Laura's Journal

An X-Men Evolution Fanfic by Quill N. Inque

I do not own X-Men.

(A/N: Just so you guys know, the song, "Into the West" by Annie Lennox goes GREAT with the ending of this chapter. You can find it on Youtube, by a user named "dogsrule344." Seriously, you should open a new tab and bring it up before you read any further. It sets the mood perfectly. ^^)

Chapter 25: A New Beginning

Prologue

Hours ago…

Sabertooth let out an agonized grunt under his breath, still pained by his injuries as he led us down a long, winding flight of stairs, and Jean had to use her telekinetic abilities to lift the Professor's wheelchair several inches off the ground. Beside me, Logan's face was set in a grim, stony expression, and I flinched involuntarily as the entire compound was rocked by a seismic wave that made the ceiling above us buckle sharply inward with an enormous groan. My progenitor and I bore Magneto's bloody, unconscious form between us, and Sabertooth cradled my defeated enemy's helmet under one arm. I had a sneaking suspicion that he had claimed the gore-spattered headgear as a grisly trophy.

"Down to the lower levels, quick!" Creed roared, pointing down a narrow passageway. "Or this entire place'll come down right on top of us!"

I leapt forward to avoid being crushed by a small avalanche of jagged rubble, and my nostrils began to sting as the air became thick with crushed mortar and concrete. "Where are the others? They should have met up with us by now!"

An ominous rumble threw everyone off balance, but I was surprised that Xavier's expression hadn't changed at all. "I have already contacted them," he said mildly. "They should be here any moment now."

"We ain't got a moment!" Logan shouted angrily.

As if on cue, the wall behind us suddenly gave a collective, grating shudder, and a network of large cracks spread along its surface as someone on the other end began pounding thunderously upon it. Once, twice, and then three times the reinforced concrete cracked and heaved-

A massive, blue, furry fist emerged out from the other side, and Beast let out a howl of astounding volume as he broke the wall down like a medieval battering ram. His eyes stung from mortar dust and bits of stone clung to his fur, and his breath was coming in heaving pants almost like those of a dog. Beast's big, furry chest was slick with perspiration from his superhuman effort, but even so he flashed a grin at us as the rest of the X-Men gathered at his side. The inert form of Blob had been slung over Beast's left shoulder, and Sunspot, Iceman, Cyclops and Kitty bore the rest of the wounded Brotherhood members between them.

"I hope you've found a way out of this place!" Beast had to yell to make himself heard over the noise. "Because the X-Jet is going nowhere fast!"

"What took ya so long?" Sabertooth hissed, his tone harsh with urgency as he beckoned us to follow his lead once more."We ain't got time t'idle here, idjits! This way! Hurry!"

Beast shot a questioning glance at me, but no one moved; apparently they were unwilling to let Sabertooth guide them around the block, let alone out of a collapsing building.

Logan turned in mid-run and bared his teeth. "You heard 'im!" he roared. "Git movin'! Now!"

There was an enormous crash as the roof overhead collapsed and buried the spot where we'd stood moments before under tons of rubble, and I unsheathed my claws for emphasis as I made to follow Logan's example. I could already see that the winding passageway led deep into the bowels of Magneto's ruined headquarters. The air was thick, dank, wet and stale as I vanished into the darkness; I suppose that there must have been lights overhead, but the explosion caused by the Blackbird's crashed landing must have knocked them out. I could hear the hasty pitter-patter of pairs of feet behind me, and I did not bother looking over my shoulder to know that Beast and the others had decided to follow Sabertooth's lead and risk probable death rather than stay put and risk certain death.

Wolverine wheeled the Professor's chair at breakneck pace, and even I found myself hard-pressed to keep up with him. The secret corridor trembled and shook before it began to collapse behind us, and I caught Sunspot by the arm as he almost fell on his face.

"Keep moving!" I told him. "Don't stop!"

"An' don't look behind ya, whatever ya do!" Sabertooth added, pointing to a stainless steel door at the end of the hall. "Logan, git up there an' smash it down!"

