Thanks To: Kendarath. I'm glad you like it so far! *hands out a paper bag* Don't die on me now! lol. x_0;
Note: The song in this chap. is 'Until the day I die' by Story of the Year.
Swallow The Knife: Chapter 2-Until The Day I Die part 1
*****
Until the day I die-I'll spill my heart for you, for you.
Until the day I die-I'll spill my heart for you.
*****
The mansion grew dark and quiet as the late night hours came forth and many of the Institute's occupants had already gone to sleep. Jean figured it wasn't *that* late yet, and she was so totally engrossed in her reading that she didn't care what time it was, she didn't even notice everyone else leave the rec room and go to bed. She didn't even notice Scott. She had recently started a romance/mystery novel called 'Falling Down' by some anonymous author, and was completely absorbed in the story. Jean barely even put it down since she'd started reading after her little confrontation with Logan. Oh yeah, Logan. Where was he anyway? She didn't remember him coming back in the mansion, but if he did she wouldn't have noticed anyway.
Just as Jean was about to start another chapter, Professor Xavier's projected thoughts interrupted her reading.
~Jean, I'm sorry to bother you, but this is important.~
~Go ahead.~ Jean sent back to him, marking her place in reading with a folded page, then setting the book down on her lap and sitting upright in her chair. She could sense the Professor's urgency through their link and it made her worry that something was wrong.
~Have you seen Logan at all? Since earlier I mean.~
Jean rolled her eyes, somewhat finding it strange that she had just been randomly thinking about him. ~No, I haven't.~ she told him, a mental bitterness added with the message. ~And quite frankly I'd be perfectly content in not seeing him again Professor. He could very well be dead for all I care!~ she shouted over the link, suprised at the anger in her words.
~You may get your wish Jean.~
Jean raised her eyebrows with widened eyes. The Professor's words were laced with sinisism, and disappointment. ~What?~ her mind was so confused at the moment that she wasn't sure her question reached the Professor.
~Something's wrong Jean.~ he replied. ~I'm having trouble locking onto his brainwave patterns, even using Cerebro, though I could sense something wasn't right. I need you to find him Jean. He's somewhere on the grounds, near the woods I believe.~
Jean stood abruptly, causing the book in her lap to fall on the floor. The Professor seemed unusually concerned. ~Do you think those Weapon-X lunatic assassins actually got to him this time?~
~No, I'm almost sure it isn't that. Just hurry, and let me know if you find anything.~
Jean could feel the Professor breaking their link. She started for the door, and slipped her feet into the pair of slippers that were lying beside her chair.
*****
Jean walked through the gardens, the full moon in the pitch black sky her only light. She walked toward the wall where Logan had been sitting earlier, where she'd talked to him. Getting closer and hopping to the other side, she noticed an empty beer can on the ground, and Logan's unfinished sandwich sitting atop the wall. She took in a deep breath. "Alright, focus Jean, focus." she thought out loud. She was still angry at Logan for what he did, furious even, but Charles asked her personally to do this for him. It was probably because everyone else was sleeping, but she was still obligated to help out a teammate even if he did try and kill her love. Jean wondered what could have happened to make the Professor so worried about Logan. He was practically indestructable after all, and the guy could obviously take care of himself. She rolled her eyes and shook slightly from the cold, then began to walk into the even darker woods.
As she neared the end of the property, she noticed something on the ground near some bushes. Jean bent down, examining the object, then realized it was Logan's jacket. She furrowed her brows and tossed the jacket over her shoulder, wondering why he would just leave it there like that. The Professor was dead on, something wasn't right.
Just before the cliff a dark shadowy figure caught Jean's eye. There was something lying just under the huge pine tree that marked off the property. She cautiously approached it, then took in a sharp breath, gaping in horror at what she saw. "OhmyGod."
*****
As years go by I race the clock with you,
but if you die right now, you know that I'd die too, I'd die too.
You remind me of the times when I knew who I was,
but still the second hand will catch us like it always does.
*****
Logan was lying on the ground, a pool of thick blood surrounding him. His throat and chest were torn to shreds and Jean thought she was going to be sick. She pulled her shirt up over her nose to avoid the overpowering smell of blood. Quickly kneeling beside Logan's body, Jean realized that he was *still* alive, but barely. "OhmyGod..." she breathed out, just finding her voice. His hands were both clenched into fists, and the claws on his left hand were still dug into his chest. Jean reached for his arm, pulling back sharply at the touch of his cold, clammy skin. She took in a deep breath, telling herself she could do this. She reached back for his arm, and pulled it away from his chest so that the claws were no longer jammed in the wound. The sickening sound of metal grading against flesh made her cringe.
Jean gasped again as more blood poured out of Logan's chest, pooling into the blood on the ground that had already developed a crust. 'How long has he been here like this?' she thought to herself as she used Logan's jacket to press against the wound in a vain attempt to stop more blood from pouring out. She cursed herself for being so stupid as to remove his claws, since they were probably the only thing that stopped the bleeding.
~Jean.~
Jean jumped backwards suddenly at the Professor's mental intrusion, she was so on edge. She remembered that she was supposed to have contacted him upon finding anything. ~Professor! Logan's badly injured, I need help getting him back to the mansion!~ she replied, trying to remain calm, though Logan was very nearly bleeding to death on the ground.
~Alright, I'll send someone in quick, just hang on.~
Jean felt the Professor leaving her mind again and she clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to believe what was happening. Hang on. Right...like *she* was the one who needed to hang on. Suddenly Jean felt very, very guilty. Moments ago she had told Charles that Logan could be dead and she wouldn't care. She took in a shuddering breath, then forced herself to look at Logan's mangled body and keep her hands pressed against his wounds until help arrived.
*****
We'll make the same mistakes.
