Chapter 3: Throw a Sabretooth in the Works

May 22

District Seven

The modest cabin that Scott had decided to go ahead and buy still needed a few repairs here and there, but nothing major. He'd already fixed the small hole in the roof, which was the biggest and most important problem, but now he was working on more cosmetic changes. The front door stuck when it wasn't closed just right, and the windowsills needed a little care, but after a morning of work, Scott was honestly unwinding as he got working on something a little more decorative, carving the outer edges of the doorway in an oak leaf pattern.

A few years from now, this place would be the envy of every other cabin — it was just a matter of pouring in the time and paying attention to the details. And anyway, it had been a while since he'd had a project like this — not that he hadn't been able to do any carving with Tahiti. But there had been nothing he could really sink his teeth into like a cabin.

Clara was there with Ella, having gone out fishing earlier in the day, and when she went by, she made sure to steal a little kiss on her way to start up their dinner, with Ella happily wagging her tail and licking his hand when she followed.

Things were as lovely as they could be as Scott worked a particularly tricky section of the falling oak leaves … where three different leaves converged, twirling around a center point. He was just thinking how nice it was that the tricky bit of carving was the worst of his troubles when he heard Ella growling.

He paused what he was doing to turn toward Ella — just as a seven-foot blonde came up the path and Ella seemed to get more agitated with every step he took.

"Today's not Sunday," Scott called his way with a glare. "And even if it was, you have no business at my house. Go find someone else to bother." As he spoke, he turned the knife in his hand and then deliberately went back to what he was doing, though he went back to finish the edges of a less tricky section that didn't require all of his focus, just fine tuning.

Before Victor could say a word, though, Clara came out, drying her hands on a little towel. "I've got it, Scott," she said as she walked by him and out to her older brother. The two of them were talking quietly, though Victor seemed to get more and more agitated the more Clara shook her head and tried to calm him down.

And then it all happened in a flash. Victor sneered and, in a quick move, simply backhanded her off of her feet.

"Hey!" Scott made a beeline for the two of them, positively livid, before he pulled back and punched Victor in the jaw, glaring hard. "Don't you ever touch her again!"

Victor turned slowly to find Scott glaring his way. But before Scott could say anything further — and faster than Scott could react — Victor grabbed him by the neck and pinned him to the nearest tree, his feet not quite touching the ground. "You think you're gonna stop me?"

Scott struggled against his grip, but when Victor realized Scott couldn't get out of it, he smiled cruelly and pressed harder. Scott was starting to see stars as Victor asserted his grip and leaned in a little closer. He couldn't hear what Victor was saying anymore as his vision started to go black around the edges, though he could swear he could hear Clara screaming at her brother to stop.

He couldn't draw a breath, and in a desperate moment, he realized that he still had the carving knife in his hand. He blinked hard, trying to focus...

In a quick move, he jammed the knife down into the radial nerve on Victor's arm. He barely saw Victor's other fist flying his way, and as he raised his arm to stop the hit, he curled himself up and stomped down on Victor's knee.

The monster bellowed in pain but dropped Scott. As Scott gasped in his breath, he felt a brush of fur zip past him. The first thing Scott really heard as his hearing all came back was Ella snarling as she tore into Victor, snapping at his face.

"Are you alright?" Clara asked, at Scott's side in an instant — and sporting a shiner already.

"Fine," he said, blinking back his vision — though the obvious bruises on his neck and the hoarse tone of his voice said otherwise.

There was a little yelp, and the two of them turned to see Ella whining and shying away from Victor — with Scott's knife jammed into her shoulder. Scott whistled to Ella low, though he watched Victor to make sure he was actually leaving before he crouched down and soothed Ella, petting her behind the ears as he glanced at Clara, his questioning expression more than enough when he was still trying to get his breath and voice back.

"I think… we need to see if Dr. McCoy can help us," she admitted. "I don't have anything sterile here."

"Right," Scott said with a little nod as he knelt and gently picked up Ella, glad that Hank was one of the few victors who hadn't found a new home yet.

"Yeah," Clara said, glancing back to where Victor had disappeared. "We should take the more hidden path."

"Yeah, don't want to lead him back to the others," Scott said very quietly.

They'd gotten all the way to the Howlett estate and inside the walls before she finally said anything else. "He doesn't want me sticking around with you."

"I don't really care what he has to say about it," Scott said with real heat to his tone.

"I just don't want you getting hurt," Clara said. "So I'm warning you as much."

