The Ties That Bind Us All

This is a story starring Wolverine, Rogue, Dairou and Sabertooth with appearances by other X-Men in an AU world where mutants have long ceased to exist, giving birth to half-mutants who can conceal their gifts much easier if they so wished but fought more to blend in with regular humans than having Human/Mutant wars or disagreements between mutant alignments like the X-Men and Brotherhood. Their existence is rumored as most half-mutants like Logan and Rogue know little to nothing but rumors and myths, others like Dairou and Victor Creed (to be introduced later on) have greater knowledge of it while others, like Hank McCoy are tormented by it.

P.S - I own Dairou, but all other characters belong to their respective owners (Marvel etc.) unless stated otherwise by me.


James Howlette, known to most as Logan was one of the best cops the city of New York has seen in years. He was hardworking, determined and hot-tempered at times but never overconfident, unlike most of the partners he works with as he cleaned his desk, ready to go home for the night. Little did anyone know the weight he carried on his shoulders.

The reasons he became a cop were simple really, he's been hearing various eye witness stories of humans displaying abilities that no human could possibly have and powers that haven't existed for over 150 years...the X-Gene as he heard it was called.

Logan stopped packing for a moment looked up to the ceiling with a deep sigh "Don't worry, brother...I'll look over her as if she were my own." He loved his brother but was still deeply bothered by his death and despite not having a kid of his own or the experience of having one for that matter, he'd raised and adored Anna-Marie as his own. How could he leave her?...he was the closest thing that she had to family now, to a father. Logan cried every time he thought of his lost brother, not to mention what Anna-Marie, his niece he sometimes called Rogue, must be going through...losing both parents must be a lot to take in at such a tender, young age. She is a teenager now, but at times he worried for her as he has no time for taking care of her, given his job, and felt like she was pushing him away as if he wasn't even trying to help her but he wasn't angered by that as much as the fact that the killer was still at large.

Leaving the office, Logan bid the cleaner farewell as he left for his car waiting in the car park.

Making it home, Logan finds Anna-Marie watching television "I'm home" he declared as Anna-Marie's eye widened and she tackled him with a hug "finally home, did mister Raymond give you trouble again?" she asked referring to his current partner, Raymond Finnegan, who he'd introduced to her.

"No, darling" he chuckled "Ray is of no bother to me, he asks about you a lot though"

Logan knew what she was trying to do, tomorrow was the anniversary of her parents' deaths and he would be gone the entire day...not to mention, he didn't want to leave her but knew he had to in order to gain some leads pertaining to the case of Rogue's parents.

"Get to bed soon, you have school tomorrow" Logan ruffled her hair as he went to his home office as she replied "I will, but don't you need to sleep as well?"

But Logan had already closed the door as he grunted from inside "work first, sleep...when it's done, love."

With that and a soft smile, Anna-Marie went to catch some shut eye while she still could.


Elsewhere in Bayville, while all lights were out and all had gone to sleep, a man comes off the last flight coming into Bayville, strapped to the teeth with guns and swords that all looked menacing.

The tall man with the red eyes that have been called windows into hell by one of his victims stared around the empty streets "This place...still makes me angry but happy all the same." He said to himself stepping out of the plane alone with no one else still living onboard.

The pilot and a couple armed guards came out after him, he looks back at them with no emotion other than a crazed smile on his face "you monster...after him!" The unharmed pilot ordered as the, also unharmed for now, buff guards charged.

The man whipped out two guns in each hand shooting the first two who approached through their feet then knocked them out with a gun butt to the face.

He dodged an baseball bat to the face barely from the third man. He whipped out a sword and, in a flash, split the bat in two, removing both of the man's thumbs in the process as he fell to his knees begging for his life.

"P-please, don't kill me" the guard said on his knees shaking like a leaf as the man, who called himself Dairou, had his sword at his throat.

"Sure thing, bud...you both live" he turned his gun on the others and grins sadistically "but the others won't be receiving such a mercy" he shoots each of the other guards in the head or chest, killing them.

He looks back at the begging man as he's overcome by fear and grief "next time we meet, and we will meet again, I'll take your fingers and toes...slowly" he put his hand on the man's blonde head of wavy hair "put your hands down unless you want me to reconsider what to do with you...see ya around, big guy" he grinned before leaving both men alive and walking into the city night.

