Disclaimer: The basics. Marvel owns all X-Men characters. I use them without getting paid or compensated in any way. Don't sue-you won't get much. Alexis/Nocturne and Victoria/Platinum are characters of my own creation. Clarification: The "X-Men Universe" isn't put to much use in my stories. I use the characters, but they're in my own universe. Also, these stories are added in chronological order (unless indicated otherwise), and probably make more sense that way. The numbers before the title indicate which story it is-i.e. 1=first story, 2=second story, etc. As always, any questions or comments are welcome!

6. Dog Days

"Nocturne!" Platinum screamed. "Those people-they need help!"

Nocturne dodged a blast and glanced around. To her right, two adults and a child were standing frozen. The building they were standing near was beginning to crumble-the Sentinel Wolverine was madly ripping apart was falling against it.

Nocturne could guess Platinum saw what would happen-the building would completely collapse and crush the family under it.

"Shit!" Nocturne shouted inside her head. She had only a few seconds to get them out of there.

She didn't change back. A naked woman couldn't convince them to move. And no one else was close enough . . . she darted over to them.

The child wasn't very old-five at the most. She only hoped she'd get her heat cooled down enough not to burn him.

Rushing up to the small group, she grabbed the child by the seat of his pants. Ignoring the gasps and the cry of,

"What is that dog doing?"

Nocturne galloped away with the child in her mouth. She knew the parents would follow. She ran down the block, out of the range of the battle.

While she attempted her rescue, Platinum tried to keep track of her. But just as Nocturne reached them, Platinum was lifted up.

"Rogue! What-"

"Gotta Sentinel comin' down, sugah. You was in the way."

Platinum watched the ground shake as the robot hit the ground, minus its head. "Oops, hang on," Rogue said. "We've gotta do some fancy flyin'." A Sentinel loomed ahead of them. "Fly close to it," Platinum said to her. "I want a shot at it." Rogue dodged passed the robot's hand and flew around its head. "Hurry, sugah!" Platinum concentrated. Suddenly, in her mind, she could see inside the Sentinel's head, clear to the computer chips that controlled its action. With a slight "push" of her thought, all the circuitry went black. The robot's knees locked, ad it slowly collapsed to the ground. "Tim-ber!" Rogue and Platinum heard Jubilee shout. She was smiling up at them. They smiled back and went to destroy the few remaining robots. Platinum lost track of Nocturne.

Nocturne carried the child a block and a half before setting him down. She had heard the pounding of footsteps behind her and the slow rumble of the building collapsing and knew they were safe.

The parents were far behind her-she heard them gasp as the building fell-so she stayed with the child until they arrived. The child, frightened, clung to her neck. She licked the tears from his face.

The two parents ran up and stopped in front of her. Nocturne knew she looked intimidating. As a wolf she stood almost four feet tall at the shoulder. Her light hazel eyes stood out sharply against the jet black of her hair.

"Roger," the woman said nervously, taking his arm, "what kind of dog is that?"

"I don't know, honey. But he saved our lives-if he hadn't grabbed Steven we would still be under that building."

Roger took a step closer to Nocturne. "I wonder if he's a police dog."

He reached Nocturne. She allowed him to pat her head as he took the boy away.

"Here, honey," he said. The woman rushed forward and gathered the boy into her arms.

"Who do you belong to?" the man asked, searching through her thick ruff for a collar.

Nocturne could still hear the fight and wanted to get back to it. She began to back away.

"Hey!" the man exclaimed. He grabbed her neck. "He doesn't have a collar!"

Everything happened at once. The man's hold tightened, the woman stepped forward, and the battle echoed in Nocturne's ears. She pulled away from the man quickly. He lunged after her.

Darting passed him, hoping to get away, Nocturne ran around a car, shaking her head, thinking,

"Lord I hate cities!"

She had no time to react as the taxi bore down on her.

Finally the last Sentinel was destroyed. All eight X-Men trudged back wearily to the Blackbird. Jubilee was last as they walked up the ramp.

"Where's Nocturne?" she asked.

Wolverine stopped. "She ain't here."