"I think we just proved he can't handle all three of us. It's fine," he told her. "I'm just sorry he hit you for it."

"Nothing new there," she admitted.

"Well that just makes me wish I'd hit something more important," Scott grumbled.

She gave him a weary little smile as she held the door open for him to carry Ella inside. Hank hadn't moved his office since the Tahiti kids and victors had taken up residence there, so it wasn't hard to find him as the three of them came in looking worse for the wear — and mad.

"I know your specialty isn't in veterinary medicine, but do you think you could help us?" Scott asked Hank, who looked up and narrowed his eyes on seeing the state of things.

"I can certainly give it my best efforts," Hank replied as he gestured for Scott to bring Ella closer. "And what happened to the two of you? The same beast?"

"Yeah," Scott said, then let out a sigh. "Somewhere out there, Victor Creed's got an axe to grind."

"That does not surprise me in the least," Hank said as he tried to get a better look at Ella's injury. "Leave her here. I'll do my best — and you may want to clean up the cut near your eye, Clara."

"Thanks; I'll take care of that," Scott promised before Hank could comment on his obvious injuries as well, already with one hand on Clara's shoulder to pull her away.

"Are you going to be my nurse?" Clara asked over her shoulder as Scott steered her. "Not exactly effective if I have to tell you where everything is."

"I'll make a go of it, sure," he said with a small smirk as Clara got seated and watched him for a moment as he did his best to remember where the antiseptic and the rest of the supplies were.

It wasn't too long before Hank had just about enough trouble from Ella, though. The wounded wolf was in pain and frankly was nervous without her mistress, but when Clara tried to help him calm her, Ella simply couldn't relax even for her.

"Would you please go find Logan?" Hank said. "He can help hold her down if need be — so that she doesn't associate either of you with any pain."

"I got it," Scott told Clara, since Clara was still staying close to Ella for the time being. He knew the way down to the ballroom anyway, and he figured that's where he'd find Logan, seeing as that's where Logan usually was if there wasn't something going on.

So he wasn't surprised to find Logan getting in some training, some easy kata work in the center of the room. "Can I borrow you? Hank needs a little assistance with Ella — we brought her in pretty hurt," he called out to Logan.

"Sure," Logan replied calmly before he sheathed his sword and headed over to put it on the rack near the wall. "What happened?"

"Clara's brother doesn't approve of her living with me," Scott said with a small scowl. "So he hit her and stabbed her dog."

For a moment, Logan frowned at Scott — especially since he could see the evidence at Scott's throat that Clara and Ella weren't the only ones injured. But aside from a raised eyebrow Scott's way, he didn't say anything about it. "Sounds about right," Logan muttered under his breath. "Can't stand to see anyone happy."

"Well, Ella did a number on his face. He ran off." Scott shook his head. "Anyway, we just need to fix the damage. He sank the knife in pretty deep."

Logan nodded and headed off with Scott — though they managed to pick up Skye on the way, who was tickled to see her favorite Summers but also a bit confused as to what the two of them were doing together looking so serious.

Until they got to the lab where Ella was acting wilder than anyone had ever seen from her. Her lips were peeled back in an honest to God snarl — even to Clara. "Is the knife still in there?" Logan asked Scott as he closed the door in front of Skye, blocking her from entering the room.

"No, Hank managed to get it out," Scott told him.

Logan crouched down to almost eye level with Ella, who had turned their way as they entered the room. He moved forward slow, though it was clear Ella had no interest in dealing with any of them as her shoulder bled freely. She made a half-hearted lunge toward Logan and Scott, and before she could retreat again, Logan shot forward.

There was a quick uptake in the noise level as Ella snapped and snarled at Logan, and though she did bite his hand, he more or less wrapped himself halfway around her so that both of them were just lying on the ground, with Ella's wound facing upward as she continued to try and snap at him. "If you're going to do something — now would be the time, Henry," Logan called out.

Ella was trying to pull that leg free, but she couldn't manage to move it more than a little wiggle, and as Henry knelt down next to them to get started, the snarls melted away to whimpers as the wolf finally showed that she was more scared than anything else.

"You two should step outside," Hank said as he quickly started to clean the injury. "We won't hurt her."

"Just give us a call when you're done," Scott said, frowning after Ella as both he and Clara stepped out — and practically into Skye listening at the door.

"What is even going on?" Skye demanded of the two of them. "What happened to your wolf?"

