It was early morning, two days later, that Logan found a small grouping of boulders that could shelter them for a while as they caught their breaths. Jubilee and Tessa were so tired that they were about to drop where they stood.

"Let me make sure there ain't any snakes in there," he told them as he disappeared into the cluster.

"I don't care if there's a whole nest of rattlers," Tessa complained to Jubilee. "I just want to sit down. I don't think I can take another step."

Jubilee didn't reply. "Jubilee?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

She walked over to the girl leaning against the rocks. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing easily. She was fast asleep, standing up.

"She used ta do this all the time when she was younger," Logan said quietly from behind her. "If I was ta hold her hand, she'd walk behind me, still asleep. I'm willin' ta bet she's been asleep fer the last four miles." He gently guided the girl into the rocks and sat her down. As soon as her bottom hit the ground, she toppled over and curled into a ball, still sleeping.

"Handy talent," Tessa said, softly. "If I were to try it, I'd end up in the Gulf Of Mexico."

"Go in and find a place ta sleep." he told her. "I'm gonna scout around first ta make sure we're alone here. Keep yer ears open. Jubilee sleeps pretty deep."

"I'll do my best, Logan but I haven't slept in two days." she told him as she trudged into the enclosure.

"I won't be long."

When he returned, she was stretched out on her side, asleep and snoring softly. He felt a small pang of guilt for pushing them so hard but they were close enough to make the river by the next night. He could smell it in the distance. They were almost home and in extreme danger. The next attack would come tomorrow.

They stayed until midday the next day. He wanted to make sure they were well rested. They were eating the last of the wild turkey while he told them what to expect.

"We're about half a day from the river," he told them. "There's plenty of places for these guys ta hide in so we're gonna hafta keep our eyes open."

"Can you smell anything yet?" Tessa asked.

"Not yet," he admitted, "but that don't mean they ain't out there. One o' the groups knows I track by scent."

"How do they know that?" Jubilee demanded.

"Tessa's father hired me ta find her and bring her home, Jubes. I needed ta get inta her apartment ta get her scent and he gave me a key."

"So ya told him ya track by scent?" she hollered.

"Keep yer voice down," he hissed. "Sound travels, and no, I didn't tell him. Fury did."

"Why the hell would he do something like that?" she asked, still angry. "He gave up a tactical advantage ta this guy."

"Watch yer language," he growled. "Ya ain't me yet."

"Oh fer chrissake," she hissed. "Some of these yahoos know what ya can do and yer complaining about my language."

"They don't know everything," he told her. "And they don't know squat about you. Yer the ace in the hole."

"Me?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"We're goin' at night." he explained. "Yer paffs can blind 'em so they can't track us as we cross. I know Emma was working with ya on controllin' 'em and puttin' 'em where ya needed 'em ta be. I need ya ta do that here."

She thought about it for a while. She may be able to do it but it would take all the energy she had. Logan had a lot of faith in her. She hoped like hell it wasn't misplaced.

"I can't guarantee I can control that may paffs, Wolvie." she told him. "If they're clumped together, I only need ta send two but if they're spread out, I'm gonna need ta send individual globs to each of 'em. That's gonna take a lot of energy."

"How are yer reserves?"

"I haven't had much sugar," she told him. "I'm kinda low right now."

"Do the best ya can," he told her. "I'll take care of the ones ya can't get."

"Are ya sure about this?" she asked. "I'm gonna pass out. I won't be any good ta ya fer a while."

"I don't think we have much of a choice. I don't project power like ya do and Tessa doesn't have powers."

"Alright," she said slowly. "Let me eat as much as I can. Maybe I can build up some reserves."

"We have a quarter moon tonight so there shouldn't be much light," he told them. "Jubilee'll cross first and take up a position on the opposite bank. Make sure ya got plenty o' cover." She nodded. "Tessa, yer gonna go next. Stay low and don't give 'em a target. If ya hear anything, start weaving but don't stop moving. I'll cover yer backs and cross after Tessa. I'm hopin' they won't see us crossin' at all," Jubilee interrupted him with a snort that Logan ignored, "so I need ya ta hold off till they start shootin'."

"This would go so much easier if we could eliminate them now and cross after," Tessa told him.

"We don't know how many there are this time," he said. "We're so close to gettin' away from 'em that they probably have extra men in place ta take care of us."

"Can't we go downstream a bit and cross there?" asked Jubilee.

