It was a cool spring morning; the sun was up, there were wisps of cloud in the sky, the birds were singing, and the occupants of the late Charles Francis Xavier's school for the gifted were taking advantage of the good weather, and were outside.
One of these occupants, was Logan, usually mentioned as 'Wolverine', who was currently sitting under a rather large acorn tree, and smoking a cigar.
Blowing a rather impressive cloud of smoke from his nose and mouth, Logan ignored and screams and laughing coming from the children, who were playing a little way away.
Being as 'gifted' as he was, Logan was able to duck the football which was a mili-second away from having an affair with his face.
"Sorry, Logan!" gasped Kitty as she ran over, collecting the football.
Logan merely grunted through the cloud of smoke.
Kitty smiled at Logan, before running back to the group she had been playing with, the teens moving a little further away, so they didn't have to fear the wrath of the wolverine if they kicked the wrong way again.
Shifting his back against the tree, Logan stretched his legs out in front of him, his cigar held in between his teeth.
The soft sound of silk rustling caught his attention, and Logan turned his head to his left.
Standing beside him was a fit lady, with short, neck-length red-brown hair, delicate features, and honey-coloured eyes, wearing a long, blue, snake-skin coat, a black silken dress, smooth black heels and a dainty silver ankle-bracelet.
Logan strained to look up at the lady's face, and frowned, his nose twitching.
"What do you want, Mystique?"
The lady smiled, a small, sad smile. "It's Raven, now."
Logan raised an eyebrow, taking his cigar in between his fingers. "'scuse me?"
"Surely, you can tell." sighed Mystique, looking down at Logan with exasperated eyes.
"I can tell you've been drinking, you're wearing 'white diamonds' perfume, and you currently punched someone, but other than that, I can't tell nothin'." Logan said simply, placing his cigar in between his teeth again.
Mystique glanced at her bruised knuckles, before looking back at Logan.
"I'm not a mutant, anymore."
Slowly lowering his cigar from his mouth, Logan frowned. "I wondered why you weren't at Magneto's side when we were fighting."
Mystique nodded sadly.
Turning away from his ex-enemy-and-probably-still-enemy, Logan flicked some of the ash from his cigar onto the ground beside him, placing the cigar into his mouth again. "So, waddiya want with me?"
Mystique surveyed Logan's profile for a moment, before gracefully sitting beside him, her legs tucked beside her, an inch between the two adults, Mystique looking strait in front of her.
"I want you to kill me."
Smoke exploded from Logan's mouth, the mutant coughing in surprise.
"What?!" choked Logan, turning to stare at Mystique, smoke wafting over her cheek from his mouth, his cigar dangling dangerously from Logan's lips.
Mystique turned to Logan, regarding him with honey eyes, before plucking his cigar from his mouth.
"I want you to kill me." Mystique repeated, before looking back in front of her, and pacing Logan's cigar in her mouth.
Logan blinked a few times, before snarling, snatching his cigar from the lady, putting the cigar back in his own mouth, tasting cherry lip gloss.
Mystique blew a cloud of smoke into the sky, before looking back at Logan. "Will you kill me?"
Logan regarded Mystique through the wisps of smoke between them, his eyebrows meeting in a fierce angle between his eyes. "Why?"
"I was born a mutant, and I lived as a mutant. I don't like being human." Mystique said simply, as though they were talking of something you talked over with a cup of coffee in the morning.
"So, you want me to kill you, because you don't like being human?" Logan asked.
Mystique nodded.
Logan snarled, being reminded about Jean, smoke splashing over Mystique's face, the lady not even batting an eyelash. "Why does everyone want me to kill them! Why not someone else!"
"It makes me feel like I'm not as weak as I really am." Mystique admitted, shrugging lightly.
Logan growled, crossing his arms over his chest, turning away from Mystique, muttering angrily under his breath, his cigar waggling as he muttered. "First Jean, now Mystique... Geez! Why not get someone else to gut them!"
Mystique caught the words, but said nothing of it, looking over the oval to the group of teens, who were playing football, her hands clasped delicately in her lap.
The two older mutants watched as Colossus was tackled by the whole group of teens and continued running to the goals all the same.
"... Will you?" Mystique asked finally, watching as one of the boys made Colossus trip using telekinesis.
