The ground vibrated with every step the monster took, trees swatted aside as it strode towards them. The junior X-Men formed a defensive line, dodging the blasts from its eyes. Marie crouched low to the ground, bringing the Logan in her mind to the front and feeling a snarl twist her lips. Her vision sharpened letting her see through the smoke.

‘There’s another one behind it!’ she shouted in warning as Kitty phased out, letting a rock fly straight through her. Bobby shot a stream of ice at the sentinel’s feet, freezing it in place as Remy charged his cards and flicked them at its head. Its optic blasts shot straight for them. Kitty phased again, Marie threw herself to the floor and Pete guarded Jubilee, his mutation bouncing the rays back to the sentinel. Jubilee added her sparks to the mix from behind her shield, giving a small whoop as the metal giant keeled over, the light fading from its eyes.

The second sentinel marched up and began the same routine as before, optic blasts raking the forest floor as debris flew through the air. One blast caught Remy, throwing him backwards into a tree. He fell forwards and didn’t move. Marie looked around at the others. Bobby was desperately trying to put out some of the fires that surrounded them, Pete was crouched over an unconscious Jubilee and Kurt was teleporting from place to place, avoiding the blasts. There was no sign of Kitty. She growled a curse in frustration and closed her eyes again.

It was only very recently that she had discovered she could use the talents of the people she had absorbed, and she had yet to tell anyone. Things were still slightly uncomfortable, the others not really understanding why she took the cure, and Marie feeling useless in battles like this. She crouched lower and summoned the Magneto in her mind, ignoring the growling of her Logan. She felt her fingers hum as she slowly moved towards the sentinel. Having no idea of the strength of the power she wielded, Marie desperately hoped it would be enough to disable the giant as she raised her arms and dropped her head back. The world came alive, thrumming through her body. She could feel every inch of the metal before her, finding the weaknesses. Summoning everything she could, she wrenched the metal casing apart, revealing the circuits inside the sentinel. Her eyes lost their focus as she crushed them, shredding the wires and ripping out the metal monster’s heart. The sentinel crashed to the floor on top of its brother and lay still.

There was a deafening silence as the others stared at it, then at Marie. The world around them flickered then vanished, the computer’s calm voice informing them that the simulation was terminated. Logan and Ororo strode into the Danger Room, Logan casting her an intense look before checking on Remy, who was still slumped on the floor.

‘Well done. You worked well together,’ Ororo said, looking around the group. ‘We’ll debrief later after you’ve cleaned up. Pete and Bobby, can you take Jubilee and Remy to the infirmary. Hank will be there in a minute.’

Logan moved to stand next to Marie as she stared blankly at the floor. ‘You okay?’ he asked gently. She turned to look at him and he grimaced, feeling his metal skeleton hum. Her eyes widened in shock and she took a step away from him. ‘Hey, it’s okay,’ he said. ‘I didn’t know you could do that.’

‘Neither did Ah,’ Marie stammered, breathing deeply and shoving Magneto to the very back of her mind. She noticed Logan relaxing slightly and realised she’d stopped tingling. She ran a hand through her tangled ponytail and sighed.

“You want to talk about it?” he asked, watching her face closely.

‘Yeah,’ she nodded, looking vaguely relieved, before she wrinkled her nose. ‘But first Ah’ve got to have a shower.’

Logan smirked. ‘Good idea.’

‘Hey! I don’t smell that bad!’ Marie smacked his arm.

‘That’s what you think, darlin’’ he sniggered, dodging another whack.

* * * *

As Logan made his way upstairs he listened carefully to the sounds of the mansion. The children were trooping indoors, tired, happy and chattering away. They had been enjoying a game of touch football under Hank’s supervision while the junior X-Men were in training. Things were slowly recovering after the shock of losing not only Jean, but Scott and the Professor. They were stretched running the school, with only him, Ororo and Hank remaining from the original X-Men, but they were making it work. Marie, Kitty and Bobby had taken teaching positions here when they finished their schooling, making things easier, but the atmosphere was different. The kids knew now that there were no guarantees; someone you loved could be ripped away without a moment’s notice. They learnt their lessons, and worked on their mutations, but all the teachers had noticed a new wariness in them, a new determination to master their powers and join the fight.

‘Logan, hold on a minute,” Ororo called, hurrying to catch him up. “What happened?’

‘Not sure yet,’ he grunted.

‘Okay, let me put it this way. Did Rogue use Magneto’s power to destroy the sentinel?’

‘Looks that way,’ he replied, grinning at her sigh of frustration and relenting. ‘I’m going to have a talk with her once she’s cleaned up, see what she says.’

‘How long has she been doing that?’ Ororo asked, looking concerned.

‘She said she didn’t know she could do it, but the last week or so she’s been making me hum every now and then.’ He growled at Ororo’s snort of laughter. ‘I mean she’s been making my metal hum. Get your mind out of the gutter.’

‘You don’t seem all that worried,’ ‘Ro commented.

‘Why should I be?’ Logan quirked an eyebrow at her.

‘Well, if she really can manipulate metal to that extent, she could snap you in half if she wanted.’

‘Exactly: if she wanted. Which she doesn’t. And wouldn’t.’

‘I’m glad we cleared that up,’ ‘Ro mumbled, shaking her head. ‘Let me know how it goes.’

‘Will do.’

* * * *

Rogue stood under the hot water for a long time, letting her mind drift back to the Danger Room session. Her fingertips tingled as she touched the metal showerhead. She waved her hand back and forth, watching the temperature stick follow her hand, the water getting hotter then colder. She finally turned the shower off and wrapped a towel around herself. The girl’s changing room was deserted. Jubilee was in the infirmary, and Marie knew Kitty would have given up waiting for her to finish her shower.

Dressing quickly and blow-drying her hair, she made her way to the kitchen, her stomach rumbling. The room was deserted except for Logan nursing a beer by the window.

‘Hey,’ she said, moving to the fridge.

‘Hey,’ he replied, watching her move. ‘Enjoy your shower? You smell better.’ He grinned as she threw a piece of bread at his head, impaling it with a claw and taking a bite.

‘Ah had a very nice shower, thank you for asking.’ Marie quickly put together a sandwich and moved over to sit with him. He let her eat her food in peace, watching her as she stared out of the window, her shoulders slumped. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips, and Logan shifted uncomfortably, highly aware of the fact that his jeans seemed tighter all of a sudden. What was it about this woman that the simplest of gestures had him as randy as a teenager on a first date? As soon as his desire flared, it faded, replaced with guilt as he thought of Jean. Furiously telling himself to concentrate, Logan cleared his throat.

‘So…’

‘Ah think my mutation’s coming back,’ she blurted, surprising him completely.

‘What do you mean, coming back? You took the cure,’ he frowned, watching her eyes fill with tears as she wrapped her arms around herself.

‘Ah can feel my skin tingling sometimes, like it used to. Ah brushed against Kitty yesterday and Ah could see what she was thinking and feeling.’

‘I touched you yesterday, more than just a brush, and nothing happened,’ he pointed out. He could smell the misery coming off her in waves.

‘Ah know, that’s what Ah don’t understand. Ah killed one of ‘Ro’s plants this morning. Ah was picking some flowers for my room, and everything was fine, then suddenly Ah tingled and it was dead. Just like that. It was never that bad before.’ Marie scrubbed at her face with her hands, wiping away the tears that had escaped. Logan shifted again and Marie shot him a look. ‘What?’

‘You’re making me hum again,’ he confessed, wincing slightly. He admitted to himself that the sensation wasn’t actually bad, but it wasn’t helping his concentration at all.

‘What exactly is that supposed to mean?’ Marie demanded, her eyes narrowing. She was trying to tell him how she was feeling, and all he could think about was getting it on?

‘You’re giving off vibes, Magneto vibes, and it’s playing merry hell with my adamantium,’ Logan quickly explained, his breath catching as the feeling intensified with her anger. Suddenly it vanished and he slumped back into his seat.

‘God, Ah’m sorry Logan, Ah didn’t even know Ah was doing it,’ Marie gasped miserably. ‘Maybe this is my punishment for trying to get rid of my mutation.’ The tears began to leak from her eyes again as she put her head in her hands.

‘Hey, it’s okay Marie, I’m alright,’ Logan said soothingly, sliding round until he was next to her. He pulled her into his arms, but she lurched backwards, here eyes wide with fear. ‘You’re not going to hurt me, darlin’. Just relax.’ Marie tried to hold herself back but Logan simply tightened his arms. She rested her head against his chest and sobbed.