The captain saw a gun nearby and becomes infuriated taking aim at Dairou "Stop right there!" He forced his lungs to yell as Dairou stopped mid-step and turn back to the men, the guard pleading with the idiot to drop the gun.

"Hm?" Dairou moaned as he made eye contact with the captain, he looked at the guard "where'd you find this imbecile?" The guard was terrified "please, I don't want to die because of this guy..." Dairou looks the pilot in the eye and gave a maddened smirk.

He fired...

Dairou turned to ashes before their eyes and the man screamed in terror as he was cut to bits.

He then woke up to find Dairou holding him close "H-how am I still alive...D-did I just watch myself d-die?"

"Shh" Dairou silenced the man in his arm "that is only the beginning of what I can do to you if I so wish, do you want it to become reality?"

Dairou let the man go, his eyes saying what his mouth and body dared not to as Dairou walked away "good" he walked without looking back.


The next day, Logan woke up in bed...he could tell in the back of his mind that something bad had come to Bayville...he also smelled food. The great cooking skills he taught his niece

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked himself hearing the sizzling of bacon downstairs but the small television caught his attention as the female anchor spoke at the airport. A plane was there as well as a mortified pilot and a guard with two blown off thumbs, Logan was frozen as Anna-Marie knocked on the door "come in" he said without emotion as she entered to see the fear-gripped Logan.

Logan looked at her, eyes full of rage directed at whoever was responsible for this, the deaths of over 300 men, women and children aboard that flight.

"Maybe I won't be spending all day at work today after all, darlin'." He forced a smile as Anna-Marie glanced at the TV "OK, breakfast?"

"Sure" Logan replied calm and gruff "I'll be there in a minute, hon."

Rogue left the room with a nod, she knew that look in her uncle's eyes, the same as when her parents died 5 years ago "poor Logan..."

She went downstairs and a few minutes later, Logan followed suit fully dressed for work with the same mortified look in his eyes, even his personality changed ever so slightly "morning..." he said as he sat with Rogue "not very hungry" he said but his stomach protested as if on cue as he gave her a grin as she sighed and shook her head smiling back...she noticed that his smile was more feral and he was dying to get into this investigation as his eye narrowed slightly as his other side thought 'she's beginning to see through yer ruse, Logan and I'm beginning to want to meet her' Wolverine chuckled as he receded to the back of Logan's mind as he made a mental note to tell her someday of Wolverine, both the one from many years in the past...the days when mutants were still struggling just to exist and now, himself, a by far different Wolverine as he kissed her forehead after wolfing down his meal and both left, him for work and her for school.

Rogue, on her way to school, met with a friend, Katherine Pryde or as her friends called her, Kitty as they boarded the bus full of most teachers and students from school.

Other passengers were there as well as she said "Hello, mister McCoy" Rogue said to a very large but very kind man who taught her physics as his blue eyes, lighter only in comparison to his hair looked up from his novel "Good morning, Miss Howlette, Miss Pryde, how are you today?"

"We're okay, Professor" Kitty smiled as they took their seats closer to the back of of but where a lone stranger sat, Rogue sat beside him as he flinched sensing her movement and Kitty sat across from her beside a large Russian student she'd never gotten the nerve to speak to "Anna-Marie, wanna sit somewhere else?" Kitty quickly became nervous of the hooded, supposedly sleeping man beside her friend as she replied "Is this because you're afraid to speak to a certain handsome Russian student?" She sighs "he doesn't seem so scary and he has the cutest accent" she joked.

She glared at her as she blushed, the Russian noticing it "I meant next to you!" She whispered as the Russian said "I think it is best if you leave him be, he seems tired."

Kitty suddenly became giggly as she said in a funny voice "Hi there, I'm Kitty Pryde" as he replied shaking her hand "Piotr Rasputin, call me Peter, you're the girl who likes following me around."

Dairou's head was down when suddenly he grinned and cracked his neck as Kitty nearly screamed "He's alive!"

Dairou looked at her revealing his concealed dagger "I'm not sleeping..." he drew uncomfortably close to Rogue and moaned as he sniffed and grinned "it's been a while since I smelled that perfume..." He noted the perfume, which belonged to Rogue's mother, Dairou then lay back in his seat, adjusting his hair before going to sleep as he slipped a blade into Rogue's bag while she was distracted "We should move now, da?" Peter piped up as the two girls nodded but Rogue didn't feel Dairou gripping her wrist with almost breaking force until she tried to leave the seat "Let me go." Rogue snapped with a bit of Logan's attitude, making Dairou smile before releasing her, but by that time they had made it to school. They exited the bus with Cerulean following as he grabs her a pulls the trigger on his gun...nothing, he knew he had unloaded the gun prior but she didn't "It's not loaded, idiot" he pulled out the empty clip "next time you interrupt my rest, it will be."