Cyclops said quickly, "All right-let's go back and look for her."

They returned cautiously and searched without luck. They met in a group near a fallen Sentinel.

"Let's go about this logically," Cyclops said. "Who saw her last?"

"I picked her up once ta burn a hole in one'a these sucka's," Rogue said. "Then I putter down. I picked up Platinum next."

"Then I saw her last," Platinum continued. "There was a family standing under a building about to collapse. I shouted for her to help them-she took off. Then Rogue grabbed me . . . I don't know where she went."

"Why didn't you watch her? Why didn't you pay attention?" Wolverine exploded, moving threateningly toward her.

"There was a battle going on, Logan," she replied, refusing to step back.

"Why didn't you-!"

Wolverine lunged for her, his blades sliding from his arms. Platinum quickly thought up a force field, then had to rethink it even faster as Gambit stepped in-between her and Wolverine. His blades were stopped short of Gambit's chest.

"Easy, mon ami," Gambit said. "Tryin' to attack Platinum will not get you far."

"You can't hide behind a force field forever!" he spit.

"Wolverine," Cyclops said, "stop it. We don't know where Nocturne is. She might have made it back to the Blackbird by now. Let's go check."

"And what if she hasn't? Whatta 'bout then?"

Cyclops sighed. "Then I propose we go back to the mansion, tell Professor Xavier what has happened and-"

"And what? Hope Charlie can somehow locate her? She was wolf-she didn't have any clothes-she could be in a fuckin' dog pound by now!" Wolverine shouted, spinning to face him.

"Calm down, Logan," Cyclops replied, refusing to raise his voice. "We'll find her. It just may take some time."

"Wrong, boy. I'll find her. Platinum, which way did she go?"

"Logan, reconsider this," Storm objected. "Your outfit is stained with blood. Come back to the mansion, get cleaned up. Then you can come back and-"

"No! I'm lookin' for her now! Vic, tell me!"

Platinum sighed. Glancing at Cyclops she said,

"Nocturne ran down 4th Street, Logan. To save those people. Logan, be careful."

He bared his teeth at her and the rest of the group and disappeared in the growing darkness.

At the mansion several hours later, cleaned up, rested and fed, Hank, Victoria, and Remy waited for Wolverine's return. Remy held Victoria in-between her restless pacing.

"Where is he?" she questioned. "He should have been back at least an hour ago!"

"He'll be back. Don you worry 'bout Wolv'rine," Remy reassured her, getting up and leading her back to the couch.

They sat quietly a while. The front door slammed, making all three of them jump. They heard heavy footsteps in the hall.

"Home is the hunter, home from the hills," Hank quipped as Logan came in.

"Well? Did you find her?" Remy asked.

"Does is look like I found her?" Logan shouted.

He went to the fireplace and put his arm on the mantle, facing away from them. The blood and dirt on his outfit had merged to a dull brown.

"Logan," Victoria said quietly, "what happened? Did you find anything?"

"Her trail was cold," he replied. His voice was flat. "I followed what was left of it up the sidewalk 'bout a block an' a half. Then she stopped. She went out inta the street-there was a heavier scent on the pavement. She had laid down-or was knocked down. And then, nothin'. The trail was completely gone. I couldn't even pick up anything in the air . . . ."

His voice faded out. Hank, after a few moments, asked,

"What did you mean, 'or was knocked down'? Was this on the street?"

"Yeah. And I mean 'knocked down' 'cause . . . 'cause I found her blood on the asphalt."

Victoria's jaw dropped. She glanced at Remy, who took her hand. Hank remained silent.

Logan clenched his fist by his leg. In a sudden rush of fury, he roared and swept the vase on the mantle violently to the floor. It shattered as it hit the tiles.

Victoria wanted to go to him, to comfort him, but kept back. Eventually Hank led the other two from the room silently. They left Logan to brood alone.

Nocturne half-awoke groggily. She was on her side, held down with restraints, and in the bumpiest bed she'd ever laid on. It took her a few minutes to realize she was in a station wagon.

Her neck was weak but she attempted to lift her head unsuccessfully.

