The dust and smoke that coated the windshield did little to alter Logan’s view of the mansion. It did nothing but make him angrier than he already was. The sligh cough from behind him had his eyes darting to the rearview to see Scott who looked pained.

With a heavy sigh he rolled the window down a couple of inches before puffing away on the cigar clenched in his teeth. The day’s light was fading and darkness would fall within a couple of hours. Once it had settled upon the mansion and it’s ground the team would make their move.

“Don’t kill her.” Scott muttered and rolled his eyes at the dark look shot his way. “Remember the point is to punish Xavier for his little lapse in judgement. You kill her without him watching and the plan’s shot.”

“Either way she still dies.”

“For what she’s done she deserves no less. Remember though that the girls wouldn’t want us to get hurt or killed. I won’t have Kitty coming down here…”

“Scott you’re being anal again.” Tank interjected quickly. “We’ll stick to the plan because we all have more to lose than she does. Jubilee hasn’t even slept in the same bed as me since they found out Jean was rebuilding her mind. She’s scared to death I’m going to be disgusted.”

“So when do you get laid?” Logan grunted.

“Don’t need a bed to have sex.” Tank replied. “And frankly I’m sick of having to find an upright position to get laid.”

“Quit complainin’ at least you’re getting some.” Logan grunted and glanced at Scott. “Some of us aren’t.”

“Hey you and Rogue broke the bed the night before we left…”

“Yeah but you’re sleeping in the den so what does that tell us?”

“Can we just focus on the mission?” Scott shook his head, completely comfortable with the teasing from his teammates. It was a way to ease the strain, the agony of knowing what the girls had endured, what they were still dealing with.

“Frankenstein you in position?” the static voice halted their conversation.

“In position.” Logan replied.

“Excellent. We’ve got four hours until contact. Don’t fall asleep.”

“How stupid does that woman think we are?” Logan grunted and took another puff of his cigar. “This isn’t the first time we’ve done this.”

“She’s just concerned because the number of people involved. You phone home earlier?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t good. They’re worried and scared.”

“We all are.” Tank replied softly and shifted. “Well if we’re waiting you mind if I close my eyes for a moment?”

“Not at all.” Logan stared at him. “After all your beauty sleep is so important.”

Tank chuckled but slid down in his seat. They would do this and then they’d go home.



“How do you think they’re doing?”

Rogue glanced over at Kitty who sat on the computer her head bowed, her fingers poised. “How do you want them to be doing?”

“I want them to win. I want my baby to be safe.”

Rising from the couch where she’d been sitting Rogue walked over to the other woman and rested a hand on her shoulder. “We’re only as safe as we want to be. Sometimes you have to fight for what you want.”

“It’s not like I can fight her. I’m due within a few days Rogue.”

Rogue nodded at the gentle reminder and rested one hand on her own distended abdomen. Their children were their greatest gifts, and they would fight to the death for them but they couldn’t fight what they couldn’t beat. She knew that, knew that they had to put their faith in the men in their lives. “It’s gonna be okay. No matter what happens Kitty we’re going to survive this, our children will grow up to be happy, healthy people with careers and families of their own.”

“And us?”

“We’re going to survive.” Rogue replied softly before leaving Kitty to her work. “Don’t be on that thing all day. You’re gonna go blind if you do.”

Kitty chuckled softly Rogue would do whatever it took to make sure they all came out on top. She put her faith in her friend and went back to work.



“Frankenstein time to move out. Be careful.”

Elbowing Tank to wake him Logan opened the door silent and slid out into the darkness of the night. The air was warm, scented with the sweet stench of flowers, and yet Logan felt an icy chill. Tonight was the beginning of the rest of their lives and they had to be successful.

“Be safe.” Tank whispered softly and grinned at Logan’s expression. “Something the girls always say.”

“Bring them into the Professor’s office. From there we can do our work.” Logan spoke into the com-link before nodding at his fellow team. “Let’s get this over with.”

They gained entry into the mansion easily, bypassing the security codes with Scott’s skill. A moment later they were standing in the shadowed foyer of the place that at one time had been home, had been a sanctuary to two of them.

Logan sniffed the air and a slow, maniacal grin slid across his face. He nodded down the hallway toward the Professor’s office. It would appear that Chuck hadn’t gone to bed just yet and for that he was glad. Meant one less worry.

“Jean?”

“She’s upstairs.” Logan replied softly.

“We’ll get her.” Val drawled carefully across the line. “ETA is ten minutes.”

Logan grunted an acknowledgement and moved deeper into the shadows with the others. Stealthily moving through the shadows they approached the impressive door and hunkered down. No sense in alerting the enemy without just cause.



Val glanced at Gabriel and nodded. The door they stood in front of swung open soundlessly and they stepped into the room. Laying on a heavy wooden king sized bed was a beautiful red-head. Dressed in a silk negligee, and wrapped in pale sheets she slept soundlessly.

Gabriel gestured toward the window and Val moved through the darkness. A quick stab of a slim dagger and the window was secured in place. Grabbing the length of rope attached to her hip Val moved closer to the bed.

Gabriel glanced over his shoulder at the tall man in the door. A nod and the man moved forward to grab the sleeping woman in a bruising grip.

