She stated.

“I knew you would.” Charles replied. No sooner than he had finished his sentence, Kendall yawned deeply and cracked her back.

“Now you should get some sleep too, young lady. You don’t want your friends to see you in such an aggravated state.” Charles joked.

“It wouldn’t be the first time.” Kendall replied. She walked over to Charles and kissed the top of his bald head.

“Good night, Papa Charlie.” She said.

“Same to you, dear.” He replied.

Kendall walked to the door and Charles stopped her. “Kendall.” He said. She turned and looked at him.

“You should smile more often. It suits you.”

Kendall smiled again and left the room. Closing the door behind her, she proceeded toward the grand staircase in the parlor. The large grandfather clock sounded twice and Kendall sighed. She relinquished her hold on the front of her robe and exposed herself to the cooler air of the mansion. Shakily, she ran a hand through her damp, disheveled locks and sighed.

“Jubes would have a fit if she saw my hair like this.”

Jubilee was what Kendall liked to call a “girly girl”. She didn’t like physical training or even sweating too much. Jubilee spent almost all of her free time and money at the mall, Splurging on the newest trends in fashion and her credit card bills often showed her impulsiveness. Somehow, Kendall usually got dragged into these little excursions and did all she could to keep Jubilee out of debt.

Jubilee made sure that Kendall dressed like a beautiful young lady instead of a “damn lumberjack”. Jubilee would attack Kendall’s clothes and make what she referred to as “tasteful alterations”. Sometimes, Kendall would find one of her pairs of jeans cut off way above the knees. Other times, when Kendall would be wearing one of her father’s old flannel shirts, jubes would come along, undo a few buttons and make a belly shirt out of it. At one point, Kendall had to put a lock on her closet to keep Jubilee away from her clothes.

“Your body’s too gorgeous to keep it locked up under all those clothes.” Jubilee would say.

“It’s not always locked up.” Kendall would protest. “Sometimes I’m totally naked.”

As much as Kendall didn’t like being treated like a Barbie doll, she usually went along with it. Hell, It wasn’t as if she hadn’t talked Jubes into a thing or two herself.

“Some quick French braids should be good enough.” Kendall thought to herself. She had just started to make her way up the stairs when a very drunk Remy LeBeau stumbled through the front door.

“Good morning, ma belle” he exclaimed, waving an empty bottle of Remy Martin in her direction.

Chapter 5


Remy took a long swig from his empty liquor bottle and stumbled through the door, leaving it wide open. Kendall closed her robe and returned to the foot of the staircase.

“Stormy, what ‘chu doin’ up so late.” His accent coming out harsh and mangled due to his drunkenness. Kendall rolled her eyes at his use of her mother’s nickname. Remy tried to walk over to the stairs, but only got halfway before falling over, breaking the bottle in his hand.

“Damnit.” He slurred. “I wasn’t finished wit dat.” Remy tried to get up but wasn’t doing a very good job of it. Kendall helped him to his feet and she threw his arm around her shoulder. This wasn’t the first time he’d come home in this condition, but it was the first time that Kendall had to deal with him.

“Come on, Uncle Remy. Let’s get you to bed.” Kendall, avoiding the broken glass, managed to get Remy to the foot of the stairs.

“Stormy, when’d chu cut your hair?” Kendall grinned a little.

“I’m not your Stormy, Remy, I’m Kendall.” She protested. Remy removed his arm from Kendall’s shoulders and took her face in his hands. His red on black eyes scanned her face. He was slightly breathing through his mouth and Kendall could smell the strong liquor on his breath. She fought down the electric sensations that were shooting around her body while Remy tried to recognize her. After what seemed like an eternity, Remy smiled at her and pinched her cheek.

“Stormy, chu can’t pull anyting on old Remy.”

Kendall broke free of his grasp and put his arm back over her shoulders. She blew a strand of hair away from her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows. Remy’s room was somewhere on the third floor and there were a lot of stairs between there and where they were.

“Okay now, up the stairs we go.” Kendall guided Remy up about three stairs when he started talking .

“Stormy, honey, stairs are overrated.” Remy was waving his free arm and was leaning his entire weight on Kendall. She stumbled and they both ended up on the floor again. Remy landed roughly on Kendall’s ankle and she felt something snap. Remy laughed roughly as Kendall winced in pain.

“Take it easy, Stormy, Remy’s not young as he used ta be.” He laughed again and Kendall appraised her injured ankle. She definitely felt a fracture and held her leg as straight as she could while the bone healed itself. By the time Kendall got back on her feet, Remy had gotten up a few more steps than before and was singing a some in his mangled French accent. He was nearly up the first flight when he somehow missed the last stair and ended up back where he started from.

Kendall rushed to his side as Remy swore loudly in French. She removed his long brown duster and checked him for injuries. Remy had a large bruise forming on his chest and a bump on his left arm. Kendall was starting to get annoyed. The only thing keeping her from leaving her uncle on a heap on the floor was the fact that she felt sorry for him.

“Alright you.” Kendall said. She helped him off the floor and decided that the stairs were no longer an option. Kendall replaced his arm around her and took Remy to the Rec. Room, carrying his duster under her arm.
Upon reaching her destination, Kendall sat her uncle on the couch and tossed his jacket onto his lap.

“You stay here while I get you some ice, okay?” Kendall shook her finger in her uncle’s face.

Remy half-heartedly saluted. “Okay, Stormy.”

Kendall nodded and took off toward the kitchen. She ran a hand through her hair and tried to think. “What in the world was he out for tonight?” She wondered. “He only does this when something’s really bothering him.” Kendall reached the kitchen and opened the freezer. She prodded around for a minute and removed a tray of ice. “He’s getting too old to run around like a drunk at all times of night.” Looking around, Kendall found a large dishtowel and dumped the ice into it. She twisted the towel around the ice and returned to the Rec. Room.

“Back so soon?” Remy mumbled from the couch.

“Yeah, I…” Kendall was speechless. Remy had somehow removed his shirt and now sat on the couch examining his bruise. His auburn, yet gray-streaked, hair hung loosely around his shoulders. Even though he was getting on in years, Remy LeBeau was still quite striking. Kendall took a deep breath and sat at the end of the couch. She crossed her legs and put one of the pillows on her lap. She patted the pillow gently and Remy took the hint. He laid his head on Kendall’s lap and she put the ice pack on his bruise. He groaned at the coldness and coughed. Kendall held the ice pack in place for a while and just watched her uncle breathe.

“Stormy, Women are evil.” Remy moaned. “All o’ them, poison to da man’s soul.”

“Really?” Kendall replied, slightly offended.

Remy continued. “Dey temp chu and tease chu, but you can’t have dem. A man give so much o’ himself until she decide dat she done wit this. Then she thro’ you out like garbage and laugh in yo’ face.”

“Is that so?” Kendall started to get an impression as to what inspired this round of drinking.

“But you not like dat, Stormy.” Remy muttered. “You not evil, like ‘dose others. You sweet ‘n pretty ‘n caring ‘n everyting. Kendall unconsciously started to wind her fingers in Remy’s wild hair as he continued. “De Wolverine is a lucky man to ‘ave a good woman like you. I don’ tink he knows ‘dat.”

“I’m fairly certain that he does.” Kendall answered. Remy took Kendall’s free hand and put it against his chest. He then let his arm fall and it found Kendall’s bare calf.

“Dat little girl o’ yours is a good one too.” He groaned. “You and de wolverine did good wit her. She’s gonna be quite de heartbreaker someday, Stormy. Why, if I was twenty years younger I’d………” Remy yawned deeply.

