Sliding to a stop in front of a tall, weathered old house Logan killed the engine and glanced at Rogue who slept peacefully against the door before sliding his gaze to the back seat where Kitty was resting.
It had been a long road to here, both in distance and in mental preparedness. Kitty had been the one that actually surprised him the most, she’d taken to reading everything about the area, studying it like a slab on a microscope when they’d picked it.
Jubilee had fallen back on the familiar and said it was okay as long as Tank was there, and Rogue had merely smiled at him, asked if he had some jerky in the truck and then the trio had set to work on building their mental skills for being away from the safety of Elk Hump.
“Hey darlin’,” nudging Rogue’s leg Logan smiled as she shifted, “We’re home.”
“So soon?” Rogue yawned as she sat up. “Wow! Kitty look!”
Sitting up the other girl leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the old house. A huge wrap around porch embraced the house. Pillars that were reminiscent of another era held the porch roof up, revealing the massive windows in the front, and the stained glass door.
“Wow, this is ours?”
“Yep,” Logan grinned at the pair, “Helen said we could have it.”
“You uh okay with being a Creed Logan?” Kitty asked softly, “I mean it makes you related…”
“It’s a name Kitster,” Logan replied seriously, a dark look entering his eyes for a moment before being hidden, “And I’ve got my family with me.”
Sharing a glance Kitty phased through the seat and slid out of the cab via Logan’s open door. Standing on the ground she glanced behind the truck and smirked at the matching truck that rolled to a stop a few feet away, “Jubes made it.”
Chuckling Logan met Tank’s gaze and nodded slightly. Whatever the problem was, they’d fix it. “Well big guy, you wanna toss a little muscle around? We’ve got things to unload.”
Tank groaned and shook his head, “I’ll unload this stuff if the girls want to get started on unpacking.”
“Sure, we can do that.” Jubilee cracked her gum and giggled at Tank’s affronted look. “Uh where does most of this stuff go?”
“Pick a room,” Logan drawled as he grabbed a couple of boxes out of the back of his truck, “But the one at the top of the stairs on the right is Rogue and I’s.”
“There a basement?” Tank asked as soon as the girls had scurried into the house.
“Yeah, Helen said it’s already set up with some pretty spiffy electronics. I figure you can have part of it for a sick-bay.”
“How are the girl’s holding up Logan? The day after we got back from dropping that wimp off Rogue looked like shit.”
“Fear, and self-laothing did a number on her. She was worried I wasn’t going to accept her because of things that happened.”
“You aren’t talking about the implants are you?” Tank asked grabbing a large chair and meeting Logan’s eyes. Noting the flash of rage, followed by an almost scary twist of his lips Tank shuddered.
“No, I’m not. It’s a good thing those fuckers are dead,” Logan growled out, his hands itching to release their hidden weapons. “Or I’d be havin’ myself some fun.”
Tank nodded quickly, “If it helps your mother’s pretty formidable on the battlefield. They didn’t all get a nice quick death.”
“Would you quit calling her my mother. I don’t…”
“Call it the way it is Logan, you can call her by any name you want but the truth is Helen Creed is the woman who gave you life.”
Rolling his eyes in a move Jubilee would have been proud of Logan grumbled as he started for the house. “Whatever.”
Chuckling it didn’t take the two men long to get both trucks unloaded and the beds set up. By the time they were finished the house was actually starting to look like a home as the trio of women unpacked and put away things rapidly.
The sharp beep of a cell had Logan grabbing the one off the table, “Yeah what it is?”
“Hello to you to Logan,” Helen’s voice held a note of steel under the laughter. “I’ve got a possible pick up for you if you could do it.”
“When and where?”
“There’s a small town two miles past the canyon neck, about twenty miles from the house. My sources have revealed a young boy there with some formidable powers; he’s in the hospital due for release first thing in the morning.”
“Why was he…?”
“Gang attacked him because he’s a mutant,” Helen explained. “From my experience, and from what I’ve managed to gleen from the girls as well as our little ‘guest’ that’s departed not that long ago, I’m going to assume that the X-men will be attempting to make contact shortly. The sooner you pick him up the sooner he’ll be truly safe. I’ll arrange for transport for him to another safe house.”
“What’s his name?”
“Patrick, Patrick Dawkins.”
“Powers?”
“He’s like a porcupine; he can throw quills as well he’s a latent telepath.”
“We’ll leave right now,” Logan groundout and hung up. “Tank looks like we’re up. We’ve got a kid to pick up before the X-Men get to him.”
“Logan?” Rogue stared at him in shock, a tinge of fear in her gaze.
“You three are to stay put,” Logan ordered softly cupping her jaw, “I won’t risk you getting hurt until we’ve had more time with your training.”
Holding up a hand when Jubilee went to protest he glanced at the trio, “Let us do this. We don’t want to play our card too soon. If they know you’re alive, that you’re safe there’s a good chance that they’ll come looking. I want to be sure that when that time comes they meet a polished force, not three warriors who are still scared to death they’ll take ‘em away.”
“We can hold our own,” Kitty snapped.
“I know that’s why you’re staying behind. This one’s for me.”
Rogue put a restraining hand on Kitty’s arm when she opened her mouth and shook her head slightly, “Be safe?”
“Always baby,” Logan said bending down to give her a quick, ruthless kiss through her scarf, “I’ll be back ASAP.”
“Thank you,” Rogue whispered and squeezed his hand before letting him go.
Glancing at her friends Rogue sighed, “Come on. Lets set up the equipment out back. We’re gonna have plenty of time to kick their asses.”
“What’s he mean this one’s for him?” Jubilee asked softly.
“Kitty drew first blood, now it’s his turn and he’s not going to be so nice about it,” Rogue replied softly seriously. “Come on.”
Nodding slowly Kitty turned and followed Rogue out the back door and down the steps to where several large boxes and some wooden posts lay stacked neatly. There would be time.
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