"Two reasons." he told her. "The shallow part of the river is here. It gets real deep just fifty yards downstream. The other reason is we're almost out of water. We won't make it to the next ford."

"How deep is the river here?" she asked, suspiciously.

"Just under five feet."

"But Wolvie," she protested, "I'm only five feet tall and yer not much over."

"Ya can swim it." he told her. "It ain't that far."

"But you can't. Yer gonna sink and drown."

"Don't worry 'bout me, darlin'." he told her. "I've crossed here before. I know how ta do it. I'm gonna make sure we're still alone." He left the enclosure to scout the area, leaving Jubilee fuming.

"Stupid, macho poophead," she grumbled. "Gonna get himself killed with these wild schemes."

"Eat," Tessa told her, shoving the turkey in her hands. "No way in hell you'll be able to change his mind. You aren't in enough danger from this for him to alter his plans."

Jubilee took the meat from her with a sigh. "Ya saw that, huh?"

"Hard to miss," Tessa said as she sat down beside her. "If it weren't for you being here, I'm willing to bet he'd have us crossing in broad daylight just to get home sooner."

Jubilee tore into the turkey, enjoying the wild flavor of the meat.

"I've never had anyone who loved me like that," Tessa told her quietly. "My father ignored me after Mother died. He couldn't stand the idea that I survived the crash and she didn't. He's still cold towards me but he's the only family I have."

"Yer Mom died in a car wreck?"

"Yeah. I was six at the time. I got a broken arm and a slight concussion but Mother died. Daddy was devastated. He made sure I had everything I needed. Everything but his love."

Jubilee picked at the meat with her fingers. "My parents died in a car wreck," she told Tessa. "It was arranged by a coupla guys because my Dad refused to launder their money in his bank. I was ten. I got shuffled from foster home to foster home for awhile before my powers manifested and I ended up in juvie. They were gonna send me to China to my grandparents when I snuck out and ran away."

"And you found Logan and the X-Men. You found love to replace what you had lost. I envy you his love. I never found anyone to replace what I lost."

Logan took his time scouting the area. He wanted to make sure they could get to the river without anyone stopping them. He found and eliminated an advance guard not too far from where they were holed up. The two men had canteens so he was able to add to their supply without exposing their position.

He returned to the girls to find them deep in conversation about shoe styles. He could never understand why females could remember a fashions tiniest nuance but couldn't remember where they put the car keys when they came in from the garage. The female mind drove him batty.

"Let's go," he ordered. "We need ta get to the river by full night."

"How are we gonna do this?" Jubilee asked.

"Head west," he told them. "The rocks are too difficult to climb over fer a guy with a heavy pack. There won't be many hidden there."

"Isn't ours too heavy?" Tessa asked. She had toted the pack. She knew how heavy it was.

"We're leavin' the big one behind. I shifted all the water we have left and the medical supplies to the smaller one."

The moved out, going west. The trail was much more difficult than the one from the previous day. What Wolverine had called rocks were actually boulders; some as large as a small house. Had they taken a straight line to the river, they would have made it in just under two hours. Taking the rocky, difficult path to the west, they would get there around midnight. By the time they made their way to the ford, Tessa and Jubilee were a mass of bruises and bloody scrapes.

They hid in a clump of brush near the river. The ford appeared well used. The ground was stirred by numerous pairs of feet over the years so the crossing was well marked. Logan had located the scattered men hidden in the scrub and rocks and pointed them out to Jubilee. She marked their positions in her mind. She wasn't going to be able to get away with a few large paffs. The men were spread out in an arc that covered nearly a half mile. She peered across the river and saw the dark shapes of trees and bushes jutting up from the ground. Logan assured her that there were rocks as well so she would have cover on the other side.

"Stay low in the water," he told her. "Try not ta make any noise. When ya get ta the other side, get into the bushes. Stay long enough ta catch yer breath then move on to the rocks. Yer gonna need good cover. If ya can find a place that lets ya move around a little, ya should be able ta confuse 'em a bit." He grabbed her chin and forced her to look in his eyes. "Be careful, Jubes."

"I will," she promised. She gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. Before he could kiss her back, she was into the water and gone.

A nerve racking fifteen minutes later, he saw her emerge on the other side and dart into the bushes. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He waited another five minutes for her to catch her breath and move to better cover before sending Tessa in. It also gave his heart time to stop pounding.