"Don't tell me how to do my job, Creed!" Wolverine snarled, rushing forward with his claws bared. The door in question had probably been tested for endurance and strength, but it sure as hell wasn't Logan-proof. With a series of eye-blurring, savage strikes, my progenitor cut the door to pieces and kicked what was left of it clear off its hinges. Beyond, I could see a large, man-made cavern upon which Magneto's headquarters had been built, and my heart leapt in my throat as I zeroed in on the large helicopter that lay inert and motionless just yards away.

"I told ya there was a way outta here," Creed gave a feral, triumphant grin.

"Shove it," Logan snarled back before raising his voice. "Get the wounded Acolytes an' the Professor into the copter first! Git a move on!"

The ceiling's cavern shuddered as several large stalactites came loose and splashed into the large pool below, and as I helped shove Blob's massive form into the helicopter's cargo bay, he and Sabertooth slid into the cockpit and hurriedly flipped the engine on. The entire cave began to disintegrate all around us, filling my ears with an ominous rumble like an active volcano, and I felt my heart start to beat faster as I piled hurriedly into the vehicle.

Logan didn't even wait until I was all the way inside. The large, military-grade attack chopper was already several inches off the ground by the time I had strapped myself into my seat, and we became airborne even as the walls began to crumble around us.

Sabertooth snatched the throttle from Logan and keyed in a series of commands on the helicopter's control panel. Logan hissed in anger, but I will give Sabertooth credit where it's due; he guided our escape craft with considerable accuracy toward a large, gaping hole that had been torn in the cavern's side.

"Hold on!" Cyclops shouted, gripping his seat as he saw what Sabertooth was about to do.

With a nod and a predatory smile on his face, Victor Creed gunned the engine, and the sudden burst of speed forced me back in seat as the G-forces rippled my cheeks.

We only just made it out in time.

An enormous explosion, the largest one yet, shook the island to its foundations and rocketed pieces of flaming rubble hundreds of feet into the air. The enormous, mushroom-shaped, roiling fireball was so hot that I could feel even from where I sat; the deafening, concussive shockwave that came moments later nearly flipped the chopper end-over-end. The remains of the fortress were practically vaporized in the ensuing blast, and the small landmass on which it had stood was nearly torn in half before it vanished beneath the waves. Countless pieces of wreckage were heaved skyward, pieces of twisted metal and concrete as big as a truck lifted as though they weighed nothing at all. A great pillar of pitch-black smoke rose high into the atmosphere as an entire landmass was consumed with fire, and as it sank beneath the waves, I recalled the story of Atlantis and wondered briefly if the cataclysm that had claimed the legendary kingdom had looked at all like what I was seeing now.

I let out a sigh of relief, and I was not the only one who sagged with sudden weariness as our collective adrenaline rush began to wore off. My breathing came hard and fast, and Sunspot gave me a thumbs-up as he flashed me a nervous grin.

For once, I smiled right back at him. I was too exhausted to be grumpy.

Now…

I must have fallen asleep on the ride back to New York, because the first thing I recall after snapping suddenly awake was the rough bump that the chopper made when it landed clumsily on the Xavier Institute's front lawn. I snapped up in my seat as Logan switched the motor off; I can only imagine how eager he was to be out of that helicopter after having to spend several hours in his arch-enemy's company. I was surprised that neither of them had tried to tear each other's throat out by this point; from what I understood it was impossible to put Sabertooth and Wolverine in a room together without starting a fight.

Sabertooth hit the grass and crouched like a tiger on the trail of his prey, and I noticed his nose twitching almost like that of a rabbit as his sensitive nostrils filtered the air for the scent he was looking for.

Victor Creed stood upright and turned his head to stare down at the Professor. I tensed in my seat, half-convinced that Sabertooth would attack, but what he said next put to rest any question of that happening.

Even now, as I write it down, I can still scarcely believe what came out of Sabertooth's mouth, even though I was there when he said it.

Creed's voice was unusually quiet and almost devoid of the venom or bitterness that seemed to coat his words. There was no bestial growl in the back of his throat, no sneer of derision or piercing, hate-filled glare; it seemed disturbingly unnatural, especially for someone like him.

I caught a flash of…something in his eyes as he opened his mouth to speak, but what that something was I still do not know. It certainly wasn't anything like the bitterness or malice that I'd seen in those eyes before, that's for sure. In fact, if those eyes had belonged to any other person, I could have sworn that for a split second Creed looked…worried.

