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COPYRIGHT -- All of the characters herein and the referenced
NOTICE character histories (excepting Jessie Mason) and
story location are the trademarked property of Marvel
Comics, borrowed and used without permission but with
respect and affection. The story itself is the
intellectual property (such as it is) of the author.
Distribution: ONLY non-profit distribution is permitted (if Marvel
and I don't make any $$ from this, neither should
anyone else ;-). Copies must include the entire
story, beginning with the above copyright notice,
and authorial acknowledgement.
Story note: Some fans (myself included) were dissatisfied with
the storyline changes in Wolverine #100; here's my
rectification of those events, with complete dis-
regard to what happened in the Marvel Universe after
that issue. Email to: eroth@snowhit.kc63.att.com
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MIND OVER MATTER
by Liz Roth
Prologue:
Fate, and Zoe, had brought her here today. Strange that, at this
juncture in her life, she should feel so secure. Undoubtedly, poor Zoe
would not be as comfortable with her task inside the great house. It
fell to Zoe to apprise the X-Men of her arrival. She was here to help,
but her presence was not without risk for them. Forewarned is forearmed,
as they say.
# # #
PART 1 -
Since that fateful day with Genesis, Logan spent little time inside
the mansion. So it was that he was the only witness to the arrival of
the two fair-haired women standing nearby on the lawn. They hadn't
seen him; he was well-hidden in the trees. One was Zoe Culloden, just
returned from butting into his business yet again. Damn woman was a
nuisance. The other, he guessed, was the woman Zoe had told him about.
He didn't need to move closer to hear what they were saying. His
hearing was working even better now.
"No, Zoe, I'll be fine," the other was saying. "You go inside and
tell them we're here. I want to meet Logan."
"Well, alright." Zoe acquiesed. "But if he starts to growl at you,
take it seriously. These days, the man's bite is worse than his bark."
"Don't be so melodramatic, Zoe. Save it for your meeting inside.
I'll wager you're going to have a harder time with the X-Men than I will
with Logan."
"Logan would call that a 'sucker bet'," Zoe replied, mounting the
steps of the mansion. "Remember what I told you about him? That wasn't
melodrama either." She shook her head and went in.
# # #
Inside the mansion, Zoe entered the library. She had some misgivings
about how to approach this. Her eyes slid slowly from face to face:
Ororo, Rogue, Gambit, Jean, Scott and Hank. Worry hung thick in the
room. They were his friends, frustrated by their own helplessness.
Jubilee jumped up from the windowseat.
"What took you so long?"
Professor Xavier's chair slid silently forward through an adjoining
door.
"Jubilee," he said quietly. It was all the admonishment that was
needed. Jubilee dropped back onto the windowseat, scowling.
"Where is ... what was her name ... Jessie?" he asked.
"Yes. Jessie Mason. She's outside, looking for Wolverine."
"Is that wise? In his condition he can be dangerous. He sometimes
has difficulty now telling friend from foe."
"I know, but really, there won't be any trouble, at least not
between the two of them." She paused. The time had come to tell them
the real risks. "But there is a danger all the same."
"Then you had better tell us everything." he said, offering her a
chair. Surprisingly, she felt the need to sit.
"Jessie's power comes down to her through the Indian side of her
ancestry. She is 'kichnii', a spirit healer. There have been only
three in the last two centuries. The gene is often passed from parent
to child but only rarely is it dominant. Jessie is the first for more
than 85 years."
"Go on." encouraged Xavier.
Taking a deep breath, Zoe continued, "Kichnii children are born
normal. They change at puberty, in preparation for the role they will
one day play. They are said to be born for a specific purpose, and
their power can be used only the one time." She stopped there, with-
holding the one piece of information that would cause them to send
Jessie away.
"What power?" was all they wanted to know.
"She can heal Wolverine; take him back to the man he was before
Genesis got him."
"Is that possible? How?" asked Xavier incredulously.
"I don't know exactly how. She'll use her own mind as a bridge
between his disparate parts and help him to journey back. I know it
sounds impossible, but I believe she can."
