A Man After Her Own Heart – Chapter Five
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Val, Annie and the story idea.
A/N: Still rated R for language. If it's not your cup of tea, please don't read it.
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Annie watched, horrified, as the blue woman choked Lizzie until her sister lay unconscious on the cold highway. Her own dwindling strength meant that she would not be able to protect herself from Sabertooth much longer. In fact, he was coming at her now with a look on his face that suggested he thought she'd make a nice snack until dinnertime came around. Panicked, Annie reached out with her mind to Lizzie and shrieked desperately, Get up!! Lizzie, you have to wake up! Now!!! But Lizzie remained unaffected.
"Oh, no," whimpered Annie as Sabertooth strode to the passenger side door and ripped it off its hinges. "No!" she screamed as he grabbed her arm and nearly ripped it out of the socket. She was small, built like her sister, and he easily slung her up over his shoulder. Furious with herself and him and the entire situation, she beat her fists against his lower back and screamed for him to stop but to no avail.
Sabertooth moved to Mystique and growled, "I got it from here."
Complying, Mystique moved off of Val's prone body and Sabertooth stooped to put one tiny wrist in his hand, before dragging Val across the street and through the snow-covered field to the abandoned barn where their transportation was. Mystique followed the trio.
Tossing the girls into the back of the waiting SUV, Sabertooth slammed the door shut. Annie noted with growing panic that the backseat was divided from the trunk space where they were with steel fencing. Frantically, she shook Lizzie to get her to wake up. Come on, Lizzie! Wake up! I need you, she called into Val's mind but with no response.
Sabertooth and Mystique were up front by now and the big man started the truck easily. Drawing on all her reserves, Annie closed her eyes and concentrated her energy on one focused point. Just as she was about to give up, the engine died and she opened her eyes and gave a sigh of relief. I just bought us some time, but you have to wake up, Lizzie. I don't know where they're taking us and the communicator thing didn't work! "Come on," coaxed Annie as she shook Val's shoulder.
"Goddamit!" Sabertooth cursed as he got out to see what was wrong with the engine. Mystique turned around while he was under the hood and said evilly, "Whatever you're doing it won't work."
Annie ignored her and gritted her teeth together as she continued to try to rouse Val. Lizzie! she raged. Open your eyes!!
~~
Sabertooth stood over the engine and tried to find the problem. The little brat had obviously done something to it and he had to figure out what and soon. Behind him he heard a noise and when he turned, there stood Storm and Cyclops behind the Wolverine. They looked at him as if he were filth and he roared at them in response. As he charged the three, Cyclops blasted him and Sabertooth flew to the other side of the barn.
Scott followed to make sure Sabertooth was really down and Storm headed for Mystique who was still in the SUV. Logan made for the trunk and popped a claw to unlock it. Opening it up he was met with an almost hysterical Annie. "She won't wake up!" she cried. "I don't know what to do!"
Logan pulled Val from the cramped interior and laid her out on the barn floor. Reaching for her wrist, he found that her pulse was weak but steady and she was breathing. "She'll be all right, I think," he told Annie, who'd followed them down to the floor. "Are you okay?" he asked, his calm voice belied his internal anxiety.
"I'm fine," she assured him, nodding quickly.
There were finger-shaped bruises forming around Val's throat and Logan felt his fury swell. Leaving her with Annie, he made for Mystique with his claws extended, nostrils flared and teeth bared.
He stormed over to where Ororo was and with a roar, slammed Mystique against the side of the car. "Logan," cried Storm, alarmed at the intensity of his attack.
With his claws pointed at her chest and his entire weight thrown onto her, he snarled, "How did you know they'd be here?"
Wincing, Mystique replied, "We were a few days behind you two and got to that dump after she'd left. Dumb bitch left the letter and envelope lying on the kitchen table. It didn't take a detective."
"Why was she in that cell?"
Mystique made no attempt to hide her scorn as she said, "Wrong place, wrong time. Magneto just wanted. She happened to be nearby when we nabbed you and so we thought we'd take her too in case she saw anything."
"Logan," Storm said gently.
Releasing her, Logan pulled back and allowed Storm to bind Mystique's wrists. Nearby Cyclops was checking Sabertooth for signs of life.
Logan started toward them but stopped when he heard Annie say, "I think she's waking up! Lizzie! Can you hear me?"
Rushing back to Val's side, Logan crouched on the ground. Retracting his claws, he placed a hand on her head so that he could brush the pad of his thumb across her forehead.
"Val!" he said roughly.
Slowly, as if she was swimming to shore against a strong current, Val pushed against the black waters of her mind and winced as she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Logan's face floating above her.
"The hell?" she rasped, her voice in terrible shape thanks to Mystique.
Logan shook his head at her and closed his eyes for a moment, refusing to let her see how happy he was that she was okay. "You fight like a girl," he cracked brusquely. The fact that he didn't have any evidence to base this comment on didn't faze him.
"Fuck off!" she replied and punched him in the stomach for the second time in a week. The first time, she'd sent him across a room, now, because she was still a little weak, she just knocked him on his ass.
"Language, Lizzie!" trilled Annie, perfectly mocking their mother. She was thrilled to see that her sister seemed no worse for the wear.
Val smiled at her sister as she sat up and coughed a few times, taking in their surroundings.
"What happened? How did they find us so quickly?" asked Val, still confused.
