Fighting Grace

Yeah, her dad's an ass. Well it's time to find out her real name because remember, Grace is only the name Kurt gave her.

Logan had given up on the robotic Scott. The thing was leading him through doors that he was pretty sure they had already gone through. He had started off walking after losing the machine, pushing open every door he passed. He figured that if Grace was anywhere near, he'd smell her. As time dragged on, he went from walking to jogging.

"Tick, tock, tick, tock, you don't know which door to knock." The voice came from numerous speakers on the walls. It was mocking Logan as he searched. Each step was quicker then the last until he found himself running down the halls, banging open doors. Grace's scent getting stronger as he made his way towards…he wasn't sure.

"Well my dear, lets open the window for him." Grace's father looked at her as she hung from the wall. Her head lifted her chest. Blood ran down her cheeks like tears. It spiralled down her arms from the shackles. Her shirt barely covered anymore, torn away and ripped to shreds and now covered in blood. The girl was amazing she still had blood in her as she dropped her head back down and gazed at the growing red puddle and the footsteps leading away from it. Her father's boots were covered in the blood that drained from her body from the various wounds. Her hands seemed to be the only things unharmed, hanging limply above the shackled. They didn't even look as if they belonged to her anymore.

Logan ran into a room…the scent of blood clouding most of his senses now. The room was dark. The only light came from the open door he had just entered and that didn't brighten anything up really. He was about to turn and leave when the sounds of motors reached his ears and the door slammed shut behind him. The wall in front of him lifted up to reveal a giant window. The first thing he saw was the red puddle as it spread towards the window. The second thing he saw was the footprints. The third and fourth things were a man whose back was turned and the opposite wall covered in monitors.

And then he saw Grace, cut up, bleeding, hanging limply from the wall. She looked…dead. But no, she couldn't be. There was no way she could be. Logan simply would not accept that.

"Grace!" He shouted, banging his fist on the glass. Her head moved, lifting slightly, but it seemed too weak to rise completely. God…was all that blood on the ground from her? How the hell was she still alive then?

"So…we meet." Reluctantly, Logan turned his eyes away from Grace and looked at the man who had turned around to face him. "Oh William spoke a great deal about you."

"William?" Logan asked, curiosity the winning emotion at the moment. Then it dawned on him. "Stryker…"

"Yes, Stryker…the man you killed." The man said. "Tell me, Wolverine, how does it feel, killing someone? What kind of a rush is it? I've heard it's quite spectacular but I've never actually done it myself."

"You just torture them." Logan said, looking back at Grace.

"How foolish of me, I should introduce myself." The man said, smiling. It reminded Logan of Grace somewhat, except hers was bright, cheery almost. This man's was dark…cold. "Matthew Somerstone and…well, I believe you've met my daughter already."

"What?" Logan asked.

"What was it you called her…Grace?" Somerstone asked. "That isn't her name, no matter what she's told you and your kind." He looked over at Grace. "Now my dear, be a good girl. Lift your head and look at him." With what seemed like much effort, Grace's head rose. The blood streaked down her face, over her eyes. "That's a good girl, Audrey."

"You sick twisted…" Logan growled.

"I wouldn't be calling me names if I were you." Somerstone said. He walked over to Grace and, using the flat side of the knife, lifted her head to keep it up. "The knife can easily turn and…oops." Grace winced slightly as the blade shifted and sliced a new cut under her chin. "Tsk, tsk, tsk…it's a shame when that happens."

"What do you want?" Logan asked.

"Oh there are so many things that I want." Somerstone said, dragging the knife away from his daughter's skin. "I would like money, a yacht, maybe some bikini clad models who are at my beck and call." Logan growled. "But what I really want…is a world where you freaks know your place."

"Freaks? Have you checked a mirror lately?" Logan said. "Who's the one taken immense pleasure by torturing his own child?"

"No child of mine would be a mutant!" Somerstone said. Grace's head was back down. "If I had known that's what she was, I never would have…" Logan's claws shot out. "What are you going to do? That glass is thick. It would take some time to get through and, sadly, poor little Audrey is running out of blood to keep herself alive for much longer." The red puddle had reached the window and was now running along the side of it. Logan banged the side of his fist against the glass a few times. A crack appeared. He looked down and noticed the blood seeping under the glass.

"I'm guessing Stryker's the one that came up with that controlling serum." Logan said.

"No, actually, I did." Somerstone said.

"Really? You don't seem like the type." Logan said. "Stryker seemed to be the one with all the brains."

"Wolverine you are highly mistaken." Somerstone said.

"Oh really? Prove it?" Logan asked. "Come on, why not show me that you were the brains of the whole outfit."

"If you insist." Somerstone said. He took out a remote and pushed a few buttons. The door behind Logan opened and the Scott robot stood there. "I created these. Stryker couldn't even begin to comprehend…"

"So what…it's a robot." Logan said.

"It fooled your whole bunch." Somerstone said.

"Well half the time they aren't the smartest pack of people." Logan said, glancing at Grace. He had to make his plan work fast. "How good of a robot is this thing?"

"I'll show you." Somerstone said. Logan just managed to jump out of the way as the robot shot an eyebeam at the glass, effectively blasting a hole into it, big enough to get through. The beam went straight towards Somerstone and he ducked as well as it hit the monitors. "You fool!!"

"Nah, actually, you're the fool." Logan said, going through the hole. He pulled his hand back and went to stab Somerstone but at the last second retracted his claws and punched the man in the head instead, knocking him out cold. "Let's see this little controller now." He took the remote from Somerstone's hand and broke it. The Scott robot crumpled to the floor. "Now that that's taken care of." He stepped through the puddle of blood and slashed at the shackles on Grace's wrists. She fell free and he grabbed at her before she hit the floor.

Logan carried her over to a table and lied her down on it. He was almost afraid to touch her now. Her chest hardly rose and the table top had gotten completely covered in blood already. Her eyes were closed. Logan looked her over and tried wiping some of the blood off her face. That just made her look worse. He couldn't think of anything to do. This wasn't like Rogue whom all he had to do was skin-to-skin contact. Grace couldn't absorb his healing powers…and even if she could, she couldn't heal her lack of blood, not from the amount of cuts she had received.

He didn't turn at the sound of pounding footsteps, or even when he heard his name being yelled. He kept his eyes on the barely breathing woman in front of him. There was a hand on his arm.

"Logan?" Rogue asked, quietly. He shook his head, his eyes firmly locked on Grace…or Audrey…or whatever the hell her name was. He couldn't think properly. This just seemed so much worse then Jean.

"I don't know what to do." Logan said, barely louder then a whisper. Rogue looked at him.

They returned to the institute and Rogue managed to keep Logan out of the med lab, saying that Hank needed space if he was going to get Grace to live. He seemed oddly reluctant to leave her but Rogue dragged him along outside.

"Tell me the truth now." She said. "You like her…a lot." Logan closed his eyes then, after a few seconds of silence, nodded. "Logan she's gonna be ok."

"Did you see all that blood? That was from her." Logan said. "Her alone." Rogue's face paled slightly. "Her father's some sick twisted crackpot and…"

"He's dead." Rogue said. Logan looked at her. "He's not going to be coming back to try and get Grace again or anything else."

"Her name's Audrey." Logan said, not able to picture that name on the girl laying three quarters of the way to death a few levels below him. "It doesn't suit though."

"No." Rogue said. "I think Kurt was right, choosing the name Grace for her." She put her hand on Logan's shoulder and squeezed lightly. "She's going to be ok." With that, she walked back inside.

Ok the next chapter is the last one so I hope you people enjoyed this story.