Hello readers,
I just wanted to clear a few things up with you as there seems to be some confusion over some things, such as Harry's gender in this fic. He's a boy. Plain and simple...I take that back, it's not quite as clear cut as boy bits and girl bits.
If anyone has ever read After School Nightmare, think Mashiro and you get Harry. This aspect of his character is necessary for the story in general, but doesn't play a big role in the story. In fact it only comes up when dealing with his mutation, as well as another part of the story that doesn't come to MUCH later.
I hope this doesn't make anyone stop reading.
Also thanks to all those who reviewed and faved and alerted. Ya'll are the best. All signed reviews are responded to, so please continue to do so. I really enjoy reading what people think of the story, in any regard, though constructive criticism is most appreciated.
Anyway here is the next chapter. Updates for this story should be once a week on Fridays.
Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Stalking
It was decided that Logan would be sent out that night to see if there was a chance he might about someone new. He readily agreed, seeing as how he hadn't had a proper drink in months, and besides what better place collect information than a bar where people talked freely to perfect strangers. It would've been great, if not for the boy following behind him, looking like a pup just learning how to walk. "Will you stop that!" Barked Logan, his voice edged with steel to show his irritation.
Bobby stood still for a moment as Logan's eyes glared at him, sidestepping the soda can he was about to kick, hunching his shoulders to avoid the older mutant's glare as he continued to follow behind him.
Logan sighed, before walking to the nearest bar, its single neon sign stating that it was open, the warm lights reminding the Canadian of the not so long ago travelling and cage fighting, the good old days. "Com'on, this is a good place to start."
Bobby looked at Logan incredulously as they walked through the doorway, taking in the warm lights and laughing people of the bar, "Are you serious? You won't find anything about the girl in here!"
The older mutant looked at the boy, a grin full of teeth, effectively shutting up the teen behind him, "This is a good place to start. Men talk when they're loose and among friends. Besides, looks to me like this mutant likes her men kinda rough, if she's coming to little lumbering towns like this one."
The teen cringed, thinking of some buff biker chick drinking beer with the guys, but he had to admit all the facts seemed to point to Logan's conclusion. Sighing, Bobby followed the older man to the counter, observing the mutant place an order, sitting on one of the bar stools and looking ahead as he waited.
Quietly, Bobby followed suit, sitting next to the Canadian as his beer was served up. The bartender a huge, gruff man that towered over the other men of the bar, his dark beard streaked with grey along with smallish blue eyes that seemed to penetrate the teen before him. Bobby felt the blush flame up his face, burning down into his throat as he tried to ask for a coke, choking on air as no sound came out.
"Hey kid, you want somethin'? A sodie, yeah?" The bartender's voice startled him, snapping his head up to see the man eye to eye, Bobby nodded, it being the only he could do at the moment, with some success.
The large man, grinned widely, chuckling as he turned opening an icebox and reaching inside to produce a glass bottle of coke, twisting the cap off before turning back to the young mutant and placing the chilled beverage infront of him. "So, what brings you to Upsala? Just passing through?"
Logan turned from the man he had just finished talking to facing the man behind the counter, "Somethin' like that. We're lookin' for someone, seems to have been causin' trouble around these parts. Hear anything?"
The bartender, leaned against the counter behind him as he thought, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at the two men, "Now that you mention it there has been someone around come through here. Came just before you did, actually."
Bobby hoping that this was the lead they needed, leaned forward, one hand around the coke bottle while the other was laid flat on the counter supporting some of his weight. "Do you know where she is? We need her. We're supposed to take her back with us."
The teen knew as soon as the words left his mouth that they were the wrong thing to say, especially after the way the bartender responded. His large hands slamming down on the table, and causing the glasses to rattle and in some cases clatter, spilling their contents on to the floor. "Now see here, sirs, the things that go on here ain't no business of yours. We don't need you going and putting your noses in other people's business and all. That ain't welcome, at all, sees."
