Title: The Dopplegang Effect
Author: Becka
Chapter 03: To Be a Sponge
o
Logan smelled the bar before he saw it. This day had been particularly rough on both of them, though neither had voiced a complaint. The sun had risen early, and it hadn't sunk low in the sky until nearly seven at night. That had been two hours ago. Without explaining himself, Logan took the lead and headed towards the bar. A couple bottles of ice-cold beer would do just fine right about now. He figured he could even pick up another box of cigars if he was lucky. He'd run out a few days ago and had been going crazy for one.
Xander followed without complaint and before too long they reached their destination. The younger man grinned, "Heightened senses, huh? Least you're good for something, old man."
"Shove it, kid." Logan said in response. His own grin, feral as it was, took any sting out of the words.
The place was shady, no doubt about that, but Logan knew Xander could take care of himself. He'd hoped for something a little less crowded; he'd wanted at least a beer or two in his friend before he mentioned his suspicions about Xander's mutation. After a little consideration, he figured it was probably for the best. It might make it easier if it were just the two of them by the campfire. The younger man once said he felt as though he could talk about anything there. He'd wait until tonight.
They entered the seedy establishment, drawing a bit of attention as they sat down. The men eyed them, but gave them no trouble. The women stared at both of them with a mixture of curiosity and desire, and Logan wasn't surprised that Xander was the focal point for most of those looks. What did surprise him was the surge of angry possessiveness he felt. He ordered two LaBatts and ignored it.
Xander grinned at him as the bartender put their drinks on the counter. "So, who pays? I got the tab at the last bar."
"Yeah," the older man deadpanned, "but the bar 'afore that _I_ paid, and who drank himself stupid?"
Chagrined, the dark-haired man pulled out a twenty and slid it to the bartender. When the man tried to give Xander the change, he shook his head. "Downpayment for the next round. My friend here's got a disgustingly high tolerance."
Smiling, the bartender nodded.
The two men leaned against the bar, their eyes scanning the crowd in sync. The bar was nearly full; several groups of old men played cards and drank, while some of the younger ones chatted up their respective women. One boy in particular caught Xander's attention. He looked like he was in his early teens, all scruffy blonde hair and big blue eyes. He sat in the corner, hiding in the shadows. At first glance, he seemed normal enough, but the dark-haired man sensed something was off about him. Maybe it was because the kid's eyes were constantly darting back and forth between the bar's clientele and the open entrance. Xander was sure the kid was afraid of something, but he didn't know what.
He turned to Logan to ask what his friend thought of the kid, but Logan's eyes were fixed on the door.
"What-"
Four men walked through the door. All of them carried baseball bats, but it was the one who had a length of rope slung over his shoulder that had Xander worried. The kid started violently, then tried to hunker over, pulling into himself as if doing so would make him less noticeable. It didn't work.
The guy Xander figured was the leader pointed to the kid and two of his henchmen stalked forward, their intent obvious. A few of the guys at the tables stood, but they were silenced with one word.
"Mutant."
All protest died immediately, and Xander watched with a sick fascination as they cuffed the kid across the face and dragged him out the door. Without a word he and Logan stood and followed.
They didn't have to look far. The men had dumped the kid to the ground; he looked dazed and terrified, and both emotions were so thick Xander thought he could smell them. The lead man spat on the boy. "Fucking mutant freak!" Hatred laced his every word. The mindless sort that Xander had come to associate with people who feared something simply because it was different.
Logan spoke, not loudly, but his words carried an icy authority. "Leave the kid be."
"Seriously, guys," Xander stepped forward, a grin plastered on his face. "He's just a boy. One who looks like he's ready to piss his pants at that. I mean, maybe you get your kicks out of beating on defenseless kids, but we can't really let you do that. 'Sides, if he was a mutant, don't you think he'd be defending himself a little bit better? Kicking your asses with superhuman strength or throwing snowballs at you or something?"
Henchman #1 sneered, "The little fuck threw a fireball at me this morning."
"Issat so?" Xander smiled pleasantly. "I'm sorry to see you're not suffering from any burns."
"Fuck you!" the leader yelled. "The kid's a fucking mutant! All of them should just fucking DIE!"
Beside him, Logan growled.
"Why are you defending the freak?" Henchman #1 said. Personally Xander figured that him and the leader did all the talking because the other two couldn't; their brains might explode from the effort. The man continued, "You a fucking mutant, too?"