"Where is Chase?" Sabertooth asked finally. "Where is my son?"

"He's inside," Xavier answered, his voice quiet. "Shall I take you to him?"

Creed seemed uncertain for a moment before nodding firmly. "Yeah," he muttered, looking away awkwardly. "I'd like that."

"I've got my eye on you," Logan muttered to Sabertooth through his teeth. "Try t'pocket anythin', an' I'll kick ya clear through the door."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sabertooth brushed him off. "Truth be told, Baldy's trinkets ain't worth th'trouble it'd take t'steal 'em, Logan."

"You ain't ever bin in th'habit of tellin' the truth," Wolverine sneered back. "Why start now?"

"Cuz lyin' ain't brought me nothin' but trouble," Sabertooth rolled his eyes. "I figgered maybe I'd try goin' straight an' see how well that works out."

"So people keep tellin' me," Logan replied. "But I still ain't buyin' it, bub."

"I think yer mistakin' me for someone who cares," Creed muttered. "I don't give a damn about what you or anyone else thinks o' me."

"Not even Chase?" Wolverine smiled smugly as Cyclops opened the door and swung it open. "Seems to me you care an awful lot about what he thinks."

Creed shot him a withering glare. "Is that right? Well, from where I'm standin', I think h'same could be said fer you an' yer girl."

Logan bristled. "Don't start with me, Sabertooth…"

"Shut up, Logan."

"You shut up, Sabertooth!"

"How about both of you shut the hell up," I interjected with a snarl, elbowing my way past them. "You're acting like an old married couple or something!"

Creed gave Logan a vaguely amused look. "Yup. She's your kid, all right. Though I wonder how in the world you ever got la-Ooomph!"

Sabertooth's dirty witticism was interrupted as Chase Lancaster, jubilant at seeing his father, blindsided Creed and grabbed him in a bone-crushing bear hug.

"Aww, ain' that sweet," Logan smirked as Sabertooth's face registered both surprise and enormous embarrassment. "Wish I had me a camera."

"I dare you t'try," Sabertooth spat back, trying to regain some semblance of dignity as his son pulled away from him.

"I'm glad you're okay," Chase murmured, trying to lower his voice for his father's sake. I suppose he'd already realized that he'd forced Sabertooth into an awkward position. "I…I thought…"

"Better men than Magneto 'ave tried t'put me six feet under, boy," Creed snorted, giving Wolverine a knowing glance. "An' all of them have failed."

"Keep talkin', an' we'll test that theory," Logan warned him.

"Shove it," I growled, punching him in the arm. I didn't hit him very hard, though, just hard enough to let him know that he was ruining the moment.

Chase turned to face Xavier and the others, but his eyes lingered on me. "Thank you," he said simply, "for saving him."

"I would not allow myself to do anything less," the Professor replied genially before he gave Sabertooth a stern look of warning. "This is the second time you have been given an opportunity to start over, Victor. Don't waste it."

"He won't," Chase spoke up quickly, moving away from me to be at his father's side. "I'll make sure of that."

I frowned in dismay, and I lashed out suddenly to grab Chase by his shirt sleeve.

"Where are you going? C'mere."

I secretly delighted in the astonished expression on his face as I yanked him in close to me, pulling him in for a good, firm kiss. He stiffened in surprise as I pressed my lips against his, but then he relaxed and wrapped his arms around me as he returned my affection with his own. Kissing Chase was so addictive that I thought I would never pull away from him. I could feel the blush on his face rising alongside mine, I relished the feeling of his hands as he pulled a stray lock of hair away from my eyes.

The kiss lasted only a moment, but it seemed like an eternity. So much was said between the two of us, and yet both Chase and I had not needed to utter a single word.

I reluctantly broke away when I realized I needed to breathe, and Chase clasped me around the waist as I smiled shyly back at him. The long silence dragged on for moments as we both relished the feeling of being in each other's company, but it was Chase who finally whispered in my ear.

"You free Wednesday?" he asked teasingly. "We never got to finish our date, after all."

