Bloody Birthday

Logan was in the back of the jet, suiting up when Scott turned over the controls to Storm. He sighed, knowing that this might be a bad time to talk to him, but it had to be done. He leaned against the dividing wall and crossed his arms. Logan was just slipping his arms in his sleeves when Scott noticed the engagement ring hanging on the chain with his dog tag. He knew the guy was hurting, and despite his irritation with Logan's attitude, he felt for him.

"The coordinates are punched in, and we'll be there around four in the morning," Scott said.

"A good time to attack," Logan said, lightly as he sat, putting on his boots.

"Are you doing okay?" Scott ventured delicately.

Logan glanced up with an annoyed look, "Don't go all 'fearless leader' on me, One-eye. I don't want to talk about it. Just pull your weight when we get there. No mistakes this time," Logan said gruffly.

Scott frowned, "What happened before was nobody's fault."

Logan stood and brushed past him on his way to his seat. He ignored the sympathetic faces of his teammates and just strapped himself in. Scott just headed back to the cockpit without a word. He was tired of trying to be nice to this guy. He never really liked him much, but he was trying. It would help if the bad tempered Neanderthal would try a little, too.

Xavier just sat quietly, but he was carefully monitoring his team. Cyclops, Jean and Storm were calm, but apprehensive. Beast was busy studying the topography of their destination, and Kurt was praying. Gambit was humming some French song and shuffling his deck, and Logan was silently falling apart. Xavier was worried. This mission had the potential to go very badly, and there was nothing he could do other than watch it happen.


"This is it, she's having contractions," the technician said, reading the feed from her monitors.

"At what rate?" Dr. Devlin asked, now giving him his complete attention.

"This was the first one, I'll keep you posted," the technician said.

Devlin frowned. He was tired of waiting. "Can't you hurry it along?"

"Sir, you have her on a continuous feed of drugs to keep her docile, I would not risk the baby by giving inducement drugs. Aside from the possibility it would kill the mother, it could harm the subject."

Devlin didn't care about the mother unless he could breed her again with an even more powerful mutant. But he did care about the infant. He would not risk the child, he needed it. "Keep me posted, when a pattern develops, I want to know."

"What of the physical monitoring?" The tech asked. "Someone has to go in there." He looked through the glass to where the mutant lay on the floor, only half conscious. He was terrified of her ever since the day she killed one of her caretakers. She had no powers in her special cell and manacles, but she was cunningly dangerous. She had nearly escaped that day, but now they kept her drugged and monitored via remote sensors.

Devlin looked at her thoughtfully. He had grown attached to this subject. It was the DNA, so unique, so full of potential. "I have a team standing by ready to deal with her. She is in no condition to cause harm," he said. "Carry on."

Devlin left the lab and headed through the lounge and out onto the deck. The facilities out here were as well equipped as possible. The location was remote, and rather dangerous. Swamps were not exactly Club Med material, but he found the night noises peaceful. The buildings were built on stilts on a small island in the middle of the everglades. During the rainy season, the island actually disappeared beneath the flooded swamp. No one dared to inhabit this area; it was the perfect hiding spot. He stared out at the calm black waters and smiled when he saw an alligator silently swim by. It was soothing being here, save the mosquitoes. He slapped one that had landed on his arm and went back inside. It was time to prepare for the delivery.


"Scanning," Beast said. "There are several buildings, but nowhere to land safely near them."

"How far is the nearest landing spot?" Scott asked.

"Nearly two miles there is a larger pond area where we can land in the water. You'll have to use the rafts to get there…" Beast was starting to explain, but Kurt interrupted.

"Wait, show me where it is," he said.

Beast put the area up on the holographic map and Kurt looked it over carefully. "I can get us there faster."

"How many can you carry?" Jean asked.

"I can handle four at a time," he said.

"That'll do," Xavier said, "Beast will remain here to coordinate, and Storm can get there without the lift."

