Author's note: Here it is! Chapter 2! Sorry it took so long. I got a bit sidetracked. Enjoy.
Logan arched an eyebrow. "What kind of name is Tory?"
"I just told you its short for Victoria. Don't you listen?"
"Not very well." Logan said with a small laugh.
Tory rolled her eyes. Great… guy thinks he's a comedian. Tory thought. She spotted a hotel and began walking towards it. She'd stay the night and then ditch the guy in the morning. Logan grabbed her arm, and she flinched. He noticed but didn't comment, he'd figure her out later. "My truck is over here."
Tory rolled her eyes, not exactly wanting to get into a truck with this guy. "Fine. We'll take your truck." She said sarcastically as she got in. She didn't really start to worry until they passed every hotel and drove out of town. "Where are we going?"
"Home" Logan replied.
"I hope you meant your home, because I don't have a home anymore." Tory said flatly.
Logan quirked an eyebrow "What changed?"
"Somebody figured out that I'm a mutant and riled up the neighborhood. My house got torched as a result." Tory said, her voice was completely devoid of emotion.
"Not very neighborly" Logan replied.
Tory smiled ruefully. "No, it wasn't."
"How long ago did it happen?"
Good Lord! How many questions are you going to ask? She thought. "About three years ago." She studied Logan's face. She had a nagging feeling that she had seen him before. But she couldn't quite place him.
"So why didn't you go to your family?"
Why didn't I go back to my family? Because my father's an abusive ass, who murdered my mother! Mind your own damn business! Tory wanted to scream at him. He was getting way too close for her comfort. But she controlled her raging emotions and answered with the simple phrase "My family doesn't exist anymore." It was mostly true. As far as she was concerned, her family would never exist the way it once had.
Logan could sense the tension that Tory was trying to keep bottled. What she didn't realize was that bottling her emotions just made it easier for him to sense. But he wasn't done asking questions. He was having too much fun making her uncomfortable. "So did they die?"
Tory glared at him. She undid her seatbelt and made a grab for the door handle. Logan screeched to a halt at the side of the road and grabbed her arm. "Let go of me!"
"Not a chance darlin'. What the hell are you figurin' on doin'?"
"I'm getting the hell away from you! That's what I'm doing." Tory snapped as she pulled away from him and jumped out of the truck.
Logan wasn't far behind her. He caught up to her in mere seconds. He wrapped his arms around her small frame. He had pushed her too far, and he knew it. So now it was time to play nice. Tory, however, wasn't in the mood to be nice. She brought her head back and smashed it into Logan's nose. "Get your dirty hands off of me!" She growled.
Logan only tightened his grip. "I'm bigger than you, and I'm willing to wager that I have more adamantium in my system than you do. So here's the deal, you quit trying to pulverize me, because it will only give both of us a headache. And I'll stop asking so many questions, deal?" He growled.
Tory relaxed a bit. He was right, and she knew it. The best they could hope for in fighting each other was a draw. Although, his size did give him the upper hand, she still wasn't done fighting. She sniffed slightly. His scent was familiar. Where had she seen him before?
"Jason…? What's going on? Why are we here?" A younger Tory asked the boy sitting beside her.
He wrapped his arm protectively around his sister. "I don't know Tory. But it'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" Tory asked, visibly upset.
Jason kissed the top of her head. "Close your eyes." He whispered.
Tory obeyed. Suddenly, she was on an island instead of her father's clinic. The wind played with her hair. Jason sat next to her on the beach, grinning. "I told you everything would be alright."
Tory smiled. "Thanks, Jason."
"I'll always protect you, Tory."
"Jason! Come back with me for a moment!" Tory opened her eyes and they were back in her father's clinic. Her father was looking at Jason. He hated both of them for being mutants. "Jason, are you deaf? I said come with me!"
Jason stood reluctantly and looked at Tory. I'll be back soon. He told her mentally. He followed his father into the back room.
Tory picked up a magazine. She'd read it cover-to-cover on several occasions. A man walked into the clinic's waiting room. He was tall, muscular, and had a ruggedly handsome look. A scream came from the back room. That wasn't uncommon. But Tory's ears perked up, because she could recognize Jason's scream. Tory! Help! Please! Her brother's thought echoed in her mind.
The man looked at Tory. "You don't like Dr.'s, kid?"
She shook her head. "Not really." She said softly.
The man grinned. He reminded Tory of a wolverine. "What's the worst that could happen?" He asked before he went through the door.
He doesn't know my father very well. Tory thought. She was beginning to panic. Why had Jason screamed? Was her father going to kill him like he had killed their mother? Tory wasn't going to wait and find out. She put down the magazine and headed for the door.
"Tory…? Tory, are you ok? Snap out of it." Logan's voice commanded. He was no longer behind her. He was standing in front of her, holding her by the shoulders. A look of concern was on his face.
Tory shook her head to clear her thoughts. She rubbed her forehead. She looked up at Logan and into his eyes. And it dawned on her. She knew exactly where she had seen him before.
