"Might I have a moment of your time, Logan?" Xavier called out as Logan and Piotr walked out of the elevator. Logan looked over to find Charlie eyeballing him with a mild expression. Here it came. Jeannie couldn't do the dirty work herself, so she was going to sic Xavier on him. "[I'll catch up with you later] comrade." he murmured to Piotr. The boy gave him a nervous smile, waved to Xavier, then walked off towards the stairs. He was probably still waiting for Jean to jump out at him and smack him. Boy's gonna need to find a spine if he wants to find a wife in this country. Logan mused quietly to himself. "Find out anything new?" Logan asked, not wanting to sound so hopeful. "Nothing solid as of yet, unfortunately. No, Logan - I wanted to speak to you about another unrelated matter." Logan raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's up?" Xavier's wheelchair spun around and he began heading back towards his office. Logan moved to follow as Charles replied, "I understand that you handled yourself remarkably well with our new student in the last session." Logan padded behind the professor, wondering where he was going with this. He remained silent as Xavier continued, "And I wanted to ask you for a favor of sorts." Logan's brow creased as he cautiously asked, "What kind of favor are we talkin' here, Professor?" Xavier had gotten in his face about calling him 'Chuck' soon after his return, and it wasn't a pissing contest that Logan wanted to engage in with the man again. He was willing to concede the floor and a moderate amount of respect to a man that had been critical in liberating him from that Canadian hellhole. When they reached his office, Xavier replied, "It's my belief that you'll be a remarkably good tutor when it comes to teaching self defensive courses. While these children are already strengthening their minds, I'm afraid that the physical activities portion of their education is sorely lacking. We only have four teachers at the moment, and we could really use the help." Logan blinked, not really sure that he'd heard the man correctly. "Wait..you want me to what?" he sputtered, completely thrown. "Your skills, from what I've seen in the taped Danger Room sessions, are exceptional." Logan blinked again. Of course the sessions were taped. That only made sense. He supposed it was a prime way to review tactics and moves after the fact. "You'll be an asset to this institution, and to these children, if you can teach them even half of what you know." Xavier explained softly. Teacher? The man seriously wanted him to instruct these kids? Was Charlie kidding? The professor was damned lucky that he wasn't proving to be a danger to them. A mild sense of constraint settled around him that he hadn't felt since his last time in confinement and it made his stomach roil. It almost felt as if something were trying to cage him again, to lock him down - slowly plucking away one freedom after the other. Seven months ago he had only the clothes on his back, the freedom of the wilderness and nobody else to bother with. It would've been idyllic if people hadn't been trying to track him to the ends of the earth. He found that he almost missed it - the lack of complications. He'd only been responsible for one thing, keeping himself alive. There was a serenity to it that the white noise of being around other people disrupted. Now that he'd saddled himself with a mate - and soon a kid - he was being asked by this man to give more than he felt he had left. What the hell was happening here? He could feel his expression close down as he took a step back. "Logan? Is everything quite alright?" Xavier asked, sounding concerned now. Logan's mind suddenly reeled. It was too much - too much responsibility, too many ties. A strange pressure began building in his chest and he was suddenly having difficulty drawing breath. The water was back, surrounding him - pressing on him from all sides. He was held down by something, a metal grate of sorts that was suspended just above the water's surface. Not enough room to breathe. Something bright flickered off to the side and he turned to follow the movement. An enormous needle was being depressed into a shunt just outside the tank. Logan followed the pipe of the shunt, startled that it led through a small caulked hole in the glass to his inner arm. He began thrashing around, hearing the sounds of muffled, anxious voices as several blurry figures outside the tank scrambled around in a flurry of movement. Ice slowly crawled up his arm, through his veins and the vision slowly blurred out of focus. -- An urgent call rang out in Max's head, connected with a series of images of