Logan's jaw was set and he just listened to the planning. He just needed to get there; nothing would stop him from finding Dani. He felt that familiar itch between his knuckles. He'd needed a good brawl to ease his tension for a long time. There were times he missed the cage fighting.

"Logan? Did you hear me? You're going to lead us in. You've the best chance to locate her in there," Scott said.

"Just keep up," Logan said, half growling.

Logan! Calm down, Xavier warned. Logan was on the edge of losing his reason. The Wolverine within him was dangerously close to taking over. He was very difficult to deal with when he was like that.

The jet landed, and everyone gathered around Kurt for the transport to their target. Logan just looked at Xavier a brief moment and asked one question, "Is she here?"

Xavier closed his eyes and concentrated. He saw only nonsensical images and could not focus on her. Then, all at once he felt it. It was a scream, not the kind that pierce the ears, but the kind that pierce the heart. In that split second, he saw Logan standing in a forest, and then everything went black. Only Dani would envision Logan during a moment of pain… Oh, god! She is in labor!

"She is here," he said. "Hurry, she's having contractions."

"Elf!" Logan growled as he grabbed his hand.

Kurt wordlessly checked that the entire team had a hold on him and then he Bamph! transported to the back side of the main building. Logan was immediately on guard and sniffing the air. Cyclops scanned the area cautiously, but there were no patrols in sight. Logan perked up his ears, but all he heard was the wilderness around them. He frowned and silently stalked around the building, looking for a way in.

"Split up," Scott said. "Jean, you, Gambit and Kurt go that way. Keep it quiet."

Scott followed Logan and in a few minutes, the team reassembled on the front deck of the main building just as Storm arrived. They were still amazed at finding no resistance. Logan frowned, almost as disappointed as he was surprised, and he opened the front door. There was a small lounge with a TV, several couches and a pool table. Just beyond it was a stark white hallway, and he heard commotion from within.

"No, forget the monitors, they aren't accurate! Get the rest of the team in here, it's a breach!" a woman's voice shouted.

Logan went pale and ran into the hall with the team on his tail. They were met by four guards, all more than a little surprised to see intruders. They raised their weapons to fire, but were far too slow to react. Logan extended his claws and drove them into the first guard's chest so swiftly he didn't even gasp. Logan dropped him and took out the second guard the same way before a single shot was fired. Kurt had transported himself directly behind the other two, and swiftly grabbed one by the head and twisted, snapping his neck. Gambit took out the fourth with his staff. The scuffle had been swift, and fairly quiet. The hall was empty, and the only commotion came from a room at the end of the hall where they heard a man barking orders. Logan's nostrils were assaulted by the familiar scent of Dani, though it seemed a little different somehow. It was a richer, deeper, more vibrant scent, intoxicatingly sweet and there was… blood!

Logan growled low and ran down the hall with both claws fully extended. He burst into the room with a frightening roar and started killing everyone in sight. He could see Dani strapped down to a table, her legs in stirrups. Behind her was a doctor dressed for surgery with a scalpel at her throat. Logan halted, growling. The rest of the team had to run to catch up, but by the time they reached to room, there was nothing but carnage, and a standoff.

"You must be the father," Devlin said. "You're just in time fort the birth, if they live."

Logan was completely gone; it was Wolverine that stood there, slowly moving closer. His shiny claws were drenched in blood and his nose wrinkled as he curled his lip and growled menacingly. Negotiating wasn't going to happen, not today.

Jean saw his stance, and the state that Danielle was in and suddenly panicked. "Logan," she called, but Logan was beyond hearing.

"Killing her will get you nowhere," Scott said quickly. "You will only provoke him, and he'll make you suffer. Look at him. If you step away from her, I'll protect you from him."

"How noble of you," Devlin said with a smirk, "but as you can see, for the moment, I am holding all of the cards."

Gambit smirked, "Not all," he chuckled as he tossed a card into the far corner to cause a distraction.

