The Day My Fur Turned Gray

Paris

Hank was an intelligent man and having weighed up the situation he had come to the only rational conclusion, to get the hell out of there while he was still breathing. Perhaps it might seem cowardly to some to be running away but he doubted even Logan would have stayed behind in that restaurant with Cassandra Nova and Selene about to duel to the death over him. Fortunately the humans in the restaurant had also decided that discretion was the better part of valor and when he had yelled for everyone to evacuate they had been swift to obey him. They hadn't even noticed him as he'd slipped quietly outside doffing his heavy jacket and dropping to all fours for maximum speed. Now he had been running for a good ten minutes before his sharp ears caught the faint muffled sound of a tremendous explosion and he glanced back to see the restaurant had gone up in a ball of flame.

"Stars and garters, I expect Casanova never had this trouble."

Hank knew he was in a lot of trouble now that Cassandra Nova was after him. Whereas Selene seemed to feel genuine love for him in that twisted heart of hers, Cassandra merely saw him as a means to an end. She was incapable of feeling love for anything; she didn't even see other people as being real except for herself and her brother Charles Xavier. Hank didn't really know much about her except her claim to be Xavier's psychic twin who he had fought in the womb before he was even born. She was also at least as powerful as Onslaught or Apocalypse, madder than Jubilee on a sugar high and absolutely, unremittingly, purely evil. The X-Men had thought they had stopped her once and for all but apparently that had been wishful thinking. Now she was back and gunning after Selene this time. Hank theorized she saw Selene as a rival and wanted to do anything if it would hurt her enemy and stealing her boyfriend was just a start. He would probably have as much chance of surviving her attentions as Professor X having a bad hair day.

"Now how many minutes do I have before they come after me," grunted Hank scratching his chin thoughtfully, drawing in deep gasping breaths of precious oxygen.

Selene and Cassandra stood amongst the charred ruins of the restaurant, both completely unharmed despite the complete devastation behind them. For the moment their belligerence was spent and they were looking round cautiously. Clothes in tatters, hair and wig in total disarray and skin covered in soot they knew they weren't looking their best and they dreaded to contemplate what Hank would be thinking of them at the moment. To their considerable surprise they found they were alone amidst the wreckage, not a human in sight and certainly not their furry blue paramour.

"This is your fault, driving away my Hank and you don't even care for him anyway," spat Selene bitterly.

"He's too good for the likes of you; naturally he came to his senses and ran away from you. He'll come back to me," sneered Cassandra.

The fighting started all over again even more ferocious than before.

Infirmary, the mansion

McCoy had been starting to feel bored so he had decided to pop into the infirmary to see if he could find anything interesting to experiment with. He somehow doubted that the others would appreciate him performing his genetic manipulations on the students. Still he had the most wonderful idea for a new serum and if he was lucky he might find the necessary ingredients. Then he would just have to find someone suitable to test his new serum to promote uncontrollable nasal hair growth on, someone young and naïve and Beak would be just perfect.

"What are you doing here Dark Beast?" asked Beak.

"Oh I've come to apologize to Scott, if I'm staying with you for a while I may as well make my peace with the man," lied McCoy glibly.

Needing to keep up appearances he went over to the bed where Scott was lying. Scott was just coming round and he looked up to see yellow eyes gazing down at him. In his completely delirious state he somehow managed to mistake Dark Beast for Jean Grey. Mumbling something about his precious honey bunny he reached up and grabbed McCoy around the neck pulling him down.

"Stars and garters, mind the sideburns," growled McCoy.

"Oh darling, I love you so much," murmured Scott.

"What's happening, what's happening, I want my teddy," gulped Blackheart now also awake and hardly daring to look.

Before the horrorstricken eyes of the demon and the young mutant Scott kissed Dark Beast deeply and passionately. Then he blinked behind his ruby-quartz glasses and came more to his senses. The lips hadn't felt like Jean's and she certainly wouldn't have snarled like that. His fingers were gripping tightly onto thick sideburns and the face had felt somewhat rough and hairy. Scott came to a logical if erroneous conclusion.

"Logan, man I'm sorry, I was just totally out of it and I really hope you're not going to use your claws on me."

"Well that was closer than your last guess but take another look," said McCoy in a voice that was barely above a growl.

Scott took another look and realized that the eyes were yellow and while Logan was extremely hirsute he wasn't covered in short gray fur. Scott shivered in terror as he suddenly realized the true horror of the event that had just taken place and he mercifully fainted dead away. Memories of this would haunt his nightmares for years to come.