Kendall smiled, but didn’t respond. She felt his hard chest muscles rising and falling with his breathing and was trying to ignore the way his fingers were tracing crooked circles on her leg.

“Goddess, was he always this touchy with my mother?” She thought.

“Stormy, sing t’ me like you used ta.” Remy asked. Kendall had no idea what he was talking about. She knew her mother liked to sing to those she loved, but apparently she used her voice to soothe her drunken associates to sleep. The only song that Kendall could think of was the lullaby that her mother used to sing to her as a child.

Kendall sang softly and gently massaged the top of Remy’s head. She would’ve translated the tune to English, but she was too tired. Remy’s body relaxed more and he quickly fell into a deep sleep. After a while, Kendall stopped singing and hummed quietly. She looked into Remy’s face. He was definitely becoming an older man. His hair had gray stripes. A few wrinkles had developed in the corner’s of his mouth and eyes. Kendall noticed that her uncle’s hands seemed to be ten years older than the rest of him. They had all sorts of old scars and scratches, most likely from living off of what he could get his hands on for so long.

Kendall yawned again and placed Remy’s hand on his chest. She then realized that getting up without disturbing him wasn’t going to happen. Giving up, Kendall propped her head on her arm and let her uncle’s labored breathing calm herself to sleep.



************************************************************


The early morning sunlight streamed into the Rec. Room and roused Kendall. She still had the pillow on her lap, but her uncle was nowhere to be found. Kendall stretched her arms over her head and stood up.

“It can’t be later that six.” She thought. Kendall’s stomach growled and she rubbed it while walking toward the kitchen. The sound of her parent’s voices fully awakened her and she rubbed her eyes. Kendall entered the kitchen and sat at the table, next to her father. Ororo turned around from the cabinets and greeted her daughter.

“Good morning, dear.” Ororo chimed.

“Morning.” Kendall replied shortly. Logan eyed his little girl warily.

“Doesn’t look like you had a great night.” He joked. Kendall nodded slowly and laid her head on the table. “I was babysitting Remy last night.” She mumbled.

Ororo joined her husband and daughter at the table and slid Kendall a cup of coffee. “We know.” she replied. Remy was in here making coffee and swore he just left me in the other room.” Logan chuckled and Kendall drank some of the steaming coffee. It was sweet and full of milk. Mothers always seem to know just what you need.

Logan fingered his daughter’s damp hair. “So, what else happened last night?” He questioned. Kendall just looked at her parents for a moment. There was no use in lying to them, her mother could tell when she lied. Her father could smell them coming from two miles away. Kendall was pretty sure they already knew about the incident at the lake and they were just toying with her.

“I went swimming in the lake.” She replied.

“What do you think of Clint?” Ororo asked. Kendall shook her head and swallowed more coffee.

Ororo nodded and drank some of her water. Logan got the signal and changed the subject. “What’s the plan for today, mistress?”

Kendall drank more coffee and though for a while. “Well, first off I’d like to put on some clothes. After that I don’t really know. This evening, I have to pick up Jubes from the airport.”

“Well, that’s sounds like fun, you two going out tonight?” Ororo asked.

“I don’t know” Kendall replied. “Depends on what Bishop wants to do.”

Logan lifted an eyebrow as Ororo continued her questioning. “Bishop’s flying in too.”

Kendall shook her head again. “Chuck said that he’d show up around here sometime today.”

Ororo fingered one of her daughter’s twisted locks. “Do you want me to braid your hair for you?” She asked. Even though Kendall could do it herself, she enjoyed it more when her mother did her hair.

“Probably, but it’s going to have to wait until after lunch.” Kendall grinned. She finished her coffee and some of it dribbled down her chin. She wiped it away with her sleeve while her father smiled and her mother cringed a little. Suddenly, Logan turned his head toward the door. He turned around again.

“It’s gonna get crowded in here pretty soon. You two wanna cut out?” He asked.

Kendall stood up. “Yeah, I need a few hours in my own bed before I can face the public again.” She put her mug in the sink and hugged her parents. Kendall went past the table and grabbed and apple as she left the room.

Ororo took her daughter’s place next to her husband. “She’s definitely your child.” She said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He replied.

“She had no reason to frighten Clint like that.” Ororo continued. “He was just lost.”

“The girl was doing exactly what I taught her, staying alert and defending herself.” Logan stated. “How in the hell was she supposed to know who he was?”

Ororo shook her head and put her hand atop his. “Goddess, what have I gotten myself into?” she asked, grinning widely.

Logan placed Ororo’s hand against his lips and kissed it gently. “I don’t know, but it’s too late to turn back , especially now.”

Ororo sighed again. “We are going to have to tell her sometime.”

“When is up to you, darlin’.” He replied. Ororo kissed her husband. Once again, he was correct. They didn’t have the luxury of time in this matter and Kendall, as well as everyone else, was going to notice sooner or later.

“Tomorrow night, at dinner.” She decided. “We can announce it then.”

“Okay by me” Logan replied. He got up and took his wife’s hand. “Come on ‘Ro. This place is gonna be a madhouse in a minute.”

Ororo placed her glass in the sink. “Yes, I should get out of these pajamas, shouldn’t I”

Logan grinned as they walked toward the back door. “I always thought so.”

Chapter 6

Kendall spent the rest of the morning in bed. Nobody saw her again until after 1 p.m. After showering and putting on some decent clothes, she wandered around the mansion looking for her mother. Eventually, Kendall found her way to the back porch where her mother was sitting on the porch swing, reading. Ororo looked up at her daughter and smiled.

“There you are. I was beginning to think that you weren’t coming down.” She joked.

Kendall nodded. “Part of me didn’t want to, but it’s a Saturday so why not.” She sat down next to her mother and looked at the book in her hands.

“Lord of the Flies, huh?” Kendall said. “Haven’t you read that already?”

“Yes, I happen to enjoy this book and I chose to read it again. Is that alright with you, ma’mn?” Ororo replied. Kendall laughed. She really loved her mother’s sense of humor. It was one of the many sides that Ororo didn’t show very often. Kendall always believed that was where her own strange sense of humor came from.

“So.” Ororo continued, closing her book “Do you still want me to braid your hair.” She asked.

Kendall nodded again. “Yeah, I’ll go get a comb.” She got up and jogged into the kitchen. Going over to one of the drawers, she probed around for a minute, and then removed a slender, black comb. Kendall put it into her back pocket and returned to the porch.

“Did you find it?” Ororo asked. Kendall removed the comb from her pocket and gave it to her mother. Ororo then spread her legs a little and Kendall folded her legs beneath her and sat down. Ororo began working the kinks out of her daughter’s hair.

“Well, what are we doing today?” She asked.

“Kendall thought for a second. “Whatever you want, but I only need them for today.” She replied.

“How about just a few braids, straight back.” Ororo suggested.

“That’s fine.” Kendall replied. Ororo worked with Kendall’s thick hair until it was loose enough to handle. Then she parted off a section and began to weave her daughter’s platinum locks together.

“Your hair always was worse to deal with than mine.” Ororo said after finishing the first braid. “Personally, I blame your father.”

“Don’t you always?” Kendall replied. It wasn’t like it wasn’t the truth. Logan had the wildest mop of hair that Kendall had ever known. He tried to keep it decent looking, but it grew so fast that it was fairly difficult to keep up with. Once he didn’t shave for a week and his beard was full, thick, and imposing. Most people didn’t even recognize him.

