I have some good news and some bad news:

the good news is, a.) here i come with the next chapter, b.) Most of the other chapters, including the epilogue have been some what written (They're not in the best of shape and need some polishing before I'll let you see them).

And now the bad news: I go back to University in about oh...3 days. which means i won't have as much time to write. But i will finish this story before my fall semester gets too crazy.

As of right now, I only have three chapters left and they probably won't be as long as this one.

Disclaimer: I own nothing at all!

Chapter 15: The Collection.

"Because I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me; The carriage held but just ourselves and immortality."~Emily Dickinson

The alarm went off, as it always did, at six thirty. Groaning, I reached out from the blankets to slap it back against the bedside time. I finally shut it off after a good thirty seconds of fiddling with it. I fell back against the pillows, exhausted already.

"How's your arm?" Was Logan's sulky 'good morning'. He took my left wrist in his hand and pulled it up into the sunlight to inspect. The three red scratches across my forearm were long but shallow, already beginning to heal.

"I'm fine." I rolled over onto my elbow. "I told you last night."

He gave me a stony look and kept running his fingers over the skin of my wrist in contemplation. "Technically, it was this morning."

I rolled my eyes at him. "It was an accident no matter what time it was."

He grimaced at me.

"Babe," I slipped my hand against his cheek and pulled him toward me. "It's fine. It just a scratch."

"Three scratches," He corrected.

"Please don't dwell on this." I begged him.

"I-"

I cut him off with a kiss. Just one. "Please? For me?"

"For you." He clarified and kissed the longest scratch on my arm. "Only you."

"Deal," I laid back down, my arm still around him, and let my head sink into my pillow when an idea popped into my head. "Let's play hooky today," I suggested.

"Tomorrow might be better." He insisted as he pulled me closer.

"Why? Why not today? What about the whole seize the day thing?"

"Because tomorrow's Friday, and then we'll have a three day weekend."

I sighed. "Fine." And slid out of bed. "Start the coffee for me, Babe?"

"'Course," he smiled from the bed as his eyes roamed over me.

"What?" I wondered, pulling a brush through my hair.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

I rolled my eyes. "You're such a morning person it makes me sick…"

"And that is why you love me." He laughed as he too, got out of bed.

I smiled to myself as I put the brush down and went into bathroom.

"How many cups of coffee have you had today?" Dee quizzed me as I poured myself a cup after Logan dropped me off.

I thought back, cocking my head to one side as I flipped through my mail and other papers. "This is three, I think."

Dee put her hands on her hips. "What happened to quitting?"

"That's you. I couldn't give it up without going through withdrawals." I placed my hand on her burgeoning belly. "This one doesn't like caffeine?"

Dee groaned. "No, I got spoiled with Danny. I swear he was born a caffeine addict."

"But he's adorable." I smiled, watching him run around with a few other kids in the school yard before school started. "My favorite almost-nephew."

"This one better be just as good." Dee insisted.

"We can't call it 'this one' forever." I laughed. "When will you know for sure?"

She smiled and rubbed her stomach, her eyes growing as soft as a Madonna's. "We've got an appointment next week to find out."

"Call me the minute you know."

Suddenly Dee had a strange look on her face and a mischievous light in her eyes. It was as if she were plotting something, like she used to look when she was trying to set me up. "What?" I glanced up and down, thinking maybe I'd spilled coffee on myself. "What are you looking at?"

"You want kids, don't you?" Dee smirked.

"I never said that." I took a huge sip of coffee. "Logan and I already talked about it."

"And….?"

"And….It's not for us." I winced, waiting for fireworks.

"Are you serious?" Dee poked me. "Kayla, how long have you been with Logan?"

"Almost five years," I shrugged.

"And you don't think he's what you want?"

I put down my coffee cup and looked out the window at the kids running around. "It's…not that…"

"Well, what is it?" She wondered as she too started to go through her mail.

I shook my head. "I don't know….after my mom and everything she went through, I'd want to be married before I had a kid myself."

"And you don't want to marry Logan?" She pushed.

"Dee…I don't need a piece of paper to tell me what I already know. Besides," I looked down at my hands. "I want to make things right with Emma first."

