Another week, another chapter! Welcome!
Logan's Wolverettes: Once again, I am hugely in debt to my loyal band of followers! Many thanks to - Sarra Ambrai, Sniktchick, nileena, FrozenVoices, Laudine, MidLifeCrisis and immiD! And a huge 'Hello!' to guest reviewer The Scratch Man!
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As promised, the fluff and fun is now over! From now on, it's all blood and mayhem! Onward ...!
ooXoo
10. Shadows in the Mist
"Mom? Geez, what the hell are you doing in here?" Kristi recoiled in surprise and horror as her mate, obviously disoriented and nursing the mother of all hangovers, groaned and tried to pull the covers over his head. She placed a protective hand on his arm as her mother advanced, fury evident in her eyes.
"Don't you dare use that tone with me, young lady!" Mrs Marsters pointed an accusing finger at her daughter, almost spitting in her anger. "How could you, Kristi? You promised us. And you …." she added, rounding once more on the bleary eyed feral, "How dare you take advantage of my daughter under my very roof? Get out! Get out, now!"
"Christ, lady, quit yellin', will ya?" Logan put a hand to his head, groaning at the unfamiliar sensation of something as simple as a headache. "Have some respect fer the wounded, fer Chrissakes."
"Don't you speak to me like that!" Mrs Marsters slapped at the bed with her hand. "Get out of my daughter's bedroom!"
"If ya insist." Logan raised an eyebrow and made to push back the covers. "But I gotta warn ya, I'm stark naked."
Mrs Marsters reeled back in horror, her eyes instantly seeking her daughter for an explanation. Kristi held up her hand, pleadingly.
"Mom, it's okay. Nothing happened, I promise". Logan and I, we ….. we sleep together sometimes. But that's all it is. Nothing more."
The excuse sounded flimsy to her own ears and she wasn't surprised when her mother snorted, quickly regaining some of her earlier bluster. "A likely story! A woman takes a naked man to her bed for only one thing and I'm honestly disgusted at you, Kristi. I thought you knew better than this. Your father and I did not bring you up to be a whore …."
The moment they were said, Mrs Marsters instantly regretted her words, but it was too late to call them back. Kristi gasped in shock, her eyes filling with disbelieving tears. Beside her, Logan growled, his face hardening, and Mrs Marsters took an involuntary step back as he pushed back the covers.
"Lady, you've just gone too god-damn far …."
"It's okay, Logan, I'll deal with this." Kristi pushed him back down and slid out of bed herself, padding softly on bare feet to stand before her mother. The woman reached out a hand to her daughter, but Kristi took a step back, deliberately avoiding the contact. "Kristi, I …"
"Logan's right, mom. You've gone too far this time." Kristi shook her head, sadly. "You know, I honestly thought you'd be pleased for me – finding someone to love after being forced to give up Max and so much more. And Logan does love me, mom, there's no doubt about that. He loves me enough to wait until I'm ready to have sex with him." Mrs Marsters cringed at her daughter's choice of word, but Kristi ignored this. "But all you can see is what you want to see, isn't it, mom? You see someone older than me – someone rough and street-wise – and you think that's all there is to the man. But it's not like that. You have to look with better eyes than that."
"Kristi, I ….. I'm sorry. I didn't mean ….." Mrs Marsters made a valiant effort to apologise, but Kristi was having none of it. She turned away, walking to her dresser where she opened a drawer and began pulling out items of underwear.
"We're leaving, mom – we're going back to the school just as soon as we've packed. I can't stay here and watch you criticise Logan any longer. It isn't fair on me and it most certainly isn't fair on Logan."
"Kristi, please ….." Mrs Marsters' eyes flicked to Logan, as if seeking support from the very man she had previously despised, but he shook his head at her.
"I think you'd better leave," he growled.
For a moment, it looked as though she would argue – being sent out of her daughter's bedroom by a visitor to her home obviously didn't sit well – but, with a last glance at Kristi, she turned and walked to the door, holding her head high. Kristi heaved a tremulous sigh as the door closed behind her mother.