“Speaking of the old man” Kendall continued. “Where is he?”

Ororo shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. He’s around here somewhere.” She replied indifferently.

Kendall grinned. “You don’t even know where your own husband is?”

“Child, if you had to try to keep up with that father of yours for as long as I have, you would understand that sometimes, you just don’t give a damn.”

Kendall laughed loudly and tried to keep from moving around too much. Her parents had been together for over 22 years now, and Ororo had a point. With the old man’s wanderlust, it’s a miracle that he’s stayed in one place for so long. Ororo finished another braid and was parting off another when Kendall had a question.

“So’d how you and Pop find out about last night?”

“I told you, Remy told us.” Ororo replied.

“No, not that. I mean with me and Clint, down at the lake.”

“Well, your father and I had just finished making love and he said something about the light show going on near the lake. After assuring him that I had nothing to do with it, he got up to investigate.” Ororo replied.

Kendall made a weird face. Her parents were always straightforward with her. They didn’t try to sugarcoat too many things. In their line of work, it wouldn’t do much good anyhow. That part didn’t get to Kendall. It was just the thought of her parents having sex at all that left a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Kendall decided right then to keep her mouth shut.

After a while longer, Ororo completed the last braid.

“All done.” She announced. Kendall stood up and stretched. Then she kissed her mother and thanked her.

“Not a problem, child.” Ororo replied. “What now?”

Kendall stood for a minute before answering. “Guess I’ll go watch TV.”

Ororo nodded and reopened her book. “That’s fine, child.” Kendall turned to leave. When she’d just gotten to the door, her mother called her back. Kendall stuck her head out the door.

“If you see your father around, remind him that he needs to go into town for me today, alright.” Ororo stated.

“Okay, ma.” Kendall said and disappeared into the house.

************************************************************



Kendall wandered into the Rec. Room and found it surprisingly empty. She looked around and made her way toward to large selection of DVDs stashed in one of the cabinets. She went over the selection quickly. There were more titles that there was the last time Kendall came home, but nothing she was really interested in watching.

Then she opened a small panel and reached inside. Kendall felt around for a bit and smiled. Removing her hand, she produced her pride and joy, her collection of Monty Python movies. Yeah, they weren’t the best flicks in cinematic history. Often times pointless or even plotless, but they were still hilarious. She didn’t have the whole collection yet, but what she did have was good enough for the evening. Kendall closed the door of her hiding place and walked over to the couch. She spread her choice of entertainment out on the coffee table and tried to decide on which would be first.

“Let’s see now,” Kendall thought. “I don’t think I’m ready for “And now for Something Completely Different” or “Life of Brian”. I don’t want to ponder the Meaning of Life either.” She finally settled on “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. Kendall put the disk in and stretched herself out on the couch.

When King Arthur and his Knights had arrived at the French castle, Logan entered the room. He looked at his daughter, lounging on the couch and she looked back at him. Logan turned his attention to the barrage of farm animals flying on the screen and shook his head.

“You do know that this movie will rot your mind.” He asked.

“Nee.” Kendall replied.

Logan shook his head again and started to leave, but came back.

“Have you seen your mother?”

“She was on the back porch, the last I saw her. She told me to remind you to go into town for her.” Kendall replied without lifting her eyes from the screen.

“Yeah, I know. She didn’t happen to tell you anything else interesting, did she?” He asked.

“Just that my wild hair is your fault.” She answered.

Logan snorted loudly. “And you urge for public nudity is all on her. I’ll be sure to remind her of that later.” He replied and left Kendall with her mind rotter.

About the time Tim the Enchanter was making his Rabbit speech, there was a loud knock on the front door. Kendall tried to ignore it, but it only continued.

“Will somebody please answer the door?” She yelled. When nobody answered and the knocks continued, Kendall got up and jogged to the door. “If I miss the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, somebody’s gonna pay for it.” She hollered while opening the door.

“It’s not like you can’t rewind the damn movie.” Lucas Bishop replied from the doorway, a huge grin on his face. Kendall laughed and threw her arms around Bishop’s neck. He dropped his bags and a moment later, Kendall felt his large arms around her waist. They stood in the doorway like that until Kendall realized that she was enjoying it a little too much.

“How’ve you been, man? It’s been ages.” She asked, pulling back.

“Pretty, good, pretty good.” He replied and picked up his bags. Kendall took a minute and got a good look her friend. Bishop was wearing a white t-shirt and some overalls. It looked like he’d seriously bulked up and his skin was darker than she remembered. His blue-black dreads were pulled back and hung mid-way down his back. She unconsciously started to bite her bottom lip.

“Are you gonna let me in, or ogle me all night.” Bishop quipped. Kendall shook her head as his voice brought her back to reality.

“Sorry.” She shyly answered. Kendall moved aside and let Bishop in. She admired the view of his muscular back through his shirt as he went past her. Kendall silently mouthed the words “Thank you, goddess” and closed the front door.

Chapter 7

Lucas Bishop found his way into the Rec. Room with Kendall following close behind. She allowed a slight grin reach her lips as she watched Lucas’s dreads swing gently behind him. Upon reaching his destination, Lucas dropped his bags and collapsed onto one of the couches. Kendall entered the room and sat in one of the adjacent chairs, folding her legs beneath her. Lucas stretched out and folded his arms behind his head. He glanced over at the paused scene on the T.V., a small white rabbit decapitating several medieval knights.

“Some things never change, eh?” Lucas asked.

“Guess not.” Kendall replied quietly.

Lucas laughed shortly and yawned. When he recovered, he turned his head enough to look at Kendall, who was curled up in her chair, giving him a strange look.

“What? Do I have something caught in my hair again?” He joked.

Kendall smiled. “No, nothing’s in your hair. I just haven’t seen you in year and I was just wondering where the rest of you came from.”

“Rest of me? Oh…you mean these?” He said, flexing his arms. “They were here before, but farm work tends to keep you in shape.”

Kendall lifted an eyebrow. “Farm work? Mr. I’m-a-thug-for-life doing farm work?” She laughed shortly. “Explain this one to me.”

“Well.” Lucas began. “After I left, I went back to my sister’s place in New York for a few weeks. You know, checking up on everything. Then, we get a call from our Aunt Jocelyn in Nebraska and she had just married this rancher guy. I thought about it for a bit and decided to give the country life a try.”

Kendall tried to stifle a giggle, but wasn’t doing a good job of it. Lucas paused.

“Why is that so damn funny? I knew how much you and your folks love being outside and in touch with nature and all that shit, so I thought it was worth a shot.”

“Yeah, but I still don’t see you as that type of guy.” Kendall responded.

Lucas grunted. “I wasn’t at first. It took some getting used to, but after I got shown up by an old man…I decided to get my ass of my shoulders, so to speak.”

Kendall erupted into fits of laughter. Lucas sat up and tried to justify himself.

“It wasn’t totally my fault. I was trying to saddle a horse and the damn thing got away from me. Spent most of the afternoon chasing it around the property.”

Kendall laughed harder, but he ignored her. “That evening, Forge comes outside, does some kind of whistle, and I’ll be damned if the horse didn’t run right up to him. He just laughs and tells me to get inside to dinner before the other guys eat it all.” He sighed. “Yeah, it’s funny now, but Forge really pissed me off sometimes.”

Kendall regained some of her composure and wiped her eyes. “Forge? Who’s that? Another farmhand?”

Lucas shook his head. “No. Forge is my aunt’s husband that owned the ranch, you know. Overall, he’s a cool guy, Old Cheyenne Indian. He had a freaky metal arm and a leg too.”

