8

Rogue stood back hidden behind a tree as she watched Logan take the keys off a man. Logan had been a stress head ever since Rogue had told him a man from his past had been after his blood for some unknown reason. Rogue got it, it was stressful. And if her memories (or, well, Logan's memories) were correct, this man had a great sense of smell which he was using to track them down. It's probably how he got as far as he has. That and, if he knew Logan, maybe he knew him well enough to know that Canada was his home and that, after all that he'd been through, he'd be somewhere in his home country. Whatever the reason this guy was following them, however he was tracking them, stressing about it wasn't going to help. It was just going to cloud there minds and making getting away from him and the danger he presented that much harder.

Rogue heard a hmpth in her head that sounded like Logan's voice. She rolled her eyes at the sound, knowing that that last track of thought was coming from Logan's mini in her head effecting how she was thinking. Rogue looked up to the sky. The clouds were still blanketing the sky, making those Northern Lights she so desperately wanted to see hidden. Now Rogue hmpthed. Ever since she arrived in Canada, the sky had been this way. She was sure something was out to get her and anyone she got close to.

Her eyes left back down to earth and located Logan who was walking back towards her and their new truck. Well, no, Logan's new truck. The truck didn't belong to her. That was a dangerous way of thinking. Rogue swallowed and stepped out from behind the tree, seeing the other guy had left.

Logan had been devious and paid someone to trade Logan's truck for a new one. She felt a little guilty about that. Logan had lost more of the money he'd earned from cage fighting because she decided she just had to have a drink.

"Get in." Logan said to her.

Rogue climbed into the passenger's side and Logan climbed into the driver's side. "I thought you wanted me to drive?" Rogue said to him.

Logan just started the engine, ignoring her and drove. There was a pause.

"You got a plan?" Rogue asked. She'd been woken up by Logan who told her to get out so he could trade the truck, but that was all she'd heard.

"Logan?" Rogue tried again.

"I'm thinkin'!" Logan snapped at her. Rogue stayed quiet.

Logan really was struggling with what to do. If what Rogue told him was right and this guy was going to track them down till the ends of the earth, then it didn't matter how much they ran. He would sniff them out and kill them. Well, maybe not him, but Rogue and he didn't want her death on his hands. And, even if he was to take this guy on and kill him, from what Rogue told him, the guy was immortal and would just get back up and try and kill them both again. It felt like, no matter what he did, there was no way out of this. Logan tried to think about what would happen if that was him trying to track someone down and what would stop him. Logan grimaced, knowing that she wasn't going to like this but he took the turn that would take them to the closest airport.

Rogue was fighting in the corner. She couldn't take this much longer. "Logan, what the hell are we goin' ta do!" Rogue snapped at him.

He was pissed. "We can't out run him."

"Then what we gonna do!" Rogue snapped.

"Get you the hell outta here." Logan snapped.

"Well obviously,- wait, what? Repeat that!" Rogue said. Just then the airplane noises she'd been hearing were beginning to make sense.

"I can't fight or out run this guy with you hanging around my ankles. You're gettin' on a plane and going back to where you came from." Logan said.

Rogue was stunned. Actually stunned silent. She didn't realise how much something like that said to her would hurt so much. "Logan..." Rogue said, almost too quietly for any person with normal hearing to hear. "I can't go back." Rogue said.

"And why the hell not? It's not like there isn't fighting clubs in Mississippi. You'd probably be better off there anyway. The further north we go, the less fighting clubs there are." Logan said.

"I can't go back there Logan." Rogue said.

"Why the hell not! Fine! Whatever! Go wherever the hell you want! Just get out of Canada so you don't die! It's not like there's anything here for you." Logan said.