"Will I what?" Logan growled, Colossus nearly squashing Kitty, besides the fact that Kitty disappeared into the ground before it could happen.
"Kill me." it sounded more like a statement than a question, the once-blue-skinned woman tilting her head to the side, watching Logan closely, while Colossus tackled the boy with telekinesis, Kitty poking her head out of the ground cautiously.
Logan stared to the front, at nothing in particular, slowly mulling it over.
Mystique shifted slightly closer to Logan and gently removed the cigar from Logan's mouth once again.
Snapping his gaze to Mystique, Logan frowned. "... I'll think about it."
"Don't hurt yourself." Mystique smirked, her eyes sparkling like they did the first time her and Logan fought.
Without missing a beat, Logan answered; "You seem more subdued than you used to be. What? Someone tame you, or somethin'?"
Mystique narrowed her eyes, twirling the cigar around in her fingers, before shoving the smoldering end strait into Logan's thigh.
Biting back a hiss, Logan slapped Mystique's hand away with bared teeth, before yanking the cigar out of his leg, watching the burnt flesh heal in record time.
"Gotta watch that bedside manner of yours." Logan smirked, heaving himself to his feet before dropping the ruined cigar, crushing it into the ground with his shoe.
"I will never be by your bedside." Mystique snapped, gracefully getting to her feet and brushing off dust from on her dress.
"Such fantasies. Waisted." Logan sighed wistfully, trying to hide a smirk, shoving his hands in his pockets before glancing at Mystique over his shoulder, who was staring at him with wide eyes.
There was a scream from the oval; Colossus successfully having sat on Kitty.
Logan walked into the mansion, nearly being bowled over immediately by Flea, who was quite literally bouncing off the walls.
Logan swatted at Flea and the young gymnast-mutant squeaked, before jumping up the stairs, twenty stairs at a time.
"You certainly have a way with kids." commented Mystique, gracefully stepping over the threshold and into the mansion.
Logan grunted.
"Logan?"
Sighing, Logan looked over to see Ororo walking toward him, Kurt at her heels.
Shoving the door closed behind Mystique, Logan turned nearly all his full attention to the african-american woman before him. "Yeah?"
Ororo glanced curiously at Mystique, before looking back at Logan. "Should you not introduce us?"
"... 'scuse me?" blinked Logan.
Kurt tilted his head to the side, looking inquisitively at Mystique, while Mystique shifted from foot to foot, avoiding his gaze.
"Introduce us!" sighed Ororo, completely exasperated, motioning from her, to Mystique, and back again.
"You two know each other already." Logan grunted simply.
"How so?" sighed Ororo.
Logan pointed at the lady beside him, nearly poking her in the eye. "That's Mystique."
Ororo's white eyebrows shot up, and Kurt smiled warmly.
"Why is she here?" Ororo hissed, her hair crackling slightly with electricity.
"She got infected with the cure, apparently." Logan shrugged, letting his hand fall to his side, taking completely no notice as it brushed against Mystique's chest,
"But why is she here?" Ororo snapped.
"Search me." Logan grunted, side-stepping Ororo, before walking in a bee-line to the kitchen.
Grabbing a Dr Pepper from the cupboard a few minutes later, Logan flicked the cap off, before draining half the bottle in one gulp.
"No beer?"
Logan decided to swallow before answering, glancing at Mystique as she entered the room. "Nope."
"Darn." sighed the once-mutant, walking past Logan, before sitting on one of the stools, crossing her legs at the knee.
"Tell me about it." grumbled Logan, drowning the rest of the drink, before throwing it into the bin, ignoring the smash of the glass.
"Have you thought about it?"
Logan looked at Mystique, exasperated. "Listen," Logan sighed. "I really don't feel like killing you at the moment."
Mystique just looked at Logan for a moment, before shrugging. "Okay."
Next thing Logan knew, Mystique was in front of him.
WHAM
Logan choked and fell onto his knees, clutching his nether-regions, his eyes watering, his nose inches from the floor.
"Now, do you want to kill me?" Mystique asked with a smirk, looking down at Logan.
Logan let out a high-pitched whimper.
Rogue smiled, stroking Bobby's cheek with her bare hands, staring at him as though he was the most wonderful thing alive.
Bobby smiled at the touch, happy his girlfriend was finally untroubled.