Logan was the first to respond, standing up smoothly from his spot at the counter, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his wallet and placing enough money to pay for both drinks. "Keep the change. Kid."
The word got Bobby moving, rising from his seat to follow behind the older mutant as he left the bar, the cold autumnal wind catching him by surprise, biting into him harsh through his thin shirt. He caught sight of Logan waiting for him a little ways from the bar, hidden by shadows till he came into view.
"You okay, kid?"
There was a bitterness in the words as they left Logan's mouth singed Bobby's eyes and made them water as they reached him and informed him of the disappointment he had turned out to be. He was failing at being an X-Men! Everything that he touched seemed to spoil under his chilled fingertips, hindering the investigation and ruining the rest of the team's already established work. He wanted to scream at the sky in frustration! It just wasn't fair! He was meant tp be an X-Men!
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."
Logan just nodded, rubbing a hand across his face, sighing deeply as he looked up at the moon. Its full orb giving off more light than the sparse street lights. This search getting more and more tiresome as it went on.
"Com'on let's get back to the others. We'll start again in the morning."
The walk back to the inn was quiet and awkward, Bobby's embarassment leaving a bitter taste in his mouth that remained throughout Logan's report to Jean and Storm. The blood rushing up his neck and into his face as the older mutant recounted the scene in the bar.
"I thinks it's best that we all turn in and see what we can find tomorrow, when we've all gotten some sleep." Said Ororo, her eyes strained against the dim light of one of the lighted lamp, her white hair mussed from falling asleep in a chair.
Jean nodded, her red hair in a ponytail, wearing what appeared to be an old baseball shirt. "Yeah, there's really nothing we can fo now. Tomorrow we'll split up and see what we can find on this person."
Both the man and the boy took their leave after that, each returning to the their rooms, across the hall from each other. Logan nodding as he entered his room, disappearing into the darkened chamber.
Bobby entered his own room, flipping the lights on and walking quietly to the small bathroom. Looking at his shadowed image in the mirror, trying to see a more sinister self, a more manly self. It was hard trying to fit in with the X-Men, they had found their places in life and he was still looking for his, they were tough and confident and everything he wanted to be but couldn't. Rogue said it was because he wasn't meant to be hard like them, and that she liked him the way he was, but he had seen the way she looked at Logan. The adoration that was so tangible. He was her hero, her bad guy, he was what every girl secretly wanted. Even Marie.
So Bobby tried, emulating the walk, the speech patterns, the broad stance and silence. But nothing had come of it. He was still Bobby, the nice boy, the sweet and polite, mild-mannered teen.
He couldn't be what they wanted, or what he himself wanted but he would still strive to be an X-Men, cause if nothing else he could atleast be part of a team that would make up for his faults.
...
The sun hit Logan in the face the next morning, followed by a knock and a woman's voice calling through the thin door, "Logan, are you in there? Come on let's get started."
It was Storm. Which meant she wouldn't leave until he was out the door and down the stairs.
Groaning the Canadian rose from bed, pulling on his jeans and a clean shirt, his shoes quickly following as he stood and made a trip to the bathroom, before answering the door.
Ororo stood on the other side, her hair braided down her back, practically dressed in a turtle neck and jeans, a simple jacket slug over her shoulder. She smiled at the disgruntled mutant, laughing gently as she turned to look at the door across the hall where Bobby emereged, dressed in a sweater and jeans, his shoes untied, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Good morning, Logan. Bobby."
"Morning Ms. Monroe."
"Mornin'," Logan grunted, leaning against the wall next to his door, his eyes trailing over the kid, "Your shoe's untied, kid."
Bobby looked down, flushing red at the two laces flapping haphazardly by his shoe, before bending to tie them together, "Thanks."
"Where's Red?"
"She's waiting downstairs with breakfast. We went out this morning and found kolaches."
Logan nodded, walking briskly down the creaking steps of the inn and down into the entrance hall, walking out the front door as he caught the telekinetic's scent of disinfectant and poppies on the front deck.
