| Summary:
Logan and the team rescue a young girl during the holiday season beta read by Loganberryx |
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| Logan stretched and
yawned. The early morning sun was shining brightly in his eyes nearly
blinding him as he blinked several times trying to adjust to it. He
growled, another terrific day was beginning at the Xavier School for
the Gifted, he thought to himself in the most sarcastic of ways. Well,
he was satisfied that he was in a warm place away from the cold and
snow, typical for the time of year. He had a kitchen full of food to
partake of, a new pair of jeans and some new flannel shirts to wear –
all courtesy of Professor Xavier. But, somehow he still felt ill at ease. Deep inside him, there was still a terrible haunting feeling of being alone despite all the activity the school provided. He had returned from another long quest to seek peace for himself only to return to the school to find Jean alive. His heart sank down so deep seeing her again – and with Scott – the young adversary who Jean chose to remain with. He looked around and took in a deep breath. Satisfied that only his scent surrounded him, he rose and pulled on his jeans. A quick wash up, a clean shirt, and fresh socks led to his departure from his room – a dorm room he called his territory. Logan walked down the long hallway inhaling the scent of fresh pine. Part of him was delighted – it reminded him of the forest – stimulating the animal part of him. The other half of him wanted to snarl and use his claws to rip it down, for it could only mean another blasted holiday was around the corner. To Logan, a holiday had for the last 15 years just been another day to survive, but usually was the most profitable of times when folks tended to spend more money drinking and gambling on the bar fights. "Hello, Logan," a soft feminine voice said. Ororo had never been anything more than just civil to him, despite the fact that she appreciated having a one man army on the campus. "Hello, Storm." "Professor Xavier needs us to join him to discuss a rescue mission. You must not have heard your phone ringing." "I heard it." "In other words, you ignored it." Logan shrugged his shoulders before giving a quick rub over his bristly chin. "Well, Scott and Jean are already in the combat room waiting for us." "Christ, can't I get something to eat first?" Logan snarled. "Now, Logan." Ororo's words were sharp and very authoritative and Logan knew there was no getting away from embarking on a mission with the Team – and having to take orders from the one-eyed pipsqueak. He put out his hand. "Ladies first." Ororo grinned before stepping ahead. Logan sighed deeply before following. Xavier was his usual polite self as he greeted Logan and thanked him for making the effort to join the team for a rescue. "I have gotten word that an apartment building housing mostly mutants was on fire earlier this morning. It is my understanding the building is in ruins. But, I feel it was not just an accidental fire." "Why don't the local authorities handle it?" Logan balked. "Because they don't care if the fire was deliberate or not. People still think mutants don't need saving," Scott piped in. "Such a tragedy right before Christmas," Ororo said. "Regardless, I want the team to check it out. Check for survivors and see if you can find any clues as to who might have caused the blaze," Xavier finished before dismissing them. Nothing further was said but Logan could sense Scott's continued distrust of him, even through the red visor. The Team donned their black leather suits and headed for the hanger. Logan hated the confining feeling of the leather – it was like a clumsy thick skin hugging his body. He pulled at the neckline trying to loosen the leather from strangling him. A snarl escaped him and Jean tried not to giggle. Ororo stared at him, bemused. "What?" Logan growled. "Nothing ever changes, does it?" Jean asked. "Not for anythin', darlin', I could do better than being tied up in..." Logan was cut off. "Knock it off, Logan. Your bitching is nothing we need to hear about." "Maybe you don't mind squeezin' your tight ass into these suits – but I hate it." Ororo didn't bother to break them up. It was no use interfering with the two men. "Ah, I know – you like the leather – bulks you up in places you otherwise lack," Logan snarled. "Enough, boys. Please. We really need to learn to work together," Jean finally had to say. They arrived about a mile from the scene of the crime. There was little in the way of activity. The fires had been put out and the remains of the building were smoldering. As they ventured inside, Scott had hoped Logan's keen senses would lead them to anyone still in trouble. As they searched, Logan senses were indeed hard at work. He concluded that the blaze had indeed been set, as Xavier suspected – he could still smell the remnants of gasoline amid all the rubble and smoke. Just as they decided to call the scene clear and all residents accounted for, Logan heard a faint sound coming from under a mass of fallen debris. He followed his nose and the sounds until he saw what the cause of them was. Under the pile, there was a little girl clutching her doll close to her body. She was huddling there trapped. Logan backed off. Kids were not his game by any means. Jean and Ororo tried to coax the little girl out. Their soft talk and gentle motherly coaxing brought no response. In fact, the girl tried to back into the pile even further, but the debris had her trapped and her body was wedged in between several large chunks of concrete and wood. Scott made an attempt to reach her, but couldn't. There was a growing fear of her being injured and a concern on how to safely retrieve her without injuring her further. "Logan, let's try pulling away some of the debris. Maybe we can better reach her," Scott suggested. "No way. It might fall on her," Logan said stopping Scott. "We got to get her out of there, Logan," Scott said. "I know," Logan replied. Logan crouched down on his hands and knees. He looked into the girl's eyes. "I ain't gonna hurt you, little darlin'," Logan said. He looked around seeing how the debris was all situated. It was certainly unstable and could collapse at any time. The girl looked nervously into Logan's eyes. She understood him well enough and despite of all the efforts of the other team members, it was Logan who drew the best response from her. Her hand reached for his but they were not able to touch. Jean and Ororo sighed deep with happiness that someone finally brought a favorable response from the child. The girl couldn't move. She was indeed trapped amid the debris. Logan quickly realized that he was going to have to go in after her. His body could stand a greater beating than any of the rest of the team if the debris decided to collapse. So, in he began to crawl – cautiously maneuvering himself until he reached her. She grasped his gloved hand and she tried to move towards him. Her tattered dress was snagged on some of the debris and her foot was caught between some blocks of concrete. Logan extended the claws of his left hand and gently cut her foot free before moving to unhook her dress. The girl eyed the shiny claws as they freed her. Just as they began to back out, Logan's keen hearing picked up the slight sounds of the pile getting ready to give way. He tucked the little girl under his body clutching her close as he warned Scott of the impending collapse. "What do you want me to do?" Scott asked. "I dunno. I'm wingin' this as I go," Logan attempted to joke. The situation was indeed serious. "Tell ya what, I'm gonna stay put and you pull some of the debris off." "What if it collapses, Logan?" Ororo asked. "I got the girl tucked under me. I'll try t' hold up the pile from under here if ya can work some of it off from the top. It might lighten things up fer me t' get her out safely." Carefully, the rest of the team worked to pull off loose boards and rubble. The pile felt lighter, but it still gave out. Logan pushed his back up against the weight trying to restrain it from collapsing any further. Exposed nails punctured the leather suit embedding themselves in Logan's flesh. He winced with the pain but remained taut to protect the little girl. Jean used her telekinetic powers to lift the debris from off of them, whilst Ororo assisted by creating a whirlwind to push the debris to a safe distance as Jean moved it. Once they were free, Logan collapsed on his side. The wounds had begun to heal but he needed time to recover. The little girl lay over him hugging his neck. Logan pulled himself together and rose to his feet. The girl quickly latched onto him as he picked her up. She sniffled – tears welling up in her eyes. Logan was just about to hand her off to Jean when he felt the girl's arms tighten around his neck. "I think she wants to stay with you, Logan," Jean said. Logan hesitated, but he soon found himself cradling her against his chest and talking to her to comfort her. They arrived back to the mansion where the team split up. Jean took the little girl to the medlab to check her over, luckily finding no serious injury. The rest of the team discussed their findings with the Professor. About an hour had passed. The girl was sleeping peacefully in the medlab when Logan arrived. Jean looked up as she watched Logan cautiously enter the medlab. "I just waned to see how the kid was doin'," he gruffly said. "She's fine. No serious injury," Jean replied. "Good," he replied before turning to leave. Jean grasped his arm making him turn back to face her. "You did a good job, Logan. I'm proud of you," she said softly. Logan smiled a small smile. "You were the only one