Rogue and Bobby were sitting on Rogue's bed, Rogue loving to touch things with her bare hands again, the curtains open, filling the small room with a golden glow, Rogue's fingertips ghosting over Bobby's chin.
Bobby took the chance, moving forward, glancing into Rogue's eyes as though for permission.
Rogue smiled and gently moved forward, her lips touching Bobby's, certain she wouldn't hurt him for the first time.
Logan groaned, blinking away the pain, staring at the floor.
"Was that really necessary?" Logan hissed at the tiles of the floor.
"Of course it was." answered Mystique, tapping her heel against the floor lightly.
"If you kicked any harder, you would've fucking crushed them!" Logan hissed, looking up at Mystique from the floor, getting a rather tantalizing view up her dress.
"I'll have to try harder again next time, won't I?" Mystique asked, placing her hands on her thighs, obscuring Logan's view of her underwear.
Logan groaned again, shakily standing up, trying to ignore the urge to throttle Mystique right there and then.
Suddenly, there was a petrified scream from upstairs, Logan snapping his gaze upwards.
"I know that voice." Logan whispered, his eyes wide.
There was another scream echoing around the mansion, and Logan launched out the door; up the stairs, and slammed Rogue's door open.
Lying on the bed was Bobby, pale and shaking, and Rogue was in the corner, sobbing and trying to get further away from the body, her arms in front of her face.
Logan ran into the room and checked Bobby's pulse, the door slamming open again, Ororo and Kurt appearing there.
"Oh god..." whispered Ororo in shock.
"OH- mein Gott, was geschah hier?" Kurt gasped, his hand coming to his mouth.
"His pulse is weak, but it's there." Logan hissed, only just able to feel Bobby's pulse in his neck.
"We'll take him to the infirmary." Ororo gulped, Kurt and she quickly going to Bobby's side, before the three of them disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, Leaving Rogue and Logan alone.
Logan slowly took a step toward Rogue, hearing the teen babble and sob behind her hands.
"I don't know what happened... I don't know... I just touched him... I didn't mean... We only touched..." Rogue sobbed, her legs giving out underneath her, leaving her in a sobbing bundle on the floor.
Logan took a few more steps toward her, unable to think of anything to say, a floorboard creaking under his foot.
"Just get away from me!" Rogue screamed, yanking her knees up against her chest, flinging her arms out, almost to shield herself from Logan.
Logan paused, staring down at the teen.
"Don't touch me...!" Rogue sobbed.
"... I thought she took the cure."
Logan glanced at the door, to see Mystique standing there, watching Rogue with intrigue.
"I'm pretty sure she did." Logan growled, looking back at Rogue, who was still sobbing on the floor.
Mystique rose her eyebrows, but said nothing, unable to keep a sparkle of hope from shining in her eyes.
"Rogue..." Logan whispered, kneeling down in front of the teen.
"Don't! Don't touch me!" Rogue sobbed, tears streaming down her face.
Logan dug in his pocket and retrieved his leather riding gloves, slipping them onto his hands before touching the teen's knee, which was poking out from under her skirt. "Marie?"
Rogue looked up, staring at Logan through sparkling tears and shaking fingers.
"Everything'll be fine. Bobby'll survive. The kid's strong." Logan whispered reassuringly, patting Rogue's knee.
Rogue let out a sob and launched forward, wrapping her arms around Logan's middle, sobbing into his leather-clad shoulder.
Hesitantly, Logan returned the hug, patting Rogue's shoulder.
Mystique just stood in the doorway, eyes glimmering with feelings she never wanted.
Eventually, Rogue fell asleep, breathing a cold mist into Logan's shoulder, Wolverine picking her up, and placing her on the bed where she could rest.
Closing the door quietly behind him, Logan peeled the gloves off his hands, Mystique surveying him with curious eyes.
"Got a thing for kids, huh?" queried the once-mutant.
Logan grunted, shoving the gloves back into his pocket, before walking down the hall, Mystique's heels tapping along behind him.
Logan made a bee-line for the elevators, and let out a soft sigh as Mystique stepped in also, winding her arm around his, the elevator doors sliding closed.
"You gonna stick with me until I kill you, right?" Logan grunted, glancing at Mystique as she interlinked her fingers with his.
"Yes." was her answer, leaning her head against his arm.
