Two days later she was packing her bags. *Can't stay here, can't put ever'one in danger cause o' me. Got t' get goin, stayed too long already.*

#Cadie.#

She sighed as she continued packing. #Jean, I tol' you I don' like it when y' mess wit' my head. What d' y' want, hehn?#

#You don't have to go. You know we'll protect you. Why won't you stay?#

#Y' know my reasons. Won' put ever'one in danger fo' my sake. Not right.#

She "heard" Jean's sigh. #Will you at least tell me where you're going? Remy will want to know, and Wolverine.#

She clamped a lid on her emotions quickly. #No one gets t' know where I'm goin, Jeannie, chere. Only way t' keep you safe. Only way.#

A burst of sarcastic laughter came from the doorway. "Well, guess dat answer my question, petite," Remy said angrily. "You ready to run again. When you gon' learn y' can't run from evert'ing?"

Jean's "voice" faded and Cadie realized she'd been stalling. "What y' want, Remy? I'm busy."

"Yeah, I can see dat. Petite, look at Remy, hehn?" She froze for a moment as his hand gently touched her arm. "C'mon, look round here, talk t' me."

He gently turned her to face him, his voice still soft as he placed a hand under her chin, making her look up at him. She shrugged loose. "Y' know better'n dat, frere," she spat. "Dose Charm powers o' yours don' work on me. So quit Tryin t' use em, okay? I need t' go, Remy, I have to." Her voice trailed off as the tears she'd been desperately trying to hold back began streaming down her face. "Y' know what she's like. She won't stop till I'm dead. Y' know dat."

He held her close while she wept, feeling her pain, her fear. Then he moved her head up again, holding her where she was forced to meet his eyes. "Petite, y' don' have t' run. Not dis time. We're more dan able t' protect you. Y' trust Remy, neh?" She gave a hesitant nod. "Den don' fret, ma petite amie. Y' stay wit' us, we protect you. No fear."

She clung to him, silently weeping. *Sometimes fo'get jus how young y' really are, petite. Belle want you, she have t' come t'rough us. Promise.*

"Okay, kid. One more time. Think you can do it right this time?" Wolverine goaded her.

She snarled back. "How many times I got t' tell you, homme, don' call me a kid!" She launched a spin kick at his face, and when he ducked, followed it up with a right to the jaw. He staggered back a step, then kept coming. She leaped into the air, to flip over his head and land behind him, where she could do more damage, but he caught her waist with one hand and brought her down, throwing himself on top of her to pin her down. One powerful hand held her arms over her head, the other just beneath her nose, one claw on each side of her face. She shivered.

"You may be hot stuff against everyone else on this team, sweetheart, but until you can take me down, you're not good enough. Remember that."

She bucked under him, trying to dislodge him, but to no effect. Abruptly she went limp underneath him, her eyes closed. "Nice try, kid," he said in a hard voice. "But I don't fall for those old tricks. Know all of em, they're even older than me. So open your eyes and give up." He leaned down very close to her face and whispered. "Besides, you don't smell like you're sleeping."

Her eyes flew open and she blushed hard at finding him so close to her. *Get a grip, Cadie girl. Don' let him see it's affected you at all, much less like dat.* But the blush persisted. She struck back the only way she could think of. "If I didn' know better, mon ami, I'd t'ink y' was teasin me," she spat. "Get off, I can't breathe like dis. Get off!" He refused to budge, giving her a nasty smile.

(The man held her down, smiling thinly at her. She could feel his other hand touching her, exploring her body through her clothing. She tensed, fighting him, sobbing, but he was much too big for a tiny teenager to fend off. He outweighed her, outsized her. She couldn't fight.)

"Non!!!!!!" The scream was torn from her throat, and with a strength she never knew she possessed, she jerked her hands free and sent him crashing against a wall. She scrambled backward as he rose, stopping only when she felt the wall at her back. Unable to flee further, she curled herself into a ball, sobbing, as she remembered the frightened girl she had once been.

The touch of a hand on her arm startled her again, and she flinched back as far as she was able. Raising her eyes, she looked into his face, shivering violently. She didn't recognize him, or understand the words he spoke to her. They weren't French, how could he expect her to understand?

The tone was soft, reassuring. She looked closer at him, frowning. He continued to speak, softly, soothingly, and the terror began to subside a bit.

Another voice spoke then, and she turned toward the speaker. Remy. Remy LeBeau, her protector, her friend. The only family she'd ever known. Surely if he was here then she was safe. *Non, dat was long time ago, girl. T'ink, y' know where y' are. Westchester, New York. Dis man, he's your friend. He won' hurt you.* Slowly her pulse slowed and she stopped shivering.

"Wolverine, I'm sorry," she whispered.

He moved back from her and started to light a cigar. "Nothin to be sorry about, kid." He turned and began to walk away. "Go get showered, and cleaned up, Cadie. You'll feel better once you've done that."

She stared after him, confused. *What happen here, anyway? I 'member fightin, an he won. What happen after dat?*

"He got a good idea, petite. C'mon, I help you upstairs. We'll talk later, neh?"