Saints and Sinners – By Darlin

AN – I'd like to say thanks to Archer – how very nice of you to let me know what you think and I'll try to check your stories out sometime this week.  Thank you very much, gypsy.  And, Isis Aurora Tomoe thanks too.  If you want to send the story to me you can but I don't know why you wouldn't think it was good enough as so far it's been fun and refreshing. Thanks for your comments, JamesGirl0512.  Lerie, you always have the nicest things to say – thanks.   Thanks, lilWolvie.    And thank you too, ToughSpirit. 

Chapter Seventeen – More Plotting

A bloodcurdling scream that sounded very much like something out of a B horror movie sliced through the house waking up nearly everyone in the household. Some reached for robes; others ran, heedless of attire, to find the source of the scream.  Logan and Ororo sat up, looked at each other in the gloom of night and leapt out of bed.

"Ohmigosh, I have to go!" Ororo said as she took off literally diving through the window.

Feeling hornier than a bear after a long winter's hibernation Logan wasn't in the mood for putting up with any emergencies but he put on a pair of sweats and went out into the hall. No one was there and since he had a pretty good idea who had screamed and figured she was just having a bad dream he wasn't too inclined to stay up and so he turned around and went back into his room.  He'd shower, definitely in cold water and try to go back to sleep.



Ororo had no desire to have anyone see her leaving Logan's room at that time of night. Sure, everyone had to know he'd spent every night with her when she'd been physically exhausted but this was different. Very much so. She was smiling as she settled into her room despite the scream that had wakened her.  She felt tingling and good all over and she couldn't help but think of Logan.  She hugged herself and looked up to the ceiling letting out a squeal of delight.  She was so happy it was scary but good scary. 

After a moment she tried to get back to the business at hand.  Obviously something was wrong and she had to concentrate.  After turning a light on she glanced in the mirror, straightened her messy hair a bit and then went out into the hallway. Seeing no one there she hurried downstairs only to have Kitty run smack into her.

"Hey! Don't do that!" Ororo cried when Kitty phased through her. "I hate it when you do that!"

"Sorry. I didn't see you until it was too late," Kitty said.

"Is everything okay?"

"I don't know. Scott told me to go to my room."

"Where is everyone? And who was that screaming?"

"I don't know and I guess I won't know."

"That's weird. Did you see Logan on the way up?"

"No. I phased through the ceiling."

"Well, come with me and we'll see what's going on."

"I can't, remember? Scott . . ."

Ororo grabbed Kitty by the arm and dragged her along and Kitty didn't protest.

If anyone had bothered to check the attic thoroughly they would have found a message written in the thick dust that covered the floor.  Kurt had managed to scribble the word 'OK' quite nicely with his limber tail before he and Rogue left. This of course put a new spin on being ambidextrous but ensured that no one would worry about them as he was sure the message would be found.   Little did he know that no one had searched the attic.

Thinking that the X-Men would be proficient and do a detailed search he had felt free to take off with Rogue.  He was very concerned about her.  It was obvious that she needed a good friend.  And for Rogue it had been enough to have someone to talk to and get away from Xavier's.

They had teleported to a small field a few miles from the house and had talked for some time. Once she seemed more comfortable he had taken her on a little tour of the area and though she had found it a little disconcerting it had proven to be fun, taking her mind off of her situation. As the evening wore on they had grabbed a bite to eat and had later teleported back to the house. He had finally convinced Rogue that she should give the X-Men one more try and then if things didn't work out they could go over other options.

In the meantime he had suggested that she hone her skills with a round or two in the danger room. Sure that no one would mind Kurt had teleported them to the danger room observation tower. Seeing that no one was scheduled for the rest of that evening they had gone through their paces several times. Little did they know that whilst they were practicing the others, or rather, most of the others were enjoying a quiet evening of watching television.

