Chapter 2
Logan cut the engine realizing the dull roar would be a dead giveaway as he found his way up the winding road to a place that time had forgotten. As he'd been instructed he'd passed by an old mill—one that had seen better days back when that part of the world had been thriving. Now it was simply broken down remains of a life that once was. On some level Logan empathized with that having felt that way himself, but now after the storm had started to pass he knew that was irrelevant. Now he was armed with a new mission at hand—one that would bring him closer to the one thing he'd convinced himself he would have to live without.
"Scott," Logan mouthed to himself when he took a whiff of the night surrounding him. Knowing the risk involved in his quest Logan tucked Scott's bike aside and prepared to step up to the challenge at hand. He knew it would be more of a risk breaking in during the daylight, so he'd braved the storm making his way up to the hill looking down upon the old slaughter house that the rest of the world had wanted to forget. On the outside it was tarnished and cracked revealing signs of better days, but it was the scent in the air that really captured Logan's attention. It was fused with death and torment, something that went well beyond the animals that had been present through the years. This was closer to home. This was…
"Human," Logan shuddered when it dawned in on him that the place before him held a darker purpose. It had used it's forbidden history to entice a new breed of butchers, some that valued life even less than Logan had anticipated when he spotted the first sign of trouble before him. To the right of the building he noticed two men walking the perimeter dressed in black uniforms. They moved with ease, straight and to the point as one waved a flashlight around in the air. Crouching down Logan listened hearing the faint sounds of laughter when one guard told the other a joke. It seemed to go over well when the second man readjusted the strap of his gun over his arm with a snort and another laugh.
"Shouldn't be too hard," Logan mouthed to himself when he moved forward keeping low as to avoid any notice until he was upon the laughing guards. In a matter of seconds he'd been able to immobilize them without so much of a whisper out of them alerting anyone else of Logan's presence. Once he'd left them on the ground with their weapons destroyed he turned his attention to the building again. It was dark and seemingly empty, but with Logan's heightened sensations he knew that it wouldn't be that way inside. Turning his attention to the guards again he noticed the stockier one to the left as he found himself contemplating a new way into the building after all.
xxxxx
"You'll tell me what you know Summers," the man with the damned cattle prod ordered with a grit and a sneer that would've caused any other man to stop cold in his tracks, but not Scott. He knew what the man was capable of, what he'd been attempting to do to Scott in his torment, yet Scott had remained firm not allowing the man to see him show any sign of fear or concern. Granted Scott had plenty of reason to be concerned, but not for himself. His thoughts were for the others he'd arrived with as he listened to the sound of the man's footsteps moving closer to him, "If you won't talk, I'll find ways to make you talk."
"Take your best shot," Scott mouthed defiantly. He raised his chin up, following the source of the sound behind the blindfold he'd been wearing. Even with his arms chained above his head from his crouched position on the cold, stone floor he'd felt no need to comply to his tormenter's demands. Instead he kept his face neutral refusing to give away anything when the man approached him again.
"You're not listening to me boy," the man snarled full of menace, "I don't take to being ignored when I ask for something."
Scott simply remained silent thinking about the days he'd put behind him. They'd been much of the same situation from the onset with one of the men who'd held them captive coming in to interrogate him, to try to pull his 'secrets' from within by threatening maiming and torturing him. Each time they'd tried in attempting to push Scott past his limits, but he'd kept his cool. He'd remained in control of the situation despite their attempts to prove to him otherwise.
"Talk now!" Scott's tormentor snarled opting to discard the cattle prod in the name of intimidating Scott with sheer force instead. His fist flew into Scott's jaw causing his head to buck back with more impact than Scott cared to admit to. He felt blood in the back of his throat indicating that the last hour and a half had taken it's toll on his body, but he still remained firm in his decision to sit back and take what was needed until the time was right.
"You really shouldn't have done that," Scott spat out the blood that pooled in his mouth. He could feel his arms going numb, but he simply shifted on his knees tipping his head up towards the source of the sound once again, "That was a mistake."
"No mutie," the man sneered at him, "Your mistake was thinking that you could outsmart all of us. Did you really believe that you abominations could hide forever?"
"We shouldn't have to hide," Scott replied defiantly when he felt the man's fist approaching. This time, however, Scott was prepared for what was to follow. So much so that the man hadn't realized that somewhere between his last attempt at interrogating Scott and this moment that Scott had found a way to break the chains that had bound him to his makeshift prison cell. He'd known from the man's arrival that he hadn't been aware of Scott's new freedom, yet Scott had remained still waiting for the right moment for nightfall when there would be a smaller number of men on duty keeping guard. He hadn't seen the light fade away from the room they'd kept him in with his blindfold on, but he'd felt it when the room had grown colder. It alerted him to the impending change of staff that would certainly happen as it had each and every night. It left a moment of vulnerability and it was in that moment that Scott was ready to strike.
Scott sprung up on his knees rising to his feet and seizing the man's flailing arm in a lightening quick movement. He felt the man's arm tight and tense in his grasp when Scott twisted his arm up around his body. The man grunted preparing to call out for help when Scott's other arm surrounded the man's neck with the chains. He squeezed them around the man's neck effectively immobilizing him with a tight pull. Instead of screaming the man simply gasped for breath, attempting unsuccessfully to pry Scott off of him until finally he'd lost enough oxygen to fall forward.
"Oh no, you don't," Scott mouthed keeping his grip on the man when he'd carefully adjusted the man in his arms before he could go down with a crash. Feeling around his cell Scott carried the man over to where he'd rested in the past, knowing that none of the guards would think twice of it in seeing a sleeping man on the straw piled in the corner. Shuffling his fingers around Scott reached into the man's pockets quickly discovering the jangling key ring that he'd paid attention to each and every time the man had paced around the room attempting to break Scott's resolve.
"I'm afraid we can't have you leaving anytime soon," Scott mouthed to the man feeling around to locate the chain on his ankle. He stretched his fingers out feeling around for the lock as he listened to the sound of the keys in his hand. There were nearly half a dozen of them, but judging by the shape and texture Scott was able to pinpoint what he'd felt would be an adequate key. It easily slid into the lock freeing his ankle before he reached to the man on the ground across from him, "Let's just make sure that won't be happening, shall we?"
