Chapter 5: Don't Go Looking For a Fight

June 11

District Seven

The families had finally headed out, and the pandemonium of the day previous was starting to settle down as Logan headed for the back door by the kitchen. He had every intention to simply slip through the back way, down to the Victors' Village and 'check' on the house.

He was only to the stone fence when he realized he had a tail. He stopped and turned to spot Scott standing there. "You have work to do?" Logan asked.

"Yeah. Thought I'd go down to the Victors' Village," Scott said with a smirk. "I heard there was a problem with unwanted visitors."

"Huh," he replied. "Funny. I haven't been down there in a while."

"Yours isn't the only house down there," Scott said. "And Quill's been talking about pest control."

"I was referring to the unwanted visitor — not the house."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Right."

"Well, don't let me stand in your way," Logan said, already plotting out a different path to take.

"You and I both know we're after the same thing, so if you can stand it, let's just go down together."

"You want to make sure the cabin's stocked?" he asked.

"No one believes that's what you're up to."

"Well that's what I'm doin', believe it or don't," he countered.

Scott rolled his eyes at that. "Yeah. Sure. Then consider this a favor to me, since I'd like to finish Ella's work on Victor Creed. Think you could stick around and flush him out with me?"

"You better take a number for that," Logan replied. "But the best way to get him to come out is to just be available and look like you have anything better in the world to do than talk to him." He gestured openly. "So. Stocking the cabin."

Scott shrugged up one shoulder and swept a hand toward the path. "Visiting Kitty."

Logan shook his head and let out a breath before he started down the path. "I don't need a babysitter, Slim."

"That's not what I'm trying to do," Scott said. "He came after Clara. He stabbed my dog. And he's not gonna leave us alone."

"True, on all counts," Logan agreed.

"And to be perfectly honest, I'd rather just get this whole thing out of the way. I don't want to imagine what he'll be like if she's more than just my girlfriend."

Logan didn't outwardly show any reaction, though it took some effort to keep from smiling at him for that. "Then do me a favor: if it goes down, keep out of the way if he's got a weapon and watch his right. He's a lot faster than should be possible."

"Yeah, I noticed," Scott said.

They didn't run into a bit of trouble — though when they hit the main road, they hadn't gone more than a few blocks before Clint came running up behind them.

"We're stockin' the cabin and splittin' wood, right, Slim?" Logan called out as Clint got closer. "No trouble. We got it."

Clint was outright laughing as he caught up to them. "Oh yeah, I totally believe that," he said, not even trying to keep a straight face.

"Hey. It's true," Scott said, but when Clint gave them a look the two of them stopped and turned to face Clint.

"Scott, when's the best time to stack wood 'round here?" Logan asked as the pair of Seven natives took on a unified front.

"After the rain stops in the spring … early summer," Scott answered — completing the look as the two of them stared Clint down.

"See? Wood," Logan said before the two of them turned back around and kept walking.

"Well that's a shame," Clint said, undeterred as he caught up. "I was hoping for trouble."

"There will be an axe," Scott offered. "Who knows what might happen."

"Sounds like a party," Clint said.

"Too many people in this right now," Logan muttered. "Someone's gonna get hurt."

"I know this one. Victor Creed, right?" Clint said with a grin.

Logan and Scott shared a look but didn't say anything as they headed to the house and let themselves in. To Scott's surprise, Logan dove in doing exactly as he said he was going to do and started buzzing around the place. "Axe is outside. If you want to start splittin', either of you…"

Scott and Clint shared a look before Scott shrugged and headed around to the back of the house to find the axe — while Clint decided to head down the street and bug Quill, since the two of them always got along, and he was pleasantly surprised to find both Kitty and Quill sitting outside enjoying some quiet time.

"Mind if I join you?" Clint asked, and Quill laughed and gestured for him to take a spot under the tree with them.

After a while, Logan came outside to give Scott a break, though it was that much more ridiculous to see that he was serious about the wood splitting.