"I see." Xavier murmured. But of course, he didn't. How could
anyone understand this. Remembering the other part, he asked "and the
danger?"
"Jessie's father was killed, the summer she turned 13, by the man
who has held her captive for nearly 20 years. He hoped to analyze and
clone her power, but he failed. Five years ago, he decided to gain his
ends by more conventional means: offspring ... his. He is the danger;
he will want her back, by any means and at any cost."
Zoe watched the pity spread across each face. She knew the horror
that would soon replace it, when they learned who they could be facing.
The question remained on their lips, unspoken. Then she revealed the
name that they had hoped never to hear again, "Mr. Sinister."
# # #
The sun was shining outside the mansion. The day was warm and calm.
Whatever was happening inside, out here was the man she had come to
help. She was near the end of her long, lonely vigil.
Her mind was already fixed on his. He was in a small grove of trees
to her left, so she dropped gracefully to the ground, cross-legged, and
sent him a message.
"Logan? I'm Jessie, the one Zoe told you about. I'm here to help
you. Please come out." No words were uttered, just a thought, sent
straight as an arrow to its target.
He was more animal now than man. Her words, slipping into his head,
startled him, made him suspicious. But his heightened senses told him
there was nothing to fear, so he came out into the sun, leaning against
a nearby tree. He studied her closely for a few moments before moving
to crouch before her. A noise, almost a growl, not quite a word, was
all the sound that he made.
Hesitantly, she touched two fingers to his lips. "No words," her
mind said to his as she tapped his temple with the index finger of her
other hand. "Think."
He was amazed by the strength of her mind. As the days had passed
since his battle with Genesis, his verbal abilities had vanished. Jean
and Xavier, both psi-talents of extreme power, had been unable to reach
him, leaving him trapped, isolated and dejected. So he sent her the
only words that mattered, a simple request, "Help me."
# # #
The horror in the room was almost palpable. Jean slid weakly into a
wing chair with a barely audible gasp. "Sinister?!" exclaimed Scott,
"My god, Sinister?!"
"You bring us a death sentence from Sinister, chere? I tink we
could do witout dat." spat Gambit.
"Aw, Remy, shhhhsh now. They came to help." Rogue rebuked him.
"An iffin it's a trap? Sinister ain't in the habit o' lettin his
_captives_ jes walk out."
Hank stirred from his spot in the corner. "Gambit has a valid
point, Zoe. How were you able to get Jessie away from Sinister?"
"Pretty much as Gambit suggested, she walked out and I brought her
here."
"Don't sound much like capitivity t' me, chere."
Zoe was beginning to get exasperated. "Look, where do you think she
could have gone before now? Alone? With Sinister on her trail, killing
anyone who helped her? Think for god's sake. Will you distrust her
simply because she found a way to survive?"
"Stop it! All of you!" Jubilee exploded from the windowseat,
screaming. "I don't care if we have to face Sinister, or Apocalypse,
or the fires of hell! We're NOT gonna let Wolvie down! We're NOT
sending away his only chance!"
She looked wildly from face to face around the room, the tears
streaming down her cheeks. Ororo moved, finally, from her stance by
the desk to where Jubilee stood in the center of the room. "Of course
not, Jubilee. We'll do whatever is necessary to help Logan." She
comforted, wrapping her arms around the girl's sobbing shoulders.
"Yes, we WILL do ANYTHING necessary to help Logan, Jubilee. He has
risked his own life over and over again for everyone here. We can do
no less." Xavier spoke up at last.
"Jubilee, why don't you and I go down to the kitchen and get
something to eat? You haven't had anything all day," asked Ororo.
"Not hungry," answered Jubilee stubbornly.
"Well, then, we could fix something for Logan. I know he must be
hungry by now."
Jubilee wasn't fooled by Ororo's attempt to remove her from the
turmoil, but she allowed herself to be drawn from the room. The others
watched silently as the door closed behind the pair.
Then Jean sat up suddenly in her chair. "Zoe, were there any
children?"