"Nah," Xander said easily. "But I don't have to be one to kick your ass, do I?" Before the guy had a chance to respond, the dark-haired man was on him. It was times like these that his military training kicked in, one of the few benefits he'd received from the terrible Halloween that had almost resulted in Buffy's death. Two hits took down his opponent, one to the neck to stun and one to the solar plexus to disable.
He took on the second henchman, and saw Logan dealing with the third a few feet away. He didn't see the kid anywhere.
Concerned, he quickly finished off his opponent. A solid punch to the nose, and Xander was positive he heard bones cracking. The man slumped to the ground, both hands cupping his face. Blood poured through his fingers.
"Fuck you!" Xander heard the leader say. He turned around and saw Logan had the man pinned to the ground. There was an audible *snik* and moonlight glinted off a set of razor sharp claws that extended from between each knuckle.
"No," Logan growled, eyes narrowed to black slits. "Fuck _you_."
The man swallowed, eyes wide in stark contrast to the man holding him. "Fuck me," he said, voice trembling. "Oh shit, fuck me... what the fuck... you're one of those X-men... holy shit, fuck me-" His babbling was cut short when Logan punched him hard and knocked him out.
Xander saw the kid hunched on the ground, rocking back and forth. Bile rose in his throat; it reminded him of his childhood.
/It didn't happen that way this time. It's in the past./
He swallowed hard, then began speaking in a soft voice as he approached the boy. "It's all right now. Those guys aren't going to bother you anymore. You're safe, okay? They aren't going to hurt you. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you." He reached out a hand to touch the boy's shoulder.
With a startled cry, the boy pulled away from him. Xander saw a ball of fire shoot from the kid's fingertips, and he pulled back. The fire brushed his hand, but he managed to avoid most of the attack. He saw two terrified eyes, pupils dilated with fear, and he reached out his hand again, slowly.
"I mean it, kid. You're safe. We won't hurt you, I promise. And if anyone tries to, we'll stop them, okay? Relax... it's over." Xander kept his voice soft and reassuring.
The boy took a look at the four men. One still held his nose, trying to stop the bleeding. The other three lay unconscious on the ground. Turning back to dark-haired man, his hand slowly rose until it met Xander's.
"C'mon," Logan said quietly from behind him. "Let's get out o' here."
Xander looked over his shoulder and saw several men standing at the bar's entrance. Their faces were hard and unforgiving.
"Yeah." He helped the kid to his feet. "You got a name?"
"... Jason." The response was almost a whisper.
"All right, Jason." Xander grinned, "Let's blow this Popsicle stand."
o
Later that night, the two older men sat beside the fire. Jason was curled up in Xander's sleeping bag, and every so often he'd make a tiny, frightened noise. The dark-haired man wouldn't be surprised if the nightmares lasted awhile. After the boy calmed down a little, he hoped they 'd subside a bit each night until finally they disappeared.
Xander glanced at the sleeping body, a tiny smile flickering across his face. Even if he had to fight every demon in this world to do it, he'd make sure the kid was able to sleep soundly at night.
Logan cleared this throat. If Xander didn't know better, he would have said it was because the older man was uncomfortable. But then, nothing really rattled the mutant. And now Xander had a pretty good idea why that was.
"So..." The younger man's voice trailed off.
"Yeah?" Logan seemed as gruff as always, but Xander could sense he was at least a little bit worried. Did his friend honestly think he was going to flip out just because Logan was part of the X-men? He'd seen them on the news, fighting their newest enemy, leaving destruction in their wake. That was what most of the broadcasts focused on as they tried to convey that all mutants were a menace to society. What was beyond him was that while they mentioned buildings had been destroyed, they made no comment on the minimal loss of life. In a way he figured the X-men were just like Buffy and the Scoobies. They fought evil, and they were willing to sacrifice everything to make sure no one died. So Xander respected the X-men, even if most people couldn't understand why.
With a grin he teased, "Nice claws you got there, old man. If I ever need a can opened, I know who to come to."
Logan laughed. After six months of traveling with the man, Xander was able to hear the breath he was sure Logan hadn't even known he was holding. "Watch it, kid. That mouth is gonna get you into trouble one o' these days."
"One of these days?" The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes in a juvenile manner. "Don't you mean every day?"
They laughed together. Any tension that either of them felt was washed away as they fell back into their easy banter.
When they finally calmed down, Xander asked, "What do they call you?"
"Wolverine," came the short reply.
