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Remy glanced back, laughing breathlessly when he saw Logan was only a dozen strides back and still slowly gaining. "You mus' run faster den dat, cheri! Remy is not even tryin' yet."
"You better run, Cajun. Your ass is mine when I catch you!" Logan growled as he put on another burst of speed, running hard but grinning. He knew his only hope of catching the long-legged Cajun was either Remy tripping in the gathering twilight or Logan just flat outlasting him. Remy was fast as hell, and he had a scary amount of endurance compared to anyone else Logan had ever run with, but the lanky redhead was still only human. Logan's healing factor gave him the edge over the long haul, as long as he could keep Remy in sight. Remy was well versed in avoiding being tracked, even by him, but if he could see Remy there was no way the leggy bastard could get away.
Remy laughed again and poured on a bit more speed of his own, keeping ahead of Logan easily but not really trying to get away from him. Getting caught was the fun part of tweaking Logan's tail and bolting, after all, and the exhilaration and amusement he felt in that part of his mind that always felt like Logan these days made it plain Logan agreed with him.
Remy's empathic link to Logan was still new between them, brought on by an accident with one of the newer students just the week before, but it was strong. The boy had the ability to induce blind terror in people who touched him when he was scared, and he had been running down the main hall to make it to class when Logan stepped in front of him to stop him. Logan hadn't known the boy – he barely knew half the students now that the school was so full – or about his ability, so he hadn't known not to scare him. The boy panicked when he was grabbed and lost control of his gift, and he had nearly provoked Logan into doing something unforgivable.
Unlike most people, when Logan was scared out of his mind, the Wolverine in him started killing things.
The boy had gotten away, mostly, Remy was sure, because neither Logan nor the Wolverine that lived within him liked children getting hurt. Scott had been the first adult to arrive after Logan roared and started tearing the place apart, and Logan had been so lost in the Wolverine's killing rage that he very nearly killed Scott before Storm could fling him into a wall with a blast of wind.
Logan had hit the ground ready to attack again, and Storm had thrown him into the wall half a dozen times before Remy arrived. Remy had dropped his mental shields completely for the first time in years as he threw himself in front of Logan, getting well inside the reach of those deadly claws and reaching for his lover's mind as he had seldom allowed himself to do. The Wolverine's rage within Logan had stuttered, reacting to his mate suddenly so close, and Remy had put every bit of his skill into influencing Logan's mind with his charm abilities. The lust charm was dangerous with the feral instincts of the Wolverine in charge of Logan's actions, but Remy had faith that even the Wolverine wouldn't do permanent damage to him. He knew all too well that the same couldn't be said for anyone else; Scott was Logan's best friend when they weren't fighting, and Logan had come very close to gutting their fearless leader.
The combined shock of his mate appearing under his nose and feeling Remy's seldom-used charm ability brought to bear on him had hit the Wolverine hard, and a moment later it was as if someone had flipped a switch in Logan's head. Rage and terror turned to need with shocking speed, and the rest of the team had quickly cleared the halls of the students and themselves while Logan, still very much in the Wolverine mindset, claimed his mate right there against the wall. Remy had enjoyed it more than he likely should have despite the lack of foreplay or even preparation, but he had no regrets about that. Logan had needed to lose himself in Remy's body to forget the assault his mind had received, and Remy had no problem giving Logan anything he needed, no matter where they were.
When it was over and Remy finally had the presence of mind to try to shield his mind again, he was shocked to find Logan inside those shields with him. He couldn't read Logan's actual thoughts, and he got no images from him, but Logan's feelings were there in the back of his head as plain as day. A murmured question had quickly determined that the same was true for Logan, and a little experimentation had proven they could concentrate and make the link stronger, but neither of them could block it.
