She sighed. She was tired, hungry, sore and just plain uncomfortable. She glanced at the man next to her on the plane. His eyes were closed and his face, for the first time in about two weeks, was relaxed with the help of a shot from the blue fuzzy guy. He was a handsome man in a rugged, hardened sort of manner. He was short but well muscled and agile. His mane of black hair, currently matted with blood and sweat, framed his taut face. She put her tiny hand on his and held it for security. She felt him give her hand a small squeeze to let her know he was with her.

They had been through hell and back together and she wasn't so sure she was ready to let him away from her. He had saved her life on more than one occasion from the man called Viper and his lapdog, Kim. She shivered as she remembered her friend as he engaged Viper in a battle to the death. He became his namesake, Wolverine, and she hoped she never had to see him in a fight like that again.

Yeah, right, she thought to herself.

She sighed again and looked around the plane that held Wolverine's friends. There was the bald guy who could read minds. He said his name was Professor Charles Xavier, but she preferred to call him Sir. Then there was the pilot, the guy who wore the funky glasses and was a bit on the cold side. Professor said he was called Cyclops. And then there was the blue, furry guy with the tail. He scared her at first but then his gentle nature, warm eyes, and humor won her over. Wolverine called him Elf and Professor introduced him as Nightcrawler.

Okay, she had their names down. She looked to the woman who sat across from her. She would never forget this woman or her name.

Jasmine Daniels, who also called herself Metallica, was Wolverine's friend and now Kitku considered Jasmine her friend. Jasmine was a pretty woman; short but well built, in fact, a very hourglass figured. She had a European Greek-Sicilian featured face with high cheekbones and dark olive skin complimented by her long dark hair and green eyes. She seemed very petite but was a vicious combatant and used what Professor called magnetism. She had protected Kitku and faced Kim in battle.

Kitku felt a cold nose nuzzle her hand. She looked down to Jasmine's German shepherd, Nugent. He sat on his haunches and wagged his tail at her. She reached down and scratched behind his ears.

Kitku sighed again.

Jasmine had been trying to get a few minutes of sleep while they flew to where ever they were going. She heard Kitku sigh and smiled to herself. The kid was something else and Jasmine was proud of her. Kitku had held her own against the biggest, baddest couple of dudes that Jasmine had ever encountered.

She opened one eye and spied on Kitku and her exhausted, beaten, former lover, Wolverine. Even with his face cut and bruised, he was still looking good. His healing factor was not up to par due to the poison from Viper's blades that was now coursing through his veins, so his bruises and cuts were not healing. He looked pale and his breathing was shallow.

She caught the one they called Nightcrawler's attention. He followed her look to Logan and then back to her. He just offered a reassuring smile and a nod.

Now it was Jasmine's turn to sigh. She was so worried about Logan, not that as a general rule, one had to worry about him, but he held a special place in her heart. Besides, the kid seemed very fond of him and well, Logan seemed very fond of the kid. They made a great pair, the two of them. She turned her attention out the window. Beneath the plane was a large body of water and they were heading straight for a cliff side.

Jasmine closed her eyes. She immediately snapped them back open, sat up straight in her chair and looked out the window again, just to be sure. Yep, they were heading straight for the cliff. Panic and fear became the words for the day.

"Oh, shit," she murmured and then smiled reassuringly at Kitku. She started to gather her power and was just about ready to take control of the plane when she heard a voice, his voice.

"Ms. Daniels, that won't be necessary, I assure you," he said in that trusting tone.

"You assure me? We are heading for the goddamn cliff!" she snapped back mentally. She magnetically tightened Kitku and Logan's seatbelts before tightening her own. "Doesn't that cause you a bit of concern?"

"Well," the Professor said slowly with a hint of amusement in his eyes, "No, it doesn't."

Jasmine stared at the man in total disbelief and then over to her friends. Kitku had finally looked out the window and was clutching her armrests as hard as she could. Jasmine could see the little girl's lips moving as if in prayer. She looked back to the Professor and Nightcrawler; both were very calm and simply waited, waited for their impending death.

She turned back to the window determined to face death, but closed her eyes at the last moment. The noise of the jets seemed to mute and the noise of rushing air through an enclosed area filled her ears. She slowly opened her eyes and watched cavern walls whip past them until the jet settle down for a smooth, hover landing. She reached over and touched Kitku's hand.

Kitku felt something touch her. She wondered briefly if it were an angel or the Man himself. She opened her eyes ready for anything. Jasmine was smiling at her, although her face was pale. Nightcrawler bounced over and grinned.

"Vell, vasn't dat fun, ja?"

"Nein," Jasmine replied in a firm tone.

"Yeah, so funny I peed myself," Kitku snapped. She checked just to be sure that she had not actually done that to herself.

Nightcrawler tilted his head and flipped over so that his feet now stuck to the ceiling. "Vhy not? I thought it vas funny."

"You would," a gruff voice broke into their conversation.

"Wolvie?" Kitku turned away from Jasmine and Nightcrawler. She leaned over him, his eyes were still closed, his breathing was still shallow and his coloration was not the best. She took his hand into her tiny one and patted it. "Wolvie?"

When he did not respond, Kurt moved in and checked his pulse. "He is all right. Come on, ve need to get him on ze gurney."

Professor started giving instructions on how to move him with the least discomfort and Kurt and Kitku were trying to lift him from his seat. The pilot, Cyclops, was coming out of the cockpit and stopped to help.

"If you'll give me a second and some room, guys, I can get the man outa here and onto a gurney, no sweat," Jasmine piped in and was promptly ignored. She looked down at Nugent who, in his own doggy way, shrugged. Well, she liked to believe that he shrugged. "They asked for it."

She put her thumb and pinky into her mouth and blew the loudest whistle she could muster. Everyone stopped. "Pardon me."

Jasmine shoved her way past Cyclops and magnetically lifted Wolverine from his chair, laid him on the gurney, buckled him in and lifted the gurney out of the plane. She followed him by floating down the ground. She glanced over her shoulder at the group that had gathered at the door of the plane. "Well, come on, where to now, people? Lets go, we don't have all day."

She reached out magnetically and lifted Professor to the ground then Kitku, Nugent and Cyclops. Kurt opted to teleport as Jasmine closed up the plane and started off with the gurney that held Logan.

"Which way, huh? Come on, people, daylight's fading fast. Hope I'm going the right way. Wouldn't want to get lost," she said so fast that Professor had to telepathically link with her to keep up. "Wow, this place is huge. Interesting. Could use some art on the walls, though."

Cyclops looked at Kitku. "Is she always like this?"

"Only when she hasn't had her coffee," Kitku muttered as she trotted off to Jasmine. "Hey, wait for me!"

Cyclops shook his head. "Great."