Hello, everyone! Welcome to a new chapter! Before we go on to the reviews, I must tell you that I am in a state of heightened exitement! Why, I hear you ask? Because Jubilee is back! Yay! The perky firecracker is back where she belongs in the pages of the latest X-men offering, 'Curse of the Mutants'! Those of you who know me well will remember that I am a die-hard Wolvie and Jubilee fan, so I have high hopes that Jubes' return will rekindle their doomed relationship! Not that it was ever kindled in the first place, but a girl can dream, can't she? And with both Wolvie and Jubilee currently being under the influence of a vampire virus, anything could happen - and I'm seriously hoping it does!
In honour of Jubilee's return, you may like to know that I have been working on a new story focusing on the feral and his firecracker! It's been banging around in my head for quite some time and has finally demanded to be let free! It's entitled 'Captive Rage' and the first chapter should be ready to upload in a few days' time, so I hope you will join me for its maiden voyage!
Logan's Wolverette's: Back to the normal schedule now, and I send a heartfelt "Thank you!" to all my faithful readers! - Sarra Ambrai, FrozenVoices, Laudine, daddygirl, nileena, 12kirby12 and The Scratch Man! And a big "Hello!" to Anindoufu! Two more reviews and you can join the ranks of the world famous Wolverettes!
Several guesses have been made as to the identity of the girl with red hair - no one's got it yet! Keep going! And now ... Onward! Our story awaits ...!
ooXoo
13. A Girl with Red Hair
"Who the hell are you?" Logan held his body tensed on the balls of his feet, ready to spring should the need arise. "How do you know my name?"
The girl smiled, seemingly unperturbed by the feral's show of bluster. She held out her hand as a small, brightly coloured bird flew by, letting it alight on her finger. "I've known your name for as long as you have, Logan, but the details of that aren't important right now. What is important is that we all get to safety before night falls and the snare-rats come out to hunt."
"Snare-rats?" asked Nikki, leaning sideways to peer around Logan's hunched body. The feral pushed her back behind him with a grunt.
The girl gestured towards the fog, unsettling the bird which flew off towards the valley. "You've already made their acquaintance in there," she remarked, easily. "If you don't wish to do so again, I suggest moving from this place."
"Nobody's going anywhere, girl, until you answer my question," growled Logan, his eyes narrowed and his hackles obviously rising. "So I say again: who are you? How do we know we can trust you?"
"Can't you smell my sincerity, Logan?" The girl's eyes twinkled mischievously as she took a step forward, deliberately confronting the feral with calm assurance. "Have your senses dulled over the years? There was a time you could sniff out a single peanut in a store room full of dried fish."
"Still can." Logan allowed a discontented growl to rumble in his chest, thrown by the girl's casual familiarity of him. The truth was, his senses had already confirmed she was no threat to them – she carried no weapons and her words held the ring of truth about them. He could sniff out a lie simply by concentrating on the subtle changes in a person's body chemistry. Lying caused a body to sweat, their mouth to go dry and their breath to smell, and a hundred other little clues that only a feral's enhanced senses could pick up on. The girl smelled only of rain showers and roses – she smelled ….. familiar ….. and he couldn't understand why.
"Remy, he t'ink we should trust de girl." The Cajun stepped forward, a bright and welcoming smile lightening his handsome features.
"And the reason for that is?" Gordon looked anxiously back and forth between the members of the X-Men. "Look, I don't want to be Mr Paranoid here, but how do we know she's going to help us? How do we know she won't lure us all into some lonely spot where her companions can pick us off at their leisure?"
"Because I know, that's why." Wolverine glowered at the civilian, unable to explain his reasons but willing the man to follow his lead. Gordon stared back for a second or two before finally shaking his head and moving away to stand with his wife and son. He knew next to nothing about the feral's abilities to smell a lie, but he knew enough not to argue when his mind was set.
The decision made, Logan relaxed his stance slightly, allowing the girl to move closer. She smiled and touched his arm as she passed by, sending tingles like electricity rippling along the limb despite the thickness of his leather jacket and reaffirming his suspicions that he knew the girl in some way. The connection was there, somewhere, buried deep in the shattered fragments of his memory, but he couldn't access it.
"That's it? We trust her just because you say so? What about what happened in there?" David trembled slightly as he looked back at the fog pulsing obscenely behind them. His father tried to shush him but the young man shrugged him off. "No, dad, this isn't right. Shouldn't we all vote on this?"
"This ain't a damn democracy, boy." Logan strode back to the group, moving to stand possessively at Kristi's side. His mate was staring at the newcomer with open curiosity and he belatedly realised the pair of them were still linked – she would be able to sense his familiarity with the girl and was understandably piqued. Abruptly, he severed the link, watching Kristi blink and shake her head at the suddenness of it. He snorted at the look she gave him and then turned his attention pointedly to the girl.
