Disclaimer: Blicky blew…I don't own any of the X-men (although I wish I had Wolverine or Gambit to cuddle with Gimme!) Marvel owns them… not me… sigh…. I do however own Dom and Astral and Nicole/Mindfire. I like to keep Dom tied to my bed… evil grin.

Please be gentle! This is my first X-men fanfic! Reviews welcome, no flames! I burn easy.

Murphy's Romance is the movie I talk about later. It stars Sally Fields and James Garner and is one of the best romantic movies ever. If you get the chance watch it.

Thanks for the reviews and thanks to my steady readers! I was really nervous to post at first because I didn't know if anyone would read it or if anyone would like it. Thanks for all the support! Tell your friends!

LadyV77- No… I don't know a whole lot about S.H.I.E.L.D and Nick Fury. This is a different Fury, but thanks for pointing that out to me.

Bima- It just came to me that that is what it should be. I love me, too. LOL. Glad you like it.

Wolvieluvr- Thanks. Dom is actually physically based off a ex of mine. Drool…. He had a body to die for and the most gorgeous hair…. I might share Dom….. Maybe :winks:

Dom sat down in the chair before the professor, a little nervous of having someone in his mind.

"Relax Dominic. You have nothing to be afraid of." Xavier wheeled close to the youth and placed his hand on Dom's forehead. "Just concentrate on me."

Dom closed his eyes and felt the tug as Xavier entered his mind and searched.

Xavier found himself in the Mojave Desert staring at a military base. Then he saw Dom, staggering away, his uniform torn and claws out. Dom fell to his knees and screamed.

"MOM!"

Suddenly he gave a grunt and fell over, unconscious. Xavier was thrust from Dom's mind.

Dom stared at him. "What did you see?"

"Somewhere in the Mojave… A military base. I think answers could be there."

A few days later Nicole poked at the food on her plate as she sat in the cafeteria. Jubilee was ranting on and on about something and all Nicole could think about was Dom. He hated her for not telling him. What could she tell him? All she saw were pictures and that woman. She hadn't seen Dom since his outburst and she had avoided everyone until now.

"I can't believe Logan is Dom's dad." Kitty shoved a spoonful of jello into her mouth. "That is so, like, strange."

"They are?" Nicole asked.

Rogue nodded. "Yep."

Nicole's eyes widened. "How did Logan take it?"

"Surprisingly well."

Kitty nodded. "They've really, like, bonded."

"Yeah, they had a lovely father/son sparring match in the Danger Room last night. I've never seen so much gore." Jubilee made a face.

"Yeah… It was pretty extreme. Dom is certainly his father's son," Rogue commented.

"I noticed." Nicole poked her food again.

"Aren't you hungry?" a voice asked and she turned to see Dom. "Hey."

"Hi."

"Can I sit here?"

She nodded. "But aren't you mad at me?"

"No. Forgive me?"

She smiled. "What do I get out of it?"

"I promise to save your life sometime."

"Cheapskate. You could have at least promised me a dinner."

He shrugged. "Sorry. Listen, I just wanted to be the first to tell you that I'm leaving."

Her face fell. "Why?"

"I've got a lead on my past… and Stryker's people. I'm going to go check it out."

"You aren't even going to let the Professor help you?" Jubilee asked.

"He did. He searched my mind. I'm going on what he found."

"I could search deeper," Nicole offered.

"You aren't experienced enough. You can't make sense of what you see. I'll come back." Dom gave her a small smile. "Maybe when I come back you'll be able to help."

"Be careful." Kitty warned.

"I'm always careful. I'll be back before you guys know it."

Rogue gave him a smile. "And how does Logan feel about this?"

"I haven't told him yet."

"You'd best get to it. He'll want to know anything about his past."

"Thanks mom. I'm going to go and break it to him." Dom gave Rogue a smile. He winked at a worried Nicole. "I'll be back. I promise. Then I'll let you probe my mind all you like."

"I'll hold you to it."

"I figured that." He rose and left the cafeteria with Nicole watching him.

She turned back to Rogue. "Logan will want to go with him, you know."

"I know." Rogue sighed.

Logan threw his pack into the side compartment of his bike and turned to face Rogue. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Don't be mad."

"I'm not mad. I'm scared. What if you find something you don't like?"

"Do you mean what if I find Dom's mother?"

Rogue looked away from his gaze. "What happens if you do?"

"Nothing, kid. I'm coming back for you."

