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It had been over a year. To Logan it seemed like yesterday that he had met his mate. She was in the den of their deep woods cabin now, awaiting the warmed bottle he carried.

He couldn't help but smile as he came upon the scene. Jess, the pup, a moment of quiet as the pup stilled his noises to eagerly await his bottle.

"He has his mother's eyes, Jess." Logan grinned as he bent near, simultaneously handing her the warm bottle of milk and laying a kiss on her cheek.

She turned her head to nuzzle his cheek as she accepted the bottle. "And he has his father's ears," Jess said as she positioned the bottle for the eager, pawing pup. "Ouch. And his claws."

Watching the welts on her arm heal, Jess sat back in the rocking chair, lightly stroking the pup as it nursed avidly on the bottle. If anyone had told her a year ago that she would be sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of a cabin in the middle of the woods, next to her mate and feeding a pup, she would have laughed in their faces. Now, it just felt...right.

Jess looked up at him, a warm smile on her face. And unlike a year ago, there was a sense of peace in that gaze. "Did you think we'd end up like this, Logan? You know, all this?" she said gesturing at the cabin with her head. "It's hard to believe it's been a year."

"A lot can happen given time... remember how we met? Danced around each other like nervous kids." He chuckled. "Never thought I could settle down like this." He watched her with the pup. It suited her to be a mother.

Stepping behind the chair so as to not disturb the nursing he bent over, hands massaging her shoulders as he kissed her temple. "Thank you, Jess. Without you, I..." he trailed off, words lost.

"They'll get longer," he said after a moment, reaching down to feel the smooth, sharp claws of their pup.

Jess turned her head to nuzzled his neck. "I know," she said to both of his statements. But the next part was just for the first. "And me too," she whispered and pressed her lips to his throat. She inhaled deeply, taking in his scent, a shiver of desire running through her.

The puppy squirmed on her lap, reminding her she had other obligations before pleasure. Jess gently stroked the pup's back. "You know," she said with a slight gleam in her eyes. "I think he'll be ready for a nap when he's done with lunch."

"Yeah...?" Logan smirked at the look in her eye. The look he knew all too well. Her shiver at his scent at not gone unnoticed, sending a warmth straight to his groin. "You deserve a break," he lowered his hands to her lower shoulders.

Turning his head to catch her ear with his teeth, a nibbling lick before he whispered into it: "Maybe even... need one?"

Best not get distracted too far ahead of himself, their pup may just do the opposite and turn into the ball of fur and claws they often knew so well. He stood slowly, fingers idly tracing the hem of her sleeves.

Jess' hand on the puppy continued its slow strokes, trying to soothe the pup as he drained the last of the bottle. Another shiver passed through her body as Logan's mouth teased her. "I definitely need one," she said in a throaty voice.

She pressed her head back and rubbed her cheek against his chest. "I think he's about done with the bottle," she said with a glance down. She hoped that he would settle down so they'd be able to sneak back into the cabin for a few minutes.

Logan's breath caught at her tone, her cheek against his bare chest. From the way his body was already acting he'd need a few, not just one. He watched the pup yawn and shift in her lap, trying to curl up in the most comfortable spot.

It didn't take him long before he was curled, breathing evenly. Logan's breath was not so even. Knowing the pup could sleep through anything now he lifted him up, cradled in his arms and placed him in a soft blanket next to the cabin door.

Holding out a hand for Jess he resisted the urge to ravage her right then and there. The beast in him would do that in a few minutes, right now he just wanted to her hand and lips.

Jess had stood up and stretched, a lazy seductiveness in each movement. She slowly strode towards him. She pressed a finger to his lips, both keeping him from saying anything and guiding him backwards into house.

Once she had cleared the door, Jess' smile became more feral. Charging and giving a little hop, Jess jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist. Her mouth found his as her arms locked around Logan's shoulders and kissed him soundly.

Wrapping his arms around her Logan held her tight as his their mouths locked in a starved and passionate kiss. Roaming her back they pressed down until he cupped each of her ass cheeks and squeezed. Taking a few steps his shins bumper into something cushy. The couch.

Torn in places with stuffing hanging out it had seen better days. But when you belonged to two were beasts you expected to get used. Sometimes brutally.

Turning Logan sank to the cushions with Jess straddling his lap. Her groin pressing against his trapped erection was torture but he made no move to free himself. Instead his hands traveled up the back of her shirt, lifting it over her head.

Jess lifted her arms to help, letting her breasts come teasingly close to his mouth. But the moment she was free of the cloth, her fingers began tugging at his shirt. All the while grinding herself against the bulge on his groin.

Once she pulled his shirt off, her fingers lightly scratching at his nipples and pecs. A soft growl, almost purr-like, filled the air as Jess' mouth found his. She nipped and sucked at his lips. Slowly her hands worked down, caressing each muscle until she reached his waist and started unbuttoning his jeans. Her own cutoffs were chafing against her thighs.

Logan murmured low grunts and growls as his mate teased his lips and touched his bare flesh. When she stopped grinding to undoing his pants his own found her button and zipper. Wriggling free of his pants beneath her he pushed them down near his knees then set to work on hers.

Gripping her hips he pushed the material down, palms sliding down her smooth, firm thighs. Growling louder against her lips he reversed one hand's direction and placed it between her legs, a finger parting her sex. He was torn between his own throbbing erection and the desire to tease her, feel her with his hand.

She didn't heave him much of a choice. With a snarl of desire, Jess reached between them and pushed his hand out of the way. Her hand stroked Logan's cock before she squirmed closer. There was a hint of fang in her smile as she lifted up and then sank down on him.

Logan groaned as she surrounded his length. "Jess," he rasped. Cupping both her breasts he squeezed and kneaded them, timing them to his thrusts. He used the back of the couch and his heels along the bottom panel to raise his hips. He had seen the small show of sharper teeth and leaned in to bite her shoulder, though his teeth were blunt for now.

Arching into his bite, Jess let out a noise somewhere between a hiss and a growl. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she started to raise and lower herself on his thick cock. Her cheek brushed across the top of his head as she squeezed herself closer, her breasts rubbing against his chest.

Tracing her spine his hands came to rest on her hips. As she pressed closer, rubbing, Logan took the opportunity to taste and bite her collar, shoulders, neck, every bit of flesh he could reach. He met her thrusts, raising his hips to be sure their crotches met and he was buried as deep as possible.

Lost as he was in her he didn't hear the stirring out front. But the whine and sudden loud scratching at the front door made him freeze in place, panting breaths held as his head jerked to the door.

Jess' head snapped up and then drop against his shoulder. "It's a good thing that we didn't install that doggie door," she said with a sigh. They had been hoping for too much for the pup to sleep more than five minutes. "I guess I should go get him," she said and then kissed Logan's lips lightly.

Logan relaxed his grip on her hips. "Need you," he whispered, but didn't stop her from getting up. Pulling his pants up he hissed as he buttoned and zipped the fly. "Our smell..." he trailed off. "Never mind," the pup had already smelled it, and if not it was glued to them either way.

Grabbing a towel from the floor he looked once at it's torn edges and holes. It had been a make shift toy for the ball of fur, better than having their clothes ripped to shreds.

Jess grinned at him as she grabbed her pants and pulled them back up. The wolves didn't have the same human nudity taboos, but she wasn't quite completely in that mindset. "Hate to tell you this Logan, but I think they know that we're mating every chance we get. Probably confused about it since I'm not in heat."

With a sigh, she opened the door and the pup came bounding in. Jess scooped him up, looking a bit cranky. "You are a troublemaker," she said, holding him level with her face. "And don't think you can get out of it by being unbearably cute." The puppy squirmed and then licked the tip of her nose, tail wagging. "Logan, help. He's being unbearably cute."

"You spoil him, Jess," Logan chuckled as the pup bared it's teeth, eyeing the toy towel. Logan hovered the cloth inches from his face, then removed it, teasing the young cub into a small ball of growling fur squirming in Jess' grip.

