Disclaimer: I own nothing, nada, zip. Blaze owns me.
Scene 11"Leave him alone!" yelled Tabby, breaking the magic of the moment for Blaze. Boom Boom formed several little golden explosive globes in her hands. Flinging the marbles at the big she-wolf would probably involve hitting Gambit too, so Tabby launched her attack at the ground. The bangs and flashing lights put the wolf on her back foot, poised to flee. Wanda waded in then, contorting the trees themselves and buckling the ground, confusing the pack. The wolf by Gambit made a break for it, yipping to her pack-mates to follow. The wolves turned tail and ran, melting away through the trees as though they had never been there.
Coming out of her trance Blaze shook her head to clear her thoughts of the wolf she thought she knew. There would be time enough to work that out later. She darted across the clearing and dropped to Gambit's side, swallowing back on bile as she prepared herself to give first aid to her friend. Wait, these wounds didn't look as terrible as Blaze had feared. Had the wolf been licking them clean, trying to help? Not now, Blaze cursed herself, don't think about Ilehana now. Concentrate!
Panic clawed at Blaze once more as she unclipped the catch on the medkit and emptied out its contents. Routing through the kit furiously Blaze cursed like a sailor. Gambit was a bit beyond sticking plasters and antiseptic creams! "Damn it Gambit stay with me," Blaze pleaded, taking a wad of bandages and futilely pressing them to the slices on his chest. The Cajun barely even flinched; he'd slipped so far into unconsciousness. She was losing him, she knew it, and she could do nothing about it.
"Blaze!" Wanda yelled, demanding the redhead's attention. Blaze's head snapped up only to see Wolverine stepping forward through the tree branches. Tabby and Wanda bravely stepped across to block his path, Boom Boom with a handful of explosive baubles and Wanda with her power like a swirling cloak about her shoulders. Logan snarled menacingly at the threat the girls were insinuating. Excruciatingly his claws slipped through his knuckles, glinting in the red light Wanda extracted from the trees. Tabitha gulped and Wanda shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously. Wolverine's feral eyes flickered from one to the other, then between them to where Gambit lay with Blaze kneeling over him. Without a word his expression changed and he started forwards towards the thieves.
Boom Boom launched a succession of attacks at the feral, only to have Logan deflect the charges away from him with a sweep of his claws. Wanda had to dive out of the way as the explosions came dangerously close to hitting her. Amazed and confused, Tabitha found herself bluntly shouldered out of Logan's path. As both girls landed on the floor, Blaze stood and stepped over Gambit to protect him. She called on her powers, transforming herself into a living spectre of flame to block Logan's way. A shadow of irrational fear of fire glimmered in Logan's eyes as he halted a few feet away. He drew his lip back over his teeth in a savage snarl, meeting Blaze's determined eyes.
"No closer Wolverine," Blaze ordered him, lifting a hand of fire to halt him. "I won't let you hurt him again!"
"What are you talkin' about?" Logan growled back, daring himself to take another step forward.
"Stay away!" Blaze screeched, hysteria shining in her eyes as her power surged around her.
"Blaze!" Logan used her name sharply. "Let me past kiddo, I'm the only one who can help him." Blaze didn't look convinced, shifting on the spot and eying Logan nervously. "How much field medicine do you know Blaze, tell me? What can you do to help Gambit? Let me past."
For the longest moment the tableaux held. Wolverine and Blaze looked straight at each other, maintaining a powerful eye contact. Whatever understanding passed between them neither Tabby nor Wanda could explain it. All they knew was that suddenly Blaze took a deep breath and drew back on her power. Logan rushed over to her and the prone form of the Cajun and peeled back the bandages that Blaze had applied to Gambit's wounds. A flash of understanding and also of confusion crossed Logan's face. He looked up at Blaze who came to kneel besides him, "I know what this looks like, but you gotta believe it wasn't me."
"Then who was it?" asked Blaze. Before Logan could answer Tabby screamed. A huge monster loomed over Boom Boom, casting a massive shadow. Though his face was vaguely human with a squashed nose and fat lips, he was covered in shaggy grey fur and had a squat posture. He raised immense arms, each of which tapered to a three fingered hand and ended with long bone claws that shimmered deadly sharp. As if to lay claim to the damage he had done to the Cajun he roared his name to them all, "Behemoth!"
