Hi everyone! Thanks so much for your patience in waiting for updates on this story! I am now working full time so finding a spare moment or two to do some writing is not easy, but please rest assured that I will NEVER leave any of my stories unfinished! I may take a while, but I will always continue!

Logan's Wolverettes: Once again, major kudos to BerserkerHellHound, Medoly, Greg James, nileena, FrozenVoices, 12kirby12, Laudine, adelphe24 and wolverina32! I appreciate each and every review, guys! Thank you!

And now, our story takes a surreal turn! Onward!

ooXoo

16. Freeze Dry

"We can't stay here any longer, Kristi, we've got to get moving. Your mother is frozen to the bone."

Gordon Marsters shuddered against the icy cold wind that battered his body and looked towards his eldest daughter, standing alone several feet away from the main group and staring off into the snowstorm. With her arms wrapped tightly around her visibly shivering body, she looked younger and more fragile than her twenty-one years suggested.

"Kristi?" He tried again, not really expecting a response but knowing he tried to try – for his wife's sake, if for no one else's – but this time she half turned to face him, the determination in her eyes unmistakable even from a distance.

"I'm not moving from this spot until Logan shows up, dad, so you can quit asking." Her voice was sharp, authoritative, and Gordon knew he was witnessing the X-Man that lay at the heart of his daughter. Pride momentarily bolstered his failing strength, unfortunately tempered by the reasoning that, however determined Kristi was in not abandoning Wolverine, the fact that her mate may not be coming back was the least of their problems. The snowstorm raging around them was steadily sapping both strength and resolve, and even the usually stoic X-Men were beginning to show signs of faltering. As for the civilians, Nikki's teeth were chattering so hard they could clearly be heard over the howling of the wind, and his wife's lips and fingers were turning blue. Of the group, only their guide seemed comfortable with the surroundings. Even with her hair whipping around her face and dusted with snow, she seemed as calm and collected as if she were merely out for an evening promenade around the park. The flimsy gown she wore might as well have been the thickest fur-lined cloak for all the notice she took of the climate.

Gordon sighed and glanced over his shoulder at the anomaly glittering behind them. As before, the veil between worlds was barely distinguishable from the surrounding whiteout, except for a soft golden glow which emanated from deep within and gave Gordon an understandable yearning for warmth. With no way to tell how long this particular anomaly would stay open, he was desperate to lead his family through and get them out of the storm, but Kristi had adamantly refused to leave this particular world until her mate had caught up to them. With the remaining X-Men closing ranks and supporting their team-mate, the Marsters family were effectively stuck on this side of the veil, unable to move on and risk splitting up the group. He couldn't blame his daughter in the slightest for wanting to wait – if positions had been reversed, he would have waited night and day for any one of his family – but he was also painfully aware that time was quickly running out and the thought of being stranded in this god-forsaken world chilled him with far more efficiency than the icy wind.

Motioning his wife to stay put, he broke away from the shivering group and made his way to the little patch of ground where Kristi had chosen to make her stand. She studied him as he drew near, her expression guarded.

"Kristi ….."

"He's not dead, dad, so don't even go there. I would know if he was." Kristi hugged herself tighter as her father stepped to her side, stamping her feet in the snow in an effort to warm them. "He's out there somewhere and I'm not moving without him."

Gordon heard the desperation in his daughter's voice and realised it wasn't just her father she was trying to convince. All thoughts of making her see reason fleeing his mind, he simply reached out and pulled her into his arms, seeking to comfort and share his meagre body heat. "Tell me what you feel," he urged, softly. "Is he in any danger?"

"If he's not, he will be when he gets back." Unnoticed by her father, Kristi's eyes flashed, angrily. "He's damped down the bond, dad. Deliberately shut me out. To stop me from worrying about him," she added, with a snort that suggested entirely the opposite.

"He can do that?" asked Gordon, curiously.