She was sitting with her hair down, the light hitting it and making the strands shine ruby, disconnected from the time and place they were currently she stared out into the forest through the small wooden buildings. A cup of coffee still warm in her hand. She was beautiful and unstable. The smell of cinders rolling off her shoulders and overpowering the scent of hospitals but not the flowers. The Professor had been working with her to help her stabilize since she returned from Alkali Lake, but it was a long and confusing process, shifting between the things that were Jean from the things that were Phoenix from the things that they both shared.
It was here that Scott had been her rock, had carried and supported her through the sessions with the Professor, had held her and comforted her when Phoenix's thoughts had boiled up in her mind. He had stood by her through it all. He had stayed when Logan would have run, feeling no true sense commitment to Jean, not like Scott did. Logan couldn't remember a time when he had truly been a comfort to someone else. Had never felt the need to protect someone from any darkness that lingered in their minds. It wasn't something he was familiar with, or that he could remember, but he couldn't help dwelling on it every once in awhile.
"Are you going to sit down?"
The voice woke Logan from his thoughts, the mellowed notes of summer, striking a cord deep in his chest and making his heart thrum in some distant pain.
"Yeah"
"Where are the others?"
"Inside, the kid's shoes were untied."
"He really is a nice boy. Just a little enthusiastic, that's all. You should be nicer to him."
Logan grunted in response as the door opened again, revealing the remaining members of the X-Men party. Bobby with a different sweater than what he wore when he first left his room this morning, shoes tied and double knotted. Storm laughing gently behind him.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, we were having a little problem with shoes and shirts this morning."
Bobby blushed crimson, as Ororo snickered at him. He had put his sweater on inside out, making the patterned design seem like a jumble of different colored strings instead of the elk they were supposed to be.
"No problem, Logan was just getting here. Isn't that right, Logan?"
Another grunt was the only response they received as Logan seated himself next to Jean, a to go cup of coffee in one hand, peach kolache in the other. They ate in silence for anthother twenty minutes, polishing off the that the woman had procured for their breakfast.
"We need to get more of those before we leave." Said Ororo wiping her hands on a napkin, before sipping the last of her coffee, her eyes trailing the people walking about the street, most heading to work, while some went about shopping.
Jean stood, stretching her back, before collecting the leftover coffee cups and napkins along with the kolache box, "We should split up. We'll cover more ground that way."
Logan nodded, tilting the last of his coffee into his mouth, swallowing the bitter liquid, Bobby choking on his own as he tried to do the same.
"I'll take Bobby then? I think it'd be best." asked Ororo, her hand resting gently on the boy's shoulder, as he fought not to redden again under the stares of the older mutants.
"Suit yourself. We'll head to the hospital."
"Then we'll go to the boys' parents houses. Have fun."
...
The search was not going well, atleast not for Jean and Logan. After being turned away from examining the bodies by the hospital as was the request of the boys' parents. The pair tried to ask around the town, but apparently the bartender's outburst had circulated and by that morning, nobody would say a word about the strange death of the teens.
"I really hate this place."
"You already said that."
"Well, it's true. So there's no harm in saying what's true."
"You said that already too."
"Logan, be quiet. Unless you have an idea on how to get information."
"..."
"Thought so."
As the hours passed, the streets of the small town began to fill with more people, further complicating the search for both Jean and Logan.
The red head groaned, massaging the bridge of her nose as the even more people began crowding the main street, adding more voices to her head. "Do you think we'll find her here? I mean, it seems too noisy for someone trying to lie low. Don't you think Logan?"
Logan frowned, scenting the air for anything that stood out against the combinations of maple and varying other things, that the townspeople smelled of. "Wouldn't it be smarter to hide in plain site, so that no one thinks you stand out?"
Jean paused, watching the older mutant closely, her brown eyes narrowed as she took in her partner.