"Kris?" Logan sent questing touches along the bond and then slid out of bed, retrieving his pants from where he had left them the night before and pulling them on quickly. Throughout it all, Kristi remained standing at the dresser with her back towards him, but when he began to walk towards her she turned around.
"I'm sorry, Logan. Could you ….. could you give me some time alone?"
Logan hesitated, torn between the desire to comfort his mate and giving in to her wishes. He finally nodded, understanding her need for solitude at this time.
"Fine. I'll go outside fer a smoke. But I'll be right here …" he tapped his head, " ….. if you need me."
Without bothering to don further clothing, he slipped out of Kristi's room and padded along the hallway on bare feet to his own room. Remy was sprawled out across his bed, fully dressed and snoring fit to wake the dead. Tossing the Cajun a disgusted glance, Logan dug into his duffle for a cigar and a pack of matches and then left, taking great delight in slamming the door behind him. The startled grunt his enhanced senses picked up through the door told him he'd succeeded in rudely waking his team-mate.
Downstairs, he could hear soft voices coming from the lounge – the sound of gentle sobbing told him that Mrs Marsters was being comforted by her husband. Logan honestly couldn't bring himself to feel any sympathy for the woman. She'd been riding his back since they arrived. As he'd told her that day in the kitchen, he was used to people making snap judgements about him based on first impressions and this had never bothered him before. He wasn't the kind of person who normally paid much attention to what people thought of him – they either liked him or they didn't, he didn't care much either way. But where Kristi's welfare was concerned, he did care and it irked him that she was upset. Her mother's approval had meant a lot to his mate and, without it, she was bereft and uncertain – he could feel her inner turmoil through the bond. It made him feel twitchy – like ants crawling all over his skin – and every instinct he possessed was prompting him to respond to this stimuli in his usual fashion – by uncaging the beast and letting his claws do the talking. But if his relationship with Kristi had taught him anything it was that resorting to violence in this instance would only make things worse. For once in his life he had to curb his temper and let his own emotions take a back seat. It was time to let Kristi call the shots.
He skirted the lounge on silent feet and slipped ghost-like out of the kitchen door into the back garden, where he leaned against the door frame and lit his cigar with steady puffs. 'Garden' was something of an understatement, the feral realised as he let his eyes rove over the landscaped lawns and shimmering swimming pool complete with lock-up bar and a pool-house. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet. Who would have thought that his little mate would come from such an affluent family? She had certainly made no mention of it and, while he knew she hadn't deliberately withheld the information, she hadn't exactly volunteered it either. He felt a moment of pique, until he remembered she knew almost next to nothing about his life – Department H, Madripoor, Alpha Flight ….. Weapon X – it was all a mystery to her. Of course, most of it was a mystery to him too, but that didn't excuse him from not sharing the little he did know with his mate.
Maybe if he did share, she would be more willing to submit to his charms the next time he visited her bed? He'd made a promise that he wouldn't force her into anything she didn't want to do – and he would stick to that – but he was a feral, with a feral's needs and desires. He couldn't deny his right forever. If he could do anything to encourage a favourable outcome, he was willing to try, even if it meant baring his very soul.
Damn kid's gonna be the death o' me, he thought, irritably, and blew a cloud of blue smoke across the garden.
The kitchen door opened and Nikki stepped out, clutching a black refuse sack and a couple of cans. Logan watched her drop each into the appropriate bin and then recoil in shock when she finally spotted him reclining against the wall. She clutched at her heart, dramatically.
"Oh geez! You gave me a fright! I didn't see you there!"
"Figured that," responded Logan. He waved vaguely in the direction of elsewhere with his cigar. "Why ain't ya at school?"
Nikki dusted her hands off down the front of her jeans. "I slept over! Something to do with staying out until the early hours of the morning, I guess! Did you know your yummy friend's back?"
"Yeah. Matter of interest, how did he get in?"
Nikki grinned. "He came in through the upstairs bathroom window. I heard him cursing in French when he knocked the soap dispenser off the windowsill. Dad'll be pleased to know that his new security system works a treat."