A trip to see Xavier had determined that Logan's mind was as impenetrable to the professor now as Remy's had always been unless Remy let him into their minds, though the professor could still find them easily with his mental talents. A consultation with a few of the others in the school who had mental talents had soon proven no one else had any better luck. No one had heard even rumors of any phenomenon that could explain the link or Remy's ability to shield Logan's mind, and Xavier had no idea how it had happened despite Remy's attempt to explain what he had done, but there was no denying it even if Remy and Logan had wanted to. They didn't, of course. They weren't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, not when testing by Hank and Storm proved that the new link allowed Remy to calm the Wolverine even from a distance when Logan was pushed hard enough to lose control of his anger.
The new link between them hadn't faded in the least, instead growing stronger every time they used it. It soon began to affect them both, making Remy more possessive of his mate and shortening his temper even as Logan began to let himself relax and play for the first time in longer than even Logan could recall. The slightest physical contact flared between them now, rocketing up their need for one another and egging them on when they flirted, and they had let things get out of hand often enough that the professor had suggested building them a home of their own away from the school. Logan had leapt at the chance, solitary enough by nature that he couldn't wait to have a place to sleep where he wouldn't be awakened every morning at dawn by traffic in the hall outside their rooms, and Remy had happily followed his lead.
The planned cabin wasn't ready as yet, though, not even begun in fact, so they had taken to spending their evenings after dinner away from the school to save the students from seeing things they shouldn't. They had gone into town two nights after the link was forged between their minds, once to play pool and then again the next night to a movie they both wanted to see, but leaving the mansion just to be surrounded by strangers held little appeal for either of them. Logan was the one to suggest a long walk the next night, which had turned into an exhilarating run that ended with them wrestling in the grass under the stars. It was near dawn before they returned to their room, but neither of them regretted the night spent sleeping tangled together, naked under the stars.
The next night Remy had been the one who suggested going for a walk, and each night since then they had roamed the vast property around the mansion, enjoying the freedom and solitude together more than ever before. The new link between their minds let Remy finally understand what Logan felt when he was away from the sign of man, even though Logan knew quite well that the school wasn't truly very far away. The peaceful, relaxed feeling that Logan radiated as they walked side-by-side through the forest soothed something in Remy that he hadn't even known needed soothing, and he grew to love their long meandering walks.
That particular evening they had flirted a bit too much at dinner, even though they had purposefully put the table between them to keep them from touching. Neither of them could behave themselves if they touched anymore, especially not when Remy's scent and the full moon combined to have the Wolverine filling their minds with need. Logan and Remy had sat down across from each other only two seats down from where Scott and Hank were trying to talk, and it wasn’t long at all before Scott had gotten fed up with the sexual tension that hung so heavily between Logan and Remy. Scott had snapped at Logan with more than a little annoyance to take 'his boy' and their hormones somewhere that the others wouldn't have to see or hear them, and everyone at the table had quickly agreed.
Logan and Remy hadn’t minded the request that they make themselves scarce, fleeing the mansion through the closest exit. Remy had decided they needed to stretch their legs and take a nice long run before they settled down in some pretty little meadow to enjoy a bit of privacy under the full moon, so he had pinched Logan's ass and bolted. Remy didn't want caught quickly so he hadn't let Logan get near him for the first mile or so as they started a wide circle of the school's extensive grounds, but he finally let Logan start to catch up. They weren't out there to avoid each other, after all. That wasn't something either of them did to the other, not anymore.
Remy was just beginning to look for a place he could convincingly 'trip' when a sudden flare of cold white light just a dozen feet ahead of him made him put the brakes on so quickly he fell to his knees trying to stop his momentum. Logan leapt over him an instant later and landed in a crouch between Remy and the glowing rock, claws extending with a familiar snick as Logan growled, "You hurt?"
Remy got quickly to his feet, dusting himself off as he moved to look over Logan's shoulder at the blindingly white rock glowing ahead of them. He rested one hand on Logan's shoulder to keep him where he was, a card appearing in the other hand to flip restlessly back and forth through his agile fingers. "Non, Remy is fine. What in de name of hell is dat t'ing?!"