"You've earned our co-operation for the time being," he growled. "But cross us or show any sign o' treachery an' our alliance will be ended."
The girl nodded, a tiny smile tilting her lips. "Fair enough." She pointed down the valley. "We should try to make the safety of the river at least, by nightfall. The grasslands are not safe after dark."
"Nightfall?" asked Jubilee, frowning. "But the river doesn't look to be that far away and it's still early."
"One thing you will learn, my young friend, is that time moves differently here." The girl hesitated and looked up into the sky, indicating the twin moons. "This is not the world you knew. The normal rules of time and space do not apply."
"Bummer," snorted Jubilee, frankly. "Isn't that just typical?"
"So where exactly are we then?" asked Nikki, as the girl began to lead the way down the valley. Jubilee and Nikki were right beside her, their young minds intrigued by the promise of new things to discover, but the rest of the group followed at a slower pace, straggling a little because of the civilians' fatigue.
"Where are we?" repeated the girl. She gestured grandly around her. "This is the world between the living and the dead. Lady Deathstrike told you the truth."
"You know about that?" asked Jubilee, in surprise.
"Of course. This is my domain. I know of everything that happens here." There was no boast to her words – it was simply a statement of fact.
"So. We know where we are. But you still haven't answered de Wolverine's question." Gambit moved forward to put himself in the girl's line of sight. "Who are you? What is your name?"
"My name?" She glanced down at the rose in her hand, smiling gently as if in remembrance of another place. "My name is lost in time and memory and only the one who holds it in his heart can retrieve it. But if you want – or need – to call me something, then I will answer to the name that Logan used. Call me …. Girl."
oooOOOooo
As they walked, it quickly became clear that time and space did indeed behave differently in their new world. The river, which had appeared to be no further than a two hour hike away, seemed to grow more distant with every step yet the mountains loomed above them. Wolverine's inner clock told him the time was almost noon, but the sky above was darkening ominously, signalling the onset of night. Eerie yips and howls echoing from the fog they had left behind had them speeding up the pace and looking around uneasily.
Wolverine ranged ahead, fearing an ambush and unwilling to accept the girl's assurances that they were safe until the moons set. As he loped away, he re-established the link between himself and his mate, thus allowing him to keep a watchful eye on the rest of his team while he scouted. If anyone – or any thing – attacked while he was away, the link would warn him instantly. He hoped it wouldn't come to that – the girl had promised to get them to safety and he had accepted her words without question – but the link gave him a distinct advantage over any malcontents who may decide to cause mischief on his team-mates in his absence.
The moment Wolverine disappeared from sight, Kristi sensed her mother approaching and turned to acknowledge her, reining in her apprehension so as not to transmit this over the link. Her father, following closely behind his wife, looked drawn and anxious, but it was he who spoke first as they moved into position at either side of their daughter, unconsciously making her feel as though she was being prevented from fleeing like a skittish doe.
"Kristi, we need to talk."
"About what?" she asked, cautiously. She had her suspicions, but didn't want to voice them until she knew for sure.
Her worst fears, however, were confirmed by her father's next words.
"I think you know what I'm referring to, Kristi." Gordon took hold of his daughter's arm, forcing her to a halt and pulling her around to face him. "That ….. that thing you did back there. What the hell was it?"
"Dad, please ….." Kristi eased her arm free of her father's grasp as Gambit turned and gave her an inquiring look. She shook her head to let him know she was in no need of assistance and resumed walking, forcing her parents to trot to catch up or risk being left behind. "Can't we discuss this later, when we're safe?"
"No, Kristi." Her father was quietly adamant. "What you did was ….. well, it was astounding and it needs to be discussed. We had no idea you were capable of such explosive power."
"Don't be afraid, sweetheart," added her mother gently, trying to be supportive but only making matters worse. "We can understand your need to be defensive, but this has absolutely nothing to do with Wolverine."
Kristi sighed, sadly. "You're wrong, mom, this has everything to do with Wolverine." She took a deep breath and steeled herself, realising that the time had come to tell her mother about her true relationship with the Wolverine whether she liked it or not. She would have preferred a more amicable setting – a quiet room where the three of them could talk it out over cups of coffee was far more civilised than a grassy hillside where they were under threat of attack at any moment. But beggars couldn't be choosers, and at least her mother couldn't storm off and lock herself in her bedroom if she heard something she didn't like.
Kristi had the distinct feeling that nothing she had to say would be to her mother's liking…..
She raised her chin and forced herself to smile. "I'm more than just Logan's girlfriend, mom. I'm his mate."
Mrs Marsters looked astounded. "His ….. his mate? Kristi, what on Earth are you talking about? Animals have mates, not human beings."
Kristi felt her father shift uncomfortably at her opposite side but, with her options limited, she had no choice but to forge ahead.
