The single light above the door drew a grin from the driver of the four-by-four Chevy inching up the driveway. Parking the truck a tall, dark figure stepped out of it and walked up the front steps.
“Something you wanted?” The tone held no warmth, the threat running through it clear.
“Yeah.” Turning she grinned at the man standing eying her with barely leashed rage. “To see my son. Hello Logan.”
“Helen, what brings you out west?”
“Is the others awake?”
“No. The girls are still sleeping and I won’t wake them. They all need their sleep; pregnancy takes a lot out of you.”
Helen nodded slowly, hiding her shock at the conformation of what had only been a rumor before. Obviously they’d found a way to heal themselves to become pregnant. “Okay. We need to talk though. It’s important.”
“About what? We’re not fighting for anything now. We’ve got families, kids, things that…”
“He’s rebuilding her mind.” Helen interrupted and shivered at the low, furious snarl that escaped Logan’s frame. “She’s also had surgery to repair the damage to her face.”
“That rotten motherfucker.” Logan snarled. “I’m gonna rip him apart.”
“I have a better idea. I’d like to run it by you and the others if I may.”
“Scott and Tank are inside.” Logan opened the door and stepped inside. “Keep your voice down.”
“Yes sir.” Helen smiled at her son’s attitude and tone.
“Helen what a pleasant surprise.” Tank smiled at the older woman. “What brings you out here. The girls are still sleeping…”
“I’m not here for social pleasantries.” Helen said settling into a chair at the table and eying the three men before her. “We have a problem.”
“What kind of problem?” Scott demanded instantly on edge.
“He’s rebuilding her fucking mind.” Logan ground out his claws inching out and retracting with deadly intent. “Healing her.”
“That isn’t right. The deal…”
“Doesn’t matter. My source has indicated that there might not be a unified front within the Xavier ranks.” Helen leaned forward. “I know you, you’ll kill him, take away his life but to really make him suffer, really hit him where it hurts will take a special kind of revenge.”
“What do you suggest?” Tank demanded rising and pacing the kitchen. “I won’t risk Jubilee’s mental and physical health for them. Those three women have suffered enough at the hands of that monster and his little bitch!”
Helen shrugged. “Destroy his soul. I’ve arranged for several of my past contacts to become available under the radar again. Since he wants to protect her, wants to keep her around let him have her. I warned him, I gave them an ultimatum and it didn’t take so lets see what happens when he’s faced with the fact that he can’t control me, can’t control my word.”
“This isn’t your fight.” Logan snarled softly.
Helen looked at him steadily. “Yes it is Logan. You are my son, and she’s the daughter I never had. You’re expecting a child; you’ve made a life away from the darkness of that world. I will not allow anyone to take that from me, from you. I will protect what is mine to the death…”
“The girls can’t find out. IF they know they’ll want in.” Scott pointed out looking at Logan. “It’s taken a long time for Kitty to be comfortable in her skin, to see past the scars to the soul beneath them. I can’t run the risk of that being…”
“We can handle him.”
“I’ve already orchestrated the first step toward revenge. Do you have any extra room?” Helen asked softly.
“Extra room?”
A slow, snide grin crossed her face as she leaned back in her seat. “I gave him a choice Logan. Jean Grey or the children. He’s chosen Jean Grey…the children are mine now. I need a safe place to put some.”
“Of course we can help them.” Tank glanced at Logan. “That’s what we do isn’t it?”
“Take away his precious future warriors and leave him with nothing.” Logan sneered. “You really think that will work? You really believe that he’s gonna forget about us? Death is all that he has coming.”
“True.” Helen agreed. “But there’s nothing to say that he can’t suffer a bit first. Let me have this first crack. Death belongs to those who have earned it. Those three women asleep upstairs deserve to kill the monster that made them and they can’t do that right now. Not with babies on the way.”
Logan glanced out the window at the growing light. He knew that Helen Creed spoke the truth but he didn’t want to risk something happening and hurting Rogue. In the weeks since Xavier had disappeared from the house he’d watched her blossom into a woman comfortable within her own skin. The nightmares and the bloody showers had faded to a rarity and he didn’t want to awaken them again.
“When do we expect the first kids?”
“Next week too soon?” Helen asked.
“No. How many?”