"Ya call that cute?" Logan grinned at her. "He's a killin' machine. Jus' look at those baby teeth, they'll scratch ya ta death."

"Oh yeah, he's a real terror, he is." Tiny welts that healed over almost instantly were being raised on her arms in the pup's eagerness to get at the towel. "Watch out for him Logan. He might take your place in the pack."

Both Jess and the pup's ears perked up at the same time. Scratching was heard at the door again, this time more insistent, much louder. The puppy growls turned to whines of eagerness as Jess put the pup down on the floor and opened the door a second time.

The pure white wolf was still suspicious about entering the cabin, although he had accepted both Logan's and Jess' presence with minimal fuss. He stood at the threshold eyeing the shifter and mutant uneasily. But the puppy bounded over to greet him, licking his father's cheeks and jowls. The wolf licked him and then turned, trotting slowly back to where the rest of the pack waited, the pup bounding after him eagerly.

Leaning against the door jam, arms crossed over her chest, Jess watched the retreating pair with a mix of sadness and anger. This pup only had about a week to go before he was was weaned, and would survive only due to Jess' and Logan's intervention. "I really want those hunters who killed his mother and siblings."

"We'll find them..." Logan's reply was low, a barely controlled reply on the verge of a snarl. "We'll find them," he said again, coming behind Jess to look at the retreating father and son. "And when we do," he popped his claws. "They'll regret it all."

Nothing had angered him so much in years. And he held no remorse for their future victims... if they were killed by a pair of blood lusting beasts he would not regret their deaths. He craved their deaths... despite Chuck's preaching.

With the thought of that future hunt on his mind and Jess' smell slowly invading his senses he ran the back of his claws on one hand down her bare arm, his other hand resting on her hip to pull her back against him.

Jess leaned back against his solid chest, shivering lightly at the feel of metal against her arm. Underneath her bloodlust there was a bit of unease. She doubted that she'd ever be fully comfortable with her desire for violence, but right now, she wasn't going to fight it.

But it wasn't time to prepare for that battle yet. Seeking to distract herself, Jess twisted in his arms and took a deep breath. She smiled as she took in his rich, masculine scent. Although in this form she wouldn't have much luck budging him, Jess pressed into him, hoping he'd get the hint and head back towards the couch. Or over to the bed. Or forward pressing her to the wall...

Logan got the hint. And he was more than willing to oblige. It was all he could do to control the beast within and not lay claim right there... 'sides, her pants were in the way.

Calmly unbuttoning them he let her push him backwards to the couch. He pulled them down as he fell back into the cushions. This time there would be no interruptions, this time they had... time. Freeing his aching member he moaned just at that sensation.

"Jess..." he pulled her lips to his, at first soft and slow but then with more hunger and need, still fighting his inner animal.

Jess returned the kiss with equal passion as she shimmied out of her pants. She pulled back for one second, long enough to pull her shirt over her head Then she was kissing him again, her fingers tickling and exploring.

Her kisses turned to sharp nips and her fingers delivered light scratches. It was all delivered teasingly, trying to provoke Logan into letting his beast out to play. Her own was awake and wanting out as well.

Logan grunted as she teased him, knowing full well what she wanted. As much as he wanted to give it to her... with small steps, like a chained animal pulling at the leash inch by inch, he let the beast out. Nipping back at her lips he pulled his claws in, letting their return slice thin red lines along her thighs. Planting his hands and fingers over the wounds before they healed he brought one bloody finger up to his mouth. He shuddered at the smell, at the taste.

Jess let out a soft growl at the sight of Logan tasting her blood. She planted biting kisses along his jaw and neck, her descending fangs just barely piercing his skin. Her fingers scratched over his chest, nails leaving red welts that healed almost instantly.

Her mouth traveled to his ear. "Want to try shifting, Logan?" she suggested in a voice somewhere between a growl and purr. Her mastery of shapeshifting was far more complete than his by virtue of the fact that she had been doing it so much longer. And the Professor's suggestion that she stop fighting it so hard but embrace her need to shift had helped her gain that much more control. Now she was trying to pass that lesson onto her lover. That and sex in their alternate forms was still a novelty for them.

Logan inhaled sharply, wanting more of her teeth and claws... anticipating more pleasurable, more violent love bites soon. Yet the more she continued and the more he yearned to shift the more urgent he became. "Yes," he growled, inhaling her throbbing pulse as he turned his head to lick at her neck.

They'd done this before. Bit by bit she'd draw the creature out of him. It seemed to take forever. Sometimes it never even happened and would leave him frustrated and angry. It was a comfort to know his mate had gone through the exact same thing, he had seen it himself.

Biting up her neck to her mouth he buried his hand in her hair, pulling her head back as he kissed her. He could feel his nails elongating, digging into the flesh on her thigh.

"Feel's good," she softly growled against his kisses, trying not to draw too much attention to the fact that he had started shifting slightly. Instead she dug her nails into his chest harder as she rubbed her groin against his.

Her own kisses took a more feral tone. Now that he was able to Change, Jess had no fear about accidentally nipping or biting him. Her tongue flicked out to taste their blood from the biting kisses, growling deeper in her throat, encouraging him on.

A tingling pain in his spine started. With a more confident growl now Logan released her head. Blood, coppery sweet and on her kiss. He bit and nipped back at her, moving down to her shoulder. The tingling became a throbbing yet he continued to stimulate himself by rubbing and biting his mate.

His vision blurred, his ears burned. For a moment he was forced to relent to the pain: crying and howling as his body oozed, stretched, cracked and mended.

Panting as it finished, as the pain subsided, Logan blinked and inhaled deeply. Jess smelled all the more intoxicating this way. He didn't notice the new tears and holes in the couch as his hands released the cushions either side of him. At least this time he had managed to stay in one spot instead of throwing himself all over their home during his shifting.

"Very good," Jess said, tugging on the loose fur on his neck. She scritched at the base of his ear, digging in with her lengthening claws. She allowed the Change to rip through her quickly, trying to get the pain over as quickly as possible.

Now instead of a woman, a digitigrade wolf sat on the mutant's lap. Her claws combed through his fur as she started nipping at his lips. Her tail was still wagging in pride from Logan managing to shift with (for him) little difficulty. Now it was time for his reward, she though as her claws raked down his chest and belly to wrap around his cock. Careful not to scratch him there, she squeezed as her hand around him.

Logan growled against her muzzle, baring his teeth as he licked her. With a start he lifted his hips against her touch, gasping and tilting his head up. Speech was still a near impossibility for him in this form. Grunts, growls, snarls, barks, chuffs and grumbles was the most he could achieve and relying heavily on body language.

Raking his claws through her thick fur he scratched the base of her tail with one hand, the other gripping her thigh and hip, thumb rubbing teasingly close to her sex.

Jess let out a soft hiss as she stroked him and his thumb caressed her. She nipped lightly on her ear, tugging it as she scooted her hips closer to his groin. Her tail still thumped lazily against his thigh as she began a teasing, rolling motion meant to drive them both crazy.

Logan groaned as she began to tease him further. He needed her. Bad. Now. Turning so one leg curled into the corner of the couch, the other foot onto the floor, he flipped her onto her back. They barely fit on the piece of furniture this way. Lining himself up he locked his gaze on hers as he pushed within her. Claws digging into the couch he leaned down to nip her muzzle as he set an urgent pace.

Jess let out a soft growl, one hind paw scratching along the back of the couch, trying to anchor her in place. She returned his nips with stronger ones, reminding him that even though he had just pushed her over onto her back, she was no pushover. The claws of her forepaws sank into his ass, tugging on his fur and the base of his tail. Growling as her hips pumped to keep pace with his,

Panting and grunting with each thrust, Logan licked her muzzle, turning his head to the side to give her access to bite his vulnerable neck. Grabbing the back of her thighs as he thrust in hard he held her to him, their dance momentarily paused as he rolled off the couch onto the floor and against the already splintered coffee table. There their dance continued as he released his hold on her, thrusting up against her. Burying one clawed hand into her mane he pulled her to his biting muzzle, tongue darting out to play with hers in-between snarls.

