Sabertooth pulled up outside a large log cabin. Anna climbed off and
looked at it. There were beer cans strewn all over the dusty porch and the
net curtains in the window looked yellow.
"Needs a woman's touch, definitely. Freak show paying you well then?" She asked, lighting a cigarette.
Sabertooth gave a low growl and said, "I 'acquired' it a few years ago."
Anna drew on her ciggie and smiled at him, "So you killed the owners? Well at least you've got the guts to go out and 'acquire' what you want in life. Shall we?" She gestured and Sabertooth opened the door.
Inside it was dusty and a little messy, but no more than the average bachelor pad. Anna wandered up the stairs and checked the two bedrooms. One was obviously Victor's and the other was a pleasant neat unused room with a rose print duvet.
"Pretty enough." Anna thought and dumped her rucksack on the bed. She walked out and down to the living room and sat opposite Sabertooth.
"So. How do you want to do this? I can't cook and I can clean a little, but that's it." She looked at him expectantly.
Sabertooth gave a small smile and said, "Oh no! You're Wolverine's daughter. You don't have to do anything. Just having you stay here is enough."
Anna smiled slightly and stood up, "OK, as long as we're in agreement. I stay here, eat, sleep and shower and don't do anything in return. You drive a hard bargain." She stood up and walked back to her room and began to unpack.
'He must really like my dad. Either that or he hasn't met him recently.' She mused. Either way, she had a roof over her head without having to sell herself. She could chill out for a few days and try to figure out what to do next.
Sabertooth watched her disappear into her room and walked out on to the porch. He smiled broadly. What luck! Logan's daughter. He knew that he would be searching for her, and eventually he would find her, and him.
The only problem would be that by then she would hate Logan as much as he did. She was only a kid, and while tougher than any he had met, she was still very impressionable. Brainwashing was easy enough.
That's how he would hurt Wolverine. He knew well enough that his wounds healed fast, but break his heart, his will to live. Why hadn't he thought of it before?
He started to laugh quietly and said out loud, "Soon enough, Logan, you'll find out what betrayal really is."
He heard the shower start and went back inside to wait to start telling Anna all about her father.
Logan twiddled with the buttons on the police scanner until he eventually got a signal. Something about a blue motorcycle being abandoned on a mountain highway about fifty miles away. The cop reporting it commented on how odd it was, it was an expensive bike.
His heart stopped. Logan knew that that was his bike, and if it was abandoned then what the hell had happened to Anna. She could have been injured; the bike could have been stolen from her days ago and just left there.
'I've gotta know.' He thought. He swung the van round and headed in the direction that the cop had reported. He arrived about an hour later.
His bike was propped on its stand by the road. The police officer had disappeared, so he pushed it to the van and managed to muscle it in to the back.
He could smell his daughter and followed her track into the forest. He came to the small lake she had bathed in and suddenly his nose caught a different scent.
"Sabertooth." He said in a low voice. He felt his blood boil, who knew what that maniac would do to her.
As he reached the road, a fierce wind had sprung up, signaling the arrival of the blackbird. He watched motionless as Xavier came down the ramp. They looked at each other for a second.
"Chuck, this is my problem. I'd prefer it if you didn't get involved." He growled.
Xavier gave him an impatient look, "Logan, you cannot do this alone. If Anna is indeed with Sabertooth, then you will need our help." He knew his friend was angry. Anything to do with Sabertooth would be guaranteed to send the burly mutant into a frenzy.
"Those kids can't handle the fight. And I'm gonna kill him."
Xavier shook his head; "You need to concentrate on getting Anna back safely. Hasn't she been through enough without seeing her father kill a man?"
Logan tried to think of another argument, but he knew that the other man was right. Getting his daughter back was all that mattered.
"OK, let's start looking." He said.
Anna flopped down on the sofa and studied Sabertooth. He looked back at her. She breathed loudly through her nose and lit a cigarette.
She blew the smoke out and eventually said, "So, if you and him are such good mates, why hasn't he mentioned you?"
The big mutant thought carefully, "Did you give him time before you ran away?"