Kendall looked suspiciously at Lucas. “Metal arm and leg?” She repeated.

Lucas nodded. “Hell yeah. Said he lost them in some fight he got into a long time ago. Made the metal ones himself.”

“Oh, Yeah.” Kendall said.

“I shit you not, my friend. Forge is a mutant too, could make all kinds of things out of crap we found out in the fields. Fences, fence posts, barns, anything you could think of. It’s was amazing.” Lucas replied.

“Is Forge his actual name or a nickname?” Kendall asked.

“I don’t know.” Lucas replied. “We always just called him Forge.”

Kendall sat back and relaxed a bit then another question came into her mind. “Is your aunt a mutant too?”

Lucas shook his head. “Nope. She said that when Forge told her he was a mutant, she almost called off the wedding.”

“Really?” Kendall replied.

“Yeah, but love won out over her fear and all that, so she went through with it. Now they’re moronically happy together, so good for them.” Lucas said, waving his hand in the air.

Kendall thought of her own parents. “Trust me, I’ve seen moronically happy before.” She found the remote and switched off the movie and television. Kendall stood up placed her hands on her hips.

“Well, all this catching up is lovely but I’m severely hungry. Shall we continue our discussion in the kitchen?” She asked.

“That’s fine, I’m a little hungry myself.” Lucas retorted, standing up. Kendall left the Rec. Room and proceeded toward the kitchen. Lucas stayed behind and admired the sway of Kendall’s hips just in front of him. Suddenly feeling brave, he caught up with her and tickled her back. Kendall squealed and grabbed his hands, leading him into the kitchen.

“Watch that, now.” She warned. “I don’t care how much bigger you’ve gotten, I can still kick your ass.”

“I hear lightening bolts can be quite painful.” Lucas teased as Kendall released his hands to open the refrigerator.

Kendall stuck her head into the fridge. “I can’t hear you, I’m hunting.”

Lucas laughed as he sat on one of the countertops and admired Kendall’s backside. There had always been a good amount of sexual tension between Himself and Kendall. Lots of flirty gestures and sexual innuendo and created many a rumor during high school. Even though, he wasn’t against the thought of getting a bit more physical with Kendall, her father was an entirely different obstacle.
The first time he smelled anything he didn’t like on his little girl, Wolverine was capable of going ballistic. Lucas let that, and the fear of ruining a perfectly good friendship, prevent him from pursuing a relationship with Kendall.

“Lucas! I’m talking to you.” Kendall shouted.

“Hmm? What?” He replied, startled out of his thoughts.

“I said do you want something?” She asked again.

“Yeah, but I’ll get it.” Lucas replied.

“Suit yourself, but don’t say I never offered.” Kendall said. She moved away from the fridge carrying a bowl full of red and green grapes. Lucas took her place and nosed around while Kendall rinsed her grapes in the sink. Finishing her task, Kendall hopped onto Lucas’ place on the counter, crossed her legs and put her bowl her lap. Lucas, finding nothing suitable, closed the refrigerator and walked over to Kendall. He stole a handful of her grapes and leaned against the counter beside her.

“So, How was college?” Lucas asked, popping two grapes into his mouth.

Kendall thought for a moment. “Just like here, but with more drinking and less supervision.”

Lucas chuckled. “So you didn’t learn anything?”

“I learned how to get rid of drunk, touchy-feely, fraternity assholes without using my powers.” Kendall remarked without smiling.

Lucas stole some more grapes. “Is that so?”

Kendall nodded. “Let’s just say that a few guys woke up with several more cuts and bruises than they started off with.” She ate a few grapes and started to concentrate on remaining relaxed and composed. Those were a few of the more unpleasant memories that she didn’t want to focus on at the moment.

Lucas looked at Kendall. She had her head down and was breathing deeper than usual. He knew she was hiding something, but if Kendall didn’t want to talk about it, then he wasn’t going to push her about it.

“So.” He began, hoping to change the subject. “Is Jubilee around?”

Kendall inhaled sharply and lifted her head. “No, I’m picking her up from JFK in a few hours. You coming with?”

“Sure. I want to get unpacked though.” Lucas stated.

“Go ahead. You’re room is empty and waiting for you. I trust you remember where it is.” Kendall replied with a smile and a mouthful of grapes.

“Right.” Lucas started towards the door but turned back to Kendall. Her head was down again and she was chewing on her bottom lip.

“Kenny, you sure your okay?” Lucas asked.

Kendall swallowed and flashed him a smile. “Yes, I’m fine, now go get some rest.” Lucas nodded, then went to retrieve his bags from the Rec. Room.

Kendall sighed and got off the counter. “Why did he have to mention school?” She thought to herself. “Hell, Why did I even get into it?” She walked over to one of the kitchen windows and noticed the large, puffy clouds that had suddenly formed in the skies. Kendall tried to reorder her nerves and keep her mind off of memories that had been haunting her for several months now. She popped some more grapes into her mouth and watched contentedly as the clouds started moving along with a light gust of wind.

“That’s a little better.” Kendall thought. She walked across the room and replaced the remaining grapes in the refrigerator.

“I think a run will clear my head a little.” Kendall said aloud to no-one in particular. She made her way back to her bedroom and dug our her running shoes. On her way back downstairs, she ran into Lucas again.

“I thought I told you to rest.” Kendall said.

Lucas shrugged. “I didn’t feel like it. You going for a run?”

Kendall nodded while tying her shoe.

“I’m coming with you.” Lucas said. “Just let me change clothes.”

“Fine. I’ll meet you downstairs.” Kendall replied as she jogged down the hall toward the staircase.

Chapter 8



Clint had spent most of his day in his room, enjoying the solitude. He wasn’t ready to face any of the other inhabitants of the institute just yet. He didn’t want to deal with the stares and hear the whispers behind his back, especially after last night. Clint was certain that the entire mansion had heard about his encounter with Kendall and he didn’t want to deal with the embarrassment. Instead, he chose the spent most of the weekend in his room and would make his public reappearance on Monday.

He laid across his bed and stared at the ceiling. For some odd reason, he couldn’t stop thinking about Kendall. Sure, she was gorgeous, but something else about her intrigued him. The way she acted in front of Charles, she respected him but wasn’t intimidated by him. Clint narrowed his eyebrows.

“It’s kind of hard to not be intimidated by the most powerful telepath the planet. He could be controlling you and you wouldn’t have a clue.” He said aloud to the empty room.

Clint was getting bored and was about to turn over for a nap when he heard noises coming from the room next door. He got up and stuck his head out of the door. He looked both ways and proceeded towards the open door next to his. Clint poked his head in the door and looked around. The room looked much like his own, except for the pair of legs hanging from one side of the bed. Figuring the man was resting, Clint turned to leave, but was stopped by a strong voice coming from behind him.

“Hey, do you need something?” The young man asked.

Clint turned nervously. “No, not really. I’m staying next door and heard some noise so I decided to investigate. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”

The man got up from the bed and walked towards the door. “You didn’t interrupt anything. I’ve only just gotten back up here. I’m Lucas Bishop, by the way. Most folks just call me Bishop.” He extended a hand to Clint.

Clint took the hint and shook Bishop’s hand strongly. “Clinton Barton Jr. Most people call me Clint.”

Bishop released Clint’s hand and moved aside in the doorway. “Well, Clint. You’re welcome to come in.” Bishop sat on the bed and started removing an old pair of tennis shoes.

Clint ducked and came into the room, choosing to stand across from Lucas, watching quietly as he pulled off the shoes.