Clumsily Scott managed to latch the chain around the guard's ankle before he rose to his feet again in knowing that phase one of his plan was already in motion. Phase two would prove to be a bit more difficult as Scott kept his eyes closed and thought about the journey he'd made to his cell over the last two weeks. He'd been taken out of the room twice for further attempts at an interrogation and each time he'd been patient charting out his path and that of the others on his way back. He had it in his head that it was twenty one steps to the door followed by two hundred and fifty two steps to the station where the guards would be waiting. Forty six steps to the left were the other holding cells and beyond that it would be another six hundred and twenty eight steps until that point where Scott remembered the sound of water in the distance leading out to the woods behind the slaughter house he'd seen briefly on the way inside.
"You can do this," he mouthed to himself when he rose to his feet again. Freedom was right around the corner. He could almost feel it as he found himself bound and determined now more than ever to get out of the hell he and the others had been subjected to.
xxxxx
"Eight guards down and four more to go," Logan thought to himself when he rounded the corner preparing to take out the last obstacles on his way to finding Scott again. He could feel Scott's presence stronger than ever when he'd been met by Scott's scent. He could almost feel him in the room beside him alive again as Logan snarled. Thinking about his dream he could recall the way in which he'd seen Scott being tormented, lost inside his own personal hell for so very long.
"I'm coming for you," Logan announced rounding the corner to slash at the guard he'd been listening to when another surprising sound filled the air around him.
"What the…?" the guard questioned when a slamming sound carried over the hallway. It was followed by a grunt and a thud when Logan leapt out into the hallway preparing to take on whatever was waiting for him. What he found instead was the petite red haired woman he'd left behind months earlier with a sword in her hand doing her best to immobilize the guards before him. Frowning he creased his brow at her, "Yukio?"
"What?" she stood up taller straightening her posture with a sideways grin, "You didn't really think I would leave you all alone, did you? I am your bodyguard after all."
"I told you before I don't need a bodyguard," Logan scowled down at her when she pushed her sword back into its sheath, "This isn't a place for you."
"You're in danger," she explained standing up taller, "which is all the more reason for me to be here Logan. I told you I'm here to help…"
"You can't," Logan frowned looking around the corridor for any signs of trouble around them, "not with this."
"Why?" she inquired stubbornly, "Is this because of Scott?"
"Scott," he repeated with a frown and a weary expression on his face, "How do you know about Scott?"
"You're a terrible dreamer Logan," she explained pursing her lips together, "Your nightmares reveal the truths you try to hide in your heart."
"Look, I ain't getting you involved in this. You can just leave now and…" Logan stopped himself when he heard the sound of gunfire in the distance beyond where he and Yukio stood with one another. Without hesitation he pushed her aside and rushed towards the source of the sound only to discover an abnormally thin Scott dressed in a tattered, gray prison uniform hovering over the guard with blood on the front of his shirt. His cheek was cut, eyes covered in a dirty, white blindfold with his messy dark hair damp and unruly around his face when he touched the side of the guard's neck once again.
"Scott?" Logan questioned feeling as if the breath had been taken from him when he noticed the man he loved crouched down on the ground before him.
"Help me get him out of the hallway before the others see him," Scott ordered not bothering with any pleasantries as Logan moved forward.
"Scott, what are you…?" Logan began to question when the sound of footsteps filled the hallway.
"Too late!" Scott announced springing up to his feet again with his hands out in front of him. He seemed to be listening tipping his head towards the sound when tension carried over his sculpted jawline, "Logan, look out!"
"What?" Logan questioned watching Scott crouch down when the sound of bullets splashed out across the stone wall in their direction. Immediately Logan lunged forward with claws out preparing for an attack. He felt the bullets slice into his skin, tearing into his flesh, but it did nothing to alleviate the fury inside of him over the condition he'd discovered Scott in.
"Get him!" one man ordered when Logan noticed a rush of movement to his left. Before he could question Scott was on top of the guy wrestling the gun out of his hand without hesitation. He managed to get the man down before another guard approached coming straight at Logan.
"I've got this!" Logan announced charging upon the man before him with a snarl.
"No, this one is mine!" Yukio announced joining them with her sword in hand. She charged at the guard taking him down in the blink of an eye to offer up a momentary reprieve before a dozen others made their way into the hallway surrounding them.
One after another the guards arrived, each one attempting to fire upon Scott, Logan and Yukio, but as with the first few on the scene they wound up on the ground passed out and incapacitated in between Yukio's swordsmanship, Logan's attack and Scott's surprising martial arts moves meant to take them under.
"Logan, what are you doing here?" Scott finally questioned when the last guard was on the ground out cold.
"Saving your ass," Logan responded as he heard another guard approaching. Before he could react he watched Scott spin around on his heel, sending his fist out into the center of the man's face and knocking him out cold without hesitation.
"Yeah? How's that going for you?" Scott replied tipping his head back over his shoulder with a hint of a smile teasing over the corners of his mouth. His eyes were covered, but the expression on his face said it all in the few seconds of quiet they shared with one another. However, it was short-lived when Yukio stepped in closer to them.
"Not as well as he's anticipated I imagine," Yukio made her presence known when Scott turned towards the source of the sound.
"Who's this?" Scott questioned standing up taller when Yukio offered up her hand to him.
"I'm Logan's bodyguard," she explained sliding her fingers over Scott's in a small brush of movement, "I'm…"
"...getting out of here," Logan frowned in response, "I told you we have it covered already."
"I can see that," Yukio spoke up with a hint of sarcasm in her tone when she addressed Scott again, "I'm Yukio and you must be Scott. Logan's told me so much about you."
"Is that right?" Scott questioned wrinkling his nose when he tipped his head to the side.
"It's my understanding that you're a great warrior and leader to our kind," she explained simply, "He holds you in the highest regard."
"Enough with the chit chat," Logan frowned turning his attention to the hallway again.
"Logan, you really need to learn to relax before…" Yukio began, but her words were brought to an abrupt end when a flashing red light lit up the hallway around them.