"Oh the horror," were the final words of Blackheart before he lapsed back into a catatonic state.

"Well he certainly seemed to be friendly to you at least to begin with didn't he," quipped Beak nervously.

"Dear child you are this close to having your scrawny throat ripped out by my claws," growled McCoy.

Hellfire Club

Yuriko and Martinique were finally ready after facing several life and death decisions over which dress to wear, the proper shade of lipstick and major angst over whether or not Mastermind should reveal her true feelings to Hank. They had quickly decided that telling Selene about them would be tantamount to a death sentence. Now they were paused as they came across the sight of Sabretooth being harassed by the Crocodile Hunter.

"We've got to save Victor-san from the clutches of the gaijin madman,"

"See if you can grab Creed off him while I try and distract him with an illusion. This could be difficult since it's hard to affect a being of limited intellect and sanity such as him,"

Yuriko nodded and charged forward managing to grab hold of Creed's boot and drag him away from the Crocodile Hunter. Suddenly Steve Irwin's eyes lit up with delight as the camcorder roved towards the contents of the broom cupboard and he leapt onto a vacuum cleaner trying to wrestle it so he could get a close-up.

"Crikey look at this gorgeous and very naughty bouncing blue Beast. Isn't he beautiful," cried Steve. Once again Mastermind had created the illusion of the one who held a special place in her heart.

"That should occupy him for a while then perhaps we can send him after the X-Men. We could tell him that he will find the Canadian Wolverine there and wouldn't that be a shock for Logan-san," suggested Yuriko before being distracted by Sabretooth giving her an affectionate lick.

"Ya saved me darlin, now I'm all yours," purred Creed.

"You make a lovely couple," said a delighted Mastermind.

Yuriko's reply was rather less enthusiastic.

Back in the lounge Fitzroy was presently bewailing his lot. Jack had bandaged up his injured foot for him taking sadistic pleasure in applying large amounts of stinging antiseptic to the puncture marks. Given Creed's habit of raiding the dustbins and eating raw meat and his infrequent use of toothpaste the bite could easily become infected. Fitzroy promptly stopped complaining when Jack threatened to bite him since the young mutant had no wish of becoming a werewolf.

"Now have ya learned ya lesson mate?"

"So perhaps Creed isn't gay but I think the jury is still out on you and Bobby," said Fitzroy, cultured English accent grating on Jack's ears.

The werewolf snarled and grabbed Fitzroy by the throat and lifted him up off the ground. Fitzroy blanched as Jack seemed intent on choking the life out of him.

"Now are ya going ta take that back mate?" growled Jack.

"Mercy please, don't kill me, I beg you, quarter, have pity, I give," pleaded Fitzroy in a voice dangerously close to a whine.

"You can put him down now Jack. I think he learned his lesson and I don't think Selene would be pleased if you killed him," said Bobby putting a restraining hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Guess yer right mate. Alright Fitzroy I'm sparing ya this time," growled Jack dropping Fitzroy in a heap on the ground.

"Oh thank you, thank you, Owwie," he yelped as Jack 'accidentally' trod on his bad foot.

"Oh pardon my boot," said Jack insincerely.

Paris

Hank was crouched in the sturdy lower branches of an oak tree in the park. He was taking the opportunity to scrape the mud of his boots, mop the sweat from his fur, survey the rips in his shirt and generally perform some minor damage control. If he was lucky Cassandra and Selene would be so caught up in their fight that it would be a while before they came and found him. Knowing his luck though, he could probably expect company any moment now. He took a cautious glance around but caught no glimpse of either of them. Stripping off his gloves he began sharpening his claws to try and ease away his tension. Really he would rather endure the attentions of Sabretooth on heat than those two.

"Perhaps if I told them I really was gay they might believe me and leave me be. No they probably wouldn't believe me and knowing Selene she would probably suggest a threesome while Cassandra would just kill anyone who stood in the way."

Hank wished now that the rest of the Hellfire Club had accompanied them. At least then Bobby, his best friend would be there. Hank remembered how he and Logan had come to rescue him when they thought he was in danger. If Bobby was here he would have told Hank one of his corny jokes or pulled a stupid prank on him knowing just the thing to cheer up his old friend. Yes Bobby, he was like the annoying younger brother who you wished would just grow up but secretly hoped they never did.

"Yes Selene I'm afraid I'm gay and yes I love Bobby not you so I'm sorry but it just wasn't meant to be. No she'd never believe that. Oh stars and garters what am I ever going to do?"