* * * *

Marie gripped his fingers tightly, her nerves thrumming through her. Logan had persuaded her to come and see Hank and tell him about her powers. Hank had taken some blood and was staring intently into his microscope. Logan was drumming the fingers of his free hand, stopping every time she glanced at him, only to start again as soon as she looked away.

‘Well Rogue, I’m not sure what to say,’ Hank finally said, rolling his chair away from the microscope and rubbing his eyes. ‘It appears that your body is fighting the cure much as it would a disease. Its appearance and disappearance is something that baffles me, but I will run more tests. For now I would advise you to be cautious about touch. I am sorry, Rogue. I know how much it meant to you,’ Hank said softly, his eyes crinkling in sympathy.

Marie closed her eyes against the ever-present threat of tears and tried to pull her hand away, but Logan wouldn’t let her. She had put her gloves back on before coming down here, but she still didn’t feel safe touching him.

‘Do you know why it killed the plant? Marie used to be able to touch them with no problem,’ Logan asked, seeing that Marie was in a daze.

‘I won’t know until I run more tests. I’ll get the results to you as soon as possible.’ He patted Rogue’s shoulder gently, noting her flinch with concern.

‘Thank you Hank,’ Marie said softly, quickly leaving the room. Hank and Logan shared a look, before Logan moved to follow her.

* * * *

All the junior X-Men had assembled for their debriefing when Marie slipped in the back. No one noticed her arrival as she chose a seat at the back and buried her gloved hands in her lap. The chatter stopped as Storm and Logan walked in.

‘Okay, I hope you’re all feeling better,’ Storm said, smiling at Remy and Jubilee. ‘I was impressed with the way you worked together this morning. You did much better than before and you’re starting to focus more as a team. That being said, you have a long way to go yet. Can anyone tell me anything you did wrong?’

‘Getting in the way of a flying rock?’ Jubilee asked, ruefully rubbing the large bruise on her forehead. There was a general snigger.

‘Yes, that was one thing. You’re lucky Pete was watching your back,’ ‘Ro commented.

‘He was watching more than just your back,’ Kitty commented, a cheeky grin on her face as Jubilee fired a small spark in her direction.

‘What happened to the last sentinel? I was gone by that point,’ Jubilee asked. There was an uncomfortable silence, then Ororo looked at Marie. Before she could think of what to say, Logan jumped in.

‘We’re still sorting that out.’ His tone didn’t invite any more questions and Marie flashed him a small, grateful smile.

As the discussion moved on to more general points about the exercise Marie let her thoughts drift. She wasn’t quite sure how to react to the news that her mutation was coming back. Things hadn’t gone at all like she’d planned after she’d taken the cure. Despite the fact that he could now touch her, Bobby’s attraction to Kitty grew, until Marie and Bobby split up. Although she said she was fine with Bobby and Kitty having a relationship, they were still awkward when they were together in her company. Marie hadn’t taken the cure for Bobby, but not much had actually changed for her. Jubilee and Kitty still hugged her like they did before she could touch, and she was almost used to the occasional touches from Storm, but Logan was still the only one who really touched her, but he’d never been afraid to when her skin was still deadly.

The door to the map room flew open and a dishevelled looking Hank appeared, beckoning to Logan and Storm. They dismissed the junior X-Men before hurrying to follow the blue doctor.

* * * *

‘Moira MacTaggart was the doctor friend of the Professor’s, wasn’t she?’ Logan asked, looking confused.

‘Yes, she worked quite closely with him in the past, and sent him case studies for his classes,’ Hank replied as they hurried towards his office. ‘She said it was very urgent and concerned the Professor.’

‘She does know that he’s…’ Logan trailed off, not willing to finish the thought.

‘Yes Logan, she was here at the funeral.’

‘Oh. So what could be so important?’

‘Logan, I’m not a telepath. She told me to fetch the both of you so that she could tell us all together.’ Hank barrelled his way through the door and hit the speakerphone button.

‘Dr MacTaggart? We are all here.’

‘I’m sorry to alarm you, Dr McCoy, but it really is urgent,’ the voice floated from the phone.

‘What is it, Moira?’ Ororo asked.

‘It’s Charles. He’s here. He’s alive!’

Logan sat impatiently in the seat of the Blackbird, fidgeting and drumming his fingers as his thoughts whirled in confused circles. The Professor was alive – how? Logan had watched Jean kill him. Xavier had smiled at him before disintegrating into thousands of tiny pieces. Jean! Could she still be…? No, he had stabbed her, ending her life, her torment, saving the others. He hadn’t felt like a hero; he’d felt exactly the opposite. He should have found another way, should have done something, anything...

Logan cursed as the ‘should haves’ swirled in his mind. He peered over Storm’s shoulder again to read the dials. The flight to Scotland would have taken a normal plane many hours, but the Blackbird could make it in under two. Still two hours too long in his opinion.

‘Logan will you please sit still! And stop scowling like that!’ Storm snapped, her nerves fraying as they got closer and closer. Logan just grunted and dropped his head back. He shouldn’t really be surprised. He’d known Chuck was powerful, more powerful than almost any other mutant he knew, but rising from the dead? It was like something from one of those stupid horror movies Marie had made him watch last Halloween.

‘We’re almost there,’ Storm’s voice broke into Logan’s thoughts. She was barely holding it together, Logan noticed. Hank unfolded himself from where he’d been sat in silence at the back of the jet and came forward. They both watched tensely as Storm landed, unable to voice their fear – what if it wasn’t Xavier?

A woman in a white lab coat moved forward to meet them as they disembarked, a hand extended in welcome. Hank shook it briefly, moving out of the way for Storm to embrace the woman.

‘Logan, this is Moira MacTaggart,’ ‘Ro said, her smile strained.

‘It’s nice to finally meet you, Logan,’ Moira smiled. ‘I’ll take you straight to him. Follow me.’ She led the way into the squat building, swiping her identity card at the checkpoints.

Logan clenched his fists and took a deep breath. He hated the smell; the disinfectant, the sharp metal tang of surgical instruments. His eyes constantly roved the surroundings for threats he knew wouldn’t be there, but he couldn’t stop himself. He took another deep breath and concentrated on what Moira was saying.

‘It was about a week ago. I have a patient who’s in a vegetative state, and I sent a case study video to Charles about him some weeks back. I went in as normal and he spoke to me! This patient had no higher brain function whatsoever, so you can imagine my surprise!’ Hank nodded in agreement with her words whilst Logan ground his teeth with impatience. How many corridors did they need in one building for Chrissakes!

‘Over the last week he’s grown in strength and is now able to sit in a chair for large amounts of the day. He has explained to me what happened, and is very much looking forward to seeing you.’ Moira paused at another set of doors. ‘He’s waiting for you in here.’

‘Logan heard Storm’s sharp indrawn breath and watched her square her shoulders before pushing the door open, closely followed by Hank. He shook his head then followed.

The man seated in the wheelchair by the large windows turned as the door opened, his face breaking into a bright smile. Although clean-shaven, he had a full head of thick, brown hair. Logan judged him to be in his late forties.

‘Welcome to Scotland, my friends,’ the man announced, sweeping his arms wide. He looked wrong, sounded wrong and smelled wrong. Logan began to growl softly.

*It is me, I assure you,* came the Professor’s voice in their heads. *I’ve missed you all, even you Logan,* the man in the chair smiled at him. Storm’s face crumpled and she rushed to embrace the man. Hank also approached and patted his shoulder, but Logan hung back.

‘Logan?’ the man asked.

‘You smell wrong,’ Logan ground out, glaring at Ororo when she chuckled, his eyes whipping back to the man as he laughed.

‘I’m in a different body now, Logan. I’ll smell like this man and sound like him too. I may be able to avoid death but I’m not a miracle worker,’ he smiled.

‘Rising from the dead sounds like a miracle to me,’ Ororo said, hugging the Professor again.

* * * *

‘Hello?’

‘Marie? It’s Logan.’

‘Oh, hey Logan.’ Marie tucked her hair behind her ears and sat back in the chair. ‘Is the mission going well? Is everything okay?’ Logan never usually phoned while he was away with the team. Marie caught a hint of unease in his voice.

‘Yeah, the mission’s fine, darlin’. We’ll be coming home soon, and we’re bringing someone with us.’ Logan hesitated. ‘It’s the Professor.’ Marie froze, sure that she’d heard wrong.

‘What do you mean? Ah don’t understand,’ she faltered.