She let out a grunt as air was forced out of her lungs as she landed on the floor. Snarling, Jess squirmed beneath him as the pleasure built in her body. With a deep growl her head lunged forward to sink her fangs into his shoulder, holding him tightly. Her hind claws caught in the wooden floor of the cabin, adding another set of gouges as she raised her hips to push against his. And then her shaking became almost a convulsion as she came, jaws tightening further on him.

Logan growled loudly as her sex clamped down and her juices flowed explosively. So hot, so tight... still he pushed into her, riding out her orgasm and holding back his own. He could feel his blood freely running in her jaws, the pain delicious... it couldn't heal as long as she kept her teeth in it. He wrenched his shoulder just an inch, enough to feel muscles and flesh tear but not enough to pull free.

Snarling, Jess clamped down even tighter as she felt herself pushed along the floor. Eyes tightly shut, her world was reduced to the sensations of touch of his body, smell of his fur and sound of his grunts. A second orgasm tore through her body and her claws dug deeper into his skin.

Letting loose a savage growl Logan thrusts into her hard, claws scrambling against the floor as his orgasm tears through him. He tenses as his hips jerk streams of his seed into her. As he empties he gradually comes to relax, shaking as he sinks to the floor beside her. Licking her muzzle he tastes his own fresh blood there.

Jess lay limply on the floor under her lover, muscles easing as he relaxed. She turned her head so she could lap at his muzzle in return. His scent and taste blended into one sensation that complimented the feel of him against her. Her claws lightly combed through his fur. Everything about the moment felt perfect to her, a sensation she was rapidly becoming used to.

Logan's tail gently swished in a slow wag as they lay there. For once in his life, the parts he could remember, he could finally say he was content. This was his life, this was his mate, he was a beast and there was no other way to say it. Of course there was always that paranoia itching the base of his skull, but he wasn't going to let it rule him and push her out of his life.

He didn't know how long they had lay there, but a sudden darkening of the room told him the sun was resting. His eyes flashed at the promise of night as he grinned wolfishly down at her.

Jess grinned up at him, bearing her fangs and her tail smacking his in a wagging counter rhythm. She lurched to her feet and padded over to the door. It took several minutes and a little creative scratching without opposable thumbs to get it open.

Eventually she did manage to nudge it to one side. The cool night breeze filtered in. Shooting him a challenging grin, over her shoulder, Jess bolted out into the darkness, blending with the night. The message in her smile had been clear. "Catch me if you can."

Logan watched her from his position on the floor, an amused twinkle to his eye until he saw her challenge. Scramble on the hard floor he stumbled and then rolled out into the night, landing on all fours running. He followed her scent, their recent love making still heavy on the both of them.

Dodging through trees and over logs, he splashed to the other side of a river as he finally gained on his mate. Woofing softly in laughter he reached out to grab her foot.

There was a mischievous gleam in her eye as she saw how close he was. Jess stopped short, skidding on her hind legs and butt as she dropped her shoulders. She was laughing as he went tumbling over heels above her, his momentum not allowing him to stop. Digging hind claws into the ground, she then leapt, landing on him. Wresting and nipping, she wriggled around him, tugging on his fur and ears, tail lightly lashing against his body as she barked her laughter.

Logan landed and skidded with an oomph on his back, the air knocked from his lungs. Before he had a chance to get a breath Jess was on him, with the energy equal to a pup. Gasping and trying to fend her off just to get his breath back he still couldn't help but laugh, though it was a broken laugh as he gasped for air.

Launching his own attack he began to nip her back, aiming for her neck, muzzle, tail, thigh... anything in reach as she wriggled around him. His pawhands stole a stroke here, a touch there.

Jess shivered as he groped her. Nothing overtly arousing was done, but the combination had her wriggling above him. Deciding two could play at that game, she mock growled at him. But she used her entire body to tease. A slight rub along the length of his torso with hers, tongue tracing the point of one ear, the tip of her tail flicking against his inside thigh.

Logan stretched beneath her assault, rubbed his muzzle along her neck. Making soft growling woofs into her fur he nibbled the base of an ear. Reaching down he rubbed her tail, a quarter the way down from the base where the scent marks would be. Digging his claws past the fur he rubbed it the wrong way... which, contrary to the term itself, would actually be a very right and rewarding way.

Jess practically vibrated above him from pleasure. Her own claws started to knead into his fur and muscle. She pulled her head back slightly so she could tug softly on the fur of his neck, her teeth lightly grazing his skin. Her hips rubbed against his as she continued to squirm above him.

Rubbing his hips along hers in counter directions Logan nearly growled out a purring noise through bared teeth. Though kissing proved difficult with their muzzles and teeth Logan hunkered his neck and nuzzled her whiskers. Licking and rubbing her muzzle he parted his jaws and manipulated his tongue, a word trying to get out. After a false start, a test, he finally uttered her name: "Jess." Without lisp, without a hiss.

Her tail had been wagging slowly, but it sped up immediately when Logan said her name. It was the first time he had managed to say anything clearly while shifted. Her first impulse was to say 'Good boy, Logan,' like she was praising a pup. Instead she twisted to look at him, coming her claws through his cheek fur. Her muzzle wasn't flexible enough to easily kiss him, but instead she licked his jaw and the corner of his mouth.

Logan wriggled beneath her, quite pleased with himself and her reaction. Licking her as she licked him might be the closest they came to kissing while shifted. He ran his claws down her back, up and down through the thick fur.

He ground his hips up against hers, his member now swollen and rubbing against her slit. Though while shifted he still had a wolf sheath, his member was fully human in shape.

Jess responded to his wriggling with squirming. It was awkward positioning on digitigrade legs. but she managed to back against him. But she didn't let him enter her just yet. Instead she continued to rub against him, teasing both herself and himself. Her claws worked into the fur of his chest, coming and grooming as she continued to lick at his mouth.

Logan growled in protest as she teased him. Baring the tips of his teeth he nipped at her muzzle between licks. He ground up against her harder. His claws dug into the fur along her back, rubbing upward and scratching. In a near puppy hope for reward he spoke her name again, nearly moaning it against her teasing.

Jess let out a whimper at the sound of her name on his lips. She knew how much effort it took for him to say her name, to force an animal muzzle to make sounds it was never meant to do. And such efforts deserved to be richly rewarded.

She spread her hind legs a little wider, her hocks now touching the ground, allowing herself to skin down on his cock. Forelegs splayed as well, Jess bent down and lightly nipped the base of his throat, tugging the shaggy fur there.

Logan growled softly as she impaled herself on his cock, claws slowly stroking the thick fur on her shoulders and sides. Tilting his head to the side and up he exposed more of his tender throat for her. Digging his shoulders into the ground he bucked his hips against hers, claws digging into the earth.

She let her elbows drop to touch the ground. Her muzzle went to his neck, lightly tugging his fur. Hiking her hind paws up a bit, she wriggled her rear, trying to encourage him to move harder and faster. Her claws dug into the earth. churning the dirt as she whimpered.

Gripping her hips Logan's claws buried in her thick fur as he thrust upward. His claws slid in the dirt, struggling for purchase until they found a patch of grass. Now he lifted his hips from the ground, thrusting fast and hard as he arched beneath her. Turning his head he rubbed his jowls along hers, biting at her ear as he grunted with each thrust.

Jess whimpered as she backed in to meet him, her tail arching up and curling over her back almost like a husky's. Her whines came harder and faster as he kept hitting that one pleasurable spot inside of her. Her talons dug into the earth next to his shoulders, keeping her anchored against him as she tilted her head back, baring her throat to him.

Logan growled deeply as he raised his head to her neck. Rubbing his muzzle in her neck fur before he nipped, teeth parting her fur to graze against her flesh. He could feel her jugular pulsing. The vein so many hunters went for. The vein mates exposed to show their trust.

