A/N: as promised, here comes the drama. Although, first I thought I'd start with some pointless almost smut and fluff. Just because I feel bad throwing them all into turmoil.
On another note, I just got a new book, "X-Men and Philosophy" and it's quite an interesting read. Brings up a lot of questions about deep introspective things. Felt like sharing that seeing as its related somewhat. Enough of my rambling then, on to the next chapter.
Logan was very busy in his classroom, taking care of serious business.
And serious business, of course, meant that he was forgoing the grading of papers on the history of ancient Egyptian pottery in favor of the 5'9" of blue teleporter that was kneeling under his desk and pulling down the zipper of his fly with his fangs.
Kurt's tail was slinking up Logan's leg and fumbling with the button as Logan's fingers twisted in his curls when it happened. It was the worst possible thing that could happen to two amorous mutants who had been kept apart for hours while one taught a class. The headmaster's voice rang out telepathically in their heads, and judging from the startled yelps throughout the school, every other students' as well; "Scott!"
"God damn Scooter…still manages to be a cock block even when he's not here…when I get through with him…" Logan snarled, zipping his pants back up. Kurt crawled out from under the desk, a scowl on his lips as he stretched.
"Yes, well, be sure to save some for me Logan. I am not too pleased with Herr Summers at this moment myself," Kurt said heatedly, his tail lashing back and forth behind him. He paused, giving Logan a considering look. He knew he'd be leaving in moments to answer the call the Professor had sent out. "You will hurry back?"
"Y'know, I'm more into taking my own time getting back to anywhere," Logan started, and noted how Kurt's frown grew, less frustrated and more a touch sad. "Unless, there's something worth coming back to. So yeah, I'll hurry back elf. Keep the bed warm while I'm out." With a swift kiss pressed hastily to the corner of Kurt's lips and a jerk of his jeans to straighten them, Logan jogged out the door and down the hall. Although it was more than a little difficult given that his jeans had become uncomfortable tight and he had no way to cure it.
Kurt, on the other hand, was able, and did, 'porting directly into the shower and turning the water on as cold as he could stand it. He leaned against the wall, letting the water slide down his arms and bead in his hair until he was shivering and his teeth chattering. Yet he didn't get out and fetch a towel. He didn't know why he felt so worried about Logan; it was just to check on Scott, to see what had made the Professor cry out. He'd be gone a few hours at most. Still…Kurt couldn't get rid of the tight knot of unease in his stomach that told him something was going to go badly.
Logan shifted yet again in his seat on the Blackbird. Storm glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Problems Logan?"
"Yeah, you could say that," he grumbled.
"Do they involve a certain blue acrobat and some illicit activities you two were getting up to that got cut short?" she cast him a devious grin.
"Sure you're not a mind reader 'Ro?"
"I'm sure. No, I guessed judging from how you keep fidgeting in your seat. It's more than a little distracting."
"Sorry," Logan snorted. "I'll try to keep my discomfort to myself."
Storm piloted the massive jet to a perfect landing directly in a thick fog bank at the edge of the wide lake where Jean had died. They eased their way out to the ground, with no sound other than their own breathing. Neither of them wanted to be there, but they had little choice in the matter.
"Can't see a damn thing," Logan muttered. The hair on the back of his neck was on end, and the whole place smelled wrong. He waited impatiently while Storm lifted the fog. Once she had, however, he wished she hadn't. Everything wrong he'd felt with the place was confirmed when he saw the rocks, leaves, even water droplets floating silently in midair. He batted at a rock hovering near his head and sent it tumbling out towards the water. In doing so, he caught sight of a very familiar pair of ruby quartz glasses.
He forgot all about his tight jeans as he grasped the stem of the glasses. The 'X' on the side was a dead giveaway, but he gave them a sniff just to be sure. They were Scott's. But, where was Cyke, the fearless leader?
