The Dog And The Wolverine
By:spykefyre
A/N: Fight scene:D Was able to rush this one in a couple of hours :D the inspiration hit me while I was trying to sleep so here I am, typing away. Take this story as what happened before the world knew about mutants, kay? So everything is all hush hush and secret ;D Hope you like this one, in my opinion it's a little better than the previous chapter, and much longer too! ;D
Enjoy! (:
Sabretooth grinned maliciously and watched as Jean struggled desperately against him, trying hard to free herself from his chokehold. Aware that her vision was becoming blurred and sounds were starting to be muffled before reaching her ears, she fought against the darkness that threatened to take her. Dropping Rusty, she summoned her last ounce of strength and clenched her fists, bringing them together and with a burst of telekinetic energy, rammed them into Sabretooth with an uppercut that almost dislocated his jaw.
The grin slid off his face.
Roaring in pain, he grabbed her again, raising her high above his head and throwing her towards the far wall.
The crowds went wild. Screaming and fighting to get away from the madman, everyone rushed for the exit, Sabretooth could smell their fear, and it rolled through him in waves, strengthening him, empowering him.
Jean staggered to her feet, fixing Sabretooth with a death glare. If looks could kill, he would already be a pile of ashes on the floor. Fortunately for him, it couldn't.
Before she even registered the moment, Jean felt the wind being knocked out of her as something crashed into her with the force of a truck. Skidding across the length of the floor, she forced open her eyes only to be met with the sight of Sabretooth above her, his three inch claws aiming straight for her throat. Screaming in fear, she tried shoving him away, but Sabretooth didn't budge.
Remembering his orders, Sabretooth suddenly frowned. Stopping his deadly nails from ripping her throat apart at the last second, he grabbed her blouse instead.
"Sorry Red, I can't kill ya yet," he growled and brought his arm back to throw her again.
"Magneto wants you, alive."
Jean refused to give up. Sprawled on the floor, she accessed her options quickly. She couldn't use her powers, not out in the open, in public. For all she knew, security cameras may have been installed and it wouldn't do to be caught red handed using telekinesis. Sabretooth was strong; she didn't think she'd be able to hold him immobile long enough to escape. Telepathy was out of the question, she wouldn't be able to pierce his heavily guarded mind. There was no chance of her beating Sabretooth in hand-to-hand combat. She did the only thing she could do.
Reaching out with her mind to locate a specific thought pattern, she found Logan fast enough. Quickly, she sent her distress signal and got to her feet again, watching Sabretooth warily.
Watching the redhead gasp for breath and pick herself up, Sabretooth felt his lips curve up in a smile devoid of humor. She was a tough one.
The game had begun.
Logan blinked. The entire mall was in total chaos. Hysterical shoppers fought tooth and nail to get to the doors, and the scent of fear was heavy in the air.
Something wasn't right.
Jean!
Moving quickly against the crowd, he felt his senses kick into high gear. Sniffing the air cautiously, he sorted out the different smells until he found her unique scent, a soft tinge of sandalwood under the shampoo she used. Letting his nose lead him, he found himself breaking into a run. Panting heavily, he shoved anyone in his path away in blind panic.
That was when a single word exploded in his mind, one that wasn't thought by him.
Logaaaan!
He felt his heart thump painfully against his unbreakable ribcage. That single word was laced with unmistakable fear and desperation. A distress signal, no doubt.
Forcing his legs to move faster, he sprinted down the escalator, along the corridor, across the entire floor in search of her.
The stench of rotting flesh and alcohol soon reached his nose. Logan's eyes widened and he redoubled his speed at the realization that his arch-nemesis was in the building.
Jean!
Jean tasted the metallic tang of her own blood on her lips as Sabretooth hit her again and again. To him it was a game, a sick, twisted game in which he always made sure he won. Oddly, he didn't use much of his claws, preferring to punch, kick, or throw. Maybe he wants me alive, Jean thought groggily, trying to focus despite already suffering from the pain of a dislocated shoulder and bleeding knee. Yeah, now she could remember him saying something about not being able to kill her.
