Title: All Fall Down
Author: aranenumenesse
Email: aranenumenesse at yahoo dot com
Rating: NC-17
Summary: There was no laughter. Only sympathetic look on Magneto's face.
Series: Cannibal
Category: AU
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. I just loan them for a while from Marvel and 20th Century Fox.
Archive: Go ahead if you like it. But please, notify me if you take it.
Continuity: Continuation from Hero's Return (War Hero)
Genre: Dark
Author's notes: As promised, story continues. This part is not for squeamish. Apologies in advance.
She had never really understood what Logan had gone through during the war or what it had done to him. He had returned to her, looking like he had gone through hell. He had left her again, only to return six months later, looking like his old self again. Now she was watching the beast he had shackled away during those six months he had been gone, crawling on his hands and knees without eyes, tracking his prey with scent alone. Sabretooth was dancing around him, raining taunts and insults, as well as good placed kicks from now and then.
She had been returning to her car from the market, carrying two large paper bags, planning what she could make for dinner. Black, unmarked van had pulled to halt next to her, side door open, and strong, hairy arms had pulled her inside. She had managed to see a glimpse of a smirking face before they covered her eyes with black cloth.
"Inform the runt. We have his bitch."
"Do you have any idea what that husband of yours is doing when he is away from home? When he is supposed to be in Westchester, helping Xavier?" She couldn't see the owner of the voice, but she knew him still. Goosebumps rose to her skin and she shivered. Magneto.
"Let me tell you… He works for Xavier, that much is true. I believe he has told you he teaches self defense?" Magneto was clearly waiting for an answer, so she nodded. Magneto laughed softly.
"Clever guy… He isn't a teacher. He's Xavier's hitman. Xavier has no heart to put his kids in danger, so he sends your husband to take care of worst problems. From what I have seen, our dear Wolverine has started mixing entertainment with work. I have proof. Videotape. Would you like to see it?" For that she shook her head. What ever was on that tape, was most likely false information, distorted and manipulated.
"Why do I even ask? Of course you would like to see it!"
Cloth had been removed from her eyes. Huge screen on the opposite wall had flared to life. Image was crystal clear, most likely filmed in this same compound. She noticed structural and material similarities on background with this room she was held. There was a room filled with mutants, all shapes and sizes. Some were carrying different weapons and guns, some seemed to be confident to use their own mutation. Suddenly door was kicked in. Somebody stood in the doorway. She squinted her eyes. Logan. It was Logan. Wearing black leather suit, uniform of the X-Men. Several shots echoed, and he went down, falling heavily on his face to the cement floor. When some of the mutants approached him, true carnage was unleashed. Mere five minutes later Logan was only one still standing, covered with blood and other secretions from head to toe, blood and little shreds of flesh dripping from the tips of his claws. Sight of it made her sick, but that wasn't anything she hadn't known. She turned her questioning gaze to Magneto who stood smiling next to the chair she had been tied to.
"Patience, my child. Best part is coming…" Old man said, pointing towards the screen, where Logan was crouching now, and poking a steaming pile of innards.
She couldn't stop screaming before Magneto slapped her hard on the cheek. Logan was a cannibal. Anything else she could have understood. Not accepted, but understood. Anything else. Another woman, drugs, anything but this. Anything but that half-man, dropped on his haunches and chewing through still beating heart, clearly enjoying it. This had got to be some sort of cruel joke. Soon everybody would start laughing. Anybody? Now would be a really good time before she wet herself or vomited.
There was no laughter. Only sympathetic look on Magneto's face.
"He has to be stopped. I doubt even Xavier knows about this. We have told Wolverine where you are. He will come for you. And then this all ends."
Logan had come, crashing through warehouse doors with his bike, blood and gore gleaming in his eyes. Mystique and Toad had gotten maimed, but before his death Toad had managed to cover half of his head to sticky, glue-like substance, sealing off his eyes. He was blind when Sabretooth joined to battle.
"I don't need to see you to kill you. Your stench is bad enough to gag a maggot, furball…" Sabretooth had swept him off from his feet, stomping hard on his lower back. She had heard a snap, and for a moment all life had been gone from Logan's limp body. Sabretooth had been dangling him from the back of his jacket, pummeling his head against iron support beam. Logan hadn't made a sound, but suddenly Sabretooth was down, screaming and holding his lower abdomen. Logan had stood little unsteadily, looping something slippery and shiny around his left wrist. Sabretooth's intestine.