"But-"

"Dee." I placed my hand and hers and gave a little incentive. "Let it go." Her eyes went blank for a second and then returned to normal.

I returned to the task at hand, trying to shake Dee's talk from my head. Logan and I had talked about it, a few months after Danny was born actually. There wasn't a ring or a proposal or anything, but we agreed that it couldn't work, not with his aging still not slowing down to an appropriate rate and the legal trouble that would, no doubt, ensue when I died, but also Stryker….I couldn't in good conscious go through with it. Besides, I didn't need a piece of paper telling me that I loved him and neither did Logan.

The day passed as normally as it always did until Logan came to pick me up. Maybe it was something in the air, or the fact that I was a little late because Ryan Donald's father didn't pick him up until three thirty, which always threw off my day. But the moment I sat in the car, I knew something was wrong. Logan hardly looked at me and he held the steering wheel with such a tight grip, I saw the veins in his hands starting to pop and the ligaments holding the claws beginning to give way.

"What's wrong?" I asked, almost fearing the answer.

He glanced over, as I shocked him out of his thoughts. "Stryker came to see me today."

The day I had feared for five years now had finally arrived. My stomach plummeted to my feet, my hands began to sweat and I felt as though I'd suddenly come down with a fever. I must have made a face because he added right away. "Don't worry, I said 'no'."

"Why is he bothering you after all these years?" I snarled through my teeth.

"Because I'm the best there is at what I do." He grimaced. "And what I do best isn't nice."

I rolled my eyes as I should. "You're not an animal, Logan. What you have is a gift." God, I hated that man for what he'd done to Logan, feeding him all that crap for years.

"A gift?" Logan shrugged. "A gift you can return." And then he stopped short when we got close to the bridge. Two trucks had stopped side by side. "Come on, fellas…" Logan honked the horn. Instead of moving, one of them flipped us off.

Logan growled and jammed the car into park.

"Baby, stay in the car," I pleaded, putting a hand on his arm. "Please?"

He smiled thinly at me. "I'm just going to ask nicely," and then untangled himself from me.

Jesus, not again. I covered my eyes with y hand as Logan went off to confront the asshole, who stood a good six inches taller than him. They exchanged a few words before the asshole tried to punch Logan, who caught the massive palm in his hand.

I jumped out of the car, after seeing that little gear go off in Logan and ran up to them. "Hey guys, take it easy!" I snarled, placing my hand on the guy's shoulder.

"Your boyfriend has a big mouth," the moron sputtered out.

"Big temper, too." I told him. "Now, please move your truck." I infused the words with a bit of will and sent him on his way.

As we walked back to our car, Logan stared at me. "How did you do that?"

"Powers of persuasion." I retorted with a laugh; it was the truth after all.

"Do they work on me?" he wondered as he opened the door.

"You didn't stay in the car, now did you?" I smirked and got in, Stryker now the last thing on my mind

I glanced up out the window to see the moon hanging almost right next to it. It reminded me of a story I'd read earlier that day. "Why is the moon lonely?" I asked aloud.

"I don't know. Why?" Logan had become used to this. I didn't do it often, only when I came across a cool story, however, I wasn't the best judge of what was or wasn't cool; I loved reading after all.

"Because she used to have a lover." I bit my lip, wondering what he was thinking.

"Ah," he nodded with a smile of his own as I came to sit on his lap. "Did you tell the kids this one?"

"His name was Kikawatsu and they lived in the Spirit World together." I answered, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"So, it's a true story then?" He wondered.

I ignored him. "Every night, they would wander the skies together. But one of the other spirits was jealous, the Trickster wanted the moon for himself. So, he told Kikawatsu that the Moon had asked for flowers. Told him to come to our world to pick her some wild roses. Kikawatsu didn't know that once you leave the Spirit World, you can never go back…." I searched his eyes, looking for a reaction because I'm sure my face must have given something away. "… And every night, he looks up into the sky and howls her name. But he can never touch her again." I finished sadly, knowing that in some way our story would end in a similar way.

"Wow…" Logan nodded seriously. "Ku ku kacho got screwed!" He laughed.

"Kikawatsu." I corrected, running my hand down his cheek. "It means the Wolverine."

