So, yes to cliff hangers or no to cliff hangers? Ha ha, tell me what you think!
Plus, if people have time over the holiday break, I'm issuing a challenge. I know you all are very talented people (I've seen from your profile pics!), so I'm asking for a little help. The picture for Caught in the Storm is a little…dull, I guess. If anyone would like to draw a picture for a new display, I'd be glad to use it! All credit going to you of course. I would make a new one myself, but I draw like a four year old with broken crayons. Just something to think about, all you artistically inclined people, you!
Now, to the story!
Posch
xXx
As I prepared for my death by saying my last goodbyes and cursing my own stupidity, I failed to notice a knight in a leather coat jump from heaven and land on my soon to be murderer. In my concussion state, it took me longer than it should have to realize who my hero was.
"Now, ain't your momma ever teach yah it ain't nice ta stab girls?" Remy asked cheerfully as he pinned down the struggling psycho.
"My mother is dead." Daken snarled. In a quick move he flipped positions with Remy so that he now sat on the Cajun's chest and held his claws to his face. "And for the record, I wasn't going to stab her. I was going to decapitate her."
"Hmm, big word for a moron." Remy commented coolly.
Daken let out a blood curdling roar and went to slash Remy's throat, but before he could, I brought a cement block down on his head. I looked down in horror at the bloody and brainy (hehe, brainy. Why did I find that funny? Oh, yeah, because my brain is bruised and I've lost a lot of blood) mess before me. I had shattered his skull.
"Oops." I giggled. A completely inappropriate response to killing a man, but I was in shock.
Remy grabbed me hand and began to drag me out of the alleyway. I was jerked and forced to run with him, still clutching my bleeding throat. Suddenly, I was snapped out of shock and I stopped running. Remy was forced to stop so that he didn't drag me along the ground.
"Cher, dis ain't de time." He said kindly, but forcefully. "We gotta get outta here!"
"Remy, I just killed a man! I can't run away, I have to call the police and explain what happened!" I insisted.
"Yah didn't kill 'im, cher, yah just bought us some time." Remy told me grimly. "He gonna heal in about a minute and he gonna be pissed. We gotta get you ta safety!"
"He's a healer?" I repeated, a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Remy nodded and we began running once more.
"Remy, who is that man?" I asked, struggling to keep up with the long legged man. From everything my attacker said, I had a guess. But I hoped that I was wrong. That my concussion had rattled my brains enough that I had read and interpreted things wrong.
"De psycho is Daken." Remy answered shortly.
"But who is he?" I asked again, more forcefully this time.
Remy glanced over at me and he paled. I must have been looking really awful. I looked down at my hands and saw that they were whiter than snow. How much blood have I lost?
"We gotta stop de bleeding." Remy stated. He pulled me into an alley and hid me behind a dumpster. He took off his signature trench coat and laid it across me to keep me warm. He then ripped a strip off the white dress shirt he was wearing and tied it around my wound.
Only now I realized how nicely he was dressed. Dress shirt, black dress pants and shoes. He had even attempted to tame his wild auburn mane. Did he have a date tonight? For some reason that thought saddened me greatly.
Come on brain, focus on what's important! I scolded myself.
"You didn't answer my question." I said as Remy worked. He had gotten out his phone and poke into it quietly, but forcefully. I was drifting in and out of consciousness now, and missed pretty much his conversation. Once he was off and I could keep my eyes open I said. "Tell me who that guy is Remy."
Remy looked distressed. "Ah ain't the one who should be talk'n ta yah about this petite."
I made him meet my eyes. "Is that man really my father's son?"
Remy opened his mouth, maybe to lie, but then he changed his mind. Slowly he nodded his head.
Wow. I have a brother. I've always wanted a sibling. I used to dream about having one. But this isn't exactly what I had in mind. Actually, it's nothing like I had in my mind. In my visions I'd play hide and seek with my sibling and blame them for broken things around the house, not running away from them because they were trying to cut my head off. I have an older brother (a mutant brother, with my dad's powers) and he's a psych maniac who wants me dead!
"What the hell." I said finally. "He never told me."
Remy was wrapping another cloth around my neck, as the first one had bled through.
"We better get move'n again." Remy stated. "By now he probably be all healed up and on yo' trail. Maybe we should move ta higher ground for when the back up comes."
I stayed silent and obediently began to climb the fire escape. I became dizzy half way through and began to lose my grip, but Remy steadied me.
"Why does he hate Dad so much?" I asked once we reached the roof. I looked over to Remy who was using his cards to detach the fire escape from the building. It was a smart move on his part, but if Daken (Daken? What kind of stupid name is that?) was anywhere near as skilled as Dad, that wasn't going to slow him down.
Remy got down on the ground with me. He wrapped his arms around me, as well as his coat. I flashed back to when Eric had done the same thing with me over a year ago by out in the woods and automatically felt guilty. I tried to pull away from Remy but he held me still.
"Relax petite, it's alright. Ah'm try'n ta keep yah warm, so yah won't go inta shock." Remy said gently. "Don't worry Leah, Ah'll pertect yah."