"It suits you." The dark-haired boy tried to equate the man he knew with the hero he'd seen on television. The cameras were always so far away that the X-men looked like tiny toy soldiers on the screen. Still, he'd read a little about Wolverine in the papers as well. Suppressing a snicker, he said, "But... yellow tights? And people say _I_ have no taste?"
"Shove it." The older man's eyes narrowed to slits and remembering the glint of silvery metal, Xander decided it was probably in his best interest to drop the matter.
He thought fast for a change of subject, then settled on what had really been bugging him most of the night. All joking aside, he asked, "About Jason...?"
"Yeah?"
"Well... he doesn't look like he's got anywhere to go. And even if he did, doesn't he need to be trained to use his powers or something? Fuck..." The dark-haired man cursed softly under his breath. "Sometimes I wish there was like, a school for mutants or something."
Logan grunted noncommittally.
Xander sighed. "You got any ideas?"
After a moment, the older man said, "Yeah. I got an idea."
o
A few days later, Xander began to tedious process of building a safe campfire. "Hey, Jay, a little help over here?" The dark-haired man waved a hand at the dry bundle of sticks constructed into a crude pyramid.
The teen nibbled his lower lip, and Logan caught of whiff of fear on the wind. "I... I don't know, Xander. I'm not sure if I..."
"Sure you can. C'mere." Xander motioned Jason to stand beside him. His voice was teasing. "What are you afraid is gonna happen? You think maybe you can't control your fire?"
Miserably, the boy nodded, eyes downcast.
"So, if that happens, what then? Are you gonna burn me? Or set the forest on fire?"
Another silent nod accompanied a tiny noise of affirmation.
Xander gently put his hand on Jason's shoulder. "Pretending you can't create fire isn't gonna help, Jay. For all we know, you could have a nightmare and do that. However one thing I _do_ know is that if you don't practice this, learn how to control it... well, people will definitely get hurt. Did you ever think that because you create fire, you might be able to control it, too? What if you could put fires _out_ using your power?"
Jason looked at Xander with wide eyes. It was evident the possibility had never even occurred to him.
"So, do you see why it's important to practice this? Nothing too big or anything... we'll start small and make sure you're comfortable with what you do. You have a gift, Jay. And even if it does get you into trouble, knowing what you can do and how you can do it means maybe it can get you out of trouble, too."
The teen smiled shyly and nodded. The pair proceeded to carefully light a fire using Jason's powers, and then Xander began to suggest different things the boy could try, the first of which was to see if he could make the flame smaller or bigger. The way the dark-haired man presented it was like a game, and it was clear that Xander's praise was more than enough to reward the boy when he did well.
If Logan hadn't seen it, he would never have believed it. Not only had Xander calmed the boy and gotten him interested in learning how to control his powers, he'd found a way to boost the kid's esteem as well. Some of the students at Xavier's institute needed months of careful coaxing before they were willing to accept their powers and expand their limits. Xander had done it in five minutes.
The older man sometimes wondered if Xander was even aware of the presence he had, or how his words and actions affected those around him. Even Logan himself wasn't immune to his friend's charm, though he'd never admit it. Logan occasionally teased Xander about his mouth getting him into trouble, but when the man knew he was needed, he knew exactly what to say.
Maybe that was his friend's mutation - a natural empathy towards other people. But Logan had smelled empaths before, and Xander was as far from them as he was from every other mutant Logan had tried to match him against.
After about an hour of playing with fire, Xander stopped the makeshift lesson. Both the dark-haired man and the teen looked tired, but at the same time extremely satisfied.
"Did you see, Mr. Logan?" Jason was grinning from ear to ear. "I can put fires out!"
Even though he'd told the kid a hundred times to drop the "Mr.", Jason refused. Maybe he was getting old, but to be reminded of that every time the little pyro addressed him...
"Yeah, kid, I saw. Good job."
Xander put his hand on the teen's shoulder and Logan noted the look Jason gave him, awe mixed with a tinge of hero-worship. The dark-haired man smiled and said, "Seriously, Jay, you did great. I'm proud of you." He nodded to the sleeping bag they'd purchased for the kid a few days earlier. "You should get to bed. We've got a killer walk tomorrow."
Jason nodded. There were circles under his eyes that hadn't been there an hour before, and Logan didn't doubt he'd be asleep the minute his head hit the pillow.
Xander took a seat beside Logan on the ground and spoke softly enough that the boy wouldn't be able to hear him. "You think maybe we could pick up a six pack for tomorrow night? I'm fucking dying for a beer, but I think we should avoid the bars in this area for a bit, just in case those guys spread the word about us."