It wasn't until after the two of them closed up the house and started to head out — with Logan carrying his wolverine pelt over his shoulder — that Creed finally showed up, startling both Quill and Clint when he seemed to appear out of the woods.

"What did I tell you about bait?" Logan said out of the corner of his mouth to Scott.

"Did you hear me arguing that?" Scott shot back just as quietly.

"Course not. Even you won't argue with me when I'm that right." Logan raised his voice as he addressed Victor. "No reason for you to try and start somethin', Vic. All things considered, you should just turn your sorry ass around and leave."

But Victor had no intentions of dragging it out as he threw the bag he was holding at Scott and lunged forward to start the fight with Logan.

As with just about every other time they'd ever clashed, as soon as Victor made his move, Logan darted forward into the fight to meet him — and the first hits were audible for everyone there, cracks of knuckle on bone and fists to flesh.

And proving Logan right about not being able to keep a fair fight, it was Creed that pulled a weapon first.

He'd drawn back his arm as he held a knife to stab Logan when Scott grabbed up the nearby axe and threw it, just missing Victor — though the axe did take part of the blonde mane with it as it passed.

Creed roared out a curse Scott's way and bashed Logan out of his way to head toward Scott, who was waiting for him. Before he could reach him, though, the monster stumbled as Logan launched himself onto Creed's back and hauled his head backward with one hand. The other, with claws shining, was ready to jam Victor in the face.

The others were stepping out of the splatter zone when a tall, skinny blonde blasted out of the trees and tackled Logan off of Creed's back, freeing up Creed to head for Scott.

But Scott had been waiting for Creed, and as Clint and Quill finally caught up from around the back of the house to help Logan with the new guy, Scott waited until the right moment and swept Creed's legs out from under him and then stomped down on Creed's arm to dislodge the knife.

Creed let out a growl before he grabbed Scott's ankle rather than try to get back up to fight him, and with one smooth movement, he'd pulled Scott's feet out from under him to knock him on his back where he could pounce and pin Scott to the ground.

Victor got in a few good hits that sounded just as bad as they felt before Kitty intervened with a well-placed kick breaking Victor's nose. She quickly followed up with a punch to his throat forcing him to let go of Scott entirely.

The newcomer, meanwhile, was scrappy — and quick — and while he wasn't much of a fighter, he dodged incredibly well. Once he was a few steps from Logan, Quill couldn't help himself. "What the hell is wrong with you? Helping Victor Creed? Are you nuts?"

But it was pretty clear that the guy had really only shown up to even the odds — and keep Logan away from Victor while he got his revenge on Scott. "This isn't the fight," Logan growled out as the new guy whipped a knife his way.

"Of course it is," Quill argued, but just then, Kitty let out a little yelp as Victor got closer to nailing her.

"You sure about that?" Logan barked out as he effectively ran the newcomer over to rush to Kitty's defense. She was good — but she wasn't up to taking on Creed toe to toe. Shining metal glimmered in the sun as Victor pulled his hand from the inside of his coat pocket. His hand was arched high, and he had just started to draw it down when everything happened at once.

The metal lion's claws Victor had sang as they whistled in the air — and Clint's arrow twanged off the bowstring, creating an odd harmony. Logan managed to knock Kitty out of the way, and Victor spun away from both of them, only to turn with the spin — and use the momentum to drive a punch into Logan's center mass that knocked him off his feet. Logan slid a solid six feet before he came to a stop, unmoving as Clint and Quill finished screwing around with the kid — who now had an arrow in him — and ran forward to help their friends.

Clint fired a small explosive arrow into Victor's path — not big enough that it would much affect their friends but enough to temporarily steer Creed toward Quill as the other blonde victor in the fight drew back and laid into Victor with a punch to the gut that was very satisfying and an uppercut that came with a "Been a long time coming" before Clint called out to Quill to take a step back. Dancing out of Victor's grasp, Quill did just that a second before Clint's electroshock arrow hit Victor and sent him to his knees.