He howled mournfully just once like a wolf and then the tears came to his eyes. It was several minutes later that Selene arrived to find him in a heap at the bottom of the tree having fallen out. Going over to check if he was alright she suddenly stopped and gasped with horror.

"Hank did you know that there's gray in your fur. Oh you poor darling, it's been so stressful for you hasn't it and it's all her fault. Oh she's so going to suffer for this. Now don't you worry Hank we'll soon get you back and then you can go to bed, have as much rest as you need and I'll be there when you're feeling better. Bobby can look after you if you like. Oh my poor darling, lovely Hank I'll do anything you want if it will make you better," she cried.

"My dear the stress was just much for me and I'm at the end of my tether, I'm just a shadow of the Beast I was. Leave me, I'm no use to you now, the boat she's wrote for me," whispered Hank.

"No Hank, I shall be with you always even unto the end," she breathed kissing the furry cheek.

She noticed he was beginning to cry again obviously touched by her devotion. No this had all started as a game to her when she was bored and she had decided to fall in love never expecting to have genuine feelings for the lovable blue lug. He was her Black King, perhaps the only man she had ever truly loved in all her centuries of life.

"Oh Hank,"

"Hand me a sick bucket," sniggered Cassandra as she arrived.

"I think we've had enough of you," snapped Selene summoning up all her mystical might and releasing it with the full force of her fury in one irresistible evocation. The force of the blast flung Cassandra high into the air, hurtling hundreds of yards before her flight abruptly ended as she was transfixed atop the Eiffel Tower.

"Now lovely Hank I'll take you home and give you lots of tender loving care," soothed Selene as she cradled his head tenderly in her arms.

"Stars and garters, I surrender," whispered Hank realizing to his dismay that further resistance was futile.

Mansion

McCoy was feeling a much happier man now; Jean Grey had been very sympathetic when he related his unfortunate close encounter with Scott. She had just sat with him for about an hour just gently stroking his fur just the way he liked it before going off to find Logan. Then Emma had come and sat on his knee and kissed him, the cologne was working wonderfully. Finally Logan came in with several six packs and helped him drown his sorrows. Now he was well and truly inebriated and while it was almost impossible for Logan to get drunk he was as close to that state as it was possible for him to get.

"Y-y-ou k-know Wolsh-Woolv-Logan y-your m-my only friend,"

"Yer beautiful Dark Beast, yer my brother."

"Lesh party shall we, shtars and gartersh, I'm drunk as a shkunk."

The combined partying of a feral with adamantium laced bones and claws and some three hundred and fifty pounds of muscle, fang and gray fur soon wrecked the kitchen and they then proceeded to move to Scott's bedroom.

Emma Frost was walking to the infirmary to check with Xorn on the patient's recovery when she was ambushed by Steve Irwin. The Aussie Crocodile Hunter's camcorder was pointing straight down her cleavage.

"Crikey get a load of this gorgeous Sheila," he began before Emma shifted to her organic diamond form and gave him a sound thrashing.

Hellfire Club

Hank was feeling a lot better now that he was safely in a room set aside for his personal use. He would shortly retire to his bed but he had to admit that he had enjoyed Martinique's visit. She was pleasant company and he had to admit to liking the woman even if she was supposed to be an enemy. Her telepathic linking of their minds and reenactment of the story "Beauty and the Beast" had been simply beautiful.

Now he and his oldest friend Bobby were out of Hellfire uniform and comfortable in jeans and T-shirts, just sitting back on the bed. Well they did after Bobby had to test how bouncy it was but fortunately managed not to break any springs. They had been enjoying some Twinkies and now Hank was thinking of just getting some sleep. He was certainly happy that once they had got back Selene had confined herself to one last kiss goodnight and a promise to come and see him in the morning.

"I'm glad I have a friend like you Bobby," whispered Hank, he was presently purring as Bobby very gently stroked the fur on his arms.

"Well you're the best pal an ordinary guy like me could hope for," said Bobby.

Hank gave Bobby a gentle affectionate hug, unfortunately just as Fitzroy popped his head around the door.

"Just as I thought, you are………."

"Beat it," snarled Hank for once short sweet and to the point. Fitzroy no fool eagerly obeyed his Black King's order.

"See ya in the morning fuzzy, g'night," said Bobby.

"Goodnight my friend," replied Hank before settling down to a pleasant night filled with sweet dreams none of which involved Selene.

Somewhere else

"Don't think you've heard the last of me Selene. I will get my revenge. This I swear. Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!" screeched Cassandra Nova.

Hank's troubles were far from over.