The rock was barely the size of a football, glowing with a clear white light that was much too bright and yet somehow didn't hurt their eyes in the least. It wasn't natural, Logan knew that much, which meant it was dangerous. No one ever went down the deer trails at the back of the property except he and Remy and the occasional coyote or rabbit, and Logan couldn't smell any sign of human tampering even though someone obviously had. Rocks just didn't flare into light like that without help, and they didn't move themselves into a path that was previously clear, either.
Still, the rock wasn't doing anything but glowing, and after a few minutes without any change Logan slowly straightened, muttering, "This is just fucked up, babe. I'm not smellin' anything but that doe we spooked down the trail a while ago."
"Someone had to be doin' that, cher," Remy said reasonably, looking around them warily. "Remy be thinkin' maybe it were dat grey girl we took out de sewers in Detroit. Dat one dat can make de stones do her biddin'? She was usin' a pretty rock for a lamp in dat cave she had, Remy saw it all sparklin' purple inside like a jewel."
"Geode," Logan said absently, then tested the wind again before he slowly shook his head. "I'm not smellin' anything, an' I can't see a city kid thinkin' to hide her scent." He snorted as he remembered something, glancing at Remy. "And she'd have to come outside to get here. Kid was terrified to be under the sky, remember?"
Remy nodded, smiling wryly. "You got Remy dere. Remy had done forgot dat."
Logan’s lips twitched slightly and looked at Remy again as he teased, "Remy done forgot there's no one listenin' but me, too."
"It's a habit," Remy replied with a sheepish grin. "Don't be takin' it wrong when I slip up an' talk like de gutter rat you dragged in out of de cold, mon amour. I've been talkin' dat way all my life t' hide what I didn't want to be sharin' with strangers."
"Well, if there's any strangers around right now, they're invisible, scentless, and don't breathe," Logan replied dryly. "I don't hear or smell a damned thing."
Remy laughed. "You sure of dat?" He tried moving past Logan towards the rock and snickered when Logan moved with him to stay protectively between Remy and the glowing stone. "I'm thinkin' dat answer be a no."
Logan grinned. "Me thinkin' that and bein' willin' to risk you touchin' that rock are two very different things, babe."
"Je t'aime trop," Remy replied with a chuckle, pleased. "Still, one of us must inspect it, I would t'ink."
Logan let out a little huff, looking back at the rock and then slowly scanning the surrounding trees and brush. The trail they were on led to a hidden spring-fed pool that drained into a tiny creek that ran along one side of the property, but it was far enough away he couldn't hear the water. The only sounds were the familiar whispers of the breeze through the leaves above them and the sound of insects, and every instinct told him they were alone.
Remy waited patiently for Logan to reassure himself that they were alone, amused by the wary tinge to Logan's otherwise cheerful emotions. Logan's emotional state always improved drastically when they were alone, especially when they were outdoors, and he was glad even the unexpected intrusion into their evening wasn't enough to ruin Logan's good mood. He loved when Logan felt so comfortable and relaxed in his own skin, something that seldom happened around others, and he tried hard to encourage it.
After a several long minutes Logan's attention drifted back to the stone that still glowed in front of them, and then he looked over his shoulder at Remy. "You're the one with the mind mojo, and we're to hell and gone away from the school. Think you can tell if we're really alone?"
Remy thought for only a moment and then nodded. "Oui. Dat I can do, and easy, too." He tucked the card he still held back up his sleeve into the hidden pocket there and then settled his hands on Logan's shoulders, murmuring, "You will be my rock, cher?"
"Always," Logan replied softly, giving Remy a smile before his attention went back to the glowing stone. "I'll pull ya back if ya need it, babe."
