CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE:

A Crab, A Puzzle Piece, and a Pair of Glasses

AN: (shakes three (3) story dice in her hand) "Cooome on story-dice, get rid of my writers block!"

(Rolls dice) Okay (peers down at dice) I've got a crab, a puzzle piece, and a pair of glasses…

(Blinks up at readers) Oh yeah, like THAT was helpful….. (-Sarcastic)

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Once Logan had made sure his particular "pack" had eaten enough (Rogue, Clarisse, Jonsey, and Jubilee) he hustled them all into Rogues room with a glare and a growl, tucking Jonesy into his makeshift bed, folding his glasses carefully and sitting them on a dresser before moving to make sure the others were comfortable.

When he reached Rogue, the southern-bell was rolling her eyes. "Ah'm not seven years old, Logan, ya don' have ta tuck me in." she batted away Logans hands and the feral sighed.

"Yeah, yer right, darlin." The Wolverine said, speaking quietly.

"Are you alright, sugah?" Rogue asked, reaching up to cup her ferals cheek.

Logan sighed, covering her hand with his own. "It's crazy, Marie. I'm starting to remember things…..or at least I'm seeing these scenes in my head."

Rogue propped herself up on her elbows, brown eyes staring into his. "What kinda things?"

"I…..I'm not sure….." Logan shook his head, closing his eyes. "It's a scene of two little boys. I think one of'em is me and the other…..I think the other is Sabretooth….."

Rogue cocked her head a little to the side and arched an eyebrow. "So ya think Sabretooth has somethin' ta do with yer past?"

Logan growled a little in annoyance. "The Professor says he's my brother."

To Rogue's credit, she only looked shocked for about three (3) seconds before she schooled her face into supportive gentleness and began to run her fingers through Logans spiky hair. "And yeh think he might be?"

As if desperate for a lifeline in a storm-tossed sea, Logan grasped onto Rogues hands with his own. Her touch had always soothed him somehow, always managed to quiet him. "I…..I don't know."

"Well," Rogue said, looking over to make sure her 'room-mates' were asleep. "Why doncha tell me about it, sugah." But then she looked to where Jubilee let out a very loud, fake snore. "Actually, let's talk about it on the veranda. Come on, darlin."

Rogue climbed out of the bed, gently tugging him along with her, pleased when he followed her out the door only to pause at the doorframe and turn to glare at the 'sleeping' Jubilee.

He gave a warning growl. "And get to sleep Jubilation Lee!"

The 'sleeping' Jubilee huffed and turned on her side.

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The mansion/school had many patios and verandas and this was where Rogue led her feral mutant guardian, entwining his fingers with her own and hoping he wouldn't notice her blush.

Logan automatically scanned the school grounds for any danger, scenting the air before making sure Rogue was positioned in-between him and the school protectively.

The southern bell was so used to the ferals protective positioning that she didn't bat an eye, simply choosing to speak to him.

"So tell me about this memory of yours, sugah."

Logan shook his head. "I've had two…..One of who I think was a young Sabretooth chasing me and trying to get me to go to bed—"

Rogue bit the inside of her cheeks to try to stop the giggles from coming out. A little, rambunctious Logan. Now THAT was something she would give her best pair of gloves to see, if she had still needed them, that is.

Logan gave her a fake glare before continuing. "The last one was in the woods…..but this one…..this one seems to be by the sea…..

-flashback-

A seventeen year old Victor Creed stood beside his younger brother, holding his smaller hand protectively in his own as they stared out across the beach to a docked ship, the moonlight sparkling off the peaceful water.

"Now, you listen hear Jimmy." The older feral said seriously. "You have to do exactly as I say, got it?"

Jimmy Howlett nodded hard, eager to please as he looked up at his bigger brother who graced him with a fond, fanged smile. "Now, we're gonna creep up into that ship and hide down in the hold, okay?"

Jimmy wrinkled up his nose. "Aren't we supposed to pay for a ticket?"

Victor chuckled in his voice that was just beginning to deepen. "Not this time, runt. We've got…..midnight specials. That means if we get on now while no-ones watching, we'll get our ride for free."

"Oh." Jimmy said, nodding his head in agreement when a slight movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

"You stay here while I go check things out, okay Jimmy?" Victor ordered, squeezing his little brothers hand.