"Logan!" Storm's voice cut across the flat air, jolting Logan to rise to his feet and all but fly across the gravel to meet her. He knew, somehow instinctively, what he'd find. Yet he still almost fell to his knees when he saw her, hovering a few inches off the ground and seemingly unconscious. Her hair had grown out, falling in a blood red wave around her face. But it was still her.
"Jean…"
Kurt was awake still when he heard the heavy sound of the Blackbird coming in to land under the basketball court. He crept out of the room, mindful of the students sleeping and walked silently down the hall. He stopped on the stairs, perching on the banister. He thought briefly about sliding down it into Logan's arms, but reconsidered at the grim look on Logan's face and the fact that he already had someone in his arms. It was, oddly enough, Jean Grey.
"Logan," he called softly, walking down the banister as easily as one would walk down the sidewalk.
"Not now elf. Go back to bed," Logan brushed past him, heading down to the examining rooms where Charles was waiting. Storm gave him a sympathetic look, laid a hand on his shoulder, but continued on after Logan.
Naturally, Kurt did not go back to bed, but instead jumped off the banister and followed, remaining in the shadows. He clung to the wall just above the door where Logan and Storm had gone, listening as best he could. He only hoped Logan didn't smell him.
Beyond the door, catching the scent of his wayward lover was at the back of Logan's mind. He was more focused on what Xavier was explaining to him while he hooked Jean up to dozens of different machines, each designed to read something about her and record it. How Jean had wrapped herself in a telekinetic cocoon just before the water bore down on her, how he'd created psychic blocks in her mind until her powers and her conscious mind could be integrated. He went on to describe the split personalities that had developed, the conscious Jean and the Phoenix.
"Did Jean know about this?" Logan asked quietly. Storm looked sharply at him, hearing the threat of a growl in his voice and seeing how still he had gone.
"It's unclear what she knew. The question is whether the Jean we see here is our Jean or the Phoenix, struggling to break free."
"She looks peaceful to me Chuck." This time the growl came through, reverberating from that broad chest enough that Kurt could hear it and shivered. Xavier answered that he was keeping her that way, that Jean needed to be controlled. Logan, typically, protested this, causing Charles to retort that Logan had no idea what she was capable of. A few more terse words were exchanged, and the Professor wheeled himself out, followed by Storm while Logan took up post at Jean's bed.
"It's rude to eavesdrop," Charles commented, raising an eyebrow at Kurt.
"Ich bin traurig(1)," Kurt ducked his head. "I vas curious as to where Logan was going, and why he had Miss Grey." He looked towards the door, his desire to be in there evident.
"I wouldn't," Storm advised. "I know it hardly seems fair, but I'd leave him alone for now. It's a shock, but he'll snap out of it soon enough." Kurt nodded in agreement, and went to bed. Though instead of the bed he shared more often than not with Logan, he went to his lonely hammock he shared with no one.
Logan did not, as Storm predicted, snap out of it come morning, or the day after that. Or even a week later. Kurt had originally started his days creeping down to see Logan, to try and work up the courage to talk to him, maybe offer some comfort. But each time he almost stepped into the room, Logan would brush the hair from her face, or rub his thumb over her knuckles, or just look softly down at her. And Kurt would turn and go back to his room, until he stopped going altogether.
He spent his days mostly in solitude, with Rogue, Kitty, Bobby, and Storm stopping by to give sympathetic platitudes and weak smiles. But the point of fact was that Logan had, in no uncertain terms, dropped Kurt the moment Jean had come back from the dead. She wasn't even conscious and he was fawning over her like a love struck fool! To have something like what he and Logan had, and then for it to be snatched away hurt more than any comforting hug could cure. With this came the bitter realization of how deeply Kurt had felt about Logan, which simply served to drive the knife in deeper.
"Why don't you just go down and tell him he's being an ass?" Kitty suggested, hanging upside down from the bar in front of Kurt's window.
"I couldn't do zhat! He'd…he'd…I don't even know what he'd do."
"He'd respect you is what he'd do. You assert yourself, he'll like that. It's an alpha male thing. Trust me. Go on down to the infirmary and tell him he's got to stop mooning over her and come back to you right now," she dropped to the ground, twisting and landing on her feet.