Logan convulsing in Professor Xavier's office. She leapt up from her place on the sofa, startling the hell out of both Jean and Ororo. "What the..?" Jean got to her feet as Max was suddenly just - gone. Once in Xavier's office, Max saw Logan clawing at his throat and choking, his eyes wide as he pressed himself back into one of the bookshelves. He collapsed to the floor, his claws extending with a loud *SNIKT*. "What the hell just happened?" She yelled, whirling on Xavier. Ororo and Jean appeared in the doorway as Xavier explained, "I'm afraid that he's experiencing another episode." "Well fucking help him, goddamnit!" she cried out as Logan screamed, his body bowing up from the carpet, his muscles so taut she was sure some of them would snap his bones. "Oh my god." Jean murmured before shaking herself firmly out of her shock. She ran over and started checking his vitals while she barked out, "Keep his arms down, dammit! I don't want to get eviscerated while I'm trying to help him!" Max grabbed Logan's wrists and forced them down to the floor, pointing the blades away from her. Dear god, he was strong. It was taking everything she had to keep him pinned. "He's in full Gran-Mal! Get Hank up here with a cart, NOW!" Jean yelled as she turned to the professor. "Is there any way that you can get in - any way that you can stop this?" she asked him. Max could see the barely restrained fear in the woman's eyes. "I'm afraid that the storm in his mind is quite impenetrable. I've tried." Charles explained, his expression one of frustration and concern. Max leaned forward and began speaking to Logan in quiet tones, calling him back to her - desperate. -- "Logan!" Max was beside him on the floor, yelling at him and looking as scared as he'd ever seen her. He shook his head briefly, trying to shake off the disorientation. How'd he end up on the floor? And why were there a bunch of wires connected to his chest? He frowned and looked up at Max, his voice almost a subvocal growl, "What the fuck is going on?" What the hell? He was startled to find that his claws were extended. They retracted with a metallic *snikt* and he tried to sit up. Max gently pressed him back down. "Just..wait for a sec. You'll knock the machine over." Max murmured as Jean appeared before him, gently pulling several sticky pads with wires off his chest and looking back at him with a pitying expression. She quickly looked away and stood up, walking behind him. "Max.." he growled. Max released his arms and Logan sat up, quickly spinning to put the bookcases at his back. His eyes darted around the room, sharp with anger. "You had a seizure, Logan." Jean explained quietly as she met his gaze. Max could see a soft pity in her eyes. He grunted as his
eyes narrowed. It was bad enough that he'd lost control to begin with,
but to have somebody other than the Professor or Max witness it? A feeling
of helplessness shot through his system and he quickly quashed it, unwilling
to give it any attention. No fuckin' way. A snarl escaped him
as he bared his teeth. Ain't soft, ain't helpless and ain't fuckin'
tamed. Not ever. Wolverine. He looked back over at Max and frowned as he stood up. "Logan." Max murmured, taking a step towards him. "No. Not now." he grated, pushing past her and leaving the room. He had to get the hell out of here. Now. -- Max watched him go, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Shit." she breathed, her hands shaky as she moved over to a chair and slid into it. "Shit." "Where the hell does he think he's going after an episode like that?" Jean blurted, baffled. Max let out a weak laugh and replied, "Away from here." She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and looked over to see Xavier beside her, his eyes sad. "My apologies, Max. I had no idea he'd have such a negative reaction." She took a deep breath, then calmly asked, "What did you say to him?" "I offered him a teaching position here at the school. A self defense class." Xavier responded, his tone soft. "And that's what triggered it?" Max asked, confused now. "I assume so. His seizure began shortly afterwards." At this point, the flashpoint didn't matter. The fact that Jean and Ororo had seen him helpless had probably dealt a pretty thorough blow to his ego. Males never liked having their weaknesses exposed, even if they couldn't help them. In this, Pinks and Turnskins were fairly alike. He'd also been a loner before they'd run across each other, and now that he'd promised to stay with her she wondered if he was feeling weighed down by the fact that she was now also pregnant. Had she mated with a Pack Alpha, he would've been almost giddy at the