Disclaimer: Several new characters are mine, including the plot. X-Men belongs to Marvel and Fox.

Angelica: Hehe, my description gets on a roll at times. It's great when you feel the ease to write everything into detail with description, when it just flows out into words. Basically it's the complete opposite it writers block! From the way you seem to understand the happening so well, it must mean my writing was up to scratch in that chapter! Goody! Yeah, the adamantium makes it very tricky. It can't be ripped off or cut off. Kinda adds some drama to the tale, no? =P

Blix: Well, we hope so. But Logan's probably very confused and worried about her mental health if anything. And then she seemed to prove it! o.o

Chapter 19

The retreating footsteps echoed loudly in Roxanne's mind as she watched Logan depart from her. With all the mutants grouped together at one end of the mansion, the corridors around her were empty, and Logan's footsteps sounded clearly for a good while, almost mocking her at how far away he was. Roxanne knew that she had to make him go, once her conscious mind replayed the events.. the attempted shooting.. the stabbing.. the bombs.. and the poison.. all those horrific things that SHE had done. She had to make him leave for his safety, as much as it sickened her.. she knew that in the next few seconds.. she would have no more control.

She felt her sensation of life dullen, that inspiring touch of air to skin, the experience of each breath. It all faded away as once more she became a shell. Inside hollow, nothing but controlling of drug. Her mind locked away, her memories hidden.

Roxanne rose from the floor slowly, brushing herself off with a sarcastic smirk to her lips. A hand gently swiped away a strand of silver from her brow, which was positioned in her usual arrogant slant. Her ocean hued eyes shifted slowly to her left to look out of the window. Her hand stiffly rose to take hold of the window clasp and she pulled it open. A leg lifted out, body following out before she was now stood on a low area of roof. She was only one floor up from the earth, upon the roof above the main entrance. But there was no flinch to her eyes as she walked down the slope of the roof, eyes not watching her path down but staring stonily ahead. Even when Roxanne reached the guttering her eyes didn't shift. A foot outstretched and she dropped gently down upon the concrete slabs of the main entrance in an elegant crouch before she straightened, nudged some hair from her face before she walked down the driveway briskly. Her body being helplessly summoned back to the master.

With a frustrated hit did Logan strike the button to call the lift. He'd already given it a good number of jabs, and gave the button another a few seconds later for good measure. He knew it would come no quicker, but he was in such a hurry he didn't really care. He uttered a foul curse to the lift as the wooden doors of the wall parted to reveal the illuminated circular inner. Once inside he stabbed the Lower floor button giving the machinery another curse of a name, as if it would speed up the whole process.

The children had been left securely in the Library whilst the X-Men (and Gambit) followed Scott and Charles down to the underground infirmary. Now, Charles was upon a clean covered bed, Storm hovering around the bed as she checked the various equipment. Scott was close by, sat on the bed beside as he watched Storm move around, glancing curiously to Charles evey now and then.

"His heart rate is now steady," announced Storm to the quiet group, "His consciousness should soon return.. there's nothing to stop it, though he could be quite exhausted from the happening."

"So, there's nothing to worry about?" asked Scott softly, lifting his eyes to Storm.

Storm in return gave a smile, "Everything should be fine."

Just then the doors of the Infirmary slid open and Logan strode in, his eyes quickly training in on Scott. Scott had rose to his feet when Logan arrived, and asked him a simple question, "Where is she?"

Logan came to a halt, glancing over the room and Charles quietly before his eyes went back to Scott, "She needs your help."

"What?" asked Scott with a frown, "Why does she need me?" there was a trace of annoyance in his tone. He still didn't trust Roxanne.

"She's in agony, collapsing and screaming! You must come and help her!"

Storm quickly looked worried, "She needs medical assistance."

"And someone to talk to her." Logan looked pointedly at Scott.

Scott made a small sigh, his eyes closing a moment before he nodded, "Alright, I'll come and help her. You come too Storm." He turned to the rest of the group, "Stay here, I'm sure the last thing she needs is a crowd.."

"Someone let me know if Charles's condition changes," added Storm.

"And if you need help you know where we are.." murmured Aurora, nodding to the trio as they exited the room with the whirring of the electronic doors.

With Logan in the lead he guided Scott and Storm to where he had left Roxanne. His footsteps were largely put and quickly done, his followers had to make a small jog in order to keep up with the fast movement of the Wolverine. As he walked his kept his nose lifted, and his expression was becoming more distressed. Then, all of a sudden without any heed of warning to the others, Logan speeded into a full-blown run. His boots clamped down upon the shined wooden walkways loudly, repeating the steps and slap of rubber. Without his boots, the sprint would have been gracefully silent. In a mild panic Scott and Storm began to run after him, themselves completely puzzled as to why he was suddenly running. Had he sensed something wrong?

He had. Logan knew it. Her scent was fading. He desperately continued to sniff. It meant one of two things. She'd either left the building.. or she was dead. And he hoped with all his energy that it wasn't the latter.