He notched his thrusts faster, harder, gripping her hips with bruising strength. Claws penetrating her fur, scratching and digging into her flesh as he held her.

She was whining with each of his thrusts and with each near nip of his teeth on her neck. She forced her flanks harder and harder against his, practically bouncing off of him. Jess' foreclaws tightened into the ground and she tipped her head back and howled as she came.

Logan joined her howl as his seed released into her tight walls. It wasn't heard of to have one wolf howling and another standing by to watch, howling was... group addicting. Loosening his grip on her as they each spent themselves Logan let his shoulders and head slid bonelessly back to the earth, panting softly.

Jess slumped to the ground as well, staying close to her lover's body. Her tail lightly thumped in pleasure on the ground. From the distance there were howls of the hunting pack answering their cries of pleasure. Turning her head, she nuzzled Logan's cheek and affectionately nipped his ear.

Logan twitched an ear towards the pack, a lupine grin playing over his features as he returned her nuzzling. The moon moved from tree top to tree top as they played and frolicked. Free, wild, and as they should be without worry.

Cresting a hill Logan gazed down upon their kin, already having ate and lounging around their kill. There was no need for invitation, Logan and Jess were a part of this pack, family and not just friend. But Logan paused as they began to descend the hill. Something... was wrong.

Jess paused as well, one paw off the ground. There were the scents of the kill and the scents of the pack in the air. But there was also a scent that shouldn't have been there. One that they had smelled before. The hunters who had stalked the wolf pack earlier had returned.

Her hackles raised and a low growl sounded in her throat. She looked at Logan and then back to the pack, trying to decide what to do. Howl and warn the pack that they were in danger, or try to keep their presence a secret and stalk the hunters for bloody retribution.

Logan knew right now, before any shots were fired, that the pack had to be saved. Before any more family members were lost. Stalk and kill their killers they would, but first they had to be spooked off their hunt.

Looking pointedly at Jess he gestured with a thick paw-hand towards the scent. Then slowly walked to the very edge of the tree line himself. He'd be the diversion for now, and would join her hunt as soon as the pack was out of danger.

At first on all fours he loped down the hill half way to the kill. Much larger than any normal wolf he must have at least caused the hunters pause. Then he reared up on his hind legs and gave out a defying, barking growl. To the wolves it was a warning.

Jess began slinking towards where the men appeared to be hiding in the tree line. They had all spotted Logan and the fleeing wolves, but didn't seem to be watching their backs. There was a vague alarm bell ringing in her mind, but she couldn't figure out why. They looked like normal hunters, nothing more.

Deciding that she wanted to play a little before attacking, Jess let out a loud howl that echoed Logan's. And there was a smug satisfaction in her gaze as she watched them bumble into each other and start scrambling backwards.

Striding up the hill, fur and teeth bristling, shoulders held high, spine rigid and tail straight, Logan was beginning to see a hazy red. The beginning of his blood lust. And this time he wouldn't fight it. He'd relish in it and push out Chuck's voice from his past.

He saw with grim satisfaction Jess had already sent them stumbling in his direction. Trapped between the two weres they now began moving along the forest's edge. They were close. Why didn't they flee? Why didn't he smell urine? Logan narrowed his eyes, why was one of them winking at him?

He sensed it all too late. The metal against metal screech as magnetic bonds streamed from underneath his paws to grapple with his twisting and bucking form.

Jess pulled up her charge as she saw something explode from the ground and wrap around Logan. And at that point the hunters stopped running and started charging. She ducked as she felt more than heard something whizz by her head. She danced backwards, barely avoiding being ensnared in a metal trap of her own.

Even as she backed away, her eyes sought out Logan's. This was not supposed to be happening. Her body language and expression spoke volumes - torn between running in terror for her life, and running to the rescue of her mate.

Logan's bloodlust would never be so thick that he'd forget Jess. Through his rage and fear he saw her eyes seeking his. Gnashing his teeth at her he spoke in the only way he knew how. Hoping to drive her away into safety by feigning confusion and an attack in her direction. The bonds around him, snakelike and somehow too strong for his inhuman (twice!) muscles, tightened and tightened until he was reduced to wriggling form. Muscles bulging in an attempt to struggle.

Part of her rebelled against his unspoken urging for her to run away. She just couldn't leave her mate behind. Snarling, she bounded forward, only to just avoid another set of metallic snares similar to the ones holding Logan. Whining, she tucked her tail between her legs and bolted away. The hunters for the moment seemed more interested in Logan than her, because they didn't chase her, but hurried towards the male.

She didn't run back to the house. Jess knew that they would be waiting for her there. She just hoped they hadn't found the shack that they had half a mile away where they kept some emergency supplies. Making sure nobody was there as she approached, she then scrambled inside. While a large black wolf had entered, a brunette women in jeans and bike leathers rolled a beat up Harley motorcycle out of the shed. The bike roared to life, and Jess was speeding down the road.

Despite the risk, she stuck to the main freeway, relying on speed over secrecy. And she bypassed the first two small towns where they usually bought their supplies, figuring that there would be people watching for her there. It was at the third small town she pulled off at and parked at the first diner she found. She walked in, ordered a cup of coffee as a pretense, and called the one phone number she had hoped she would never have to use.

After a ten minute conversation, she hung up the phone. Wearily, she dragged herself back over to the counter where her black cup of coffee was waiting. Her adrenaline was wearing off, and now there was nothing more she could do but wait for help to arrive.

Remy always was the humor in dire situations. As he halted the jeep next to the familiar Harley he jumped out without a glance to Rahne or Alex. Kneeling next to the bike he nearly purred as he ran his hands over it. "Been a long time, cherie," he cooed.

Rolling her eyes Rahne jumped out the back seat and strolled purposefully towards the door of the diner. She didn't have to pause to look for Jess, she followed her nose in the right direction as soon as she crossed the threshold.

"That stuff'll rot your stomach," she took a seat next to Jess. "One coffee," to the waitress behind the counter.

"Rotting my stomach is the least of my worries, Rahne," she said taking a deep sip of her own mug. "Thanks for coming." There was a comfort in not speaking of exactly what had happened up at their cabin. A comfort that would be all too fleeting shortly. "Remy and Alex come too?"

"Yeah, were here," Alex Krycek said. "Would have come in with Rahne, but had to stop Remy from humping your bike." He took a seat on the other side of Jess, and waived off the waitress as she headed in his direction. "How bad is it?"

"Bad," was Jess' only comment.

"We free Logan, chere. Dat why we here." Remy didn't bother sitting, he was always the X-Man on the sidelines of groups. Listening more than he put in. Acting when he was told to... if he deemed appropriate.

"Do you know who it was? Who it might have been? I think we can assume if it wasn't your enemies then it must have been Logan's." Rahne thought another moment. "We should take a look at any equipment they might have left behind, but that would be too dangerous to go back this soon."

"Well, that's it," Jess said resting her head in her hands. "I'm not sure if it was people after me or him. Or both of us. Because it looked like what they used to trap him was magnetic, but they were looking for werewolves too."

"So we're going into a hostile situation against unknown enemies. Rahne's right though. It's too soon to go back." He looked back out to where they had parked. "You sure nobody followed you, Jess?"

Still in shock, and seemingly unconcerned, or maybe just too tired to care, Jess shrugged her shoulders.

"We wasting daylight, mes amies." Remy headed for the door. "An' I know one place we oughta start lookin'." Rahne was too young to have heard much of it and the other two were strangers to the X-Men so Remy told them briefly of the little horror base up in the Canadian wilderness. Where most of Logan's memories started and stopped or became fuzzy. Where he received his adamantium skeleton via an old lover's disgruntled mad scientist father.

"We start dere," Remy finished. "If it be so den we call in reinforcements." He started the jeep up. It was going to be a long, fast trip.