"Logan is more than a mutant, mom. He's also feral. And ferals take mates. When they find the one that completes their existence, they bond with them."
She paused to gauge the effect of her words on her mother. Mrs Marsters looked shocked and bewildered, but otherwise seemed to be taking this latest revelation rather well, Kristi thought. It was bound to go belly-up before much longer, she suspected.
Mrs Marsters shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand, Kristi. What are you trying to say? And what does this have to do with your power?"
"That power – my starwave – comes from my bond with Logan, mom. I wouldn't be able to do it if it weren't for him. You see, we have the ability to link – to become one." She glanced sideways to see her mother watching her intently, her expression unreadable. Kristi moistened her lips, nervously. "In our normal state, we have an awareness of each other – we can sense each others emotional state and feelings. But when linked, we both enter a heightened level of our mutation – I can produce my starwave and Logan can remain in control even though he is completely feral."
Mrs Marsters had covered her mouth with her hand. "My god ….." she breathed.
Kristi held out her hand, beseechingly. "It's okay, mom, the bond isn't anything to be afraid of. It's perfectly natural ….."
"To you, maybe, but what about to us?" Mrs Marsters recoiled from the hand her daughter was offering as though it was poison. "For heaven's sake, girl, why didn't you tell us about all this? Why did you feel the need to keep us in the dark? Do you think that little of us?"
"Mom, no, I …" Kristi reached out desperately, but her mother took a step back. "I love you and dad – you know I do – but ….." Things were spiralling rapidly out of control and Kristi was helpless to stop it.
"You've changed, Kristi. You're not the daughter I thought I knew." Mrs Marsters' voice was harsh as she pronounced sentence on her own offspring. "This bond with your ….. your feral has altered your judgement somehow and I don't think it's for the best. If this is an example of how people act and change when they join the X-men, then I'm relieved neither David or Nikki have manifested."
And her mother turned away to walk with her son, her face set and determined.
"Mom?" Kristi called after her, but her mother either didn't hear her or chose not to and the young X-Man felt her heart breaking all over again.
A gentle hand on her arm reminded her that her father was still by her side. He had been silent throughout the exchange and now his face was lined and full of concern, truly repentant for the mischief his seemingly innocent inquiry into her wellbeing had wrought.
"Kristi, I ….. I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
"It's okay, dad." Kristi patted his hand absently, feeling a weight of responsibility that belied her tender years. "It was my fault. I should have told you about the link." She sighed, unhappily. "In fact, I should have told you both about the bond right from the start instead of fooling around and putting it off. God, I've made such a mess of this, haven't I?"
Gordon nodded at his daughter. "I'm not going to disagree with you there, Kristi. But everything will work out. I'm sure of it."
"How can you say that, dad?" Kristi threw out a hand, gesturing around them. "Look at us – stranded god-knows-where at the whim of a madwoman! Not only does my mother hate my bondmate but now she thinks I'm evil personified! And it's all my fault! If I hadn't decided to visit home, none of this would have happened. Oh sure, Deathstrike would still have attacked, but it would have been at the mansion and you would never have been involved." Kristi wrung her hands, helplessly. "I should have stayed away. I shouldn't have come home!"
"Don't you say that – ever!" Gordon took hold of his daughter's hands and held them tightly, pulling her to a halt. "You're our eldest daughter, Kristi, and no matter how foolishly your mother is behaving at the moment, we both love you. I would rather be stranded here, with you and your bondmate, than find out later that you had been attacked at the school where I couldn't help you."
Kristi smiled through the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "That's sweet, dad. Really." She thought it best not to admit that the team had been attacked several times since she had moved to the mansion. Instead, she gave his hand a tug. "We'd better get moving. Remy's watching us again."
Her father obligingly fell into step beside her and they walked in silence for a time, Kristi lost in thought as she stared at the back of her mother's head with unseeing eyes. She felt to be standing at the top of a steep and very slippery slope – one wrong step and she would tumble down it and where she would end up was anybody's guess. Things that had seemed so clear to her at the mansion now appeared muddied and fogged beyond all recognition – her relationship with Logan, the bond, her new ability – all these things had been seized upon by her mother and blown out of all proportion. Why was she being so unreasonable? Her reactions were confusing and more akin to those who hated mutant kind than for a woman who's daughter was one of their number. Did she hate Wolverine so much that it could blind her to everything else?
Kristi startled as her father nudged her gently in the side. He smiled apologetically and nodded in the direction they were heading. "Time to put your happy face on, hon. Logan's coming back."
oooOOOooo
It wasn't immediately apparent whether Wolverine had returned due to his mate's state of mind or simply because he had scouted as far as he thought he should go, but within minutes of rejoining her he was displaying the typical boorish attitude for which he was so well known among his team-mates. His face darkened and he growled at anyone who came within an arms-length of himself and his mate, causing Gordon to excuse himself and seek safer companionship. Kristi did her best to keep calm and not to dwell on what was upsetting her but, with the link between herself and her mate still open, she knew she was fighting a losing battle. She didn't even have the option of closing it – it had been discovered early on in their relationship that only Logan had the ability to open and close the link between them – and so she found herself a passenger along for the ride as Logan's mood went from bad to worse. As a direct result, her own feelings became darker and more morose, until she was ready to scream herself hoarse with frustration.