Bishop looked up. “You’re a big one aren’t you? Have you been here long?”

Clint shook his head. “Nope, I just moved in yesterday.”

Bishop nodded. “New kid, eh. I’m telling you now, for the most part, this is the safest place in the world for people like us. It takes lots of work to keep things that way, but damn if it’s not worth it.” He chuckled a bit at the end of his sentence and collapsed across the bed again.

Clint leaned against the wall as best he could. “You look pretty tired. Been working out or something?”

Bishop tossed an arm over his eyes. “I went for a run with a friend of mine and I made the mistake of challenging her to a race around the property line.”

Clint tried to stifle a laugh. “She got you good, eh?”

“Damn her. She didn’t even break a sweat” Bishop moaned.

“It must be a great day for all womankind.” Clint replied.

“What makes you say that?” Bishop inquired. Clinton took a deep breath and recounted the events of the previous evening. By the time he finished, Bishop was sitting up and fighting back his laughter.

“That sounds like a Kendall move to me.” Bishop said as calmly as he could. “But just for future reference, you really shouldn’t sneak up on her when it’s naked time.”

Clint’s eyes widened in protest. “I wasn’t like I was out there looking for a naked chick to just drop out of the fucking sky…”

Bishop held up his hands. “Okay, okay. Calm down, I believe you man, but if Kendall was as mad as you say she was, she’ll hate you for years.”

“Why?” Clinton exclaimed. “I don’t even know the girl.”

“Exactly. She hasn’t had the chance to form much of a positive opinion of you, yet.” Bishop explained. “Hell, when I first met her, after her mother’s history class, I made the mistake of making a joke about Canadians…” Bishop grinned and shook his head wistfully.

“And” Clint urged him to continue.

“And, she walks up to me and just socks me, dead in the eye. Dropped me like a hot plate. She didn’t speak to me for almost a year.” Bishop finished.

“What, she got a little wet spot for Canadians?” Clint joked innocently.

Bishop narrowed his eyes a little. “Her old man’s Canadian.” He stated flatly.

“Oh.” Clint murmured.

Bishop pursed his lips and got up. “Kendall will come around sooner or later, just give her a while to make up her mind.”

“Oh, yeah.” Clint smirked.

“Yeah.” Bishop nodded and walked over to the window, looking out at the puffy clouds floating past.

“Well, she didn’t try to kill you.” Clint concluded.

“If you’d have felt that punch, you’d think otherwise.” Bishop offered over his shoulder.

The room was quiet for a moment. Both men lost in thought. One recounting memories, the other worrying over the future. Finally, Clint spoke again.

“How did you make her stop hating you?” He asked tentatively.

Bishop shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I mostly tried to stay out of her way, outside of classes. Then one day, she challenged me in our self-defense class.”

“Let me guess…” Clint interrupted. “You fought her. You won and earned her respect, Right?”

“No. She gave me a proper beating in front of her father. After that I guess she’d avenged him or something because she tended to some of my bruises afterwards. We’ve been close ever since.” Bishop answered, without turning to face Clint.

Clint was dumbstruck. For the second time in twenty-four hours he found himself speechless. After a moment, he regained his composure.

“Wait a minute. You’re a pretty big guy, compared to her. You’re telling me that she beat you up.”

“Yeah.” Bishop replied quietly. “It took me a while before I could ever beat her without using my powers.”

“You’re kidding.” Clint replied.

Bishop turned from the window and sat back down on the bed. “No, man. I’m shocked that I’ve ever beaten her. Don’t you know who her father is?”

“I’ve seen him. He’s a short guy, so what?” Clint acknowledged.

“That’s Wolverine, that’s what. Haven’t you ever heard of him?” Bishop stated.

Clint’s eyes widened. Of course he’d heard of the legendary Wolverine, but only in stories from the Avengers. He’d never seen him in person.

“Well, that explains the attitude.” Clint replied after a moment.

“Which reminds me, I had better go check on my truck if I’m driving into the city tonight. You can come if you want.” Bishop got up and started toward the door.

Clint got up and followed Bishop. “Why do you need to check on it?”

“I left it here while I was gone. I’ve only gotten back in town this afternoon. Another friend of ours is flying in this evening and Kendall’s making me drive her to the airport.” Bishop replied while going down the staircase.

“We can’t upset Little Miss Kendall, now can we?” Clint replied shortly.

Bishop grinned. “She’s not as stuck up as she seems. Kenny’s actually really sweet, once you get to know her.” They reached the end of the staircase and walked down a long hallway. There were a few students in the hall and they whispered to each other as Clint and Bishop walked past. Right before the pair reached the kitchen, Clint faintly heard a piano being played. He silently decided to find out who was making such soothing music as soon as he returned inside the house.
************************************************************


“My dear Ms. Logan, I presume.” Hank McCoy called to Kendall upon entering the study. Kendall lifted her eyes from the piano just in time to see her fuzzy, blue uncle wandering towards her. He put his book down on the lid of the baby grand and eyed his niece carefully.

“A little rusty, but still the finest performance of Liszt’s Second Hungarian Rhapsody** I’ve heard in some time.” He beamed.

Kendall smiled to herself. “I know it’s been a while, but I’ve been at school you know. The dorms aren’t exactly the best place the tickle the ivories.” She pressed a few keys for emphasis.

“Speaking of school…” Hank began. “Have you chosen a major yet? Because if you haven’t, I believe the Earth Sciences would be excellent for you. Your mother had no trouble in earning her Masters in Botany and…”

Kendall held up a hand to stop her uncle before he got a second breath. “Uncle Hank, thanks just the same, but I don’t think I have the patience for any science of any kind.”

Hank furrowed his eyebrows. “I suppose not. I never could get you to focus in class, as I recall. Well, then what did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know. There isn’t really anything I’m passionate about, except music of course. What would I do with a major in Music, aside from teaching?” Kendall asked, sensing her uncle’s next statement.

Hank grinned. “I’m sure you can find something useful. You can be very resourceful when you want to be.”

“What do you mean?” Kendall asked.

“Well, I remember a little girl who once managed to smuggle herself aboard the Blackbird, just to avoid her first piano recital, at the ripe, old age of eight and a half.” Hank replied, poking Kendall in the side.

Kendall paused a second, then remembered suddenly. “You know I was terrified of playing in front of other people. I was so nervous and Pop was going on a mission…he would have missed it if I hadn’t tagged along with him.”

Hank’s smile widened a little. “But you were ready, my dear. That’s why I set up a recital for you. Once we’d found you and your mother recovered from the stress, you preformed beautifully.”

Kendall aimlessly toyed with a few keys, pouting. “I haven’t forgiven you for that yet.”

“You sure showed me then.” He responded, with mock indignation “Showing up for every lesson, constantly getting better and learning pieces so well and so fast I could barely keep up with you. Then the final act of defiance, going to that competition two years ago and showing up every other pianist there. Well, I just may never speak to you again.”

Kendall laughed at Hank’s false resentment. “What did you expect. I had the best, classiest, and the bluest teacher there. I had to make him proud.”

Hank was touched by his niece’s sentiment. “You most certainly did, young lady. Too bad Jubilation didn’t take to the keys as easily.”

Kendall frowned “It’s not really her style.”

“That’s exactly what she said.” Hank replied. “Has she gotten back yet?”

“Nope. Bishop and I are going to pick her up in a few hours.” Kendall retorted. “But enough about me, I hear someone’s getting married.”

