Disclaimer: I don't own X-men, nor will I ever. --

A/N: Thank you Xiowolfe and Wolvies gal 1 for the reviews! ::Hands out Reeses Peanutbutter cups::

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Liz sat in the corner of the room she had been assigned to, her knees drawn up to her chest her arms wrapped around them as she stared at the opposite side of the room. Her eyes filled with tears, she closed them letting the tears fall onto her blue jean clad knees. Tilting her head back against the wall she opened her eyes and sighed, memories of not too long ago flooded her mind and she couldn't stop the scream building up in her throat.

Logan, who had been downstairs, heard the blood-curdling scream and took off towards the direction he had heard it come from.

The lights had been off for God knew how long then suddenly clicked on bright as the sun itself. Curling up in a ball, Liz, Crimson to her captors, watched with mute fear as two large men walked into the room.

There was another scream, this time Logan was right out side the door, he threw it open finding Liz curled up on the floor sobbing hysterically.

"Hey Mutie…" One of the men grinned as he approached Crimson while the other one shut the door and locked it.

Then everything happened so fast, the first man grabbed a hold of her wrists and held her still as the other man came at her tugging at his zipper...

"No! Not again! Please not again!" Liz cried out squeezing her eyes shut.

Logan knelt down beside her, "Hey Kid, snap outta of it! I'm not here ta hurt ya." He gently shook her shoulder.

She flinched her eyes snapping open; she pushed herself against the wall breaking his hold on her shoulder. Her eyes were wide with fear, Logan held his hands up showing that he meant no harm, "I'm not gonna hurt ya." He said reassuringly.

Liz blinked relaxing slightly, "L-Logan?" She whimpered her eyes red and watery from unshed tears.

"Yea kid, it's me." He answered back softly.

Flinging her arms around his neck, Liz sobbed violently onto Logan's shoulder. Logan hesitated a moment before wrapping his arm around her awkwardly. The kid was broken and he wasn't sure that even Charles could put her back together.

/Later That Day/

It had been a long day; well for Logan that is, he had been having an off day ever since that morning with Liz. He sighed drying his hair after just getting out of the shower and pulled on a pair of black boxers.

There was a knock on the door startling him from his thoughts, "Come in!" He grunted tossing his towel onto the floor as he rummaged through the drawers of his dresser.

The door slowly creaked open and he looked over his shoulder raising an eyebrow, "Hey kid, what ch'ya need?" He asked pulling out a pair of black sweat pants and pulled them on then turned to face Liz still standing in the doorway. He chuckled inwardly noting the pink tint on her cheeks as she stared at him, "I uh…" She stuttered glancing down at the floor the blush darkening, "I'm sorry about this morning, it's just…" She trailed off with a shuddering sigh.

"You don't have ta tell me, kid."

Liz shook her head, "No, I want to tell you," She looked up, her dark blue eyes shimmered in the light, "I-I have to tell someone… It's been awhile."

Logan nodded, "Why don't we go downstairs to the kitchen an' talk?"

"I found out that I carried the X-gene when I was five, even though it was dormant at the time my mother didn't want me anymore. So she gave me away to Hydra."

Logan snorted and shook his head, "Just because you could've been a mutant, your mother didn't want ya anymore?" He turned the mug of hot coffee in his hands.

Liz nodded her eyes brimming with tears, "The last time I saw her she didn't even say goodbye, just handed me over to one of the scientists and drove away," She ran a hand across her eyes brushing away the tears, "The first night I cried until I fell asleep, and even then I dreamt of my mother's face as she drove away. For the first couple of years they left me alone, the only human contact I got was when they brought me food and water. Then I turned 10," Her hands fisted under the table, "That's when my powers manifested and… and the tests started."

Logan scowled looking away, "Testing on kids…" He growled then looked back up at Liz his face softening, "So what's yer powers, kid?"

"I-I can make something that Hydra called Red Ice."

Logan raised an eyebrow, "Red Ice?"

"I can shoot a substance from my hands that looks like ice, but it's red and hot," She looked away nervously and ran a hand over the scar on her left cheek, "That's how I got the name Crimson."

"What… what happened to you the day we found you?" Logan asked hesitantly.

Liz looked up at Logan, her eyes searching his, "I had heard that X-23 had escaped… and thought that maybe I could too…"

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