"Daddy! The dog's wakin' up!" a child screamed.

Nocturne flinched at the sudden noise. She couldn't find any purchase with her feet.

"She is?" the man replied. Nocturne continued to struggle as she felt the car pull into the gravel beside the road. "Don't go near her, Stevie."

The car stopped. The man got out and came around to the back.

Nocturne whimpered.

"Easy girl," the man said. "The doctor said to do this if you woke up before we got home."

She felt a sting as the needle pushed into her skin. The drug burned. In only a few seconds, Nocturne went back to sleep.

When she woke up again, her mind was clearer but her body ached terribly. She opened her eyes.

She was in a kitchen, laying on some blankets. Carefully she tried to move her legs. Her left front leg hurt so much she yipped immediately.

Instantly the family was at her side.

"Wow-look at her eyes!" the older boy exclaimed. He looked to be about eleven. "What kind of dog did the vet say she was?"

"He didn't know, Mike," the man replied. "He thought some kind of mix-Great Dane or Wolfhound because of her size and German Shepherd because of her looks."

"Stupid people," Nocturne thought.

"Are we going to keep her, dad? Huh?"

"Yes!" the little boy cried. "She's my dog!"

With that, the boy threw himself down on her.

Nocturne jumped and cried out in pain. She didn't bite him, as she should have done, but swallowed her instincts and bore it.

The man lifted him off.

"Don't do that, Stevie. This dog is hurt, remember? She got hit by a car."

"Can we keep her dad? Are we going to keep her?"

"Now, I don't know . . . ." the woman began.

"She didn't have a collar or license, Emily," the man protested. "She could be a stray."

"But she's so big . . . ."

"She'll be all right. Besides, the kids already love her. She saved our lives in Buffalo!"

Emily sighed. "I'm not too sure this is a good thing . . . but we can keep her until she gets better. We'll put a lost dog ad in the paper."

The kids cheered and the man smiled.

"All right, boys," he said, "it's time for bed. You can see the dog tomorrow-right now she needs to rest."

The woman chased them out of the kitchen. The man softly patted Nocturne's side before leaving.

"You're a good dog," he said, flipping off the lights.

In the glow of the digital clock on the microwave, Nocturne sighed and tried not to move.

"So I got hit by a car,' she thought. "A Sentinel can't stop me, but something with four wheels-!

"I guess nothing's broken-I'm not in a cast. The side of my head hurt's worst . . . how long was I out? Where the hell am I? These people are kind of stupid-they've obviously never had a dog before. I guess I'll be here till I heal up.

"Couldn't Victoria pin-point me? Or Doc X? And Logan . . . even he couldn't track me down? Oh god. Where am I? How long was I unconscious? Oh god . . . ."

With a quiet whimper of worry, Nocturne drifted back to sleep.

- Nocturne found out later that the car had bruised her leg and ribcage, gave her a concussion, and almost ripped off her ear. The man informed her of all this the next day when he found her limping around the kitchen on three legs. He forced her back down on the pile of blankets.

"Come on, dog, I know it's rough, but the vet said you have to rest. I'll bring your food and water over."

She was made to stay still for the better part of the week, until they took her back to the vet for a re-check.

She was too heavy for the man to lift and carry himself. He left a moment and returned with another, younger man who smelled of soap and other dogs-the vet's assistant.

"That's a big dog, Mr. Peterson," he said in admiration when the back of the car was opened. "You planning on keeping her? She looks healthy-I wouldn't mind having a dog like this."

Roger smiled. "Well, my wife is going to put some ads in the Buffalo paper, but she wasn't wearing a collar. I don't think that will pan out. We'll see."

They hoisted her up on a stretcher and took her inside the office. Sharp smells assaulted her nostrils . . . anethesias, medicines, and the fear of other animals.

"Damn," she thought, "no wonder animals hate this place!"

They took her into a bright room and put her on a table. The vet, an older man, came in immediately.

"Hello, Mr. Peterson, I'm Dr. Chandler. Let's take a look."

He began to examine Nocturne. His hands were gentle, especially over her leg and ear. She was grateful.