Jean focused her power on disarming Devlin, tossing the scalpel aside. Logan saw the loss of the weapon and he dove across the room, right over Dani and tackled Devlin. Jean, Storm and Scott ran to help Dani, and Gambit went to help Logan.

Storm could see that her condition wasn't good and she turned to Kurt, "Get Beast."

Bamph!

Devlin was craftier than they'd thought, using a very strong tazer gun to subdue Logan. The shock instantly knocked him unconscious, and his claws retracted, giving Devlin just a few seconds to get away. Gambit paused to check on Logan, and Devlin disappeared through a hidden side door.

"Damn it, Gambit! Logan is fine, go after that bastard," Scott shouted.

Gambit swore under his breath and followed. He may be a swamp rat, but that didn't mean he wanted to tangle with some gator or snake in the dark. He'd take care of that slimy scientist faster than you can say joker.

Jean pulled out the IV and all the sensors. She didn't like the look of anything they had hooked up to her. She felt her swollen stomach for the baby, and could tell there was something wrong.

"She needs a cesarean immediately or we'll lose them both," she said with a catch in her voice.

"Can you do that, here in this filthy place?" Storm asked.

"There's no time to do anything else, we can't move her," Jean said. "We have to get all these straps and bracelets off of her. Hurry…"

Their conversation was interrupted by angry growling, and Scott knew things just got complicated. Logan stood, Snikt! Extended his claws, and glared at everyone standing around Dani. He was obviously not in his right mind.

"Logan, we are trying to help her," Jean said calmly, trying to project that into his irrational mind.

Logan just growled and stepped closer, but stopped dead when Dani gasped and moaned. He retracted his claws and went to her side. She was unconscious, but still fighting.

"Let us help her, and the baby," Jean said firmly.

Logan looked at her, and it was obvious he was still very wild, but he took Dani's hand and stood there, warily but peacefully. Jean took that as a sign and went to work. She started checking vital signs on Dani and the baby. Kurt and Beast arrived, and she was never more relieved to see them.

"Hank, it's going to be a c-section, as quickly as we can move," Jean said.

"I have everything we need in my bag," he said. "Logan, go wait with Storm and the others…"

Angry growling and glaring…

"This could be a problem," Hank said as he looked at Logan in his completely feral state.

"Ignore him, he has been quiet. He won't hurt her, and he won't leave her either," Jean said.

Hank sighed. There was nothing else to do but operate.


Gambit waded through the swampy water fully aware of the danger he was placing himself in. Where was help when you needed it? He listened to the near silence for any signs of movement out here, and then he heard it, the sound of an unsteady boat in the water. Gambit was close, so he scaled the nearest tree for a better look. The scientist was not very good with a canoe. Gambit smirked at his inability to steer, but his smile faded when the boat suddenly flipped. There in the water was one of the largest alligators he'd ever seen, and it had hold of their scientist. The reptile rolled him over and over, thrashing about in the shallow water, and then suddenly, they were both gone.

"Well, that's about it, isn't it?" Gambit said to himself. He looked back at the buildings, realizing he'd have to wade through the swamp to get there. "I always get stuck with the dirty jobs."


Logan growled when Jean made the incision, but didn't move. A few moments later, and she carefully pulled on a tiny pair of legs. Logan's eyes were huge, but he remained still. Finally, Jean had the child, a girl, and was quickly tending to her.

"She's blue," Beast said.

Jean cleared the baby's throat, and gave her a slap on the back. The hearty crying that followed had everyone sighing with relief, briefly.

"Dani's heart rate is off the chart, I can't even count it," Hank said.

"What? Why isn't she healing?" Jean asked as she wrapped the baby up.

Scott stepped closer, realizing the problem, "The bracelets, they're like the ones we found in the other lab. They suppress mutations. She can't heal until we get them off."

"Then do it," Jean said angrily, "Hurry."

"I can't, not without hurting her, they're solid," Scott said.

Beast had an idea, "Logan," he said trying to get his attention.

Logan was making strange mewling sounds, staring at Dani's pale face, but Beast shook him.