After a moment, the doors whizzed open again, Logan walking out, Mystique half a step behind, her hand still in his.
Logan entered the infirmary, raising his eyebrows at Storm and Kurt, who were rushing around Bobby, who was lying, unconscious, on a table.
"He'll be fine." Storm panted as she rushed part, rummaging in one of the drawers.
Seemingly reassured, Logan turned in a near-full circle, before walking back into the elevator, not offering his help.
A few minutes later, Logan stepped out of the elevator, Mystique at his heel. Mystique's hand tightened around his, and the scent of blood wafted into his nose.
Looking down at her, Logan noticed her face morph into one of pure agony, her fingers tightening even more around his. Prying his hand from hers, Logan turned and stood before her. "Hey, you alright?"
Mystique didn't answer, her back hunching, the stench of blood getting stronger, a lock of red-brown hair falling into her eyes.
"Hey!" Logan grabbed Mystique by the shoulders, and she screamed.
Yanking his hands back, Logan merely watched as Mystique fall into a crumpled heap at his feet. "Oi!" Logan fell to his knees, seeing blood smear onto the carpet, ripping Mystique's blue snakeskin coat off on impulse.
What he saw made his eyes widen.
Mystique, lying in a tight ball on the floor, her silk black dress, backless, stained with blood, blue scales ripping through her skin, staining the flesh red with blood and blue with all the more scales spreading in spider-like patterns from along her spine. "Make it stop!" Logan heard Mystique sob, blood flowing freely from her back, the scales fanning out, over her ribs and down her hips.
"Believe me, you don't want it to..." Logan murmured, continuing to stare as Mystique's silken dress became soaked in blood, the scales rippling down Mystique's arms and up her neck.
Then, finally, it stopped.
Logan looked down at Mystique, to see molten-gold eyes stare back at him, her face somewhat relaxed.
"I think you don't want me to gut you now." Wolverine smirked, trying to ignore the stench of blood that was making head head swim.
Mystique's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion.
Logan looked down, and ran a finger down Mystique's blue scaled hand.
Surprised, Mystique yanked her hand back, and stared at it, her molten eyes wide.
"C'mon." Logan helped Mystique to her feet, their rivalry forgotten, Mystique staring at her scaled arms in shock.
What shocked Logan, was Mystique's action to undress in front of him to check if she had all her scales. Letting her dress drop to the floor, Mystique stared down at her scaled underbelly and legs, before promptly swinging her arms behind her, her bra popping off, before she yanked off her (Logan was pleasantly surprised) frilly pink panties, kicking off her heels as the final motion, staring down at herself, her scaled fingertips running over her blue, bleeding, beautiful body.
Mystique finally looked up at Logan, her mouth half-open, her molten eyes wide. Logan just smirked, pointing to the door that was merely a few metres away, knowing he didn't need to say a word.
Mystique looked at the door, then back at Wolverine, a devilish smirk coming to play on her glimmering lips.
Mystique slipped her arms around Logan's shoulders and smirked up at him, Wolverine raising a simple eyebrow at her, before she went onto her tip-toes and gave him a light, thankful nip on his bottom lip.
Logan smirked back at her, brushing his nose against hers, playing whatever game Mystique wanted. Mystique's eyes glinted with an evil glint, and Logan had the impulse to run. But, Mystique had her arms wrapped around his neck.
Oh crap.
WHAM
Logan let out a high-pitched squeak and fell to the ground, hands firmly clasped over the crotch of his pants, tears stinging at his eyes.
"Did I crush them this time, sweetheart?" Mystique murmured above him, amused.
"I will... kill you..." Logan hissed through his teeth.
"Sure you will..." Mystique placed a swift kiss on Wolverine's cheek, before disappearing out the door, hips swaying in a tantalizing motion.
"I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! I. WILL. KILL. YOU.!!!" Logan screamed, ignoring the dainty silver ankle bracelet that had beads of blood clinging to it, the bracelet lying on the floor a few inches from Logan's nose.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
((END. My rendition of what happened after X3. Yes, I like Logan x Mystique. Don't hurt me! Anyway, i hope you like it, and if you actually noticed that Rogue's distraught babbling is almost exactly like her distraught babbling in X1 without needing to read this, you get an invisible cookie!! Yay!!))