(Nine)

Logan made his way down the ramp and to the outside of the ship. Valentin's men were camped out all around in their tents, trying to get as much rest as they could before tomorrow's raid. He decided to make a quick trip around the ship's perimeter, years of being concerned with security were hard to ignore and Logan was a creature of habit. He was off around the dark side of the ship when he heard soft voices coming from the scrub close by.

Instantly on alert, Wolverine went to check it out. He found Bruce and Justin alone by the one scraggly tree that leaned nearby. He didn't make himself known to them, but approached them silently. They had stolen away to this isolated spot for a private conversation yet Logan couldn't help himself but want to listen in. He wasn't an eavesdropper by nature, but with everything that was going on, he found himself doing it more and more. He paused and crouched down to listen.

"You're worried about tomorrow, aren't you?" Justin asked Bruce, his eyes lingering on his partner's face. Bruce had a large, ugly bruise on one side from being struck by Valentin and he looked completely miserable. Justin was quick to soothe, "Don't be. We'll all be fine, you'll see."

"We came too close the last time. I always worry that we won't make it back," Bruce said softly. He leaned forward and gave Justin a passionate kiss, seeking comfort for his pain.

Logan balked a little at the sight of it, swallowing hard. Oh, so that's how it was. Excuse me, please. He'd had no idea there was anything more than just friendship between them.

Justin returned the kiss, laughing softly and pulling Bruce closer. He spoke gently now, happy to ease his lover's pain. "We have to make this raid. It's the only way to be sure everyone is safe. Once the Dognan are gone we will all be free. Any sacrifice made will be a small price paid." He brushed Bruce's hair back in a tender, loving gesture.

It made Logan shiver with revulsion, he wasn't used to seeing that kind of intimacy between two men and it unnerved him a little. Still, he kept quiet, interested in what Justin had to say.

Justin's voice was sincere as he spoke, "Just remember that no matter what happens, I loved you from the moment I first saw you. I have never loved anyone else."

"Don't frighten me," Bruce whispered in a trembling voice. He was in pain and small and fragile here in this moment. "I couldn't live without you. Not here. Not with Valentin and the others. Not anywhere. Promise me you won't let anything happen."

Justin shushed him with a dreamy whisper. "Hush now about all that. Forget about everything, lover. Let's just pretend that none of this is happening and it's just the two of us out by Pastor's lake. The moon is out and bright. The fish are jumping just enough to break the surface of the water-"

"It's spring and the chickburries are roosting down for the night," Bruce finished for him, his voice soft and wistful as he joined in the game. Justin had succeeded in calming him and he was relaxed now, happy to be here in his lover's embrace.

Justin laughed. "That's right. Pastor's lake and nothing but the fall hunt to look forward to."

"I wish we could go back there again. I'm so sick of this war."

"Just close your eyes and you will be." Justin tipped Bruce's head back and kissed him again, this time more forcefully and full of passion. "Just close your eyes..." He reached for Bruce's belt buckle and Logan took that as his cue to leave.

Wolverine slipped silently away through the scrub and made his way back to the ship. He might not have approved of their relationship, but the intimacy and recollections of the two men filled him with a longing for home. He was tired of this dark and cloudy world. He wanted to see the bright moon and smell the crisp air of Canada. He no longer doubted that he and his teammates would get back home, but Justin's comment about sacrifices pained him. He just hoped they would all come back alive.

Logan was about to go back up the ramp when he saw Remy leaning against the side of the ship smoking. He wandered over to join the thief in a smoke, his homesickness making him feel oddly gregarious.

Remy smiled at him as he approached. He seemed to have recovered from their horrible day and was his usual chipper self. " 'Ey, short stuff. Fallen get dose cloaks done or what?"

"Kimble's givin' her a hard time. She says she needs him to help her but he's still pissed off."

"What 'appened out dere today? You an Valentin' come back wit 'er den she an' Kimble went at it pretty hard."