"Touché!" She replied.
"Actually, I haven't seen your father in a long time, ever since .... No, no it doesn't matter." He said, knowing that she would take the bait.
Anna sat up, "C'mon, what? What happened."
He looked at her, and then said, "You're Gail's daughter aren't you?"
Anna looked surprised for a moment at the mention of her mother's name, but she covered it.
"I should have known, you have her eyes." He continued.
"What does this have to do with you and him?" She asked, frowning.
Sabertooth smiled inwardly, and said, "It's a long story, and not a nice one. But if you want to know...."
He began telling Anna about he and Wolverine's 'friendship' with a few changes to the truth. Especially about the fact that they had both known her mother while stationed in England.
The night drew in, and by the time he had finished Anna looked shocked. He played the apologetic barer of bad news.
"I shouldn't have told you this stuff. He is your dad."
Anna frowned and said, "No, I had a right to know what type of man he is." She believed the blond man, he had known too many facts about her mum to lie, and he had played on her mistrust of Logan.
"So, you both loved my mum?" She asked, thinking of the woman she lost.
"No, only I did. Logan wanted her because I did, he moved me to another project. Then he wormed into her life. She was confused."
Anna was furious, Sabertooth had told her that he was going to ask Gail to marry him. He could have, should have, been her father. She could have had a family. Her mother had died in vain.
She tried to ask one of the hundred questions that were spinning round her mind. She couldn't even begin to form words.
Unconsciously she clenched her fist and her claws sprang out. She didn't notice the pain.
Sabertooth was delighted. He could tell she blamed Wolverine for abandoning her, and now she thought that all of the years she had spent alone could have been avoided.
"I hate him." She said.
"I didn't want that." He lied, "I just thought you should know the truth. How do you know that things would have been different if I was your father?"
He carefully asked questions that would make her angry towards Wolverine. And once her rage had built up enough, she would attack him on sight, no questions asked.
"Listen, mate, I've had enough shit for three lifetimes, thanks to him. There was more than just mugging people to survive. If he had been a man and stayed then my mum wouldn't be dead, I wouldn't know what it was like to watch someone I loved shake and rock and scream in pain from heroin withdrawal."
She took a deep breath to control her anger and lit another cigarette, "I wouldn't know what it was like to watch people die knowing it was my fault."
She stood up and went to her bedroom. Sabertooth watched in amazement, the kid had killed? She really was something.
Anna looked out of the window, pulling heavily on the cigarette. She had swallowed the big mutant's story. And now all she could think of was getting even with 'Daddy dearest.'
Her incredible hearing picked up the sound of a jet. She didn't doubt who it was.
'Not like we're right under a flight path.' She thought, going to the doorway and looking over the rail at Sabertooth, who hadn't moved.
"He's here." She said, flatly.
"I know." He replied.
"He's going to try and take me back." She added.
"I wont let him." Sabertooth stood up and folded his arms.
Anna felt something she hadn't felt in a long time, she felt safe. Truly safe. She honestly believed that this man would protect her from her father.
"Thank you." She said, almost in a whisper.
Logan was the first to reach the cabin. The Blackbird had landed three miles south, but he could smell the both of them. He wanted to break in and throttle that monster with his bare hands, just for going near his daughter. God only knew what he had done already. He was grateful that Anna was so tough.
He waited for the team to arrive, he knew that his odds of getting Anna out alive or unhurt were better with all of their powers combined.
Xavier looked at the run down cabin for a moment, and said, "She's in there, and very angry. They know we're here, Logan be prepared for anything."
Logan nodded and, silently, started to give hand signals to the other X- men. They fanned out and surrounded the cabin. Wolverine took a deep breath and walked to the door. He was about to kick it, when it flew open and Anna flung herself at him.
He was caught by surprise and fell backwards, Anna saw the momentary weakness and punched him in the face.
He was more shocked that hurt, but it was all she needed to gain the upper hand. She continued to punch him, all the time getting herself more worked up into a frenzy.
Logan knew she was angry with him and was ready to take the abuse until she had it out of her system, but as she pulled her fist back he saw her claws shoot out and he knew that this wasn't just about being upset. She wanted to hurt him badly.