‘Neither do I,’ Logan confessed, sounding miserable. ‘He said something about switching bodies, or moving into a vacant mind, I don’t know, I didn’t really get it. Something to do with a guy in a video you all watched.’

‘It’s really him? He’s alive?’ Marie’s breath caught in her throat. ‘You don’t sound too happy…’

‘I can’t get used to the fact he smells wrong. It’s Chuck’s thoughts all right, he sounds right in your head, but the man he’s in is all wrong. All my senses are telling me it’s not him.’

‘You think it might not be the Professor?’ Marie asked sharply.

‘No, I think its him, I’m just having a hard time accepting it. Anyway, I’d better go, we’re leaving in a minute; I just thought I’d warn you. We’ll be back in about two hours.’

‘Okay, see you soon.’ Marie put the phone down and stared blankly at it. Did she just imagine that conversation?

* * * *

‘Who buzzed?’ Bobby asked, sauntering through the door with his arm around Kitty. When they saw Marie leaning against the table, the awkwardly shuffled apart. Marie ground her teeth at them. When were they going to get a grip?

‘Wasn’t me,’ Jubilee said, lounging in a chair.

‘It was me,’ Marie interjected. ‘I just got a phone call from Logan. Where are Remy, Kurt and Pete?’ she asked, just as Kurt popped up behind Jubilee, making her jump.

‘You asshole!’ she shrieked, leaping over the back of her chair and chasing him around the table, Kurt poofing out of reach every few feet. Remy and Pete walked in, completely ignoring Jubilee’s antics.

‘What’s the problem, chére?’ Remy asked Marie. ‘Remy was beating dis metal man at poker.’

‘Will you two stop that!’ Marie yelled at Jubes and Kurt, surprising everyone. She swallowed in the sudden silence. ‘The Professor’s alive,’ she said quietly. ‘’Ro, Logan and Hank have just picked him up. They’re on their way back now.’

‘Have you been hit on the head?’ Pete asked, squinting at her forehead.

‘Ah’m being serious. Logan says he looks different, but it’s definitely the Professor.’ Marie could see they didn’t believe her.

‘You know, this really isn’t funny,’ Bobby said angrily, putting his arm around Kitty again.

‘Ah’m telling the truth!’

‘Rogue, he died! You just have to get over it!’ He started to walk towards the door.

‘Wait a minute Bobby,’ Kitty said. ‘Hear her out.’ Bobby stopped but didn’t turn around.

‘Logan said something about the guy in the case study video that the Professor showed us a while back. That the Professor had moved his consciousness into the man’s mind.’

‘He really did it?’ Jubilee gasped, dropping back into her chair with a thud. ‘You’re sure?’

‘Yeah.’ Marie watched as Jubes jumped up and started hopping around the room, whooping, hugging anyone she bounced into. The others soon joined in, forming a mini-mosh pit in the middle of the room. Marie tried to squash the loneliness she felt at still being left out, telling herself it was the Professor’s moment and not to be selfish. She sat down at the table and waited until they calmed down.

‘Hey, hang on, that means he’s in a whole new body,’ Jubilee said, stopping suddenly. ‘Wow. The Professor with legs; that’ll take some getting used to!’

* * * *

They were all gathered around the map table, watching the blinking dot that represented the Blackbird getting closer to the mansion. There wasn’t much talk, everyone too nervous and excited. After Pete threatened to sit on Jubilee for the third time if she didn’t stop fidgeting, they all groaned.

‘For crying out loud, will you two go somewhere and work it out!’ Kitty yelled at them. As if on cue, the alarms started shrieking piercingly. Kitty ran to the keyboard and rapidly tapped the keys. ‘It’s coming from the hangar! Something’s broken through!’

They all piled out of the room towards the hangar. Marie could feel her skin stretching over her bones, her fingers buzzing. She fell to the back of the group, slowing as she tried to figure out what it meant. The tearing of metal echoed up the corridor and they all skidded to a halt.

‘Oh no,’ Marie muttered, her eyes widening in fear. ‘It can’t be!’ She stared at her hands in horror as they itched to touch the metal surrounding them, longing to feel it bend and tear. She’d only felt like this once before: on the Statue of Liberty, in that machine.

‘What is it?’ Kurt asked urgently.

‘Magneto!’ Marie whispered, taking a step back, her eyes still glued to her hands.

‘Chica, get a grip! He’s taken the cure, it can’t be him!’ Jubilee yelled.

‘The cure doesn’t work! My mutation’s coming back, and Ah bet his is too!’ Marie swallowed the tears that the others could hear in her voice, forcing herself to concentrate. More sounds of metal grinding together came from ahead of them, and they stared fearfully at the door as it started to bend away from them. With a huge cracking and screeching, the door broke away entirely, revealing what was left of the hangar. The roof was torn to pieces, metal fragments swirling around inside, gravitating towards the figure hovering in the darkness. He slowly floated forwards, revealing a face twisted by hatred.

‘You tried to take my mutation from me!’ he hissed venomously. ‘You failed. And now you must pay the price!’ Magneto flicked his fingers, sending shards of glistening metal speeding towards them. Marie acted purely on instinct, throwing up her arm to shield her face as she stopped the fragments dead in the air. They hung motionless, in front of the junior X-Men. Magneto looked stunned, his eyes sharpening on Marie.

‘Well, well, well,’ he muttered, advancing towards them, a bitter smile twisting his lips. ‘Little miss Rogue. What interesting talents you have, my dear. Let’s see how far you can stretch them.’ He gestured, ripping up a huge section of the floor and flinging it at them. Marie just managed to shove it aside, flinching as it smashed through the wall. Magneto ripped up another section, halting as a voice boomed around the destroyed hangar.

*Let them go, Eric! You don’t want to hurt them*

The huge lump of metal spun slowly in the air as Magneto’s eyes widened in shock.

‘Charles?’ he mumbled.

Logan paced incessantly outside the Professor’s office. Charles and Magneto had been cloistered in there for over two hours. Even with his superior hearing, Logan hadn’t heard a single sound from the other side of the door. Storm was trying to explain everything to the junior X-Men as they cleared some of the rubble from the hangar, but Logan and Marie stayed by the closed door. Marie winced as Logan popped his claws again, a savage grimace crossing his features. Logan noticed her look and slid the claws back in.

‘Sorry,’ he mumbled, coming to perch on the floor next to her. ‘So what’s your excuse?’

‘What?’

‘For staying here. I want to shred the guy, how ‘bout you?’ Logan’s eyebrow quirked. Marie gave a short, humourless laugh.

‘Ah didn’t feel like shifting all that metal,’ Marie muttered, dropping her head back against the wall.

‘Uh-huh. So which one made a crack?’ Logan’s eyebrow lowered back to the familiar growl position.

‘How did you guess?’ Marie asked sarcastically and sighed. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘Yes it does.’

‘No, Logan, it doesn’t. They’re all thinking it, at least he had the guts to say it.’

‘The Cajun.’ Logan said flatly, his fists tightening.

‘”Why are we liftin’ all dis heavy metal when da chére here could do it with a flick of her wrist”,’ Marie mimicked, rolling her eyes. ‘Ah hate to say it, but he’s got a point. I could move it by just wavin’ my arms around, but Ah don’t want to.’

‘With him so close in there?’ Logan jerked his head at the door.

‘No, let them do it. The way they’ve been acting around me the last few months, why should Ah help?’ Marie sighed in frustration. ‘How childish was that?’

Logan sniggered. ‘Sounds fair to me. What?’ he asked when Marie glared at him.

‘You’re supposed to say ‘yes Marie, that’s childish and silly, go and help them’.’

‘Why?’ Logan looked confused.

‘Ah have no idea. That’s just what Scott would say.’

‘Well darlin’, you know I’m nothing like Scott.’ Logan snorted at the thought.

‘Yeah, don’t Ah know it,’ Marie replied, tapping her head. She looked at the door again and shivered. ‘How did he get so powerful so quickly? He was cured a couple of days after me, but Ah swear he’s almost stronger than he was before.’

‘You weren’t checking every minute to see if your mutation had come back. I bet as soon as he realised the cure didn’t work he pushed and pushed until he was back to how he had been. Plus you haven’t exactly been runnin’ around naked huggin’ people, so you don’t really know how long your skin’s been…’ Logan trailed off, cursing himself for the images now flooding his mind; his Marie, cavorting around naked. Think about Magneto, think about Magneto, he repeated to himself.