"True," I grinned and narrowed my eyes, pretending to think it over. "I suppose I'm up for giving it another shot."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Logan watching with a vaguely horrified expression on his face. He almost looked as though he was going to be sick to his stomach, now that I think about it, and I would have slugged him for ruining the atmosphere if Chase hadn't gotten me into such a good mood.

"I need a beer," Logan muttered, striding off down the hall.

Sabertooth followed him hurriedly. "Fer once, Logan, I completely agree with you."

I moved to stop their hasty exit, but Chase caught my hand and held it firm. "Let them go," he said quietly.

I faltered in mid-step. "I'll be back in a second," I assured him, "And I'm not going to start a fight or anything like that. It's just…well…"

I took a deep breath. "There's one more thing I have to do, Chase."

He let me go, his eyes trusting. "Fair enough."

I flashed him a smile and followed Logan and Sabertooth's trail. It wouldn't have been hard even if I hadn't memorized the layout of the Institute; their combined scent was so strong that it was almost like a homing beacon.

I turned into the kitchen and found the two of them preparing to consume an entire case of Budweiser, and I shuffled awkwardly for a moment as I cleared my throat to make myself noticed.

Logan looked up, and I gave him a grin. "Drinking contest?"

"Damn right," he snorted. "No bathroom breaks an' no regurgitation. Last one still standin' upright wins."

"Well, before you get involved with that, can I, uh, talk to you for a second?" I asked, inwardly cringing at how uncertain and uncomfortable I sounded.

Logan scooted his chair back. "Fine, but try t'make it quick," he said, following me out into the living room. "Whatcha need, Small Fry?"

I matched my gaze with his. "Nothing."

"What?" Logan scratched the razor stubble on his chin in confusion.

"I need nothing," I reiterated. "You've already given me everything I needed: a home to live in, friends that I can spend my time with, a good cause to fight for…I need nothing else."

"Then why'd ya interrupt me?" Logan asked.

"Because I wanted to thank you," I told him, my heart speeding up as my palms became slick with sweat. "None of this would have happened if you hadn't found me up in Canada, and I want you to know that I appreciate it…Father."

I swear to God that Logan's lower lip actually trembled for a moment as he went straight as a ramrod, but he swiftly cut off any such emotional displays as he put both hands on my shoulders. I didn't think Logan would hug me and I thought no less of him for it; that kind of thing probably came even harder to Logan than it did for me, so I was perfectly content with his firm, silent gesture of paternal support and affection.

"Just doin' my job, that's all," Logan said gruffly scrubbing at one eye with a meaty fist even though he was fooling neither of us. His words were halting and filled with self-consciousness, but Logan endured with his usually stubbornness as he added, "But even so, it's good that ya decided to come back with me…daughter."

My vision blurred slightly as water began building up in my eyes, but I stuck my hand out to him. "I think it was the best decision I've ever made, Logan."

His meaty hands completely covered mine. "Glad to hear it, Small Fry."

~The End~

A/N: And so we have finally come full circle, my friends. It's been a fun ride, and I want to say that it has been my privilege and my honor to write for you; I was nothing less than floored by how many people have enjoyed this story, and words cannot describe how happy I am that you enjoyed my work so much! My dearest readers, I cannot say how humbled I am to have been given the opportunity to write this tale for you, and I hope to see you all for many, many stories to come! A very special thanks goes out to all those who reviewed, and so ALLREMS, Caprichoso, Dracarot, Copycat A, ObsessedwithNightcrawler, Cheyy, Dragoncat, dreamcrasher, All Knowing 1, Tatiana Elyna, ImNoHeroImTheVillain, Kairan1979, roguelover321, shejams, xSherbetMcFiercex, Jessie07, son of wind, Arich, Zakiba, iamnoone, Hasmmer, Ravenangel96, L-Dog Z, cool story brahw, Callie Summers, Chris B, MadHatter0013, wolverine15120, 3, and my old friends Indigo-Night-Wisp and Gabry, I send my thanks and gratitude for all your warm praise and helpful feedback! But I also know that there are many others who also took the time to read this fic, and so I thank you, all of you, for taking the time to read it. I take a bow as I present this chapter as a final gift to each and every one of you, nd I hope that you will honor me with your continued readership for many, many stories to come!

I am, and shall ever be,

Your humble servant,

-Quill N. Inque