Zoe had hoped to retain for Jessie a modicum of privacy, but there
was no point in lying now that it had been asked. "Yes and no. There
were two pregnancies, but neither went full term." She hesitated and
then decided to finish it. "Sinister doesn't know, but in both cases,
Jessie self-induced a mis-carriage."
# # #
With those simple words, 'Help me', he had opened the door for her.
Two things he had never done before: asked for help or willingly invited
a stranger inside his mind. Nothing could have prepared her for what
she would find there.
Zoe had briefed her with what was known of his history: the physical
and mental torture inflicted on him during the Weapon X project; the
false memories implanted to override his real ones; the three 15-inch
retractable claws housed in the back of each hand, superior for killing.
She was also aware of the personal losses he had endured in more recent
years, and about the constant battle being waged, and currently lost,
between his human and animal natures. His friends understood some of
the suffering that had shaped his life, but no one knew the depth of
the darkness and terror he lived with daily ... until now.
The pain was excruciating, the visions, horrendous. She recognized
the strength of character required to survive such events. It gave her
the courage to continue. In order to help him regain himself, she
needed to know the man he had been and the man he wanted to be. More,
he needed to rediscover these things as well. After all, the journey
she was preparing them for would require two minds set on one goal, and
the final destination would be of his own choosing.
When, at last, she came back to herself, he was already watching
her, looking into her dark, open pupils. "Blind?" he sent to her.
"Yes, but not always," she returned.
"Since the power came over ya?" He was sharp. Had he been reading
her while she was searching him?
"Yes. Sight limits the other senses and can be a distraction to
the mind. The power is useless without a strong mind to focus it."
"Then ya don't mind the loss?" His thoughts were coming quicker,
more easily now.
"No. And sometimes, I do still see, through other people's eyes."
She smiled at him.
"Then darlin', I hope you're seeing yourself through my eyes right
now, 'cause I figure you're heaven sent and beautiful to boot."
# # #
They were a strange pair, coming in across the lawn: the short,
dark-haired beastman moving smoothly along, and the taller, fair-haired
woman, her steps slightly hesitant.
Jubilee greeted them from the top of the drive. "Hiya Wolvie.
Storm and me have been looking for you. We made you some dinner."
Ororo stepped forward, offering her hand. "I'm Ororo, Jessie, and
this is Jubilee. We're so glad that you're here."
Ororo waited awkwardly for the handshake that never came.
"Geezas," croaked Jubilee, "Zoe didn't tell us you were blind."
"I'm sorry. It didn't even occur to me," said Zoe from the open
doorway. "I don't think of her as 'handicapped'. You won't either if
you're wise." Her smile swung from Jessie to Logan, who acknowledged
her not at all.
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PART 2 -
Dinner had been set out buffet style on the game table in the
media room. It was highly unusual for everyone to be at dinner at
once, but that was almost the case. Only Hank was working in his
lab.
Jubilee had run ahead, leaving Ororo to guide Zoe and Jessie,
with Logan reluctantly in tow. Professor Xavier joined them in the
hallway just as they arrived. He introduced himself to Jessie and
drew her aside. As they began to converse, Logan and the others
went in.
"I've been looking forward to meeting you, Professor. Logan
is a great admirer of yours."
"And I of him, Miss Mason."
"Please, call me Jessie."
"If you will call me Charles. You've spent the afternoon with
Logan?" he inquired.
"Yes. He's a complex man, difficult to read."
"Ah, yes, my experience as well. If I may be of any assistance ..."
"Actually, you can. I think that it might be helpful if I could
observe him with his teammates. But, since I am blind I need a
volunteer to allow me ..."
"I understand. If you are wondering if it is permissable to watch
through my eyes, the answer is yes, by all means."
She smiled warmly at him and they went in.
Most of the room's occupants were seated, plates precariously
balanced on knees and laps. Logan had taken a chair in a dim corner
far from the buffet. He was not eating and his eyes were closed,
although she was certain he was listening.
Not surprisingly, she had given no thought to the physical course
his mutation had taken. The trunk of his body and his legs appeared
normal. His arms, heavily muscled, were overly long with furlike
hair growing in a line from the outside wristbone to elbow. Both his
feet and his hands had nails more like claws. But it was his face that
made her heart ache.