"If you think so. Will you walk with me at least to the door?"
"Sure. Now let's go get your man back." Kitty linked her arm with Kurt's and marched him downstairs. He started to drag his feet the closer to the door they got, and might have teleported had Kitty not threatened to cut off his supply of granola bars if he didn't man up and work his problems out. She did not however, go into the room with him. She phased her arm out of his, gave him a reassuring pat on the back, and nudged him gently to the door before stepping through the wall and going back upstairs.
Kurt sucked in a deep breath that shook at the end. "It's just Logan," he murmured. "No need to panic. Just calm down and talk to him rationally. Maybe be a little assertive. Ja, you can do this."
The door opened just a crack, and after looking up and down the hall to ensure that no one was watching, Kurt leaned in and pressed his eye to it to see. What he saw…it made a lump form in his throat making breathing a challenge. His stomach dropped and the world shifted under his feet. The only thing that came to his mind was that Logan had taken his claws, carved out his still beating heart, and then stabbed it through.
Jean was twined around Logan, their lips moving against each other hungrily. His belt was undone and her legs were around his waist. Logan's eyes were shut and his head thrown back in bliss.
Feeling cold and numb, Kurt 'ported to the elevator. With a flick of his tail he pressed the button that would hold it between floors and curled up in the corner, unable to stop the hot tears that gathered in his eyes and slid down his cheeks.
"Hey, Kitty, you haven't seen Kurt around have you?"
Kitty glanced over the back of the couch and saw Rogue standing with Bobby. "Yeah, I saw him a bit ago. I sent him downstairs to take charge and make Logan see what an idiot he was being."
"Must still be down there then. We were just going to check on him, we got ice cream." Rogue held up the tub of Kurt's favorite, chocolate with marshmallow and fudgy brownies.
"Ooh! Ice cream! If I help find him, can I share?" Kitty rolled through the couch. Rogue laughed and told her she could. "Sweet! Ok, to the elevator." The teen punched the button to call the elevator. No lights came on, and there was no soft 'ding' to say that it was coming.
"Weird," Bobby muttered. "Kitty, you wanna take a look?"
"Way ahead of you popsicle," Kitty had already stepped through the wall to drop on top of the elevator way down below. She passed through the ceiling, almost landing on Kurt's tail. "Kurt?" She knelt down, laying a hand on his trembling back. He jumped, and turned to her, eyes wide.
"Oh, it's you Katzchen. How did you get here?" His voice was thick and even blue as he was, it was clear he'd been crying.
"Just dropped in. Kurt what happened?" Kitty pressed the button that would bring them up to Bobby and Rogue.
Kurt sniffed and rubbed his eyes. "I went down, like you said I should. I vas about to go in and see him. But…Miss Grey…she was conscious. Very conscious in fact, and she, and Logan, his belt was undone…" he choked.
Kitty let out a sympathetic moan, sliding her arm around his shoulders. "I'm so sorry Kurt. I never should've told you to go down there."
"Better that you did. This way, I know for myself rather than find out about it later."
The elevator doors slid open, revealing Rogue and Bobby. Their smiles faded as they saw Kurt's face, and how Kitty gave a slight shake of her head to tell them ice cream would not make this better. Bobby offered to put the ice cream in the freezer while his girlfriend and Kitty comforted Kurt and Kitty filled Rogue in on what had happened.
Logan came to just as Storm and Charles rushed in. He looked behind him at the dent in the wall that was just his size and then turned to him.
"What have you done?" the Professor shook his head sorrowfully. Without a word he wheeled himself out, going to Cerebro in hopes of tracking down Jean. Logan twisted his neck until the joints popped satisfyingly. He went for the door, coming to a halt when he caught a scent; sulfur and incense and horse food and hay. It was fresh too, Kurt had just been there. He swallowed thickly, hoping that Kurt hadn't just borne witness to that.
"You seen the elf around lately?" he asked Storm.