she really responded to. I think you have a fan." "Flattery'll get ya everywhere darlin'." He winked. The girl heard Logan's voice and quickly rose smiling widely. Her arms reached out for him and Jean backed off. Logan sat with her for several long hours as she ate dinner and just enjoyed the safety of Logan's company. The next day, Logan was outside chopping wood for the fireplace when he heard the sound of footsteps marching through the newly fallen snow. "Logan, there's something I'd like to ask you to do," Jean said. "What?" he asked – his concentration never breaking as he continued his task. "Would you do Santa this year? I think the newer young residents, especially that little girl, could use some good cheer. Christmas Eve is tomorrow night after all." "NO WAY, JEAN. ABSOLUTELY NO WAY!" Logan shouted. "Oh, come on, Logan. It's for the kids. It would be for that little girl," Jean pleaded. "No freakin' way am I gettin' into some Santa suit!" he continued to balk. Jean wouldn't take no for an answer. She tossed the red and white suit at him and ordered Logan to show up in the main entertainment room at 6 pm. Logan threw the suit to the ground and snarled angrily telling himself there was no way in hell he would be caught dead in that outfit. As the day went and he observed the sadness in the little girl as she stayed by herself despite the efforts of the other youngsters trying to get her to play, Logan looked at that suit and cursed the day he was born. He dressed up in the outfit and as he walked down the hallway towards the entertainment room, he growled at every set of eyes that even attempted to make a comment at him. He halted just before the entrance of the large room glancing inside seeing all the kids surrounding Xavier near the fireplace. Scott and Ororo were passing around plates of cookies and cups of hot cocoa. Logan groaned wishing he didn't fall so quickly to Jean's request. Then, he saw the little girl – her name still unknown – sitting alone clutching her smoke stained doll. His heart broke. She was all alone – no family, no friends – and it was a holiday that was supposed to be so happy for children. "Here's your bag of gifts," Jean whispered in his ear. "She's so sad," he said. "I know. She's been like this all day today." Worse yet, Jean informed Logan that the little girl was not a mutant. It made him wonder how much more lonely she could be - she was separated from her family and was now in a place surrounded by mutants. Logan took in a deep breath of fresh air and took himself inside. He would be damned to see this little girl cry on a night that should be filled with joy. The kids all instantly surrounded Logan and he attempted to put on the Jolly Ole Saint Nick thing, but for poor Logan – it was such an effort. But, nevertheless, it brought a smile to both the young residents and the adults. The little girl jumped into Logan's arms hugging him tightly – a broad smile on her face. "I think this is doing as much good for him as it is for her," Xavier whispered to Jean and Scott. "I agree," Scott replied. Just then, a knock was heard at the door. Ororo answered it. Standing there was a man and a woman – both anxious. Xavier requested they be allowed in. They were the little girl's parents and when she saw them, she ran to them jumping into the arms of her mother. Logan wasn't sure how to feel at the moment. Part of him was relieved – part of him was sad. It was a happy reunion indeed. "You did a good job, Logan," Jean said to comfort him. "Yeah, I know." "This wouldn't have been possible if not for your efforts," Xavier added. The reunited family approached Logan – the mother hugging him tightly thanking him for saving her little girl. "I can't thank you enough for this. You have made this the best Christmas ever," the husband said. Logan's throat was tight – he remained silent. "Victoria, say thank you and we can go home," the mother said. She jumped into Logan's arms hugging him tightly. "I love you," she said softly. Logan had to smile. He felt good – so very good. Jean handed Victoria a present – it was a new doll to replace the damaged one. "Come join us for holiday dinner, Mr. Logan," the mother said. "I couldn't impose," Logan graciously declined. "Perhaps you could join us here," Xavier invited. "Momma, please. He's my friend," Victoria said. There was nothing further to discuss. The family accepted the invitation and three extra placings were made in the dining hall. Prayers were said and praises given for the mutant who risked his life to save that of a human child. As dinner progressed and friendly converstion continued, Logan realized something – he really wasn't alone any more. He did have friends and a new family – people who cared about him - and people he could spend a happy holiday with. |
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