I now had a pounding sensation in my head and the world was spinning, so I decided to refrain from protesting. I must have fallen asleep (or more likely, unconscious) because I was awaken to the sounds of large engines. I squinted up into the bright lights belonging to a small black jet landing on the building top. I forced my eyes to remain open as Hank rushed up to me and began taking vitals. Remy manoeuvered me out of his arms as Mom approached.
"Good thang yah were quick," Remy stated. "Ah weren't too sure Ah could take on Daken at the mo'."
"It was a miracle you found her Remy, thank you." Mom thanked gratefully, giving the young man a quick hug.
"Just luck, but Ah'm glad ta have helped." Remy replied modestly. I found this really funny for some reason. I guess just because Remy was such a hotdog, it sounded unnatural for him to use a modest tone.
Mom nodded and knelt beside me, taking my hand.
"Hey Mom," I said hoarsely. "sorry for sneaking out. Please don't ground me."
"Oh sweetie," Mom sighed, hugging me tightly. "of course you're grounded. Hank, how's she doing?"
"While I have the bleeding controlled now, I'm afraid she has a concussion. And as soon as we get back to the mansion, she'll need a blood transfusion." Hank replied, removing the blood cuff from my arm.
Can I even get a blood transfusion? I don't think antimutant B negative is very common…
"Where's Dad?" I asked as Hank placed me carefully onto a backboard so that him and Remy could carry me onto the plane.
"He got called away before we got Remy's message." Mom answered, laying a cool hand onto my forehead. "Now try to get some rest, you've been through a lot tonight."
"We've been through enough this year you mean." I replied weakly before I drifted out of consciousness again.
xXx
Storm paced the kitchen, fuming. They had gotten back to the mansion three hours before and Hank had insisted that Leah be kept in the MedBay for the night. They had also brought back the junior X-men who were intoxicated. Storm almost felt sorry for them, knowing the scolding they would get in the morning from Scott and that they risked being kicked off the team. She knew teenagers could be reckless and stupid, she was a high school teacher after all, but how could they risk everything by going into the city tonight? Leah would get her own punishment from Logan and herself, along with whatever the X-men decided for the junior members.
Storm's head flew up as she heard the door open. Logan came in as quietly as he could, still in uniform. He looked surprised to see his wife.
"Hey, what are you still doing up, darl'n?" He asked softly, treading softly to her. He leaned in to kiss her but Storm moved away. He raised a curious eyebrow as she glared at him.
"Don't you 'darl'n' me, buddy." Storm replied coldly. "Do you have any idea what I've been through tonight?"
Logan looked at her confused. "Uh, no?"
"Well, while you've been off, I've been worried sick that our daughter was murdered by your son." Storm told him. "Why on earth didn't you answer your phone, or at least return my messages?"
"Wait, what? What happened?" Logan asked, completely alert.
After Storm explained how the junior members of the X-men had snuck off into the city, and how all the adults had been panicking until they got a call from Remy, asking them to hurry to NYC because Daken had attacked Leah and she needed immediate medical attention.
"Is she alright?" Logan asked, concerned.
"No. Well, yes, she's going to be alright. She's had a lot of blood loss and a concussion, but nothing permanent." Storm admitted. "But the point is, she could have been killed tonight! And you weren't here!"
Logan opened his mouth to argue, but quickly shut it again. He had been away. Electra had sent him a message asking for assistance in taking down a group of the Hand who planned on stealing an ancient sword.
When Logan didn't answer, Storm gave an aggravated sigh and sat down at the kitchen table, holding her head in her hands. Logan knelt down beside her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"What do you want me to do, 'Ro? Not go away on missions, always stay by Leah's side?" Logan asked softly.
"I want…Hell Logan, I don't know what I want!" Storm moaned. "I just want us all to be safe, alright? I don't want to worry about any of us being kidnapped, or tortured or killed!"
Logan couldn't think of a response to that.
"I know with who we are, that's not possible, but that's still what I want." Storm said stubbornly.
Logan snorted and kissed his wife's cheeks. "I love you darl'n, more than you'll ever know."
Storm sighed and kissed Logan back. "I know, and I love you too."
Storm stood up from the table gracefully and began her way to the bedroom. Logan started to follow, but stopped when Storm held up a hand.
"Uh-uh." Storm said seriously. "I'm still mad at you. Goodnight."
Logan suppressed a growl in his throat, he knew what that meant. He was on the couch tonight. Despite his unwillingness to be kicked out of his own bed, he knew better than to argue with Storm when she was this upset. And he didn't blame her. He himself had a knowing feeling at the pit of his heart, caused by the guilt of not protecting Leah or being with her when she was hurt.
By his son.
Logan sighed, rubbing his weary eyes. It wasn't the first time Daken had hurt someone and it certainly wouldn't be his last, but this time it was Leah who got hurt. And from the sounds of it, almost killed. And knowing Daken, his attack wasn't random. He had probably smelled the resemblance between Logan and Leah and had decided killing her would hurt Logan.
Something had to be done, Logan thought grimly.
Before he settled for the night on the couch, Logan went to go check on Leah in the MedBay. She was deeply asleep, and was muttering in her sleep about Eric again. Logan reached down and brushed his daughter's bangs away from her face.
"Life just ain't far sometimes, is it kid?"