He already knew what she was capable of, and as good a healer as he was, he figured he wouldn't recover from decapitation. His hand grabbed her wrist as she bought it down and managed to stop her.
She raised her other fist and tried to slash at him with that one, he stopped her again. She was turning red, with anger and frustration.
"Anna, I know you're mad, but you have to calm down. Stop this now." He tried to command her, hoping his voice might reach her.
"You know nothing, you bastard. I hate you. I want you dead." She screamed. She leaned forwards and bit Logan's arm.
He gritted his teeth, as he felt her teeth break his skin and saw blood run down his arm, but she didn't stop. He gathered his strength and pushed her away, climbing to his feet within seconds.
Anna landed on her back, but swung her legs round and jumped up. She had Logan's blood on her mouth and chin and her claws were still extended.
She glared at him, and he looked at her in disbelief, she looked feral, not human.
"What's gotten into you?" He asked.
"The truth!" She screamed, "Finally someone had the guts to tell me."
Logan glanced at the doorway of the cabin and saw Sabertooth standing on the porch, his delight evident.
Anna ran towards him, when she saw he was distracted. She felt her hatred building inside of her. She looked at the man that she thought had wrecked her life and she wanted him dead.
Pulling back her fist she rammed it into his stomach and felt her claws sink in. Logan staggered backwards and fell to the ground. He felt the pain spider through his torso and towards his chest. He knew the wound, while fatal to anyone else, wasn't serious to him and felt his body starting to heal.
Anna stared down at him, an unreadable expression on her face. She looked at her claw, his blood staining the bone and said, "I hate you."
She raised her fist again and was about to bring it down towards his neck, when she was suddenly pulled backwards and thrown into a tree by an invisible force.
Logan looked up and saw Jean standing in front of his daughter, holding her against the trunk. He was grateful to the red head, but knew that she was struggling to keep her pinned.
"She's too strong." Jean cried, and Anna chose that moment to lash out with her foot and kick the older girl in the stomach. Jean fell winded and Anna ran into the cabin.
Logan looked down at his stomach, the wound was almost healed. Kurt helped him to his feet. Scott was helping a winded Jean up.
"I've got to go in there." Wolverine said to nobody in particular. He walked towards the door and crossed the thresh hold. The younger mutants followed.
Sabertooth stood next to Anna, his hand on her shoulder. Logan's blood boiled.
"She really takes after you, doesn't she, Logan?" He smiled evilly.
"Don't touch her." Wolverine growled, he took a step forward.
In one swift movement Sabertooth was behind Anna with a knife to her throat. Logan stopped instantly. Anna looked confused.
"What the fuck are you doing?" She asked. This certainly wasn't part of the plan, although she didn't really think they had one.
"Creed! Let her go, this is between us." Logan demanded.
Sabertooth laughed and pressed the knife into Anna's jugular, "You think I'd let an opportunity like this pass by? For years you've had the upper hand, won every battle. This is the beginning of end game!"
"Victor?" Whispered Anna, questioningly. She was growing concerned. This wasn't an act, he meant it and somewhere in her brain, a memory flared. She had been in this situation before, and that time she had been very, very scared.
"Sorry, Kid. You could go far, but all you are to me is the means to an end." He said in her ear. Then lifting his head up and looking at Wolverine again, "You might walk away from any beating, but will she?" He laughed.
Wolverine tried to think of a way to stop him, there wasn't one. If he moved towards them, Sabertooth would slit her throat within a heartbeat. Deep down he knew that Creed would do it anyway, he took the only path he had.
He ran at them, hoping to catch the bigger mutant off guard, but Sabertooth was too quick. He dragged the knife across Anna's throat, pushed her into her father and ran.
Logan caught her and felt her blood splash over his face and chest. He staggered to the ground under her weight. He could hear Kitty shrieking and somebody yelling. His mind closed off the others, concentrating only on Anna.
Anna tried to breath, the pain was unbearable. She could vaguely make out her father frantically trying to cover the wound with his bare hands, as if that would seal her windpipe. Red clouded her vision and then everything went black.