Hank’s cheeks, barely visible through his thick fur, got a little pink. “Yes, that’s definitely what it looks like.”

“What, don’t I get any details?” Kendall prodded.

“We haven’t set a date yet, but Cecelia wants a spring wedding.” Hank stated.

“That sounds nice. Have you picked your colors yet?” Kendall inquired quickly.

“No, in fact we haven’t really done much planning. I’m still getting used to the fact Cecelia agreed to be my wife.” He answered shyly.

“Why wouldn’t she? You’ve been crazy about her for as long as I can remember.” Kendall replied.

“Yes, but she’s so much younger than I am…” Hank began.

“Only seven years. That’s nothing compared to the possible age difference between my folks.” Kendall said triumphantly.

Hank looked over at his niece. Her eyes were bright with excitement. “You look so much like your mother at times, it’s unreal.” He stated.

“So I’ve been told.” Kendall replied flatly. She found a chord she liked and played it softly.

“Well, I guess I should be going.” Hank said while picking up his book. “Cecelia and I have a bit more research to do before dinner.”

“Research, eh?” Kendall teased. “At this time of day. Really, you two should be more careful. Children do live here you know.”

Hank narrowed his eyes. “Such language is very unbecoming of a young lady, you know.” He tossed over his shoulder while walking to the door.

“Yeah, I know, but somebody’s got to do it.” She called after her uncle as he left her study.







**Liszt is quite the composer. The tune I mentioned earlier was featured in a Tom and Jerry cartoon called The Cat Concerto and a Bugs Bunny cartoon I can’t remember the name of. I love the piece, especially when preformed on a piano.

“So her mother’s African Royalty, eh.” Clint asked while washing his hands in a small basin.

“Yeah, a princess. I don’t know what that makes Kendall, though.” Bishop, having finished changing the oil in his truck, slid from underneath it.

“A stuck-up little girl.” Clint added, tossing Bishop a wet cloth.

“You better not let her hear you talking like that. Kendall doesn’t take kindly to things like that and you know what she’s capable of” Bishop got up and went over to wash his hands.

“Christ, man. You act like you’re scared of her or something. If she’s an kind of lady, she should be able to take a little criticism.” Clint stepped aside to make room for Bishop at the sink.

Bishop shook his head. “You don’t get it………”

“I should say not.” Kendall was leaning against the doorframe of the garage. She was wearing an old bomber jacket and tight, low rise jeans with a pair of dark sunglasses. Kendall strolled slowly towards Clint and stopped right in front of him. “If you’re any kind of man, you wouldn’t criticize such a lady.” She turned on her heel and walked to the back of the truck.

“Bish, we ready to go?” Kendall asked coolly.

“Ready to go? Look at me, I’m fucking filthy. I am not going anywhere like this.” Bishop tried to protest.

Kendall pulled herself into the bed of the truck. “Nobody said you had to get out.” Bishop was going to protest more, but Kendall held up a hand to silence him. “Look, I haven’t seen Jubilee in quite some time and I’m not letting something like a little oil keep me away from her any longer. I bet you, you lost, lets go.” She sat down on the side of the truck and buttoned up her jacket.

“Question.” Clint lifted his arm. “What’s a Jubilee?”

“If you must know, She’s a friend of ours.” Kendall replied shortly.

Defeated, Bishop moved to the side of the truck and opened the drivers’ side door. “Clint, you coming?”

“Uh, can I?” He asked, stealing a hopeful glance at Kendall.

Kendall looked from Clint to Bishop and back again before she shrugged. “It’s not my vehicle. I guess I can’t stop you.” She lowered herself into the bed of the truck.

Bishop got into the truck and started it up while Clint got in on the passenger side. Bishop put the vehicle in gear, pulled out of the garage and proceeded out of the gate. After about five minutes of driving, Clint turned to Bishop.

“Why’d she want to ride back there? There’s plenty of room in here.”

Bishop glanced into the rear view mirror just in time to see Kendall stand up and brace herself against the winds. “To be honest” Bishop began. “I have no natural idea.”

************************************************************


“Well, it’s about damn time. I’ve only been waiting for like fifteen minutes. ” Jubilation Lee yelled as Bishop’s blue pickup truck pulled in front of her.

“Shut up, will ya. It’s not my fault Luke got lost.” Kendall replied while jumping off the truck and embracing her friend.

“Hi, Lucas.” Jubilee waved to him after letting go of Kendall.

“Hey, Jubes. He replied dully.

“Come on now, is that any way to greet me?” She wined.

“It is if I say it is.” Bishop answered with a smirk.

“Whatever, Bish.………And who are you, his boyfriend?” Jubilee had run to the other side of the vehicle to get a good look at Clint.

“He’s a big, green idiot.” Kendall murmured while tossing one of Jubilee’s bags onto the truck.

Clint rolled his eyes. “I’m Clint and no I’m not his boyfriend.” He replied and stuck a hand out the window.

Jubilee shook his wide hand as best she could. “Right.” She nodded slowly and turned back to Kendall. “Damn girl, Have you started taking my advice.”

“What are you talking about?” Kendall asked while jumping into the bed of the truck.

“Look at you, showing off those curves.” She sniffed. “I’m so proud.” Jubilee giggled as she climbed into the back of the truck with Kendall.

“Better lie down, the wind’s a little chilly tonight and you can be quite the lightweight.” Kendall told her friend.

“I’ll be okay. I’m a big girl, you know.” Jubilee replied.

“You sure? You know Bishop can drive like a bat out of hell at times.” Kendall asked as she signaled Bishop that they were ready to go.

“Yeah, stop being such aaahhh!!!” Jubilee had fallen over just as Bishop pulled away from the curb.

************************************************************


Clint stifled a chuckle as the dark-haired girl fell over in the bed of the truck. “So, she’s a friend of yours, eh. I gotta say, Bish, you have quite a way with the ladies.”

“Yeah, me and Jubes have a Love/Hate thing going on, you know.” Bishop replied.

“She’s got a mouth on her, I can see that right now.” Clint groaned.

“Jubes is a character, I’ll give you that.” Bishop snorted as a truck swerved into his lane. “God damn it. I hate that.”

“I hate when that happens too, man.” Clint sympathized. “But what can you do?”

Bishop smiled. “Nothing, right now, but I know someone who will.” Just then Jubilee knocked on the rear glass window and slid it open.

“That guy cut you off, Bish?” She asked.

“Yeah, fix him Jubes.” He replied.

Jubilee smiled wickedly and pulled her head from the window. Clint’s eyes widened in alarm.

“What she gonna do?” He asked in a slight panic.

“Fastball Special.” Bishop replied while swerving into the passing lane. Clint looked in to the side mirror just in time to see Jubilee creating a large, red glob of energy in her right hand. Bishop was passing the other vehicle by the time Jubilee’s little blob had started glowing. They were almost around the offending vehicle when Jubilee threw the little bomb at the other truck. Kendall leaned forward then, and a small electric charge detonated the red mass. It exploded just over the truck, showering it in bright, red goo. The smaller vehicle swerved to a stop on the side of the road.

“What the hell did they just do?” Clint asked in alarm.

“Don’t worry about it. He’ll be fine. Just have a bitch of a time cleaning his truck.” Bishop laughed as his truck sped back towards Salem Center.

************************************************************

Kendall was curled up in bed, reading. She had just showered and washed her hair. It now hung in soft waves around her head. Kendall yawned deeply and was just about to turn in for the night when a soft knock reached her ears. Yawning widely, Kendall pulled on a short, blue nightgown and walked over to the door.

