Slash and Burn
Summary: Natalie Tennyson is viciously attacked in her house. Gwen arrives and takes her to the hospital. She asks her husband to call a number, bringing back one of her mother's old flames, a man named James Logan.
Happy Birthday
Natalie Tennyson was home, preparing dinner, her husband was at work and Gwen was out with Ben and her boyfriend Kevin Levin. She set the utensils on the table; family was coming over so she had to get ready.
Natalie heard the door open, she called out, "Frank, Gwen, is that you?"
"No, not quite," a voice growled at her.
Natalie looked up, sheer terror swept over her. "Victor, what are you doing here?"
"You owe me a scream, besides, it's time you had a visit with an old friend of yours. So run, little Tennyson. Run, run, run!"
Natalie was utterly terrified, she'd seen him once before, and had been told to run away, this time, her protector wasn't there to save her, she turned and ran. She had to get out of the house.
Later…
Gwen Tennyson arrived home; she had stopped at the store, getting some groceries for her mother.
Blood, the house was covered in blood. Furniture was scattered and shredded all over the place. Mirrors broken, pictures smashed to pieces. She ran through the house. She went into her parents master bedroom.
Gwen saw a message slashed into the wall "Happy Birthday Logan."
She dropped the bags and screamed, "MOM!" as she saw her mother's crumpled body, she teleported her mother to the Bellwood Regional Hospital and was able to get her to the emergency surgery because of who she was. Gwen called her father and the rest of the family rushed over.
"Gwenny, what happened?!" Frank demanded.
A doctor approached him.
"Mr. Tennyson, your wife was attacked in your house. She sustained severe injuries from the assault and there are also signs of a sexual assault as well, she's in stable condition and we have notified the police."
"Honestly, I've never seen injuries this bad before, it's like an animal tried to maul her to death."
Gwen buried her face in her hands. She should have been there, she could have stopped this from happening.
Ben and Kevin has arrived as soon as possible.
"Who would do this to her? One of our villains crossing the line? No, they'd never go this far. They know family is off limits."
"We're gonna find this guy and make him pay!" Ben snarled. Stuff like this didn't happen, not to them. The guy who did this was definitely gonna die.
"It may be wrong but I understand," Gwen tried to reason with her cousin, this wasn't the first time Ben had considered crossing the line, but she never wanted to see him be a person who would willingly murder someone else.
"Gwen, this guy's sick, we gotta put him down!" Kevin added.
"It's still not right!" she shouted at both of them.
"Logan…" a voice whispered, Gwen looked up. It was her mother.
"Dad, Mom is saying something," Gwen looked over at Natalie as she struggled to speak.
"Logan…Logan…Logan…" Natalie's voice was barely a whisper.
"Dad, who's Logan?"
"It's the name of someone I haven't seen since before you were born," Frank replied. He seemed surprised and disturbed by something. He ran his fingers through his hair.
"All right Natalie, I understand…I'll call him. This isn't going to be good," Frank muttered.
"Natalie...you're going to be okay," he whispered, kissing her forehead.
"I can't sleep, too many nightmares, I can still see him and feel him…I can't…I can't…"
"I'm not going anywhere," Frank was distraught, he didn't know what he was supposed to do, or the right thing to say, but he would try his best.
Ben saw his uncle dial a number on his cell phone.
"Hello James, it's me," he said. "What do you mean you don't remember me, I'm Frank Tennyson from Bellwood, you remember my wife Lilli don't you?"
Frank let out a deep sigh, "She was attacked in my house today, my daughter found her, and a strange message saying "Happy Birthday" does that mean anything to you?"
Ben saw a surprised look on his uncle's face. "You're coming down here? You're actually the next town over? Thank you."
A few hours later, Ben saw a man walk into the room. He was short, muscular and had wild black hair. He also had stubble for facial hair. He looked like a guy who could be handsome if he cleaned up a little.
He was wearing a black leather jacket, a white t-shirt and blue jeans.
Kevin picked up that this guy was scary. He was also definitely not a nice guy at all. Unlike Frank who was a nice guy. He wondered how they both knew each other, Frank was a lawyer, this guy…was something else entirely.
"Logan, it's nice to see you again," Frank greeted him with a smile.
"Wish I could say the same thing too, Frank. What'd the doctor say?"
Frank repeated what the doctor had told him. He clenched his fist.
