Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution or anything else from Marvel with the exceptions of my OCs.

AN: This takes places in my AGU series after my Adjustments story, this is just a one-shot

It was in the middle of the night at the Xavier Institute and for the most part everyone was sleeping soundly. Except for one.

She woke up in a sweat, breathing heavily and her heart pounding in her ears. She looked around and saw the room she shared with Paige, the mutant girl known as Husk. Her name was now Sarah Logan, but she was also referred to as X-23. Although she was glad she had a real name now to help her move away from her past, some things weren't easy to get away from.

She had them now and then, nightmares. Ever since she had freed herself from Hydra she got them but she wasn't surprised. It wasn't exactly a 'normal' upbringing and even though her body healed faster then normal and left no scars on the surface, but on the inside that scars that no one could see, that was another story.

She had dreamed that Hydra had come for her, that they stormed her home…that was an off sensation for her. Considering this place home, when she had nothing to compared it too, but this was the only place that she figured fit in with that word. She guessed that was why the nightmare had upset her so much, this place had come to mean a lot to her and seeing it being destroyed was hard, almost as hard as seeing all the others being killed and hurt. They brought her in to their home and had forgiven her for attacking them the first time she had been here.

It wasn't easy trusting them all but there were a few that she really did trust more then others. She looked over at the sleeping blond in her bed. Paige was the first person who wanted to be her friend, and she helped her to make sense of this world all the time. If she had to label her something then she would guess she was her best friend. She wasn't sure, because she had never had that before. There was just so much she didn't understand and at times it was hard but she was getting there.

One night when she had a nightmare she had accidentally cut her with her claws when Paige tried to wake her. She had been so scared that she had hurt her seriously. She ran from the mansion confused and frightened that they would get rid of her. Logan had found her in the rain all muddy and brought her back.

She was glad Paige thanks to her powers was alright and didn't blame her. Later Paige had told her she could talk to her about anything and if she ever had any more nightmare to wake her up so she wouldn't have to be alone with them. Paige was from a large family so she was used to helping her other siblings out along with her brother Sam.

Sarah looked over at Paige and she really didn't want to be alone and she crept silently to her but she looked too peaceful and she didn't want to disturb her. She didn't think she could sleep at the moment and so she decided it was best to go for a walk. With the years of training from Hydra it was easy to sneak out of the room without a sound. She had managed to sneak into this place and around it and managed to take out most of the occupants before they knew about her.

She took a hint of pride in that, she was trained to be the best and even though she hated Hydra to her core, she did admit she had a sense of pride to her skills. She moved like a shadow in the dark halls, she wasn't scared of the night or of the shadows, she had been trained to use them to her advantage. While walking around the place in just a tank-top and cotton pants all black since she preferred that color, she just walked idly around not really paying attention to where she had been going.

She found herself outside Logan's door to her surprise. She blinked a few times and moved some of her long dark hair from her face. She could smell him in there and she was reaching for the doorknob but stopped herself. She still couldn't understand why she kept going to him, sure he had adopted her legally as his daughter and she was in a way his genetic 'offspring' and they were the closest thing to family either of them had in this world. All her life she had been alone…well…not entirely.

Ever since Dr. Deborah Risman had told her that she was in fact her biological mother that it had been her egg and she had carried her to term she had been thinking about that. Sarah rested her back against the wall and slide down it and pulled her knees up to her chest thinking back on it again. She didn't like to think about her life, not after spending a month here. She was happy here for the first time in her life and just wanted to forget all that.

She remembered how they had forced her mutation out earlier by putting her in that machine when she was bout six or something and gave her a lethal dose of radiation. That had hurt so badly that she blacked out when it was done. She didn't remember her bone claws coming out only the darkness. Then while recovering she heard a small humming and the feeling of someone holding her hand.

She had woken up to see Risman sitting next to her holding her hand and humming a soothing tune to her. She looked at her with sad eyes and she had looked like she wanted to tell Sarah something but then Lady Viper came in with a few scientists. There were other times like when after a few months they put her in that tank and put adamantium on her claws. They wanted to do them first and not have to wait to see if they could cover her skeleton in that so they started with just the claws and when she got old enough they would do the rest of her bones.

If they had done her entire skeleton at that age, even now, she would never grow. At least her skeleton the rest of her…she didn't want to think about that, she wasn't sure what exactly would have happened but she was sure it wouldn't have been healthy and very painful.