"Logan! You can help her, you can get these bracelets off of her," Beast said, pointing to the devices.

Logan looked at him, then the bracelets, and then at Dani. He extended one claw and carefully slipped it between her wrist and the offending device. He cut right through it and tossed it away. He looked back at her and his face was lost in grief and confusion.

"All of them, Logan," Hank reminded him.

Logan cut off all of the bracelets, retracted his claw and took Dani's hand again. The smell of her blood in his nostrils was so strong. Beast checked her vitals again, but there was no change. He cleaned the wound to stitch it up, but the bleeding wouldn't stop.

"I'm losing her," Beast said.

Logan suddenly howled, catching everyone off guard, but the wild cry became coherent speech… he had finally returned to himself. "No! Dani, no! Don't do this to me again, I need you. Fight, god damn it! Please…" He bent down over her, wrapping her in a hug, sobbing. The rest of the team was in tears while Beast and Jean worked feverishly to stitch her up. Logan was quiet a moment, and then he stood up, "Her heart rate is steadying," he said shakily.

Hank checked her and agreed, "She's stabilizing."

Jean sighed with relief, "The bleeding has stopped, and I think we can risk moving her. Kurt, we need you to jump her back to the jet, carefully. I'll go with you, and then you can come back for the others."

Kurt nodded, and then looked at the baby in Storm's arms, "And the baby?"

Logan suddenly turned and stared at the small bundle Ororo was cradling, "Baby?" he whispered.

"She's fine, Logan," Jean said reassuringly, and nodded to Kurt to take them while Logan was distracted.

Logan walked over to Storm and stared down at his daughter with the sappiest smile that Scott had ever seen. He gently touched her cheek and a tear slipped from his eye. "My daughter…"

Storm was choked up, but managed to speak, "Would you like to hold her, Logan?"

Logan reached for her and Storm gave the baby to him. He smiled proudly, but back at the blood covered birthing table and his expression sobered, "Hank, how bad is it?"

"It's bad, but I expect her to heal," he said optimistically.

Gambit finally returned and stared at the gathering with a frown, "Well? Boy or girl?"

"Did you get him?" Scott asked.

"Didn't have to, gator beat me to it," Gambit said with a smirk. "So, the kid?"

Logan just glared at him, and Gambit shrugged, "What?"

Bamph! "Jean says we should hurry and get back. She needs to get Danielle back to the institute. Everybody grab on," Kurt said.

Gambit noted the urgency and understood what was going on, "Sorry, Logan."

Logan never answered; he just cradled his daughter close and grabbed Kurt's shoulder for the jump. He had his family, but it was still broken. He wished he'd gotten here sooner. He could have spared her the pain. Their daughter could have been born in the infirmary, safe and surrounded by those that love her… not in this vile lab, drenched in blood.

Bamph!

"Storm, Scott, take us home with all speed," Xavier said. "Logan? Are you alright?"

Logan just ignored him, heading straight for the infirmary where Dani was strapped down for takeoff. She looked so frail and sickly. He wondered what horrors she'd seen while she was there, what they might have done to her. He knew from experience that such places can change a person. He hoped she could forgive him for not protecting her.

"Logan," Jean's reassuring voice broke into his thoughts. "She will recover."

"Will she?" Logan asked meaningfully. "She was there for months. We've no idea what was done to her."

Jean cringed, not wanting to think of the possibilities, "Strap in for take off, I'll check on the baby."

Logan looked down at the angel in his arms, fast asleep and he smiled, "Her heart is strong, and she is resting. Check her later." And with that, he took his daughter and sat down for the flight home. No one was taking his baby from him except Dani, when she wakes up.


Dani was resting in their intensive care room, covered in sensors. Beast had the bed rigged with low current, trying anything to give her body the edge it needed to heal. Beast looked through the window at Logan who was sitting in a rocking chair beside the bed, feeding his daughter from a bottle and talking to Dani.