Marie noticed the slight flush on Logan’s cheeks and mentally raised an eyebrow. Good god, he’s realised Ah’m female, she thought wryly. The Logan in her head growled at her amusement, but she ignored him. ‘As fun as that sounds, no, Ah haven’t been doing any naked cavorting. Ah’ll bear it in mind though, sugah.’ She had to bite her cheek to stop herself from laughing at his expression, but her laughter quickly died when she saw his eyes darken with desire. They stared breathlessly at each other for a few seconds, before a loud crash made them both jump.

‘Remy, what did I say about making it explode!’ Storm’s exasperated voice came floating to them.

* * * *

200 miles away from the X-Men, alarm bells began shrieking. A maximum security prison shone like a beacon in the night as searchlights panned every inch of the grounds. Faint screaming echoed through the corridors as guards flooded to the source.

‘Every body listen up!’ The Captain shouted. ‘There were three guards inside when the riot started. Two we know are dead, the third, Coleman, could still be alive. They’ve broken through from B-wing to D-wing, so he could be anywhere. Keep your eyes open. He’s our main priority. Subdue the inmates with any and all force!’

The doors were unlocked and they ran through, weapons at the ready. Once the doors were securely locked behind them again, they moved slowly through the halls. Bedding had been set alight, smoke floating through the air, giving everything a surreal look. The distant sounds of rioting could be heard, but there was no movement around them. As they progressed through the hallways, the feeling of unease grew in the men. There should be prisoners, or at least the injured, but there was nothing.

Once they turned on to B-wing, they found the reason for the silence. Bodies were strewn across everything. Blood drenched the floor and smeared up the walls, sticky handprints showing the last moments of desperation. One of the guards stumbled across a severed arm and stumbled backwards before vomiting helplessly. The lights weren’t working and sparks intermittently showered through the air, lending the corpses a golden quality.

‘Keep moving,’ the Captain ground out, his stomach clenching at the sights around him.

‘What could have done this?’ One of the guards whispered, afraid to speak any louder. His companion offered him a terrified look, saying nothing.

Hearing movement ahead of them, they all froze, weapons raised. A figure stumbled down the corridor towards them, covered in blood.

‘Stay where you are, or we’ll shoot!’ the Captain shouted. The figure stopped, sat unsteadily on the floor and tried to raise its arms.

‘It’s me, Captain,’ it said in a faint voice. ‘Coleman.’ Two guards ran forwards and picked him up, moving slowly as he moaned.

‘Coleman, what happened?’ snapped the Captain, gesturing his men back.

‘They went mad. Completely mad. They killed the others, but I got away. I hid until I heard you coming.’ Coleman muttered before slumping between the two men, unconscious.

‘Let’s get him out of here. We’ll gas the entire wing once we’re out. That ought to stop them.’ The guards began moving back the way they came, so focused on their task that none of them saw the yellow flash in Coleman’s eyes.

‘There’s only one problem with that, Captain,’ Coleman’s voice stopped them all again. ‘Coleman’s dead, and so are you!’ Snapping the neck of the guard who supported him, Coleman grabbed his gun and shot the Captain. A flicker passed over Coleman and he shuddered, changing from his toes up. A shapely blue foot appeared, followed by another. The transformation went faster, the blue rushing up the figure of a woman with sleek red hair. ‘Hello guards,’ she said contemptuously, leaping at the nearest. The guards tried to follow her movements in the gloom, flashes from the guns giving her a strobe-effect. Mystique used a guard as a shield, firing at the others with deadly precision. Casting the dead man aside, she flipped over the lieutenant’s head, grabbing his neck as she went and pulling him down to land with a sickening thud on her knee. Swiping out the legs of another, she crushed his windpipe with her foot, before lashing out with a roundhouse kick and stunning the next. Quickly dispatching him, she turned to the one remaining frightened man.

‘Last man standing,’ she drawled, slowly walking towards him.

‘Please, don’t hurt me,’ he stammered, dropping his gun and backing away. ‘I won’t stop you.’ He flinched as Mystique laughed.

‘You couldn’t stop me even if you wanted to, you pathetic little man.’ She grabbed him and slammed him against the wall.

‘Please!’ he shrieked as she squeezed his throat.

‘You’re all the same,’ she whispered savagely. ‘Work in a women’s prison, take what you want, when you want. After all, they can’t fight back, can they?’ She tightened her grip, pushing her face up close to his. ‘You were wrong. This one does.’ She laughed again as she ripped out his throat, blood spraying across her face.

Licking her lips clean, she let him fall to the floor. Hunting through the carnage around her, she found the Captain and took his wallet. As her features rearranged to mimic his, she smiled.

‘One more door to go. Then we’ll see who used to be beautiful, Eric.’

‘…are still trying to identify the deceased. A full body count is not possible at this stage.’

‘What are you watching, sugah?’ Marie asked, sauntering into the rec room. Logan was sprawled on the couch, the tv remote drooping in his hand.

‘News,’ he grunted. ‘A prison riot. They reckon some of the inmates were torn apart.’

‘Gross!’ Marie wrinkled her nose. ‘Any word from the Professor?’ She slumped down next to him.

‘Nope. Not a peep.’ After the hangar had been cleared and the jet brought back, the X-Men had given up waiting for Charles and Magneto to emerge. Marie had found herself aimlessly wandering around the mansion, slowly gravitating towards where Logan now sat. Ever since Magneto had appeared, the tiny echo of him in her head had been alternating between whispering insidious comments and screaming abuse. She squeezed the bridge of her nose, trying to stop the dull ache his persistence was causing.

‘Noisy head?’ Logan asked, understanding immediately.

‘You could say that,’ she sighed.

‘I’ve been looking for the two of you all over,’ Storm grumbled as she strode in.

‘And you didn’t think to look in the rec room first?’ Logan asked, quirking the eyebrow. Storm just pulled a face at him.

‘Hank wants to see you both. He’s got the results back from his tests.’

‘Well, that’s kind of redundant now,’ Marie said, rubbing her forehead. ‘We know the cure doesn’t work.’ She pushed herself out of the couch, swaying slightly as Eric choose that moment to start screaming that she was a traitor to her kind. Logan caught her arm and steadied her.

‘You okay?’ he asked quietly, looking concerned.

‘Yeah. He just won’t shut up.’ Marie scowled and shook her head.

‘Listen, Rogue, I know I didn’t approve of you taking the cure, but I really am sorry your mutation’s coming back. I know how much it meant to you.’ Storm rubbed her shoulder sympathetically.

‘Thanks ‘Ro.’

‘Come on, darlin’. Let’s get you to Hank.’ Logan steered her to the door.

* * * *

Hank greeted them both with a smile, and ushered them to the couch in his office.

‘Well, I’m afraid there’s not much I can tell you that you don’t already know. The cure is only temporary, and your mutation is coming back, Rogue. It does seem to be slightly different now; the form your cells are taking is not quite the same as before you took the cure.’

‘What does that mean?’ Marie asked, gripping Logan’s hand tightly. ‘Is it going to be worse than before?’

‘I don’t believe so. In fact, I think rather that this is the complete form of your mutation.’ Hank smiled slightly as the looks on their faces. ‘Before you took the cure, your mutation was out of control, seemingly unstoppable with no boundaries whatsoever. I believe that the cure forced your mutation to begin again, allowing it to develop fully and properly.’

‘You mean Ah might have control of it?’ Marie asked huskily.

‘I certainly think it is a distinct possibility. It would certainly explain why you haven’t absorbed anyone yet. Your unconscious form of control can be discovered and made conscious, with time.’

Marie launched herself at Hank, hugging him tightly. ‘Thank you, Hank! That’s the best news I’ve had for months!’

Hank laughed and patted her shoulder. ‘It won’t be easy, but I’m sure it’s possible.’ He grinned at Logan as Marie threw herself at him as well.

‘That’s really good, darlin’,’ he said softly, his arms snaking around her waist.

‘But what about being able to manipulate metal and hear better, mutations that aren’t my own? How come Ah can use them?’ Marie frowned at Hank, flexing her fingers.

‘As far as I can tell, it is another part of the control. Each mutation that you absorb a hearty amount of, you should be able to store and use as you need. But I’m afraid the voices and personalities will come too, so I advise against trying to become a one-woman X-team,’ Hank added with a smile.


