A/N: After the prologue I kinda felt I owed Logan a more detailed account of his demise, plus I thought this was a better introduction to Erik.

SAFETY IS WHERE THE HEART IS

CHAPTER 1

Crouched awkwardly behind an overturned desk in a warehouse back office somewhere near the docks, Logan hissed in pain, the sudden burning sensation in his shoulder making him drop his phone, breaking it into three pieces as it bounced off the concrete floor. The bullet had only grazed him. A warning shot. Warning him of what, he wasn't entirely sure, he already knew he was a dead man walking.

"Toss the gun and come out with your hands behind your head Logan." A heavily accented Russian voice called out.

Logan stared down at the weapon in his lap and sighed. What the Hell, he'd just emptied his last clip anyway, it was no good to him now, unless maybe he threw it at someone and what would that get him? Dead five minutes sooner, that's what it would get him. He didn't see an upside.

Grumbling under his breath he reached out and tossed the useless hunk of metal to one side. It clattered loudly as it hit the ground, bouncing a couple of times before landing more or less at the Russian's feet. The fed stood up then, hands clasped firmly behind his head as he'd been told and stepped out from behind the desk.

"You gonna shoot a defenceless man Azazel? Didn't take you for the type." He deadpanned. His ever present dry humour wholly inappropriate given his current situation yet it was comforting in it's familiarity, it made him feel like himself, like a real person, something he hadn't felt like in a very long time.

"Silence traitor." The Russian spat. Logan rolled his eyes.

Azazel kicked the gun towards his colleague who retrieved it immediately and tucked into his belt, then he waved his own gun at Logan.

"Outside. Mr Shaw is waiting."

Logan was shooed through the door by his former associates and marched at gunpoint back through the warehouse, eyes instinctively scanning his surroundings, alert to any possible dangers, wondering how far he'd get if he decided to make a break for it. Not that he thought he had any chance of getting out of this alive, he'd already made his peace with death but fuck it, there was no why reason why he couldn't spend the last few minutes of his life making theirs more difficult was there? It was an idle thought though, one he dismissed almost as soon as it came to him. Shaw's men were everywhere, and they were crack shot's, he wouldn't get more than a few yards before one of them picked him off, hardly a challenge really. Besides, as much as he hated the idea of going without a fight, he hated the idea of being just another random unidentified corpse even more. If he was going to die, he wasn't going to do it here, riddled with bullets and left to rot in some abandoned shit-hole where no one would even bother to look. No, if he was going to die he was going to do it on his knees, with his hands behind his head and a single bullet to the brain execution style, left in plain sight as a warning to others who might betray Sebastian fucking Shaw. At least that way Marie would know what happened to him.

Through the main door, out into the parking lot and Logan was on his knees thanks to an unnecessarily vicious kick from Azazel who remained at his side, blocking the last remaining possible escape route. He looked up, squinting slightly against the moonlight. Shaw stood barely an arms length away from him, flanked by two armed bodyguards. One he recognised as Janos, like Azazel a former colleague, and like Azazel a man who's friendship he'd carefully cultivated as part of his cover. The other he didn't know though he looked vaguely familiar. He wondered which one of these men, not Shaw, he wouldn't want to get his hands dirty but the other three, would be his executioner.

Erik Lehnsher fixed his gaze on the man kneeling before him and half frowned. They guy looked oddly calm even in the face of a pissed off Sebastian Shaw, a trio of gun barrels and impending death. It was more than a little unnerving and he wasn't sure why. It wasn't like Agent James Howlett Logan was the first fed he'd ever stared down. Logan wasn't the first guy he'd ever aimed his gun at either and he wouldn't be the first guy he'd ever killed. No, Erik had killed before, more times than he could count… or wanted to count… whatever. Yet for some reason, right now, his gut was twisting itself into knots. It was the guys eyes he decided giving him another hard look. Something about the guys eyes sat wrong with him. Shouldn't there be fear in the eyes of a man who knew he was about to die, shouldn't there be regret?

He was shaken from his thoughts by the sound of Shaw's voice, echoing in the night air.

"Logan, Logan, Logan." Shaw said, shaking his head. "I'm very disappointed in you."

"I'm devastated." Logan huffed sarcastically. Shaw ignored him.

"No. Disappointed doesn't even begin to describe it. You broke my heart Logan. I trusted you, took you into my home, treated you like family. And the whole time you were a federal agent. You were spying on me. How could you do that to me Logan?"

It was a rhetorical question.

"Ya know it wasn't as hard as ya might think." The fed sneered, earning himself another kick from Azazel, to the ribs this time. Erik heard a sickening crunch and Logan snarled through his teeth, obviously fighting the urge to cry out in pain. "That all ya got?" He asked defiantly. Azazel kicked him again and Erik wondered how in the Hell the guy managed to keep his hands were they were and not crumple to the ground. "Christ! Enough with the love taps already." He spat. "Thought ya were supposed to be hurting me."

Shaw shot the Russian a look Erik couldn't quite read from where he stood, one that effectively halted any further kicks, then he knelt in front of the fed.

"I can't deny the idea of hurting you holds a great deal of appeal to me right now. But I'm a busy man, as you well know. I don't currently have the time to indulge in such pleasures and waiting until I do have time is unfortunately not an option. You're a threat Logan, one that needs eliminating as quickly as possible. Consider yourself lucky. Your death will be quick and relatively painless."

He turned now to Erik, his gaze utterly devoid of emotion.

"Tell me Erik." He said coolly. "How would you like a permanent position within my organisation?"

"Very much Sir. It would be a great honour."Shaw nodded.

"Yes. Yes, it would." He paused momentarily and turned his gaze back to Logan, where it remained for sometime before returning to Erik. "Kill him." He ordered.

Erik swallowed thickly and took aim. He really didn't want to see the man's face, didn't want to see whatever emotion or lack thereof was in his eyes but he was drawn, in spite of himself, he couldn't look away, though he desperately wished he could because what he saw shocked him to his core. There was no fear in Agent Logan's eyes, no regret, no sadness, only acceptance and… something else. Something that looked like… forgiveness.

He was acutely aware that he was being watched, that he was being tested and judged and he fought to control the faint tremor in his hand. He knew what was expected of him, knew what he had to do and what the consequences would be if he failed, but for a brief moment he wasn't sure he could bring himself to do it.

Then Logan looked at him and gave an almost imperceptible nod, as if he was giving his permission, and Erik shoved his conscience aside and pulled the trigger. Logan was dead before he hit the ground.

Erik didn't have time to contemplate what he'd just done or how he felt about it before he felt Shaw's presence at his side.

"Azazel, Janos, be sure to leave Agent Logan's body somewhere quite public." He ordered his men. "It wouldn't do for my warning to go unnoticed." He clapped a firm hand on Erik's shoulder then and grinned. "Congratulations Erik. You just became the newest member of my personal security team."

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