That was another change their link had made between them, but it was a welcome one. Remy no longer risked being overwhelmed and driven into madness if he opened his mind to those around him. Because of Logan's strength of mind and relative calm when compared to the chaos of emotions put out by the children of the school, Remy had finally been able to accept Xavier's offer of training to use his gifts more fully. Logan's solid presence and steady calm could soothe away any emotion Remy might stumble upon, even the tangled emotions of a large group, and the combined touch of Logan's mind and body could break him free of even the professor's mental hold if Logan tried to. Logan could feel the edges of what Remy felt when he freed his empathy, and Logan was quick to pull Remy's attention away from anything that caused him pain or threatened to overwhelm him.
Remy nodded, smiling. "You be too good fer me, mon amour." He shifted closer to Logan, wanting more contact with him, and then closed his eyes and breathed deeply a few times, settling his mind and centering himself on Logan's calm confidence. He dropped his mental shields a few moments later and reached out with his mind to scan the area, feeling Logan's strength right there with him. He found nothing but wildlife for a few moments, and then he was surprised to 'hear' Professor Xavier.
//Is there a problem, Remy?// Xavier sent gently, concerned.
//Non,// Remy thought, having to make an effort to speak mentally with the professor instead of simply letting the professor feel his emotions. His gifts didn't lend well to mental communication with words or images, though he was improving now that he could safely lower his shielding to practice it. The professor said that more frequent practice would help such things, but still Remy was glad when Logan spoke up to save him the effort. Speaking mind-to-mind gave Remy a headache.
//Nothin' major, Chuck,// Logan added, confident and calm even though half his attention was still on the glowing stone. //Just a weird rock that wasn't here yesterday. Remy was checkin' for visitors.//
//That is odd,// Xavier sent, his mind voice growing stronger as he turned more of his attention towards them. //Could you show me please, Logan?//
//Sure.// Logan felt Remy lower their shields to let Xavier fully into his mind, and he concentrated on the memory of what had happened as they ran up the trail just before the rock had burst into light and Remy had fallen, then their wary investigation.
//I see,// Xavier said after a moment. //Thank you, Logan.// Xavier's attention left them for a few moments and then returned. //Jubilee has checked the perimeter alarms and nothing unusual has passed them since you yourselves did this morning when you drove into town to retrieve the mail. I feel nothing out there near you, either.//
Logan looked at Remy, who shook his head and murmured aloud, "I feel no one m'self, cher. Jus' us and de folks back at de school."
//Then that most unusual stone may well be some natural phenomenon, a meteor perhaps.// Xavier let them feel his calm amusement and then sent them a strong dose of caution. //It may be best to avoid it, though, regardless. A stone that appears from thin air and glows does not seem particularly threatening, but I still hesitate to trust that it must be harmless.//
//I'm with ya there, Chuck,// Logan agreed, nodding and looking intently at the glowing rock. //I don't remember it bein' there before, and I would the way it's right in the path. We'd have stumbled over it by now.//
The stone pulsed brighter suddenly and both Remy and Logan went tense as a tingling wave of energy hit them before a feeling of warmth and peace fell over them. It felt somehow right to Remy, a safe, 'home' sort of feeling that Remy had been missing all his life, and he was glad Logan was between him and the rock as he fought the sudden need to move closer to it. He molded himself against Logan's back as he murmured softly, "It feel like home, cher."
//You gettin' this, Professor?// Logan asked quickly, frowning as he concentrated on letting Xavier feel what his senses were telling him.
//Yes, I am,// Xavier replied, sounding concerned but very curious. //It does not feel like anything I have experienced before, Logan. I am not sure it is even of human origin.//
//Do what now?!// Logan sheathed his claws to reach back and touch Remy, his hands settling on Remy's thighs and holding on to him. They had learned over the last week that the more he touched Remy when his shields were down, the clearer Remy could think. Just then, Logan wanted Remy thinking as clear as possible, but he wasn't about to turn his back on that rock to hold the lanky redhead, or let Remy move in front of him, either. "Stay with me, babe."
"Remy never leave you, mon amour," Remy replied absently, moving his hands to wrap his arms around Logan's waist as he stared intently at the stone, not even noticing it as he tried to push Logan closer. "Might like t' get closer t' dat rock, d'ough. It be callin' to me."
