Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men and am not making any profit out of them.

In hells kitchen anything goes, if you can pay the price. Any kind of drug on the planet can be easily brought. Organised fights are commonplace and prostitution was an easy way to kill the time and waste (or earn) a few bucks. Murders took place so often the police had given up on the place. Its only protector was a red devil going by the name of Dare.

Logan walked along the dark dank streets, the filth filling his nose. If he wasn't use to the stench of rotting garbage, acidic vomit and unwashed bodies held together with the copper of blood, he would have retched.

From behind him came a soft rustle, unhearable to human ears. Logan grinned.

'Long time no see, on my part at least.' He snarled sarcastically turning to face Daredevil.

In daylight the devil was a catholic lawyer going by the name of Matt Murdock. Fighting the good fight for the little people. By night he was the daring avenger Daredevil. Serving justice day and night, just in very different ways. The most amazing thing was that he was totally blind.

'I don't want any trouble Logan.'

' I'm on a sign up mission Dare. Our mutant finding machines have picked up the signal of young girl in this area.'

'No violence.'

'Sadly no.'

In a blink of an eye the Devil disappeared into the black sea of night. Logan stared up with a smile. 'Real big talker.'

He pressed the little intercom button hidden in his 'everyday' cloths. Which consisted of a flannel shirt, jeans and boots, he wore cowboy hat even though it was the dead of night 'Hey Cyke guess who I just bumped into.'

'It's to be expected; we're in his area. Concentrate on finding the girl.' The stern order came back.

'Yeah and you concentrate on finding and removing that giant pole ya got stuck up your arse, prick.' He muttered to himself.

The house three doors down on the left.

Thanks Charlie.

Although cerebro didn't pick up the exact location of mutant's Charles Xavier's extraordinary power of telepathy could pick up the girls mutant signature when at a close enough distance to her.

Logan continued walking, dead leaves crunching underfoot. There was a sinister air to the house with a red door, which was three doors down on the left. It looked abandoned with all the windows boarded up. The air around it tasted rank and had the smell of bodily fluids of every sort. The door had a small sliding window, which would be at eye level for somebody of average height, but was too high for Logan.

'Dammit girl, what you doing here.'

He refrained himself from popping his claws and tearing the place down. Instead doing things the 'usual way' and knocking on the door.

'Who's there' a gruff male voice asked as the cover to the small window slid open.

'A paying customer, buddy, so let me in.'

Wolverine was surveyed for a few moments, distracted by Xavier's voice once more appearing in his mind.

A paying customer?

Wolverine ignored him. The door was opened slowly with suspicion. It revealed a tall and lanky man on the other side. He had the look of somebody who disliked taking baths often. He stunk of the same brand of cheap cigars Logan liked, but unlike Logan he didn't have a healing factor to stop the yellowing teeth and grey skin that came with them. His long black hair looked greasy and unwashed. Personal hygiene was obviously an unknown concept to this guy.

Logan barged past him into what looked familiarly like a dentist's waiting room. Except the magazines on the table in the corner were playboy and not rural weekly.

Read the girls thoughts and get some info Charles.

'Your new.' The greasy man stated.

'Out of Towner, an… associate told me about his place.'

'Ahh yes, what's this Associates name?'

'Mr anomalous, to you.' Logan barked back.

Logan I'm not picking up any clear thoughts, the girls terrified of something.'

'Mr anomalous hey, so what you looking for?'

'A girl.'

'Yeah well this is the place for that, wanta be a bit more persific.'

'Young'

'How young?'

'Fifteen.'

He looked him up and down. 'Oh yeah you look that type.'

Logan suppressed a growl. The man looked at him carefully before replying.

'Sorry mate all our girls are legal.' He walked to the door and held it open expecting Logan to leave. Logan however just sat there staring at him before reaching his hand into his pocket and bringing out a wad of cash, he held it up for the man to see it clearly then threw it on to the small side table. The man looked from the money to Logan to the money again before closing the door, separating them and the outside world.

'Maybe I can help you.'

'Thought you'd change your mind. I want young and I want scared. You got any?'

'Come with me.' The man lead him to an adjoining hallway and up some stairs to a badly painted corridor with doors spaced evenly on each side, talking all the while.

'This girl I got there's a problem with her.'

'A problem.'

'She's a mutant, no death ray eyes or anything like that, just her skin's like a pale blue colour.'

' You trying to pawn a mutant off on me, if I touch her I'll get fried.'

'Nah, Nah nothing like that.'

'She's harmless.'

'Totally.'

Logan smiled. 'That's fine with me then, bub.'

'You pay triple if you kill her.'

Wolverine smiled. Sick to his stomach with this farce. They reached the door, so normal and plain, it didn't show any signs of what it contained. The owner put his hands I his pockets and fished out a old-fashioned key, sliding it into the lock with and turning it until there was a slight click. The door swung open revealing a filthy room, wallpaper hanging of the walls and stains on the carpets that Logan didn't even want to think about. The only furnisher was a double bed and even that didn't look as if the sheets had been changed in months.

Cowering in the corner, in unwashed cloths that swamped her was a tiny teenage girl. She had her face to the wall so Logan could only make out her long raven black hair, that when washed would be quite spectacular and her pale blue hands which seemed to shimmer translucently.

Logan stared at her, this small fragile thing, that even though he could only see a little of her seemed so beautiful.

'Where did she come from?'

'One of my girls picked her up on the street a few days ago.'

'Homeless?'

'By the look of her.'

'I'll take her.'

'Okay, you pay now' he didn't get to finish his sentence.

'No! I'll take her with me.'

The man started to eye him suspiciously again; Logan took another two wads of cash from his pockets, just simply throwing them on the floor as if they were worthless paper. The mans eyes widened.

'Do we have a deal?' Logan stared at the man, he was suspicious but he wasn't going to turn down that kind of money.

'We have a deal.'

Logan walked into the room and crouched by the unmoving form in the corner, her breaths were barely audible as if she was afraid to even breath.

'Your coming with me.' He said to her roughly, having to keep up his act. She didn't make a sound or move, he was unsure she'd even heard him. He put a hand on her shoulder trying to find a way to pick her up, he carefully hooked his hand under one arm and hoisted her up afraid all the time of hurting her.

She stood up weakly shaking a little. He could see her face now, she was pretty, she had delicate features, cupid bow lips, a button nose, and black, literally black eyes they seemed so lost and big. Logan immediately felt connected to this girl, like he was meant to protect her, he owed it to her for some reason. He picked her up in a fireman's lift, she just let him, lying limply in his arms not moving or struggling like she had no hope or energy left. Logan didn't even want to know what kind of troubles could do that to somebody.

He calmly walked out the door, nodding at the man without a word. He walked straight down the stairs and out the door into the cold street without pause.

I got her Charlie.

Is she alright?

No, she's going to need a lot of help.

Are you alright? I can sense you're in some distress.

He looked down at the limp, seemingly lifeless figure that seemed weightless to him.

'Everything's going to be alright I promise.' He whispered to her in a gentle tone he didn't even know he had. 'I'm not going to hurt you, I'm going to look after you.'

The girl didn't respond but he could tell that she'd heard, there was some kind of understanding in the black soulless eyes, that Logan didn't understand but knew was there.