"Damn it," Scott cursed when the sound of an alarm rang out overhead, "Logan, that means we've got five minutes before there will be another dozen of them coming down upon us. We need to get everyone out of here now."
"Where are they?" Logan questioned as Scott moved down the darkened hallway without hesitation.
"This way," Scott explained rushing to the holding area where the others had been held captive, "We need to get them out of here fast Logan. There's an exit at the end of the hall into the woods and…"
"How do you know that?" Logan inquired as Scott held the keys out to Logan to take from him.
"I just do," Scott mouthed impatiently, "If you can open the cells then we can probably hold them off long enough for the others to escape."
"How many are there?" Logan questioned simply falling to task with Scott's orders.
"Eleven," Scott replied simply, "Five in the first cell on right, three in the one that's last on the left and the rest are in holding area at the end of the hallway. We need to hurry."
"Got it," Logan answered giving Scott another long, uneasy look when Scott stood in the center of the hallway with a scowl on his face.
"Now Logan!" Scott ordered with a bit more agitation in his tone, "We don't have all day."
"But Scott…" Logan stopped himself when he immediately recognized the expression on Scott's face. It meant business in ways that Logan had learned the hard way in the past would only lead to trouble if Logan didn't comply. With a small sigh Logan reached out to touch Scott's shoulder, to feel the warmth of the man he'd imagined he'd never see again standing beside him when he finally conceded to his former lover's request, "fine."
"I can help hold the guards off," Yukio announced moving towards the front of the hallway to be on point in looking out for new arrivals.
"Hurry!" Scott mouthed turning in the direction of the long hallway they'd worked their way through moments earlier.
"I'm on it," Logan announced doing as instructed in making his way to the holding cells. He quickly pushed a key into the lock only to discover it was the wrong one. Shuffling through them it only took him two tries until he was able to open the door to reveal the five prisoners inside.
"We aren't going to talk," one of the battered looking men snarled while weakly pushing himself up off of the bench he'd been seated on, "Whatever it is you think you can do to us, it won't work. We won't…"
"Relax," Logan mouthed when he sensed the fear in the room around him, "I'm here to help."
"Help?" another man repeated with questioning eyes, "Why should we believe you?"
"Because you don't have time to argue," Logan responded when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching, "Move now!"
The men in the cell stood up each one of them ready to make their escape when Logan turned to take a look over at Scott. He was standing in the middle of the hallway listening and waiting much like he had earlier when they'd been fighting off the guards together. For a moment Logan contemplated joining him and Yukio before anyone else arrived, but much to his dismay he heard the agitation in Scott's voice when Scott snapped at him.
"Keep moving Logan! We're running out of time!" Scott shouted as Logan moved onto the next cell. By the time he'd freed the prisoners the group had come together heading in the direction of the last cell. Of the group one man stepped forward and offered his assistance to Logan.
"I can free the others," he explained stretching his arm out for the keys, "If you just let me help…"
Logan looked over his shoulder to where Scott was now fighting off a guard who had made it to the hallway before the others. Shifting his gaze between the man beside him and Scott he finally handed over the keys. Yukio had moved in closer to where Logan was with the prisoners taking control of another hallway when Logan watched her knock the guards down without hesitation.
"Keep moving," Logan added with a frown, "Whatever happens in here don't look back! Just get everyone out into the woods and as far away from here as you can."
"What about him?" the man questioned as Logan noticed the wedding ring on his finger. Raising his chin up Logan realized the man before him looked strikingly familiar as Violet had his features.
"Holly's worried about you," Logan replied in warning, "Get the hell out of here and don't get yourself caught again. Scott and I will be fine. Now go!"
"Thank you," Holly's husband replied returning to the task in rescuing the others.
"Yukio!" Logan shouted once she'd finished with the two guards that had approached her, "Help them!"
"Logan," she frowned watching as he motioned to Holly's husband and the others.
"They're going to need someone to guide them out of here," Logan informed her with a snarl, "Take them into the woods and back to where I was staying. I'm sure you know where that is."
"Of course I do," she nodded accordingly, "I am your bodyguard after all."
"Yeah, we'll talk about that later," Logan frowned taking a look over his shoulder at Scott, "but for now I'm going to need you to protect them and keep them safe."
"You have my word on that," she nodded moving in to join the others on their quest for freedom. Once Logan heard Yukio helping Holly's husband open up the last holding cell he knew they'd be able to get out unscathed when Logan turned his attention to Scott again. He watched as the guard Scott was fighting was joined by another guard that Scott hadn't anticipated. The second man moved in on Scott catching him off guard when he slammed the butt of his gun into the back of Scott's knee causing him to buckle forward onto the ground. He attempted to pull himself up when the first guard kicked at Scott's abdomen causing a gust of wind to escape from his lungs.
"Son of a bitch!" Logan roared rushed forward seizing the man who was kicking Scott by the collar. In an instant Logan slashed his claws into the man and tossed him aside only to feel the second man with a gun charge at him. Turning around Logan pushed his claws into the man's abdomen causing his face to twist with agony and astonishment when he dropped down to the ground to join the other Logan had incapacitated moments earlier.
"Scott," Logan began watching Scott struggle to pull himself off of the ground. He stretched his arms out against the stone wall refusing to accept Logan's assistance when he raised his chin up only to meet Logan with a tight, agitated scowl.
"Logan, what are you doing? I specifically told you that…" Scott scowled preparing to lash out at Logan when Logan moved forward to collect Scott in his arms.
"I know what you said, but we don't have time to play around Cyke. Yuk's got it covered," Logan decided picking Scott up over his shoulder before he could argue further, "It's time to leave."
"But the others…" Scott frowned.
"They'll be safe, but we won't be just screwing around down here when it's clear you're injured," Logan explained turning on his heel to follow the path the others had taken to the building's dark exit.