"Sabortooth," he snarled.
Ben's ears perked, he'd remember that name. None of his enemies were known by that name. This was someone new.
Frank grabbed the stranger by his shoulders. Gripping him tightly.
"Logan, I've never asked you to do anything for me at all, but please, find the monster that did this to my wife…and kill him. I know that you and I don't have the best relationship, but we both love her. Will you do at least that much."
"You're distraught and angry Frank, you need to calm down and be with your kids." Ken had arrived and was sitting with Gwen beside the hospital bed. They weren't listening to them talk.
"Listen bub, it's my fault this happened, I've got some people who owe me favors, I'll pay for the hospital stay, anything you guys need to get through this."
Frank was touched. "Thank you."
"I'm having a friend of mine, a doctor Donald Blake, come down here, he'll take good care of your wife. I also have friend in the hero business that will take care of the hospital bills."
"You can do that?" Frank asked, amazed.
"Yeah, just lemme make a phone call.
Logan dialed a phone number. "Hey, Stark, y'know that blank check you owed me for that thing I did for you…c'mon, you remember which one. It involved me savin' your ass! Yeah, yeah, make it out to Frank Tennyson…he's Ben 10's uncle you dumbass, don't you watch TV? Yeah, leave it blank, I'll write out the actual amount…it's for a hospital for his wife…she got hurt real bad…It was Creed. No, bub, don't' feel you need to drop everything and come down. Stevie's on his way? Great, he'll get in my way. Thanks bub, yeah, I'll owe you big time. I'm sure. Bye."
"Those two over there your kids?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, Ken and Gwen."
"She looks like her mother, you have a good family. I'm jealous." Logan admitted.
The two men were silent. Ben decided to interrupt their conversation. He had questions and this guy was gonna give him answers.
"You called this guy Sabortooth, care to fill me in?" Ben demanded.
"You don't need to get involved kid. This involves killin' and a nice guy like you doesn't do stuff like killin'."
"I'm willing to cross that line; bad guys don't come after family!" Ben snapped.
"Not your bad guys kid, my bad guys do, they've been doin' that to me all my life."
Logan turned to Frank, he handed him a six pack of beer. "Drink up, bub, it'll help you relax."
Frank began drinking some of the beer. It wasn't allowed in hospitals, but Logan didn't really follow a lot of rules, in a way, he was a lot like Kevin Levin. Maybe that was why his wife disapproved of Gwen dating him, she could see her own past in her daughter's dating life.
"She said your name when she woke up, it's like she forgot about me," Frank told him.
"Stop mopin' Frank, she's scared of him, and she remembers both of us, but unlike last time, I wasn't there to protect her so she could get away. This whole thing is makin' you go emo, don't like you when you're emo, reminds me of Banner, except his emo is scarier."
"But how could he remember that you two were even in a relationship—"
"We were only friends, Frank, nothin' more than that."
"She had a one night stand with you!"
"Lilli was emotional after she got in a verbal fight with you, that's all."
Frank cut him off, "Cut the crap Logan, I know you still have feelings for her."
Logan took another swig of beer.
"And here you tried to use my feelings to get me to go kill him for you; You're a damn good lawyer, congratulations."
"You're blowing me off, just like old times."
"I didn't say I wasn't gonna kill him, Frank, I'd do it even if you didn't want me to!"
Logan appeared thoughtful.
"Sometimes I remember liking it. That killing. Enjoying it, that's the scary part. You kids couldn't stomach killing, as much as you say you could. Leave this to me."
"She's my aunt, this is personal!" Ben snapped.
"You're the hero Ben 10, wielder of the Omnitrix, the whole world watches you people and cheers. I'm the type of guy who can do what you can't, and your aunt is my friend, and this happened to her 'cause of me, so I'll be the one to deal with Victor Creed."
"You have no idea what I can handle!" Ben glared at Logan.
"You're dealing with the guy who raped and attacked your aunt; he also likes to snack on live babies when he's in the mood for it!"
Kevin heard that and ran to the bathroom to vomit.
Ben turned ashen. "What?"
"He's a sick freak Ben, an animal; you don't have the balls to kill someone like that. He's not like your ex-psycho friend over there. He can't be reasoned with."
"Just who are you anyway?" Ben asked.
"My name is Logan—but most people know me as Wolverine. I'm the best there is at what I do. But what I do best... Isn't very nice."