Jess sighed heavily as she followed the group out. She looked at the bike and bit her lower lip in indecision, not wanting to leave it behind, but not ready to bring it along. But at the moment she was so tired, she wasn't certain that she could drive the bike

Alex followed her gaze. "Get in the jeep, Jess. I'll follow on the bike."

"Thanks, Alex," Jess said. She climbed into the passenger's side and sat down, fighting to keep the wave of emotion behind the cold barrier she had erected to keep functioning.

Wanting to be near her pack mate and the only real physical comfort out of 2 men and 1 female that Jess could get- Rahne shifted into her smaller wolfen form and in-between the seats sprawled so her head rested on Jess lap, nose her hand. Remy put the jeep in gear and into life on the freeway, roaring down the lanes faster than they should have gone and passing everything along the way.

Though the border wasn't far, and the highway up to the base an easy route. It was about a 15 mile hike from the side of the highway to the base in the woods. Rahne stayed in her wolf form as they got out to start the hike, sniffing out predators and potential signs of Logan or his captors as they headed out.

Jess remained human, having spent the entire drive stroking Rahne's muzzle. She hadn't said much, and fortunately Remy didn't seem to be too big of a conversationalist. Or if he had attempted, she hadn't responded. Instead she had been trying to figure out why she as so uneasy. It was something more than the fact that Logan had been taken captive.

Hiking through the woods, that uneasy feeling got worse the further she went along. Following behind Remy and Rahne with and Alex trailing, she kept a sharp eye out. And almost fainted when she saw the tree with the claw marks.

Not Logan's.

Hers.

"I know this place," she whispered in shock. "I escaped from somewhere near here."

"Looks like y' share more wit' Logan dan any knew," Remy gestured for them to shush and slow down, then he took off at a ran through the trees.

Rahne watched his go, ears perked and worried. In her wolf form she was more inclined to react to instincts that humans often overlooked. She dashed after the Cajun just a moment before gun fire and an explosion sounded off in the direction Remy had ran.

Alex swore as he drew his gun. "Stay here," he snapped at the werewolf as he ran in the direction his lover and Rahne had disappeared. And in a few seconds he had disappeared into the trees

"Like hell I am," Jess snarled under her breath. She charged hard in the path of the others, and rounding a tree, stopped short at the sight before her.

The security wasn't that tight... almost as if they hoped their bitch were wolf would walk right into their operation. Remy stood over a smoking guard and Rahne was cornering another as a third aimed at Krycek.

With a cold efficiency that came from years of practice, Alex aimed his weapon as well. The two looked almost like mirror images, each daring the other to pull the trigger first. But the choice was taken away from both of them by a black blur with fangs and claws. Anger and frustration getting the better of her, Jess leaped over Krycek and attacked the guard, the predator in her rejoicing that here was something flesh and blood for her to rend.

Now that they had surely announced their presence Rahne pawed at the door anxiously until Remy slipped a glowing card beneath it's frame and blew it open for her. Shifting into a larger, upright form the auburn wolf waited for Jess before entering the labs.

Remy took Krycek's back as they followed the wolves. Now he knew how Rogue had felt with the gambles he had taken in fights, catching a glimpse of his lover in a standoff with another had chilled him.

Jess wasn't completely lost in the red haze of bloodlust, but she was close. She padded down the hallway boldly, almost as if daring anyone to attack her. Shouldering past Rahne, she inhaled deeply, seeking any trace of Logan's scent. Turning her head, she charged down a corridor to the left.

"Damn it, Jess! Wait up!" Alex didn't like this. They had gotten in too easily in his opinion. And the werewolf was acting on instinct and not thinking things through logically, making the risk greater.

"Would you if this was Remy?" Rahne growled over her shoulder at Alex as she ran to keep up with Jess, going to all fours.

Remy grabbed Krycek's shoulder, slowing his down. "Maybe we hang back, amoureux. Dey may need some one in de shadows." Remy pulled Alex into another hall way. He looked up and down the corridor, "Here," he pointed to a duct system.

"Shadows it is then, love." Alex followed behind Remy. The werewolves would have to take care of themselves for a moment. Kneeling down below the vent, he laced his fingers and boosted Remy up. Then he grabbed onto Remy's hand and pulled himself up and in.

Growling, Jess continued down the corridors. Much to her surprise, her nose wasn't leading her towards the cells where she had been kept. Nor were they leading her towards what was nicknamed the Pit, where bloody fights had taken place to test her abilities. Instead she was being led downstairs to a set of laboratories she had never been to before.

Remy hauled his lover into the shaft. Lighting a card for their sight he turned to face his lover. "If Remy remembers, Logan wasn' on dis floor." He had been here, back when it had been gated and near sealed against the X-Men's investigation. He remembered the giant tubes of liquid, one's glass smashed. "Logan will be down one level. Let's hope we find de right path." He began crawling down the shaft.

Rahne had never been here with the X-Men investigated Wolverine's origins, she had barely been a pup when that had happened and came to the team a while later. The smells and hallways and sights were all new to her but she followed her pack mate dutifully. The stairs proved a task and she fell behind the older werewolf as she maneuvered them. When she caught up the sights before caused her to halt.

"Jess, what took you so long?" An older man in a lab coat addressed the were as she came to the floor Logan was held in. He hung across the room, nude and halfway between man and wolf in form... nothing like his giant and beastly were form. Almost misshapen.

Although she recognized the voice, Jess only had eyes for Logan. Her lips lifted higher above her ivory teeth, baring blood red gums. Something was clearly wrong with him. She couldn't maintain that sort of transformation, so something was clearly

Two men with laser sighted weapons stepped out in front of Jess. As Rahne showed the lab coat turned to her. "Advise your friend of the silver bullets in these weapons, little wolf."

"Rahne, run," Jess snapped. She might not be able to escape again, but escape wasn't her plan at the moment. Freeing Logan was. But she wasn't about to see her friend and fellow werewolf be experimented on like she was. She started circling the three men, hoping to draw their fire as she stayed close to the wall. It was an empty demand, but she had to make it anyway. "Let him go," she growled.

It was ungodly hot in the vent, but Alex and Remy worked their way down to the lower level. As the neared a four way junction, Alex paused when he heard a growl. "Could you tell which direction that came from?"

Rahne was pretending not to have heard her pack mate. Run. LIke hell she would. It wasn't her these men were after, her gift had come by it's natural roots instead of being imbedded and tested.

"Jess, don't you remember me?" The graying man gestured and a curtain fell between them and Logan. "I have so much to thank you for... my how you've grown." He smiled, though there was anything but love in it. "You won't harm me: I'm the key to your mate- that is what you two are, isn't it? I'm his only chance of survival now. Unplug him and you'll kill him." He gestured at the guards and they lowered their weapons. "Work with us, and you may get to see him live."

---

Remy waved a finger in front of his lips, shuffling along the ducts until he caught the tail end of what an aging man had been speaking. He pointed to the nearest grate and waved his lover over, peering down at the scene below.

Alex had caught a glimpse of the curtain closing, hiding something from sight. Immediately he started to scan the room, noting the positions and armament of every person in the room. He guessed since they were expecting Jess, they were all armed with silver bullets. Not that it really mattered in the end. Silver or lead would both be equally fatal to everyone but Jess.

Jess continued to circle, making herself a harder target to hit. She knew that they also would have tranquilizers as well as the bullets. "Of course I remember you," she said, her ears pinned back and teeth exposed to her blood red gums. "And I'm listening."

“I’ll keep it simple, Jess.” The graying man crossed his arms behind his back, though as he turned he revealed no weapons held in secret. “We want another were. One born into it’s mental, physical, and emotional capabilities instead of forced into them” He turned to look at Rahne which caused the younger wolfen quirk an ear. “One born and raised knowing of its gift and already using them instead of thrust into hell by the gift when she hits puberty.”

“You think what was done to you was awful. But imagine if you were born and raised this way: would you still sneer and guilt over your powers? No because you’d have complete control over them if you had been raised and taught how to deal with them.”