Logan was grudgingly impressed. "Don't tell yer dad about the alarm. Remy used to be a thief. Still is, I guess. But there ain't a system made that he can't bypass in one way or another."
"Geez! Should we be locking away the silver?"
"Nah. He won't steal from folks he knows, so yer stuff's safe. Unless you've got some old masterpieces squirreled away around the place somewhere. Seems to be mighty fond o' those, if I recall."
"No, our house is strangely devoid of Monet's and Turners, for some reason." Nikki grinned, totally at ease with her burly companion. For some reason which she couldn't quite explain, she felt drawn to the man, although she also sensed he held devastating power at his fingertips. Common sense told her she should be afraid of him, but instinct told her he would never purposely hurt her. Whether this was because he was her sister's man, she didn't know, but she was certain of one thing and that was that he was going to play a huge part in her life in the very near future. Call it intuition if you will, but Nikki Marsters knew she was bound to this man in ways she would be powerless to explain.
Logan rolled his cigar from one side of his mouth to the other. "I can practically hear ya thinkin', kid. What're ya plannin' now?"
"Nothing." Nikki assumed an innocent expression. "I was just letting my mind wander, that's all."
"Well, I hope it ain't wanderin' in the direction of another nightclub 'cause we won't be here. We're going home today."
As soon as he'd said it, Logan realised he'd made a huge mistake, as Nikki's face fell. "You're leaving? So soon? But I thought you were here for a couple of weeks?"
Logan chomped irritably on his cigar. "Ain't our choice, believe me. Our hands' been forced."
"It's my mom, isn't it?" Nikki pulled a face. "I heard her shouting this morning. Did she catch you and Kris together?"
Logan raised an eyebrow, unsure as to just how much he should admit to. Nikki was only fourteen when all was said and done, although she acted older than her years, but he had no desire to dig his hole any deeper than it was already.
Nikki solved his immediate problem with a grin. "I saw you going into Kristi's room last night," she admitted, smoothly. "I'm guessing it didn't go down too well with mom, huh?"
"That's something of an understatement." Logan blew a regretful cloud of smoke out of the corner of his mouth.
"Do you have to go?" asked Nikki, sadly.
"The decision ain't mine, darlin'." Logan pushed away from the wall and advanced slowly across the patio a few paces, stopping at the edge of the lawn. "Yer sister don't feel welcome here any longer."
"But I don't want her to go!" Nikki stamped her foot, petulantly, betraying her tender years. "This is her home! And we haven't seen her in months!"
Logan shrugged, looking back over his shoulder at the troubled teen. "Try tellin' that to yer mother," he growled.
"I will!" Nikki turned determinedly towards the door. "She can't force you away like this. It isn't right. Besides, with that fog rolling in, it isn't safe for you to drive."
"Fog? There ain't any ….. What the fu….?" Logan bit off the expletive as he did a double-take in the direction of the pool-house. Where moments before the pool had been glittering in the early morning sunshine, it had now almost disappeared under a wall of earily shifting mist. Logan's hackles rose instantly and a low growl rumbled in his chest.
Nikki was usually captivated by Logan's growly nature, but now she could only sense that something was dreadfully wrong. "What is it?" she hissed.
Logan tossed her a sideways glance and threw his cigar down onto the patio. "Stay here," he ordered and stepped onto the lawn.
The neatly mowed grass was cool beneath his bare feet as he made his way towards the pool, every sense he possessed trained towards the drifting mist. As he drew nearer, it seemed to shift slightly, advancing forwards even as he watched to engulf the pool completely. Looking cautiously to left and right, he could see that it extended like an impenetrable wall on all sides of the house.
They were surrounded …
He stopped just inches from the outer edge, peering into its cloudy depths. He knew he was standing just feet away from a large pool and a pool-house – hell, there was even a gazebo in there somewhere – but even his enhanced eyesight could make out no trace of them. It was as if they had disappeared completely, transported elsewhere the moment the mist touched them.