Scott almost looked tired by that point and just shook his head. "Victor Creed," he said simply and with a little shrug. "He doesn't seem to think anyone should be happy. At all. Ever."

"Okay, but … it totally sounded like she was tearing everyone apart in there," Skye said.

"That's what happens when a wolf is hurt and scared," Clara said. "They lash out."

Skye looked toward the door and then back to the young couple. "So … what now?"

"Now…" Scott let out a sigh. "We wait for Dr. McCoy and Logan to finish up, let Ella heal for a while, and start working on a fence. Preferably electric."

"Right, but … if he's making your wolf go crazy, I would really feel better if you just stayed here for a little while," Skye said. "Ella will get any meds that Hank says she might need …"

"Yeah, we won't go back until Ella's alright," Scott said with a nod. "Not gonna let Creed get a second shot at her."

"Oh, good. Come on, Clara — let's let Mrs. O'Malley know. She was just saying how much she missed you two the other day." Skye gave Scott a little smile as she dragged Clara off. "And you so totally need a break from all that stress."

"That's what we were trying…. Never mind," Scott said, waving the girls off with a shake of his head, which just prompted Skye to break into giggles as she looped her arm tighter through Clara's.

With the girls gone, Scott quietly slipped back into the room, where Ella was still softly whining, though she'd stopped trying to bite Logan or Hank, and Logan was very clearly trying to soothe her, rubbing his face against hers and muttering low.

"Here, let me," Scott offered as he stooped down next to Logan and Ella, gently rubbing the spot on Ella's side that was her favorite.

She still whined, but she relaxed a little bit more, and it wasn't long before Hank was done. "Alright, Mr. Summers; I think it's best if we step back when Logan lets her loose. Just to be safe."

Scott raised an eyebrow but did just that, and when Logan loosened his hold on the wolf, she didn't bolt, instead squirming around to face him better and then lick his face as he sat up alongside her. "She'll be fine," Logan said as he reached out to scratch behind her ear. "She's a smart girl."

"Of course she is; Clara trained her," Scott said with a smirk as he moved to join them.

As the two of them made sure Ella was settled down, Henry came over to take a look at Logan's hand — though when he started to inspect it, Ella started to growl again. "Easy, big girl," Logan rumbled, running his free hand over her head. "He's not going to hurt me."

"Better wash that out," Scott said with a frown.

"I've had all my shots," Logan chuckled.

"Yeah, well the last thing she had in her mouth was Victor Creed, so..."

"No wonder she was so pissed off," Logan replied with a little smirk. "I'll clean up; you might want to take her up to Clara. I'm sure she's worried."

"Yeah, she's with Skye now. I'm sure by this point they're both worried," Scott said with a smirk as he scratched Ella behind the ears and led the wolf to the door, then paused. "Mind if we stay for a bit? Just until Ella's healed."

"Your room's your room, Slim. Any time you want it."

"Thanks." Scott turned back to the door and whistled to Ella as the two of them headed to find the girls.

May 29

Howlett Manor

The entire Wagner clan showed up early, ahead of the wedding, not only to help with the preparations but because they were just plain excited. Katie Power was giddy with joy over getting to be the flower girl and told anyone who would listen — usually Scott — that she had been practicing.

Margali was of course helping Kate with anything she needed for last-minute preparations and decisions, but it was the twins who had an actual assignment from their big brother for the day — and it wasn't actually that simple.

They'd been told to keep Logan out of the hospital for the next two weeks so that Kurt could have a best man at his wedding. Kurt had even explained to them that Logan was mad about Victor Creed — but they just didn't understand the problem.

"Can't you just … ask him not to do anything stupid until later?" Stefan asked, looking confused.

"I have told him that he can't come to my wedding in a full body cast, but every time he sees Ella or Clara or Scott…" Kurt shook his head. "Just watch him, please."

"Well. Do you think he'd be distracted by private lessons?" Amanda asked with a broad grin.

"I'm sure he would be," Kurt said with an ill-hidden chuckle. "If you can pin him down to give them."

"What else has he got to do, though?" Stefan asked. "It's not like he has things to do in town."

Kurt just laughed and waved them both forward. "He's usually in the ballroom practicing. You should catch him if you want to demand your lessons."

They shared a smile and darted off toward the ballroom, trying to at least act like they weren't running until they were around the corner — and then bashing into each other as they ran faster and faster. They didn't expect to find him going through his kata, though — something he was doing it more and more often lately, in more challenging ways and in longer sequences.

"Well," Amanda said, leaning against the wall. "That is not exciting at all."