Above in the ducts Remy groaned as he saw where the gray man was heading.

Still pacing restlessly, Jess listened to the scientist's words. There was a certain logic to them, that had she inherited her powers instead of them being forced onto her, that much of her problems wouldn't exist. But there was also what was left unsaid. She had been human and Changed into a werewolf against her will to be studied, subjected to many painful tests. Was it any less evil to subject a 'natural' werewolf to the same, just because he wasn't the recipient of genetic manipulation? And what about her guilt that she had handed over her own child?

"So you only want me for breeding stock," she growled. The one thing she wanted to avoid, she could feel herself being herded towards, like a lamb to the slaughter. Jess finally stopped, positioning the gray man between herself and the duct she could smell Remy and Alex in. She didn't look up, didn't give any sign to betray their presence. "And if I do this, if I am able to give you this other were you want, what do I get out of it? What's not to say that you won't want another, and another, and another? How do I know that you'll keep any promises you've made to me?"

Alex watched it all, shaking his head. He too had realized at the same moment as Remy what was going on. And that any negotiations that the werewolf made were most likely doomed. These men were used to promising anything to get what they wanted. But once they had it, their promises scattered like chaff in the wind.

As Jess had paced, the armed guards too had moved, though in a more production semi circle around the younger were wolf. Rahne laid her ears back nervously as she continued to watch Jess and the graying man.

"Jess, come now: use your head. Why would we want two weres from the same parents? Using two weres from the same parents as potential partners would be a cruelty to their futures. To produce brain dead offspring would go against my desires. All I need is one. Their potential breeding partner will have to come from another source if one is to be found." He smiled like one smiles as a rather clueless child.

Above in the ducts Remy's eyes were glued to the scene below. As he gathered in the formation the guards were making around Rahne he reached across the shaft to grip his lover's forearm.

Alex was cursing under his breath as he tried to draw his weapon and aim through the vent's grille. Unfortunately he could get no clear shot he could take without risking either of the werewolves. "Any suggestions?" he whispered to Remy.

Jess responded by bounding between Rahne and the advancing guards. She snapped her jaws as she crouched, her body broadside and blocking them from Rahne. She growled before being able to master herself again. Options were rapidly dwindling. "She's a mutant. Not a werewolf. There's no guarantee her offspring will show the same mutation. You might wait about 12 years to find you've wasted your time," she snarled with her ears flat against her head. "If I say I'll do this, agree to your experiment," she said, forcing her ears upright. "Will you let them go? Unmolested?"

"Of course I will," he smiled, not pointing out that her mate was only half mutant, and with complete control of the test tube babies genes he would have what he wanted as long as he held her mate. "Release the little one," he ordered his guards. "Your Wolverine will be released as soon as we get what we need from you," he gestured with his hands the way she should walk with him.

Above them Remy shook his head at his lover's question. He watched as the scientist led Jess, and the guards out of the room. One stayed behind with Rahne... "Now or never," he whispered, unlatching the duct's vent.

The moment the vent grille was clear, Krycek shifted his aim to the remaining guard. Grateful he remembered to put the silencer on his weapon, he inhaled, sighted, and squeezed the trigger as he exhaled.

A red mist blossomed behind the guard's skull a split second before he dropped dead at Rahne's feet.

Even before the guard started moving, Alex was pulling himself out of the vent and dropped to the ground. "You okay, Rahne?" he asked as he started towards the curtain hiding where Logan was chained.

Jess, meanwhile, had followed meekly behind the scientist. The guards had formed a tight circle around her, weapons targeted at various points on her body. "You going to put me on fertility drugs, or just wait for me to ovulate naturally?" If they were going to do it the natural way, they could be in for a long, long wait.

"Fine," Rahne jumped over the guard and trotted after Alex. She whined as she saw Logan's physical state. Even when she shifted she didn't keep to this form he was trapped in.

Logan's left hand was still mostly human while his right was fully shifted, part human and part animal. His nose was only partly changed, the teeth protruding in an unnatural angle. He had long ago grown too tired of writhing in pain but it still showed in his eyes as he watched the group approach. His fur was only partially sprouted in various places.

"He's awake..." Remy couldn't believe the X-Men member hadn't been sedated before put through this. He reached for the wires that connected Logan to a large computer but then withdrew, unsure.

---

The scientist walked Jess to a room at the end of the hall. "We have our ways," he winked at her and gestured to a table with restraints and stirrups. "If you'll lay down it'll be over in just a bit."

Jess took a deep breath and hopped up on the table. Trying hard not to think about what was about to be done to her, she Changed back to a human form and put her heels in the stirrups. Feeling exposed and vulnerable, she stared at the ceiling, a tear trailing out of her eye.

Meanwhile, Alex was studying the computer's readouts. They all seemed to be charting his various vital body functions. "Here's hoping I've read this tight," he muttered as he started to punch buttons. He watched cautiously as various tubes started to retract and wires disengaged.

The graying scientist nodded in approval as Jess submitted without question, seemingly. He set about gathering the equipment he'd need and had his aid roll over a large machine, part of it hovered over Jess' abdomen. "This may feel unpleasant, do you want a local anesthesia?" When the aid hit a button on the large contraption it made a magnetic sound.

Logan began to come alive again as the various tubing and wires began to disengage. He hadn't missed a thing despite being too pained to move or fight during Jess' arrival. While the removal of the tubes caused him yet more pain he knew he was now free to fight. As he felt the last of the wiring tearing from his muscles he didn't wait for them to finish but tore himself free with a growl, falling to the floor in a writhing clump as his body adjusted. Seemingly it was at a loss which form he was to take, body parts and limbs blurring and melting like clay before finally growing fur, getting longer, thicker, and stronger.

He howled in agony during this battle between his mind and body: teeth gnashing at his own chest, arms, and thighs while he writhed. But only one thing plagued his mind during this: Jess.

Larger than he had ever been in his human/wolf form one would wonder what else the scientist had done to him, but Remy didn't have time for questions as Logan pushed him aside to tromp down the hall he had seen Jess disappear.

"Damn it, Logan," Alex called after him. That was exactly how Jess got into trouble, charging down the hallway without thinking. But he couldn't blame him. If it had been Remy, Alex would have been doing the exact same thing.

Without much thought, Alex started jogging after the mutant. Realizing that he was alone, he looked back to Remy and to Rahne. "Come on," he said. "We can't let him charge in there blindly. He's going to need backup."

Logan stopped and pivoted as he heard the others following him. Jabbing the blunt curve of a claw against Krycek's chest he tried to speak, momentarily forgetting he couldn't control this form's vocal chords enough to do so yet. Growling in annoyance he turned again, seeking out Jess' scent and following her to a closed door.

"Special clearance," Remy mocked with a smirked, elbowing Krycek in his ribs as Logan tore into the door. "Y' t'ink dey know Logan well enough they make dis whole building outa adamantium."

But it wasn't the door that came down eventually. Logan used his claws to pry it open instead. Perhaps it had been made out of the one thing Logan couldn't even scratch but he hadn't bothered finding out, hadn't wasted the time.

Behind them, as Logan now shouldered his way into the crack to bully it wider, a small army gathered in the hallways.

"Shit," Alex swore. There was nothing that could be used for cover, unless Logan got the doors open fast. And then who knew what was waiting on the other side. Pulling Rahne back by the scruff of her neck behind him, he knelt down to present a smaller target. He pulled his handgun and aimed a the advancing shoulders. "Any suggestions, Remy?" he said as he cocked the hammer back.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" The scientist pursed his lips as he watched Logan gain entrance to the room. He should have fled, but he didn't. He knew Wolverine better than the mutant knew himself.

"Uhm... Alex, perhaps we walk through walls?" Remy watched their surrounding foes. Though each gun was trained on the small band of friends, no one was firing yet.