And then he saw the shapes moving within the murk – sensed the eyes that glared so malevolently back at him and his hackles rose at the reek of pure evil that seemed to flow over him like a wave.
"Is that stuff natural, or what?"
"Jesus!" He jumped as Nikki appeared at his side, peering into the mist. He'd been so focused on what was inside it that he had missed her approach. He gestured irritably towards the house. "I thought I told you to stay back there?" The kid could obey an order about as well as Jubilee.
"I thought I could help." Nikki frowned and reached out a hand. "Is there something moving in there?"
"Don't touch it!" Logan slapped her hand away just seconds before she touched the leading edge. He took a step back, pulling her with him. As if sensing a lifeforce within reach, the fog flowed forwards, eagerly seeking contact, and Nikki's face paled.
"This isn't right, is it? Is it?" She peered fearfully up at the growling feral, her eyes wide. "Shouldn't we tell someone? Call the police, or something?"
Logan came to an abrupt decision. "Come on." He took her arm and strode back towards the house, pulling her along beside him. At the kitchen door he pushed her inside ahead of him and turned to glance back at the mist once more – it was pulsing hungrily and the dark shapes within were more pronounced.
Safely inside the house, he locked the kitchen door behind him, then turned and grabbed Nikki by the shoulders. "Find your family," he ordered, gruffly. "Get them into the lounge an' keep 'em there. Don't let anyone go outside."
He gave her a push towards the door, but she clutched at his arm, fearfully. "But where are you going?" she asked, in a tremulous voice.
"I'm going to warn my team."
"Your ….. your team…..?" Despite her fear, Nikki gaped at him and he gave her another push to get her moving.
"Fer Crissakes, kid, we ain't got time fer this. Go!"
This time, his tone alone lent urgency to her feet and she scampered from the room with a squeak. With a quick glance out of the window to check on the fog's progress – it was almost to the edge of the lawn – Logan followed.
It was time to mobilise the X-Men …..
oooOOOooo
Kristi had seen the encroaching mist through her bedroom window and felt her mate's alarm engulfing the bond, so she wasn't surprised when he burst through her door minutes later, his eyes wild and nostrils flaring as though he was constantly testing the air.
"We've got trouble," he barked at her. "Get dressed. If you've brought your uniform, now would be a good time to unpack it." He ducked back out of her room, presumably to rouse Remy and Jubilee.
Kristi had indeed packed her fighting uniform – she'd been planning on showing it off to her family, but developments with her mother meant it had remained firmly in her bag. Now, despite Logan's tone and the obvious evidence that something was dreadfully wrong outside, she felt a surge of excitement as she laid it out on the bed.
She was just tugging on her jacket when Logan returned with a tousle-haired Remy in tow. Both were dressed in their fighting leathers and she raised an eyebrow at the implications of this. To all intents and purposes, their trip had been for the sole intention of meeting family and having a well-earned vacation – that they'd brought uniforms meant that they'd expected – or maybe hoped for - more. Did X-Men always travel as though they expected to be ambushed at any moment or were these particular companions just naturally paranoid?
Remy couldn't help but notice his team-mate checking out his body armour and he flashed her a dazzling smile, patting his breastplate proudly. "Never go anywhere wit'out it, chere. You never know when you're gonna go into action."
"Action? What about 'action'?" Jubilee stumbled into view, obviously still half asleep. She was in uniform, but held her trademark duster draped over one arm. "Wha's happenin'? Why did Wolvie drag me outta bed an' tell me to suit up?"
"Have you looked outta the window lately, Jubes?" Logan gestured towards Kristi's bedroom window, where thin tendrils of mist were nudging tentatively against the glass.
Jubilee grimaced. "Oh. That."
"Did you t'ink it were de fairies come a'knocking, petite?" asked Remy. He twirled his bo staff and received a jab to his ribs for his trouble.
Logan growled. "If you two jokers can see fit to bring yer minds back to the matter at hand, we've got civilians to look out for." He turned to Kristi. "That's your department, darlin'. Ya gotta convince yer family that we got a situation here."