"Not supposed to be, troublemakers," Logan said easily. "Didn't know Thing One and Thing Two were going to be here so quick."

"You kidding? I think if we'd waited any longer, Katie would have burst."

"Uh-huh," he said, looking their way only with his gaze as he continued on. "So, what do you want from me?"

"Same as always," Amanda said with a cheeky grin.

"Teach us how best to screw with bad guys."

"Have to clear it by your mom," he replied.

"Already done," Amanda said.

"She knew it was coming, really," Stefan added. "Seeing as we're gonna be spending a couple weeks at your house."

"Sounds like you know what you want to do already. Doubt you need me for it."

"Um, no. Way more fun with you," Amanda said.

"And you still haven't really finished teaching us anyway. We kept getting sidetracked!"

"By what?" Logan asked. "I figured you kept goin' without me."

"Well for one thing, we kept moving… and you kept moving... "

He let out a breath and turned their way finally. "Bring it."

The twins grinned at each other before they rushed him in unison — and it was honestly much better than the first time they'd started learning from him, even better than when he'd last taught them for the simple fact that they had been keeping up with their troublemaking, running bad guys out of Nine that weren't just Hydra even after the war ended.

And like all the times before, he kept them both moving, critiquing them as they went until both of them were out of breath and irritated. "You really want to do this for two weeks?" Logan asked.

"It's something to do," Stefan said.

Amanda nodded her agreement as she pushed her hair out of her face. "And how are we supposed to have the run of the district if we don't get pushed?"

"Fine," Logan said. "I start at six thirty. After my run."

"Then we'll be there at six thirty," Amanda said.

June 5

Howlett Manor

Kurt took a seat next to Logan with a crooked grin on his face. "You haven't seen my brother and sister anywhere, have you?" he asked as he reached for one of the sandwiches Mrs. O'Malley had made.

Logan turned to look at the clock with a smirk. "Not for a few hours. Lightweights."

"Kate tells me they both fell asleep in the living room, but that was a little while ago. Maybe they'll remember it's lunchtime. Eventually," Kurt said, not bothering to hide the fact that he was chuckling.

"Huh. I'm headed out in a little bit, so they oughta rest up while they can," Logan said.

"Where to?" Kurt asked, still grinning.

"Gotta go check on the cabin. No one's been down there in a while."

"And it can't wait until after the wedding?"

"There are a couple victors that wanted more space to themselves," he replied as if it was a perfectly reasonable request — in spite of the vast amount of space around them.

"Then Quill and Groot can handle it; they've been preparing rooms for the more private people among that group — and you know it."

"It's kind of part of the gig, Elf."

"Logan." Kurt turned to face his best friend a little better. "Honestly."

"What?" Logan replied, pulling off a very convincing innocent look.

"You can stroll down to the one place you know Victor Creed will come looking in five days from now. Are you really so impatient you can't give your best friend five days?" Kurt asked, one eyebrow arched high.

"That depends," Logan said, leaning toward Kurt. "How many more babysitters do I need to wear out before you relax?"

"I'm planning for my wedding, Logan. Am I supposed to be relaxed? Especially when the best man keeps threatening to wind up in the hospital?" Kurt asked.

"Have a little faith, Elf," he countered.

"Oh, you would win — but not without injuries," Kurt argued. "And you will be standing there with me."

"You wound me."

"Don't tempt me."

"An' you were just complainin' that I'd get injured walkin' down the street. Come on, Kurt, I'm not lookin' for trouble."

"No, you are only going where you know it will find you."

"Since when did you start thinkin' the worst?"

"Five days, Logan," Kurt said, shaking his head.

Logan gave Kurt a long look before a smile started to tug at the corner of his mouth. "Alright. I'll wait six days. So all the families have gone home."

"Thank you," Kurt said, his shoulders relaxing substantially, though he didn't take his gaze off of Logan.

"You ever find a place?" Logan asked, quickly trying to shift conversation.

"Yes, we had our eye on a couple that we couldn't decide between," Kurt admitted. "Both of them are close enough to both the village and the manor that we would never be far from friends. It's even closer to the little path that Clara likes to take Ella on when they're visiting the Hudsons."

"Good," he said, pushing back from the table to stand up. "Glad to hear it." He gave Kurt a little smirk and started off to the ballroom again.

Kurt shook his head at his friend as he watched him go. At the very least, he'd gotten the time he asked for. But after the wedding… well, he'd just have to wait and see.