Logan briefly explained about Valentin and how Fallen had almost left him behind. He didn't mention Valentin's confirmation that Fallen had killed someone, he figured it was a private matter and Gambit didn't need to know. He shook his head, thinking of Fallen and Valentin. "I'm never going to figure those two out."

"P'etetre, if you wasn't so closed off, you'd see it a little better, non?"

"Really? Enlighten me then."

Gambit shrugged. "Fallen been wit Vally a long time. She comfortable now. She t'inkin' she done sumptin' bad and she need to be punished. She chose Vally to 'elp her out. He seems pretty qualified, n'est ce pas? Anyways, now she found sumptin' better. Now she not so sure what she wants to do cause she scared. Girl's are like dat."

Logan grunted a laugh at the young man. "You know the ladies that well, huh?"

"Bien sur. Gambit is good. Gambit is wise. 'E knows many t'ings, non?" Remy laughed.

Logan shook his head and grinned. "Right," he agreed sarcastically, thinking of all the flying dishes and debris from Rogue's hot temper. These two could put up quite a ruckus when it came to their own domestic battling. "But yer wrong about Seth bein' better. The guy ain't even real."

"Don' matter. 'E's real to 'er. Who's to say it ain't right?"

Logan snorted and looked away.

"She get more from Seth dan I get from Rogue," Remy offered. "You sayin' me an Rogue ain't real?" Rogue was Remy's girl. She was one of their teammates and like them, she was also mutant. Her 'gift' was that she could absorb a person's personality and life energy just by touching them with her bare skin. It wasn't a pleasant experience for her or her victims. She would get swamped and lost with their psyche imprinted on hers and they would lose consciousness and become quite ill. Her power was so potent, she could kill just from prolonged contact. To protect herself and others, she covered herself from head to toe, cutting herself off from all physical contact. Remy's curse was that he was hopelessly in love with a girl he could never completely touch.

"That ain't the same," Logan protested.

"Non? Why, den?"

"'Cause yer alive, okay? Flesh an' blood. Maybe you kids'll work it all out someday."

"Yeah. Mebbe Fallen an Seth will, too if dey ever get de chance."

Logan waited a moment and then asked the question that was really on his mind. "You gonna be good to go in the mornin'?"

"Sure t'ing, patron. Dis boy de picture of readiness. Gonna kick some Dognan ass," the thief replied merrily but was betrayed by a shiver of fear his feral teammate could sense.

Wolverine was quick to reassure. "You just remember what I said. This is a war. It's our war whether we wanted it to be or not. We gotta do this thing. Just think about yer girl. Think about Rogue. Yer keepin' her safe. Don't want any of those Dognan creeps gettin' their paws on her. We do this an they'll keep away from our world, too."

"Gambit's with de program. 'E won' let you down."

Logan didn't answer but gazed off into one of the nearby camp fires. He finished his cigarette and crushed it out. "I'm gonna get some sleep while I can. You should, too."

"I'll be up in a minute."

"Right." Logan left him and went up the ramp. Fallen was gone from the Main Room, but he could hear her and Seth talking below. Hopefully she was getting the cloaks done with or without Kimble. He went into the barracks and settled down on one of the beds. He was tired and dropped off quickly.

He woke only an hour later from a vague and troubling dream. He didn't really remember it, only that he and the other X-men had narrowly avoided death somehow. He shivered, hating nightmares. He had enough from his own life without dragging Henry and Gambit into them. He sat up in his bed and looked around, the others were nearby, sleeping while they had the chance. It would be a couple of hours before the next strike, assuming Fallen got the cloaks fixed on time. He got up to go to the galley for a drink. As he passed the opening to the lower level, he heard voices coming from below. It seemed Kimble had returned from wherever he'd gone to vent his anger, he could hear the Siskan's voice in the group. Logan crept down the stairs, but didn't go as far down the hall. Kimble had detected him too easily before.