pronouncement, happy to welcome a new cub into the Pack. Lone Turnskins, however, were a different matter entirely. They sometimes took a long while to integrate into a Pack - that was, if they ever chose to at all. Things were changing rapidly between the two of them - perhaps he was starting to feel more than a little trapped. Max heard the faint sound of a motorcycle starting up and she got to her feet. "There's only one way to tell." she murmured, making a beeline for the door. "I'll be back. With or without him." -- Max ran out to head him off before he made it to the gate. She jumped in front of the motorcycle and he stopped with a screech of tires, his expression dark and angry. "What the fuck was that back there?" she asked softly. "Let it go Max. Get outta the way." Logan growled, revving the engine. "Do you think that you're the only one who feels lost in this?" She met his eyes, cocking her head gently. "That you're the only one that feels like they've had their wings clipped?" Max took a step towards him, her tone soft. "I haven't seen
my Pack in seven years." She murmured. "Seven years
feeling hobbled and constrained by the rules of the Pink world around
me." Something began stirring in her as she spoke, her words feeling
large and thick as they slid off her tongue. "I made a choice, yes. But now I'll never see them again. Never have that life back." She blinked, frowning as if she realized something important that she'd missed before. "My cub - our cub will never know the loving fur of my mother - my father. The scent of my siblings. I'll never be able to provide it the guarded, nurturing environment that I was fortunate enough to enjoy." Oh god. How I miss her - them. Her voice was cracking now and tears were just beginning to brim in her eyes. She'd had no idea that she felt this strongly and now the words started pulling from her, feeling like hooks in her heart. "They've long moved on. And so have I. I had to." Her words came out in a croak as she wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to master her emotions. It wasn't right to keep him - the wild thing that runs free and dies in captivity. She'd chosen to cage her own soul, and the cracks were finally showing - now that she could actually see them. "I don't want this to be an obligation, Logan. I don't want to cage you - to tie you to this place. To me." She stepped out of his path, looking away from him. Logan eyed her and quietly replied, "You done?" Max let out a shaky breath and said, "Yeah. I'm done." He leaned forward on the motorcycle, keeping his tone even. "You're not an obligation or a promise to be kept. You're my mate. That ain't somethin' broken easily." He looked back over at the mansion, frowning. "I just ain't doin' too well with the way things are sittin' in my head right now, and I gotta do somethin' about it. You understand?" Max nodded silently as he breathed, "Good." His expression tightened briefly before he murmured, "I'll be back in the mornin'." She felt the tightness in her chest release just a little as she looked away. He needed to run in the same way that she needed to. After months in that awful cell he needed to feel freedom again, even if briefly to break away from the rules of this place. Max met his gaze and said, "Don't make me come looking for you again this time." A brief smile curled his lips before he rumbled, "Okay." The smile told her everything she needed to know. It was enough for the moment. Anything else could be dealt with later. Logan revved the bike and pulled out of the driveway as the large iron gates of the school opened before him. She watched him go until the brakelight winked out of sight, then began walking back towards the mansion. -- The wind whipped through his hair, howling in his ears as he sped down the road, wondering where he'd end up. For a brief moment he toyed with not going back, but knew that he wouldn't be able to stay away. He could be a bastard, but not that much of an utter prick. He hadn't lied to her. It wasn't obligation that kept him with her - but he needed to get the hell away, if only for a little while. Xavier was being less than helpful in providing answers to him, although he was surprised to find that he could remember several key things about the vision that had slammed him to the ground so unceremoniously in Chuck's office. It definitely affirmed the bald guy's initial conclusion that he'd been experimented on. Everything else was blurry - indefinite. Still frustrating. No - what he needed tonight was something he wouldn't be able to find back at the school. He wondered if he'd be able to find it at all as the motorcycle roared through