He hadn't been hitting on her since, she came back from Alkali Lake, but in exchange he had become much like he was with everyone else. Quiet and curt. She didn't like it, this sudden change in Logan's behavior, it was strange and unpredictable, making everything he did a surprise. But probably the worst part about the change was that she no longer had any sway over the man. She couldn't influence him as she once had, or expect him to do things, just because she asked. But it wasn't just Logan, it was Scott as well. They both seemed to slip through her fingers, Scott though still supportive was slowly leaving her. And him went the power of second in command. Jean Grey's power over the X-Men was slipping, slowly but surely.
Logan watched the crowd, looking for any nuance that something was out of place among the people, but nothing seemed to be wrong.
Until the wind picked up, causing the air to shift, bringing new scents within Logan's reach, along with flurries of wet golden leaves.
He caught it then, amid the rush of the crowd, a faint tingle of apple blossoms and warmth.
Logan's heart burned in his chest with the memory of that scent.
He knew her some how.
So, Logan ran.
Speeding around clusters of people and leaves Logan, followed the scent, scouring for a visual of this figment of memory that urged him on. He could hear Jean calling him, but couldn't bring himself to care, the thrill of the hunt seeping into his veins as he caught a glimpse of ebony hair and the smell of apple blossom increased as it raced away. She was fast, but he was patient when it came to his quarry. She would make a mistake somewhere and when she did, Logan would be ready.
It was hours before she finally made her move, slipping from the towns perimeter and into the forest surrounding it. The maze of trees hiding her escape from Logan as he clumsily trailed behind her. He hadn't expected her to leave the safety of the crowds and flee into uncharted territory. She had surprised him with this movement, taking him deeper and deeper into the forest, until the gentle sound of her feet faded from Logan's hearing.
Believing that she had stopped up ahead he continued to follow, until he noticed her scent was gone. Faded among the damp golden and bloodred leaves, erasing her prescence from existence.
It was then that Logan returned to Upsala, his heart beating painfully in his chest from loss.
It was dark when he got back. The sun sinking fully into the mountains as he found Jean, seated with Ororo as they conversed quietly on the deck of the Mrs. Strommers' inn.
"Bobby ran off. We don't know where he went. Sound familiar?" Jean sneered, her words dripping with sarcasm, upset at the fact that she was left behind.
"He thought he saw someone that fit what we were looking for. You really can't blame him, he has something to prove, after the scene that bartender made last night."
"It's still dangerous for him to be out by himself, especially if he has something to prove."
"Why didn't you go after him?" Asked Logan, taking the water bottle Ororo offered him, nodding his thanks in her direction before emptying the contents.
"We tried but lost track of him when a got to a busy intersection."
"Come on we have to find him. We're leaving tonight."
"When was this decided?" Questioned Ororo, her gaze narrowed at her friend, suspiciously.
Jean frowned at the dark skinned woman their eyes locking in a battle for dominance. "The target has probably moved on already. If Logan scared her away she's probably on her way to the next town over. We should find Bobby and then head there and try and cut her off."
Storm looked at the red head, sizing her up before backing down with a nod, "Okay, let's look for Bobby then."
...
Logan caught his scent outside bar, the warm yellow light outlining the silhouettes of the people inside, as they swayed and laughed, throwing their heads back as they did. It wasn't a wonder on how a teenager got in by himself, the drunk often make mistakes like this.
Upon entering the bar the small group immediately took notice of Bobby, playing cards in a dark corner. Both Jean and Ororo taking in only the cards in his hand and the cigarette smoke circling around his head.
Logan noticed a few more things than they did. Such as that the corner where the kid was sitting smelled of apple blossoms and warmth, as well as the full table of fairly sleazy men, excluding Bobby, surrounding a surprising prim and proper figure with ebony curls. They also didn't notice the looks that the smaller, more upright figure was recieving from all other occupants of the table.
It seemed as though they had gotten the gender of their target wrong...yes, very wrong indeed.