"What's her name?"

Roger cleared his throat. "She doesn't really have one yet."

"Ha!" thought Nocturne.

"We were in Buffalo and she was hit by a car . . . she didn't have a license so we took her to a vet there. He sewed her up and we brought her home."

"Where am I?" Nocturne screamed silently. "I'm not in Buffalo? Am I still in New York?"

"Well, the vet in Buffalo did a nice job sewing her ear. It looks like there's a bit of infection. We can clear that up. And her leg is only bruised-she didn't pull any muscles or strain the ligaments. She'll be up and around probably in the next week. She may limp for awhile but it should heal cleanly."

"That's what the other vet said."

"She's in exceptional health, Mr. Peterson. You've got a good dog here-she didn't even flinch when I ran my hands over her leg. Are you going to keep her?"

"Yes . . . I think we will."

"Shit . . . " groaned Nocturne.

"We've never had a dog before. What will we need to do?"

To Nocturne's dismay, the vet began listing everything they'd need to be the perfect dog owners: collars, leashes, crates, obedience training, dog-food, flea spray . . . she clunked her head down on the table and closed her eyes.

The Petersons followed the doctor's orders religiously. Nocturne, now christened Shadow, received a leather collar and a choke-chain. She was put in a metal crate when the family was away or sleeping and taken outside only on a leash.

The ads in the paper were never placed. Mrs. Peterson neglected to do it when she saw how gentle the dog was with her children. And with the crime rate going up, she reasoned, a dog wasn't too bad an investment.

All their neighbors commented on the size and ferocious looking appearance of Shadow, but were reassured as they saw four-year old Stevie walk Shadow with no problems.

It took her almost two weeks to be able to put her weight on her foot again and walk without a limp. Nocturne still didn't know where she was. It worried her terribly.

Mr. Peterson and Mike took her to obedience class. It was a responsible but useless gesture. After the first class the instructor pulled them aside and asked if she'd been trained before and if this was just a refresher course. They told him they weren't sure.

Intrigued, the instructor took Nocturne's lead and ran her around the ring. He began with basic commands and progressed to extremely advanced ones. She performed all of them expertly. Mr. Peterson and Mike watched, dumb-founded.

"I don't know where you got this dog," the instructor said as he stopped beside them. Nocturne promptly sat at his side, her tongue rolling. She looked as if she were smiling. "She's amazing. If I were you, I'd look into obedience trials. She'd be a winner."

Mr. Peterson looked proud. Nocturne rolled her eyes and decided she wouldn't be shown. She'd absolutely refuse.

Another week passed. The stitches in the side of her head came out, although her ear was still tender. The kids, especially Stevie, continued to enjoy her more and more.

They walked her every day, played tag and catch with her, and used her as a pillow on the living room floor.

They were good kids and a nice family, but Nocturne wasn't happy. It was degrading acting as if she were an ordinary dog. She worried if she'd have trouble changing back to human since it'd been so long that she had. She wondered if the other X-men had given her up for lost. She missed Logan.

Nocturne decided she wouldn't run away from the Petersons until she knew where she was. She had plenty of opportunities to escape (especially when Stevie took her out-usually her let the leash drag on the ground)-but she didn't. It was and easy life, although not a perfect one.

Once, while the boys and Mr. Peterson were gone, Mrs. Peterson took a long bath, Nocturne, outside the bathroom door, listened to her sing, shook her head, and went back to work on the rawhide bone she'd been given.

Mrs. Peterson finished her bath and walked to her bedroom. Nocturne followed. As Mrs. Peterson was drying her hair, Nocturne heard a quiet "click" coming from the living room. She slipped out of the bedroom unnoticed to investigate.

A man, dressed in black, had slipped in through a window. He was searching through Emily's purse and didn't see Nocturne.

"You just made you last mistake, buddy," Nocturne thought evilly. "Oh man-I'm starting to sound like Wolverine. Oh god, I miss him!"

She pushed it out of her mind and narrowed her eyes. She wanted to sneak up on the man, but as she walked closer, he began to turn around.

