Disclaimer: It all belongs to Marvel, I swear!
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Logan was pacing back down through the lobby when he heard a noise from the medbay. He rushed in to find that Andrea had awoken and was now struggling to move.
"Easy darlin', you had a pretty nasty fall."
"'Ow nasty?" she gasped from the pain.
"Well for sure, you've got a concussion and possibly some broken vertabrae, but you'd have to ask the Doc to be sure."
She closed her eyes and slumped against the bed, "I see. 'Ow long do I have?"
Logan sighed, "He doesn't expect you to live through the week."
She nodded slightly, "If the li'l girl doesn' kill me first, righ'?"
He smiled, "That about sums it up," but his smile was sad. She seemed so strong now, but he knew she didn't have a chance. Even if she lived, she would be hunted endlessly by Donnie and God only knew who else. "I'm really surprised you didn't see this comin'."
"Unfortunately, I can only see the immediate fate of others, not of meself. All I knew is was that if I punched Rogue, it would 'urt 'er. I didn' know I'd be done in meself."
"Understandable I guess."
She nodded, "I 'ave a confession to make Logan."
He raised an eyebrow, "An' what would that be darlin'?"
She beckoned for him to move closer. He leaned his head in and she beckoned closer. He leaned his head down to where his ear was right by her mouth. She spoke so softly that only his hightened senses could pick it up. When she had finished he leaned back aghast. "Oh, and one more thing, I think you'll find that your li'l pet 'as gone missin'." She smiled cruely. "I didn' see who it was, but I 'ope whoever they are, they got somethin' vicious in mind." She closed her eyes and he could hear a faint popping sound. Her body jerked once and was still. Logan walked over to the comm unit.
"Beast, this is Logan, you might wanna get down here, Andrea's dead."
"I'll be right down Logan, just stay there...Logan? Logan?" but he wasn't listening. He was over at Donnie's bed, searching for any signs. He picked up a faint trace of something. It was hidden, rather well, under other smells of anticeptics and disinfectants...hospital smells. He followed it to the air ducts and out of the medbay.
The boy was running now, he had to get her out before they discovered she was gone. He knew the chances of that were slim, but he had to try. He heard the sound of feet landing on the floor. He cursed under his breath, the little hairy brute had found him out. He quickened his pace.
"Stop right there!" Logan growled.
The boy examined his surroundings and set Donnie down gently agaisnt the wall where he could be sure that no one could come from behind and take her. He turned around and faced Logan.
He was tall, over six foot and muscular. He couldn't have been more than 18 or 19. He had long dark auburn hair with a white streak in it that he pulled back into a tight ponytail. He wore clothing that looked suspiciously like Gambit's old guild uniform and his eyes were a shimmering red.
"You're quite the clever one boy," Logan sniffed the air, "or should I say blood sucker?"
The boy gave a full, toothy grin, showing off two pearly white fangs. "You guess right old man. You pretty smart y'self. Too bad I'm gonna have t' beat you to de ground, non?"
Logan laughed, "I'd like to see you try, boy."
At that moment, Beast came running down the hall, "Logan what's wrong? I saw that Donnie was gone and...oh."
"I can handle this Beast, go tell the others we got an intruder in the house. Tell 'em to check for any others."
"I promise you mon ami, dere be no more in dis house. Just me." He pulled a whip from his side, "Shall we dance?"
Hank turned and ran to the nearest comm unit, "Attention X-men, intruder alert. I repeat, intruder alert. Please report to basement level one!"
Logan and the boy began to circle each other, like two wild animals waiting to attack. The boy made the first move. He lashed out with his whip and Logan grabbed it, wrapping it around his wrist. He tried to use it to pull the boy to him, but the boy was too fast and twisted it, pulling Logan to the ground. He retracted the whip and struck out again. This time, the whip had a strange red glow to it. It hit Logan across the chest and he was blown backwards by an explosion. He shook his head and stared up at the boy, dumbfounded.
"Neat trick, non? De whip is made of leather, wit' a liquid metal core dat allows my charges to flow t'rough it. Because it is a conducter, de whip itself is not harmed, but de charge can be deadly to dose who touch it." He grinned.
"Alright boy, the gloves are off. You wanna play games? I'll play with you, and I'll wipe that stupid smile off your face." He charged at the boy.
Donnie began to stir in the corner. She opened her eyes to see two men circling each other. She saw one strike out at the other one. One fell to the floor and the other one struck out again, knocking the other one further back. The one attacking said something and the other man charged. Suddenly she recognize who they were.
"STOP!!!" she screamed.
Logan stopped in mid punch, claws extended and looked at her. "You okay D?" She looked at him strangely then at the other man.
"Nicky??"
He pushed Logan away from him and ran to her side, "Lu, you're okay. I was worried dat I got here too late, dat maybe..."
