Disclaimer : I own none of the X-Men characters, save for Ilehana Xavier and Stifle. Blaze belongs to Lamby. Apologies in advance for any insults to your character, this is A/U after all!!! Rating is for… well, you'll see.

A/N : Thanks for the reviews. I've really enjoyed writing this so far so onwards!

What Might Have Been, Chapter 4

The small hours were well into dawn when the Vixen pulled the bike up in front of the Xavier mansion. She did not switch off the engine, but let it idle as Logan clambered from the bitch-pad, almost delighting in the aches that ate at him after the long ride. He had to admit, she controlled the bike better than even he did, and that there could only be one ride better than that motorbike… A few less than subtle hints had been offered in that direction, like when she had slid her way round in front of him, wrapping her long legs about his waist. Her hands, from being linked behind his neck, had stroked his jaw line, down his neck and across his shoulders. She'd leant in to whisper his mutant name, Wolverine, in his ear. The softness of her breath in his ear made him shiver, and then she was nipping gently at his neck and ear, her hands caressing his chest and stroking his back… He was grateful that the wind had reddened his cheeks already so that she would not see his blush. She seemed to sense his thought though, as she reached a hand out to his belt buckle and pulled him close.

"Nice ride." She murmured huskily, and did not baulk when he bent to kiss her. Her lips were warm and moist, her tongue darting with his. She kept one hand one his belt, the other arm hooked about his waist even as he put one large hand at the base of her neck, the other running up her side from her hip to caress her breast.

"Nice of you to put in an appearance Logan." Scott added petulantly, causing the two to break apart. He was stood in the front door way, in boxers and a loosely fastened towelling dressing gown. "The Professor's been asking for you for hours."

"He knew how to reach me if it was that urgent." Logan turned to Scott with a scowl on his rugged features. His anger at the interruption only grew when the Vixen revved the bike's engine and pulled away far enough to turn the machine. She pulled up in front of the two men and offered Logan a sly smile.

"Catch ya later, handsome." She caught his hand and absurdly kissed his knuckles, her tongue flicking the skin seductively. He couldn't help the shiver that struck him, but he also noticed that her dark gaze was not on him, but on Scott. Logan scowled at Cyclops and pulled his hand away from the Vixen, shoving both hands into his jeans pockets.

"Maybe." He pushed his way past Scott and entered the house, storming up the stairs and into his room. Logan threw himself onto the bed, crossing his arms behind his head and heaving a great sigh borne of the tension he had been feeling all afternoon, of tiredness, and now of confusion. Definite history between Cyc and the girl, of that he was sure, but what, and when? Was Scott cheating on Jean? The thought made Logan irrationally furious, despite the number of times he had dreamed of her betraying Scott with him. He rolled off the bed onto his feet and went over to the window. He lifted the sash a few inches and leaned close to listen.

"… long past." Scott was saying, his voice fraught with denial. The Vixen had turned the engine of her motorbike off; their voices were loud in the morning's stillness to his accentuated hearing.

"You're saying you saw me today for the first time in years… and you feel nothing?"

"Not nothing." Scott's tone switched to anger. "Anger, pain, regret… what more do you want from me? You left here without a word…"

"Hardly without a word." Scorn racked the Vixen's tone. "So you were deaf to me as well as blind, Scott? Did I mean so little to you?"

"You were everything to me! My friend, my sister, my soul-mate…"

"Your lover." She laughed coldly, and Logan heard the crunch of gravel as she paced in front of Scott.

"One night." He dismissed it coldly. "One night that was a mistake…"

"Your mistake, Scott. What was it? Callous cruelty, that you could seduce me, and the next morning leave me sleeping while you went of sniffing after Jean? Or some noble thought of a parting gift?" Darkness seeped through her tone, and anger so white hot as to chill Logan to the core… what Scott must be thinking he had no idea…

"I never meant… I loved you Ilehana…" Scott's voice petered out, his protest muted as she rode over his words with a denial of her human name so colourful that Logan cringed visibly, glad that he was not in Cyc's boots at that moment. In the silence that followed, Logan gently closed the window. He had heard enough.

She glared at him, blue-grey eyes boring into his, her gaze packed full of the venom and power that darkened her soul. She stepped forward, her stride full of an intensity that made Scott step back hurriedly. He knew that if it came to a fight, he could not hurt her. His words had been true, at one time, not so long ago, he had loved this woman as both sister and friend, and who could not be attracted to her? Her hair had been longer then, almost always tied back in a soft but functional pony-tail, and he could never quite shake the image of her golden locks fanned out across his pillow as her hands gripped his shoulders, her lips mouthing his name silently as she shuddered blissfully beneath him… and some while later, the softness and warmth of her, her body nestled perfectly with his. He could have loved her forever, were it not for Jean…

"So I did mean something to you…" Her tone was soft, almost regretful as she read his memories. She stepped up close to him, one hand resting on his arm, almost but not quite drawing him towards her. Her lips met his, a gentle, healing kiss. For a moment, Scott stood frozen then found himself answering her kiss with his own, only to have her pull away with a dark and soundless laugh. Stepping away, she shrugged carelessly and straddled the bike again. The roar of the engine springing back to life just failed to mask her parting words. "Guess it was your loss."

And so Scott was left standing, half-dressed and aching, in the chill of the dawns air on the steps of his home. He watched the bike pull away from the school, and not without regret. Yet he frowned as he heard the sound of a second engine join the first, two bikes roaring away into the distance…