“Seven. I’ll be taking nearly forty but I’m separating them into smaller, less noticeable groups. By the time I’m finished with him he’ll be lucky to have anything or anyone behind him.”
“I’ll ensure that there’s room.” Tank declared as he glanced between his two team mates. “I’d hoped this would have ended by now. I hoped that we could just move on.”
Helen shifted and glanced at the kitchen doorway before back at them. “You’ll get that chance. My team is very good at what we do and I promise I won’t let anyone take away what you’ve fought so hard to build.”
“Helen!” Rogue walked into the room a smile on her face. “When did you get in? Why didn’t someone come wake me up?”
“You need your rest.”
“I need a lot of things.” Rogue replied with a giggle as she moved over to Logan’s side. “Are you staying for a while?”
“Just passing through actually. Wanted to know if you would mind having a few more kids to watch over.”
“Did you find another of those horrible labs?”
“Something like that.” Helen rose to her feet. “I really must be off. I still have a couple of stops to make. Val’s on a spiritual retreat and I have to go pick her up. Don’t know why the woman won’t learn how to drive.”
“Oh admit it you love fussing over her. She’s your best friend.”
Helen gave Rogue a quick hug and met Logan’s gaze over her shoulder. “Yes she is. I’ll be around.”
Smiling as Helen left the room Rogue glanced at Logan noticing the hard, bitter look in his eyes a moment before it was carefully hid. “What’s going on Logan? Why the look?”
“It’s nothing darlin’.” Logan said softly pulling her into his embrace. He wouldn’t lose her to Xavier’s false word, he’d play it by ear for a while but if it looked like Jean and Xavier were getting too close he’d act. Nothing would stop him from protecting those who should have been protected, sheltered from the horrors of a lab.
With a hard glance at the other two men he saw the same resolve in their eyes. They had normalcy and they would kill before they let anyone steal it away from them.
From where she sat in the garden Storm watched as Hank and Piotr moved through the bountiful rosebushes. “Something on your mind?” She asked glancing at the tall blue-haired man approaching her.
“We have a spy amongst us.” Hank said softly. “Piotr saw one of the kids giving a tall dark haired woman some papers. The woman read them over and got this horrible, blood thirsty look upon her face. I overheard Charles and Jean discussing a woman who spoke directly to Charles’s mind. Apparently she was here shortly after we all were returned and she threatened to destroy Charles if he continued to assist Jean in her recovery.”
Storm frowned slightly as she absorbed the news. Someone out there had it in for Jean Grey and if they were willing to face Charles Xavier then they had to be pretty determined. But who could it be and what could the reason be?
“What do you think about this?” Piotr asked softly. “Dr. Grey’s been getting stronger since we came back. She’s healing the wounds, erasing the scars but I don’t trust her.”
“Neither do I. Who was it that you saw?” Storm frowned as a though occurred to her. Perhaps the child could be convinced to speak up if they could prove that they weren’t out to get revenge like Jean was.
“One of the new kids. I’ve only seen her twice though and she’s never in one place too long. A few seconds here, a few there.”
Hank tensed and shook his head. “I can smell Jean.” He whispered just loud enough to be heard. “Your roses are as beautiful as ever. You must be feeling better.”
“Indeed. My head feels clearer.” Storm replied as Jean suddenly walked into view.
“Plotting your own demises?” Jean remarked snidely.
“I see the scars are fading rapidly.” Storm pointed out coldly.
“Did you honestly think that I would keep them in place? Not hardly.” Jean glanced at the trio with disdain. “Just remember what they did to me, next time you meet up with Frankenstein you might not be so lucky.”
“I doubt that.” Storm rose to her feet and glared at Jean for a moment before shrugging indifferently. “The next time we meet up with them we won’t be fighting them. We’re neutral remember Jean? You’re the one with the problem with a bunch of girls who managed to steal both the men in your life away without a thought.”
“You little…” Jean snarled at her. “Just wait and see. I’m the one in control now, and I won’t let them get off so easily next time we meet.”
Watching Jean stalk off Storm shivered. “I’m really beginning to despise her.”
“Join the club.” Piotr said as he moved closer to Storm and Hank. “If it comes to it I’m with you.”
Storm glanced at Hank who nodded. They would have to find a way to let the enemy that wasn’t an enemy know they weren’t going to fight…without getting themselves killed in the process.
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