* * * *

Marie tried to scream as Magneto loomed up behind Logan. Freezing him in his tracks, he put an arm around Logan’s throat, whispering viciously in his ear, staring triumphantly at Marie the whole time. She stared in horror as Magneto’s other hand plunged a needle into Logan’s chest. Logan collapsed on the floor, convulsing, the vial of mutant cure crushed beneath him, tiny pinpricks of blood forming where the edges gashed him. She tried to move her feet, to run to him, but she couldn’t. All she could do was watch. Logan’s convulsions eased and he rolled onto his side, facing her. Slowly pushing himself to his feet, he staggered towards her, arms outstretched, eyes pleading. Marie moaned in terror as wrinkles began to rapidly appear on Logan’s face, streaks of grey shooting through his hair, his muscles wasting away. Within seconds he appeared to be an old man, dropping to his knees, arms still reaching for her.

‘Marie,’ he whispered as he crumbled, dust flying around the solid metal skeleton that crashed to the ground. Marie was suddenly able to move and ran to him, but she was too late. She grasped at the dust as it spiralled away, shrieking his name.

‘Marie! Marie, wake up! It’s okay, baby, you’re safe, I’ve got you,’ Logan murmured as he pulled her close. She thrashed around for a few seconds before realising where she was.

‘Logan?’ she asked desperately, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. Her hands roamed over his chest and back as she realised he was real and holding her, and she buried her face in his chest, hugging him tightly as she sobbed.

‘What was that about?’ he asked, rubbing soothing circles on her back. Wordlessly she shook her head and continued to cry. ‘Hey, its okay, you’re safe.’ He held her until the tears stopped and she started getting drowsy again. But as soon as he tried to lay her back down on the bed, she sat up in terror, clutching at him.

‘Don’t leave me, Logan! Please?’ she whispered, her eyes filling again.

‘Okay, I’ll stay,’ he murmured, getting up off the floor and lying down beside her. She snuggled into him, refusing to let go. Logan inhaled the scent of her hair, pulling her closer and closing his eyes.

* * * *

Pyro hurried through the dark, empty streets, casting nervous glances over his shoulder every few steps. The misty rain made the shadows dance in the dull, orange glow from the streetlights; shapeless creatures leaping and twisting before sinking back into the dark concrete. His hurried footsteps echoed sharply back to him, seeming over-loud in the gloom as his heart raced to the same rhythm. He knew he was being followed, but whoever, or whatever it was had been so elusive as to make him think he was imagining it. Cursing under his breath, he stopped and swung around, arms away from his sides, fire springing from his wrist straps to rage on his palms.

‘I know you’re there!’ he shouted, blinking rapidly to clear the drenching haze from his eyes. ‘What do you want?’ He stood still, hearing nothing but the pounding of his heart and the hiss of mist on flame. Hearing a sudden noise to his side he twisted and hurled a fireball, only to hear the frightened squeak of a rat as it scrambled away.

Pyro took one last look at the darkness and ran, skidding around a corner and crashing into a pile of rubbish. He cursed again as the rain stung his skinned palms and shoved quickly to his feet, lurching slightly before regaining his balance. A sudden weight dropped on top of him, crushing him to the floor, pressing his nose into the wet pavement. His eyes flicked sideways in horror as he caught sight of two yellow eyes gleaming in the puddle’s reflection.

‘Hello, Pyro,’ drawled Mystique, her hand closing around his throat as she laughed.

Mystique stalked silently through the shadows of the room, unnoticed by the occupants, listening to snatches of conversation. Sixty-seven mutants were gathered to hear her speak, but they were not just any mutants, they were the Cured. They were the ones Magneto had happily sacrificed to his cause without a second thought, those who had been struck down by the cure darts fired at them, those who had been left for dead. A harsh need for revenge festered in them, echoed in their barely controlled rage as mutations appeared and vanished, mutants reassuring themselves that their essence had not been lost. Mystique controlled her desire to let her blue skin flicker, aware that she too shared the insecurity that her mutation would once again vanish, and hating it. Stepping swiftly into the light in front of them, she took the form she had been left with after the dart.

‘We are here for one purpose,’ she stated quietly, venomously, her short dark hair shining in the dim light. ‘Vengeance.’ The word echoed through the sudden silence as sixty-eight pairs of eyes fixed on her. Mystique cast an amused glance at the upper floor balcony where Pyro watched sullenly and winked at him. ‘Each and every one of you was cast aside, abandoned to a fate that you didn’t choose!’ she hissed, prowling around in front of her audience. ‘He used your powers and then discarded you, let you be a shield for him then looked down in disgust at what you had become.’ She stopped suddenly as the blue ruffled its way up her body. ‘No more. We are the Cured. We have faced the cure and beaten it! And now we will show him just how strong we are!’ She bared her teeth in a fierce smile as the roars of approval shook the ceiling, not noticing Pyro slipping away.

* * * *

Marie felt a fierce satisfaction as her opponent crashed to the ground, insides ripped out. Flames licked hungrily around her as she crouched, craving more foes to pound into. When none appeared she vented her frustration by shredding the metal body of a nearby car, flinging the pieces of metal in deadly rains across the bleak landscape. Interrupted in her search for another metal structure, she growled as her surroundings flickered and disappeared, replaced with the cool, grey walls of the danger room and the figure of Logan sauntering towards her.

‘Did you just growl?’ he asked incredulously, the eyebrow almost disappearing into his hair.

‘No,’ Marie insisted defensively. When the eyebrow didn’t move she ground her teeth. ‘Alright, yes, Ah did.’ She glared at him as he snorted in amusement. ‘Ah’m glad you find it so amusing,’ she grumbled, marching towards the door.

‘So what’s with the scenario? Needed to shred things?’ Logan asked, following behind her and trying not to look at her backside encased in tight leather.

‘So what if Ah did?’ she demanded aggressively. Logan could almost hear the silent ‘bub’ and grabbed her arm.

‘Have you been letting me loose up there?’ he said softly, tapping her temple quickly. Marie closed her eyes and sighed, letting her whole body relax.

‘A little.’ She shrugged slightly, not meeting his eyes. ‘You keep Eric quieter, so it seemed like a good idea. Ah don’t mind the need to fight, but it’s the cravings for the cigars that Ah draw the line at.’ She gave him a quick smile and hurried out of the room, leaving Logan frowning after her.

* * * *

Charles Xavier stood at the window of his study and gazed over the mansion’s grounds, his eyes filled with tears; tears of joy for the fact that he could now stand, tears of sorrow for the loss of Scott and Jean, and tears of hopelessness for the broken man sat behind him. Taking several deep breaths and blinking rapidly, he turned and took his seat once again.

His return had shaken Eric to the core of his existence, shattering the iron control he had held about himself for so many years and casting doubt on everything he believed. He had begged Charles for forgiveness, but that was something Charles could not give him. He could forgive Eric for his beliefs for they had been ingrained in him through a life of terror and subjugation, but to his surprise Charles found himself unwilling to forgive Eric for his actions. Charles studied the other man as he sat slumped in front of the desk, his face swollen with bitterly shed tears, hands shaking slightly in his lap.

‘I am sorry, Eric,’ Charles said softly. ‘I cannot absolve you from your guilt. Only you can do that.’

Eric gave a huff of despairing laughter and raised watery eyes to look upon the renewed form of his oldest friend. ‘That guilt did not appear until you did, Charles. Are you sure that it’s mine?’ Hearing the accusation in his tone, Charles sighed again.

‘Eric, I have not-‘ Charles broke off and closed his eyes.

‘What is it?’ Eric asked, leaning forwards, a spark of interest in his tired eyes.

‘A commotion. Someone is here to see you.’ Charles rose and marched out of the door, Eric following slowly. As they reached the hall they heard the sound of raised voices. Turning the corner, Charles saw his junior X-men attempting to keep two figures separated. *Enough*. Everyone froze as the telepathic command reached them, Jubilee giving a small squeak of fright and moving closer to Pete, revealing the cause of the commotion. Pyro stood scowling behind them, blood running from his nose and flames dying in his hands. Pete released his grip on Bobby, who was nursing sore knuckles and looking savagely triumphant.

‘What’s going on?’ Charles asked calmly. As a cacophony of voices immediately began to explain, he gestured for silence again. ‘I see you have returned, John,’ he said pleasantly, watching Pyro carefully.

‘Who’re you s’posed to be?’ Pyro demanded, sneering at the use of his real name.

*Don’t you recognise me, John?* Charles asked, watching Pyro’s face whiten as the voice rang in his head.

‘You can’t be,’ he mumbled. ‘He died!’

‘Yes, my body did die, but I did not. Now, what can we do for you?’ Once again, Charles’ tone was calm and non-threatening.

‘I came for him,’ Pyro said, pointing at Eric, who raised his eyebrows.