"Wolverine…" he mused. "They're kind of-"

"Mean?" I suggested. "Territorial and downright terrifying."

"I was going for ornery but…sure, fine." He laughed "You're the teacher."

I grinned but inside I wanted to cry and rage like I'd done three years ago, but I couldn't. He'd know and then we'd all be in trouble. I knew this day would come, I knew it before I'd ever met him and I dreaded it even then. That dread wound its way through my veins, weighing me down like lead.

Logan picked up on my melancholy almost instantly. "What is it, Babe?" he breathed against my hair, very close to my ear.

"Nothing," I ran my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, wanting time to stop right here, right now. "I just…."

"Emma?" He wondered quietly.

"Yeah…" I lied quickly. "She'll be twenty three this year," I counted sadly on my fingers and leaned back to look him in the eye. "There's so much I missed with her. So much I'm going to miss."

"She'll be back." He predicted as he ran his hand up and down my leg. "Any day now."

"You've been saying that since forever," I pointed out with a grim smile.

"And it can still come true," he replied as he pulled me closer and closer. "Besides-"

I held a finger up to his lips. I didn't want to waste what could be my last night with him talking about Emma. Emma walked away from us, she chose not to call or write or anything. She couldn't be helped now.

True to his word, Stryker had come and time was up.

"I don't want to talk about Emma anymore," I whispered against his mouth. "Actually, I don't want to talk at all anymore."

"Done and done." He grinned as he slid down the straps of my nightgown, kissing the hollow of my throat.

I only slept for a few hours; I couldn't lay there with all the dread laced through me. But before I got up, I memorized the man who had lain beside me for the past five years. In my heart, I knew that he would not look like this forever. Soon that serenity he'd gained over the last few years would be replaced with the rage he used to let rule his life and he would hate me. I couldn't blame him either.

Logan, as per usual, was sleeping soundly with no flicker of nightmare across his face. His dark hair had gotten long; he'd need a hair cut soon as it fell across his eyes, he hated it when it was that long. He had such long eyelashes for a man, I realized as they fanned against his high cheek bones. He'd pulled the sheet we still hadn't replaced, half up his chest, letting me watch it rise and fall with every breath.

I never understood before why someone watched a loved one sleep until this particular moment. There was something so peaceful about knowing that he was next to me, sleeping and absolutely beautiful in the darkness. But I had things to do before he woke up.

Just as the sun was about to come up, I reluctantly slipped out of bed, knowing exactly what to do. I sat down next to my record player and flipped through the records looking for just the right one. The right one came in the form of the Beatles' "I'll Follow the Sun." I grabbed the lyrics and started to write to Emma on them.

Dear Emma,

If you've gotten this letter, it means that I've died. I'm sorry that I couldn't see you become the woman that you will be. I'm sorry I couldn't see you graduate from University, get married, have my many nieces and nephews, and do whatever it is you're going to do because I know it will be life-altering to see.

I want you to know that I never stopped loving you and I never will. No one and nothing will ever change that. I've loved you since the first moment I saw you wrapped up in that pink hospital blanket. Those years with Mom and Christopher and you, living in Toronto were some of the happiest I can remember. Except for that last summer you spent with us. Everything was perfect and I re-live every moment when I miss you so much it's hard to breathe.

I wish I had better words to tell you how much I love you and why this has happened, but I don't, which is why I've left you with the Beatles. They always say it best.

Speaking of leaving; I've left everything to you, including the house, my bank account, and a small trust I've been saving for you since I started working. Use it wisely.

Remember; I love you first. Always have. Always will.

Kayla.

I glanced up from my first finished letter, to see the sun's light starting to stain the mountain. There wasn't much time left. So, I sealed Emma's letter in an envelope, wrote my signature across the back to be sure no one else would ever see its contents and began looking through my records for the next one.

And then, it was staring me in the face. I smiled a little as I slid the lyrics out of the record, remembering everything. Billie Holiday's "It Had to Be You", no question. It was our song.

I picked up my pen and began the hardest letter I'd ever written. Miraculously, I kept the tears at bay as I wrote; my pen flying faster and faster. I finished with just enough time to spare. I got it in the envelope, sealed and in my purse and retreated back to the kitchen to start the coffee maker just as the bedroom door opened.