Worse, she knew their current attitude wasn't exactly helping her cause as far as her mother was concerned. Her mother obviously considered the bond an aberration and something to be feared or despised – with it currently inciting their own inner demons, Kristi feared they were just adding fuel to the fire.
Jubilee eventually sensed her dilemma and trotted back to join them, squeezing in between the mated pair and pointing out something in the distance that was of no interest whatsoever. Having now seized control of the conversation she proceeded – in the way of all hyper-active youngsters and of Jubilee in general – to distract Wolverine with a constant rush of inane chatter.
It always amazed Kristi how easily Jubilee was able to calm the feral no matter how much of a foul temper he was in. She had seen him lay waste to the Danger Room on several occasions in their short acquaintance, yet all it took was a casual word from his young team-mate to pull him back from the brink of madness. If Kristi had been a jealous minded woman, she would have wondered about his motives, but she was fully understanding of the bond that existed between them. It was nothing like the bond between herself and the feral, of course, but she knew it was no less effective, having being born out of a period of mutual need. The love they held for each other was strong and tempered by the danger that came from the world around them.
Kristi knew she was more than capable of calming her mate herself. She had proved this in a baptism of fire, coaxing her mate back to his senses after being 'seduced' by Vixen into attacking his team-mates. Admittedly, she had been in fear of her life at the time, but instinct had told her exactly what to do to bring her mate back to her. Her success had paved the way to discovery of their linked abilities, which her mother seemed to despise so much and the reason for Kristi's unease of mind. With her thoughts bogged down with 'what if's' and 'why's' she knew she would never have the control needed to calm her own mood, much less her mate's. Consequently, she was willing to allow Jubilee to assist, flashing the youngster a grateful smile when she glanced her way. It wasn't so much cheating, Kristi told herself, as bowing to the superior abilities of a team-mate.
Even if that team-mate was only fourteen …..
It was actually quite liberating to take a back seat and allow Jubilee to run the show for a while. The girl was able to chatter at length about the most mundane of things, all of which Logan endured with the indulgent attitude of a long-suffering father. And when Nikki grew tired of leading the group alongside the girl and dropped back to take up position on Logan's free side, Kristi realised that her mate had acquired yet another admirer. Somehow, Logan's instinctive ability to form attachments had reeled in another willing victim in the form of her own sister. Seeing him trying to divide his attention between the two over-active teenagers made her smile and she sent a fond pulse down the bond, receiving the mental equivalent of a raised eyebrow in return.
With Wolverine feeling calmer and not transmitting his feelings so heavily, Kristi found her own mood improving, although she was puzzled as to why he was leaving the link between them open. She had never been under the direct influence of her mate's mind for so long before and she was shocked to realise that her perceptions of the world around her were beginning to change. Every detail stood out in amazing clarity – distant sounds came easily to her ears and teased her with their origins. Even the air around her smelled so much sweeter. Even without being linked, she had the ability to tap into her mate's fighting techniques and instincts, effectively becoming of one mind. It seemed that this also included, to a lesser degree, his enhanced senses.
Excited at the prospect of experiencing something new, Kristi reached out with her borrowed feral abilities, inhaling the heady manliness of Gambit's cologne, the faint traces of gunpowder that emanated from Jubilee and, as she cast further, the unmistakable scent of something which stirred memories she knew were not her own. Logan trembled fitfully in her mind and she quickly withdrew, turning her attention elsewhere before she could transmit her discovery to her mate and unsettle him once again.
Because now she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was right. When the girl had approached them from the valley, she'd sensed the stirrings of interest from Logan's mind – felt him trying to understand just why she seemed so familiar to him and desperately trying to access memories that were no longer his to command. But then he had shut down the link and composed his thoughts, and Kristi had been left with the vague impression that she'd imagined it all.
But now she knew she hadn't imagined it after all – Logan did recognise the girl, even if he couldn't remember who she was. And she obviously knew Logan – and extremely well, if her understanding of his feral nature was anything to go by.
Which begged the question; was she a past enemy of Logan's, come to lead them all to their doom, as her father had suggested? Or worse, was she a former lover, intent on reclaiming her man?
Kristi's sudden spike of anger and jealousy made Logan snort and glance her way curiously …
….. And the girl turned around and smiled knowingly …..
NEXT: Maybe we should build a campfire? Sing a few songs? Maybe that'll help?