I'll take the fall for you.
I hope you need this now 'cause I know I still do.
Note: The song in this chap. is 'Until the day I die' by Story of the Year.
Swallow The Knife: Chapter 2-Until The Day I Die part 1
*****
Until the day I die-I'll spill my heart for you, for you.
Until the day I die-I'll spill my heart for you.
*****
The mansion grew dark and quiet as the late night hours came forth and many of the Institute's occupants had already gone to sleep. Jean figured it wasn't *that* late yet, and she was so totally engrossed in her reading that she didn't care what time it was, she didn't even notice everyone else leave the rec room and go to bed. She didn't even notice Scott. She had recently started a romance/mystery novel called 'Falling Down' by some anonymous author, and was completely absorbed in the story. Jean barely even put it down since she'd started reading after her little confrontation with Logan. Oh yeah, Logan. Where was he anyway? She didn't remember him coming back in the mansion, but if he did she wouldn't have noticed anyway.
Just as Jean was about to start another chapter, Professor Xavier's projected thoughts interrupted her reading.
~Jean, I'm sorry to bother you, but this is important.~
~Go ahead.~ Jean sent back to him, marking her place in reading with a folded page, then setting the book down on her lap and sitting upright in her chair. She could sense the Professor's urgency through their link and it made her worry that something was wrong.
~Have you seen Logan at all? Since earlier I mean.~
Jean rolled her eyes, somewhat finding it strange that she had just been randomly thinking about him. ~No, I haven't.~ she told him, a mental bitterness added with the message. ~And quite frankly I'd be perfectly content in not seeing him again Professor. He could very well be dead for all I care!~ she shouted over the link, suprised at the anger in her words.
~You may get your wish Jean.~
Jean raised her eyebrows with widened eyes. The Professor's words were laced with sinisism, and disappointment. ~What?~ her mind was so confused at the moment that she wasn't sure her question reached the Professor.
~Something's wrong Jean.~ he replied. ~I'm having trouble locking onto his brainwave patterns, even using Cerebro, though I could sense something wasn't right. I need you to find him Jean. He's somewhere on the grounds, near the woods I believe.~
Jean stood abruptly, causing the book in her lap to fall on the floor. The Professor seemed unusually concerned. ~Do you think those Weapon-X lunatic assassins actually got to him this time?~
~No, I'm almost sure it isn't that. Just hurry, and let me know if you find anything.~
Jean could feel the Professor breaking their link. She started for the door, and slipped her feet into the pair of slippers that were lying beside her chair.
*****
Jean walked through the gardens, the full moon in the pitch black sky her only light. She walked toward the wall where Logan had been sitting earlier, where she'd talked to him. Getting closer and hopping to the other side, she noticed an empty beer can on the ground, and Logan's unfinished sandwich sitting atop the wall. She took in a deep breath. "Alright, focus Jean, focus." she thought out loud. She was still angry at Logan for what he did, furious even, but Charles asked her personally to do this for him. It was probably because everyone else was sleeping, but she was still obligated to help out a teammate even if he did try and kill her love. Jean wondered what could have happened to make the Professor so worried about Logan. He was practically indestructable after all, and the guy could obviously take care of himself. She rolled her eyes and shook slightly from the cold, then began to walk into the even darker woods.
As she neared the end of the property, she noticed something on the ground near some bushes. Jean bent down, examining the object, then realized it was Logan's jacket. She furrowed her brows and tossed the jacket over her shoulder, wondering why he would just leave it there like that. The Professor was dead on, something wasn't right.
Just before the cliff a dark shadowy figure caught Jean's eye. There was something lying just under the huge pine tree that marked off the property. She cautiously approached it, then took in a sharp breath, gaping in horror at what she saw. "OhmyGod."
*****
As years go by I race the clock with you,
but if you die right now, you know that I'd die too, I'd die too.
You remind me of the times when I knew who I was,
but still the second hand will catch us like it always does.
*****
Logan was lying on the ground, a pool of thick blood surrounding him. His throat and chest were torn to shreds and Jean thought she was going to be sick. She pulled her shirt up over her nose to avoid the overpowering smell of blood. Quickly kneeling beside Logan's body, Jean realized that he was *still* alive, but barely. "OhmyGod..." she breathed out, just finding her voice. His hands were both clenched into fists, and the claws on his left hand were still dug into his chest. Jean reached for his arm, pulling back sharply at the touch of his cold, clammy skin. She took in a deep breath, telling herself she could do this. She reached back for his arm, and pulled it away from his chest so that the claws were no longer jammed in the wound. The sickening sound of metal grading against flesh made her cringe.
Jean gasped again as more blood poured out of Logan's chest, pooling into the blood on the ground that had already developed a crust. 'How long has he been here like this?' she thought to herself as she used Logan's jacket to press against the wound in a vain attempt to stop more blood from pouring out. She cursed herself for being so stupid as to remove his claws, since they were probably the only thing that stopped the bleeding.
~Jean.~
Jean jumped backwards suddenly at the Professor's mental intrusion, she was so on edge. She remembered that she was supposed to have contacted him upon finding anything. ~Professor! Logan's badly injured, I need help getting him back to the mansion!~ she replied, trying to remain calm, though Logan was very nearly bleeding to death on the ground.
~Alright, I'll send someone in quick, just hang on.~
Jean felt the Professor leaving her mind again and she clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to believe what was happening. Hang on. Right...like *she* was the one who needed to hang on. Suddenly Jean felt very, very guilty. Moments ago she had told Charles that Logan could be dead and she wouldn't care. She took in a shuddering breath, then forced herself to look at Logan's mangled body and keep her hands pressed against his wounds until help arrived.
*****
We'll make the same mistakes.
I'll take the fall for you.
I hope you need this now 'cause I know I still do.