Logan appeared, shirtless as he always did (much to my delight), eyes narrowed at me. "What the hell are you doing up so early? The alarm just went off…."

I shrugged as the coffeemaker began to gurgle. "I just remembered some stuff I have to do this morning. Bank stuff."

"I thought we were going to play hooky?" He wondered.

"Well, I would but," I sighed. "I really need to get some stuff done. Maybe next week?"

He sighed, leaning against the counter. "And I was looking forward to hooky."

I giggled and slipped my hand into his.

Everything was normal, so much so I wanted to scream. I dropped Logan off at work with a kiss and a whispered: "I love you." I watched him walk away from me, my heart dropping with every step he took. Somehow, I'll never be sure exactly how, I got back in the car, put it back into gear and drove away, each motion harder than the last as the drop off site grew smaller and smaller the father away I got.

The bank had barely opened when I drove up. The only teller on duty was Jody, a girl who was only a few years older than Emma. I handed her the envelopes and told her to put everything with the deed for my house. She complied with a furrowed brow as I left in a hurry to get to school.

I didn't get very far. As soon as I got out of town, I had the odd feeling of being watched. Shivering, I turned up the music as I rounded the nearest curve.

As Frank Sinatra sang on about going over the rainbow, I saw a dark shape standing in the road. I stopped the car and watched as the shadows melted off to reveal Victor Creed in his trademark black trench coat and menacing smile.

He paused at the driver's headlight as his nails suddenly grew six inches. Glancing up at me, he smiled more broadly and dug his fingernails into the hood. The metal gave way with a sickening and gut-wrenching screech.

Victor reached the driver's side door and leaned down to the open window. "Hello again, little Fox." He greeted me with a sneer.

I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles were white. Slowly, I realized that I'd been shaking my head and muttering: "No…no…no…." under my breath since he'd appeared on the road.

"I'm sorry, little Fox." He frowned just a little. "But the time has come to pay the piper."

I kept shaking my head. "You…you can't…."

"They're orders, sweetheart." He grinned. "Now, what you're going to do is pull the car over and then you're going to follow me."

"Why?" I breathed, looking for a way out. "Why would I do anything you want me to?"

Victor groaned and hung his head for a minute. Then he lifted his head, the smirk was chilling especially with his huge canines. "Because if you don't, I make one little phone call, and we kill your sister."

My heart stopped. "Emma? You….have…have Emma?"

Victor didn't answer my question but gave me another reason to do exactly what he said; "After I finish off Jimmy, of course."

I closed my eyes with a sharp intake of breath….When I opened them, tear-free to my great surprise, I put the car in reverse and backed into the ditch, out of the road. When I finished, I climbed out passenger side door. "What now?"

He grabbed my right forearm and I hissed when his hands closed over the scratches. Victor turned, yanked up my long sleeve and smiled deviously at me. "So….that's how you like it, then?"

I could only shoot him a nasty look as he dragged me further and further from the road. When we reached the spot he'd been looking for, he motioned for me to sit. I did and he pulled out a lethal looking syringe.

"You're going to kill me now, aren't you?" I murmured, wondering if it would hurt. It wasn't any less than what I deserved. At least the letters had been written and delivered to safe hands.

"No. This is a healthy dose of hydrochlorothiazide." He flicked the vial twice to rid it of any bubbles. "It'll slow your heart down so much that it'll take a genius to figure out that you're still alive. This bad boy will knock you flat on your ass."

"Where will I wake up?" I murmured as he wiped the crook of my elbow with alcohol. In my mind, I was back in bed with Logan, his arms around me. I was safe and warm and wanted. I wasn't there with his monster of a brother.

"Three Mile Island." He stuck the needle in and it everything went black.

so, i want to you to know that i looked EVERYWHERE for that myth, but I got nothing. I looked up a wolverine's habitat and they do like mountians like the canadian rockies, but wolverines don't howl....

and also, i had to watch the part of the movie where Kayla tells Logan what Victor gave her like fifteen times to even guess what te drug was. What i put in the story was as close as i could get, if you know how to really spell it (which mine probably isn't) let me know and I'll change it.