She was wracked with relief when Sabretooth finally stopped his torture. She felt dizzy from his onslaught, so weak she couldn't even use her powers if she could. She watched, too tired to move, as he walked over to his duster and picked it up, then walked back towards her, waving the coat in the air menacingly. Her eyes widened in alarm when she realized what he was about to do. Tie her up, and take her somewhere far from civilization, where he could do whatever he wanted with her.
Bracing herself for the smashing impact when the animal in front of her swung his fist, she was surprised.
It never came.
With a frightening roar, Logan charged into the fray, eyes dark and wild. Swinging blindly, he threw Sabretooth off Jean. His eyes taking in the blood on the floor, which his nose automatically identified as Jean's, and the look of pain and terror on her face made him lose control.
At that moment, police sirens blared loudly, and Logan's enhanced hearing picked out the sound of polished boots colliding with the floor.
Wolverine felt the razor-sharp adamantium claws itching to rip through the thin skin of his knuckles. Clenching and unclenching his fists rapidly, he resisted the urge and growled at his opposite.
Logan, no claws! Jean warned him telepathically. She had also sensed the arrival of the authorities. Wincing, she tried to stand up but failed, cursing herself for being so helpless without her powers. Suddenly remembering her dog, her eyes roamed the room frantically, until she found him alive and kicking, but trapped under an upturned table. Before she could move to free him, though, a highly pissed Wolverine went flying pass her.
"Logan!" she shouted.
Fighting without his claws, Logan was definitely at a huge disadvantage. Sabretooth, however, didn't care if he used his powers or not. Sneering as he looked down at Wolverine, he dealt him with a backhand strong enough to dent metal.
Wolverine roared in pain and tried to throw the bigger man off him, but failed. Jean watched in part horror, part anger, cursing Sabretooth and wishing she could simply use her powers to break every damn bone in his oversized body. Or better yet, Logan could pop his claws and slice off his dick.
But they couldn't.
The policemen had reached them now, and they formed a loose circle around the three of them. "Break it up!" One of them shouted. Laughing scornfully at the Homo sapiens, Sabretooth sneered. "Make me."
Then, he threw Wolverine, who crashed into one of the policeman. Shouts of fear and alarm rang out, and Sabretooth grinned sadistically.
"Fuck off, or not only will I kill them, I'll hunt each and every one of you down and finish you as well," he threatened quietly, fixing the leader with a quiet stare. The silent promise in his sentence made it clear he was serious. Breaking out in sweat, the officer gestured for his men to retreat a safe distance away.
Sabretooth smiled in satisfaction and dealt Logan with another hard punch.
Witnessing Wolverine being trashed by Sabretooth, Jean felt her anger grow. Feeling something deep within her slowly rousing, waking from its slumber, spreading its fiery wings and warming her with its strength.
On normal circumstances, Jean would have been afraid of this new power.
Now, she tapped into it, actions fueled by rage, pain, and curiosity.
Feeling a rush of adrenaline wash over her, she winced and arched her back in pain when her dislocated shoulder snapped itself back into place, the pains from her wounds dampening and fading to just a shallow thrum. She stared at her hands in amazement - a flicker of flame danced on her fingertips, casting flickering shadows on her palms. She felt the range of her telepathy grow and widen to a distance she had never accomplished before. She felt every single molecule of the floor beneath her. She felt great. She felt confident.
She felt powerful.
Her body already half-healed, she pushed herself back up on her feet, intrigued by the way her knee no longer felt like it had been put through a high-speed grinder. Raising clouded emerald eyes to stare at Sabretooth, she felt her anger grow. The thing inside her was sluggish, still weak from its long hibernation. But it was enough.
Grabbing Sabretooth's arm, she stopped him from delivering a blow to the severely wounded Wolverine and stared in shock as his skin merely melted away at the point of contact. Hissing in pain, Sabretooth stared at Jean in wonder. This was something he had never seen her do. Even Logan raised surprised eyebrows questioningly.
Shaking off her hand, Sabretooth leered at her, feeling his muscles knitting themselves back together even as he did so. The authorities were still around, she was still at a disadvantage without powers, and that was one point he was not going to overlook. She may have been able to melt his skin, but he was able to heal it back just as fast.