Kristi nodded against her father's shoulder. "Yes. We both can. Otherwise we'd go crazy from the emotions that bombard us constantly. With Logan being prone to nightmares it's …." Her voice drifted away on the wind, reluctance at revealing the darker side of her mate's psyche prompting her thoughts to derail.

Gordon wisely chose to ignore the slip – at least for the time being. "So he thinks someone was following us?" he prompted instead.

"Yes. So he doubled back to try and get behind them." She paused, worrying at her lower lip with her teeth despite her resolve to remain calm. Pulling away from her father's embrace, she stared into the whiteout, pushing back a stray lock of hair as the wind tossed it into her face. "You can tell Logan to be careful until you're blue in the face, dad, but the fact is, he's a scrapper to the core. He likes nothing better than to wade fist first into a fight. Well, besides perhaps a beer or a smoke. Or a really bloody steak. The bond means that I know my mate almost as well as I know myself. So I know that 'being careful' would be the thought furthest from Logan's mind if someone meant us harm. And the fact that he's damped down the bond like this …"

"Kristi …." began Gordon. He meant to comfort, but got no further as a shout suddenly diverted their attention.

"Hey! There's something moving out there!"

Jubilee pushed between them, pointing into the whiteout. "Look!"

Oblivious to everything but the burning need to be reunited with her mate, Kristi shielded her eyes with one hand and peered desperately into the snowstorm. "I don't see anything, Jubes. Are you certain there's something out there?"

Jubilee nodded, distractedly. "Trust me. I definitely saw movement in a break in the snow."

Despite her hopes that this was indeed Logan returning to them, Kristi flipped into X-Man mode. "You'd better get behind us, dad. In case it's someone hostile."

Preferring to ignore the glaring truth that if this was someone hostile he had managed to get past Wolverine, Gordon did as he was asked, but remained just a few paces behind his daughter and her friend, unwilling to leave them completely alone. Sensing something amiss, Gambit pushed the remaining civilians almost to the very edge of the veil and took a stance in front of them, his bo staff fully extended and resting easily in his hands.

Several tense moments passed, during which Kristi powered up and Jubilee balanced a couple of fireworks on her hand ready to throw, but then everyone suddenly jumped as Kristi let out a squeal and dashed forward, her corona winking out as she flung herself into the arms of the man she had come to love more than life itself. Wolverine staggered back with the force of her hug, making a show of fending off the kisses she tried to shower onto his face and neck.

"Jesus, Kris, there're kids present."

His voice was gruff, but there was a twinkle in his eye as he finally gave in to his mate's advances and snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her close to devour her lips with a hungry kiss that hinted of yearnings long denied. Despite the nearby presence of her parents, Kristi moaned and fisted her hands into his hair, letting her body speak of the loneliness she had weathered in his absence. He released her quickly as the others approached, but the brief contact had been enough to flush Kristi's cheeks with a healthy pink glow and make her knees tremble.

"Hey, big guy." Jubilee thumped her partner manfully on the arm and indicated the jagged tears in his leather jacket. "Been scrappin' again?"

Logan shrugged ruefully, mindful of how his dishevelled appearance must be impacting on the civilians. They had to know by now that something had been following them, but he was reluctant to speak of the encounter until they were safely on the other side of the veil. "Don't fret none, Jubilee," he growled, by way of reply. "Looks worse than it is. Jacket bore the brunt o' the attack."

"Attack? Geez, Logan, are you hurt?" Kristi seemed to come to her senses as he spoke of their mysterious stalker, only now noting the way he held one arm awkwardly across his chest. "Dammit, you should have said …"

"And your pack's gone," put in David, from his position on the sidelines of the group. "I hope you haven't lost the food."

Logan snorted. "Christ, kid, the food's the least of our worries. An' no, I haven't lost it – I never had it – but if ya wanna stand around in a blasted whiteout all day an' discuss housekeepin' then that's up to you. Me, I'm thinkin' all this yap would be better done on the other side o' that flamin' veil."