the backroads of Westchester county. -- Max stood on the front porch, placing a gentle hand on her stomach. "Holy crap." she murmured, taking a deep breath and letting it out before stepping back inside. The door closed with a soft click behind her. Jean looked back at her friend with a sad expression. "Is he coming back?" She asked softly. Max gave her a weak smile and nodded. "When he's run it off, yeah." "Run what off?" Jean asked, frowning. Max shook her head walking over to the taller woman who pulled her into a hug. "I don't know if I could explain it in terms that you'd understand. It's a wolf thing." Max murmured, relaxing into the hug, but still feeling that crack in her heart from the revelation outside. Why hadn't she noticed it before? She pushed it aside, not wanting to address it now. Jean gently placed her chin on top of Max's head and asked, "Ice cream?" Max smiled, thinking that it would be a pleasant distraction. Jean crooned, "C'mon. Let's go get tanked on Rocky Road. Then we can go annoy Scott." Max chuckled softly then as they began walking back towards the kitchen. "Thanks, Dee." Jean smiled and chuckled. "Anytime, Dum." -- There it was. The sharp tang of the red stuff. Logan stepped out of the bar, cigar clenched between his teeth. The scent was coming from off to his right, to the side of the building. The bar was closing down for the night as Logan stepped down onto the gravel, escorting the bartender over to her truck. The sounds of a vigorous scuffle pricked his ears as he watched her climb into the cab. "You comin', cowboy?" she murmured, an inviting smile on her lips. Logan gave her a sly grin and shook his head, gently closing the door for her. "I got places ta be." The woman sighed and slid her keys into the ignition, her tone smooth and husky as she murmured, "A man like you always does. Take care of yourself, Logan." Logan stepped away, watching her drive off. He found it odd that he hadn't even been tempted to take her up on her offer. It bugged him for a moment, but he shook it off. Once she was far enough away, he moved to investigate the source of the crimson smell. There was a loud bang that sounded like a body being slammed against a metal dumpster as Logan rounded the corner. A kid that looked like he couldn't be older than eighteen was being held against one of the dumpsters in the back, an arm jammed against his neck by a man with a brown, shaggy mullet. His two friends were alternately kicking the boy and plucking at bits of his skin which were stretching away from his body to an alarming degree. "He's like one'a those stretchy dolls, man. I wonder how far we can pull him 'til he breaks?" One of them grabbed the boy's arm and gave it a savage yank. The boy began screaming as his shoulder dislocated with a sickening pop. Skin stretches, bones don't. Interesting. Logan thought to himself before he stepped forward and said, "You'll wanna leave now." The boy's attackers turned to face him and the boy dropped to the ground, crying and cradling his shoulder. "What - you two wanna fuck, faggot? Is that it?" One of them advanced on him, his expression nasty. Logan took a pull on the cigar with a bland expression, blowing out a plume of smoke before darting forward and clocking the man in the jaw. His target´s neck snapped back and he crumpled to the gravel. "I got better things ta do than send a couple'a fuckin' snotnosed assholes to the city morgue." he grumbled as he took the other two out, tossing them across the parking lot. As he walked towards the boy near the dumpster, the kid began wailing. "Please don't hurt me! PLEASE!" His cries were shrill and hurt Logan's ears. "Christ, kid - shutup. I ain't gonna hurt ya. Fucksakes." Logan crouched and gently probed the boy's shoulder. The teenaged boy looked up at him with wide eyes. He was starting to get shocky. "Kid, I gotta slide this back in. It's gonna hurt a lot, and you're probably gonna pass out, but it needs to be done." The boy started whimpering and Logan snapped his fingers in front of the boy's face. "That ain't helpin. You're goin' into shock. D'you live somewhere close?" The boy shook his head, stammering, "'m a runaway." Logan took another pull on his cigar, his mouth turning down into a frown. "Picked a hell of a place to run to, Einstein." The boy winced as Logan grabbed the boy's arm and shoulder, then quickly forced his arm back into the socket. The kid shrieked once, his body going limp. Logan quickly examined the kid. There only seemed to be a minimal amount of blood on him. Most of it was from one of the others. Apparently the kid had fought back at some point. Good sign. What the hell had he