"Take this," he said, handing Tessa the small pack. "I need ta keep my hands free. When ya get out, slip into the bushes just like Jubes did. As soon as ya can, get away from the bank and hide. I'll find ya."

She impulsively gave him a hug and kiss as Jubilee had done. "Be careful, Logan," she warned. "Watch out for the Minutemen."

"Go." he hissed.

She turned and waded into the water and was gone.

He waited five minutes before he acted. He knew Jubilee would yell at him for doing this but he wanted to reduce the odds against them. Let the hunt begin.

The first soldier wasn't that far away. Why the fool hadn't heard them as he sent the girls into the river he didn't understand. He also didn't care. He took the man out with a quick thrust of his claws. He made a quick search of the body but found nothing, not even identification. The next body he searched was the same. He took out seven of the men watching the river but more remained. He couldn't wait any longer. Jubilee would soon come after him. He made his way back to the river and entered the cold water.

He had crossed this river several times but never in winter. The cold water soon leached the warmth from his body and he found himself shivering. He tilted his head back, keeping his nose above water as it rose. Soon, he was walking along the bottom, his head thrown back and looking at the starry sky. His innate sense of direction kept him moving in the right direction even though he couldn't see where he was going. Every instinct was screaming for him to watch where he was going but he squashed it down. He needed to cross quickly before the cold seeped into the metal coating his bones. If that happened, the only thing that would warm him was one of Jubilees most powerful paffs.

He had just gotten to where he could begin to tilt his head back down when he hear shouts from the Mexican side of the river. He had been spotted. Bullets plinked into the water beside him as the men started shooting. He felt the sting as a bullet grazed his neck and another pierced his shoulder. He howled in pain as two more bullets hit; one in the back, another lodging in his cheek.

"Noooooo," he heard Jubilee shriek and the fireworks began. He could tell she was mad. The paffs she was sending across the river were not the low powered one she used to deter idiots. These were high powered blasts, designed to kill.

He crawled on the bank, coughing the water and blood out of his lungs. His chest tickled. 'Crap,' he thought. Most of the time, he could expel bullets through his skin, usually out the same way they went in. Once in a while, his body would choose a different path. The coughing continued for a few minutes before he finally coughed up the bullet that had lodged in his lung. The coughing quieted quickly. He was just about to stand when he heard a stray bullet whiz over his head followed by an "Eeep" of surprise and he knew; Jubilee had been hit.

He let loose a roar of anger and frustration. He couldn't get to the shooter. He turned back, intending on crossing the river and killing the shooter. He took two more hits. The one in his thigh didn't bother him. The gut shot, however, hurt like hell and dropped him to his knees.

"Logan!" Tessa yelled. "She's alive but we need to get help." He made his way to the scent of Jubilee's blood as fast as he could. His wounds were healing but he was in pain now. They would need a few minutes before they could move on. He heard a splash behind him and risked a look back. Three men had entered the river and were on their way across.

"We hafta move," he told Tessa breathlessly. "They're comin' across."

"Are you going to be able to walk?" she asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine," he told her. "Where'd ya get hit Jubes?"

"Shoulder," she told him. "Give me a piece of gauze and I'll be okay."

"Lemme see," he said, pulling her top down to bare her shoulder. "Not too bad. Just a flesh wound." The wound was deep and still bleeding freely. It had missed the bone and taken a fair sized hunk out of the muscle but it should heal. He pulled a bandage out of the bag and wrapped the wound.

"Let's go." He picked her up and placed her on her feet. "We need ta get outta here before they make it across the river." He knew better than to pick her up right now. She wouldn't appreciate it and may get mad enough to hurt him. He'd let her walk for a while. It wouldn't be long before the blood loss made her weak.

He looked at Tessa and moved his head, imperceptibly indicating Jubilee. She gave a slight nod. She would keep track of her.

They moved out, walking as quickly as they could. The bullets worked their way out of his body and dropped to the ground as they went. He was getting lethargic. That gut shot did more damage than he thought. He desperately needed to slip into a healing coma.

They were walking for fifteen minutes when Tessa called his name. He turned to see Jubilee swaying on her feet. He was able to catch her before she fell. He caught the scent of horses as he swept her up in his arms. He heard a rifle cock just before a voice floated out from the trees.

"I told ya never ta come back, mutant." a man's voice growled angrily from the darkness.