"Okay, Victor."

The older feral put one hand carefully under his little brothers chin and turned it so that he was looking in his eyes, letting out a low, warning growl. "Didya hear me, Jimmy? STAY HERE."

Jimmy nodded. "Okay, Victor."

Jimmys older brother moved away with the confident swagger that Jimmy so often tried to imitate. He had meant to stay there, really he did, but there was that movement again and he just HAD to investigate.

Being a feral, Jimmy could see in the dark just as well as he could in the day time, and his attention was quickly absorbed by a strange creature scuttling across the sand. It was circular in shape, with two big pinching claws and eight little legs, a dark red in color, moving sideways along the sand.

Curiosity aroused, Jimmy immediately began to follow the odd creature, laughing joyously when it scuttled away from him. He bent his knees, feet hip-width apart, fingers open and pounced, sputtering when he got a face-full of sand and the creature moved quickly away from him.

The youngest feral got up to try again, a huge grin stretching his face…..only he wasn't too happy when he caught it.

VICTOR

A loud, pained bellow made the seventeen-year old jump about fifty-feet in the air (literally, given his feral mutation) and bonk his head on one of the ships ceilings.

"Jimmy…." The horrified teen muttered and took out of the ship like a bat out of hades, running on all fours for total speed. He barreled down the beach, sending sand out behind him like a wave till he came upon his little brother, sitting on the sand with one huge crab pinching two of his fingers together.

Immediately, Victor grabbed the crab and both hands, crushing it's hard shell and killing it before breaking the pinchers in half, freeing his little brothers fingers.

Jimmys fingers were already beginning to heal, but Victor tossed aside the crab corpse and took hold of his little brothers hands, starting his soothing purr and bringing the wounded appendage up to his mouth to lick it.

Immediately, Jimmys sobs quieted.

"F*ck, what were you thinking, Jimmy boy?" Victor demanded, but his voice was still gentle as he made sure his little brothers fingers were properly healing.

Jimmy sniffed, nose running and eyes watering. "I-I-I j-just wanted to see what it was!" then he burst into another round of tears.

Victor rolled his eyes and pulled his little brother onto his lap. "Jimmy, ya don't play with things with claws or pinchers."

"B-but I play with you." Logan reasoned. "And you've got claws."

Victor took a deep breath, willing himself to be patient. "Yeah, but I know how to control'em. That crab was an animal, not much brains. If ya really want to hunt or play with something, check with me first."

"All-Allright Victor."

Victor continued his rumbling purr, made sure his little brothers fingers were completely healed, and then picked him up in his arms, beginning to carry him towards the ship.

"V-Victor?"

The older feral sighed. "Yeah, runt?"

"Wh-what was that?"

"A crab, Jimmy, that was a crab."

-end flashback-

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Rogues eyes sparkled with mirth as she tried to stifle her giggles with her hands. "Oh Logan, that's so cute!"

Logan growled at her threateningly, even though the two of them knew he would never harm a hair on her head. "That's not the POINT Marie. The point is that fleabag might be my brother!"

Rogue shrugged. "Sounds ta me that he was a pretty good brother."

Logan shook his head. "He stuck you on that machine for Magneto. He KIDNAPPED you." Then Logan paused, his head shooting up as he remembered something Sabretooth had told him.

-flashback-

"Take care of her, Jimmy." He stalked towards the door, ignoring Jimmys answering growl of annoyance and anger. "And ask your frail again what happened with Magneto."

-end flashback-

"Marie, darlin." Logan gently wrapped an arm around the southern-bells shoulders and pulled her up against his chest protectively. "I've been meanin' to ask you. What did Sabretooth do when he took you to Magneto?"

Rogue looked down. "Oh. He…..he let me touch him, absorb his healing power. He said so I wouldn't die on Magnetos machine."

END CHAPTER

PS: I borrowed the idea of Sabretooth lending Rogue his healing power from gem1990. That little brilliant idea came from her.

CITATIONS:

How Many Legs do Crabs Have?

"How Many Legs do Crabs Have?." Yahoo:Ask. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jun 2013. question/index?qid=20070625001117AAqvYZQ.

VOCABULARY:

ve·ran·da

[ və rándə ]

porch: a porch, usually roofed and sometimes partly enclosed, that extends along an outside wall of a building