"Dani, she's beautiful, just like her mother. Come on, wake up. I miss you so much…" he said softly.

Beast hung his head and returned to the lab. There was nothing more he could do except wait. Jean was digging through some supplies in the cabinet, trying to look calm, but he knew better.

"Jean?" Beast asked.

"How is she?" Jean asked.

"The same, wounds all look healed fine, but she's still in a coma," he said.

"And Logan?"

"He's trying to be strong for the baby, but he's standing on shaky ground," Hank admitted.

Jean shut the cabinet, and looked around for something else to do when Beast caught her shoulder, "Jean, everything is going to be just fine. If anyone can recover, she can, she's done it before."

"In another lifetime, some dream we all had," she said in annoyance. "We barely know her at all so why does this situation feel so painful?"

Beast gave her a hug and sighed, "Because Logan is hurting and you feel for him."

Jean frowned at the implication, still in denial that she ever had feelings for their Canadian teammate, "I just think of how I would feel if it was Scott lying in there."

Beast released her and turned back to his monitors, "Yes, well, everyone else is fine, and I have things in hand here. Go upstairs and get some rest."

Jean took off her lab coat and hung it up. She was tired, and she needed a break. "I'll take a short break and then give you one. Call me if anything changes."

Beast nodded. He didn't expect her to wake for at least another twenty-four hours. Child birth was enough of a strain without having been mistreated for seven months. She was weak from her captivity and then underwent surgery under the worst of conditions. All things considered, she was lucky to be alive at all.


Logan laid his daughter in the basinet that Jean had brought in for him. He tucked the small blanket around her and smiled. He refused to name her without Dani's input. He didn't want to assume she would choose the same name as before, and he wasn't sure that they should. She was different, the circumstances were different, and this child would be different. He sometimes wished he didn't know about their lost past. At times it helped, but most of the time it complicated things. He returned to his chair and leaned closer to her, taking her hand in his. It never occurred to him that he would be drawn into her dreams, but suddenly he found himself in utter darkness, falling.

"Dani? Dani, where are you?" he shouted into the darkness.

Colors swirled all around him until he found himself standing in a vast white room. There was nothing anywhere in sight save the sterile whiteness and the sound of Dani sobbing. He tried to follow the sound but it was everywhere.

"Dani, its Logan, where are you?"

There was no answer, but off in the distance he saw something and started running. As he approached he saw her, huddled in the corner of a large glass box. Her stomach was swollen and she sat with her arms wrapped protectively around it. He tried to get her attention, but it was like she was in a trance. He tried to break the glass, but his claws just scratched the outside, he couldn't get in.

"Dani! Dani!" he shouted over and over until the whole scene vanished, and he found himself right where he had been, sitting beside her, holding her hand. Xavier was sitting across from him with a serious expression on his face.

"Chuck, help her," Logan said in a shaky voice.

Xavier looked at her with a furrowed brow. "I don't know if I can. It took a great deal of effort to draw you back. She's trapped herself inside her mind. I don't know if I can get through."

"But she'll get better," Logan said, "she can heal."

"Her body has healed, now we are dealing with the mind. Why don't you take your daughter to your room and get some rest. I'll do what I can."

Logan didn't want to leave. "I'll wait here."

Xavier cocked a brow at him, "If you want me to help, then go. This will not be easy, and I can't do it with your strong emotions in the room, now do as I ask."

Logan abruptly stood, not sure if he could take much more of this whole mess. But he trusted Xavier, knew he would do everything in his power to help. Logan carefully picked up the baby and exited the room. He left the lower level without speaking to anyone. He was thankful that the students were all busy, allowing him to get to his room without running into anyone. He locked his door, laid his daughter in the middle of his bed and then slumped down in his chair. He didn't want to think about the possibility of raising a daughter alone. Not again.


Xavier had a glimpse into Danielle's mind when he retrieved Logan, but now he had to deal with whatever was trapping her. He had a feeling this was going to be a long night.