"Logan, I'm fine. Just put me down!" Scott ordered wiggling in Logan's arms, "I'm not helpless. I don't need you to…"
"I realize that, but right now you don't have a choice. I'm getting you out of here because I'll be damned if I let anyone else keep you away from me again Scott," Logan announced moving faster with each breath he took in knowing that the man in his arms was no longer an illusion his mind had conjured up. Even with Scott angrily slung over Logan's shoulder the warmth of him radiated over Logan's skin causing him to realize how much he'd missed the connection between them, to think about how much he'd longed for the opportunity to hold him just once more only in his dreams Scott hadn't been hurting or angry, but rather wrapped up in the safety of his blankets and…
"Logan, I really don't need…" Scott's words were brought to a halt when the sound of guards behind them caused Scott to let out a pinched groan, "Damn it."
Before Logan could react he felt Scott reaching for the blindfold pulling it from his eyes as he let out a small grunting sound. Logan could feel Scott shift over his shoulder positioning himself for the maximum impact when Scott gripped onto Logan's shoulder tightly.
"Brace yourself Logan. This isn't like before. I don't know what will happen," Scott warned opening his eyelids to offer up a blast that immediately tore the ceiling down behind them. Unlike the other times when Scott was controlled in his blasts the force of it bounced off of the walls, causing a flash of spiraling red behind them when Logan noticed the stone wall around them glowing. He picked up the pace feeling the walls shake when the force of the blasts sent them both forward into the darkness with the walls crumbling behind them. The weight of the exploding building caused Logan to slam forward into the night. He landed on the grass out of control and off balance when Scott seemed surprised by his powers as well. He let out a small sound when Logan tumbled forward repositioning Scott in his arms so that Scott lay beneath him on the grass when they fell.
"You alright Slim?" Logan questioned after he'd braced himself on his elbows to keep from crushing Scott beneath him.
"I'm fine Logan," Scott explained behind pinched eyelids. He exhaled sharply, clearly uneasy about what had happened when Logan reached out to touch the side of Scott's face to wipe at the dried blood and dirt that had collected on his otherwise flawless flesh. He was paler than Logan had remembered with dark stubble over his hollow cheekbone indicating that he hadn't shaved in a while.
"You look like shit Slim," Logan frowned pushing the pad of his thumb over the center of Scott's mouth. He watched Scott's plump bottom lip sliding against the press in a scowl when Logan felt Scott tense up beneath him on the ground.
"You smell like it," Scott replied stiffly when Logan's fingers extended over his cheek again cupping Scott's face on the left side as he had before they'd parted ways, "Have you been spending your days in a bar?"
"No, more like hell," Logan leaned forward preparing to steal a taste of the lips he'd coveted for so very long when another alarm sounded in the distance.
"Logan, we've got to move," Scott frowned attempting to pull himself up off of the ground.
"Fine," Logan rolled off of Scott in an attempt to help him off of the ground, "I have your bike up on the hill over there and…"
"No," Scott shook his head firmly, "we have to join the others. We can't leave them on their own in the woods. They aren't safe on their own."
"They're fine Scott," Logan explained looking around for any sign of the others around them after they'd made their escape, "Yukio's with them."
"They're my responsibility Logan," Scott informed him firmly, "We go after them and make sure they find their way home."
"You're an impossible shit. You know that, right?" Logan rose to his feet and placed his hand on Scott's shoulder to help him off of the ground.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Scott attempted to stand upright when it was clear that his knee had taken more of an injury than he'd let on. Instead of waiting for Scott to tell him that he was fine again Logan took the initiative to reach out and hoist Scott over his shoulder once again without hesitation. It prompted another scowl from Scott as Logan spoke up again.
"My rules," Logan stated firmly, "We follow your plan, but we do it my way."
"Wow, some things never change do they?" Scott groaned outwardly when Logan set off in the direction he'd anticipated the others going in. He followed the scents he'd picked up in the cells as Scott seemed to relax in his arms.
"Not where you're concerned Slim," Logan promised making his way into the trees bound and determined to find their way to freedom with the others and to peace at long last, "never where you're concerned."
xxxxx
Teasing hints of daylight poured through the opening in the trees giving way to the light that surrounded the dense forest around Scott and Logan. It had been hours since they'd left the compound yet they still hadn't crossed paths with the others. It seemed the endless maze of trees were nothing more than a blur giving Logan time to think about Scott's uneasiness in being over Logan's shoulder. He'd protested long enough for Logan to finally set Scott down and guide him along the forest by holding onto his hand. In the past it might've been an uncomfortably intimate gesture they'd simply opted to bypass with one another. Now, however, it felt like the most natural thing in the world when Scott's slender fingers remained entwined in Logan's.
"This is ridiculous," Scott mouthed releasing his hold on Logan's fingers when he stopped moving with a grunt, "Surely we should've run into them by now. Something must be wrong. They must've found them and taken them back when…"
"Scott, they're safe," Logan attempted to put Scott's mind at ease when he turned around to see the scowl on Scott's face, "They know how important their escape was. Plus Yukio is the best at what she does."
"Most of them are far too weak to make it on their own," Scott pushed his hand up to wipe at his sweat covered brow, "They need us Logan. They need…"
"You need a moment to rest," Logan looked down to the blood over the front of Scott's shirt, "You've been pushing yourself too hard."
"Not hard enough," Scott argued preparing to take a step forward when a twig snapped underneath his footing causing him to lose his balance.
"Slim stop," Logan frowned reaching out to collect Scott in his arms again. When he felt Scott resist the embrace Logan simply squeezed his arms harder around Scott's waist to pull him in against his broad, muscular chest.
"Logan please," Scott opened his mouth to say something more, but instead was silenced by the feel of Logan's thick fingers sliding up into his cheekbone to coax Scott's mouth in a new direction.
"They're fine Scott, but you aren't," Logan reminded him pointedly.
"I'll survive," Scott answered stiffly when his dark lashes seemed to flutter even behind closed eyelids.
"You have no idea how good that sounds to me right now," Logan divulged pushing his fingers into Scott's unruly dark hair. He felt the soft bristling edges beneath his touch when Scott let out a long sigh.
"Logan, we really need to keep moving," Scott opened his mouth in protest only to have Logan grip onto him tighter than before.
"Can't we just have a minute to talk?" Logan questioned leaning in closer to Scott. In the light Scott looked even paler than his initial assessment. The dark bruising on his cheek seemed even worse than he'd imagined behind the shadows in the compound. Now it served as a reminder of the pain Scott had endured in their time apart, "Scott."