They rounded corridor after corridor, finally making their way to the front of the building on the second floor. Logan's run was unmatchable here; Scott and Storm could only follow by his distant run of footsteps. Logan was the first there, throwing himself around the corner, a hand slamming to the opposite wall to stop him hitting it, he instead staggered round to stare at the floor where he had once left her, "No.. oh no.." A few moments later Scott and Storm came behind him, both heavily breathing from their swift run. Logan, breathing still steady, continue to glare at the floor before his eyes lifted to turn them upon a stony faced looking Scott.

"Great. Nice work Logan." He said softly, turning his head to Logan, "Supposedly hurt was she?"

"She was! I left her here, she had collapsed!" cried Logan, gesturing to the floor. He ran a hand through his hair in an agitated manner. Once completed, a few strands stubbornly flicked back over his forehead, "Where's she gone..?" he murmured forlornly, mainly to himself.

Storm stepped forth to face both of them, "Look, maybe – "

A furious looking Cyclops cut her off, "Logan, don't you see? This was another trick in the line of many!" As he continued to express his annoyance, Logan just continued to shake his head slowly, dismissing everything, "There has always been something shady about her, ever since she arrived on our doorstep."

"Which mutants normally do." Interjected Storm quickly, trying to reason his points, "We are a refuge."

Scott just as quickly cut back into his speech, "That's another thing! We don't even know if she is a mutant or not! And if she is it's obviously some twisted power that gives her joy in manipulating and attempting to kill us all!"

Logan's head shaking had faded away, and his eyes were fixed upon the wall opposite him. Storm glanced up to him slowly, before shifting her gaze to Scott.

"Just because you can't see it Logan, doesn't mean that nobody else can. And I know you feel all sorry for her and protective because she once was some girl of yours.." Storm flickered her eyes back to Logan. He was incredibly silent, and his glare was hardening, "But you cannot escape the fact that all the evidence points to her. I don't care who she is Logan. She's just turns up unannounced. You don't even remember her; she might have even lied to you by saying she knows you. It's just a way to allow her to infiltrate the school!"

"Scott.." muttered Storm, her eyes going hard upon him. She was feeling extremely uncomfortable to Logan's silence.. if he listened any longer..

But Scott was not finished, he had had this built up frustration at how blind everyone was to the woman, "That's probably it! Everything's she's said to you will have been a lie Logan. She probably hates us all! The past she speaks of will be a lie. See through it Lo – ARGH!" Scott was cut short from his speech with a swift upper cut from Logan who had suddenly come alive out of his solid cold staring. All the time his eyes had been hardening to a deadly glare, all the time his already short temper had been rising, all the time each word had weakened his hold on the beast inside him. With so much power, Logan's fist to Scott's jaw had sent him flying back against the wooden panelled wall behind him. Scott had yelled, Storm had screamed. But Logan still remained deadly silent. Even his fist had flowed soundlessly in the thrust – catching Scott by extreme surprise.

In a daze Scott slumped down the wall to rest on the floor, his head lolling slightly. He gave a confused sort of grunt, his head lifting to look up at Logan. A trickle of blood was seeping out of the corner of his mouth and running down to drip upon his crisp green shirt. Slowly each drip landed, many circles of crimson expanding and soaking through the deep shaded silk. Storm said nothing. She moved forward instantly with arms outstretched to try and hoist Scott back upright so she could get him down back to the Infirmary. But Logan hadn't finished yet. As soon as Storm came close to intervening he gave her a rough shove with a palm, sending her staggering a few steps. The same fist that had struck Scott uncoiled from it tight closure and slipped to grab him by the collar. Logan pulled Scott slowly up to his feet, pulling him back from the wall before a powerful thrust sent Scott slamming back against the wood. The daze he was in soon snapped away as his eyes widened and brow lifted to the shock of the pain.

"Logan!" cried Storm in an attempt to deter him from whatever he was planning on doing next. He looked ready to unleash his claws and finish the job.

Heavy snarls were being emitted with every exhalation of the Wolverine's breath. Both his fists were now crammed up to the neck of Scott's clothes, holding his body free from the floor, "There are no lies." He said simply, voice quietly but easily heard by the tense silence around them, "Roxanne is who she says she is. She used to be a part of my life and now she's come back. There's something wrong with her, all right. But Storm needs to help her, she doesn't need you inventing things for her," he snarled, holding his face dangerously close to Scott's, "Just cut down on the jealously, one- eye. No matter how I felt, I respected your girl - it's time for you to do the same for me." Logan's eyes narrowed, his fists unclenching to allow Scott to fall heavily down to the floor. Logan made a disgusted snort at him, looking slowly to Storm before turned slowly, walking away. He made a pause in his travels, turning his head to look back to the alarmed albeit furious looking Scott, "Oh, and Cyclops? Stay away from my girl."

If you missed the reference to X-Men 1, shame on you. o.o

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