With a nasty snarl, Nocturne rushed him.

He screamed. She continued her wet growls as she knocked him down. Trying to fend her off, she lacerated his hand with a few swipes of her teeth. She tried to grab his throat. The man couldn't scream any more.

Mrs. Peterson could.

She screamed long and loud.

"Oh Jesus lady-call him off! Call him off!" the burglar shrieked.

"Shadow-stop it!"

Nocturne immediately quit. She backed away, still showing her teeth. The thief sat up, holding his bloody hand, almost hysterical. He tried to stand up.

Instantly Nocturne knocked him down again. She didn't make a sound.

"Shadow!" Emily cried. She backed off. Emily informed the man, "You'd better stay on the floor. I'm calling the police."

"Fucking dog tore up my hand . . . "

Nocturne smiled.

The police came, collected the burglar and Emily's statements, praised Nocturne, and left. In the after-shock, Emily fell to the floor beside Nocturne and wept.

Mr. Peterson and his sons returned home to find Emily still clinging to Nocturne. Nocturne wagged her tail slowly as they entered.

Shakily, Emily recounted the story. Again Nocturne was praised-this time with the promise of a steak. That night she was allowed to sleep outside her crate.

At 2:30am Nocturne made sure the family was asleep. She went to the kitchen, and in the green light of the microwave's digital clock, transformed back into a human.

It wasn't as hard as she imagined it would be, but it left her out of breath. After catching it, she went to the phone.

Dialing the mansion's number, the phone was answered on the third ring.

"Jubilee!" Nocturne whispered.

"Alexis!" came the ecstatic reply. "Where are you? It's been over a month-we've been searching! Wolvie's been nuts-where are you?"

"Jubilee! Jubilee-shut up! Listen to me!" she whispered urgently. "I don't have much time!" "Where are you? Wait-I'll go get Wolvie up and-" "Jubilee-damn it, listen! I don't know where I am. Some family's got me as a pet-this was the first chance I've had to call." "A pet? Where?" "I don't know!" "What should we do?" "I don't know . . . the family's name is Peterson. Wait-get Beast. He can set up a tracer on the phone call. Can you do that?" "He won't like to get woken up, but-" Nocturne heard someone get up. "Shit-I have to go-I'll call back sometime later." She hung up. Mr. Peterson came into the kitchen. Nocturne looked up at him, from the floor. She yawned. "Sorry girl. Thought I heard someone talking. Couldn't be, though. You'd take care of them." He laughed and took her back to her crate. She was locked in the rest of the night.

It was almost another week and a half before Nocturne had another chance to use the phone. Stevie had begun thinking she was a better horse than dog. It didn't bother her-she'd carried Jubilee on her back before and Stevie didn't weigh a fraction of her. Mrs. Peterson was livid when she found out but Stevie continued to do it whenever he got the chance.

He got good at it. Nocturne never went any faster than a trot. He thought it was great fun. As he slid off he'd laugh and squeeze her neck. She licked his face, which made him laugh harder.

Her next chance at the phone came as an accident. The grocery shopping needed to be done, and in her hurrying Mrs. Peterson neglected to lock the crate door. Nocturne could barely help from barking in glee.

As the car pulled out of the driveway, she glanced at the clock. She had almost an hour before Mike got home from school.

She nosed the door of the crate open and darted for the phone. By the time she got there she was human.

Making sure she wasn't standing in front of a window because she was naked, she dialed.

"Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters," a deep voice answered.

"Hank!" Nocturne cried.

"Alexis! We wondered when you would find the time to call. You have extraordinarily bad luck-this is the first time since your last call that Logan has not been within striking distance of a telephone. Professor Xavier has made him go to the Danger Room and work off his nervous energy. You should really have a talk with him, Alexis. His telephone etiquette is reprehensible. He-"

"Hank!" she interrupted. "I don't mean to interrupt what appears to be a novel length commentary, but I want out of here! I don't even know where I am!"

"Patience, dear heart," he replied calmly. "Even as I spoke I was typing in search commands. My speech was only intended to keep you on the line long enough to get an accurate trace. Not to bore or worry you."