‘And why would you do that, Pyro? You know I have been cured. What possible interest could you have in me now?’ Eric smirked to himself at the annoyed glance Charles sent him.

‘I know the cure doesn’t work. You’ll have regained your powers by now.’ Pyro stared at Eric defiantly.

‘Loyalty, Pyro? From you?’ Eric tone changed from sly to sarcasm, and he watched Pyro stifle his angry retort with dark humour.

‘Did you hear about the prison riot the other day?’ Pyro asked casually. ‘They still haven’t been able to do a proper body count; still looking for the parts.’ He smirked as the junior X-men around him grimaced. ‘Thought you might like to know that it was an old friend of yours. She’ll be coming to see you. And she’s not alone.’

‘Mystique?’ Eric whispered, his face betraying his fear.

* * * *

What’s with the summons?’ Logan demanded, stomping through the door and stopping in shock, causing Marie to crash into him from behind. Shoving him out the way she gazed around the room, her lip curling in disgust as she saw Pyro, her face going curiously blank as she noticed Eric in the corner.

‘What’s that little prick doing here?’ Logan asked, pointing at Pyro.

‘It’s nice to see you too, Wolverine,’ Pryo shot back. Logan snorted and dropped into his chair.

‘I can see you’ve really grown up. Why is he here? For that matter, why’s Buckethead still here?’ Logan jerked his head at Eric, who ignored him.

‘Logan, we have some important things to discuss. Please listen.’ The Professor walked forward and placed his hands on the table, casting an exasperated glance at Jubilee. ‘Jubilee, please stop thinking that. You will eventually have to get used to it.’ Jubilee flushed a bright shade of red as the younger X-men all sniggered.

‘She can’t get used to the Professor walking. She says it’s creepy,’ Marie whispered to Logan, seeing his frown. He snorted and shook his head.

‘Look, I’ve done what I came here to do, so I’m going to leave you all in your little briefing. Have fun.’ Pyro stood and stomped towards the door, stopping as Bobby stood up in front of him. ‘Get out of my way.’

‘No,’ Bobby said, his fists icing over. Pyro lunged at him, fireballs erupting in his fists, only to be caught in mid-air by Logan, claws sliding out of his fists and grazing Pyro’s cheek. He froze, staring at the shining blades centimetres from his eyes.

‘You’d better sit down and shut the fuck up,’ Logan growled through gritted teeth, carefully inching the claws further out. ‘You’ve got some explaining to do.’

‘Thank you, Logan. You can put him down now.’ Charles summoned a weary smile and sat as Logan reluctantly shoved Pyro back to his seat.

‘John has come to us at risk to himself to warn us of a threat we now face, from mutants who call themselves The Cured. They are led by Mystique, who unfortunately was the cause of the prison deaths. They are out for revenge on Eric,’ Charles said seriously, not looking at the man at his side.

‘So chuck him out and we get rid of our problem,’ Logan snarled.

‘Logan, as you well know, it has never been our policy to turn away mutants in need,’ Charles said, sounding exasperated.

‘He’s not in need; it’s his own fucking fault!’ Logan stood and pointing across the table, his knuckles showing white. ‘If he hadn’t treated them like worthless shit then they wouldn’t have a reason to go after him!’

‘Logan –‘ the Professor began

‘He’s right, Professor,’ Marie butted it. ‘Why should we help him?’ She raised her chin in the sudden silence and stared defiantly at Eric, who smirked at her.

‘After all the memories we share, my dear,’ he murmured, tapping a finger to his temple, the smirk dropping from his face as his head was jerked forward by his chair shooting backwards, crashing into the wall.

‘Don’t you dare talk to me about memories,’ Marie hissed at him as his chair rose off the floor.

‘Rogue, think about what you are doing,’ Charles said cautiously, his eyes on the floating chair.

‘Oh, Ah am, Professor, don’t you worry!’ Marie’s eyes blazed with all the emotion she’d been suppressing. ‘Ah will not let you ruin more people’s lives!’ She gestured and the chair rose higher as small strips of metal peeled off the wall and wrapped themselves around Eric’s hands and feet. Another piece slowly closed around his throat and tightened. Eric’s eyes found Charles’, and he smiled. *The answer to my quandary, Charles?* he thought.

‘Logan, stop her!’ Charles cried. Logan carefully moved behind Marie and took her shoulders, close enough that she could feel the tremors that ran through his skeleton.

‘Marie, baby, let him go. You shouldn’t do this, not this way,’ he whispered in her ear. He held on tighter as she started to tremble, breathing a sigh of relief as Eric crashed to the floor, the metal slivers dropping away. Logan turned Marie to face him and hugged her tightly as the shivers increased. Just as she was beginning to calm, the door slammed open and Storm came running in.

‘We’re under attack!’

‘Everybody to their positions!’ Logan barked, startling everyone from their frozen shock. He kept hold of Marie’s hand as he spoke. ‘You’re coming with me.’ She nodded and followed him to the door. ‘Bobby, take him with you,’ Logan nodded at Pyro. ‘Keep an eye on him!’

‘Logan! They’ve breached the outer wall and they’re moving for the inner one fast,’ Storm shouted as she grabbed Kitty, her combat partner. ‘Jubilee, make sure all of the children are in the shelters before you come back, some of them were on the roof earlier.’

‘We’re on our way,’ Jubes answered, her and Pete shoving their way through.

‘Oh.’ Storm suddenly stopped, looking embarrassed. Logan frowned before he realised that the Professor was still stood at the back of the room, a strange expression on his face. ‘Is that alright?’ Storm asked almost tentatively.

‘Oh yes,’ he said. ‘It was just curious watching how well you coped without me.’ He flashed a quick smile. ‘Please carry on. I will stay with Eric.’ Everybody began to move once again, all focussing on their tasks.

* * * *

‘Wolverine!’ Mystique’s voice echoed across the mansion’s deserted lawns. ‘You know what we want! Give us Magneto and we will leave your school intact.’

‘And if I don’t?’ he shouted from his position near the hangar doors, glancing reassuringly at Marie.

‘Then we will take it apart, stone by stone until we find him.’ An approving roar came floating to them, clearly demonstrating the mood of the Cured.

‘Sorry to disappoint you, Blue, but you’re not getting him.’

‘So be it.’ There was a brief silence after Mystique’s words, then the sound of the Cured making their way up the wall. Logan risked a quick glance and shook his head. He counted to five and looked again.

‘Ready?’ he asked, his eyes on the wall. Marie nodded, a control panel in her lap. The first of the cured dropped to the ground, cheering and roaring. More climbed up, following their successful comrades. Logan nodded. ‘Now!’

Marie looked at the control panel and flicked several metal switches with her mind. An explosion ripped the wall from the ground, blowing it back into the oncoming Cured. The greenhouses shattered as the concussive blast reached them, the shards catching the light as they fell. When the sound died away Marie could hear the moans of the wounded mutants caught by the blast.

Logan shook his head, his ears ringing. ‘Show off,’ he muttered at her. She stuck her tongue out in reply. ‘Okay, let’s go.’ He shook his head again, then lent towards her, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. ‘Be careful,’ her growled, popping his claws and running towards the groggy Cured. Marie stared after him in shock for a few seconds before lurching to her feet and following him.

* * * *

Eric watched Charles pace back and forth, his face grim. ‘I could stop this, Charles. You said yourself, I am the only one who can absolve myself from guilt. Now is my chance.’

‘Eric, you and I both know that Mystique will kill you and continue her attack on the school. You would achieve nothing.’ Charles threw him an annoyed glance and continued pacing.

‘Do you prefer hiding in this cellar?’ Eric stared around the X-Men headquarters and wrinkled his nose. ‘I have always preferred to be above ground, myself,’ he added in a deliberately dismissive voice.

‘We are not hiding, Eric! We are-‘

‘Good!’ Eric broke in. ‘Then you won’t mind if I go and take a look.’ He grinned, his equanimity seemingly restored by the chance to act. ‘You are much easier to provoke in your new body, Charles.’ He rose and strode to the door, raising his eyebrows. ‘Coming?’

* * * *

Logan cursed as a lightening bolt narrowly missed him and dodged a blow from the large green mutant in front of him. He ducked under his opponent’s arm, ramming both sets of claws into his belly and ripping them up. The green mutant shuddered and slid off his claws with a strangled gasp. Logan stepped over him, shaking green slime off his claws with a grimace and looking for a new target. He could sense Marie not far behind him, lobbing metal chunks and fireballs at anyone who came near. He winced as she tore more railings from the wreckage of the wall, the screeching metal grating on his ears and the thrumming in his skeleton increasing. The Cured were still flooding through the gap in the wall. If they didn’t come up with something soon Logan knew they’d be overrun.