From his position, Logan could see the Kimble hologram standing next to his Mistress at the workbench. They were working on the cloaking devices and he was carefully coaching her on how to modify them, gesturing with his hands and talking softly. One more moment and Fallen set the bracelet down. "There. Done. That's the last one." It was very late and she was clearly exhausted.

"These had better work," Seth said in his usual worry.

"They'll work," Kimble said reassuringly. Even so, his voice seemed as tired and weary as Fallen's. He shivered and the image of his skin melted away back to the square of hologram particles, Kimble was done working and had returned to the system. He was still speaking though, "These'll git those X guys back in one piece sos we kin use 'em ta git offa this stupid rock."

Logan pricked up his ears. He was relieved to hear that Fallen's plan to get them home was still in the works. It made all of his longings for home come back. They were so close now he could almost taste it. Canada, here I come. He made a silent promise to himself to make a run up there as soon as they got back. It had been a long time since his last visit and he could use the time off after this.

"What's it like on Earth?" Seth wanted to know. He was curious and shy like a small child.

Fallen smiled up at him. "It's very beautiful, my love. Big blue skies, fresh clean air. Hmm...It'll be nice. Once we find the access code for the hologram and get it working the way it should, I'll take you boys out. Then you'll see how beautiful it is for yourselves."

"Cain't wait. I'm sick of bein' stuck here in the ship," Kimble complained.

"You'll have to share, Kimble," Fallen admonished motherly. "At least until I can figure out where to get enough material and cubes for another hologram."

"I kin handles that, no problem," he said with real enthusiasm. He walked back into the control room and gave Seth a big squeeze. "Just thinks of all the fun we'll be havin'. I kin hardly waits."

Seth seemed pleased by this idea, but he was still nervous. "How do you know Cerebus will agree to let us go?"

Fallen was quick to answer. "Because I am First Pilot and it is my privilege to take them. They will ask him to go home and he'll ask for a volunteer. If I want it, he'll have to give it to me."

"Are you sure it's safe for you to jump?"

"She kin jump fine," Kimble answered for her. "Yous two jus' relax, I'm gonna take care a both a yous, you'll see. I gots this ship so fine tuned Fallen kin jump it in her sleep. Piece a cake."

"What about May?"

Fallen laughed. "Seth, darling. You worry too much. She's coming with us. She's better off growing up away from the Clan anyways."

"Just a matter a time 'fore one of em' does her wrong as it is," Kimble said quietly. He hadn't like the way Joseph had looked at her one bit and Logan didn't blame him.

"What about an escort? Won't they make us go with an escort?"

"No. At least not a formal one. I'll have Logan ask to leave right away. Cerebus won't refuse him and there will be no time to assemble a real party to go with us. If we get a couple of Clan officers, they'll just get the adventure of their lives, that's all."

"No mercy, that's my girl," Kimble grumbled pleasantly. "We kin find a nice place ta dump 'em easy. Y' know? Like fuckin' Alaska. Heard they got some right nice snow up there. I'd like ta see it m'self. Maybe Antarctica..."

"And Valentin?" Seth continued to worry, ignoring his brother.

"Heh, too fuckin' busy celebratin' ta worry 'bout us," Kimble answered without missing a beat. His mood had improved by the thoughts of waylaying helpless Clansmen in places they would not enjoy. He heard Fallen yawn. "Maybe you should gits some sleep, baby doll. They'll be leavin' soon. I'll wake ya up when it's time."

Fallen yawned and stretched. "Good night, boys. Thanks for helping me."

"Good night. Wasayachay natooroo, my Fallen," Seth said. He sounded like he missed her already.

"Night, Fallen. C'mon, Seth. How's about a nice game a chess? I promise not ta kick yer ass too badly, huh?" Kimble laughed and dragged his brother away, protesting.

Fallen laughed and moved over to the shop bed, curling up before shutting off the lights. Satisfied himself, Logan slunk away and returned to his own bed. This was all going to work out just fine.