"Needs a woman's touch, definitely. Freak show paying you well then?" She asked, lighting a cigarette.
Sabertooth gave a low growl and said, "I 'acquired' it a few years ago."
Anna drew on her ciggie and smiled at him, "So you killed the owners? Well at least you've got the guts to go out and 'acquire' what you want in life. Shall we?" She gestured and Sabertooth opened the door.
Inside it was dusty and a little messy, but no more than the average bachelor pad. Anna wandered up the stairs and checked the two bedrooms. One was obviously Victor's and the other was a pleasant neat unused room with a rose print duvet.
"Pretty enough." Anna thought and dumped her rucksack on the bed. She walked out and down to the living room and sat opposite Sabertooth.
"So. How do you want to do this? I can't cook and I can clean a little, but that's it." She looked at him expectantly.
Sabertooth gave a small smile and said, "Oh no! You're Wolverine's daughter. You don't have to do anything. Just having you stay here is enough."
Anna smiled slightly and stood up, "OK, as long as we're in agreement. I stay here, eat, sleep and shower and don't do anything in return. You drive a hard bargain." She stood up and walked back to her room and began to unpack.
'He must really like my dad. Either that or he hasn't met him recently.' She mused. Either way, she had a roof over her head without having to sell herself. She could chill out for a few days and try to figure out what to do next.
Sabertooth watched her disappear into her room and walked out on to the porch. He smiled broadly. What luck! Logan's daughter. He knew that he would be searching for her, and eventually he would find her, and him.
The only problem would be that by then she would hate Logan as much as he did. She was only a kid, and while tougher than any he had met, she was still very impressionable. Brainwashing was easy enough.
That's how he would hurt Wolverine. He knew well enough that his wounds healed fast, but break his heart, his will to live. Why hadn't he thought of it before?
He started to laugh quietly and said out loud, "Soon enough, Logan, you'll find out what betrayal really is."
He heard the shower start and went back inside to wait to start telling Anna all about her father.
Logan twiddled with the buttons on the police scanner until he eventually got a signal. Something about a blue motorcycle being abandoned on a mountain highway about fifty miles away. The cop reporting it commented on how odd it was, it was an expensive bike.
His heart stopped. Logan knew that that was his bike, and if it was abandoned then what the hell had happened to Anna. She could have been injured; the bike could have been stolen from her days ago and just left there.
'I've gotta know.' He thought. He swung the van round and headed in the direction that the cop had reported. He arrived about an hour later.
His bike was propped on its stand by the road. The police officer had disappeared, so he pushed it to the van and managed to muscle it in to the back.
He could smell his daughter and followed her track into the forest. He came to the small lake she had bathed in and suddenly his nose caught a different scent.
"Sabertooth." He said in a low voice. He felt his blood boil, who knew what that maniac would do to her.
As he reached the road, a fierce wind had sprung up, signaling the arrival of the blackbird. He watched motionless as Xavier came down the ramp. They looked at each other for a second.
"Chuck, this is my problem. I'd prefer it if you didn't get involved." He growled.
Xavier gave him an impatient look, "Logan, you cannot do this alone. If Anna is indeed with Sabertooth, then you will need our help." He knew his friend was angry. Anything to do with Sabertooth would be guaranteed to send the burly mutant into a frenzy.
"Those kids can't handle the fight. And I'm gonna kill him."
Xavier shook his head; "You need to concentrate on getting Anna back safely. Hasn't she been through enough without seeing her father kill a man?"
Logan tried to think of another argument, but he knew that the other man was right. Getting his daughter back was all that mattered.
"OK, let's start looking." He said.
Anna flopped down on the sofa and studied Sabertooth. He looked back at her. She breathed loudly through her nose and lit a cigarette.
She blew the smoke out and eventually said, "So, if you and him are such good mates, why hasn't he mentioned you?"
The big mutant thought carefully, "Did you give him time before you ran away?"
"Touché!" She replied.