The air around him began to crackle as the wind picked up, the pressure increasing so swiftly Logan felt his eardrums trying to implode. Seeing a small twist of air directly in front of him, he ran backwards, grabbing Marie on his way past, dragging her to the mansion wall, pinning her to it and anchoring them with his claws. He heard her shocked gasp before all sound was drowned by the rushing air. The twister grew rapidly, pulling the air around it in to the centre, glass shards and rock debris rising to meet it. Logan growled as he felt it tugging at him, digging his claws in deeper, feeling Marie clutching his waist as tight as she could. The twister swept towards the wall, the Cured trying to outrun its deadly hunger, screams ringing out as they were whipped up and crushed, its size ever increasing.

Logan stared into Marie’s eyes, inches from his own. Her grip on him shifted as his bones began to vibrate more fiercely than ever. He could feel her drawing him closer, using his metal as an advantage. Despite the situation, he could feel a stirring in his groin as he was ground against Marie, the hum in his skeleton rising to a fever pitch. He growled again, deeper than before, seeing her eyes widen, cursing as he realised she could hardly fail to notice his arousal, pressed up against each other as they were. To his surprise a smile blossomed on her lips, pulling his ear down to her mouth.

‘Great timing,’ she shouted, wiggling her hips against him slightly, her grin widening at the groan that ripped from him. He swallowed hard, gritting his teeth to control his rising ardour, Marie’s smirk not helping. He sighed in relief as the roaring began to die down, the winds slowing, noticing the look of reluctance on Marie’s face as she let him go.

Storm landed beside them in a heap, her chest heaving as the tornado dwindled and vanished. ‘That should slow them for a minute,’ she gasped, leaning back against the wall.

‘Don’t you think that was a bit fucking close?’ Logan demanded furiously, ripping his claws from the wall and towering over her. ‘You could have killed us!’ He ran his eyes over Marie, checking that she wasn’t hurt, her colour rising slightly under the burning gaze. True, Storm wasn’t to blame for the fact that he was now extremely horny, but there was no one on hand to shred, so shouting at her would have to do.

‘You’re fine,’ Storm shot back, pulling a face at him. ‘You knew what I was doing.’ She watched, confused, as he stalked off towards the ruined wall, muttering viciously under his breath. Marie smothered a laugh as she pulled Storm to her feet, the urge to laugh leaving her abruptly as she saw the damage the tornado had caused. Huge swathes of lawn were overturned, bodies littering everything. Moans drifted across the battleground as the survivors tried to crawl back out of the gap.

Logan came stomping back towards them, his expression dark but the muttering thankfully stopped. ‘They’ve pulled back for now. Where’s Kitty?’ He grabbed Marie’s hand, clutching it tightly as they made their way back to the house.

‘With Hank. I was doing more good up there and Hank didn’t have a partner.’ Storm was quiet for a minute, her tone hesitant when she spoke again. ‘Do you… do you think we can beat them?’

‘Yes,’ Logan answered simply. ‘We did at Alcatraz and we will here.’

* * * *

‘Eric! Enough! We must go back inside before we’re seen,’ Charles yelled, exasperation and anger flowing through him. Eric swung around to face him, surprise painted on his face.

‘Are you losing control, Charles?’ Feeling his anger grow at the words, Charles swallowed, unclenching his fists, trying to regain perspective.

‘All I am saying is that our effort will be wasted if you are caught.’ He sighed in relief as Eric started back towards him.

‘You!’ The furious shout echoed around the courtyard, making Charles groan at the timing. Logan swiftly appeared, followed closely by Marie and Storm. ‘What the hell is he doin’ out here? He can be seen from the walls!’

‘We are just on our way back in, Logan,’ Charles interjected, trying to diffuse the tension, not noticing Marie’s silent snarl.

‘I don’t give a rat’s ass what you’re doin’! We are out here risking our lives for him!’ Logan’s finger stabbed in Eric’s direction before returning to Charles.

‘I fancied taking some air, Wolverine. Thought I’d see how you were getting on.’ Eric couldn’t seem to help the smirk that settled on his features, wearing it like a second skin, right up until Marie’s fist slammed into his face, sending him flying.

‘If any of my people die because of you, Ah’ll skin you alive!’ she snarled, dragging his face close to hers and staring her challenge into his eyes. Charles felt the situation rapidly spinning out of control, everything around him falling apart. The hope he’d always had, always managed to hold on to no matter what happened, seemed to fade inside him as he heard Logan’s grim words.

‘They’re coming again.’

‘Logan, the attack has dropped off on our side. It looks like they’re concentrating on your position. Have you been pissing people off again?’ Pete’s voice came through the comms system as they made their way back to the wall.
‘Send Iceman and Pyro to me, you and Jubilee stay put,’ Logan growled in reply. Marie could see him desperately trying to think of a solution that would keep them all alive, but he was coming up blank. She could think of a few ways to wipe out the Cured, but destroying them all and everything within a two-mile radius wasn’t the best solution.

Bobby appeared beside them, dragging Pyro by his collar. Logan’s eyebrow crept up at the bruises Pyro sported on his face and the rapidly developing black eye. ‘Is he behaving?’

‘He is now,’ Bobby grinned, rubbing his knuckles.

‘Good. See that it stays that way.’ Logan called everyone over, gathering them around him and Marie. ‘Storm, I want you up there blasting the crap out of them, but no more tornados. Bobby, I need you to coat the ground in a layer of ice, all along the breach and out towards us. Pyro, when they loose their balance on the ice, you’d better start flaming as hard as you can, or your ass is mine.’ Logan gestured with his claws, grunting in satisfaction as Pyro shrank away from them. ‘Me and Marie will deal with any who make it through, understood? Go.’

Everyone scattered, eyeing the breach uneasily as the noise level outside rose once again. Logan frowned at Marie’s innocent expression as she gathered useful bits of scrap metal until he caught a hint of a smirk on the corner of her lips just as he started vibrating again. He growled at her, flaring his nostrils at her as she raised an eyebrow in perfect imitation of him. She smiled at his expression and the humming stopped. He took hold of her hands and pulled her close.

‘Marie, listen. I need you to promise me something.’ He saw the playful expression slide off her face at his tone and hurried on. ‘If this doesn’t work, if it goes really wrong, I want you to get the kids, get to the jet and fly them the hell out of here.’

‘And leave you behind? No way!’ She tried pulling her hands away but he wouldn’t let her.

‘Marie-‘

‘No, Logan! Ah’m not going without you. ‘Ro and the Professor will take care of the kids. If you stay, Ah stay. You’re not getting rid of me; get used to it.’ She planted a firm but quick kiss on his lips, ducking as something nearby exploded.

‘We’ll finish this later,’ Logan promised, a dark gleam in his eyes.

* * * *

The Cured attacked again, fewer in number and more cautiously than before, but still more than Logan had hoped. He and Marie grimly held off those that got through the icy hell of the breach, chests heaving with exertion. Logan’s skin burned as it healed again and again, not given a moment’s peace. Catching a scent, his nostrils flared and he focussed on a small cluster of Cured who’d made it through. They were huddling together, hiding something, but Logan could tell Mystique’s stench anywhere. He growled softly in anticipation as the group parted, his ears catching the sound of machine gun fire before he could react. The spray of bullets caught him and threw him backwards, the air jolted from his body as he hit the ground. For a few seconds he couldn’t breathe as an agony of fire ripped through him. Two bullets had caught him in the chest, one lodged in his lung, the third in his abdomen and another in his leg. He convulsed as Marie screamed his name, air rushing in too fast, blood bubbling on his lips as he coughed. Feeling his flesh begin to knit again he hauled himself to his feet, staggering slightly, and found himself face to face with Mystique.

For a moment neither moved, then Mystique launched a barrage of kicks and punches at him, driving him back. He snarled and dove at her, ignoring the fresh damage her fists caused. They hit the ground hard and rolled, both coming up in a crouch. Mystique’s eyes flicked to the three long gouges on her thigh and grinned.

‘That’ll leave a scar,’ she murmured, licking her lips slowly and fingering the old puncture wounds on her abdomen. Logan growled again and shook the blood from his claws. He could feel his body was almost healed, his strength returning, and a feral smile grew on his face.