Jean sat up startled automatically reaching up a hand to use her telekentics.

“Don’t even think about it bitch.” The low, furious growl in her ear had her freezing a moment before she met the dark gaze staring at her.

“Who the hell hmmmph.” She struggled as her hands and feet were quickly bound and a gag shoved into her mouth.

“Be a good little girl now Doc and maybe, just maybe you’ll live long enough to see your Professor.”

Grunting as the wind was knocked from her lungs Jean fumed as she was thrown over a rock hard shoulder and carried out of her room. Whoever had attacked wasn’t intent on getting out of the mansion if the direction they were walking was any indication.

“We’ve got her.”

Jean glanced sharply at the woman who smirked at her before starting down the stairs. A flare of recognition hit her a moment after they hit the landing below and turned the corner.

She renewed her struggles as she was carried through the shadows and into the Professor’s office. Dumped unceremoniously onto the floor she glared up at her assailant a moment before she glanced behind the desk.

Charles sat in stunned silence. His gaze darting from her to someone behind her and she whipped her head around to stare in shock at the two men standing eying her with barely disguised hatred.

“So nice of you to join us Jean.” Scott drawled as he moved to sit in a nearby chair. “Chuck was just commenting on our lack of planning.”

“Hmmpfph.” Jean struggled in her bonds.

She flinched when Logan stalked toward her and ripped the gag from her mouth. “What is the meaning of this? Have you come to your senses?”

“Not hardly.” Logan ground out. “Seems you two forgot something.”

“What?” Charles croaked.

“Our little arrangement.” Scott replied and watched Logan stalking around Jean, much like a tiger around a wounded animal.

Jean and Charles shared a telling look. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve forgotten that we don’t play around. The deal was you didn’t bring her back and you did just that. Now you have to deal with the consequences.”

“Please, you don’t understand. We needed her medical…” Charles protested.

“Bullshit.” Logan snarled his claws inching out slowly, tracing down the side of Jean’s face. “You had Blue. You had a chance to make things even, to secure the future of your pathetic little school and you failed.”

“The students…”

“Are scattered. What isn’t on a fieldtrip with the other teachers is scattered to the four corners of the continent.” Helen snickered and moved to sidle up behind Charles. “I warned you that I would destroy your soul, my son is not so generous. He’ll just destroy everything you hold dear.”

“You can’t do this!” Jean protested. “You can’t just walk in here and…”

“Shut up!” Logan backhanded her across the floor. “When I want your opinion I’ll give it to you. You cost three innocent girls their identities. You stole something from them without a thought, without a concern to anything but yourself!”

“Logan please…”

“Did you think I’d come back and fight over you? I wouldn’t have come back if she hadn’t been here. She was what drew me back and your attempts to destroy her have done nothing but anger me.”

“Logan please, I’m sure we can work out something.”

“No we can’t. I will not have her spending the rest of her life looking over her shoulder because she fears you’ll pop up and steal away everything she’s managed to reclaim. Death would be too good for you but it’s the only penance I’ve got!”

Jean looked at Scott in desperation only to see an indifferent, cruel look up on his face. There was no trace of the man she’d been involved with before Rogue’s arrival. No mercy, no kindness only a bitterness that told of a love that had escaped her. “Scott you can’t…”

“I can. I will.” Scott rose and looked at Logan. “Make her feel it. They deserve that much.”

Logan grinned as his claws inched back out and he grabbed Jean’s hair. Holding her steadily he trailed the claws down her face and over her throat, leaving long, angry red welts that oozed blood. “For your crimes against our girls, against the innocent you deserve this.”

“NO!” Charles reached a hand toward Logan. “Please I’m begging you!”

Logan glanced at Charles then back at Jean before smiling a cold, cruel twist of his face. “Beg harder.” He drawled and sunk the claws into Jean’s abdomen. “Beg really hard and maybe you’ll know what it was like for Kitty and Jubilee and Rogue.”

Lying writhing in agony Jean clutched at her abdomen even as she felt the suffocating sensation of warm blood oozing into her lungs. Death wasn’t far off and she shook as she realized that she had lost. She wondered where she’d gone wrong but only the dead could tell her.

Shaken, broken Charles stared at the figure on the floor. Beneath her a spreading pool of blood soaked into the carpet, unchecked. He stared as Logan stood to his full height and kicked Jean’s body away from him.

“She got what she deserved. Your precious team is gone, your students are no longer available to manipulate.” Logan paused and glanced at the others in the room. “Looks to me like you’re alone old man. You may have forgotten your end of the deal…I didn’t forget mine.”

Charles shook with sobs as he wheeled from behind his desk to Jean’s body. Crawling out of his chair he dragged himself to her as the room emptied. Holding her head carefully on his lap he sobbed openly, he did this, his fool pride had allowed her to be slaughtered and he had no one to blame but himself.

“If you want to keep your soul intact old man,” Helen whispered softly as she leaned down by him. “Then I suggest you really think. Learn from this. Because if I come back you’ll have nothing left…not even your mind.”

The sound of the door slamming was loud in the stillness and Charles leaned over Jean to wail brokenly. There was nothing left for him to cling to.
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