"Actually, I haven't seen your father in a long time, ever since .... No, no it doesn't matter." He said, knowing that she would take the bait.
Anna sat up, "C'mon, what? What happened."
He looked at her, and then said, "You're Gail's daughter aren't you?"
Anna looked surprised for a moment at the mention of her mother's name, but she covered it.
"I should have known, you have her eyes." He continued.
"What does this have to do with you and him?" She asked, frowning.
Sabertooth smiled inwardly, and said, "It's a long story, and not a nice one. But if you want to know...."
He began telling Anna about he and Wolverine's 'friendship' with a few changes to the truth. Especially about the fact that they had both known her mother while stationed in England.
The night drew in, and by the time he had finished Anna looked shocked. He played the apologetic barer of bad news.
"I shouldn't have told you this stuff. He is your dad."
Anna frowned and said, "No, I had a right to know what type of man he is." She believed the blond man, he had known too many facts about her mum to lie, and he had played on her mistrust of Logan.
"So, you both loved my mum?" She asked, thinking of the woman she lost.
"No, only I did. Logan wanted her because I did, he moved me to another project. Then he wormed into her life. She was confused."
Anna was furious, Sabertooth had told her that he was going to ask Gail to marry him. He could have, should have, been her father. She could have had a family. Her mother had died in vain.
She tried to ask one of the hundred questions that were spinning round her mind. She couldn't even begin to form words.
Unconsciously she clenched her fist and her claws sprang out. She didn't notice the pain.
Sabertooth was delighted. He could tell she blamed Wolverine for abandoning her, and now she thought that all of the years she had spent alone could have been avoided.
"I hate him." She said.
"I didn't want that." He lied, "I just thought you should know the truth. How do you know that things would have been different if I was your father?"
He carefully asked questions that would make her angry towards Wolverine. And once her rage had built up enough, she would attack him on sight, no questions asked.
"Listen, mate, I've had enough shit for three lifetimes, thanks to him. There was more than just mugging people to survive. If he had been a man and stayed then my mum wouldn't be dead, I wouldn't know what it was like to watch someone I loved shake and rock and scream in pain from heroin withdrawal."
She took a deep breath to control her anger and lit another cigarette, "I wouldn't know what it was like to watch people die knowing it was my fault."
She stood up and went to her bedroom. Sabertooth watched in amazement, the kid had killed? She really was something.
Anna looked out of the window, pulling heavily on the cigarette. She had swallowed the big mutant's story. And now all she could think of was getting even with 'Daddy dearest.'
Her incredible hearing picked up the sound of a jet. She didn't doubt who it was.
'Not like we're right under a flight path.' She thought, going to the doorway and looking over the rail at Sabertooth, who hadn't moved.
"He's here." She said, flatly.
"I know." He replied.
"He's going to try and take me back." She added.
"I wont let him." Sabertooth stood up and folded his arms.
Anna felt something she hadn't felt in a long time, she felt safe. Truly safe. She honestly believed that this man would protect her from her father.
"Thank you." She said, almost in a whisper.
Logan was the first to reach the cabin. The Blackbird had landed three miles south, but he could smell the both of them. He wanted to break in and throttle that monster with his bare hands, just for going near his daughter. God only knew what he had done already. He was grateful that Anna was so tough.
He waited for the team to arrive, he knew that his odds of getting Anna out alive or unhurt were better with all of their powers combined.
Xavier looked at the run down cabin for a moment, and said, "She's in there, and very angry. They know we're here, Logan be prepared for anything."
Logan nodded and, silently, started to give hand signals to the other X- men. They fanned out and surrounded the cabin. Wolverine took a deep breath and walked to the door. He was about to kick it, when it flew open and Anna flung herself at him.
He was caught by surprise and fell backwards, Anna saw the momentary weakness and punched him in the face.
He was more shocked that hurt, but it was all she needed to gain the upper hand. She continued to punch him, all the time getting herself more worked up into a frenzy.
Logan knew she was angry with him and was ready to take the abuse until she had it out of her system, but as she pulled her fist back he saw her claws shoot out and he knew that this wasn't just about being upset. She wanted to hurt him badly.