"They've been to your place," explained Logan. "They found the letter from your parents."
Val nodded, realizing that this blew her cover. Now that Magneto knew where she lived, he could come get her whenever he wanted.
"What's a magneto?" asked Annie, who'd been reading Val's thoughts.
"Not a what, a who," corrected Val, sharing a glance with Logan. "He's the bad guy. These two," she indicated Mystique and the still unmoving Sabertooth with her head, "work for him."
Annie nodded thoughtfully and helped Val stand. Logan tried to help, too, but she stepped easily out of his grasp. Logan glanced away, a little hurt.
Regrouping, the X-Men, the Morrow sisters, and their two bad guys headed for the Blackbird. Storm made sure that Mystique cooperated while Cyclops and Logan dragged the body of Sabertooth behind them. Bringing up the rear were Annie and Val.
"So what now?" asked the younger Morrow.
"Not sure," replied Val honestly. "We can either keep heading for Montana, find another place and try to lay low with our powers, or we can go look at the school, I guess. What do you think?"
Annie pursed her lips and spoke to Lizzie in her mind, Things seem tense between you and Professor Logan. If we go to the school will you…will you be okay?
Things are fine between Professor Logan and I, Val scoffed. Trust me, whatever was there, I'm over it. Val noticed Logan's shoulders stiffen in front of her and she fought back the urge to ask him if he was all right.
Are you sure? pressed Annie, picking up the stray thought. Because you hit him awfully hard back there and it just seems like something's…
Stop it, Val cut her sister off. It's all good in the hood or whatever it is you kids are saying these days.
Annie giggled aloud and repeated, "Good in the hood? You're gonna embarrass me worse than Mom if you keep talking like that."
Val chuckled at her own lack of cool. "Tough," she said firmly. "Now get outta my head. It can't be good manners."
"Sorry. I guess it's a bad habit. I used to do it to Dad all the time."
"Oh, yeah?" Val asked, intrigued.
"Uh huh," said Annie breezily.
"Learn anything interesting?"
"Nah, just your usual run-of-the-mill stuff. He worried about you a lot."
"Okay, kiddo, time to sell crazy some place else," Val scoffed.
"No, Lizzie, he did."
Val stopped in her tracks and faced Annie, letting the others walk ahead. Logan, of course, with his hypersensitive hearing, heard it all. "First of all," Val lectured, "now that we're outta that house, don't ever call me Lizzie again, okay? Lizzie doesn't exist anymore. She's not a real person. I'm Val. Got it?"
"Yeah," replied Annie warily.
"Second of all, I don't wanna hear about how Dad worried about me. If he really gave a damn, he wouldn'ta shipped me off to the middle of nowhere. Are we clear on this?"
"Uh huh," said Annie in the same wary tone.
"Okay, good," said Val, turning to continue across the field. Far in front of her, she could see the shoulders of her leather jacket strain against the breadth of Logan's back. Bastard's gonna stretch that jacket all to shit, she thought bitterly. Asshole.
Annie trailed behind Val, still covertly investigating her sister's mind, but keeping her distance. Lizzie…no, Val, she corrected herself, certainly had inherited their father's temper.
Once on board the Blackbird with Mystique and Sabertooth safely tucked away in the prisoner's quarters, everyone buckled in for the ride back to the mansion. The air was stilted between Logan and Val and everyone sort of maintained their distance. About halfway there, Annie fell asleep in her chair next to Val's, and Logan took the opportunity to get up and make his way back to them. He sat down on Val's other side and said, "Interesting trip, eh?"
"To say the least," Val agreed, with a level voice.
"So, you both coming back to the school, then? I think it'll be good. The Professor will help Annie control and develop the powers she's got."
"Annie and I are looking at the school," Val stressed. "We'll decide if she'll stay there after we've seen it."
"It's your call," he agreed.
The awkwardness seemed to churn into the atmosphere and linger between them. This was exactly why Val hadn't ever wanted to see him again. The morning-after tension was now going to be played out whenever they were in a room together. How could she keep her mind on anything he said when he smelled so good? And how could she be expected to ignore how good he smelled when it was all she could think about? This was bad. Once a decision was made about Annie, she'd be leaving, with or without her sister. Any other option would be too weird.
"Yep. It is," she said, unable to think of anything else to say.
They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the dull roar of the jet's engines. Finally, Logan spoke again. "Listen," he said gruffly. "About that night –"
"We're both adults," Val interrupted with harshly. "I think I can keep my hands off you while I'm at the school," she finished with a roll of her eyes and a toss of her head.
Bristling, Logan curled his lip and replied, "Yeah, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to resist your fantastic personality."
Val snapped her head toward his and opened her mouth to shoot another verbal dart his way, but he was too fast for her. "But you've got the wrong idea. All I wanted to say was that now we're even. You saved my ass and now I saved yours. We're even and after this, God willing, we don't ever have to meet up again."
"Good," she snapped a bit more harshly than she'd really intended. The hurt in her eyes clouded with rage and he almost thought he'd missed it. Frustrated, he left her with a grunt.
"Asshole," she muttered under her breath.
"I heard that," he said from the other side of the plane.
She flipped him off.
At the control panel Scott turned banefully to Storm and said, "Are we there yet?"
With a roll of her eyes Storm groaned, "I wish."
