AN: Another really short chapter, sorry, as the summary says, this chapter contains an unflattering portrayal of an X-Man who's usually portrayed fairly well in fanfiction.  Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed, I'm letting the story take its own route now; if next episode provides any useful material, I'll wedge it in here, but the fork has officially begun.  Anyway, enough talk from me, fanfiction now.

"I can't wait till you try to come back girl, when things they don't work out for you
who do you think you 're messing with girl, what do you think you're trying to do?

Who do you think you 're messing with girl, what do you think you're trying to do?
Do you really think I wanna be laughed at, girl?
Who do you think you're tryin' to fool?"

-The White Stripes, "I Can't Wait"

            The closing credits for The Sopranos were rolling when the door was kicked in.  All of the Brotherhood jumped as Logan stopped into the house and lifted Rogue up off the couch by her left arm.

            "Hey!  Logan-" Rogue protested.

            "Shut up, home, now," Logan growled back. 

            "Logan, I talked to Scott-"

            "You better stop worrying about Summers and worry like hell about me," he cut her off again, giving her a shake.  Lance stood, picked up the remote and shut off the TV.

            "You better get your ass back on that couch, shakedown, I'm not in the mood for this shit," Logan hissed, attempting to haul Rogue across the back of the couch.  Todd wrapped his arms around her knees and refused to let go.

            "Hey, would someone who's not me step up to the plate, yo?"  he said, hanging on desperately.

            "Logan, you're hurting me!" Rogue said, more pissed off than scared.

            "You heard the lady," Blob said, standing up and lumbering over to face Wolverine, who immediately swept his legs from beneath him and sent him crashing to the floor.

            "If she's such a lady, then why the hell is she shacking up with that-"  Logan turned to where Pietro had been sitting, a space that was mysteriously empty.  "See that?" he said.  "Where's your little Romeo now?" 

            A large pine chair splintered over Wolverine's head, swinging at about sixty five miles an hour.  It stunned him enough for Rogue to wrench out of his grip.

            "Hey na hey na," Pietro grinned grimly, tossing aside the remains, which were now as good as firewood and zipping away before his head was impaled on three claws.

            With that gesture, Wolverine found that his claws had turned into serpents which were trying to bite his hands.

            "Don't you ever try to hurt my family!" Wanda shrieked, rising off the couch like a thing possessed.  Wolverine recovered his composure and flung the nearest thing he could grab at her- and it turned out to be Todd.  The two of them crashed against the wall, and Wolverine's claws returned to normal.  Pietro bolted over to help his friend and sister as Lance and Rogue faced off against Wolverine. 

            "You need to keep the fuck out of my house," Lance growled. 

            "Our house!" Pietro, Wanda, Todd and Freddy all shouted from their various positions.

            "And you need to quit screwing the girls in my house," Logan snarled.  Lance was about to destroy the living room, again, when Rogue's hand slapped against his t-shirt.

            "Hold these," she said, and when she took her hand away, Lance found himself holding a pair of leather driving gloves. 

            "What are you-" he started to ask her.  Wolverine was slashing away at the spaces where Quicksilver used to be, all the while being mocked by the speed demon, when Rogue walked up directly behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.  He turned and swung at her, and rather than dodging the blow, she stepped into it.  Wolverine's claws sank into her chest, right through the heart, protruding from her back just below her shoulder blade.  An expression of absolute horror washed across his face.

            "Stripes?" he whispered. 

            She was obviously in pain, but she didn't cry out.  She put both hands on his face, not gently, fingertips digging into his skin. 

            "Remember this," she said quietly, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth as she drew out his healing factor to repair the damage she'd allowed to be done.  His legs went out from under him, his claws retracting as he slipped into unconsciousness. With Wolverine on the floor, Rogue could see Pietro, who'd been standing behind him, looking like his hummingbird fast heart had come to a dead stop as he saw her bleeding one moment, then saw each slit close itself, leaving only the blood she'd already lost and three thin scars.

            Rogue turned to Lance and gently took her gloves back from him. 

            "Come on," she said.  "We sure as hell don't want him to wake up here."