His natural expression was shaped in a permanent snarl, with a huge
lower fang tooth protruding on either side. His nose was flat, like an
ape's, and his eyes were squinty and red.
She noted the occasional furtive look aimed in his direction and was
sorry to see that he was aware of them as well. However, no one but
Jubilee ventured his way. He shifted restlessly in his chair.
Jessie knew, from the turmoil in his mind, that disaster was
imminent. It was Jubilee who accidentally triggered the crisis.
Bringing Logan a heaping plate of food, he took it in exaspiration.
Then the girl tried to shove silverware into clawed hands unable to
use them.
The utensils clattered to the floor, followed with speed by the
food plate, as Logan launched himself out of the chair and fled.
# # #
From Jubilee's eyes, Jessie could see that Logan's room was dark and
sparsely furnished. He was standing by the bed, eyes closed, his back
to them. She knew he had heard them come in. The next sound was the
click of the doorlatch as Jubilee left. He swung slowly around to face
her.
"Already had enough pity for one night, frail," his mind sent to
her. "Get out."
"Is that what you think they feel?" she returned.
"I've looked in the mirror - it ain't a pretty sight. But you
don't know that." He stared at her suspiciously. "Or do you?"
She had moved the short distance across the room and now faced him
where he stood by the bed.
"People's faces can be very informative." She decided that truth
was best. "The Professor allowed me the use of his sight."
He closed his eyes as if in pain. Then, looking up at her again,
"And you weren't repulsed?" He lifted his clawed hand to her cheek.
"So, if I touch you, like this ..."
His hand trailed down her neck, pausing at her shoulder, and then
slipping slowly down across her breast to rest at her waist. It brought
her a flash of memory, of another caress by a man much less worthy than
this one. She forced the thought aside.
"You wouldn't object? To an animal?" Ugly thoughts, designed to
frighten her, in a desperate attempt to drive her from the room.
But she already knew him too well. There would be no rape, no
seduction here tonight. "This isn't about sex. It isn't even about
pity. This is about loss, Logan, _your_ loss."
His hand dropped and he sank down onto the bed. "What do you
want from me Jessie? What?"
She could feel his exhaustion and knew that he was almost defense-
less now. "Just this once, allow yourself a little weakness. Let
someone else ... let _me_ be strong for you."
He was sitting now, legs drawn up before him, arms locked around
his knees. She heard his sharp intake of breath, followed by a sort
of dry sob. Slipping onto the bed beside him, she wrapped her arms
around his trembling frame and joined her mind with his.
Much later, his body quiet, his emotions spent, she stretched
out on the bed, pulling him down beside her so that his back was to
her and her arms still enveloped him. Later still, his breathing
became deep and slow and she knew that he slept.
She lay there for awhile, wondering how, in such a short time,
he could have touched her heart in this way. A sense of duty and
destiny had brought her here. She hadn't expected to care so much
about the man himself. The wonder of it followed her into her sleep.
He awoke just before dawn. Carefully, without disturbing her, he
turned so that he could see her. Her face, lit by the waning moonlight,
was almost smiling, the golden hair cascading down across the pillow
toward him. No pity from you, darlin', he thought, just kindness an'
courage. Something deep inside him clicked and he smiled to himself.
Damn.
He woke her then and led her silently to her own room. They stood
in the doorway for a moment, both reluctant to part. Then he reached
out, tentatively, and touched her cheek again, before moving away down
the hall.
# # #
By the time Zoe came for her, she had found her way around the room,
showered and dressed. Zoe led her to the Danger room where Rogue and
Gambit were working out. When they saw her in the control room, Rogue
called a halt to the attack simulation and joined her there.
"Jessie, is evrythin okay?" asked Rogue, watching Zoe leave.
"Yes, but I do need your help. In the past 24 hours, I've seen
Logan through his own eyes. As you might expect, he's rather hard on
himself. I need some other points of view."