He already knew what she was capable of, and as good a healer as he was, he figured he wouldn't recover from decapitation. His hand grabbed her wrist as she bought it down and managed to stop her.
She raised her other fist and tried to slash at him with that one, he stopped her again. She was turning red, with anger and frustration.
"Anna, I know you're mad, but you have to calm down. Stop this now." He tried to command her, hoping his voice might reach her.
"You know nothing, you bastard. I hate you. I want you dead." She screamed. She leaned forwards and bit Logan's arm.
He gritted his teeth, as he felt her teeth break his skin and saw blood run down his arm, but she didn't stop. He gathered his strength and pushed her away, climbing to his feet within seconds.
Anna landed on her back, but swung her legs round and jumped up. She had Logan's blood on her mouth and chin and her claws were still extended.
She glared at him, and he looked at her in disbelief, she looked feral, not human.
"What's gotten into you?" He asked.
"The truth!" She screamed, "Finally someone had the guts to tell me."
Logan glanced at the doorway of the cabin and saw Sabertooth standing on the porch, his delight evident.
Anna ran towards him, when she saw he was distracted. She felt her hatred building inside of her. She looked at the man that she thought had wrecked her life and she wanted him dead.
Pulling back her fist she rammed it into his stomach and felt her claws sink in. Logan staggered backwards and fell to the ground. He felt the pain spider through his torso and towards his chest. He knew the wound, while fatal to anyone else, wasn't serious to him and felt his body starting to heal.
Anna stared down at him, an unreadable expression on her face. She looked at her claw, his blood staining the bone and said, "I hate you."
She raised her fist again and was about to bring it down towards his neck, when she was suddenly pulled backwards and thrown into a tree by an invisible force.
Logan looked up and saw Jean standing in front of his daughter, holding her against the trunk. He was grateful to the red head, but knew that she was struggling to keep her pinned.
"She's too strong." Jean cried, and Anna chose that moment to lash out with her foot and kick the older girl in the stomach. Jean fell winded and Anna ran into the cabin.
Logan looked down at his stomach, the wound was almost healed. Kurt helped him to his feet. Scott was helping a winded Jean up.
"I've got to go in there." Wolverine said to nobody in particular. He walked towards the door and crossed the thresh hold. The younger mutants followed.
Sabertooth stood next to Anna, his hand on her shoulder. Logan's blood boiled.
"She really takes after you, doesn't she, Logan?" He smiled evilly.
"Don't touch her." Wolverine growled, he took a step forward.
In one swift movement Sabertooth was behind Anna with a knife to her throat. Logan stopped instantly. Anna looked confused.
"What the fuck are you doing?" She asked. This certainly wasn't part of the plan, although she didn't really think they had one.
"Creed! Let her go, this is between us." Logan demanded.
Sabertooth laughed and pressed the knife into Anna's jugular, "You think I'd let an opportunity like this pass by? For years you've had the upper hand, won every battle. This is the beginning of end game!"
"Victor?" Whispered Anna, questioningly. She was growing concerned. This wasn't an act, he meant it and somewhere in her brain, a memory flared. She had been in this situation before, and that time she had been very, very scared.
"Sorry, Kid. You could go far, but all you are to me is the means to an end." He said in her ear. Then lifting his head up and looking at Wolverine again, "You might walk away from any beating, but will she?" He laughed.
Wolverine tried to think of a way to stop him, there wasn't one. If he moved towards them, Sabertooth would slit her throat within a heartbeat. Deep down he knew that Creed would do it anyway, he took the only path he had.
He ran at them, hoping to catch the bigger mutant off guard, but Sabertooth was too quick. He dragged the knife across Anna's throat, pushed her into her father and ran.
Logan caught her and felt her blood splash over his face and chest. He staggered to the ground under her weight. He could hear Kitty shrieking and somebody yelling. His mind closed off the others, concentrating only on Anna.
Anna tried to breath, the pain was unbearable. She could vaguely make out her father frantically trying to cover the wound with his bare hands, as if that would seal her windpipe. Red clouded her vision and then everything went black.