"You just stay where you are," Logan growled firmly, planting his feet stubbornly.
Warmth wrapped around them again, soothing and carrying strong feelings of love and family and home, and then a low voice, definitely female and feeling like roughened velvet, whispered into their minds, [Come, little brother. Come home to me and bring your mate with you.]
//Professor?// Logan said, getting worried by the way Remy pushed against him.
//I feel no threat from her, Logan, and a strong feeling of kinship towards Remy. Does he truly have a sister?//
"Babe, you got a sister you haven't told me about?" Logan asked aloud, not taking his eyes off the stone, which had begun to pulse brighter perfectly in time with Remy's heartbeat.
"Not dat Remy met, cher," Remy replied absently, trying to push Logan forward another step. "Remy be feelin' like she family, d'ough. Feels like Remy can trust her t' keep 'im safe."
Logan frowned. Remy just flat did not trust people who didn't earn it from him, and for him to feel he should trust a disembodied mental voice from a glowing rock pushed every jitter trigger Logan had. //I'm not likin' this, boss.//
//I have never met a mind that could lie to me, Logan. I feel no threat to either of you, and a deep affection for Remy emanating from the woman communicating through that stone. I cannot explain it, but I must agree with him.//
[Come, Remy.] the voice said softly into the silence after Xavier was through speaking. [Come to us and be safe, far from those who would hurt you for your gifts.]
"Who the hell are you?" Logan asked aloud, a deep growl threading through his voice.
[Sister to your mate, Wolverine. One who loves him and will help you to keep him safe and loved among those who will treasure him. He does not belong there, any more than you do. Come, both of you, and join your family in safety.]
"I ain't got no family but Remy, lady," Logan growled.
[And through him, me and mine,] the woman corrected gently. [You are pack to us, Logan, you and your Wolverine. We would welcome you gladly among us.] A shimmer appeared in the air above the stone, widening and swirling larger until the familiar shape of a portal was before them. [All you need do is step into the portal. You will both be safe, you have my word.]
Logan forced Remy back a step. //Professor!//
//I see it, Logan,// Xavier replied, fascinated. //It appears to be a portal similar to the ones that young Anthony creates to travel about with.//
[This is a dimensional portal, Xavier, not a simple traveling portal,] the woman said calmly. [Remy was stolen from the life he should have had among those who knew his talents and then abandoned on the streets in your reality. I wish to bring him home so that his powers can be brought fully under his control as they should have been all along instead of simply being walled away enough to let him survive them.]
//In our reality?// Xavier said quickly, and Logan could feel his shock. //You are able to create a path between alternate dimensions?//
[It is a talent of mine,] the woman replied, brushing it off as insignificant. [It is draining, though, and I can only do this once with any certainty. It was most difficult to reach your reality at all, and I am not sure I could find it again. Please, Remy, Logan… Come to us. You aren't needed there, and your family is waiting. You would both be safe here. Mutants are welcomed in our world, free to be themselves without any persecution.]
//I feel no lies in her, Logan,// Xavier said after a long moment. //Perhaps you should both consider her offer. I know how you worry for the boy, and life among those who share his talents would be safer for him. I have taught him all that I can about controlling his gifts, I think. They are too different from my own for me to aid him as much as I would like.//
"Remy?" Logan said quietly, glancing back at the lanky redhead that had become his world over the last year. He could feel the longing in his mate, and the excitement, and he was sure he knew what the answer would be even before the question was asked.
Remy dragged his gaze away from the stone to look into Logan's eyes, making sure to let Logan feel every bit of his emotions. "I would like t' go, mon coeur. I miss de people dat we leave b'hind, but I be t'inking dat she right. We not needed by dem anymore."
Logan looked into Remy's eyes, searching for something even though he could feel exactly how his mate felt. Remy wanted this, and wanted it badly. "And if we don't like it there, babe? We'd be stuck wherever the hell she is with no way back."