Rogue was slumping against the seat. There were so many things going through her mind. The memories of why she left Mississippi and why she couldn't go back. How hurt she felt about someone else wanting to get rid of her. How stupid she was getting so close to Logan. She knew it! She'd thought it to herself over and over again, not to get close to Logan so that when they parted it didn't hurt. But here was the hurt. Maybe if she never bumped into Sabretooth in the first place and this need to escape never arose, she wouldn't have been hurting as much but still... It was hurting. She swallowed down her stupid feelings about being abandoned again, trying to focus on what it was she needed to do or say. There was nothing for her back in Mississippi. Nothing. In fact, she was probably in more danger than she was now if she returned back there.

"What do you mean?" Logan asked.

Rogue looked back at Logan, not realised that she'd said those last few sentences aloud. She had to look away from him as this fell out of her month. "When my mutation, erm first happened, there was this boy. Cody."

"The sick cousin your going to see?" Logan said with a snide remark.

"No! Cody was...He... I killed him, Logan." Rogue said.

Logan glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Then back at the road.

"Thought that geezer who tried raping you was the first guy you killed." Logan asked.

"No." Rogue whispered. "Cody... He was my first love. I... I was at his place and we, erm, we. He kissed me and I sucked the life out of him... I screamed and his family came in. His dad was mad at me, but his mum wasn't. Not until the doctor told her that it'd been me who'd killed him. I... I ran home. I was livin' with ma auntie. She hated me. She always told me. She used to... Just, let's just say she tolerated me for a while until Cody, then she kicked me out. At least, at the begin. Where I lived, it was a small town and word got 'round quickly that the star football player had been brutally murdered by his girlfriend. People were out for blood. I had to run with only the clothes on ma back and the cash in ma pocket. I just ran. And ran. And ran...Ha, I know though that they made a huge wooden cross to tie me to when they caught me. They were gonna burn the cross and ma body."

"Alright, so your home town's outta the picture. Doesn't mean the rest of Mississippi is." Logan said.

Rogue scoffed at that. "You really don't pay that much attention to the news, do you? Well, maybe it was only broadcasted in Mississippi."

"What you talkin' about?" Logan asked.

"The news about me bein' a dangerous murderess mutant went viral and it was in the headlines for a long while all around Mississippi. I honest ta god have no idea how I got outta there alive, but... there's no way I can go back there."

"Fine. Logan said. "There are other places you can go-"

"I don't wanna go anywhere else! I just wanna see the northern lights!" Rogue snapped.

"Tough. You stick with me, you're not gonna live long enough to see them anyway." Logan said.

"There has to be another way to handle this! What about you? You gonna stay here and die!" Rogue snapped.

"I can handle him." Logan said.

"Then why do I need to run!" Rogue snapped. "If you can handle him, then I can just hang back until you sort this."

"You forgettin' the part where this guy is practically immortal? I can fight and live to see another day. He'll kill you in one go." Logan said.

Rogue was silent for a while. "Then let him try." Rogue muttered.

"What?" Logan asked.

"Then let him try!" Rogue snapped louder. "I ain't gonna let anyone else dictate ma life. I just want one thing. One! And if that means I gotta kill again ta get it then I guess I'm gonna have bloody fingers for a while." Rogue said, taking her gloves off.

"What the hell are you going on about?" Logan said.

"You can drive me to the airport if you want, but I ain't gettin on a plane. I'm gonna stay and fight." Rogue said.

"Wanna bet?" Logan said.

"You wanna try?" Rogue said, raising her hand up and getting on the edge of her seat. She was readying for Logan to jump at her.

Logan snorted.

"You think a couple of defence lessons and you can take on a pro killer?" Logan said.

"No. I don't think I can out fight him. But I think I can at least touch him and knock him on his arse. And then, not let go."

"You really want this creep in your head?"

"Not really, but I ain't runnin'! I know what I want and some stupid son of a gun ain't gonna stop me."