Besides, nothing thrilled him like a good challenge.
He brought his head back to slam her in the face, but she surprised him by sidestepping out of the way. Thrown off balance, he stumbled and Jean pressed her advantage, hitting him with a flurry of punches augmented with telekinetic energy that was strong enough to break an ordinary man's bones.
Sabretooth was up in a blink.
For minutes, they fought as Wolverine watched on helplessly. Jean dished out punches that seemed to grow in strength and number, but Sabretooth parried most of them, deflected the others, and his healing factor took care of the rest.
Jean's defenses, however, were not as strong as her aggressive attacks. She let some of his punches slip pass her guard and collide with painful impact. However, the more she was hit, the harder her blows became.
She was gaining strength through pain.
Finally, Jean dropped to her elbows and swept her feet in a semicircle, successfully bringing Creed to the ground.
Panting with exertion, Sabretooth's eyes widened. There was a fire in her eyes, one that had never been there since he had known her. Swallowing hard, he readied his stance again, daring her to make the first move this time.
She didn't disappoint.
Sabretooth dodged her roundhouse kick and grabbed her leg as it came down, ignoring the way her skin burned his even through the fabric of their clothes. A quick flip and Jean was flying, thrown against a table which burst into flames and crumbled under the impact.
Hissing in agony, Jean realized the force within her was quickly draining her of her energy to stay active. Feeling herself being sucked into the vortex of darkness for the second time, she realized she would either have to cut off that thing, or it would continue to drain her until she collapsed.
She hesitated. Without her new power there was no way she would be able to defeat Sabretooth.
The darkness engulfed her further.
Praying she didn't make the wrong decision, she withdrew from the tempting warmth, feeling the beast within her becoming dormant again.
She watched as Sabretooth made his way towards her. Already she felt the pain from her wounds returning full force, and the throbbing in her head returned. There was no way she could fight now. This was one battle she couldn't win. Not without help.
Fortunately, she had help.
A fully healed Wolverine jumped in to take her place, roaring, kicking and punching everything that was attached to Sabretooth. But again he was losing, Creed slowly gaining the upper hand.
Despite her raging headache, Jean opened a psychic link with him.
Logan, do you think we can risk using our powers? She shared her thoughts with him. The Professor would be fuming mad if mutants were discovered because of their actions, the world wasn't ready to know yet, but they couldn't last long at this rate. Besides, they were warranted to use their powers to save their lives, right?
Dunno, Logan grunted through their link. She felt his pain and flirted more with the idea of powers. Try making it look like an accident, he suggested. Make something drop on him.
Jean glanced up. A huge crystal chandelier hung impressively from the ceiling, towering four levels over them. If she were able to wrench it down, it would come crashing down over everyone, including Sabretooth…
Logan! The chandelier?!
Wolverine spared a quick peek up, and nodded briefly.
Do it! He barked mentally. Make sure the both of us and your mutt are clear before doing it, and remember, make it look accidental!
Obeying, Jean hastily looked up, focusing her attention on the nails that connected the giant light to the ceiling. Once she located them, she reached out with her mind and wrenched at the delicate fastenings, straining and pulling until she finally felt two give way and fall unnoticed to the floor.
The chandelier swayed.
At the same time, Wolverine escaped Sabretooth's grasp and lunged for Rusty, pushing the pieces of crushed wood and splinters away from the dog. "Jean!" He hollered.
Sabretooth looked aghast at the thought of the infamous Wolverine trying to escape. His eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what the two mutants were planning. He started towards Logan again. He'd be damned if he let him run that easily.
Jean strained with all her might, willing the bloody thing to come crashing down already. Beads of perspiration trickled down her face and she was trembling from the pressure. She was concentrating so hard that her knuckles turned white, nails biting into the skin of her own palm. Breathing ragged, she knew failure wasn't an option. This was her only chance, if she failed, they were dead.
Sabretooth grabbed Wolverine by the hair and hissed into his ear.
"I don't know what the hell it is you're planning, runt, but I'm sure as shit not gonna let you succeed," he growled, before slamming him face first against the wall.