“Who is it?” She called.

“Jubilee.” Came a voice from the stairway.

Kendall opened her door to reveal her best friend with a pleading look on her face. “Hey Kenny, Can I bunk with you for the night?” Kendall lifted a cloud colored eyebrow.

“My room’s occupied. Come on, please” Jubilee whined.

Kendall winced. “All right, All right. Come in, then.”

Kendall walked back into the room and Jubilee followed, closing the door behind her. Jubilee dropped her pillows on Kendall’s bed and carried her backpack into her bathroom.

“I appreciate this, I really do.” Jubilee called.

Kendall had settled herself in bed. “I know. It’s not a problem.”

Jubilee was quiet for a minute then emerged from the bathroom in bright, yellow pajamas. She walked over to the foot of the bed and plopped herself down.

“SO, are you and Bishop doing it yet, or what?”

Kendall turned over and eyed her friend dangerously. “Do we have to discuss this now?”

Jubilee’s eyes widened. “You are, aren’t you?”

“No, we are not.” Kendall replied flatly.

“Why? You two are so cute together and it’s obvious he wants you.” Jubilee countered.

“Obvious, eh?” You’ve been home all of three hours and it’s obvious.”

“It was obvious before I left.” Jubilee continued. “Why don’t you just tackle him, hold him down and start making with the love. It’s not like you can’t.”

Kendall turned back over. “Sometimes. I hate you.”

Jubilee crawled up next to Kendall and poked her. “I see the thought has crossed your mind.”

Kendall pulled the covers up over her head. “Good night, Jubilation.”

“Fine. I’ll drop it for now, but you owe me a lengthy explanation in the morning, young lady.” Jubilee lifted her legs and pulled the blankets up over herself.

“Who invited you in my bed?” Kendall grumbled.

“But it’s so drafty on the floor. I could catch my death sleeping down there.” Jubilee countered as she snuggled in with her back facing Kendall.

“Fine, but if your icy feet touch my legs, it’s the balcony for you.” Kendall threatened.

A short time later, Kendall found herself wandering through a lush rainforest. The damp leaves were trickling little rivers to the ground and creating small puddles beneath them. The forest floor was muddy and the ground was warm beneath Kendall’s bare feet. Suddenly, she heard something like a buzzsaw tearing through the underbrush. She ran towards the sound which got louder with every step. Kendall ran until she reached a clearing and discovered………

Kendall opened her eyes and turned over. Jubilee was sound asleep, snoring obnoxiously loud.

“Damn, Jubes. Wake the entire mansion, why don’t you.” Kendall got up, grabbed her pillow and the blanket off the bed and walked toward the door.

“Honey I love you, but I can’t do this.” She quietly opened the door and slipped out.

A short time later, Kendall found herself standing outside Lucas Bishop’s doorway with Jubilee’s words echoing inside her head.

“SO, are you and Bishop doing it yet, or what?”

“Quiet. That’s not what I’m here for.” Kendall replied to no-one.

“It’s obvious he wants you.”

“Shut UP!” Kendall said, a little more forcefully.

“I see the thought has crossed your mind.”

Kendall sighed deeply. “Okay, this is a bad idea.” She turned to leave just as the bedroom door opened.

“Hey, Kendall.” Bishop said in a sleepy voice.

Kendall turned and smiled shyly. Bishop wasn’t wearing anything apart from a pair of red plaid pajama bottoms. Kendall hugged the blanket closer to her body and walked back toward him.

“Hi, Bish.” She started.

“Well, to what do I owe the pleasure at this time of morning.” He replied while absently scratching his chest.

“Can I sleep with you?” Kendall blurted out.

Bishop raised an eyebrow.

Kendall felt an odd heat creeping up her chest. “Uh………I mean, can I sleep “in here” with you. Jubes hijacked my bed.” She stammered, while staring at her toes.

“Sure, just be out of here by sunrise. I don’t want the neighbors to talk.” Bishop said calmly.

“Thanks.” Kendall answered quietly. Bishop moved aside and let Kendall slip in past him. Their closeness in the doorway caused Kendall’s shoulder to rub against Bishop’s chest and she shivered slightly. Bishop ducked into the hallway to make sure nobody was watching, then he turned into the room and closed the door behind him.

Kendall had already arranged herself on the door next to his bed. Bishop easily stepped over her and was nearly asleep again when Kendall spoke.

“I owe you for this.” She whispered.

“I’ll put it on your tab.” Bishop murmured.

************************************************************

Bishop felt the bed shift under some unknown force and warmth against his side. He was too sleepy to be alarmed and turned into it. Immediately, his nose was assaulted by Lavender and Jasmine. Bishop’s eyes sprang open and could barely contain himself. Kendall was curled up next to him. She slowly lifted her head and her sapphire eyes danced in the moonlight.

“I got cold. I hope you don’t mind.” Kendall said quietly.

“No……..Not at all.” Bishop managed to squeeze out.

Kendall smiled at him, her pointed teeth gleaming. “Did I ever tell you that I think you have the most beautiful body?” She leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to the center of his chest. Bishop moaned softly as her teeth rubbed against him.

“You like that?” Kendall asked, her voice a seductive whisper.

“Uh , yeah.” He groaned.

“Well, then, you’ll love this.” Kendall pulled herself on top of him so that she straddled his waist. She leaned down and ran her tongue along Bishop’s bottom lip. Then without warning, Kendall caught his lip between hers and sucked it hungrily. Bishop, unconsciously ground his hips against Kendall’s.

She released his lip and grinned. “Slow down, chief. You’ll get there.”

Kendall moved down his body then, lavishing his torso with soft, wet kisses. Bishop moaned in appreciation with her every movement until she reached the band of his pajama pants. Slowly, Kendall rubbed his swollen member though the thin fabric.

“Shall I pleasure you now.” Kendall purred.

“Yes, please.” Bishop uttered in a lust hazed whisper.

Kendall smiled again and slowly pulled his pants down. His cock sprang free and stood poised for entry at Kendall’s lips.

“All this for me? You shouldn’t have.” She purred. Kendall took hold of the base of his shaft and slowly licked a trail up the underside of his dick, giving a little extra attention to his head.

Bishop fought for control, but Kendall’s teasing was driving him wild. She continued her oral exploration and ran her tongue over ever inch on his penis before finally taking the head in her mouth. Kendall swirled her tongue around the shaft as best the could while deep-throating Bishop’s swollen cock, teasing his balls with her free hand.

“Oh God, Kendall.” Bishop whined, near his climax.

Kendall started moaning in her throat around Bishop’s cock. He held out a few seconds longer, but the extra convulsions proved to be too much. His orgasm hit him hard and bucked his hips toward Kendall’s mouth. She pulled back just enough not to choke as his semen coated the inside of her mouth.

Bishop’s eyes flew open. He was in a cold sweat with his sheets tangled around him wildly. His clothes were sticking to his body in a suspicious manner and the room smelled faintly of lavender and jasmine. In a bit of a panic, he looked around for Kendall. She was still on the floor, curled up like a cat, sound asleep with her face toward his bed.

“Son of a Bitch.” He silently exclaimed as he got up to clean himself off.

The early morning sunlight streamed into Bishop’s bedroom, waking the young woman on his bedroom floor. Kendall stretched slowly and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She looked at her friend’s prone form and smirked. He looked as if he’s only just fallen asleep again. Kendall shook her head and got up. She stretched her back again and wandered over to the window. Pulling back the curtains, Kendall stood in bathed in sunlight. She honestly hadn’t slept that well in quite some time. Kendall yawned again and smiled to herself.

