A/N:

HEYHEYHEY!

So, I got bunches and bunches of stories created over my month-ish long hiatus, so please don't kill me. More in the post-chapter A/N

I don't own X-Men.

"Oi, John, throw me a beer," I shouted over to the mutant. He was leaning on the floor of a fighting ring, watching two men beat each other up the old fashioned way- no claws, no healing factor, no guns; just two guys with a couple of fists and a need for some serious therapy.

The African American jumped visibly, turning to me. His eyes widened in surprise and he grinned in recognition.

"Korena Grayson," he greeted, still smiling. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"Same to you," I chuckled, pulling him over. "Unfortunately, I'm not just stopping by. Logan and I need your help."

"Logan? Logan needs my-" His disbelief was cut short by Logan's brooding face. John fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Come upstairs."

"You sure it was Victor?" John asked, throwing Logan a beer. My drink was already open and just half full. I lounged on the couch, watching Logan's face.

"Yeah," was his noncommittal answer.

"Damn… I'm sorry, man," John sighed, sitting back down and propping his feet up. Logan nodded curtly and stood up, pacing towards the window.

"What the hell happened to him after I left?"

"He got worse. Felt like you two abandoned us. Hell, we all did," John said into his beer, not meeting my eyes. "But Victor… He had to prove that he was better than you. Hunting and killing anything he was pointed at. Quit a few months later myself. Couldn't take rounding them up anymore."

"Rounding who up?" I asked as John took a gulp from his bottle. He shook his head.

"Leave it alone."

"Rounding who up, John?" I repeated, leaning towards him. John stood, placing his beer on the desk anxiously. "Damn it, John, who?"

"We hunted our own kind," he said, his voice almost breaking at the end. "There's a special place in hell for the things we did."

"Mutants?" Logan asked. "Why?"

John sighed, tense.

"Stryker said we'd be making a difference, protecting people from the bad ones," he said. At the end, he sighed, sitting back down again. "How you gonna take Victor down, Logan?"

"Remember that stuff in Africa?"

"Yeah, I remember Africa," John nodded quickly. "What about it?" Logan sighed to himself before drawing out his new claws. John sat up in his seat and I drew my own claws.

"Damn, what'd they do to you?" Logan only allowed his claws to slid back into his hands. I stared at the metal protruding from my knuckles.

"Don't ask," I said evenly. "Look, Zero said something about an island. Does that mean anything to you?"

"Nope," John shrugged. "But maybe Dukes knows. Him and Zero were real tight."

"Fred Dukes? Where is he?" Logan asked, standing.

"He's here-"

"Well let's go talk to him," Logan countered. John held up his hands, quieting Logan.

"Hold on, he don't get in till around 4. But I got to warn you, he developed a bit of an eating disorder. We all got our coping mechanisms. I'm tryna whup him back into shape. Whatever you do, don't mention his weight."

"Come on, Fred, if you wanna get in shape you got to move, man!" John shouted at a heavily obese man in the ring. John turned back to Logan. "I told him he got to move. He's got to mo-" Dukes' opponent came flying towards us. Logan, John, and I all ducked out of the way, allowing the man to go flying into an billboard behind us.

"Fred Dukes? That looks like the creature that ate Fred Dukes," Logan muttered under his breath, watching Dukes turn towards us, Slurpee in hand.

"Hey, be nice, man."

"Hey, fat- uh, Fred," Logan greeted awkwardly, walking up to the ring. "I seem to remember that girl when she was about 85 pounds," he said, gesturing to the now stretched tattoo of a woman on his arm. Dukes glanced down at it.

"Oh that's funny. You're still so funny, Logan," Dukes said, staring back at Logan.

"You know where Victor is?" Oh, Logan. Subtle as always.

"No idea," Dukes said, shifting his weight away from the feral.

"Okay, then. What's the island, slim?"

Ooh, that one struck a nerve, I commented in John's mind. He flinched a little at the contact and I grinned at him.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Logan," Dukes said, turning away.

"Listen to me, I ain't leaving until you tell me where Victor is. So come on, bub, for old times' sake, huh?" I winced at Logan's articulation, or lack thereof.

"Did you just call me… Blob?"

"No, but-"

Way to be subtle, I directed towards Logan's mind as Dukes rushed him. Logan rebounded right off of Dukes' stomach, flying backwards. John vanished into thin air and I ducked again, letting Logan soar over me and into Dukes' first opponent, knocking the both of them into the advertisement.

"I told you not to mention his weight. Why'd you call him Blob?" John muttered under his breath, reappearing beside Logan, still recovering.

"I didn't call him Blob, I said bub." He pushed himself to his feet. "Goddamn it."

"Hey, hey, hey, hey Logan! I got an idea," John said, holding Logan away from Dukes. I laughed aloud at the image forming in John's mind.

A/N:

SOOOOOOO

really short chapter, that's why I'm updating not once, not twice, not three, but four times tonight!

(readers): But, Susie, aren't there only 13 chapters in this story? And isn't this chapter 10?"

(me): Very good, readers! Yes, let's count: 10... 11... 12... 13! Do you know what that means?"

(readers): ...

(me): Close enough! That means that, after tonight, this story is FINISHED! Aw, don't be sad, I'm planning on doing all four movies (excluding First Class, obviously) so there is more to come!

Note: I actually have the next one (By Fate/ X-1) finished... o_o so expect daily/every other day updates if I can manage it.

^.^ Susie ^.^