"You want to take a trip inside'a Gambit's brain, chere? No,
don't nobody need ta be doin' that."
She wondered, briefly, what it was this man was so afraid of. "No,
to be honest, I don't have the energy to sift through everyone's
thoughts. Logan's mind alone is quite forceful enough." She smiled.
"Just tell me about him, who he is to you."
"Well then, Sugah, that's simple. He's the best, " volunteered
Rogue. "The kinda man ya can trust with your life; won't never let ya
down. Tough as nails on the outside, but a heart o' gold inside.
Right, Remy?"
"Oui, and fearless inna fight." Remy smiled grudgingly. Then he
chuckled. "Messy too," and broke out his infectious Cajin grin.
Too bad she couldn't see it.
# # #
The rest of her interviews went rather along the same lines. Ororo,
when found in the gym with Jubilee, described the warm friendship they
had achieved over the years. Jubilee echoed Rogue's words of how Logan
"was the best", and recounted some rather alarming stories of their
escapades together in Madripoor.
Jubilee guided her next to Scott and Jean and Hank in the security
center and then went along to find "Wolvie". They told her about his
first years with the X-Men, his problem accepting Scott as team leader,
ascerbated by his early attraction to Jean. These difficulties had been
mostly resolved, and here, again, he was regarded with warmth and
affection and respect.
Xavier was in his office. Hank, excusing himself, left them alone.
Since Jean and Xavier were often in mental contact, he already knew why
she had come.
"What do I think about Logan? I think he is one of the most
honorable men I know. I would go to any length to help him," said
Xavier emphatically. "What I want to know is whether or not I have
done the right thing by allowing Zoe to bring you here."
"I wish I could give you a guarantee of success, Charles, but I
can't. I've had no one to train me. What I can promise you is that,
like you, there isn't anything I wouldn't do for him. Life is a risk;
Logan knows that better than anyone. This time, he is not going to
face the trial alone."
She appeared to take breath to say something else, then, smiling,
laughed aloud.
"You're in contact with Logan?" Xavier asked.
He was the only one all morning to notice. "Yes. I've been keeping
tabs on him. And, it appears, he's been doing the same with me. Right
now it seems that Jubilee is getting on his nerves."
Xavier smiled, then asked seriously "When will you start the
process?"
She was silent for a moment, reluctance plain in her face. She
would have liked more time with Logan, but delaying could also be risky.
It seemed probable that Sinister would be looking for her by now.
"Well, I suppose that NOW is as good a time as any."
# # #
They sat cross-legged, knees almost touching, on the library
floor. Jessie repeated herself. "I'm sorry. We can't afford any
distractions. Zoe, I'm counting on you. You must all wait elsewhere
and NO INTERFERENCE! No matter what. An interruption could spell
disaster."
Jubilee was pushed, protesting from the room, the others following
reluctantly. Charles paused on the threshold, then closed the door
behind him.
When she could no longer hear their footsteps, she took his hands
lightly in her own, turning them palm up, and began. He closed his
eyes and waited. A hum began in his ears, like a chant without words,
melodic and serene. All of his senses were locked onto it, his mind
focused and clear. He felt her presence then, light and warm. And
the light and the sound grew until all else was blocked out.
They didn't hear the door open and close. Neither did they hear
the screams.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
PART 3 -
The first scream froze his teammates where they stood. It was
Logan's voice; not a howl or a growl, but a man's voice in agony. The
second scream sent them hurtling down the hall. It was a scream of
horror, from Jubilee.
# # #
Zoe got there first. Seconds later, when the rest burst in through
the door, Zoe was pulling Jubilee back away from Logan. The sight of
him stunned them into silence. For two or three seconds, his body
continued to morph, writhing and reshaping, until what remained was
the form of their friend, restored to his human self.
Then Jubilee began to cry. "It wasn't his fault; he didn't mean
to do it. When he started to change. The pain in his face. He popped
his claws. It wasn't his fault, wasn't his fault. Oh, please, please,
somebody help her!"