Hank became alert suddenly "How dare you scare young girls with fake guns?!" This pissed the usually serene McCoy off completely, no one knew what had gotten into him.

"My brother, does this feel like a fake gun to you?" He tossed to same gun to Hank who drops it, noticing it was very much a real gun.

Dairou took his gun and left the bus, his eye on Rogue "au revoir, Roguie..." he saluted as Rogue was overcome with fear and couldn't move...this man not only wanted her dead but knew her mother.


Meanwhile elsewhere...

Logan was at the scene of the previous murders and what he saw made him want to pop his claws through someone's skull, namely the one responsible.

Two other officers came up to him, his current partner, Raymond Finnegan, who had green eyes and blonde hair and small goatee as well as the stern Russian cop, Vladimir Rasputin, Piotr's father who had sky blue eyes and dark short hair.

Vladimir was a rather large, tall and intimidating fellow, he hates slackers and had heard that Logan was no slacker as he spoke in a deep Russian accent "Greetings, you must be this Logan I've heard so much about." Vlad shakes Logan's hand as he seemed confused as he replied "Yeah, I'm Logan, bub"

Vlad smirked "then you must know Rogue, da?"

Logan's expression changed slightly and Vlad observed it, knowing to be careful "she's my niece...I'm the only family she's got" Logan gave him a dark look, he knew when he was being observed "you know her?"

Vlad chuckled "No, but my son, Piotr, speaks fondly of her, he's the one worried about her but I've yet to meet her."

"Why would your boy worry about young Rogue, I wonder?" Ray said in wonder "They are classmates, am I wrong, Detective Rasputin?"

Rasputin nodded "Piotr is an excellent artist, he drew her from memory once, after they'd met...I saw her face from that and my boy's an excellent artist, you should see his work sometime" Rasputin spoke proudly.

The three went over to the survivors of this gnarly bloodbath. The pilot looks directly at Logan's eyes, he was shaking like a leaf, still bothered by his ordeal.

"Sit down for a minute" Logan brought both men to nearby benches, giving each a bottle of water "take yer time and start at the beginning"

The man took a somewhat steady breath "well, it all started yesterday..."

"Da, what happened yesterday?" Rasputin said beside him taking careful notes in his pad as the pilot continued "right...yesterday, the flight was departing from D.C to here and was going rather smoothly, the guard...Rick, he watched over the passengers as did those other unfortunate guards" he burst into tears "one of the guards went to the bathroom and found a girl with a knife in her throat and then it began..."

All three men had slack jaws as Rasputin bit the toothpick he was idly chewing on in half.

"I was obviously flying the plane, so I sent my co pilot to check out screams coming from where the passengers were...I wish I hadn't, he had a family like most onboard, did not expect to see his dying eyes" Rasputin stopped writing as the man suddenly fell silent.

"You and that guard got a good look at this killer, right?" Ray asked "maybe we could compose a sketch of him or her, see who we're dealing with here" he gave a reassuring nod to his fellow cops.

"Great idea, let's get to that..." Logan said looking at the other man who was still overcome with fear and rage looking at where his thumbs used to be "are ya gonna be alright, sir?"

"No, I don't think I ever will...that girl...was the same age as my son...dreamt of being a pilot too." He almost whispered teary eyed "I'll never be able to forget that man's face...those demonic red eyes" that was it for Logan reserves on his short fuse however, as he squeezed his pen and snapped it in half. The victims visible flinched by this as Finnegan put a hand on his shoulder "cool that temper of yours, Howlette" Logan's body was warm at the man's touch

Rasputin brought the finished sketch as the three decided their next course of action, Logan's mood only worsening as three foot long claws came out of his knuckles, horrifying the pilot as it was visibly harder, denser and sharper than normal human bones, almost metallic in appearance though it wasn't the well known indestructible metal Adamantium, basically made to tear anyone who pissed the short but ripped cop off a new one "I know this face from somewhere...and it pisses me OFF right now" he gritted his teeth in barely suppressed anger.