"D'accord, mon ami." Gambit twirled his bo staff and used it to herd everyone back towards the anomaly. "T'is cold here, oui? Gambit, he t'ink it be warmer on de other side."

"But the stalker …?" protested Kristi, as Logan began to stomp towards the veil. She jogged to catch up. "Logan, wait ….."

"Cross now. Talk later," her mate snapped, practically pushing her ahead of him. "I'm sick o' freezin' my balls off in this goddamn snow."

He knew he was confusing her, but he needed to get everyone as far from this particular world as possible before it was too late. Predators hunted in packs – where there was one, the rest wouldn't be far away. The one he had encountered had probably been an advance scout – and if the rest of the pack caught scent of what he was hiding beneath his jacket ….

He dismissed the thought quickly, unwilling to dwell on the image of panic and bloodshed that forced itself into his mind's eye. He focused instead on the veil, through which Gambit and the girl had already disappeared, acting as an advance guard. The civilians were next, then Jubilee, and finally there was just himself and Kristi.

"Go," he said, gently. "I'm right behind you."

Kristi nodded and disappeared into the shimmering curtain. Logan took a calming breath, cast a final wary glance behind him and stepped forward to join her.

A wall of super-heated air smacked him in the face.

"What the hell …?" he exclaimed, as snow melted instantly from his clothes and a sheen of sweat popped up from his skin.

Around him, the others were quickly shucking sweaters and jackets, exclaiming at the heat and fanning themselves. Above them, a swollen sun beat down relentlessly onto a vista that was barren and lifeless.

They were stranded in the middle of a desert.

"Jesus, girl, aren't any of these blasted worlds o' yours normal?" Logan rolled his shoulders irritably as his leather jacket seemed to bond itself uncomfortably to his skin.

"At least we're warm now." Nikki grinned mischievously at the feral as she stuffed her sweater into her brother's pack. "Hey, maybe I'll be able to top up my tan?"

"There will be no time for sunbathing," spoke up the girl, leading them away from the veil. "The sun's effects are dangerous here. We will need to rest up by day and travel at night if we are to avoid sunstroke or worse."

"Rest up? For how long?" asked Gordon. "Don't we run the risk of the next veil closing if we waste time getting to it?"

"It is a risk we will have to take," replied their guide, unapologetically. "We will dehydrate very quickly if we attempt to travel during daylight hours. However, the days here are very short – night will be upon us in just a few hours."

"Isn't there any way at all that we could keep moving?" asked Logan, with a frown. "I don't think it's safe to rest right now."

The girl turned to face him, obviously confused by his words. "You of all people, Logan, should know the dangers of hiking in a hostile terrain. Why so eager to keep moving?"

"Because of this," the feral replied, and opened his jacket to reveal the small furry creature snuggled against his chest.

Jubilee and Nikki emitted girly squeals.

Their guide looked astounded at the revelation. "That's a shellan – a guardian beast," she announced, somewhat accusingly. "Where did you get it?"

"Its mother attacked me back there," Logan nodded his head towards the veil, indicating the previous world.

"You killed its mother?" Kristi's mother looked aghast, and Logan groaned inwardly. As far as Mrs Marsters was concerned, he couldn't do right for doing wrong, even if he had probably saved all their lives.

"She gave me no choice," he admitted ruefully, as three young females surrounded him, cooing and petting the mewling kitten. "We were being stalked. I hung back to get behind whoever it was but the ….. shellan? ….. anticipated my move an' set a trap. If I'da known she had young I woulda held back, but her attack was relentless."

"I don't understand," objected the girl, eyeing the little beast as it basked in the attention of its three admirers. "The shellans guard the worlds from evil and those who mean harm. Why would it attack you?"

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Evil, ya say?" He snorted. "I've been around evil enough times in my life for some of it to have rubbed off on me. Christ, girl, I'm carrying ten million dollars worth of it around on my bones. Maybe your shellan sensed that?"