Of course Ororo wasn't enjoying herself and neither was Logan who was no where to be found. And perhaps Scott and Jean weren't quite as ecstatic as they should've been but that's another matter. Hank had no desire to hang out with his team mates, much less watch a series of comedies that gave the meaning to stupidity.  He was, regrettably, up to his usual tricks and so he had shut himself inside the danger room going over his latest idea. It was an idea that he had actually concocted with Forge.

Once they'd gone over it and made the necessary preparations they waited for the occupants in the house to retire and then they put their plan into motion. Kurt had by then teleported Rogue to her room; however he was feeling restless and worried as they had talked about Rogue's problems and not his own, so he had ventured back to the danger room.

The observation tower was empty but Kurt was surprised to see Hank and Forge down below without any simulations running. He decided to give them the privacy that they needed as they were probably getting ready to test the system or do some work on it and he teleported away without being noticed.

Now, coincidentally enough, Rogue too was restless and she had the exact idea. After all, the power to drain another mutant's powers was very limiting and if she wanted to fight effectively with the X-Men she had to be an expert when it came to other skills that could compensate for her liabilities. So, after a bout of indecision, with that thought on her mind, she too had made her way to the basement despite the lateness of the hour.  It was Rogue who had screamed, effectively waking the entire household.

The Professor, who had picked up Kurt's and Rogue's presence, had seen that all was as well as it could get with them for the present and he had finally turned in. Now he was up and though clad in his pajamas, he knew almost everything that had happened as he skimmed over his student's minds, or at least the minds that he was capable of getting into.  Logan's was nearly impossible, Ororo's had too much static due to her powers and was often difficult to penetrate, and lately Hank had developed his mental defenses to a level that the Professor was secretly impressed by.

Now the Professor alerted Scott to get to the danger room and instructed him to send Kitty back to her room. The others he wasn't particularly concerned about as he felt they could handle what awaited them and so he let them come as they willed. What he could sense from Rogue did not bode well.  If he were reading her thoughts clearly he feared the worse. 

"Rogue, please pull yourself together or please leave," the Professor said as he wheeled into the danger room. 

Rogue looked up from the corner of the room that she was crouched in and wiped at her tears determined to act the part of an X-Man. 

"Is Logan here?" the Professor asked Scott.

"I don't know."

"I'll check," Jean said.

"No! Peter, you get him. Bobby, you better go," Scott added. 

"Why?" Bobby asked with a defiant look.

Scott didn't bother to reply. He didn't know what to make of this. None of them did. It was difficult for any of them to comprehend what they saw but yet they knew it to be true.  The young man that was lying on the floor of the danger room looked to be dead. The Professor could pick up no brain waves, no thoughts, no hint of life.  Neither Scott nor Hank could detect a pulse, and there were three bloody wounds lined up neatly in a row as if he had been stabbed several times with the same weapon, obviously a knife of some type.  Forge was dead and by the looks of it Logan had killed him. The how could be determined easily as they knew Logan had also left Scott for dead. But why was the question that filled everyone's minds just then.

"Rogue, get a hold of yourself or leave," Scott ordered as Rogue let out a sob despite her attempt to control herself.

"Ah'm okay," she said though her voice was as miserable as she looked.

"Is he dead?" Warren asked.

"Does he look dead to you?" Scott snapped.

"Pretty much," Warren said.

Scott threw him a look that clearly showed his anger. Warren was new, sure but to take a death this casually was beyond Scott's patience. A man was dead and though none of them had taken the time to really get to know Forge and the Native American had kept to himself when not with Hank whether he had been a part of the team or not wasn't an excuse to not care.  How could anyone look at a dead body and take it as easily as Warren was?

Perhaps it was just a defensive measure to maintain his sanity, Scott thought but he personally couldn't understand that. Scott felt sick. He knew why Logan would want to kill Forge but it didn't make any sense. It was obvious to Jean and himself that Forge admired Ororo but it was just as obvious to them that Ororo was falling for Logan if she wasn't in love with him already so why would Logan kill Forge?  It didn't add up at all.

"Kitty, I told you to go and I meant it," Scott said when he saw the youngest member of the X-Men following Ororo.

