Hi again! Yay I updated within a reasonable fashion! It's just a short little chapter but it'll do... maybe I'll consolidate it with the next chapter once I get a chance to type that one up... wow I'm I thinking outloud... why would you even want to know that? lol, well moving on I wanted to mention the amazingly sweet reviews that SxHxC and DarkAngel gave me. I hope the rest of my story lives up to any expectations... You guys are just great for my self-esteem... oh and for my motivation factor too... I've actually finished this entire story out on paper... all that's left is the typing and re-writing to incorporate random moments of inspiration that seem to always happen when I transfer stories over from paper to computer- land... lol anyway enjoy and thanks again!

Miko

Chapter 16 --------------- A Deserving Monster -----------------

The anger burning in his chest began to give way to shock as the mutant in front of him had practically admitted to wanting to die. Her breath came faster as he looked her in the face, then down at Jean who had started to stir. The claws that he had held extended ever since first realizing that the girl had been in the med labs retracted back with a SNAKT.

He had heard Jean call her something... Callie? Yes... Callie now took shallow rapid breaths and stepped closer to him. He backed off instinctively, the green mist in the air making him weary. She started to fall. Logan caught her in his arms. A frown still on his face he saw her look up at him. She seemed to realize her position and brought her hands up to each of Logan's shoulders to try and push herself up off of him. Logan looked back down at Jean to see if she was still ok.

"Logan?" The black-haired girl he now knew to be Callie, whispered. He held her closer preventing her from falling. She placed her hands from his shoulders, up to each side of his neck for support.

He looked her in the eyes. He watched them go from blue to a fuzzy green, and he watched her face go from one of hurt-filled sorrow and helplessness, to the brutal visage he remembered all to clearly back at the Montique mansion.

"Damnit." He cursed trying to push her away.

"You're even dumber then you look." She smiled, still holding onto his neck. With such close contact, when Callie let go of one of her energy blasts, Logan felt like he'd been hit with a truck and with a lightning bolt all at once. An unwanted scream passed through his lips, and he cursed himself for giving her the satisfaction.

"Get off me!" He shoved her hard and she fell next to Jean. She rocked back on her hands and laughed as blood still streamed from her face.

Logan growled and went to grab her up again.

"Stop!" Callie put her hands up in front of her face. Logan felt another blast go through him and he felt his body slam to the ground. He climbed to his feet.

Snikt!

"Logan don't!" He heard Jean cry. She was trying to move away from Callie who had risen to her feet. He looked down at her and the back to the woman who was smiling ear-to-ear.

"She's using the sleeping children to power herself. Any real damage to her and there's no telling what will happen." Jean exclaimed out loud, any pretense abandoned.

Logan looked at her. Exasperated he housed his claws. "Hell Jean," he paused, annoyed. "Can I knock her out?"

"I don't know, she's very unstable." Jean cried quickly as Callie trudged her way over to the redhead. "There you go again." Callie teased, pulling Jean up by the hair. "I'm standing right here in the room you know."

"Callie let me go!" Jean yelled. Callie glanced at Logan, then, grabbing Jean close, started whispering frantically into her ear. "No! Hmmm, he likes you, can't you feel it." Callie squeezed Jean closer to her, the inside of her elbow hooked around Jean's neck. "He loves you." She stated with disgust. "Why should a monster who has an emotion like the one I stole away be able to have THAT feeling. Love. He doesn't deserve it." She screamed the last few words into Jean's ear and let go of another energy blast. Jean screamed and Callie let her drop to the floor.

"You do Callie." Jean stated, holding up a hand to stop Logan from ending the woman's life then and there. The pain was evident in her voice. "You deserve love. You're not a monster Callie, stop acting like one."

Callie put her hands at her side. Ignoring Logan she looked down at Jean, her eyes turning blue again. Jean smiled as she rose to her knees. Callie smiled back, and while she faced Jean she held her hand out to her side. Towards Logan. She smiled wider as she watched the expression on Jean's face as she let another blast rip through Wolverine.

Logan rose to his feet and extended his claws once again, the metal gleaning off of the green mist. He met Jean's eye. Tears had made them red. "I'm not putting them back Jeanie." He stated, his vision traveling back to Callie's. She smiled at him.

"Please... Logan." Jean spoke in a voice dripping with exhaustion and defeat, like she was just about to give up on defending Callie. "She doesn't understand. She's broken. Childhood trauma, deception about everything her powers could have been. A man... pretended to help her, after her parents' guilt and rage and emotional baggage was siphoned into her when her powers manifested. He helped her out the pain caused by her parents, but raped her of all her own feelings. He lied to her, and used her, all of her life." Jean paused, wondering how to phrase what she had gathered from Callie into words. "This is all just a game to her." Jean spoke in awe as Callie's eyes started glowing green at the mention of her parents. "She's still just a child... emotionally."

"Tell HER that." Logan started, fighting to see through the fog to Callie, who had broken out into a fit of giggles.

"No!" Callie shouted at this. "No more talking for you!" Callie struck Jean across the face with a glowing fist. Jean was knocked down and fell unconscious, blood pouring from her mouth. The fog lifted back to a green mist as Callie remembered the door she had ripped from her car earlier that morning. She looked down at her glowing hands with a shocked expression, like she hadn't really meant for that to happen. She looked over at Jean.

"I..." she stuttered. "I'm..."

"Really going to regret that." Logan finished for her.

Rage or no rage, risk or no risk... she was going to pay for that.