Rogue stared at him with wide eyes. "You're coming back for me?"

"Of course. You're always the reason I come back here," Logan stated.

Rogue's jaw dropped. "Are you saying-"

"I'm saying that I care, kid, and that I won't leave you."

"Promise?"

Logan smiled and cupped her cheek in his hand. "I do.'

A loud cough interrupted them. They both turned to glare at Dom.

"What? Smoke went down the wrong hole." Dom tried to look innocent.

"Just because you ain't got anyone to say goodbye to does not mean you can interrupt ours," Rogue snapped.

"Sorry, mom."

"Stop calling her mom," Logan ordered.

Dom threw his hands up in mock defeat.

Logan turned back to Rogue and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her hard and tangled his fingers in her hair. She opened her mouth to his and let him possess her. After moment he pulled back and smiled.

"I'll be back."

"I know." She gave him her beautiful smile

Dom jump started his bike and watched Logan climb onto his own. "You know that no kid likes to watch their dad make out with their step mom."

"Shut the fuck up."

Two and a half months later…

Mojave Desert

"Nothing! There is nothing here!" Dom yelled as he kicked a rusted piece of metal. "All there is here is sand and god damned lizards!"
"Calm down, kid. There used to be something here. At least we know that. We're a hell of a lot farther than I was when I started."

Dom stared off into the horizon and said, "All I found down there was an old unused lab. No one has been there for years, Logan."

"I know, kid." Logan headed for his bike. "Let's head back to the institute. Maybe Chuck can try again."

"No. I'm not going back."

Logan turned to stare at his son. "Why not?"

"I'm going to keep looking. I've come too far to quit now."

"We aren't quitting. We are going back to find out more."

"I'm not. I'm going to keep on searching."

"Do what you want, kid." Logan got on his bike. "Just know that you can always come back. You'll always have a home."

Dom grinned. "Are you getting mushy on me?"

"Shut the hell up. Take care of yourself."

Dom gave his dad a wry smile. "Tell mom I said hey."

"Shut the fuck up."

"Keep an eye on Nicole for me."

Logan nodded. "I intended in it. You aught to come back and keep an eye on her yourself."

"And let you miss out on all the fun?"

Logan snorted and started his bike. "Make sure you call… for Marie and Nicole's sake."

Dom rolled his eyes. "Get home to your woman."

Dom watched as his father drove off into the desert, wondering if he would really ever see him again. Charles Xavier had promised Dom a home and Dom knew he could always go back. Shaking his head he got onto his bike. Heading in the opposite direction, he searched.

Logan pulled into the school's drive and shut off his bike. Rogue came running from the house and leapt into his arms.

"Logan!" She breathed in his scent. "You're back."

"I told you I would."

"Where is Dom?" she asked, looking around.

"He went on. He still had some searching to do."

"He didn't find his answers, I take?" Xavier asked from the doorway.

"Nah, Nevada was a dead end. He went on. I'm not sure where."

"I can use Cerebro to keep an eye on him for you, Logan." He rolled closer to the couple.

"I'd appreciate it." Logan looked at the lone figure in the doorway. "Nicole."

She stood, staring. "He's not coming back, is he?"

"He is darlin'. Just not yet."

She stared at Logan with her endless eyes. "He will come back, right?"

"I don't know kid."

Tears came to her eyes. "I just wanted him to come back."

Logan reached for the girl, and pulled her to his chest. "I'm sorry, kid."

Forgetting her skin, Logan brushed a tear from her cheek and gasped as she stole some of his energy. With amazing strength, she pushed him back. She had saw his thoughts.

She stared at him with accusing eyes. "You don't think he'll come back."

"Kid-" Logan reached for her again, but she evaded his touch and ran away. He turned back to Marie and Xavier. "I think she know more than what she's letting on about Dom."

"Not necessarily. She does know more, but she still can't control her powers very well. She can't make sense of the pictures she sees. I'm still curious as to why Eric was after her." Xavier pondered.

"She's powerful. Maybe he was planning another Liberty Island," Rogue offered.

"No… There must be something else. Logan, I want you to give her lessons in self defense. She needs a strong body as well as a strong mind." Xavier pondered. "I want her to be able to protect herself in every way necessary."

Logan nodded. "I agree. We'll start tomorrow."

Rogue sat on the couch in the rec room, watching a movie with Kitty, Nicole, and Jubilee. Every once in a while the movie was interrupted by the crack of two pool balls hitting one another as Piotr and Gambit played pool.