Down the hallway, Jess hissed as the machine activated feeling an odd sensation. She opted not to have a local, not trusting what they would inject her with. She wanted to stay alert as she could. But with the speculum spreading her wide as a fiber optic instrument was being introduced inside of her, the pressure building in her pelvis as the whine of the machine increased, it was hard to concentrate. She thought she could barely hear something over the noises in the room, whimpering as the pressure on her belly grew to a pain. Fingers and toes curling in agony, she bit down on her lower lip until she could taste her own blood. Her eyes were shut tight, tears leaking from the corners of them as her breath shuddered through her nose in harsh gasps. Her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood as there were suddenly needle sharp pains low on her abdomen and then a sense of relief.

Logan nearly roared when he pushed into the room and caught sight of his enemy and Jess. Slashing her restraints Logan looked at her long and hard before turning his sights back onto the old man. He swiped at him until he had him pressed to a wall, infuriated by the grin plastered on that aging face.

"Kill me, and kill your friends," the old man had to strain his neck and eyes to look up at Logan.

"Logan, wait." Breathing heavily, Jess rolled forward and off the examining table. She was breathing heavily and there was a dull ache in her midsection that was rapidly dwindling. She didn't shapeshift as she padded over to where Logan was.

She looked at the old man cowering at him. Like Logan, she wanted to sink her claws into him, sink her fangs into him, rip and tear and rend as she felt the warmth of blood and viscera bathe her flesh and fur. But for the moment the human was firmly in control. And that human remembered her friends waiting outside. "Your promise," she growled softly.

Inside the lab, he smiled at her. "Indeed. So go. My men won't stop you," he looked up at Logan, stiffening as the were bent low to threaten him, his teeth centimeters from the man's jugular. A snap. Then he withdrew, leaving the man unscathed.

He looked at Jess, ears perked and eyes concerned. A gentle rumbling inside his chest as he reached out one clawed hand to barely touched the side of his mate's face.

She caught the paw with her hand, holding him close. Pain and sadness and uncertainty reflected in her eyes as she looked at him. "Come on, let's go."

Outside, Alex remained holding his weapon on the soldiers. "Can you open some sort of hole in those doors using your powers, Remy? Otherwise, I think we might be here for a while in a standoff."

Turning, Remy felt the doors and the small space in-between. He shook his head. "Not wit'out burnin' our backsides. I can control de explosion but too small wouldn' do much good, jus right and I'd give us all a heated shower."

Alex immediately turned as he heard the doors behind him start to open. His finger tightened on the trigger, but not enough to fire. Back to back with Remy, they were protected from an ambush, but they were hopelessly outnumbered, and he knew it. As to backlit forms appeared, he tensed, ready to shoot...

Jess steeped out the door, Logan at her side. "We're leaving." Her voice was diamond hard and ice cold, blocking out the anguish she was feeling. There would be time enough to feel the pain and the grief later, once they were the hell out of here.

Logan seemed different to the cajun. Remy stepped aside to let the pair lead the way out, his eyes watching the large were carefully. Where was the bloodlust. The Logan he knew would have jumped into the guards without a thought. Jess had changed him for the better... perhaps now he knew he had something he could lose. And he wouldn't risk it despite the rage boiling his stomach.

He looked at Alex, wondering if he too had changed so dramatically. Reaching for him he gripped his wrist, not taking the gun but not restraining him either: just holding him.

Rahne trailed with her ears back, not quite understanding the air in the room. She had to shift before her human understanding vanished altogether. She just about exploded into her human body at the thought of forgetting she was human, laughing nervously and hugging herself as they walked out into the brisk Canadian air.

Jess looked back at Rahne a bit sympathetically. But she was having the opposite problem. Now that she was outside, she wanted to get away as fast as her four feet could carry her. Change and run away with Logan at her side to somewhere that they would never be found again. Instead she clung to Logan's paw tighter as they hiked back to where they had left the car and the bike.

Alex watched as the werewolf bitch lead the way. He had seen that kind of body language before, and when the tension she was carrying was released, it wouldn't be pleasant. "Watch her," he whispered quietly to Remy. "Logan looks okay for the moment, but she's going to lose it any second now."

"Can y' blame," it wasn't a question. Remy couldn't imagine being put through what she had been, what Logan had. He thought insanity would be a welcome sanctuary. He saw Logan's right ear cocked back towards them.

Logan didn't need to overhear the pair to know what his mate was going through. Glancing back at the others he gave them a meaningful look before guiding his mate off their path. They needed time away before they got home. She would need room to lose it, if she did lose it. He moved his large, furry arm over her shoulders, having to stoop to do so.

Jess let herself be guided off the path, not really watching where she was going for the moment. What kept replaying in her mind was that she had traded the life of her unborn pups for the life of her lover. One of the situations she had tried her best to avoid, and she had waltzed right into it without listening to her instinct.

Pushing away from Logan, she walked up to one of the thick trunked trees growing there. At first she leaned against the trunk, letting out a soft sob. But then her body stiffened and she let out a soft growl. Snarling, she Changed and sank her talons deep into the bark of the tree.

Seeing Jess like this and it was a wonder Logan kept it all bottled. He shook with the effort. Coming up to Jess he lay a pawhand on her back and the other over one of hers on the tree. He spoke slowly so his words were clear, his voice muffled and thick sounding. "We'll get them out." He growled into her neck fur, trembling. He had given the very monsters that haunted his and Jess' dreams another chance, more innocents to destroy.

Jess took a deep breath, her claws digging further into the wood of the tree. A low growl started in her chest that grew in volume into a howling scream of grief and rage. The forrest rang with the sound of her sorrow and anger.

But eventually it faded away to a sound of soft sobbing. Turning, she wrapped her arms around Logan's shoulder, burying her muzzle in the fur covering his shoulder. And she continued to cry almost uncontrollably as she melted back to her human form.

There was nothing to do but hold her. He tried to see himself barreling back into that place, tearing it up. But he wasn't strong enough. What they had done to him, whatever it was, had weakened him too much. Had weakened him enough he was being rational about that thought, which wasn't like him. WHere was the blood lust?

"Let's go home," he garbled with his thin lips and thick canine tongue. He knew they'd be back though. With reinforcements. If he had anything to say about it the X-Men would leave that place a smoldering pile of ash.

Putting a guiding and supporting arm around her shoulders he lead her back to the jeep.

Jess didn't resist as Logan guided her back to the jeep. She leaned heavily against him, sinking into the fur on his sides, seeking physical warmth and reassurance. Part of her was surprised that they were being allowed to leave unharrassed. She was certain that the scientists would renege on their end end of the deal.

And Alex was thinking the same thing. Leaning against the Jeep, he gave a small sigh. "Sooner we're gone from here, the better," he muttered to Remy. "But I'm betting we're back soon."

Remy narrowed his eyes. "Even if de prof opposes such an idea, de others won' listen t' him. We'll be back." He gritted his teeth. "But if dey still here another story." He hopped into the driver's seat as Logan and Jess approached, the jeep roaring to life.

Rahne crawled in front into the middle console seat to give Logan and Jess the back. Logan in his were form needing the extra room as he sat some what sideways to be comfortable and to hold Jess close to him.

Remy only grew more tense. If he had fur it would be bristling around his shoulders and tail in anger. If it was one thing he had never stood for it was a female in distress. And Jess' mourning was bringing out the murderer in him. He put the jeep onto the path, flipping rocks out behind them in his rush to leave the place.

Alex, who had been following behind on the motorcycle, suddenly pulled alongside of the Jeep. He waved to get their attention and then pointed backwards urgently, clearly agitated about something.

Twisting in Logan's arms, Jess looked out the rearview window to see three black helicopters rising above the treeline. For a moment, it looked like the they were following the road, chasing after them. Then the copters veered off to the southeast and disappeared, the sound of the engines fading into the distance.

Remy pounded a fist onto the steering wheel. Looking in the rearview mirror he could nearly see Logan pulling further away into himself. This wasn't the Logan he knew. Buttons had been pressed, pulled, punched, jabbed and he only withdrew into himself. Where was the bloodlust? The screaming, the rage, the murderous behavior? It didn't take much to figure out what those birds had been carrying, or that they were escaping. And so soon.