"We still be t'gedder," Remy said simply, "an' someplace dat mutants live free. Dat’s more dan we got now."
Logan looked into Remy's eyes a moment longer and then back at the stone, taking a deep shaky breath. //Tell everyone g'bye for us, Chuck. Remy's right, we're just in the way around the school these days, and bein' cooped up is gettin' to me anyway. We'd a been long gone by now if it wasn't for Remy needin' you to teach him. There's just too many kids an' too much noise now to suit an ol' lone wolf like me.//
//I am well aware of that, Logan,// Xavier replied gently, and Logan relaxed slightly when he felt how at peace Xavier was with his decision. //I am not sure why, but I feel this is what was meant to be for you both.//
[Come,] the woman said again.
//Professor, about my bike?// Logan sent finally. //I want John to have it, the kid needs his own wheels.// He paused and then added, //My bank book is in the drawer of the desk in our room, an' his name's on file at the bank so he can transfer the money out if I can't. My will is in the desk too, and gives it all to him and Jubilee, split down the middle.//
//I will see that they get it, Logan,// Xavier replied, amused. He thought it typical that Logan's only concerns on leaving behind all he had ever known were to take care of Jubilee, an orphaned girl who had chosen Logan as her dad years ago, and John, the volatile young man Logan and Remy had recently brought back into the school after a misunderstanding that had turned the boy against them for several years. John had been living on the street when Logan and Remy stumbled over him coming out of a bar, literally, and dragged him home to be treated for pneumonia and a fever that was burning him up at the time.
//Stay safe, Chuck,// Logan said, sending how he felt about the man that was more father to him than anyone he had ever known.
//And you as well, my boy,// Xavier responded warmly, sending a wave of love and pride to Logan and Remy both. //Be happy together.//
//We'll do our damnedest to. Tell Jube that I love her.//
"Yes, please do dat for Remy too, Professor," Remy said quickly, beginning to fidget a bit as he waited for Logan to move forward. "Remy always be grateful for de home he had wit you, monsieur. Remy been happier here dan ever before."
//You have been a welcome part of the family, Remy,// Xavier said, sending affection to them both. //Godspeed to you both.//
//Thanks, Professor. Good bye.//
"Bye, mon ami. Tell Jubilee dat she'll hafta take up de slack fer us, pokin' Scott when he's broodin'."
//I will,// Xavier said, amused.
Logan turned his head to look again at Remy, giving him a smile as Remy's excitement at going somewhere new sparked the same feeling in him as well. He had always been a wanderer until Xavier asked him to stay at the school, and he couldn't deny that the prospect of a whole new world to explore and learn sounded like a wonderful challenge to him, especially since Remy would be at his side. "You ready, babe?" he asked, offering Remy his hand.
Remy nodded, smiling as he moved to stand next to Logan, lacing their fingers together and holding on to his hand tightly. "I born ready, cher. Let's go meet de family, eh?"
Logan laughed. "Hell, why not?" He started forward with Remy at his side, and a moment later they were stepping into the portal.
[Thank you, Xavier. They will be safe and happy with us. You have my word on it.]
The portal flashed and then with a soft pop it was gone, leaving the clearing in darkness.
Just over a mile away, Xavier opened his eyes, looking out at the blank metal wall of Cerebro as he murmured, "If only it were so easy to find a place for all of my children." He was silent a long moment and then sighed, removing the headgear that connected him with Cerebro's vast power so that he could leave. When the doors closed behind his chair out in the corridor he began making his way towards his office.
//Scott? Could you please find Jubilee and John and bring them to my office? I must speak with them, and with you as well.//
//Is it about Logan and Remy?// Scott asked quickly. //Jubilee just told me they found something during their run. What was it?//
//I will explain it all, I promise you. I would rather do so only once, though.//
//Of course, Professor. We'll be right there.//
//Thank you, Scott,// Xavier said, smiling slightly as he guided his chair into the lift that would deliver him to his office.
~ End