"You aren't any challenge, Piotr," Gambit complained.

"If we were playing Hockey, I would win."

"Will you two shut up?" Jubilee snapped. "We are going to miss the best part!"

Kurt bamfed right next to Kitty's ear. "What are you watching?"

"Shhh!" all four girls hissed.

All three guys rolled their eyes as Logan sauntered into the room, looking for Rogue. "What-"

"Shhh!"

Logan raised an eyebrow and nudged Gambit. "What's going on, Cajun?"

"The best part of the movie, or so Remy hears."

"Aww!" all the girls cooed and Logan felt sick to his stomach.

"James Garner and Sally Fields's characters are so made for each other," Kitty gushed. "I love how she always tempts him with food."

"I like how he tells her to set his cake on fire… Murphy's Romance is the best movie ever."

Gambit made a gagging sound and Nicole turned around to slug him in the arm. "Just because you'd prefer porn doesn't mean you can ruin our fun."

"Porn has more of a plot and if this had been porn, then Murphy could have gotten some, Gambit thinks." Gambit leaned over the edge of the couch, his face inches from Nicole's.

"Back off Remy, unless you want to be in a coma for a week," she warned.

"Sounds like fun, chere." He leaned closer and caught her lips. Instantly, they felt the pull from her skin and she pushed him back.

"Remy!" She gasped as he stumbled.

"Damn, chere. You give one hell of a kiss."

Shaken, Nicole reached for her drink and as soon as she touched it, the cup began to blaze red.

"Mon dui!" Remy grabbed it and chucked it out the open window. "Fire in the hole!"

A small explosion shattered the lattice work out side. Nicole gasped and rose, trying not to touch anything.

"Damn it, swamp rat! You just had to kiss her!" Logan growled. "Are you okay Nicole?"

"I'm fine, Logan." Her voice was now edged with a Cajun drawl. "Merde, Remy! Why did you have to go and do that?"

He shrugged, weakly. "Temptation, ma petite."

"Temptation could get you killed, bub." Logan went to Nicole. "Calm down, kid. You'll be fine."

"I just don't want to touch anything. I'm afraid it will blow up."

"Maybe you should go see the Professor," Rogue offered. "All you can really do is just wait it out."

Rogue led Nicole from the room and Logan gave Gambit one last hard glare before they left to find the Professor.

Kurt nudged Gambit, "Was it worth it, my friend?"

Gambit grinned. "Oui, mon ami. She kisses like an angel."

"More like the Angel of Death, comrade," Piotr joked.

As Logan, Rogue, and Nicole made their way to the Professor's office, Nicole stopped them.

"I can make it the rest of the way. Thank you both. I feel so stupid."

"The swamp rat back there should be the one feeling stupid." Logan nodded his head back in the direction of the rec room. "You sure you're okay?"

She nodded. "Go on to bed. If all else fails, then I'll grab a deck of cards and blow some small craters in the yard out back."

"Are you sure, hon?" Rogue asked.

Nicole nodded. "Go to bed. The Professor knows I'm coming."

Logan nodded in agreement and led Rogue back down the hall. Rogue kept looking over her shoulder.

"Relax, darlin'. She's fine."

"I'm just worried about her Logan. She's just like I was and I don't want her hurt."

"You've gotten real motherly over her."

Rogue wrinkled her nose. "Have I?"

"Yeah… I like it."

"Well, you've gotten real fatherly."

"To her or Dom?"

"Her mostly, but Dom too. I like it."

Logan stopped her and ran his thumb down her cheek. "Marie…"

She leaned up and pressed her lips against his. Wrapping his arms around her, he deepened the kiss. After a moment, she broke the kiss.

"Logan, maybe we should move this to our room."

Logan grinned and scooped her into his arms.

Logan crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Nicole in a battle simulation in the Danger Room. He had been working with her for over a week and she was already a Level Five. Pretty impressive. She was gaining more control over her powers every day. From spending time with her and from what Chuck had told him, Logan had learned more and more about her past.

Nicole had been dumped off with her dad at birth by a crack addicted mother. Her father was a mutant with a rap sheet as long as Logan's arm, at least until he used his powers to knock over a liquor store and wound up dead. So from then on Nicole was a ward of the state, until two years ago when her powers started to manifest. She put one of the orphanage nurses in the hospital and has been on the run ever since. The more he was around her the more he felt like a surrogate father to her.

Logan pushed a few buttons and shut down the simulation. Nicole emerged, smiling. "Good job, kid."