"Shhh, I'm fine. Everyt'in's okay now. I just wanna know one t'ing."
"Sure."
"What took you so long?!"
Nicky laughed, "You be one hard madmoiselle to find ma soeur!"
She lauged with him.
"Can you stand?"
"Oui, I t'ink so."
He gave her his hand and she used it to steady herself.
"You a mess."
She looked down at herself and noticed all the bandages, "So I am."
"Donnie, do you know this boy?" Logan asked.
She looked at him, "What did you call me?"
"Donnie...It's what you told us to call you."
Anger flashed in her eyes and then softened, "My name is Lucretia, but you may call me Anne if you like. Nicky is my brother."
The rest of the X-men came running into the corridor, ready for a fight.
"It's alright," Logan assured them, "they know each other."
Storm stepped forward, "You know our Donnie?"
The anger flashed in her eyes again. Nicky stepped in front of her. "Please, dat is a hard name for both of us to hear. Call her Lucretia or Anne if you must, but please don' use dat name."
Storm gripped Logan's shoulder, "Logan, he is a vampire!"
"I know darlin', nothin' to be done about it."
"You may relax Madame Monroe, I am not here to take you back to your master. A promise is a promise. He will wait."
"How do you know..."
"I know many t'ings Madame."
"Is she...?"
Anne laughed, "You would have known by now my dear Ororo," she stopped. She leaned over to her brother and sniffed at his clothes. "She's wit' you!"
Nicky turned towards his sister, "What do you mean?"
"Dat witch, you brought her wit' you?"
"I had no choice Lu, she followed me."
Anne glared at her brother.
"He is correct," a voice said from behind them.
"I thought you said there were no more!" Logan demanded.
"Oui, I did. I only meant dat dere were no more vampires. She won' harm you, her business be wit' ma soeur."
"That it is," the woman stated.
"Anne, who is this woman?" Logan asked.
"You asked me yesterday, who gave me dis scar," she said, indicating her left shoulder, "Well, dere she is. An' today, she pay for it!"
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Next chapter, as promised. Believe it or not, things are coming to a close. It shouldn't be more than five chapters, if that. Within the next two, you'll find out who Donnie/Anne is and what's she's doing with the X-men. Who the mystery woman is and a whole score of other things. If ya know what's goin' on or ya think ya know what's goin' on an' ya know what's good fer ya, y'll keep yer traps shut! Please go and review. I appreciate everyone who's done so so far. It's good to know that people are enjoying this little story. See you in 3!
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Logan was pacing back down through the lobby when he heard a noise from the medbay. He rushed in to find that Andrea had awoken and was now struggling to move.
"Easy darlin', you had a pretty nasty fall."
"'Ow nasty?" she gasped from the pain.
"Well for sure, you've got a concussion and possibly some broken vertabrae, but you'd have to ask the Doc to be sure."
She closed her eyes and slumped against the bed, "I see. 'Ow long do I have?"
Logan sighed, "He doesn't expect you to live through the week."
She nodded slightly, "If the li'l girl doesn' kill me first, righ'?"
He smiled, "That about sums it up," but his smile was sad. She seemed so strong now, but he knew she didn't have a chance. Even if she lived, she would be hunted endlessly by Donnie and God only knew who else. "I'm really surprised you didn't see this comin'."
"Unfortunately, I can only see the immediate fate of others, not of meself. All I knew is was that if I punched Rogue, it would 'urt 'er. I didn' know I'd be done in meself."
"Understandable I guess."
She nodded, "I 'ave a confession to make Logan."
He raised an eyebrow, "An' what would that be darlin'?"
She beckoned for him to move closer. He leaned his head in and she beckoned closer. He leaned his head down to where his ear was right by her mouth. She spoke so softly that only his hightened senses could pick it up. When she had finished he leaned back aghast. "Oh, and one more thing, I think you'll find that your li'l pet 'as gone missin'." She smiled cruely. "I didn' see who it was, but I 'ope whoever they are, they got somethin' vicious in mind." She closed her eyes and he could hear a faint popping sound. Her body jerked once and was still. Logan walked over to the comm unit.
"Beast, this is Logan, you might wanna get down here, Andrea's dead."
"I'll be right down Logan, just stay there...Logan? Logan?" but he wasn't listening. He was over at Donnie's bed, searching for any signs. He picked up a faint trace of something. It was hidden, rather well, under other smells of anticeptics and disinfectants...hospital smells. He followed it to the air ducts and out of the medbay.
The boy was running now, he had to get her out before they discovered she was gone. He knew the chances of that were slim, but he had to try. He heard the sound of feet landing on the floor. He cursed under his breath, the little hairy brute had found him out. He quickened his pace.
"Stop right there!" Logan growled.
The boy examined his surroundings and set Donnie down gently agaisnt the wall where he could be sure that no one could come from behind and take her. He turned around and faced Logan.