Before anyone in the clearing could react to the new menace, there was a streak of blue through the trees. Behemoth made an "Oomph!" noise as the wind was knocked from his ribcage. Beast tackled Behemoth to the ground in a flashback to his days as a high school football star. They tumbled together, fur flying as they rolled over the forest floor. Beast found himself pinned underneath the much bigger mutant but he refused to be beaten. Somehow he drew back his feet and kicked Behemoth in the stomach hard. Behemoth shot backwards, hit his head against a tree trunk and slumped to the floor. He groaned once and then was still. Beast slowly got to his feet, only to be mobbed by Tabby who flung her arms around his neck exuberantly, "Wow, Beast! You were amazing!"
"Good timing Hank," Logan nodded to his friend, and then turned his attention back to Gambit. With Blaze's help, he stemmed the bleeding and stabilised the wounds so that Gambit could be moved.
"What about him?" Wanda pointed over to the unconscious Behemoth.
"We leave him," Logan ordered. "We gotta get Gambit back to the Institute now."
"Allow me," Hank offered, picking Gambit up with little effort and starting back to where the Blackbird was waiting with the Velocity. Tabby gave Wanda a hand up and the two girls traipsed after Beast in tandem.
"Beast you followed us?" Boom Boom asked in amazement.
"Indeed," Beast replied. "I was worried you might be up to no good."
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Wanda rolled her eyes.
"But Beast doesn't that mean you missed your own party?" Tabby pressed, catching the big blue teacher up.
"Tabitha the party was supposed to be about the importance of the team. We have to stick together no matter what, even if it means missing a party I have spent all week organising."
"Oh," Tabby replied. "Wel, thank you Beast. You are most definitely alright."
"You are very welcome Tabitha," Beast smiled at his student. "Now then lets get our Cajun home…"
Behind them Blaze kept pace with Logan bringing up the rear. Beast took Gambit and the two girls on the Velocity and left. Though it pained Blaze to watch Gambit be airlifted out, she set to help Logan drag Gambit's bike onto the X-Jet and dismantle the hapless Cajun's campsite. Within a few minutes it was like the X-Men had never been in the forest. Strapping themselves into the pilot and co-pilot seats respectively, Logan launched the Blackbird after the Velocity. Blaze bit her lip, then tried to break the silence that strummed between her and her teammate, "I'm sorry Logan, I should have known it wasn't you that hurt Remy."
"Damn right," Logan grunted. "If it had been me he wouldn't still be breathin'."
Blaze allowed herself a weak laugh at the joke. Then she closed her eyes and leant back in the seat, "Logan I have to tell you something…" she started, thinking of the wolf she had seen. She knew what it would mean to the feral to know that Vixen was still alive out there. Yet as soon as she had made up her mind to tell him, a great wolf face appeared in her mind's eye. Vixen looked straight at Blaze and slowly shook her head. The signal could not have been any clearer. Still Blaze pressed her friend with eagerness born of the sudden lifting of her own grief. Her friend was not dead after all!
#Why Vix? Why can't I tell him?# Blaze thought forcefully, knowing the telepath could hear her loud and clear. The wolf did not answer other than to shake her head again stoically. #Alright,# Blaze agreed, #I won't tell anyone. Just remember we miss you Vixen, all of us.# Blaze had the sensation of a wolf briefly leaning against her leg in a gesture of support, but then the wolf was gone. Logan was waiting for an explanation.
"Tell me what?"
"I…" Blaze ran out of words. Then she realised exactly what she should be saying. "We've missed you. You've been gone too long."
"Thanks," Logan eventually replied after a long silence. "I've missed all of you too. If its alright with the rest of you, I was thinking of sticking around for a while when we get back."
"Sounds good," Blaze agreed.
"Just one thing," Logan asked. "Why are you dressed like a devil?"
Blaze rolled her eyes, taking off the devil horns that she had forgotten she was wearing. "It's Halloween Logan. Honestly where have you been?"