No one but Zoe had looked at Jessie until that moment. Now, when
they did, they saw the blood on her clothes and on the floor around
her, and the three deep gashes across her left wrist. Jean and Ororo
were the first to move, but Zoe blocked their path.
"Remember what she said? We CANNOT interfere. We MUST NOT
interfere!"
Ororo looked at Zoe as if she were mad. "She may die if we
don't help her!"
"Logan may die if we do."
# # #
Logan's sense of smell had always been keen. And the smell of blood
was an enemy he recognized. But this was different. It wasn't his own
blood. Whose? Someone he cared about, he was sure. Why couldn't he
think? Focus, concentrate. Where was he? What was happening? Focus.
Why was he alone in this dark place? Why wasn't she here? Who? JESS!
His eyes sprang open. Her face was so pale against the red of her
sweater, that deep, dark red - deep, dark, blood red. Instinct and
training served him then, before his mind cleared. He grabbed her arm
above the slashes, the strength of his hand stopping the flow like a
tourniquet. In one motion, he lept to his feet, scooping her up in
his arms. It was then that he realized that he was not alone and other
hands began to help.
# # #
They worked feverishly to stop the blood flow, Hank stitching
with Jean assisting. Storm and Xavier had the right bloodtype.
Jubilee was assigned to keep Logan out of the way, dazed as he
still was. It was a long time before anyone noticed that Zoe had
disappeared.
By dark, they had done all that was possible. While the others
filed quietly in and out, checking her condition during the long
nightwatch, Logan remained stedfastly at her bedside. They tried,
once, to convince him to get some sleep. His face, when he looked at
them, was weary with shock, but nothing would dissuade him from his
vigil, so they left him alone. None of them would have suspected that
he spent the night seeking her mind with his, trying to tell her that
her work wasn't finished; that he still needed her; that he loved her.
# # #
The sun had risen and someone was whispering. He opened his eyes
to see Hank and Jean and Xavier. Logan roused himself slowly from the
chair and joined them at her bedside.
"How is she?" after the weeks of silence, his voice sounded
odd, even to himself.
Jean blinked back a tear and willed herself not to smile. This
was no time to smile.
"I'm afraid she's worse. She's very weak. I thought we were in
time. I don't know why ..." Hank's voice trailed off as Zoe came into
the room.
"You would have been in time for anyone else." Zoe said quietly.
Confusion filled their faces. "She won't want you blaming
yourself for her death, Logan. She's not dying from what you did;
she's dying from what she did. No kichnii has ever survived the use of
their power."
In another hour, Logan would have been fast enough, strong enough to
to have killed Zoe. As it was, Hank barely managed to intervene.
Zoe leaned back against the door for support. "I'm sorry, Logan,
I'm so very sorry. I knew she was your only chance. What I didn't
know, until yesterday, was how very special she is, how brave and
selfless."
"What are you trying to tell us?" asked Jean.
Xavier answered, "That Jessie knew her fate. That's what she meant
yesterday when she told me that there wasn't anything she wouldn't do
for Logan. That's it, isn't it Zoe? Jessie knew the price and was
willing to pay it."
# # #
"Logan?" It was the voice that had changed his life. He was at
her side in a heartbeat, taking her fragile hand in his own. Stroking
her golden hair, he saw, for the first time, the aquamarine pools of
her eyes.
"Oh," a little cry escaped her lips, "Oh, Logan."
He was nearly speechless with surprise. "You can see me, darlin?
Yourself?"
"I hoped it would happen, with the power gone. I wanted to see you,
just once, with my own eyes. I'm so happy it worked, that you're whole
again. I wanted so much to give you that."
"You gave me more 'n that, darlin', more 'n I hoped for."
"But you gave me something too, yourself. I heard you before; I
knew you were with me in the dark; I heard you ... Logan, I love you
too."
Her words nearly broke his heart.
# # #
It was just after dawn of the second day. Unable to sleep, Logan
was on the midnight watch in the security center. He had left Jessie
under Hank's watchful care, her condition unchanged.
A movement on the front gate monitor caught his eye. Quickly, he
disabled the alarm system and initiated the sequence that would unlock
and open the gate. As he charged from the room, he collided with Gambit
in the hall.