"Oh Hank . . . I'm sorry. I just want to come home. I miss everyone! Do my parents know?"

"Yes, they know. Your mother, I dare say, is almost as ferocious as Logan. Please do not take that as an insult."

She laughed. "No. I think you nailed it on the nose. Is the trace done?"

"No . . ." she could hear him type. ". . . crossing the border is taking some time."

"Crossing the border?"

"It seems you are in Canada, Alexis. Wait . . . in Montreal. Now I'll try to pinpoint the house."

"Montreal." Nocturne leaned against the wall. "Yes . . . part of Logan's old territory. . . just a few more minutes. . . he will not be pleased he missed your call, Alexis. I hope he does not take his frustrations out on me. Jubilation woke him up with her screaming the other time, but by the time he flew down the stairs you had hung up. In his rage he shredded the phone. Jubilation, wisely, made no move to stop him. However, watching him, she made the dry comment she hoped you wouldn't try to call back that night because the phone was inoperational. That erupted into a shouting match that woke the rest of the house. No one got any sleep after that."

"Oh Logan . . . " Nocturne whispered. "I'm sorry, Hank. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble."

"Don't be apologetic. We have been worried about you as well. A little domestic disturbances always make life interesting."

She laughed.

"Wait . . . wait-got it! 426 Bower Street, Montreal, Canada! The family's name is Peterson, correct?"

"Yes! That's it!" Nocturne shouted. "Thank you Hank! Will you send someone to pick me up?"

He chuckled. "I believe Logan will drop absolutely everything to come and retrieve you. He wouldn't have it any other way."

"I know. . . tell him to get up here as quick as possible."

"I'm sure he will," Hank replied. "It will take several hours to get there, you realize."

"Yes," she sighed. "I know. But relay the message, okay? Is Logan out of the Danger Room yet?"

"No-he's got another fifteen minutes."

"All right. I should go . . . tell everyone I miss them."

"I will."

"And Hank . . . thanks. It was good to talk to you."

"You're welcome, Alexis. I'll see you soon."

"Bye."

"Good bye."

Nocturne hung up the phone and went back to the crate to wait impatiently.

The next morning Mike took her out for a walk. He wanted to take her to the ballfield-he said Shadow was the best outfielder they ever had. Nocturne went along reluctantly.

Since it was Saturday, Mrs. Peterson sent Stevie out to play. Mr. Peterson half-watched his son playing in the driveway as he scraped the siding.

A jeep drove by slowly but he only gave it a passing glance. He dismissed it even as it pulled to a stop to park across the street. He walked into the garage to get the paint and a paintbrush.

As he came out of the garage, Mr. Peterson saw a short, stocky man talking to Stevie. He couldn't hear the conversation but had a bad feeling.

"Hey!" he shouted.

The man glanced at him. He turned back to Stevie and pout his hand on the boy's shoulder.

Mr. Peterson say a blur of black rushing down the sidewalk.

"Good girl, Shadow," he thought quickly, "and once you're finished with that pervert, I'll take care of him."

It was almost frightening to witness. Shadow galloped straight down the sidewalk soundlessly. But the man must have sensed her coming, because he spun around just as she launched herself at him.

She caught him square in the chest. To Mr. Peterson's surprise, however, the man didn't even take a step backwards. He had taken the full 150lb. rushing dog and didn't stagger.

The man actually picked her up off the ground, hugging her. Shadow was whimpering and licking his face. Mr. Peterson could see the man was whispering something, although he couldn't tell what it was.

A striking woman walked up beside the man. Mr. Peterson decided he'd had enough.

"Hey," he said again, walking down the driveway, "what do you think you're doing to our dog?"

"Your dog?" Logan repeated, looking up to Mr. Peterson. Carefully he set her down. "First of all, bub, she ain't yours. Second, she's not a dog. She's a wolf."

Mr. Peterson looked surprised. The woman warned,

"Logan."

He glanced at her.

"I'm sorry," the woman apologized. "My name is Victoria Fairborne and this is Logan. I'm afraid he is correct, however. Nocturne belongs with us."