The jeep had slowed considerably and Remy threw a frustrated, worried look at Alex. He didn't see Rahne doing the same thing. She too had lain witness to some of Logan's worst fits, had fought him in the middle of one of his rages and lived... this wasn't the Logan she knew.

Logan rubbed a pawhand along Jess' shoulder and upper arm, staring at the door just past her elbow.

Jess put her hand over the paw, gently squeezing him. She was also troubled by Logan's too calm reaction. And she was troubled by her too calm reaction. She was in shock over what had just happened, and at least she recognized it.

"Remy, instead of the cabin, can you take us back to the school?" Jess twisted to look up at Logan, but couldn't really see his eyes through his fur. She couldn't give voice to the fear still lurking inside of her, the worry that their home would never be safe again. "I just don't think I can handle going back to the woods just yet."

Perhaps had Remy been in their situation he would have understood their shock. All he saw was a seemingly out of place distraction when in fact what they were displaying in light of the events was normal. He nodded at Jess' reply and the jeep came to a soft stop. Rahne had already dug out a radio from her bag and was calling the School for a lift.

Logan hadn't thought what it might be like going back to their cabin until now. Seeing their "adopted" wolf pup would just be hell now. Their only chances at having a family had been taken away. They could still try... but now they knew HE was still out there and their own children would never be safe.

Rahne turned in her seat to face the pair. "I asked them to bring a change of clothes for Logan... assuming you wanted to shift when you could."

"Thanks," Jess said softly. She squeezed his handpaw again trying to give and receive what comfort that she could to her mate. They had to talk about what happened, they had to figure out what to do. But now wasn't the time or place, not in front of others.

She leaned forward to squeeze Remy's shoulder. "Thanks for watching my back in there," she said softly. "All of you," she added, scratching behind Rahne's ears as well.

It took near an hour for the Black Bird to reach them. Rahne was still amazed at the speed it had to reach to accomplish that. She hadn't yet been inside the Bird though had heard from the other students how amazing it was.

Logan took the back to shift and change into some clothing while the Bird took to the air again. He sat and buckled in next to Jess, reaching for her hand and turning his head to look at her. No one was speaking except Remy and Scott as the Cajun filled him in upfront.

Remy knew the professor was telepathically linked to Scott now, listening. He couldn't link to the Cajun and gain the information personally thanks to something that blocked all telepathic attempts into his mind.

After landing Logan held back until the others had departed, leaving them alone.

Once the plane touched down, she waited with Logan. Sighing heavily, she clung to him tightly. There was a question she needed to know the answer to, but she was dreading the knowledge as well. "Did you hear... the bargain I made?"

Though he had overheard most of what happened while they had all been in that room, holding onto it or making sense of it through the pain was another story. Logan shook his head when the memory didn't surface at her question. "But... I can put it together." He held Jess tighter. "You did what you had to," he spoke softly. He didn't hold anything against her for he would have made the same bargain.

"And I thank you," he kissed her temple.

"What's there to thank me for?" Jess said bitterly. "I walked blindly into a trap specifically designed for us. I should have known... I should have avoided... there had to be another way..." Her voice broke into sobs as she sagged heavily against him.

But she continued to speak through the tears. "It was dumb luck that we got out of there unharmed. And I stupidly brought Remy, Alex, and Rahne into it as well. What was I thinking? They could have done to Rahne the same thing that they did to me..."

Logan knew trying to console her would only worsen the guilt. So he took her side. "They wouldn't like ta hear this, Jess. They're your friends and you didn't force them into this. Had they found out you did this alone you know they would have had a problem with it."

"We both walked into the trap. I've had many more years of these people on my tail and I still found myself hog tied with tubes..." He paused, imagining his offspring being born and raised in tubes. "We can't do anything about what just happened, but we can do something to prevent it going any further." He stood and offered her his hand.

Jess looked at his hand uncertainly and then up at his face. With a heavy sigh she took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. There was still a hurting look in her eyes as she stepped closer to him, seeking comfort.

The same images were flashing through her mind. A dark coated wolf with Logan's eyes being subjugated to the same terrors that she had been. And that thought broke her heart. "What can we do?" she asked, her eyes searching his.

Logan too held her, comforted by her warmth against his chest as they waited for the patties. Though his eyes were closed he let his nose tell him when it was time to flip them, and then they were closed again, just holding her. Smelling her. Feeling her. He had nearly lost her...

Releasing her slowly he drew her chin up with a finger, kissing her briefly before he fetched the hamburger buns, tomatoes, ketchup and what else for their meal. Though they both didn't feel it in their hearts to eat their bodies needed it.

Once the burgers were ready, she carried the food a table. She sat down and stared balefully at the fixings before pulling together what would be a mouth watering sandwich under normal circumstances. Now it was all she could do to lift it to her mouth and take a bite.

Logan watched her with worry. He chewed his food automatically, not tasting it as he went through the motions. He pulled his chair next to hers, rubbing between her shoulders gently.

Jess had managed to choke down half of the hamburger before giving up any pretense at eating. Putting the meat down, she pushed the plate away. "I'm starting to feel tired, Logan," she said. "Can we find a place to crash?"

Logan guided Jess up to their room. It felt odd after living in the cabin for so long. Sitting on the edge of the bed he sighed. "We'll figure this out," he squeezed her hand.

Jess nodded and sat down next to Logan. Now that they were in private, the last of the icy numbness she had used to keep functioning melted away. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her head to his shoulder. Slowly she started to rock back and forth, sobbing softly.

Remy passed in the hall, catching the sight of the two wolves trying to get nourishment into their grieving bodies. "Alex, lets go see Xavier. They don need de horror o' relivin' dat when dey ask fo' his help," he drew near his lover in his own sort of grief at seeing his friend so ill off.

Alex wrapped his arm around Remy's waist as he looked at the pair of shifters. "I think that's the least we can do," sensing that it wouldn't be good for them to interrupt them. "Come on. Let's see if we can talk to him now."

Remy walked with Alex up to Xavier's office. Finding it open he lightly rapped the door frame before entering. Xavier knew something was amiss when Remy LeBeau came to him so he looked to Alex. Remy looked at him too. "It may go faster if y' jus let him read you," Remy said softly. Xavier wouldn't do so unless invited and he had never been able to read Remy, something about his powers blocking the telepath.

Alex wasn't happy about that thought. He had his mind probed once by the alien that he had played host to, and he had no desire to repeat the experience. But time was of the essence, and there were some details that might be missed if conveyed only by clumsy words. Alex inhaled deeply and blew out a cleansing breath. "Whenever you're ready."

Xavier closed his eyes and took Alex on a short trip through his most recent memories, if he saw anything else Xavier didn't let on when he opened his eyes again. Remy knew what his lover was going through, for that he was glad his gifts some how blocked telepaths, the last thing he needed was some one knowing him more than he knew himself.

Xavier buried his face in a hand and Remy watched anxiously. After a moment the older man sighed and looked at them. "Thank you, but I must think about this."

Remy knew a dismissal when he heard one but he didn't budge. "What do y' plan on doin' 'bout dis?" he narrowed his eyes, knowing he'd lose this fight, the old man was beyond stubborn.

It had been disorienting to be in the grip of his memories without being in control of them. But as far as he could tell, Xavier had only probed the ones that had to deal with the immediate situation. The rest of his memories remained firmly private.

It would be better not to blindly rush in, to weigh options and plans before picking the best way to proceed. But tell that to the grieving shifters. "There has to be something we can do," Alex said, echoing Remy's tone.

Xavier nodded. He folded his hands together on the desk. He looked from Alex to Remy and gave him a steady look. Remy sighed and reached for Alex as he stood. Walking out of the office he leaned against the hall wall.

"Got any men in black friends?"

Alex gave Remy a wicked grin. "As a matter of fact, I do."

The End

Rated: NC-17, Het