It put Creed at the perfect height for Quill to kick him in the side of the head and knock him out, and he grinned Clint's way for a second before the two of them rushed to check on the others. Quill went to Kitty, of course, but seeing as Scott had already dragged himself to Logan, Clint only had to go to one place for the other two.

When he got there, Scott looked distressed, and not just from the damage Creed had done him. He was checking Logan's pulse and glanced up at Clint with as serious an expression as Clint had ever seen — which was saying something. "We've got to get him breathing," Scott said, and Clint frowned as he dropped down next to the two of them to see that, yeah, there was a pulse, but it looked like Logan simply wasn't getting air.

"Alright, gimme a little space," Clint said, all but shooing Scott before he started up with the rescue breathing. Both Quill and Kitty had come over by the time he was a couple breaths in, and neither looked anywhere close to okay as they watched the scene unfold.

"Oh crap," Kitty said, wide-eyed. "We broke him."

Clint had to shake his head at the sentiment but didn't say what he was thinking as he kept on working, though even he had to admit after a couple minutes that it didn't look good.

But finally — finally — Logan did take a breath on his own, the rest of the group let out a collective sigh of relief, and Kitty rushed over with wide eyes.

"We should get him to Hank," Scott said — blatantly ignoring the fact that he was pale and black and blue underneath the blood on him as well.

"Yeah, I got him," Quill said, stooping down to pick up Logan. "Let Old Hawkeye get his breath back — and Kitty'll get you to Hank too, Million Dollar…" He glanced at Logan. "Scott."

Scott raised an eyebrow at the change in name, but he had turned his attention to where Victor Creed should have been instead — intending to suggest Clint and Kitty help him get him restrained.… But the blonde was already gone.

"Don't even think about it, Fearless," Kitty said as she picked up the discarded pelt that Logan had dropped and crossed her way over to Scott. "Come on. You should tell Clara what happened before she comes looking for you."

Scott frowned toward the trees for a longer moment still before he finally let out a breath. "Yeah. Alright."

To no one's surprise, once he took a look at Scott and Logan, Hank made an executive decision. "Both of them need to stay in bed — until further notice. And the way the two of them are going, that could very well be next spring," Hank said with a frustrated tone. "Scott has suffered a broken collarbone, and Logan ... " Hank let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "...is lucky he started breathing again at all, quite frankly."

"But he'll be alright?" Kitty asked anxiously.

"If he allows himself to fully heal, yes, he should be fine."

"Well," Skye's voice said from the doorway as apparently she and Clara had come down to investigate — with Natasha behind them wearing an expression that told the others she'd clued them in. "If he's on bed arrest, I can help with that," she said, trying for a tease but instead ending up looking severe.

"As soon as he's awake, I'll personally escort him upstairs," Hank promised. "We should be able to keep him drugged for a few days, though I hate to give him too much and depress his breathing at all." He turned toward Scott. "This one, however.… Take your pills or I'll show Clara how to shove them down your throat."

"I don't think she needs the help," Scott said with an attempt at a little smirk.

"D minus, Scott," Skye said. "I thought Kurt said to keep him out of the hospital."

"Right, because we planned on losing," Scott said dryly.

She crossed her arms. "The losing, no. The stupid attempt to fight with him? Yes."

"We would've been fine, but he had a sidekick," Scott insisted.

"What are you talking about... sidekick?" Skye asked, frowning.

"Skinny blonde kid. I used to see him around the district in the Lumber mill. Followed Creed like he liked the guy."

Skye's eyes widened a bit, and her mouth dropped open. "No," she said. "Does he look like … if Creed never had a sandwich? In his life?"

Scott turned her way and snorted out a little laugh. "That," he said, "is an accurate description."

"Yeah, I think I know who you're talking about," she said. "Little creep by the name of Kyle. Even his name sounds skeezy."

"Oh God," Clara said, looking uncomfortable as she wrapped her arms around her middle.

"You've met him?" Clint surmised, one eyebrow raised.

"He followed my brothers around like a lost puppy dog," she said. "He hit on me once."

"I'm sure he learned fast," Scott said, though he was frowning.