"What Logan?" Scott frowned pushing away from Logan before they could establish an air of intimacy between them. Staggering away from Logan in the maze of trees Scott let out a harsh exhale, "What do you want to talk about?"
"You, me," Logan threw his hands up in the air, "us."
"Us," Scott repeated with tension coiling through his body, "I don't know if now is really the time or the place to be discussing us when…"
"Why didn't you tell me that you were still alive?" Logan questioned bluntly when Scott leaned up against a tree, "Why lead me to believe you were gone?"
"Charles asked me to keep you out of this," Scott divulged quietly, "I was following an order…"
"A shitty order," Logan growled back at him.
"It was still an order and when Charles asks something of me…," Scott raised his chin up defiantly.
"You ignore logic and reason and dutifully go to the task," Logan mouthed with an air of distain in his voice, "To hell with what's right."
"It's something you could learn from me Logan. When you're given an order you don't argue. You simply do what's required of you and…" Scott backpedaled when his palm flattened out against the tree behind him.
"And what?" Logan snarled, "You leave the man you love to think that he's lost you? To think that you were dead all this time? Scott, do you have any idea what I've been through without you? Do you know the places I've been after you've been gone?"
"I'm sure you were just fine," Scott replied behind gritted teeth.
"Fine?" Logan repeated with a shake of his head, "Scott, I thought I'd lost you forever. I thought that Jean took you away from me and…"
"What difference did it make?" Scott questioned with an uneasiness ruling his words, "I was never part of the big picture for you anyway. It was always Jean you wanted, right?"
"I don't believe this," Logan threw his hands up in the air and groaned, "Is that what you really believe? That I was only with you because I couldn't have her?"
"We made no illusion about what we were," Scott bit down on his lower lip fighting to suppress the words that worked their way into his mind.
"You're right," Logan frowned, "We didn't which is why this conversation is completely ludicrous. To think for a second that you believe the only reason I was with you was because…"
"I don't blame you for wanting her," Scott answered with a distance in his voice, "I know how intoxicating she is. I spent most of my life loving and needing only her Logan. She was everything to me."
"I know she was," Logan watched as Scott shuddered again, "She was a special woman."
"She healed me for so long, but now…" Scott's words tapered off when darkness carried over his features.
"What?" Logan questioned watching Scott's throat bounce with emotion.
"I'm empty," Scott answered painfully, "A part of me is gone and I know it's not ever going to come back Logan. She took that with her when she died. She made sure of that."
"No," Logan shook his head firmly, "I refuse to believe that Scott. I know that there are still so many questions between us, but as for Jean…"
"I failed her. I disappointed her and she let me know it," Scott informed him stiffly, "She hated me for what I did and left me to face the consequences of my actions."
"What did she do to you?" Logan questioned lowering his voice, "Where did you go?"
"Nowhere," Scott answered with a shrug, "There was nothing left of me when I found her again. She took me with her."
"You're right here Scott," Logan reminded him with a frown, "I know that it's been a while, but seeing you before me…"
"I'm not the man I once was. I don't know if I can ever be that man again," Scott added somberly, "When Jean left me I changed Logan. Everything changed."
Scott fell to silence turning his head to the side and keeping his eyes closed tightly. He reached up to fold his arms over the center of his chest when a shudder carried over his body. It was then that Logan's eyes were drawn to the blood on his clothing. He could see the red marks around his wrists and the bruises on his arms when it dawned on him what Scott must've endured in his time in captivity. Softening his tone Logan stepped forward attempting to reach out to Scott again.
"Scott…" Logan opened his mouth to say something more when his heart ached for the man he loved before him broken and bruised in ways Logan couldn't even begin to imagine.
"Don't," Scott spoke up defiantly bringing his hands out to prevent Logan from touching him, "I don't want your pity Logan. I don't want you to do this."
"Do what?" Logan questioned watching as Scott shivered before him.
"I don't want you to feel sorry for me," Scott answered firmly, "I don't deserve it. People were hurt because of my actions and now…"
"Now you're dwelling in misery because it's the one thing you desperately cling to Scott," Logan frowned back at him, "Instead of being grateful that you're alive you're ready to fall right back into that pattern that you were in before all because it's easier than being with me."
"Easier?" Scott questioned with a tight scowl, "Do you think any of this is easy on me Logan?"
"Of course not," Logan threw his hands up in the air, "because you have a tendency to make things difficult when they don't have to be considering that…"
"Jean's dead. Charles is in a coma and I'm…" Scott stopped himself when he took in an uneasy breath. He shifted on his feet causing him to wince when he pushed his chin up defiantly once again, "I'm on a mission. People are depending on me to save them and if I don't…"
"Then someone else will," Logan frowned reaching out to touch the side of Scott's face in spite of Scott's agitation. In an instant he felt Scott's hand slide up over his attempting to push Logan away with a grunt, but it only further prompted Logan to hold on tighter, to keep Scott caged between him and the tree when Logan's lips came crashing down over Scott's in a rough, predatory sweep. At first Scott resisted pushing his hand out into Logan's abdomen in a halfhearted attempt to shove him away, but soon Scott's fingers were firmly embedded in Logan's unruly hair pulling him closer. With each breath their mouths fused together locked in a battle for dominance until Scott's lips parted finally inviting Logan inside. With each eager taste Logan found himself on fire longing for the way he'd felt so long ago when Scott had been his for the taking ready to immerse himself in temptation. Instinctively Logan dropped one hand down over Scott's hip coaxing Scott to wrap his leg around Logan's body. Pushing forward Logan ground his hips in against Scott hoping to prove to Scott just how much he'd still needed him when Scott let out a small wince indicating that his injured leg couldn't take the positioning.
"Damn," Scott cursed as Logan released him opting instead to coax Scott to lean up against the tree again, "I think that guard dislocated my knee."
"Let me take a look Slim," Logan suggested feeling Scott tense up before him when Logan reached out to touch his face, "please."