been doing all the way out here? The kid obviously wasn't old enough to get into the bar. He hefted the teenager up onto a shoulder and walked over to the motorcycle, gently placing him on the ground next to it. He found a small medical kit stashed in one of the side compartments of the bike and pulled out a small packet of ammonium carbonate. He pulled one of the cloth covered capsules out and broke it, waving it under the kid's nose. The boy immediately began trying to get away from it, his eyes fluttering. Logan tossed the capsule into the bushes, hating the stench of the damned things. "How's the shoulder now?" Logan asked. The kid frowned and tried to move it, wincing. "Still hurts, but nowhere near as bad." Logan offered him a hand and the kid took it, slowly standing up. He eyed the kid and asked, "What's with the skin?" The boy looked away and murmured, "I don't know. It started recently, whatever it is." "How often d'ya get yer ass handed to you because of it?" The kid shifted on his feet, clearly uncomfortable. "When people find out, they kinda freak. It's hard to tell how they're going to react, or what they're going to do. I just do my best to keep people from knowing." "You at a shelter, or on your own?" Logan asked, putting the medkit back into the side compartment. "On my own. I keep to myself when I can." Yeah. Been there. Logan thought to himself. Kid didn't look like the type that was strong enough to stay on the road and survive for any length of time. It didn't feel right, leaving him to fend for himself. Perhaps Chuck wasn't so crazy after all. "I think I know somebody that can help." Logan offered. The kid looked back at him with a wary expression. "Why would you help someone like me?" Logan shrugged and kicked a leg up and over the motorcycle. "Hey, kid - 'f you wanna stay out here and get yerself wrapped around another dumpster, don't matter to me." "No..wait." The boy stammered, hugging himself tightly. Logan raised an eyebrow and said, "If you're comin', hop on. Either you trust me or you don't." The kid paused for a moment, then made his decision, settling onto the bike behind Logan. "Don't you have a helmet?" the kid asked in a shaky voice. Logan laughed and cut the engine on. "You kiddin'? Just hold on tight" He revved the engine and the kid pressed into him, keeping his injured arm tight between them, holding on for dear life with his good arm. So much for cutting loose. Was likely for the best, though. Logan was already feeling a little better and he hadn't broken cover. Leaving a trail of bodies around would be like tossing chum in the water for the people who were already looking for him. -- "Whoa. This place is huge." the kid whispered as Logan walked him to the front door. "Yep." he replied, opening the door and stepping into the foyer. Four in the morning. Would Charlie still be up? He quietly closed the door behind them and made his way to the Professor's office, the kid trailing behind him. He wasn't entirely surprised to see Xavier sitting behind his desk, as if waiting for them. "How'd you know?" Logan murmured. The professor responded with a small smile. "The boy is projecting quite loudly." Logan grunted and said, "Kid, just listen to what he has to say. You'll be okay." The boy nodded as Logan turned and walked out of the office, making his way upstairs. He walked quietly down the hallway to the room he'd been sharing with Max, hesitating a moment before opening the door. He took a deep breath, then turned the handle and stepped inside. Max was sprawled out on the bed facedown, the covers bunched around her feet. He smiled to himself, as he closed the door behind him thinking that they'd probably need to get a bigger bed sometime in the near future. They were both bed hogs. He stood and looked down at her, tracing the lines of her body with his gaze. After all was said and done, she made him feel..welcome. Wanted. She didn't fear him because she was too much like him in a lot of aspects. With her he could be both the man he was, and the animal he'd become - and she accepted both equally. It was more than a man like him had any right to ask for, he suspected. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. Her scent changed as she turned to look up at him. "You home now?" she asked, sleep slurring her words. "Yeah." he rumbled, stripping his clothes off and sliding in next to her. "I'm home." Go back to Chapter 18 - Go to Chapter 20 To reiterate: MARVEL owns the rights to most of the elements in this story. Max, and her subsequent backstory, is my own creation, but everything else is either sub-canon, or warped canon yanked from the X-Men storyline. |