Disclaimer: I own nothing, you hear me?  Nothing!  (Apart from that whole big slew of original characters, but they're just incidental.  I created them mostly as plot devices.)

'The Way' was located on a little farm in Nowhere, PA.

"It looks so ordinary." was the first thing Rogue said.

Carver grinned.  "It's supposed to.  They like to keep a low profile, keep out of people's way.  Just walk up to the gate, tell 'em Carver sent you.  They'll take care of you."

"You're not coming in?" she asked?

"Haven't got time."

But she could tell from his face that it was something else.

As she walked up to the gate, someone appeared out of nowhere.

"Why hello, beautiful."

She blushed at his words.  "Um, Carver sent me?"

"Is that so, Chere?  Then Remy must remember t' t'ank him, for sending an angel his way."

"Leave the poor girl alone, Gambit.  We don't want her to run away."

Two others approached the gate.  The one who had spoken was a tiny, blonde girl with bright purple eyes.  The second, towering over her, was a serious looking man.

The tall man unlocked the gate, shoving Gambit?  Remy? out of the way.

He shook her gloved hand before she could hide it behind her back.

"I'm Sword.  The little one is Violet, and the annoying one is Remy."

"Or Gambit, or Cajun, or Swampy, or Thief, or You!" said Violet, grinning. 

"Depending on the mood you're in, or what he's done wrong now."

Remy pouted.  "Gambit don't have t' stay here and listen t' y' insult 'im."

"No," said Sword.  "You can go somewhere else and we'll say it behind your back."

"Jus for that," Remy said, "Remy is not giving back y' katana."

Sword's face darkened.  "Where did you put it, Cajun."

"You see what I mean about the names?" whispered Violet to Rogue, grinning.

"Remy wish y' luck in finding it on y' own."

There was a roar, and Sword chased Gambit across the fields, yelling.

"Come back here!  I'm going to gut you, Thief!"

"Oui," came the sarcastic reply. "When y' put it like that, Remy stop running now."

Violet just laughed.  "Don't worry; they won't really hurt each other.  What is your name, by the way?"

"Ahm Rogue."

"Well then, Rogue, let's take you to meet Shadow and the rest."

Wolverine sat in a corner, observing the other members of the Brotherhood.  So far, he hated Sabertooth, merely tolerated Toad, and Magneto gave him the creeps.  Raven, however…

He flashed a grin at her, shifted into the form of some woman she was supposed to be impersonating.  Wolverine didn't take much note of Maggie's political agenda.

She noticed his grin, and flashed something else back.

Logan grinned even wider.  Yep, he liked it here, for now.  Lots of fighting, a fair amount of drinking, and one beautiful shapeshifter with a heck of a lot of *ahem* talent.

"Wolverine!" Magneto's voice echoed through the room.

He rolled his eyes at Raven.  "Coming, Maggie!"

She laughed out loud when Erik, obviously tiring of his insubordination, dragged him through the door by his metal skeleton.

Hell, life would be boring if you didn't piss someone off every now and again.

Magneto threw him bodily into a chair, and then laid a photograph on the desk.

"David Jones.  FOH Philadelphia branch.  I've just got information that he's behind the murders over there.

Logan growled.  Several young mutants had turned up, dead and multilated.  The police, of course, did nothing.

"And ya want me to deal out some justice, Brotherhood style?" he inquired.  "Why not just send Vic?"

Eric grinned.  "Because I just want him dead, Wolverine.  Not his wife, not his children, not his dog, not his neighbors.  Sabertooth can't be trusted.  Besides, I have another job for him."

Logan returned a couple days later, quite satisfied with his completed job.  He'd followed the jerk after an FOH meeting, as he went off to a strip club with his buddies.  David Jones, murderer of at least five mutant children, died quite messily in an alleyway outside a strip club.

There were a bunch of new scents in the lair when he returned.

"Have fun?" asked Raven, a glint in her eye.

Logan shrugged.  "Some.  Maggie been recruiting again?"

"Huh?"

"Come off it, Raven.  I can smell them, ya know.  What's he up ta?"

Understanding dawned on her face.  "Oh, them.  We got a few of the X-Men why you were away."

He snorted.  "X-Men?"

Mystique nodded.  "Goody two-shoes mutants without the balls to do what's necessary; so they run around trying to stop us.  They would have tried to stop you killing David, if they'd known about it."

Logan stared at her, disbelieving.  "Why?"

"Oh, because no-one deserves to die, or something like that." She rolled her eyes.

"Trust me, beauty.  That man did."

X-Men, huh?  Sounded interesting.  Stupid, but interesting.

There were three of them, restrained by metal bonds.  A boy, his head held in the direction of a red-headed girls face, his eyes tightly shut.  The red-head was kinda cute.  And the third one…

Logan let out a low whistle as he saw the third prisoner, a beautiful young woman with dark skin and pure white hair.  And her scent – her scent washed over him, intoxicating.

He took a couple steps towards him.

"And just what are you doing, Wolverine?"

Magneto leant against the doorframe.  Logan snorted.

"Just looking, Maggie.  Calm yerself."  He grinned.  "I can't believe these three children are what have been giving ya so much trouble."

"They are stronger than they look." said Magneto.  "I trust your mission was successful?"