"Nocturne? Listen, I don't know what kind of scam you people are trying to pull, but this dog is ours. She saved our lives in Buffalo. We looked for a collar or license, which she didn't have. Then she got hit by a car-"

"She got hit by a car?" Logan shouted. He dropped to his knees beside her. "Nocturne, are you okay? What happened?"

Nocturne stared at him. "Don't blow it, Logan-they don't know we're mutants!" she pleaded silently.

Apparently he had the same thoughts. He stood back up quickly. Mrs. Peterson came outside and Mike ran up, panting.

"I don't know what happened, Dad!" he exclaimed. "She just bit the leash in two and took off. She's never done that before!"

"Roger, what do these people want?"

"They say that Shadow's theirs."

"No!" Mike shouted.

Victoria could tell that Logan was losing patience.

"Shadow didn't have a license when we found her," protested Mrs. Peterson. "She saved us from those awful mutants fighting, and she saved us from being robbed! You can't take her!"

"Nocturne is a very special wolf," Victoria said. She hoped they didn't know enough about police systems so she could lie. "Secret service dogs aren't required to have licenses or even collars when they are out in public.

"These dogs are so well trained they seem almost human."

Nocturne rolled her eyes. She nuzzled her nose into Logan's palm. He glanced down and softly rested his hand on her head. She sighed.

"She broke command when she rescued you," Victoria continued. "Then she must have gotten confused and run out into the street.

No one in the family said anything. Taking this positively, Logan turned and gestured to Victoria and Nocturne. They began to follow him.

"Roger!" Mrs. Peterson cried.

"I'll pay you anything you want," he said quickly. "Don't take our dog away."

They stopped. Victoria glanced at Logan. He took a breath, then kept walking.

"I'm sorry," Victoria apologized. "We'll reimburse you for your troubles."

Mr. Peterson took his wife's hand and didn't say anything more. They watched the three walk to the jeep. Stevie began to cry.

Instantly Nocturne stopped. She turned and darted back to them.

"Nocturne!" Logan cried.

She ignored him. Going to Stevie, she licked away his tears. He began to giggle. She gave Mike a lick, and Mrs. Peterson. She looked up at Mr. Peterson with her golden eyes, then spun around and ran back to Logan and Victoria.

All three climbed into the jeep. Victoria took the driver's seat. Nocturne jumped into the back. As the jeep pulled away, she turned as watched the four family members until they turned the corner and she couldn't see them any more. She sighed.

They travelled for a while. Nocturne was tempted to climb into the front with Logan, but knew that would interfere with Victoria's driving. Then she couldn't stand it any more. She clawed the back of her seat.

"What? What do you want?" Victoria asked, glancing in the mirror.

Logan turned around to look at her. "What is it, angel? Anything I can do?"

"I wish I couldn't read minds," Victoria muttered, after seeing Alexis's reply.

Alexis whined and pulled on Victoria's shirt with her teeth.

"Clothes!" she shouted. "I want to be human again!"

"Oh shit," Victoria said aloud. "We forgot!"

"Forgot what?" questioned Logan, feeling lost.

"Couldn't you have said something before we got on the highway?" she said to Alexis. To Logan she said, "Alex wants to be human again . . . but we forgot her clothes."

"Here," he replied, shrugging off his fleece lined jacket. "Take my coat."

He tossed it into the back.

"But Alex-you don't have any pants-" Victoria stopped as Alexis transformed from wolf to human and slipped on the jacket. She sighed. "Well, now you're only half naked."

Alexis shivered as the wind hit her bare legs.

"You look great," Logan said. "Come here."

She smiled and crawled into his lap. He hugged her tightly. She ran her fingers in his hair.

"I missed you," she whispered.

Logan nodded and kissed her.

"Jesus you two!" Victoria exploded, interrupting them. "We're barreling down a highway! Alexis-you don't have any pants on! My god."

Alexis didn't turn to her. "I'll just give the truckers a thrill," she shrugged. Before Logan could make a comment, jealous or otherwise, she kissed him again.