"I told her – oh, no! What happened? Is he okay?"

"I wouldn't ask that if I were you," Warren muttered.

"Kitty, go now," Scott ordered. "And I don't want to hear one more word out of you, Warren. Is that understood?"

The males stared each other down but finally Warren, not being able to see Scott's eyes, was the one who looked away. With a shrug of his shoulders he turned and left.

"He's dead," Bobby said when the door shut behind Warren and Kitty. "What do you think happened?"

"As we can plainly see there are three entry wounds, all close together," Hank said as he pointed at the very obvious bloody holes to all who cared to look.

"No," Ororo said as she shook her head viciously.

"Ororo," Scott put a hand on her shoulder and sighed. "It looks just like . . ."

"It's not!" Ororo shouted and pulled away from him. "It's not what you're thinking!"

"Ororo, perhaps you can leave us alone for a moment," the Professor suggested.

"No! Why should I? So you can peg this on Logan?" Ororo asked though she was looking at Hank.

"We have no desire to peg this on anyone without sufficient proof," the Professor said.

"Let's talk outside," Jean said.

Ororo looked around at everyone. She felt like screaming. She couldn't deny that what she saw looked just like wounds left by Logan's claws but she knew in her heart that he had not killed Forge.

"You know he didn't do this don't you, Jean?" Ororo asked.

There was nothing Jean could say that would make Ororo believe otherwise so Jean said nothing.

"Bobby, you know he didn't do it, don't you?"

"I don't know, O. I mean why would he?  But look at him . . ."

"He wouldn't and he didn't!"

"Do you know where he's been all day?" Hank asked.

"What?"

"Where has he been all day, after the session we had earlier?"

"How would I know?" Ororo asked.

"You need to calm down, Ororo," the Professor told her.

"I am calm," she said and forced herself not to let her emotions get out of hand.



Truthfully she didn't know where Logan had been after their danger room session and that bothered her more than she could say.  It meant no alibi and she'd seen enough court scenes on TV to know that no alibi meant he would be tried, convicted, and sentenced whether he did it or not.

The sound of several sirens blasted in the distance and everyone looked around numbly. They all nearly jumped out of their skins when the door burst open and Logan came running in closely followed by Peter.

"Ah, Logan just the man we were looking for," Hank said almost gleefully.

"I bet. But if you think you're getting away with this you're crazy."

"I beg your pardon?" Hank asked as innocently as he could.

Logan ignored him and stooped over Forge. He looked at what appeared to be holes cut into the abdomen. He released his claws and held them over Forge's stomach but Scott and Hank both tackled Logan to the floor as if they thought he was going to finish the job.

"Get off me!" Logan yelled as they tried to pin him.

His claws sunk back and he growled like a animal as he fought them.

"Get off of him!" Ororo cried as she beat on Hank's back.

"Stop this now!" the Professor demanded and all quickly obeyed.

"Logan, hold your claws over the wound again," the Professor ordered.

Everyone could see that his claws matched up perfectly with the gaping wounds. The Professor sighed. Logan had been a much valued member of his team, one whom he could count on for the worst duties. Now there would be no one else that he would rely upon to take care of some of the unwelcome tasks that they were bound to have in the future.

"Bobby, the ambulance has just pulled up. Please let them in," the Professor directed.

As Bobby ran to do the Professor's bidding Logan couldn't help but notice the huge grin on Hank's face. It wasn't too long before the EMT's, accompanied by the police and firefighters were let in.  As Forge was pronounced dead they were all questioned.  After some time Forge was put on a gurney, draped, and removed as speedily as possible.

The area was marked and isolated. Fingerprints were taken and further questions asked. Finally, having no logical solution for the three wounds in the victim's stomach they left the room without making an arrest, this due to the Professor's gentle persuasion.  Jean took the officers to question Kitty and, and Warren, and eventually Kurt who had slept through the entire ordeal.