Back with Rogue, she was in her last class before Lunch as she sat close to a window...there she saw Dairou at the gate waiting apparently before looking right at her...she paled as she thought 'He's waiting for me...why is he waiting for me to leave...' Rogue was somewhat entranced by the adult male's eyes but luckily she learned a couple things from Logan, like how to tell someone's intent by the look in their eyes and his were the worst she's ever seen.

She saw nothing good in the man's red eyes. His eyes seem to gleam with a almost invisible red glow...he could tell she was curious.

Dairou watched Rogue and waited...he knew she was trying to gauge his intentions for her but she seemed to be looking for more. 'More of what?' He wondered until he heard the bell ring out and a scream he determined was McCoy from this morning.

Rogue gathered her things, ready to leave for her locker then lunch as Mr. McCoy yelled out clutching his head and giving the class an unusual, for him, stare before growling "class dismissed" and dashing out of the classroom and by the looks of it, Dairou heard it as well.

Dairou decided to make his presence known and grab the first person closest to him, Scott Summers, a student in Rogue's year group that she never liked much since he started fawning over a clearly beautiful, but to Rogue, misleading and stupid as she rushed out of class...she didn't know what this dangerous man wanted with Summer, or her for that matter, but it wasn't good.


As for Hank, he bolted to the men's bathroom and locked himself in before looking at himself in the mirror. There was something different about his reflection...it looked like something out of his nightmares, a Beast if he saw any.

Beast looked at Hank with a low snarl.

Hank looks back at Beast, his body not allowing him to scream.

"McCoy!" Beast slams his fist on his side of the glass, shocking the human out of his daze "Let me out, McCoy, I'll behave" he smiled evilly as Hank clutched his head, not believing a word his other side spoke "No...never."

"There's a man out there...he will kill us at first glance, is that your wish?" Beast reasoned with a growl but got no answer "...well, it is not mine!"

Beast pressed his blue furred palms against his side of the mirror with a demented grin at McCoy's struggles.

The screams stopped and Hank was different...he was the one Beast looked at in the mirror as he chuckled flexing his clawed fingers as he looked at the grimacing face of his weak human side before putting on a cloak pulled from McCoy's bag to hide his appearance and saw his own face in the mirror as opposed to that weak human's ugly mug then retreated from the bathroom, the farmer's shirt and shoes not surviving the transformation but his pants which were a bit big for Hank were unscathed and perfect for Beast.


Back with Rogue, she was still trying to evade Dairou, who she still wasn't sure was after her as she made it through the maze of her school and to the door Dairou had entered through, silence eerily filling the area as she touched the handle but on the other side Dairou unleashed a barrage of bullets hitting everyone around her as she dashed out the nearest open window before he caught her.

Little did she know, she landed right on Beast's back as he went in search of Dairou, running on all fours.

Beast stopped at the new feeling almost instantly.

Dairou had yet to catch her, but Rogue hoped the same for this...Beast as he glances over his shoulder and saw nothing as the girl moved to the opposite side of his vision. Beast growled, he knew someone was on his back, as he stood like a human and Rogue thumped her butt on the ground as he determined if she was friend or foe.

Rogue scowled, rubbing her behind as Beast turned to her, standing on both feet as she recognized the face beneath the fur a bit "M-mister McCoy?" but was forced to jump back as she heard a roar and Beast's claws were inches from giving her a new pedicure "McCoy's a weakling, nothing but an extension of my will...Beast's will!"

Rogue got to her feet "McCoy!" Beast took a swipe again, nipping her clothing, the ape-like Beast grew annoyed every time he heard that human man's name.

Suddenly, he stopped mid swipe at the cocking of a gun behind and Rogue turned to see Piotr standing right behind her as he growled "Away, demon, find your prey elsewhere!" He shot at Beast but Rogue hitting his hand at the last second caused the bullet to injure but not kill Beast and allowed his escape, but he glances at Anna-Marie "I'll remember you, little one" he looked at Rogue with no emotion.

Piotr was annoyed but not much as he'd found who he was looking for, Rogue "we meet yet again...Rogue"

"How'd you learn to shoot like that?" Rogue replied sharply with a bit of fear but Piotr knew she was relieved by her reaction when he shot at Beast.

"Father taught me, back in Soviet Russia" Piotr then said "he could've killed that...thing with one shot"

"Run, Anna" he said in a hushed tone as he ducked and they heard Dairou's almost silent steps in boots nearby.