"Thanks Logan." She tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. "I've got to get to my physics class, okay?"

"No problem kid. Listen, have you still been having bad dreams?"

She looked down at her gloved hands. "Sometimes."

"Hmph. You need to tell Chuck."

"I have. Mostly I dream as if I was Dom. During the operation. He was in so much pain."

"I know it must be tough having so many people inside your head."

"You have no idea. You and Dom are the worst. Always fighting over what I should do. Sometimes I just want to tell you both to shut the fuck up and Remy he just sits there and laughs at you two and tells me to go get laid."

Logan erupted with laughter. "You are something else, kid."

Seventeen months later

Mexico

Dom sat in a small cantina just south of the border. He watched the Mexican whores try to entice the men who were willing to buy them beers. He took a drag off his cigarette and a sip of his beer. He had been searching ever since he and Logan had parted ways almost a year and a half ago. All he had found was a dead end on some scientist in Guadalajara. He called back to the Mansion every once in a while, but only out of necessity. A whore came to his arm.

"Bonas Dias, senor. Looking for some company?" she asked and batted her heavily, made up eyes.

"No."

"Want to buy a girl a drink?"
"Are you even old enough to drink?"

She chuckled. "In Mexico, there are no rules, senor…"

Her hand went to his thigh and squeezed. "Oh?"

"Especially for a handsome looking hombre like you. Are you sure you wouldn't like some company?"

"How much will it cost me?" Dom suddenly felt intrigued staring at her dark hair. It was so familiar.

"How much you got?"

"Enough… Come on." He finished his beer and threw some money on the bar. He led the young whore back to his hotel room and put fifty bucks on the table. She picked it up and smiled.

"Enough?" he asked.

"Si." She unbuckled his belt and kissed him, her tongue snaking across his lips.

It was hard and fast and most of all; simple. Dom liked to keep things simple. Not complicated like his emotions over a certain blue eyed telekinetic in Massachusetts. His thoughts drifted to her and he speculated on how much the whore's hair looked like Nicole's. He grimaced. He was comparing Nicole to some whore he had just fucked in Mexico. He was comparing this whore to a girl, whose beautiful skin could kill with a touch and whose mind controlled that skin that would suck him dry. Possibly in more ways than one.

Dom cursed himself for thinking such thoughts. Nicole was fifteen, a kid. He almost laughed. Logan had felt the same about Rogue. Like father like son. Maybe cradle robbing was in his genes. The whore shifted in the bed and sat up. She pulled back on her dress and grabbed the money. As he shut his eyes he heard the click of a blade being opened and felt it against his neck.

"Give me all the money in your wallet, senor, or I'll slice your neck open."

"No."

"Do it!" she hissed and pressed the blade harder until a thin red line of blood appeared.

Dom sat up quickly and grabbed her wrists, the blade slicing a small gash in his neck in the process. He held her wrists and glared at her. Her eyes widened as the cut healed.

"Mio Dios…" she whispered and tried to make the sign of the cross.

"Get the hell out of my room or I'll do some cutting of my own," he threatened.

He shoved her back and she scrambled to grab her knife. She held it out in front of her.

"What the hell are you?" she whispered.

"Get out of here." Dom turned to pick his shirt up from the floor. "Take your cash and go."

She gave a scream and attacked him. Dom spun around and her knife sunk into his left eye. He howled in pain and grabbed the handle of the knife. He wretched it from his eye and blood poured out. He glared at her with his good eye.

"Get out of here, bitch or I'll return the favor." He could feel the wound slowly closing and the blood flow stopping. She raced out the door and into the night. Dom cursed and tied a bandana around his head, covering his mutilated eye. He knew he'd better get moving. That whore was probably telling everyone about the demon she stabbed. He packed his bag and went out to his bike. Starting it, he roared off into the night.

A few miles down the road he caught sight of a woman sitting beside a broken down van. He pulled over and the leggy blonde came to him.

"Need some help?" he asked.

"Yeah, my van's radiator hose busted. Name's Annie."

"I can give you a ride."

"Great," she climbed onto the bike behind him. "Can you see with only one eye?"

"Do you want a ride or not?"

"Most definitely," Annie gripped a handful of his hair and bent him down over the handle bars of the bike. Using a syringe, she injected a small vile of silver liquid into the back of his neck. He relaxed under her touch.

"Good pet. Drive."

Dom sat up, his good eye blazing silver and gunned the bike.