"All right. Fine," Victoria sighed. "Could you maybe just do that in the back? Would that be too much to ask?"

Without a reply, Alexis and Logan climbed into the back.

"Why didn't ya heist a paira that woman's pant's?" Logan asked as she settled back against him.

"Mrs. Peterson was a size four!"

"So?"

"I'm not exactly that small."

"Woulda fooled me . . . ."

Victoria rolled her eyes.

A few seconds of relative silence passed. Then she heard Logan say,

"You taste like dog food."

"Logan! I just spent the last six weeks as a wolf. They didn't feed me steak and caviar!"

He laughed. So did Victoria.

"Shut up!"

They didn't.

Alexis sighed. "Speaking of food . . . can we stop somewhere and get something to eat? Being a wolf screw up my metabolism. I'm hungry."

Victoria glanced at them in the mirror with shock on her face. "I am not going through a drive-thru if you don't have any pants on! They'd probably send the police after us!"

"There's a blanket back here. I'll cover up."

Victoria sighed and began to look for an exit ramp.

"These collars are a real statement, angel," she heard Logan say.

"You still have your collars on?"

"I forgot. Sorry. I just got so used to them . . . "

Victoria watched in the mirror as Alexis tried to take them off. Logan fingered them.

". . . they won't come off."

"Change back to a wolf," Victoria suggested.

"Easier way," Logan objected.

With the back of his hand flat against her neck, his blades shot up underneath the two collars. A flick of his wrist destroyed both the metal and leather. Victoria flinched at the sound.

It also made her angry.

"Damn it, Logan, if anyone saw you do that-"

"They didn't. Just drive. Find a place to eat. And then floor it all the way back to the mansion, Stripe."

His tone made her even angrier, but he had pulled Alexis closer again and was ignoring her. She sighed and followed his instructions.

- They reached the mansion after ten. Alexis, having no qualms, walked in and was greeted by everyone holding the blanket around her waist. She hugged Hank and Jubilee, although she asked the girl,

"I'm glad you got my call Jube-but what were you doing up that late?"

"Well Brian-" her latest boyfriend, "-had just dropped me off and . . . ." she blushed.

Alexis laughed and let her off the hook.

Everyone wanted to hear the entire story and Alexis wanted to be caught up with everything that had happened to them, but Professor Xavier shooed them off to bed. It was too late, he informed them, to retell all of it. There would be plenty of time tomorrow.

They were disappointed but agreed. They retired.

Logan held Alexis tightly as they fell asleep in his bed. Then, during the night, he half-awoke feeling something was wrong. She was gone.

A cry of confusion stuck in his throat as he sat up.

"No! It wasn't just a dream-" he didn't finish his whisper as he saw her standing in front of an open window.

It had always amazed Alexis that Logan had chosen this room as his own. The window she stood in front of opened to a small wrought-iron balcony. It overlooked the estates formal gardens.

On nights like this one, with a clear sky and a half moon, the scene was beautiful. Her thin nightshirt didn't protect her from the slight breeze. She shivered.

Instantly Logan's hands were on her shoulders.

"What are you doin'?" he whispered.

"I told you being a wolf messes up my metabolism. It also messes up my sleep patterns."

He took a step closer, holding her to him. He looked over the garden with her.

Alexis leaned back against him. He was very solid behind her.

"I've missed you," he said quietly.

"I missed you too," she replied. Turning to face him, her eyes followed her fingers as they made their way up his neck to his cheeks. Carefully they brushed his eyebrows as he watched her.

His eyes were darker grey in the moonlight.

He slid his hands down her shoulders to her silk-clad back. The material always felt odd, he thought, under his broad hands. It was too delicate.

They kissed.

"Come back to bed with me," Logan whispered.

She avoided his eyes for a moment. "I don't want to have sex, Logan," she said quietly.

"If you don't want to, we won't," he replied, surprising her. He continued, "You were gone and I couldn't find you . . . I didn't know what to do. For a month and a half I didn't know. . . I want to hold you, Alexis. We won't do anything else."

He took her back to the bed willingly. She fell asleep again in his arms.