Scott nodded arching his head back when Logan reached for the waistband on Scott's pants. He felt Scott tense up expelling a sharp breath when Logan coaxed the pants down over his hips to reveal the bruising that carried upon his skin. There were cuts and burn marks on his thigh stealing the soft warmth of his skin away in favor of deep, painful looking wounds. With each pull of the fabric down over Scott's thin body Logan revealed a rainbow array of tortures that Scott had endured knowing only too well that Scott hadn't deserved any of them. Kneeling down in front of Scott, Logan arched his head up seeing Scott was biting his lower lip when Logan noticed Scott's kneecap in an unnatural positioning a few inches higher than it should've been.
"Scott, it needs to be…" Logan frowned feeling Scott tense up before him when Logan ran his fingers over Scott's skin in a tender brush.
"Just do it Logan," Scott ordered curling his fingers into the tree behind him. He squeezed his eyelids shut tighter than before when Logan focused on Scott's leg. He couldn't help, but shudder in realizing just how thin Scott had become. His body was far from what it had once been after the torture he'd endured, yet as Logan thought about the pain Scott was experiencing he knew he would find a way to fix it somehow.
"It's not going to feel pleasant Slim," Logan replied raising his chin up to watch Scott's expression. He knew Scott was attempting to prepare himself for the worst, to act as if the pain he'd endured wouldn't shake him up any further as Logan's fingers tapered off over Scott's inner thigh determined to take a new path in his investigations.
"Logan, what are you…?" Scott gulped down harder than before as Logan's lips carried over Scott's bare thigh, gently teasing over the bruised skin in a loving press.
"Shh…" Logan whispered rising up on his knees to kiss Scott's hip with fingers easing up over Scott's naked form. Sliding his arms around Scott's body he stretched his fingers out over Scott's bottom gently squeezing at his flesh to pull him in closer. The movement caused Scott to grunt inwardly, his stomach falling concave when his teeth sank into his lower lip in anticipation. Even with pain on his mind there was no denying the arousal that Logan had ignited in Scott as Scott's hardened flesh was revealed to him beautifully unscathed much to Logan's relief. A small kiss over Scott's hip gave Logan the opportunity to take in the other scents upon Scott each one revealing a torture he'd endured, but none that Logan was convinced Scott couldn't recover from.
"My leg," Scott offered up impatiently when Logan pressed a kiss over his naval, "Logan, please just do it."
"I love you," Logan whispered pulling back just long enough to search Scott's twisted features for a moment before he reached for Scott's leg knowing only too well that being brave certainly wasn't going to kill the pain for Scott. However, with the path out of the forest ahead of them Logan knew there was only one option for the both of them. Reaching for Scott's kneecap he took in a breath before speaking up behind gritted teeth, "I'm sorry for this Slim."
"Fuck!" Scott shouted when Logan pushed his kneecap back into place with a snap. The movement caused Scott to tense up and arch into the tree overtaken with sensation. He cried out keeping his eyes closed tightly against his natural instincts to offer up a release. Instead his fingers simply dug deeper into the bark of the tree, his breathing growing heavier with each passing second until Logan felt Scott fall limp in his arms.
"Scott," Logan questioned rising up to collect Scott in his arms when it was clear that Scott had passed out, "Damn it."
Looking around the trees Logan could sense the wind picking up around them when he repositioned Scott in his arms. He raised his head up attempting to look at the sky when he caught a glimpse of the storm clouds overhead indicating that the storm Holly had been speaking up was on the horizon.
"Hold on," Logan whispered realizing that perhaps it was time to get moving again before things spiraled too far out of control around them.
xxxxx
"No!" Scott shouted pulling himself upright on the stone surface beneath him when the nightmare had pulled him from his slumber. With his fingers stretched out on the ground beneath him he could feel the cold ridges beneath him indicating that he was still trapped in his cell. Everything that he'd experienced in his escape had been nothing more than an illusion it seemed as he felt the ground beneath him broken and hard against his touch. It seemed as if everything he'd hoped to have come about had been for nothing when he felt a small tug at his waist coaxing him back onto the ground again.
"Hey," Logan's voice whispered as Scott found himself suddenly surrounded by the strong, solid feel of Logan's arms around his back, squeezing at his waist to hold Scott securely against his chest, "you're safe."
"Where…where are we?" Scott questioned with a shudder when he found himself leaning in against Logan. His leg was propped up on Logan's thigh, carefully positioned to prevent him from feeling the pain he'd remembered in his dream, yet with Logan's hand pressed firmly against the small of his back he attempted to fall to ease again.
"In a cave," Logan replied kissing the top of his head in a comforting movement, "There was a storm outside after you passed out and…"
"My knee," Scott realized thinking about all they'd endured on their escape from the prison he'd been held in, "You pushed my knee back into place and…"
"You passed out on me," Logan finished curling his arm around Scott's waist tighter than before, "For a minute there I figured you'd be out all night on me, but now…"
"I'm sorry," Scott apologized drawing in a breath, "I didn't mean to pass out. I was just…"
"In pain," Logan replied knowingly, "I understand Scott."
"Do you?" Scott questioned raising his chin up as if somehow he could see Logan through the darkness that surrounded him. However, in knowing that he hadn't had his glasses he simply resigned himself to the moment in feeling Logan's hands upon him.
"More than you can imagine," Logan paused when Scott sensed a hesitation in his voice, "I've changed in a lot of ways as well when you were gone Slim."
"Logan," Scott opened his mouth to say something more, but stopped short when another thought carried over him, "Who's Yukio?"
"I met her in Alaska," Logan replied simply, "I spent some time with her in Japan when…"
"Japan," Scott repeated uncomfortably twisting on the floor of the cave, "You were in Japan?"
"That's right," Logan answered offering his hand to Scott. He laced their fingers together before speaking up again, "I spent some time over there after I thought I'd lost you. I needed to get away."
"I understand," Scott nodded, "With everything that happened I realize that…"
"No," Logan reached out to touch Scott's face again, "you don't realize Scott. After I was forced to kill Jean I couldn't live with myself. I couldn't stay there knowing that…"
"Don't," Scott frowned, "I don't want to talk about this."