"No," she said shortly. "I haven't seen that much of him. He's spent his time either locked in his room or in the barn. I'd try there." She turned on her heel and stepped out.
He followed Kurt's scent to the elevator, where it lingered for a while, and there was the faint tinge of salt and sadness now. Damn it, if Kurt was crying, that meant he'd seen…but it wasn't his fault! He'd told her no…eventually…. Logan swore, catching the smell of Kitty. Then when the elevator stopped, he got Bobby and Rogue. Bobby had gone towards the kitchen, Rogue with Kurt and Kitty up to his room.
The door was locked, and beyond it Logan could hear Kitty and Rogue trying to comfort Kurt. Poor elf was distraught enough that he was mixing in more and more German until not a word was understood. But the meaning was clear enough. Logan sighed heavily and leaned against the far wall, waiting. They'd have to come out soon enough, and when they did, he'd be ready.
It wasn't a long wait before Kitty was stepping out of the wall, and hand on Rogue to bring her as well. When the girls spotted Logan, they turned identical glares on him. Rogue crooked her finger at him, motioning for him to follow. Once they were down the hall a sufficient distance, they faced him, standing where he couldn't get away easily.
"Just what're you playing at Logan?" Rogue snapped. "We were under the impression that Kurt was your one an' only, and that you were faithful an' loyal. But now the poor guy's in there, cryin' like his heart's broken and not even havin' ice cream or granola bars!"
Kitty butted in before Logan could answer, "Just what were you thinking, kissing Doctor Grey? I mean, the whole school knew…but we thought you y'know, conceded to Professor Summers? But the second she's back you're on her like a dog in heat?"
"Kid, you don't know what you're talking about!" Logan growled. "Sure, it started like that, but Jeannie was the instigator. Her telepathy was off, and it was like it wasn't her. She lost control and slammed me into a wall and stalked out of the mansion. She's even blocking the Professor so he can't find her too well." He paused, letting the gravity of the situation sink in. "I'm sorry that this happened the way it did, I didn't mean for it to."
"Then you had better fix it!" Kitty jabbed her finger into Logan's chest. Rogue blinked in surprise at the boldness of the other girl. "The kids don't like it when mommy and daddy fight." With that, Kitty stomped down the hall, and after a moment, Rogue followed.
The door buckled in its frame as Logan pounded his fist on it. "Elf! Open up damn it! Let me explain!"
"Gehen Sie weg," Kurt's voice came from the other side of the door. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he'd told Logan to go away. Ok, so, if he wouldn't voluntarily open the door, then Logan would have to use a different tact. One of his claws slid free of its housing and he aimed it at the lock. If he could hot wire Slim's car with a claw then surely he could pick the lock of a door.
"Logan!" Storm was striding down the hall, and there was a definitive rumble of thunder and a gust of wind heralding her arrival. "Didn't I warn you about hurting him?" Logan felt the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck rising and could see lightning flickering in her eyes. A small rain cloud came into being above his head, soaking him instantly.
"Storm, cool it, seriously. I just got reamed by Rogue and Kitty. I know I screwed up, and I didn't mean for it to happen and I was trying to fix it when you came down here all lights and sounds."
"By breaking into his room? Yeah, that'll work," Storm rolled her eyes, but waved away the cloud above him. "Listen, you'll have to wait on that. The Professor has found Jean and he wants us to go with him."
"But…" Logan cast a pained look at the door. He was so close, he had to explain himself. If he could just get Kurt to hold still and listen to him…
"But nothing. I'm sorry Logan, we have to leave now."
In his room, Kurt slid down the door; his tail wrapped around the door knob, and listened to the beat of boots fading down the hall.
(1)I am sorry
A/N: a tiny bit shorter than previous chapters, but seemed like a good place to end. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, the bit from the last chapter about Hank looking at Kurt like he knew him? Yeah, well, I'm sorry but I won't reveal that until the sequel. Yes there will be a sequel, so you've got something to look forward to. Hope that makes up for it. TTFN