The motel phone was on its fifth full ring before any other sound was heard in the room.

“Fuck,” Logan growled as he rolled over and ignored the phone. It stopped on the seventh ring.

It was fifteen more seconds until it started to ring again.

Snapping the sheets back Logan shuffled up the bed his wide eyes taking in the two blondes who were still sleeping, obviously slightly surprised they were in his bed still. Reaching over he yanked the phone off the handle and barked into it immediately, “What!?”

He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock which stated it was 8:30 in the morning.

“Is this the Wolverine?”

“Who the fuck wants to know?”

“The name is Pietro,” the other voice on the phone spoke.

“Don’t know yah, so fuck off.”

“I didn’t say you knew me.”

“Listen, asshole it’s 8:30 in the morning, I’m not really in the mood for this shit.”

“You’re a hard man to contact.”

“Yah, well I’m about to hang up so contact over.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No, its more of some friendly advice considering what I know and what you don’t.”

Logan growled.

“Your friends at Xavier’s Institute were absolutely no help in tracking you down.”

Logan was quiet.

“Or should I say the X-Men.”

“I’m no longer an X-Men so if you have a bone to pick with them go call up on Scotty boy.”

Pietro chuckled. “Just like that you’d throw them to the wolves, to some unknown possible threat.”

“They can handle themselves and plus if it was really so damn important Xavier has ways of contacting me, so that makes me think you have no interest in them.”

“Yes you would be correct in that it is a private matter and you are all that we are interested in at the moment.”

“Goody for me.”

“So then as I was about to...”

“Look, dickhead I don’t care so goodbye.”

“I’m not asking you to care about me. We have a mutual interest that’s all.”

“And that’s supposed to make us buddies?” Logan snapped sarcastically.

“Not in the least.”

“So what kind of mutual interest?”

Pietro was quiet for a moment which just pissed Logan off more.

“Rogue,” Pietro breathed.

Logan went extremely still and took five seconds before a sense of rage came over his face.

“Listen, if she needs money or she owes you some kind of shit, it ain’t my fucking problem and if you’re one of her little playmates you’ve just made a fuckin’ mistake.”
Logan’s chest heaved with his sudden onslaught of anger as he gripped the phone so harshly his knuckles were white. He was disturbed to find Pietro was suddenly quiet on the other end.

“Hello? You got that pretty boy. You tell her...”

“Rogue’s dead,” Pietro spoke sternly, his voice deflated.

Logan’s chest stopped rising as his breath caught and the phone almost slipped from his hand. Gripping it tighter his knuckles were suddenly white for a whole other reason.

“What?” he gasped into the phone, his voice so much quieter then before.

“I don’t think it needs to be repeated again, Wolverine, you heard me.”

Logan’s eyes darted around his room and it suddenly felt too small, he felt trapped. He kicked at the sheets on his bed and his eyes took in the two woman passed out and oblivious to his world and he wanted them gone, he wanted them out and suddenly he hated them.

“Is this some kind of joke?” he asked as his voice rose slightly higher again as he worked up a sense of anger.

“I wish it was,” Pietro spoke softly.

Rubbing his face, Logan bent forward as he could hear his own frantic heart beating against his ribcage. He wasn’t breathing. His body was suddenly forgetting how to function. He took a deep breath.

“When?” he gasped into the phone as he squeezed his eyes in desperation.

“She was killed two days ago.”

“Killed?”

“Yes.”

“Where? Who...”

“That’s not important right now.”

“Like hell it isn’t. I...” Logan paused as his eyes flashed suddenly. “You know what, fuck you, this ain’t my concern so I don’t know why...”

“For not only my sake but more for yours at least stop yourself from telling yourself one more lie, certainly such a big one.”

“You don’t know me,” Logan barked into the phone, allowing his anger to work him up, to move through him and flow over the sudden distraught pain he was unwilling to acknowledge.

“I contacted you for a reason, Wolverine.”

“I can see that.”

“While, you may not have seen Rogue for well over three years I am aware of your past.”

Logan growled sharply.

“Why should I be trusting you?”

“Because I like to think of myself as a man of honour and I know that perhaps you might not think so now but that you will regret it for the rest of your very, very, very long life if you do not see her one last time.”

“See her?” Logan snapped sharply but his voice lacked any strength.

“We have her body.”

“Why?”

“Do you wish to pay your respects or not?”

Logan was quiet as he clenched his teeth. He could feel the more animalistic side of him burning in his head, howling inside of him. That’s what was making his eyes water from the burning feel. That’s what he told himself, unwilling to allow the man in him accept it. To care.

“Where?”

“We’re in town.”

“Then when?”

“We’ll come to you. Wouldn’t want you to think you have to meet us for a meeting and it’s a trap.”

“You coming to me isn’t any more comforting.”

“There’s nothing comforting about this, Wolverine. She’s dead.”

The plastic on the phone cracked under his grip.

“We’ll be there soon. So have the girls gone by then and try not to smell like a brewery.”

The phone clicked on the other end before Logan could respond.

It was a moment or two before Logan placed the phone back on the hook, his hand strangely checking twice that it was in place. Standing up slowly he moved far too calmly from the bed, his eyes forward on some unknown focus on the peeling motel wallpaper. He seemed to be in another place as he moved backwards and then forwards. The contact of something cold touching his bare foot caught his attention and he stared down at the empty beer bottle with sudden discontent. His eyes flashing up towards the bed where the two women still slept. He growled low and stalked back towards the bed, his fierce hands ripping the sheets off in an aggressive manor.

He delighted in it as the shocked women squealed. He didn’t give them a chance to speak.

“Get out!” He barked.

Both girls gaped at him.

“Now,” he spoke almost deathly quiet, a sudden stillness to his body.

“But Wolverine...” one of them purred, he couldn’t remember their names.

He waited a total of three seconds before walking towards the door, throwing it open and started to throw the women’s clothing outside, unmindful of the fact that he himself was naked. He was aware of the fact that the two women had edged off the bed but they were moving to slow for his liking.

Spinning around suddenly he snarled and felt his claws shoot out of his knuckles. The smaller of the two women squeaked in shock and no doubt fear as she ran for the door. The other followed but her eyes were still on him and he didn’t like it at all.

Picking up the lamp he threw it at the wall and screamed, “Get the fuck out!”

She followed her friend but he didn’t give her a chance to shut the door as he slammed it so hard himself that the hinges rattled and the bottom of the door split slightly.

Standing stark naked in his room, he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths as he willed his claws to slide back in. After a few minutes he was an unable to accomplish his task. Opening his eyes he marched towards the bathroom and turned the shower on. At least there he could hide the sudden wetness on his cheeks. At least there he could hide it from himself.
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