"I realize that, but…" Logan began again when Scott tensed up over him.
"Did she suffer?" Scott questioned when it was evident his thoughts were of the woman he'd once loved.
"No," Logan answered stiffly, "It was what she wanted after she'd hurt so many people."
"I don't believe that," Scott frowned, "Jean wouldn't want to die. She didn't want that. She would want to live and be happy. She would want…"
"I had no other choice," Logan explained drawing in a breath, "I'd thought that she'd killed you and Chuck and…"
"She tried," Scott divulged painfully, "She wanted to—at least a part of her did, but then when I was there on the ground feeling everything inside of me falling apart there was this light and then…"
"What?" Logan questioned.
"I woke up in Alaska at a hospital about six months ago," Scott explained with uneasiness in his tone, "I had no memory of the man that I was. I was simply an unknown until the moment I opened my eyes and…"
"And what?" Logan questioned feeling Scott tense up over him.
"Nothing," Scott admitted painfully, "Nothing happened."
"What do you mean nothing happened?" Logan replied when Scott felt the brush of fingers against the side of his face, "Scott?"
"I mean…" Scott bit down on his bottom lip, "Nothing happened."
"You keep saying that, but that doesn't make any sense considering that…" Logan's words came to an abrupt ending when Scott took in an uneasy breath. He cleared his throat, turning his head away from where Logan was. His pulse began to race, his thoughts getting the best of him when he squeezed his own fingers in against his thigh.
"There are things that I still don't understand Logan. Even with what happened when we were leaving the slaughterhouse," Scott gulped down harder than before, "I don't know how I was able to do that considering that I've only been able to use my powers two other times since I've awakened because…"
"Because what?" Logan inquired curling his bicep around Scott's body again when Scott nervously fluttered his eyelashes.
"They're gone," Scott whispered tensing up as he slowly turned around to face Logan again through the darkness. Shaking against Logan he felt his eyes focus for the first time in the last few weeks on the hazy shadows around them. He trembled fearing what could happen when he remembered the situation back at the slaughterhouse when his powers had burst out from within out of control and wild in their execution. Now, however, all he had were the shadows and the black around him met by the lines of Logan's face.
"Scott, are you saying that…?" Logan questioned squeezing Scott in closer to him.
"I don't know how I was able to use them at the slaughterhouse like that because even when I will myself to try all I end up with is," Scott paused when Logan came into focus over him, "this."
"Scott," Logan gasped, his lips parting to display the mouth that Scott had known by sensation alone for the time they'd been together. Now, however, it was revealed to him cloaked in shadows and darkness as Logan shifted Scott in his arms. He rolled Scott onto his back guiding Scott over the cave's bottom when Logan twisted up on his arms to lean over Scott, "are you saying that…?"
"I'm not myself anymore," Scott explained with a small shudder, "I haven't been since she left me and now…"
"But at the slaughterhouse…" Logan touched the side of Scott's face, "I saw what you did and…"
"I can't explain it. I've been trying to use my powers for months Logan. Charles thinks I have some kind of mental block that's preventing me from returning to what I once was. He thinks if I can work through it somehow, then they'll return to me," Scott informed him with a sigh, "I've only been met by them sporadically before today. The first time they returned to me I still had no idea who I was. I was in a grocery store picking up a few things and I damn near took the cashier's head off."
"And the second time?" Logan questioned when Scott let out a long sigh.
"Right before the others were taken from the camp," Scott divulged closing his eyes again, "Charles and I were working through what's been happening. He was inside of my head trying to isolate what was keeping me from using my powers poking around and then it happened. After that though…I told myself if I could just focus enough to get a handle on them…"
"You used them today," Logan noted as Scott let out a long sigh.
"I know," Scott replied, "but when I tried earlier it wasn't happening for me. I wasn't able to use them. Granted the people who had taken us weren't aware of that, which is why they had me blindfolded, but a part of me wonders if Jean did this to punish me. Or maybe she was trying to help me. I don't know."
"Jean loved you Scott," Logan replied keeping Scott close to him, "In spite of what happened to her, you were her world."
"I know," Scott nodded poignantly, "and she was mine Logan. I would've done anything to spare her the fate that fell upon her. I just wanted her to be back again for so very long, yet…"
"She wasn't herself when she returned," Logan offered up sympathetically.
"I know," Scott replied quietly, "I realized that at Alkali Lake, but by the time I figured it out it was too late and…"
"Scott?" Logan watched Scott shudder when a breath fell from his lips.
"When I realized who I was I kept replaying that day in my mind," Scott divulged turning his attention to Logan, "Starting with that morning when I walked out on you. The night before I'd been haunted by her, hearing her voice inside my head, but instead of talking about it with you I ran away. I refused to work through what was happening and…"
"So did I," Logan sighed, "You can't blame yourself for everything Scott because I was just as responsible as you were in the way we ended. I should've gone after you. I should've tried to make you stay instead of saying what I did and…"
"Jean knew about us," Scott whispered choked up on his emotions when he tipped his head to the side to look at Logan again, "She told me as much at the lake when she kissed me. There were so many things happening inside of her at the time, but right before she took everything from me she said that she didn't blame us for moving on. She said that she understood that we needed one another and…"
"Jean only wanted you to be happy Scott," Logan explained when Scott let out a long sigh, "You were so important to her Scott."
"She was my first love," Scott mouthed closing his eyes again, "She was special Logan and when we lost her…"
"I know," Logan nodded thinking about the woman who had haunted his dreams, "but at the same time she would want you to be happy. She wanted you safe."
"I'd like to think so, but at the same time…" Scott stopped himself when he forced himself to look at Logan again, "She's been speaking to me in my dreams. I see her almost every night Logan."
"Me too Slim," Logan divulged sliding in closer to Scott, "In her own way I think she was trying to tell me that you were still out there. For so long I believed that you were gone—that somehow the only way to be with you again was to find a way to end it all. After I lost you I had no reason anymore. There was no point in being around at the school or anywhere else for that matter."
"Are you saying that?" Scott's eyes widened with surprise.