"Where's de fire, mon ami?" Gambit shouted at Logan's receeding
back. "I've seen dat look before." he mumbled to himself. "Whoever
he's after is gonna need major medical."
# # #
In the med-lab, Jessie sat up, struggling to get out of bed.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Hank.
"It's Logan. I have to get to him, stop him." she said, pushing
Hank's restraining hands away.
"Logan's fine, Jessie. You must have been having a dream."
Hank argued.
"No! I'm not dreaming. We're mind-linked, all the time now." she
protested. "He's gone outside to fight. They'll kill each other. I
have to stop them. Please."
The urgency in her voice convinced him. "Who's he fighting?" Hank
asked as he wrapped her in a blanket and settled her into his arms.
"Sinister!"
# # #
Logan knew that he had only a short head-start. Jessie was bound
to send someone to stop him. He would have liked to take his time, to
administer as much punishment as possible. Instead, he would have to
kill Sinister quickly.
They stood, face to face, in the middle of the drive.
"You're too late. Her power's gone; she's dyin'." said Logan grimly.
Sinister's step faltered and he stopped. "I will see for myself."
"After what you already did to her? Not a chance."
"Get out of my way Wolverine, or I'll tear you apart."
"Then come ahead, bub." _SNIKT_ came the sound of his claws being
unsheathed. "Let's dance."
# # #
They had fought before, but then he had been restrained, by the
X-Men's code, not to kill. This time was different. This time he
would use all of his extensive training and experience to make the kill.
He was, after all, the best at what he did.
The first of Sinister's power bolts sailed over his shoulder as he
ducked and rolled to almost within clawing distance. Sinister spun
quickly out of reach, firing again. But Logan had anticipated the move
and, leaping sideways, came up at Sinister's elbow. He grabbed his
enemy's arm and, with a wrenching twist, dislocated it at the shoulder.
Sinister, in silent agony, brought his other hand up and fired again,
point blank.
Point blank at thin air, for Logan, dropping to the grass, swept
Sinister's feet out from under him, toppling him to the ground. As the
dark lord lay dazed, Logan knelt over him, one foot pinning Sinister's
healthy hand, the other knee pressing hard on his chest.
Then, the blood rage rising within him, Logan raised his clawed
hand high over Sinister's head, preparing to strike the fatal blow.
"No!" he heard her cry.
# # #
She had been calling to him all along. It had pained him to shut
her out of his mind, but it was the only way to prevent her from
watching him kill. He cursed Hank for bringing her out here.
"Logan, don't! Please, don't," she whispered. She was very near.
Gambit was running down the drive toward him. The others would not
be far behind. He had to act now before anyone was near enough to stop
him. One deadly thrust and it would be finished; one dark moment to
betray what she had given him. He stood up, retracting his claws.
Hank set her gently down on a garden bench at the edge of the drive.
Logan sank on one knee before her, lifting his eyes to her and reopening
the channel between them. The tears on her cheeks were replaced by a
small smile, and, after a short time, he rose and stood behind her.
She turned her head, locking Sinister in her calm gaze. "You are
too late. The power that you covet is gone."
"Your power was not all that I wanted." His eyes were unyielding.
"Then you still seek the impossible." She touched Logan's hand on
her shoulder. "I have already given all that I have."
She saw the slight catch in Sinister's breathing. Then he turned,
wordlessly, and left.
# # #
It was plain now, that there was not much time left. They said
their goodbyes to her as best they could and left Logan, alone, seated
at her side.
"You shouldn't a done it, darlin'," he said, wrapping one arm
around her and looking once again into the sea of her eyes. "Better
for you to have lived."
"No, my love. This was my destiny. Yours is still ahead." She
paused, gathering her strength to continue. "The universe has many
mysteries. With my power, we touched just the edge of what is possible.
Somewhere, somehow, we will find each other again. And I will love you
then, as I do now, with all my heart."
He leaned over then, giving her the tenderest of kisses, so that
it was warm on her lips when she closed her eyes for the last time.
# # #
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