He was tall, over six foot and muscular. He couldn't have been more than 18 or 19. He had long dark auburn hair with a white streak in it that he pulled back into a tight ponytail. He wore clothing that looked suspiciously like Gambit's old guild uniform and his eyes were a shimmering red.
"You're quite the clever one boy," Logan sniffed the air, "or should I say blood sucker?"
The boy gave a full, toothy grin, showing off two pearly white fangs. "You guess right old man. You pretty smart y'self. Too bad I'm gonna have t' beat you to de ground, non?"
Logan laughed, "I'd like to see you try, boy."
At that moment, Beast came running down the hall, "Logan what's wrong? I saw that Donnie was gone and...oh."
"I can handle this Beast, go tell the others we got an intruder in the house. Tell 'em to check for any others."
"I promise you mon ami, dere be no more in dis house. Just me." He pulled a whip from his side, "Shall we dance?"
Hank turned and ran to the nearest comm unit, "Attention X-men, intruder alert. I repeat, intruder alert. Please report to basement level one!"
Logan and the boy began to circle each other, like two wild animals waiting to attack. The boy made the first move. He lashed out with his whip and Logan grabbed it, wrapping it around his wrist. He tried to use it to pull the boy to him, but the boy was too fast and twisted it, pulling Logan to the ground. He retracted the whip and struck out again. This time, the whip had a strange red glow to it. It hit Logan across the chest and he was blown backwards by an explosion. He shook his head and stared up at the boy, dumbfounded.
"Neat trick, non? De whip is made of leather, wit' a liquid metal core dat allows my charges to flow t'rough it. Because it is a conducter, de whip itself is not harmed, but de charge can be deadly to dose who touch it." He grinned.
"Alright boy, the gloves are off. You wanna play games? I'll play with you, and I'll wipe that stupid smile off your face." He charged at the boy.
Donnie began to stir in the corner. She opened her eyes to see two men circling each other. She saw one strike out at the other one. One fell to the floor and the other one struck out again, knocking the other one further back. The one attacking said something and the other man charged. Suddenly she recognize who they were.
"STOP!!!" she screamed.
Logan stopped in mid punch, claws extended and looked at her. "You okay D?" She looked at him strangely then at the other man.
"Nicky??"
He pushed Logan away from him and ran to her side, "Lu, you're okay. I was worried dat I got here too late, dat maybe..."
"Shhh, I'm fine. Everyt'in's okay now. I just wanna know one t'ing."
"Sure."
"What took you so long?!"
Nicky laughed, "You be one hard madmoiselle to find ma soeur!"
She lauged with him.
"Can you stand?"
"Oui, I t'ink so."
He gave her his hand and she used it to steady herself.
"You a mess."
She looked down at herself and noticed all the bandages, "So I am."
"Donnie, do you know this boy?" Logan asked.
She looked at him, "What did you call me?"
"Donnie...It's what you told us to call you."
Anger flashed in her eyes and then softened, "My name is Lucretia, but you may call me Anne if you like. Nicky is my brother."
The rest of the X-men came running into the corridor, ready for a fight.
"It's alright," Logan assured them, "they know each other."
Storm stepped forward, "You know our Donnie?"
The anger flashed in her eyes again. Nicky stepped in front of her. "Please, dat is a hard name for both of us to hear. Call her Lucretia or Anne if you must, but please don' use dat name."
Storm gripped Logan's shoulder, "Logan, he is a vampire!"
"I know darlin', nothin' to be done about it."
"You may relax Madame Monroe, I am not here to take you back to your master. A promise is a promise. He will wait."
"How do you know..."
"I know many t'ings Madame."
"Is she...?"
Anne laughed, "You would have known by now my dear Ororo," she stopped. She leaned over to her brother and sniffed at his clothes. "She's wit' you!"
Nicky turned towards his sister, "What do you mean?"
"Dat witch, you brought her wit' you?"
"I had no choice Lu, she followed me."
Anne glared at her brother.
"He is correct," a voice said from behind them.
"I thought you said there were no more!" Logan demanded.
"Oui, I did. I only meant dat dere were no more vampires. She won' harm you, her business be wit' ma soeur."
"That it is," the woman stated.
"Anne, who is this woman?" Logan asked.
"You asked me yesterday, who gave me dis scar," she said, indicating her left shoulder, "Well, dere she is. An' today, she pay for it!"
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Next chapter, as promised. Believe it or not, things are coming to a close. It shouldn't be more than five chapters, if that. Within the next two, you'll find out who Donnie/Anne is and what's she's doing with the X-men. Who the mystery woman is and a whole score of other things. If ya know what's goin' on or ya think ya know what's goin' on an' ya know what's good fer ya, y'll keep yer traps shut! Please go and review. I appreciate everyone who's done so so far. It's good to know that people are enjoying this little story. See you in 3!