"I damn near lost it all," Logan confessed with a shake of his head, "I didn't mind the idea of it either, but then when Jean told me that she was alone it did something to me. At first my mind didn't want to process it, but then after the nightmares grew more intense… Scott, I think in her own way Jean wanted me to find you here. She wanted me to save you from all of this and…"
"She told me that you were coming to me Logan," Scott added unable to mask the thoughts that carried over him, "In my dreams she told me that you were on your way to rescue me. She found the idea in itself to be amusing considering that I've always said I wasn't in need of rescuing. She told me not to be stubborn about it like I've always been. She told me not to run from it any longer."
"Run from it?" Logan replied turning his attention to Scott's full, lush lips.
"From us Logan," Scott reached out to press his fingertips over the bristling strands of hair across Logan's cheek, "even in all the regret and guilt I felt over how things played out Jean was telling me not to let go of what we have. Deep down I knew that I didn't want to, but after all that happened I was just so afraid to show you what I was and…"
"You're beautiful Slim. How could you fear sharing this with me?" Logan questioned watching as Scott's long, dark eyelashes fluttered once again.
"I don't even know what I am now, so the idea of explaining it to you of all people had me inside of myself wondering if…" Scott paused shaking the thought, "It doesn't matter anymore, does it?"
"Not with you beside me. You should never have to feel like you have to hide what you are from me Scott. Your eyes are blue, aren't they?" Logan mused sliding his thumb over the indent in Scott's cheekbone.
"Yes, but…" Scott's words were brought to an end when Logan leaned forward to press a kiss over the center of Scott's forehead, "Logan…"
"They're beautiful," Logan whispered when his lips tapered off over Scott's right eyelid. His mouth teased over the warm and inviting skin before he repeated the movement over the left eyelid as well.
"I wanted to tell you, but at the same time…" Scott tensed up again, "I was afraid of what could happen if I wasn't careful. I've been keeping myself safe from the moment I found Charles again. I've been pretending everything was fine because if my powers returned to me around the others and I hurt any of them…"
"You can't hurt me Scott," Logan promised cupping Scott's face in his hands, "You should know by now that isn't a possibility."
"I'm dangerous Logan," Scott whispered reluctantly opening his eyes to reveal the fear brewing behind them, "Before I knew what to expect, but now I'm a loose cannon. I'm…"
"Vulnerable which I know is incredibly hard for you to be," Logan noted dipping down to kiss Scott tenderly. The movement was unexpected, yet welcoming as Scott stretched his arm out around Logan's shoulders to hold him closer.
"It's not a position I relish being in," Scott murmured against Logan's lips. The words buzzed over his skin causing Logan's flesh to form goose bumps when his left hand pressed upon Scott's hip in a tender gesture.
"I know that," Logan noted dropping kisses over the side of Scott's neck.
"Yet you're enjoying it, aren't you?" Scott questioned with a sigh when Logan's fingers pushed in underneath the bloodied shirt Scott's captors had given him.
"I've never enjoyed watching you suffer unless it was at my hand," Logan teased with a wink when he pushed himself up on his elbows to look down at Scott, "I'm just happy that you're still alive Slim."
"We have to save Charles," Scott mouthed when his brow creased with tension, "What they did to him can be reversed. There's a cure to what they did that I was planning on locating and…"
"You let yourself get captured on purpose, didn't you?" Logan frowned pulling away from the kiss only to see Scott's jaw flex with determination.
Scott nodded, "I wasn't planning on them taking the others, but I knew if I found my way inside, then I'd be able to locate a cure for Charles and…"
"They hurt you Scott," Logan snarled rolling onto his side away from Scott, "They could've killed you and…"
"They didn't," Scott explained pointedly, "They gave me the information that I needed and…"
"And nothing," Logan frowned, "What you did was stupid and reckless and…"
"It got the job done," Scott replied reaching into the pocket of his pants to pull out a small paper he'd kept tucked inside of it for the last couple of days, "I have what I needed."
"What is that?" Logan inquired giving Scott a long look.
"It's the formula for the cure," Scott replied with a small smile, "and now that I have it we can work on bringing Charles around. We can get moving on it and…"
"Scott, do you have any idea how dangerous this was to do on your own? Allowing yourself to be taken captive was…" Logan chastised with a frown.
"About as reckless as never listening to any of my orders or attacking a guard and breaking into a place where they were on high alert for mutants," Scott wiggled his brow suggestively at Logan, "Tell me something Logan. Did you think I wouldn't notice the fact that you reek of garlic and onions? Even without being able to see you I could tell which guard you took that uniform from and…"
"Slim…" Logan began again only to be met by a frown.
"We can save Charles. The others are free and now," Scott pushed his fingers up into Logan's shoulder to squeeze at the muscled flesh, "maybe we can work towards healing together. Jean would want that."
"I want that," Logan moved in to kiss Scott again. Through the darkness he could see Scott's bruised cheek when he pulled back, "but if you're hurt I don't want to…"
"The most agony I've endured is in imagining that I'd have to spend a life without you," Scott whispered wrapping Logan in his arms as their kisses grew in intensity taking a life of their own with the storm surrounding them.
Silently their hands charted the same paths they'd taken with one another long ago, touching one another with the same warmth and eagerness that had been present the first time they'd been together. Rolling onto his back Logan pulled Scott over him never breaking the contact between them. Their kisses grew in intensity expanding beyond what was familiar into need when Logan's hand pressed in over Scott's hip. He squeezed gently while falling back onto the floor with Scott over him. He watched as Scott pulled his shirt up over his head to reveal the far too frail looking torso of the man Logan had longed for. The sight in itself caused Logan to feel a shudder upon him, but he held back simply reaching out to pull Scott to him in another kiss.
"I love you," Scott whispered against Logan's mouth. Logan ran his hands up and down over Scott's spine imprinting each contour to his memory, every taste to his mind in order to hold onto the moment forever.
"I love you too Slim," Logan growled squeezing Scott closer to him in knowing that at long last he'd found his way home after years of misery and loneliness believing that he'd spend his life alone. Now with Scott in his arms kissing him and holding onto him he knew that for the first time in a long time everything was going to be alright. Somehow everything would find a way to work itself out even with the changes they'd endured along the way.