"I would hope so. I broke his hand," she said, shaking it off.

"Yeah, well, we'll break more than that next time," Clint told her with a shrug. "The kid surprised us, that's all."

"Yes, well. Enough with the plotting and planning," Hank said. "If you plan to continue, take it outside."

Clint shrugged at that as he threw an arm around Quill's shoulders, and the two of them headed out with the others, leaving Clara with Scott. And as for Clara, she looked ready to do just as Hank had suggested and shove some pain meds on him.

"You," she said, glaring up at him once they were well clear of the labs, "will not make me force those down your throat."

"Your bedside manner is horrible, honey," Scott said with a small smirk.

"And another thing, Mr. Summers," she said, blocking his path and looking deadly serious. "Promise me you'll keep away from my brother."

"Clara, you can't ask me to make that promise," Scott argued. "You know he's going to keep poking his nose into your business — our lives."

"You don't get it," she said, shaking her head. "There were three Creed boys. He killed our oldest brother for fun. Do not cross his path."

Scott frowned hard at that revelation and put a hand on Clara's arm. "I'm not going to try and take him on myself, alright?"

"Well, don't go with Logan either. Just don't."

"So it's alright if he gets hurt? Not me?" Scott countered.

"I don't know why those two hate each other so much, but it's not going to end until one of them dies," she said, gesturing toward the door to Hank's lab. "And you tell me which way it's weighted."

"That's why I wanted to go with him. Can you imagine if he'd been alone this time? Kyle and Creed ambushing him?"

Clara shook her head and let out a sigh. "It would have been Quill then, wouldn't it?"

"Maybe," Scott said. "But you can't tell me to let him try and do this on his own when it ends up like this." He gestured to the same door. "We had him beat, knocked out. He just got in a good hit on Logan; it was just one good hit that knocked his breath out. Won't happen again."

"You can't know that for sure," she said. "And he's swinging those stupid lion's claws around, too. I've seen them."

"Next time, I'm bringing a gun. I'll ask Mac for one of the Sentinel guns. They had a few laser-powered ones…"

She tipped her head to the side. "He did say he had a special taser made just for Victor …"

"Then I'll get that one," Scott said with a nod.

"Bring someone that's not such good bait next time," she said. "I swear, that guy has a neon sign flashing on him."

"That's kind of the point," Scott pointed out.

"Scott … if you die on me, I'll never forgive you. My brother is dangerous."

He stopped and turned her way, shook his head, and pulled her into a kiss. "I'm not going to die on you," he promised.

Kitty and Quill only hung around long enough to make sure that Logan was alright and that everything was all lined up for their friends.

Even if he wasn't saying so, Scott looked a little bit shaken. He'd have to be after going toe to toe with that blonde monster. But once they were all settled in and it looked like Logan was only a little bit worse for wear, the two of them headed out of the Howlett estate arm in arm and very quiet.

Kitty had finally relaxed after being so shaken that her favorite teacher had very nearly died in front of her. "I think I'd like to just … maybe check on Groot," Kitty said, but when they turned the corner to go into their little house, it was immediately apparent that something was very wrong. There was a curtain dangling at an odd angle — visible from outside — and when they came into the house, it was clear that someone had positively destroyed the place.

Everything was upended. The contents of all the cabinets had been ransacked. Furniture was shredded and turned over, thrown across the room haphazardly.

The young couple shared a look, and it wasn't even up for discussion. "You think Logan would mind two more at the big house?" Kitty said in a small voice.

"No way would he tell you no," Peter said. "Or me, for that matter."

They took a few minutes to gather up a few changes of clothes before they headed right back to where they'd just left — though they did take the time to talk to Groot, who insisted he'd be fine on his own. He had, after all, been dealing with Creed and the Victors Village for years.

Peter was sure to keep an arm around Kitty's shoulders the entire walk back, holding her close and protectively — but thankfully, there was no sign of the big blonde menace, though they didn't relax until they were back inside the walls of the mansion grounds.