Rising, they circled warily, searching for weakness, before launching at each other gain. Mystique’s smug attitude vanished as Logan took control of the fight. More gashes appeared on her blue skin, her attempts to defend herself growing more desperate until Logan pinned her to the floor, both arms lying useless beside her, nerves severed.

‘Why wouldn’t you just give him to me?’ she shrieked, all semblance of control finally gone. Her eyes flicked madly from colour to colour. ‘Why are you protecting him, after everything he’s done!’

‘It’s not about him,’ Logan snarled. ‘It’s about doing what’s right.’ He pulled his claws free from her and turned to walk away, stopping as hysterical laughter erupted behind him.

‘Doing what’s right?’ They really have tamed the Wolverine!’ Her laughter faded abruptly, hate twisting her features again as she sneered at him. ‘You’ll regret your new-found honour if Eric stays. He’ll get to your ‘X-Men’, every one, especially his favourite, your little girl.’ Her eyes slid to where Marie was twirling scrap metal around her, tearing her opponents to shreds. ‘He’s wanted her since he first tasted her power. He’ll devour her mind, drive her insane until there’s nothing left but a screaming shell-‘ Her words cut off with a gurgle as Logan’s claws sliced through her throat. He retracted them quickly, watching as her flickering eyes finally stopped on yellow before they dulled.

* * * *

Charles paced around the control room, listening carefully to the comms system. His eyes fixed on Eric as Logan’s gruff voice echoed in the room.

‘Mystique’s dead. Once the rest of ‘em see that they might pull back.’

‘I hope so!’ Pete’s voice took over. ‘Jubilee’s hurt; I can hold them off for now but I can’t last much longer!’

‘John’s down too, and Storm’s looking a bit ragged.’ An explosion followed Bobby’s statement before the comms abruptly closed off. Charles’ gaze didn’t waver as Eric sat with his head in his hands.

‘She really was an extraordinary woman,’ Eric mumbled, hands over his eyes. For a long moment he stayed that way. When he raised his head, the years were once again etched into his face. ‘Enough, Charles. Are you really going to sacrifice your students, your children, for me?’ When he got no answer he rose quietly and left the room.

* * * *

Logan had signalled the retreat and everyone was falling back to the mansion’s perimeter. Storm thudded to the ground in front of him, falling to her knees. ‘We need a miracle to get out of this one,’ she gasped, her eyes taking in their injured comrades.

‘I know,’ he snarled, desperately trying to think of a way out. He caught the sound of raised voices before the others, turning to stare at the door a few seconds before Eric burst through it.

‘-won’t let you do this!’ Charles stomped after him, waving a fist, fury contorting his features. The X-Men stared at such an explosive display of emotion from the Professor.

‘I’m sorry Charles, but this can’t continue. We both know that.’ Eric smiled sadly and continued to walk away.

‘It’s always ‘death or domination’! There’s never any middle ground with you!’ Charles’ face grew purple as he screamed the words at his friend, years of feeling pouring out in a flood. ‘In all the years we’ve know each other, you’ve never once believed I could be right!’

‘Charles, calm down-‘ Eric stopped walking, an alarmed look on his face. A high-pitched whining noise started emanating from the Professor, growing louder, shooting through Logan’s head. He hissed at the pain, surprised to see the others doing the same. Eric’s face grew horrified, his hands outstretched to the Professor.

‘You never once listened, really listened to me! Everything you did, I stayed by you, tried to talk to you, but you would never listen!’

‘Charles, please, you must-‘

‘No! This time, this one time, you WILL listen!’ The X-Men cried out and dropped to the floor as the shout reverberated through their minds. Charles threw back his head, waves of telepathic power rushing from him. ‘You will all listen!’ he shrieked, spreading his arms wide. An invisible blast headed away from them, towards the Cured who were thrown from their feet, horror on their faces as they gripped their heads and screamed. Logan crawled on top of Marie, holding her tight and screwing his eyes shut until the roaring noise finally died down.

Raising his head cautiously he saw the Professor crumple noiselessly, falling at the prone feet of his oldest friend. The other X-Men began to stir gradually, Storm crawling over to Charles.

‘He’s alive,’ she whispered, closing her eyes in relief.

‘Which is more than they are.’ Logan gestured to the where the Cured were lying, faces twisted in death. Nothing moved amongst the destruction. ‘He killed them all.’

‘I have failed you.’ Marie swallowed against the tears that threatened to fall as the Professor’s subdued voice reached her. His head bowed, Charles huddled in the chair like a man with no hope. Marie gripped Logan’s hand tightly, refusing to let her emotions show. Ororo was not so successful from her position by the Professor, a choked sob escaping her. Charles raised his head and summoned a wan smile, gazing at the three of them. Marie wasn’t sure why she’d been included in this select group, but she’d been anxious to see the Professor, especially as he’d refused all visitors except Eric while in the medlab. Eric was noticeably absent, and had been so since the disastrous end to the battle two days before. Marie knew he hadn’t left the Professor’s side in the medlab, feeling an echoing yearning from the shadows of her mind.

‘You didn’t fail anyone, you saved us all,’ ‘Ro insisted, wiping the tears from her face.

‘What I did was to knowingly destroy life.’ The Professor’s eyes, startlingly bright in his pale face, shifted restlessly around the room.

‘Every one of us here has done the same.’ ‘Ro’s voice was almost begging him to listen, to absorb what she was saying, but the Professor shook his head. Marie felt Logan tense beside her and threw him a quick glance, curious over his silence.

‘That alone could have been forgiven, if I had not wanted it so much, revelled in the havoc I unleashed.’

‘Professor-‘ ‘Ro’s voice was cut short by Logan’s disgusted snort.

‘So what? You’ve found out what it’s like to enjoy killing and you’re acting like the world ended! What about all your beliefs of redemption, necessity, forgiveness – or was that all bullshit to keep people like me around?’ Everyone stared at Logan in disbelief as he crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze. The Professor couldn’t tear his eyes away, pinned by the rage in Logan’s glare. ‘You’ve always found control so easy. You have one lapse and suddenly you’re a monster? It’s about time you learnt to stop feeling sorry for yourself and get a fucking grip, because all you proved two days ago was that you are willing to sacrifice it all for your family – something everyone should be willing to do.’ With a low growl, he turned and stalked from the room, slamming the door and leaving a wake of stunned silence behind him.

* * * *

‘Hey sugah.’

‘Hey.’

‘Want some company?’ Marie hung back, not wanting to disturb him but he wordlessly held out a hand to her. She gripped it gently, fingers automatically rubbing the sensitive skin above the claws. They stood in silence for a while, gazing at the ruined grounds bleached of all colour by the moon until Logan heaved a sigh and ran his free hand through his hair.

‘I shouldn’t have lost my temper. I’ve probably made things worse.’

‘Ah don’t think so, sugah. The Professor needed to hear it. ‘Course, you pissed ‘Ro off, but there’s nothing new there.’ Marie smirked as a small huff of laughter escaped him. Tilting his head he caught the sound of footsteps before her. She followed his gaze and saw the Professor making his way slowly towards them. ‘Ah’ll see you inside,’ she murmured, pressing a quick kiss to his muttonchop.

The Professor took Marie’s place, gazing unseeing at the destruction. There was silence for a long moment, until he cleared his throat and turned to Logan. ‘One thing I have always relished in our discussions is your ability to cast new light on things, making me see events from different angles. I had missed that when I was away.’ At Logan’s raised eyebrow, the hurried on. ‘You were right; wallowing in self-pity will not help anyone, or change what has happened. What I did was wrong, that is a fact. However, I wasn’t willing to see that my motivations for doing so are perhaps worth considering.’ There was another long silence, Charles casting anxious glances at Logan’s still features. ‘I didn’t understand what effect my actions would have on you and the other X-Men, until you told me earlier. I have never allowed any of you the luxury of self-indulgent regrets for past actions, and to change the rules for myself would not be fair.

‘What I am trying to say is that I am sorry, for many things, but I want to get past all of this, learn from it and move on. This morning I was considering going back to Scotland for a few months, but you’ve shown me that my place is here, with my family.’

‘There’s a lot of work to be done. It’ll take a while to get everything back up and running.’ Logan gestured around them. ‘It ain’t going to be a picnic, getting through this.’ His eyes focussed intently on the Professor’s as he leant closer. ‘One thing I’ve learnt is that a conscience is hell on a good day, and you’ve got more than most to contend with. Being here, having a place to belong; it helps.’

‘Thank you, Logan. Your trust and support mean a great deal to me. I will do my upmost to do them justice.’

‘You’ll get there, Chuck. You’ll get there.’