AN: As always, sorry it took me so long. Midterms happened. Also, I went back and tweaked chapter 9 a bit, it hadn't turned out the way I had initially wanted. Hopefully this time is better.

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Logan sat at the foot of the bed, alternating between watching the steady rise and fall of his lover's chest as she slept and staring into space as he once again gathered his thoughts. A full six weeks had passed since the screeching door had opened, last and in that time Logan had nothing to show from his endless search for a way to escape except for an increasingly strong headache and a growing sense that something was not as it should be. Both he and Selene were ill at ease as they speculated at the reasoning behind the break in their captors' intervention, but Logan sensed something more.

'On top of it all,' Logan thought irritably, 'something here isn't sitting right in my nose and now there's that damn noise.'

The noise had been plaguing Logan for a week or so now. The constant high-pitched hum was nearly inaudible at first, but had grown a little louder over the week. The most irritating part was that it would fade in and out of his perception. He could only hear it if he concentrated, but even if he focused on it it would fade in and out as he paced the cell.

'That's it. I'm going to figure out where the hell that noise is coming from' he decided.

Logan spent the next half hour investigating every corner of the cell, trying to figure out where the irritating hum was coming from. With a frustrating sigh, he sat on the edge of the bed and gave up his search. His thoughts drifted for a moment, then the noise came back in full force, humming louder than he had ever heard it (even though it was still only the faintest sound, inaudible to the average human ear). He focused on it, shifting ever so slowly towards the hum. He crouched on the ground, investigating under the bed as he continued to near the source.

Finally, after days of frustration, he knew he finally had it. He brought his head back to the top of the bed, expecting to find some camera or chip, but he saw nothing but Selene's resting form.

'No,' he thought with frustration, 'no, it should be right here. Whatever the hell it is, it should be here.'

He took a steadying breath and concentrated again. He could hear Selene's rhythmic breathing, he brought his focus down and could hear the steady beat of her heart, and a little farther down he-… he could hear her heart? Her heart.

Logan's face froze in shock, his eyes locked on the sleeping form of his lover.

'It fits.' He thought in wonder. 'They haven't taken us back yet, the humming, the-' he inhaled deeply, 'the new scent. It's…'

Selene stirred then. Her heavy eyes lifted and she immediately knew something was wrong. From what the dinner plate-sized sphere of her blurry vision allowed, she saw Logan kneeling on the floor staring straight ahead.

"Logan? Logan, what's wrong?"

"I can hear the heartbeat." He said, astonishment locking his voice in a choked whisper.

"The heartbeat? You mean…"

Logan, finally finding the strength to move, placed his hand gently on her still flat abdomen.

Selene's thoughts whirred through her mind. Momentary glimpses, ideas of what may be. A dark-haired child played in the back yard. An innocent smile was ripped away and replaced by screams behind the screeching door. A future that could never be tormented her as it was replaced by the inevitable.

This was her child. This was their child. She had only learned of its existence a moment ago, but she already loved the new life in her womb more than she could have imagined. Could she find a way? Could she find some way to protect her child from the unimaginable fate that awaited it? And even if there was a way, could she go through with it? Could she really destroy the life within her, even if it meant protecting it from a fate worse than death?

Selene's whirlwind of thoughts paused for a brief moment of clarity. What did Logan think of all this? She didn't want to ask this, she never wanted to bring this subject up again, but she had no other choice.

"Logan?" she murmured, "I… I need to ask you something. It's so terrible, but I need to know."

"Just ask."

She took his hand, turning it over in her own, tracing her fingertips along the silhouette of his claws. "When they did this to you… that is, if you had known beforehand, would you… would you rather have lived through that pain, or taken the other way out?"

Logan's gaze turned hard. His hand tightened around hers as he thought through the implications of her question.

"What I mean is-"

"I know what you mean!" He snarled. Selene flinched away from him and he became aware of his reaction. Taking a shuddering breath, he calmed himself and continued, "I don't like thinking about that, you know I don't. It takes me back to a place I don't want to be, to a person I don't want to be. It was the darkest part of my life, including the worst times here. There were times when I told myself I'd never go through that pain again, that if I'd had a choice, I would have taken any way out, and I do mean any way. But that was when I had nothing to live for. If you have nothing to live for, then there's no reason to stick it out through the bad times." He swallowed a few times before he was able to continue, "I had to go through that before I could get to you. If they get our child, some terrible things might happen, but no matter what we'll get him back. We'll go to the ends of the world and get him back. Pain like what I went through, it will be with me for the rest of my life. But a chance at happiness, even if you have to go through some terrible things before you get it, is better than no chance at all. I want our child to have a chance, Selene."

No words passed between them for a while after that, but each knew what the answer was. They were keeping their child. Come hell, high water, or torturous experiments, they would protect their child.

"Don't worry, darlin', they'll never get our boy." Logan assured her, reaching up and brushing away a strand of hair that had fallen in her face.

"You seem so sure that it's a boy?" Selene asked with only the slightest hint giving away her bleak façade.

"Call it a father's intuition." Logan grinned as he reached up and kissed her. He pulled away slowly, bringing himself up on the bed and pulling her into a protective embrace. The momentary joke passed and Logan turned to her again, "I won't let anything happen to you." He said, his declaration both a challenge to any who would dispute it as well as an attempt to calm her.

"I know you'll find a way. I trust you with my life, Logan."

Logan steeled his will with grim determination. No force on earth would make him break that trust. He was sure of it.

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AN: Thanks to all of you for your uplifting reviews, it really keeps me going! Sorry for the wait, I hope it was worth it!