The two men faced each other in the dim light, one breathing hard from his run across the lawn and the other smirking at him. Logan's first impression was the rank smell of fear, mildew and blood. His second was that Jean was there, and alive. His third was that Ororo was not. He saw her lying on her back in a corner, legs at angles and arms thrown out. Her hair spread in a cloud, turning pink with the huge pool of blood that cradled her. "Ororo…" whispered Logan, feeling his voice catch hard in his throat.
"Blame dear Jeannie for that one," said the clone lightly. "I must confess, at first I thought she was much to prim and proper for you, but once you get to know her she's quite a bitch." He laughed again, the obscene high chuckle. "I didn't hurt her, not to worry. At least not physically."
"Logan…" said Jean. "He killed her…" Logan could hear the tinge of hysteria in her voice. His head snapped back to his smug doppelganger. Without preamble, without threats or curses or taunts, the wolverine sprang. An animal growl came from Logan's throat and the molten rage that he'd tried to forget flowed through him. Both Logan and the clone went to ground; Logan's blows aiming to kill.
There were footsteps above, and then excited voices, and Jubilee and Emma and Sean piling down the stairs. Emma spread her arms wide to stop the others when she saw Logan, shirt already ripped and bloodying, slashing and growling in the most fearsome battle she'd ever been witness to. Sean tried to push past her, and Emma jabbed an elbow into his side. "This is his fight," she said quietly, as one of the Logans went crashing into the wall hard enough to leave a dent.
"Yeah," said Jubilee. "But will he win?" Logan got a hit on his clone, slashing deeply through his middle, blood spraying over both of them. The clone let out a howl of pain, and Logan moved in to finish him. The clone kicked out, and Logan went stumbling away again. Emma used the distraction to free Jean from her chains and handcuffs. Jean leapt at the clone to aid Logan, but with her slave collar still on the false Logan turn to her, and, with a grin, placed a hand on her thigh and hooked his foot around her ankle. Jean felt the sickening crack, but it was a full two seconds before pain flooded through her. She felt the clone bat her away and she went down in a pile of greasy rags.
"Jean!" Logan screamed. The clone turned back to him.
"Tsk tsk, my friend. Even now you can't save her from me." Logan's lip curled.
"Wanna bet?" The clone stepped back into a ready stance, but Logan observed no such formality. A feral roar ripped from his throat, and he leapt at his clone, the slashing of the two sets of adamantium claws creating sparks and smoke. Almost before it had started it was over. The clone made a wrong move; Logan slashed his arm away, spun, kicked, and ended on one knee with his claws through his twisted twin's skull. With very little fanfare, blood pooling and eyes dimming, Logan's clone died.
"Are you sure you're alright?" said Jean anxiously as she and Storm were being loaded into the ambulance. Logan pushed her hair off her forehead with a bloody hand.
"Yeah, darlin'. I'll survive." Jean looked over at Ororo.
"I hope Storm will. The EMTs said her spinal cord is in bad shape. Paralysis at the very least." Logan impulsively leaned over and kissed Jean hard, feeling her thin arms holding him like a lifeline. But then she lay back, moving away from his lips. He could tell she wasn't looking at him through those eyes anymore.
"I'm sorry, Jeannie," he said as an emergency worked loaded her gurney into the ambulance. The other medic injected a morphine shot into her arm. Jean smiled weakly at him before her eyes closed.
"Goodbye, Logan." Logan stood on his own as the red and white ambulance pulled away down the drive. Goodbye, Logan. In more ways than one.
"Wolvie?" said Jubilee softly at his elbow. Logan blinked and turned to her.
"Yeah, kid." She touched his arm, where one of the deeper slashes was already scarring over and fading.
"Glad you're okay," she said.
"Aye," said Sean. "I think that's a shared sentiment, my friend." Emma, having dispatched the NYPD and Westchester police with her particular brand of terror, also joined the circle.
"Any other hidden doppelgangers up your sleeve, Wolverine?" she said archly, raising an eyebrow. Logan felt the anger rising in him again, but before he could snarl Jubilee turned to her former headmistress.
"Emma? Shut up." Sean snorted, and Emma opened her mouth, then closed it in a thin line.
"I'll be in the house," she said icily, turning on her heel and storming back to the mansion. Sean was trying his best to control a wicked grin.
"I'd best follow her. See you in a moment." He followed the furious White Queen. Logan looked at Jubilee.
"Never figured you for the aggressive type, kid." Jubilee shrugged.
"Being stocked by an insane clone of my best friend can change a girl." Logan slung one arm around her shoulder, and Jubilee impulsively threw her arms around his sturdy torso and hugged him arm. Logan returned her embrace, for once in his life feeling like he needed the touch.
"Don't know what I'd do without you, kid. And I mean that." Jubilee smiled and stepped back.
"Same here, Logan." He patted her shoulder and started back for the mansion.
"Come on, Jubes. Let's go home."
THE END
Whew! I can't believe this thing is actually finished! Thanks to everyone who reviewed me…Valkyrie, Hoodoo, Hemlock, Addie Logan, Darth Maligna and Chibikat just to name a few ^_^ . Comments, questions? Email me! I never get any! Also ::shameless plug here:: visit my brand-new X-Men web site, www.angelfire.com/scifi/nextx Thank you once again, happy writing.
~GambitGirl