"I have a gut feeling, that what ever this stuff is, it's quite vital for you…" He started and gave the bundle a good, swift yank.
"So I should probably be very careful about what I'll do with it. Right?" Sabretooth screamed and kicked him, but there was no power behind his kicks anymore. Logan crouched next to him, leaning closer to his face and smirked.
"Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?" His other hand patted Sabretooth's torso carefully, until he found his neck. He grabbed Sabretooth's hair and lifted his head, looping the intestine around his neck couple of times. Then he continued lower, tying his hands together with the same horrendous manner. Sabretooth had stopped screaming already, and just lay there, staring at him mutely.
"Why don't you take a bite, war hero? Show that little wench of yours what you really are…" He suddenly grunted. That stopped Logan for few seconds. It looked like he was actually contemplating the offer.
"No thanks. I'm not sure if my mutation covers food poisoning."
"Wolverine, my dear boy… Be a good little soldier now, and let Victor go, before I snap her pretty neck!" She tried not to scream, but it was hard when Magneto wrapped his fingers around her neck. Logan stood up and turned his head to their direction, tilting it, and suddenly he reminded Marie about an old commercial. There had been a dog, listening to an old gramophone.
"Marie?"
"I'm here. Please, do as he says…" Magneto cut off rest of her sentence by covering her mouth with his hand. Logan started walking closer.
He could hear her heartbeat. Smell vanilla and peppermint. Fear. Same kind of mix he had smelt year ago. She was afraid all right. And not just because of Magneto. She was afraid of him. What the fuck was going on?
"Want to let her go now? It's me you're after, not her!" He shouted, trying to determine her exact location. She was at ten meters range, somewhere in front of him. He could hear Sabretooth struggling to stand up somewhere behind him. Fucker was a fast healer. Faster than him.
"We had a very interesting conversation before you arrived. I showed her quite entertaining movie, too. I must say you have a very peculiar diet…" Nausea gripped his stomach. She knew now. After this he could just pack up and leave. There was no chance in hell she would tolerate him in her eyes anymore.
"Just let her go. You don't need her anymore." Every word he could pull out from Magneto would help him to locate them.
Just as it looked like Magneto would let her go, Logan roared and leaped, crashing against him. His grip around her throat tightened momentarily, then suddenly went slack and he fell to the floor, Logan on top of him. Logan moved quickly, pressing his fist against Magneto's forehead, and she could hear a sickening crunch when his claws pierced old mutant's skull. Then it was over. Logan just lay there. Sabretooth groaned and pulled himself little unsteadily to his knees. Logan lifted his head and turned his face to his direction.
"Stay down, Vic. I don't want to hurt you more." Surprisingly enough bigger mutant obeyed, laying down and trying to sort out the mess Logan had left his guts.
They sat outside, on his bike. He was cutting off sticky goop that was covering his eyes.
"Is it true?" She asked, voice shivering.
"Yeah. True enough. I did it. That's why I have been at Xavier's so often. Therapy."
"Magneto… He had some footage of you… He told me you are Xavier's hitman."
"True. Xavier doesn't want to get his hands dirty. And I kind of owe him. He put my head back in order." Logan had gotten his face cleaned up, and turned face-to-face with her.
"You weren't in Canada?"
"No. I was in a patted cell at Xavier's." She turned her gaze away, and he could smell her tears.
"As soon as we get home, I'll pack up and leave. I won't… I won't come back, if that's what you want. You don't have to see me anymore."
"If you ever need anything, call Xavier. He'll know how to contact me." He was standing in her small kitchen, backpack slung carelessly over his shoulder, grim lines on his face. She couldn't help thinking how they were back at square one again. Both hurting, and he was leaving.
"Can I keep this?" She lifted her gaze from the tablecloth. Ring she had gotten him. They weren't officially married, but one sunny day they had decided to make their union more noticeable. They had gotten rings for each other. Pure silver, two hands clasped together. She couldn't bring herself to actually say the words, so she just nodded. He shuffled his feet awkwardly, stepped closer. Placed a soft kiss on top of her head.
"Good bye, kid. I love you."