"More than.  Gutted him outside a strip club.  That'll look nice in the papers."

Now, why would it hurt, that the white-haired girl looked at him with such sorrow at his confession?

"Better yet," he continued. "This club – ah, Club M, - specializes…" he paused for effect, "in 'mutant' girls, although I doubt they have many actual mutants working for them."

That made Magneto pause.  "A prominent member of the FOH, found dead in an alley outside a mutant strip club?"  He chuckled.

"Sometimes, Wolverine, you outdo yourself."

They left together, Logan casting one long look back at the white-haired woman.

Before Magneto turned into his office, he placed a hand on Logan's shoulder and said.

"If you want the white-haired one, Wolverine, be my guest.  You might have to fight Sabertooth for her, though."

It took him two days to come up with a plan.  A stupid, reckless, probably going to get him killed, plan, but a plan nonetheless.  He just couldn't bear to think of Sabertooth getting his hands on his girl.

The only problem he could see, was that, even if he concocted this escape during Toad's watch, Maggie would wake up, and then he was a dead man.  During the afternoon of the second day, Raven cornered him in his room.

"Are you thinking of doing it tonight?"

"Doing what tonight, darlin'?"

She rolled her eyes.  "Freeing the damn X-Men.  I know you too well, Logan."

"Raven…".

She kissed him.  "Hush.  I'll take care of Magneto, slip something in his food.  You take care; and keep them out of my way.  I don't want to have to hurt you."

Mystique placed something in his hand and left.

Logan stared down at the object in his hand – the keys to Mystiques newly acquired helicopter.

Ororo looked up, as he returned.  One or other of the mutants named Sabertooth and Wolverine were always hanging around the cell, looking at her.  They were usually so busy fighting each other, they'd not got round to doing anything else yet.

~You always wanted to be popular, for all the guys to like you.  I guess this brings new meaning to 'be careful what you wish for'~

This time, it was Wolverine.  Slightly better than Sabertooth, in that, although they were both fairly evil, Wolverine appeared to be mostly sane, and, she had to admit, rather good looking.

"And how are ya today, darlin'" he asked.

"I would be better if you would release me."

"Perhaps later." he said.  He came and knelt down beside her, lifting a strand of white hair in his hands.

"You keep away from her!" cried Scott.

Logan grinned, lifting the strand of hair to his nose, inhaling deeply.

"And what are ya going ta do if I don't, bub?"

He leaned forward, brushing her hair away from the side of her face.  She tried to move away, as much as her bonds would allow for movement.  But his touch was gentle, almost reverent.  ~And creepy.  Definitely creepy.~

"I'm getting ya out." he whispered in her ear. "Tonight, and yer friends too.  Be ready."

Then he left.

Not the usual sort of sweet talk, but at the moment, Storm couldn't care less.

~'Ro?~ asked Jean.

~He might actually be on our side.  He said he'd try to break us out tonight.  Tell Scott.~

Jean nodded.

Wolverine crept into the cell a little after midnight.  Vic was asleep, and Toad on watch – if thumping the TV trying to get the Playboy channel to tune in properly counted as 'on watch'.

He cut through their bonds easily, guiding them out of the cell.  The boy kept his eyes tightly closed, the redhead guiding him.  Logan frowned.  That could slow them down.

"So," the boy said.  "What's the next part of your plan."

Logan dangled the keys off the end of his finger. 

"Any of you kids know how ta fly a helicopter?"
The white-haired goddess went to snatch the keys, but he pulled them away.

"Uh uh, darlin' First, I want ta be properly introduced."

"My name is Ororo."

"Hmm." He considered it.  "I wouldn't have pegged ya for Arabic.  Suits ya though.  This way."

Logan tossed the keys to her, and led them down a passage.  Suddenly, Sabertooth leaped before them.

"Give it up, Runt."

Wolverine growled, letting his claws come out.  "Not likely, Vic."

The three X-Men stood back, as the two ferals battled it out in the enclosed space.  They looked closely matched, but step by step, Sabertooth was winning, forcing Logan backwards.

Until he was hit in the head with a crowbar.

"Raven?"

The blue-skinned woman rolled her eyes, preparing for another strike.  Sabertooth was getting up again, murder in his eyes.

"Logan, you idiot.  Run!"

Followed by the three X-Men, Logan charged down the corridor towards the helicopter pad.  He heard Mystique scream as they entered the helicopter.  Not pausing, he practically threw Ororo at the controls.
 "We need to get out of here, now!"

Just as the helicopter lifted off, a furious Sabertooth rushed out to the helipad.  He threw himself at the helicopter, almost catching it with one claw, but a second later he was left snarling on the ground and they were free.

Logan leant back against the wall.  ~Raven, ya stupid bitch.~

"I still can't believe that Mystique just helped us escape." said the boy.

"She didn't help ya, bub.  She helped me."

Ororo turned around, her eyes understanding.

"We could you back for her, if you like."

Before the boy could protest at that, Logan said.

"There's no point, Darlin'.  She's already dead."

He closed his eyes, thinking of one of those country songs that Raven had loved so much.

~If I will love, then I will find, that I have touched another life, and that's something.  Something worth leaving behind.~

A/N: Song is 'Something worth leaving behind' by Lee Ann Womack.  I'm not usually much for country music, but I like it.