Struggling and trashing, Wolverine managed to break loose of his opponents grip, losing some hair in the process, and delivered one final adamantium-laced punch to Sabretooth's nose.
Victor Creed roared in agony as he felt his nose split, blood spraying everywhere. Blinded by rage, he swung his fist to strike, but Logan easily dodged and hit him again. Sabretooth blinked blood from his eyes. Looking surprised when a growling, barking and extremely furious dog was thrust under his nose, he heard Logan smirk.
"Rusty, meet Sabretooth. Now, bite, boy!" Logan ordered.
Screaming when a set of jaws clamped over where it hurt most, Sabretooth lunged at Logan in rage, but laughing coldly, the Wolverine only punched him again. Then, both man and dog left him lying, doubled over in pain and grabbing his crotch.
Raising frantic eyes, Logan projected loudly.
Jean! Hurry!
He knew Sabretooth would be up in a few seconds.
Oh god. She was going to fail. She was using all her strength to tug on the chandelier, but all it did was to sway annoyingly, teasing her. Once Sabretooth got up he would be pissed, and pissed would mean bad. Really bad. They would be torn apart like rag dolls and it would be because she was too weak, too weak to stop him. Blinking back tears, she fought back self pity. This was no time to be pathetic.
Jean Grey was not pathetic, she reminded herself.
Searching herself for any last ounce of strength, she found it again.
It, the beckoning light that saved her previously. The fiery thing caged within her that saved her from Sabretooth. Desperate, she didn't bother to think of the consequences. Only Logan and Rusty mattered now.
Feeling the unfamiliar surge of power yet again, Jean felt her skin glow with unseen radiance. Her power was so much greater now, yet she already felt drained of her energy. She refocused her attention on her target, using the new sensitivity of her teke to pry apart the particles that held the gigantic light together.
At once, the grand chandelier plunged down, but it went unnoticed to her as she fought against losing consciousness.
Feeling someone grab her hand and drag her to safety, she was roughly pushed aside as the one tonne chandelier crashed down above their heads, emitting shouts of surprise from the policemen and one of pain and anger from the now-unconscious Sabretooth, who had been hit with the full weight of the chandelier. The gaggle of policemen hurried over to inspect the scene, and Logan hustled Jean away from everyone. Jean felt her legs buckle and she collapsed, but fortunately Logan was there. Scooping one hand under her knees, he slid the other around her shoulders and lifted her up, trusting Rusty to keep to heel. The animal was actually pretty smart, and Logan suppressed a chuckle remembering it biting Sabretooth.
He was stopped by two policemen, but he merely shrugged them off and mumbled something about getting to a hospital, hurrying away before they could follow.
As he carried her to the car, Logan watched as Jean's eyes turned from cloudy to clear, and she lost the fire in her eyes. Deep down, he knew that she was changing, her mutation was evolving, but he didn't know anything about it. Deciding not to mention about her new powers, he stared into her emerald eyes and asked quietly.
"You okay?"
Jean smiled and nodded, shifting her body to wrap her arms around his broad chest.
"Just fine," she mumbled, voice muffled by his shirt.
After speeding away from the scene, Logan and Jean were driving back to the mansion at a comfortable pace. Rusty was perched on his owner's lap, giving Jean occasional licks as he lay contentedly on her, whining in pleasure as she stroked between his ears.
The drove in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
Logan finally spoke.
"Any idea why Sabretooth was after you back there?" He asked. He needed to know if Sabretooth had stumbled upon Jeannie by chance and decided to have some fun, or if he had intentionally searched her out. That could mean trouble.
Jean shrugged, laying her head back and closing her eyes.
"I dunno," she shrugged truthfully.
"Old Sabe' mention anything at all? Any clues whatsoever?" he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
Jean hesitated. Come to think of it, she could remember him saying something about someone wanting her alive…
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.
"He said Magneto wanted me…"
A/N: THERE! All done: D am pretty proud of this chapter, it's way past midnight now. So click that review button and tell me what ya think! (:
ohh, thanks for all the great reviews too! 3