"Sure," the older man said quietly. "I been meanin' to ask you... how did you know the kid could put fires out?" He expected an "I didn't," or an "I figured since the Human Torch can."
The hint of fear alerted him. "Because," Xander said seriously, "I can."
"What?" Logan's eyes widened marginally.
"I think I'm a mutant." The dark-haired man nibbled his lip then glanced over at Jason who was now sound asleep. Slowly Xander extended his hand; a tiny flame appeared in his palm. He closed his hand and the flame disappeared. It happened so quickly Logan almost convinced himself he'd imagined it. He stared at Xander, the question written plainly on his face.
"Last night I was thinking about Jay's powers, and before I knew it the firewood I was holding went up in flames. I thought Jason was having a nightmare or something, and when I was trying to figure out how to keep the fire from spreading, it just sort of died off." Xander's voice trembled a little. "So I figured it was a fluke. I picked up one of the branches and it happened again. Only I could hear you and Jay talking, and that's when I knew that _I_ did it. I concentrated and the fire went out again."
Logan said softly, "You're a pyro?"
"No. Well, yeah, kinda'... but not really. I thought it was too much of a coincidence, us meeting Jason and then me suddenly able to throw fireballs around, and then I started thinking..." Xander took a shaky breath and let it out slowly. "What if it's _because_ we met Jason that I can do this? I figure... maybe I'm like a sponge or something. Maybe I soak up whatever's around me. I mean, for the last month or so, I've been able to hear things, see things, smell things that I shouldn't be able to. There's a rabbit about a hundred meters from here, hiding from an owl." He indicated the direction with a wave of his hand. "I can smell the fear from here. I can hear Jason's heartbeat... and yours, too. I can hear the blood pumping through yours veins. I can hear the words caught in the back of your _throat_. But... I dismissed it. Sometimes I could hear things before, see things... and smell them. Thought it was the hyena in me. So I tried to think of another way to prove it, and then I remembered what you said about being able to heal yourself..."
The dark-haired man pulled a knife out of his boot. The firelight glinted off the steel and danced in Xander's eyes. Without a word, Xander sliced his wrist open.
"What the fuck are ya-" Logan's eyes widened as he watched the blood slowly pull back into the cut. The wound sealed itself without a scar.
The older man was silent.
"Yeah." Xander looked a little sick. "That's what I said."
The two of them stared at the fire in silence, and Logan began to process the full implication of Xander's powers. If he could learn mutant abilities simply by being exposed to them for awhile, he would probably become one of, if not _the_ most powerful mutant in the world. The possibilities were limitless.
His thoughts were interrupted by a bark of laughter. He looked up to see Xander shaking with mirth.
"What's so funny?"
Xander wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "When I fought beside Buffy, I used to always wish that I had some kind of superpower to help her. Now that she told me I'm useless, I can have them all."
Logan's lips twitched. "Life's a bitch, ain't it?"
"True enough." Xander stared into the fire. "This place we're going... it's a school, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"So there's gonna be a lot of mutants there, right?"
"Yeah."
Xander met his friend's eyes, and Logan ignored the flames he saw dancing in them. "So... what are they gonna do to me?"
"I dunno, kid. Don't worry 'bout it."
"I'm not worried about me, old man," the dark-haired man said quietly. He turned his attention back to the flames and Logan might have imagined it, but he thought the voice whispered, "... I'm afraid of what I might do to them..."
"Go to bed, Xan." Logan had a headache. He suspected Xander did as well. "We got a long walk tomorrow."
o
About a month later, Xander stared at the immense building Logan had led them to. With the woods surrounding it, and only one road that led to the entrance, Xavier's Institute for Gifted Students looked like something out of a fairytale. But the dark-haired man stopped believing in fairytales a long time ago. He'd learned that there was more evil in the world than there were white knights to fight it, and he'd also learned that the good guys didn't always win. So while the school might look like a heaven on earth, he wasn't ready to trust it just yet.
"Y'ready, Xan?"
He met Logan's eyes and smelled his friend's concern.
"Is that it?" Jason stared up at the complex with wide eyes.
"Yeah, Jay, that's it." He glanced at Logan again, this time with a tiny grin. "So... can I terrorize the staff?"
"If I said 'no,' would that stop ya?" The grin on the older man's face matched his own.
Xander laughed, "Then I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Let's go."
o