The rest of the X-Men were left in the large empty danger room. Rogue refused to be the first to leave or to show weakness again. Peter and Bobby stood off to one side speaking quietly amongst themselves. Ororo stood beside Logan who couldn't look at her. Only when she slipped an arm through his and moved closer could his eyes meet hers.

"I know you didn't do it," she whispered.

"You're the only one then."

She shook her head. She couldn't and wouldn't believe that. Bobby had doubted it despite the so called proof.

"Do I get a trial or something before you try an' hang me?" Logan asked the Professor.

"Logan, no one is trying to condemn you. There will be a thorough investigation."

"Well they better get a lie detector too," Logan growled.

A horrid stench filled the air suddenly as a plume of smoke shot out of no where. Kurt was standing in front of them wearing only a pair of boxers and looking very upset.

"What is going on? The police are trying to question me for a death?"

"Forge is dead," Jean said.

"What are you talking about? I just saw him!"   

"You did?" Scott asked.

"Yes.  Before I went to sleep.  He and Hank were down here discussing something."

All eyes turned towards Hank who looked at them all as if nothing was unusual about that in the least.

"So you were the last one to see him alive?" Peter asked.

"I wouldn't say that," Hank said.

"What time was it when you saw them together?" Ororo asked.

"Now look here! I'm not a murderer! I didn't kill Forge and anyway how could I when I don't have claws like that?" Hank yelled.

"I gotta go," Logan said.

"Just don't leave the premises," Scott said. "You know the police don't want us going anywhere until they finish questioning everyone."

"Whatever."

"I'll go with him," Ororo said and she hurried after him.

Ororo had to run to keep up with Logan. He was in the kitchen before she realized what he was doing. Surely he wasn't trying to make a run for it she wondered. She followed Logan through the door that led to the garage.

"What're you doing?"

"I need to see the body again."

"So?"

"I'm going to the hospital."

"You mean the morgue?" Ororo asked with a shudder.

"Yeah."

"But why?"

"I gotta see the body one more time. Somethin' about this whole setup don't smell right."

He opened a panel on the wall and pulled out a key then got into the SUV.  He hit the garage opener inside the car and watched the door open smoothly. 

"You're not even dressed. Just give me a minute and I'll grab some clothes for us okay?"

"Don't got time for that."

"But . . ."

"I gotta go," he said as he started the vehicle.

"But, Logan . . . !"

"Ro, in case you're wondering . . ."

"I wasn't wondering. I just want to go with you.  I know you didn't do it."

"You . . . you really don't think I did it," Logan commented, obviously surprised.

"No, I don't. Why would you?"

"Maybe I was jealous. Maybe I was sick of seeing how he always followed you with those beady eyes of his," Logan said with a wicked grin.

"Now you're creeping me out. Can you just give me a few minutes to change?"

"Yeah. Yeah, you go change and bring me back a jacket."

"I won't be gone five minutes. You better not leave," Ororo said as she dashed out.

Unfortunately she heard the engine start up just as she entered the kitchen. She spun around and headed back but she was too late He was gone. She heard shouting and saw someone running after the car and she quickly stepped back into the kitchen.  She'd get dressed and fly to the hospital she decided, but before she was able to get to the kitchen door a police officer stepped in front of her.

"Miss, can you tell me who that was in the car?"

"No one," she said.

"Do you want to go down to the station?"

"No," Ororo said, wishing she could make him leave her alone and envying the Professor's telepathy.

"Miss, if you're not going to cooperate you're going to be in a world of trouble."

She nodded, forcing herself not to look back, and let the officer lead her back into the kitchen. He stopped and made a quick call all the while keeping his eyes on Ororo.

"A bird's flown the coop. We need a head count. Tell S.H.E.I.L.D. they need to do a perimeter check ASAP."

It was a hard temptation for Ororo not to bolt. She knew she could easily overpower the officer. A small jolt of lightning like she'd been practicing since Hank had suggested it some time ago would do the trick or even a sudden icy floor with a well placed wind would work. The only reason she didn't was so Logan could get a head start. He'd need all the help he could get if they were sending in S.H.E.I.L.D.