She was so caught up in the morning’s brilliance, she hadn’t noticed when Bishop had begun stirring behind her. He wearily cracked open one eye in the bright light, closed it again, and after his groggy mind processed what he’d seen, Bishop opened both eyes very wide. Kendall was practically glowing in the light and Bishop’s breath caught in his throat.

“Good Morning.” Kendall said, glancing at him over her shoulder.

“Good Morning.” Bishop replied, sleepiness coated his voice.

Kendall sighed contentedly to herself and stretched her arms over her head, making her short nightgown ride a little higher over her thighs. Bishop tried not to stare, but was losing the battle. After what felt like a painfully long time, Kendall put her arms down and sat on Bishop’s bed.

“Isn’t it a lovely morning?” She asked, shaking his leg and smiling brightly.

“Most definitely.” Bishop replied, no longer thinking about sunlight.

Kendall looked back toward the window. “Thanks again for letting me stay.”

“No big deal, but don’t you think to should get going.” Bishop asked, not really wanting her to leave.

Kendall’s smile dropped a little. “Probably. I meant to leave before sunrise, but I overslept. Jubilee is most likely looking for me by now.”

“You sound like you don’t really care.”

Kendall crinkled her nose and shook her head. “Not really. I wouldn’t care if she burst in here right now and accused us of …” She glanced at Bishop’s bare chest. “…doing what she would have done.” She will as soon as she gets me alone anyway.”

Kendall got up, pushed Bishop aside and got in bed with him. “Beside all that, I’d rather stay right here. If that’s alright with you.”

Bishop’s mind suddenly went blank. He tried to answer, but couldn’t form a coherent sentence.

“That settles that, then.” Kendall snuggled underneath the blankets. “I can’t stand early mornings.”

Bishop’s mind was beginning to unfog and he was about to protest. Just as he opened his mouth, there was a sharp knock on the door.

Kendall grunted and put a hand on Bishop’s chest. “Stay still. Maybe they’ll just leave.”

“What if it’s your father? I really don’t want to die anytime soon.” Bishop whispered frantically. The knocking started again.

Kendall exhaled sharply. “If Pop thought I was in here, he wouldn’t have knocked at all.”

“Bish, are you in there?” Jubilee’s shrill voice came from the hallway.

“You better get that, she’ll wake the entire floor if nobody stops her.” Kendall said shortly. Bishop nodded in agreement and crossed the room. Kendall quickly rearranged the blankets as Bishop opened the door. Jubilee stood there, her hand frozen mid-knock.

“Have you seen Kendall? She disappeared last night and…and…” Her eyes landed on her best friend propped up on her other best friend’s pillows. Kendall flashed a half-smile and a wave. Jubilee’s cheeks turned a bright shade of pink.

“Geez, I’m sorry for interrupting. I’ll just be going now.” She backed away slowly.

“Jubes, get in here.” Kendall said calmly. “This isn’t what it looks like.”

Jubilee entered the room slowly and Bishop shut the door behind her. “Really?” she asked tentatively. “‘Cause it’s not a problem, I can go and…”

“Stop babbling, Jubilation, and sit down.” Kendall ordered in a voice like her mother’s. Jubilee obeyed without objection. “You were snoring too loud last night, so I came down here.” Jubilee shot a suspicious look at Bishop.

“Don’t look at me like that. She just showed up at my door, looking pathetic. What was I supposed to do?” Bishop quickly explained.

“I was not looking pathetic.” Kendall snapped.

“Whatever you say. I know what I saw.” Bishop waved a dismissive hand in her direction as he went into the bathroom.

Jubilee was quiet for a moment, then she suddenly whipped her head in Kendall’s direction. “Okay, what really happened?” She demanded.

Kendall shrugged. “I just told you. He let me in, I slept on the floor, and we just got up a little while ago.”

“If you slept on the floor, then why are you in his bed?” Jubilee persisted.

Kendall got up and went over to the window. “Seemed like a nice place to watch the sunrise.”

Jubilee shook her head. “You know, it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me right now…”

“I just fucking told you what happened.” Kendall yelled, but caught herself before flying into a rage. “Okay, I don’t care if you believe me or not.” She picked her blanket up off the floor and stormed toward the door. In her anger, Kendall nearly plowed into Bishop, emerging from the bathroom.

“Where are you going?” He asked hurriedly. Kendall growled something and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Bishop looked over at Jubilee, confused. She shrugged and looked innocent.

“I didn’t do anything.” She said weakly.
************************************************************
“Computer, End simulation.” Logan’s voice rang out into the vast Danger Room. The masked assailants that His daughter had previously been tossing around the room vanished. Kendall threw an angry look towards the Control Room. Logan returned Kendall’s glare.

“You’ve gotten sloppy. School makin’ you soft, girl?” Kendall could hear the laughter in his voice and it helped to defuse her anger.

“Sorry, but there’s not much need for battle training on campus.” She found a towel that she’d dropped hours earlier and wiped her forehead. “Did you stop me for a reason?”

“Gotta talk to ya. It’s important. Come up here.” Kendall nodded and made her way up to the Control Room. The large, silver doors opened with her approach. Kendall entered the circular room. Her father was waiting with Charles and a young woman. Kendall eyed the girl warily and sat next to her.

“What’s going on?” Kendall asked, looking at Charles.

“There’s no easy way to say this, but I’ll start at the beginning.” Charles said slowly. “This is Laurie. She was recently liberated from a genetic engineering facility in North Carolina. A facility, it seems, that was being run by the same people who were in charge of the Weapon X Program.” Kendall stole a look at Logan. He said nothing and Charles continued.

“To make a long story short, Laurie here, seems to be the genetic twin of your father.”

Kendall’s eyes widened a little and she looked between Laurie and Logan. She did look almost exactly like her father except Laurie was younger and female. They also shared the look of a person who’d lived a hard life. Laurie seemed to be to be sizing Kendall up as well, openly staring at her hair.

“She’s never had much time around people, so she’s been living here ever since Chuck found her.” Logan stated flatly.

“What can you do?” Kendall asked the other girl. Laurie slowly lifted a fist and two blades emerged from between her knuckles.

Kendall grinned. “Only two?” Laurie kicked off her shoe and a third blade popped out from between her second and third toes. She smiled at the look on Kendall’s face.

“Her skeleton was also laced with Adamantium, but seemingly with a different technique than Logan’s” Charles added.

Kendall nodded. “Sorry.” She said quietly. Laurie nodded slightly, but still didn’t speak.

“It would be good if you two spent some time together, you’re close to the same age.” Charles said.

“So, Laurie.” Kendall began after a moment’s silence. “Guess this makes you part of the family then, huh?” Laurie smiled a little, but it faltered after a second.

“You’re taking this better than expected.” Charles said calmly.

“I’m not really sure how to take it.” Kendall replied, without thinking. “Does Mom know?”

“Sure she knows. Keeping her here was her idea.” Logan said matter-of-factly.

“Speaking of your mother,” Charles added. “Has she had a chance to speak with you today?” Kendall shook her head.

Logan grinned. “Yeah, you might wanna go have a talk with her, too.”

“Ok. Are we done here?” Kendall said.

“Yes, I believe so. We just make introductions before there was a repeat of the incident a few nights ago.” Charles said with a knowing smile.

Kendall got up and walked to the door. “Nice meeting you, Laurie.” Laurie didn’t reply. Just before the doors shut, Kendall glanced over her shoulder only to find Laurie’s cold eyes following her out.