Still after that she was there again holding her hand. She had done that whenever they weren't looking at them giving her slight touches and it wasn't until now that she realized that she had been giving her affectionate touches now and then. She remembered how Risman had been the easiest on her then all the others giving her, her training exercises. But still…she hadn't gotten her out…all those years…

Sarah felt the tears again and wiped them and the next time she breathed in with her nose the sniffed. She hated it when she cried, she still couldn't understand why it was necessary, you didn't see other animals in the world do this. At least not on that Discovery Channel she liked to watch at times. There was just so much more to the world she never knew about. She felt like she would never understand it no matter how long she lived.

That was another thing, she knew that most likely when she was in her twenties she would start to age slower like Logan. They had talked about that and she didn't like the idea of living longer then everyone here, the thought of one day losing them all terrified her, because then she would be alone again.

She didn't want that. One of the punishments they put her through had been putting her in that white room. She hated the white room. She would huddled in the corner not sure how long time was passing and how long she had been in there. She remembered that talk with Vincent by the dock at the lake and how he said that once you have truly been alone in the world and then have a home and friends and family you never want to be alone anymore.

At the time she hadn't been sure but now…thinking of leaving this place the only place that she most likely would ever use the word home with…it frightened her. She hated feeling fear, she felt it all her life and she hated it.

In battle she didn't fear anything, that had been drilled out of her but when she wasn't fighting…things were different, more complicated.

She hated complications, they were just so difficult at times and made things harder, and her life was hard enough as it was. She wiped her eyes again with her forearm and gave a low growl. She hated being like this, feeling this pain inside her that her healing powers didn't seem to heal. Her life was so confusing, but she tried because it was better then being at Hydra and also better then being alone.

She had friends and family for the first time in her life and she didn't want to lose that. She felt this warmness inside of her that felt really nice and it made her happy. The door opened and she quickly turned her head to see Logan there looking down at her still a bit asleep. He had woken up not sure from what when he heard and smelted her. Looking down he saw her red puffed up eyes. "Sarah…you alright? What happened?" He asked her in a gentle tone.

"Nightmare," She said and slowly stood up. "I couldn't sleep and…and I started walking and…well…" She didn't know how to explain it and he could see how upset that nightmare must have been for her, he knew that all too well himself the only thing was she remembered all the horrors they had put her through and seeing her in pain always felt like a knife to his heart. He gently put his arms around her and hugged her close since actions were a hell of a lot easier for him then words.

She felt him hug her and she enjoyed the sensation. It was only in his arms where she felt completely safe and that warm feeling inside of her that she liked was there. In his arms she felt like nothing could hurt her. "Can…can I stay with you tonight?" She asked him her voice cracking from the emotional strain.

Logan wasn't sure what to think, his daughter was a walking mixed contradiction. She knew how cruel life could be, yet was so innocent to certain things too. She was wild one moment, calm and collective another and then moments like this when she acted like a little child. She had never had a normal upbringing and was mainly going on instinct so the thought of this fourteen-year-old kid wanting to crawl into bed with him like a seven year old was different but then again in a way she was just like a little kid.

"Alright darling," He said softly and led her inside. She hung onto him never breaking contact if she could and when they got to the bed she curled up into a ball next to him her face against his chest. She held on to a piece of his shirt and he gently stroked her long hair. It took half an hour but she finally went to sleep. She just watched her then and seeing her like that, she looked like an angle asleep.

He hated how she had gone trough so much and knew that her would never have a completely normal life but he would do the best that he could for her. He couldn't remember his own family or what his father had been like but he was going to be the best father he could be to her, he would try his best and just hoped that in the end it was enough for her.

The next morning Ororo was up early, she knew Logan wanted to plan a surprise early training session in the yard and she was planning on getting things ready for after it, knowing how hungry the kids would be for their breakfast. But she half expected Logan to be up already knocking on doors by now but there wasn't anything.

She went to his door and knocked softly and her brow furrowed in confusion wondering if he was in there at all. She open the door and there was a sight that warmed her heart and made a smile on her face. On his bed there was Sarah cuddling up against him with a peaceful smile on her face, her arms wrapped around him. Logan also looked a bit peaceful for a change and had a hand on her head while the other was on top of one of hers that was over his stomach. Seeing them like that was just adorable and she didn't want to ruin the moment.

Whatever had happened last night looked like they had worked it out and she decided to leave them to it. Logan rarely slept in but she wanted him to this time, besides he could torment the kids another day, he looked like he had more important matters at the moment. She silently left the room and gently close the door leaving them there along and in peaceful sleep.