Peter swore under his breath as they came up on the front doorstep, and when Kitty glanced his way, he shook his head. "I just hate that he's getting away with it," he told her low.

Kitty popped up on her toes and gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek. It was clear she was shaken from what had happened, so he turned her way and broke into a little laugh and spun her around in a kiss.

"Screw him, Kitty," he told her with a smile. "We got a room all our own in there."

June 12

Howlett Estate

When Logan finally started to stir, he turned his head to find Skye curled up with her head on his shoulder and one arm draped across his waist. He gave her a little kiss on the forehead and sucked in a sharp breath when she tried to give him a squeeze.

It was pretty apparent that Creed had done some substantial damage from that hit. "That's … new," he breathed out.

"That's what happens when you let him hit you hard enough to make you stop breathing," she pointed out. "Hank says he bruised some organs. How do you bruise organs?"

"I guess by gettin' hit hard enough," he replied, though he did look incredibly sore as he tried to get comfortable. "I was pushin' Kitty out of the way."

"Yeah, she said as much," Skye agreed. "But that doesn't mean you're expendable, mister. I would like to keep you around." She let out a breath and carefully readjusted how she was curled up with him — avoiding the obvious, almost black bruising on his torso.

He covered her hand with his and turned to steal a kiss. "I'm not goin' after Creed any time soon."

"So you learned a lesson? Really."

"Sure, and I'm crap in a fight right now. Gotta fix that before Vic actually follows through and kills me."

"How.…" She stopped and shook her head. "You are not crap in a fight."

"Sure I am," he replied. "I went into that with nothin' goin' for me — back up included. I wasn't focused. Let my anger get the better of me. If Ogun was here, he'd agree. I deserved what I got."

She looked taken off-guard for a moment and slowly pushed herself upright. "I'm … going to go get Hank. I think you have a concussion if you actually believe that you deserved almost dying. You're just lucky that Clint kept a cool head and resuscitated you."

"Oh, God," he grumbled, covering his face with one hand as Skye finally cracked a smile.

"I'm serious. Stay there. I'm getting Hank."

"I'll be here when you get back," he promised. As soon as she left the room, though, he worked his way onto his feet and crossed the room to where her laptop was always up and running. He put in the password to hop on, and a moment or two later, he'd sent a message to Coulson. He was nearly back to the bed when Skye returned with Hank.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be out of bed, mister," she scolded him as he dropped onto the mattress, clearly stiff and sore. "I leave for five minutes…"

"Like I could stay still much longer," he countered.

"Then tell me you've got the wiggles and I'll help you with that," Skye said, rolling her eyes. "The fun way."

He glanced down at the bruises. "Really."

"I'd be careful," she said with a smirk. "Better than you wandering around all…"

"Walking. Across the room. You probably couldn't even see what I did," he teased.

She rolled her eyes again and dropped to sit next to him. "Can't you just be a good patient for a little while? So you can get better faster?"

"I've been in bed," he defended. "I'm not leavin' the room, an' I'm not workin' out …"

"Hank…" Skye looked toward the doctor.

Hank let out a sigh and came closer to check Logan over, focusing on his eyes for a moment. "I'm afraid he isn't saying anything too out of character," Hank said. "And I don't think there was a head injury..."

"There's gonna be if he keeps this up," she grumbled, though with no real heat to her tone.

"Stay in bed." Hank glared to emphasize his point. "At least until the bruising lightens to something less worrisome."

"We'll get one of Coulson's horrible movies or something," Skye said.

"Oh, come on; you didn't say you were gonna torture me," Logan replied.

Skye smiled widely. "Well, you are fighting me."

He looked totally put out. "I'm not fighting you."

"Prove it." She pulled the covers over her legs as she made herself comfortable. "Be a good patient. For once in your life. For me."

"You're askin' me to burn up the one time to be a good patient?" he asked with a smirk. "Before all hell breaks loose? Really?"

"Well, you never did it during the full-on freaking war, so I figure this is my shot," she teased.

"Fine," he replied before he leaned back oh, so carefully.