Kristi paled visibly at the thought. "I'll do my best." She started for the stairs, but turned back at the top. "I think it would be best if I saw them alone. At least at first. This is gonna come as a huge shock to them."
Logan nodded. "They're waitin' in the lounge."
Kristi led the way downstairs, her hand shaking as she gripped the banister. At the lounge door, Logan put out his arm to hold back his team-mates, allowing his mate to enter the room alone.
Her family were gathered there in varying degrees of agitation. Her parents were sitting together on the couch – her mother's head was bowed and she held her hands in her lap, mangling a tissue between her fingers. David was pacing the floor, rattling his car keys and occasionally glancing at the window, which looked out onto nothing more than an impenetrable wall of fog. Only Nikki seemed anywhere near at ease, sitting on the floor at her father's feet, and her eyes opened wide at the sight of her sister in the black uniform.
Mr Marsters got to his feet immediately as Kristi entered the room. "Kristi, what the hell is going on? Why did Logan confine us to this room?"
"Mom ….. dad …" Kristi took a deep breath and looked around at her family, wondering how to start. Strange phenomena like fog that moved with a will of its own were commonplace to the X-Men, but civilians were likely to be freaked out. However, she decided not to beat around the bush. If Logan's alarm was anything to go by, they didn't have a lot of time. "We're in danger," she began. "Logan wants me to tell you …"
"That man has no right to order us around in our own home." Kristi's mother interrupted before she could finish, her eyes flashing angrily. "It's not right, Kristi, and I won't have it!"
"Wait, mom, haven't you seen what she's wearing?" Nikki broke in, kneeling between her parents. "Dad, just look at her!"
"No, Nikki, your mother's right. As much as I like Logan, he has no right ….."
"Will you all just shut up and listen?" Kristi could contain herself no longer and her outburst stunned everyone into a shocked silence. "For heaven's sake, we could all be in great danger and all you can do is argue over who has the right to order someone else around. Jesus!" She paused, aware that her mate's mannerisms were beginning to show and decided to take the bull by the horns. "It's about time you all knew the truth. I'm not just learning how to use my powers at Xavier's school. I'm an X-man." Nikki squealed delightedly and her father's eyes widened in surprise. "I graduated a few weeks ago and ….. well, I think I'll just let the evidence speak for itself."
Prompted by the emotions running through the bond, Logan led his team-mates into the lounge.
Nikki reeled back in amazement. "OhMyGod! There are X-Men in our living room!"
"You'd better believe it, petite." This from Gambit, who couldn't help preening for his audience.
"You all know I decided to call myself Wildstar," continued Kristi, trying to ignore the sight of her brother standing with his mouth hanging open. "When I arrived at the school, the name was unofficial – as a fully-fledged member of the elite team, I can use that name by right and wear the uniform. These are some of my team-mates. And yes, Nikki, they are all senior members of the team."
"Cool!" enthused the youngster, her eyes glowing with pride and excitement.
"But ….. but surely Jubilee isn't an X-Man?" Mr Marsters spluttered helplessly, unable to believe the evidence before his eyes. "She's far too young, surely?"
"The youngest member ever!" declared Jubilee, proudly. "I'm one of a kind – 100% firecracker!"
"Don' let de petite's young age fool you, mon ami," added Remy, with a grin. "Many a villain done jus' dat – to dere ultimate cost."
"My god ….." Mr Marsters drew a shaking hand across his brow and sank down into his seat.
"This is so cool!" Nikki was practically bouncing with excited energy. "So, do you all, like, have codenames or something, or is that just Kristi? You gotta have codenames! Right?"
Remy swept his hand in a deep bow. "Dey call me Gambit, petite. At your service." And he twirled his bo staff through the air, ending with a flourish that had Nikki clapping delightedly.
All eyes turned to Logan, who grunted and tensed, visibly.
Kristi slipped deftly around the Cajun to stand at her mate's side. "Everyone, this …. this is Wolverine."
And she gasped as her mother slid bonelessly out of her seat in a dead faint …
NEXT: Who is responsible for the fog? Logan finds out …..