Logan looked away from her. His gaze did fall on a plane that was taking off and starting very quickly to disappear in the clouds. He hated to admit it to himself, but he had grown used to the kids company. She was annoying at times but she gave him something to do and he really didn't want to leave her on her on. Hell, he'd only just started to train her how to fight and hadn't even started teaching her how to actually look out for herself on her own. If he was to put her on a plane, he might as well as handed her over to Sabretooth because she'd die on her own. A memory of Rogue when he did take her in ran across his mind. Her ill and near death just before she meet him. Maybe, if anything did happen to her, he could heal her again...But he still didn't want to put her in harms way... Maybe there was a way that they could still stay together.

Logan turned off the road to the airport and headed towards one of the hotels that was closest to the airport. Rogue began to calm down a little as she noticed Logan was heading away from the airport. She waited for him to say something.

"I've got an idea. But if we do this, you do exactly what I say when I say it and don't ask questions or disobey me, got it?" Logan snapped.

Rogue nodded her head.

xxxxx

Logan was sat down next to his truck, a fire going in front of him. Rogue was no where in sight. He could smell her. Her scent was all around the little camp fire they'd set up, but he knew she wasn't around. He guessed from the distance, Sabretooth would catch up to them in a matter of hours or less. And as if on queue, a motorbike pulled up. Logan instantly began to study this man. He didn't remember him, but from the way this guy was staring at him and with such hate, it seemed this guy knew who he was.

"Can I help you?" Logan said.

"Just here to tie up some loose ends." The guy, Sabertooth said.

Logan stood up. They were at a stand off. Logan let his claws come out. The two ran at each other, Sabertooth dodging Logan's punch as if he knew Logan's fighting style. Logan was ended up tackled to the ground. He dodged out of the way before Sabertooth could punch him in the face. Logan managed to stab Sabertooth in the side which made him roar. In response, Sabertooth punched Logan, throwing him against a tree. It was perfect.

Logan took off into the woods, Sabertooth following behind. Trees were torn up as they ran. When Logan saw his destination though, he circled around the tree, using it to swing off and tackle Sabertooth from behind. He had him pinned. Retracting his claws, Logan moved to put Sabertooth in a submission grip.

"Now!" Logan screamed.

Rogue jumped down from the tree Logan had marked and landed right in front of Sabertooth. Quickly she placed her hand on his face. Sabertooth gasped, as if he was drowning. Rogue cried out, but kept her bare hand on his face. Logan could feel Sabertooth fighting against Rogue's touch, but he increased his grip. After one minute, Sabertooth went limp.

"Release!" Logan shouted out.

Rogue didn't let go though. It looked like she was in a trance, but also in pain.

Logan released Sabertooth and tackled Rogue, getting her off him.

Rogue gasped, as if she was surfacing for air. Logan held her up right, out of the snow.

"You alright?" Logan asked.

Rogue nodded her head. Still out of it. That was the longest she'd ever held onto someone for. She was forced to go through all of Sabertooth's memories. Apparently, he was Logan's brother. His father hated him and favoured his half brother, Logan which made him jealous and mad. They ran away together as kids after Logan killed his own dad by mistake. They went their own way for a time, Logan meeting up with Rose and convincing her to run away with him. Logan killed Rose and, eventually, joined Sabertooth in the army. They went through so much together. Sabertooth and Logan both felt their animals taking over them and there was just rage. Logan had more control over his animal though. Sabertooth found that, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't hold a relationship. But his younger half-brother could. He treated women as if they were meat bags, there to do what he needed and wanted, where Logan treated them with respect. Sabertooth just grew into a jealous monster. Jealous of his brother. Raging, that his brother kept going his own separate way. Kept being loved. Kept abandoning him because he was out of control and no one, not even him, could control the animal within him.

Rogue reached out and sliced Sabertooth's throat with his own sharp claws.

"Rogue!" Logan snapped, pulling her back. She didn't realise she was growling, like an animal. Like him. Like Sabertooth. She just wanted him dead. She felt her own anger that this man wanted to take the only man in her life who was standing by her. The one man who was going to help give her what she wanted.