As Rogue was gone, Rasputin stood and took aim at Dairou but the much more experienced gunman already had his gun at Piotr's forehead "drop it and you live, child" Dairou warned as Piotr cocked the gun, showing that he had no intention of doing that as he shot at Dairou's head but missed, hitting the lights above and behind the man who growled to himself "What is this place, a school for killers and assassins or something?!" He tapped Peter's wrist, hitting a pressure point which hurt like hell as he dropped the gun, since he could smell the faintest scent of the young Howlette's perfume, he knew she was here and was after her but the Russian was determined not to let him do that.

"Look me in the eye before you make another threat that I'll make you regret" Dairou warned, this one was getting a beating, both an illusion and a very real and painful one.

Like the guard the day before, Dairou easily put an illusion on Piotr but he seemed unhindered by seeing himself die in a very painful way as he frowned at the thought 'so this one knew pain, huh? I'll be the judge of that' he grabbed Piotr as he still shook off the illusion, his knee hitting his stomach until he felt and heard the boy's ribs crack from the force of the attacks, causing him to scream out as he was beaten relentlessly.

Rogue was a distance away when she heard Piotr cry out, it filled her with dread as she grabbed a bike out front and peddled like her life depended on it as bullets whizzed past, taking out her schoolmates like flies.

She didn't stop until she was home, there she locked herself in, still feeling like the killer was right behind her as she tried to calm herself but it failed as Piotr, her best friend's crush was probably killed protecting her.


Back with Logan, they were just back from the airport, when Logan was called to Rasputin's office to see a breaking story.

"What is it?" Logan said entering the lounge as Vlad switches to the news "Our suspect should appear on the news anytime now"

They saw Dairou sitting outside Bayville High and Rogue glancing at him surprised then suspicious before turning her attention back to the instructor who screamed as the bell went off.

The scream was what caught Logan's attention as he froze the video at the point where Dairou had captured Scott.

"Is there a problem?" Vlad looked at Logan, who pulled out the sketch and put it up beside the man in the video's super enhanced face and gave a dangerous glare "why would an armed man enter a high school?" Logan asked as he matched the face on the screen with the sketch.

Vlad raised an eyebrow, rubbing his chin in thought...not about what Logan said, but this stranger "We leave tomorrow then?" He asked as Logan shrugged "see ya tomorrow then" he left with a heavy mind.

Logan returned home to hear the television on "Anna-Marie's home already?" He asked himself as he'd found it weird as she wasn't usually home before he was.

"Darlin', you here?" Logan called out as he saw a hand raise from the couch where she laid "H-here, uncle Logan" he smelt the salty tears, who's the dead man who made his girl cry?

Logan came up and kissed her forehead, she flinched at his touch "you okay?"

He put Rogue up and sat with her in his arms around her "I swear on my own life, I'll protect you"


A few minutes later, Rogue was in the car with Logan, going to search for the other students, where she met Piotr's father for the first time.

A vehicle pulled up and Rogue saw a massive man step out and approached them, it was Vlad "Greetings, Logan and my apologies for calling you out again this late" Logan shook his head "if you hadn't called me, I'm sure someone would"

"And who's our beautiful new friend?" Vlad smirked looking at Rogue as she hid near Logan causing Vlad to laugh "you're huge compared to her."

"That's Anna-Marie, my niece...I'm kind of the only family she has after her parents' death and I have no kids o' my own..."

"Greetings" Vlad extended his hand to Rogue, his calm nature surprising her "Vladimir Rasputin"

"Rasputin...you're Peter's dad?" She asks as Vlad nods and replies "he speaks rather fondly of you as well"

"Save the introductions for after we know he's still alive" Logan says as the three enter the school.


Little did they know, they were being watched by Dairou, who hacked the cameras inside as well to keep his eyes on his new targets

"Well what do we have here?" Dairou watched the three enter the school "Howlette, huh?" He scowled, not really caring for the Rasputin's as much as his eyes were on Rogue "she's the one that kid with the gun must have been protecting" he chuckles to himself "I like a target that's hard to pin down or kill"


A/N - Well, that it for the lengthy prologue of 'The Ties That Bind Us All', is Peter still even alive and what intentions does Dairou have for the officers and especially Rogue? Read, review and feel free to PM me if there are any questions and yes, there'll be a reason later in the story the makes the name perfect for it. I wrote this story on my phone so it took a little while too.

Warrior-of-Darkness015 out...