"Stripes snap out of it!" Logan snapped, as Rogue continued to fight against him and go to claw at Sabertooth.

Luckily, Logan was a lot stronger than Rogue. He'd dragged her much further away from Sabertooth and managed to make her face him. "Rogue look at me. Your not him! You're Rogue! Come on girl! Don't let this maniac take over your head."

Rogue's senses were heightened with Sabertooth's abilities. Logan's smell was so strong. She felt so conflicted. A part of her, the part she had absorbed from Sabertooth, just wanted to rip him apart for betraying him and leaving him on his own. The other part didn't want to hurt him at all. Logan grabbed Rogue's wrist as she did try scratching at him. Rogue screamed and put her face into Logan's chest. She had to get a hold of herself. She didn't want to hurt the man who was trying to help her. She didn't. She... She... She didn't want to admit what she was really feeling, but those feelings were getting stronger and stronger.

"Logan." Rogue breathed out.

Logan felt the fight leaving Rogue as she battled with her inner demons. He lost his grip as she began to give up fighting him. She just fell more forward into him. He wrapped his arms around her and, just having him so close, just helped the part of him that was in her head, come more forward and help her fight down Sabertooth.

Rogue had fainted. Logan picked her up and carried her back to the truck, tucking her in to his bed and locking the door behind him, returning to go sort out Sabertooth.

xxxxx

Rogue woke up with a massive headache later on. She was in bed and Logan was driving the truck.

"Logan?" She called out. She saw Logan look back at her through the re-view mirror.

"What happened?" Rogue asked.

"Hang on stripes. We're almost there." Logan said.

"Where?" Rogue asked.

Logan didn't answer her then. Rogue just lay back down until the truck stopped moving. Logan parked up and moved to the back. Rogue felt him pulling her up as gently as he could (but he was still rough). Rogue, coming back to, gave Logan a hand helping her up. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she was just following his league. They were outside and she was leaning against his shoulder as he walked her to a building. Rogue blinked a few times and saw that they were approaching a nice looking hotel. Rogue had to try standing on her own two feet as Logan bought them a room, but she went back to leaning against him as they headed to their room. Rogue wasn't completely sure why they were getting a hotel room when they had the truck, but it was Logan's money and she wasn't arguing.

Rogue ended up laying back on one of the two beds. Still a little dizzy and out of it with a massive headache. She watched Logan walk around the room, sorting out a few things, until finally, he sat on the edge of the other bed, facing her.

"How you holding up, stripes?" Logan asked.

"Rough. What happened?" Rogue asked.

"Everything went to plan. You knocked out Sabertooth cold." Logan said.

"Where is he? What'd you do with him?" Rogue asked.

"Snuck him on a plane. He's half way to France by now. He's definitely lost our scent and won't be able to trace us now."

"That's good." Rogue said. "Sooo, why are we here?" Rogue asked.

"Thought you could do with a break from cooking and cleaning." Logan said, shaking his shoulders and walking away. "That and there's a bar downstairs."

Rogue stared at Logan's back. Her head still hurt. That Sabretooth guy was stomping around in her head, kicking, screaming and fighting for control.

"Thought I'd need a drink for what your gonna tell me." Logan said.

Rogue massaged her temples and turned onto her side in the bed. It was hard to pay attention to Logan when there was a wild cat clawing at her in her mind.

"What do you mean?" Rogue asked. Closing her eyes to try and soothe her headache.

"Your gonna tell me what you found out from touching Sabretooth. All of it." Logan said.

Rogue was silent. Logan turned around, getting annoyed when she didn't say anything. "Well?" He snapped.

"Will you just give me five minutes to shut this guy up! He ain't an easy person to have in ma head." Rogue stated.

Logan growled in his throat, picked up his jacket off the back of a chair and left the hotel room to go to the bar and have a drink. Rogue stayed in bed, almost sleep like. She tried to fight Sabretooth back and, somehow, get him to shut up.