"I don't know," the girl admitted, awkwardly. "But the kit certainly doesn't seem afraid of you."

"No. Ain't that the darndest thing?" The kit seemed perfectly at home in the feral's arms, seemingly content to have its head scratched and fur stroked. Purist white with hindquarters striped black like a tiger, he batted at Kristi's hand with an oversize paw. If that paw was any indication of his adult size, he was going to be much larger than his mother.

"I couldn't just leave him," Logan admitted, his face softening as he watched the kit and the girls interact. "Maybe his mother was only acting to protect him, I dunno, but she fought like a demon possessed. Scratched me up something fierce an' went for my throat. Lost my pack when she forced me into the river. Between the cat an' the freezin' cold, I knew I was a goner if I didn't fight back. By the time I …. Well, anyway, I found the kit tucked away under an overhang when I dragged myself out outta the water. Scent told me he was hers. I couldn't leave him," he repeated, as if seeking absolution. "He'd have died if I'da left him alone an' his mother's death was my fault."

"He is very young," confirmed the girl. "No more than a couple of weeks or so. But the shellans grow up very quickly and are ready to become full guardians in less than one of your years."

"So what are we going to do with this one?" asked Gordon, folding his arms and eyeing each of the X-Men in turn. "We can't leave it, but we can't take it with us either. It belongs here, in these worlds."

"Shellans travel in family groups," offered the girl. "If the mother attacked you, Logan, in the previous world, the rest of the pack wouldn't have been far away. As long as the veil remains open, they will follow us to re-acquire their young."

"Wait a minute, we can't keep it with us," objected David, his expression fearful. "Logan killed its mother, remember? What's to stop its family from slaughtering the rest of us?"

The girl shook her head in annoyance. "You seem to be reasoning on the presumption that the guardians are mere beasts. They are not. They are sentient and intelligent beings. They do not slaughter other life-forms indiscriminately."

"I think you're missing the point here," objected David, forcefully. "Logan killed one of their own and abducted their baby. To all intents and purposes, we are the enemy."

"Oh, for goodness sake, David, let it drop," snorted Kristi, in annoyance. "We are not leaving the poor thing to fend for itself until its family catch up and that's final. Besides, our brains are boiling in our skulls while we stand here debating the issue and I, for one, would be grateful for some shade."

There were general murmurs of assent and, with the matter seemingly settled for the time being, the girl led them down to the dry river-bed, where an overhand in the bank provided some meagre protection from the sun. With a modicum of ingenuity and the utilisation of both Gambit's bo staff and duster, they were able to rig up a lean-to which extended the scant cover into something which protected the whole group. Huddled beneath their makeshift shelter, Kristi leaned back against her mate's chest with the little shellan on her knee while the girl outlined their options.

"You should get some rest while you can," their guide suggested. "Walking in the sand will use considerable energy even by the cool of the night."

"Sleep?" exclaimed Nikki, in surprise. "Already?"

"I hate these worlds," grumbled Jubilee, as she shuffled her body in the sand to form a comfy hollow. "My body-clock is shot to pieces! And I already have sand in places I'd rather not mention."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep," agreed Kristi, as her mate urged her down to the ground and wrapped himself around her. "I'm too anxious to sleep and it's hot."

"Rest then," Logan told her, smiling inwardly at her petulant tone. "I'll protect you."

Snuggling into his chest, Kristi looked around their group as everyone settled down to wait out the day. Her mother looked exhausted as she rested her head in her husband's lap and Kristi prayed with all her heart that the girl could lead them all home safely. She seemed sure of her claim and Kristi had no grounds to doubt her, but could their salvation come quickly enough to prevent her mother from tiring out. She was, after all, not accustomed to the kinds of trials the X-Men faced on a seemingly daily basis.

Sighing softly and letting the little shellan find a comfy spot in the crook of her elbow, Kristi schooled herself to rest, but her mind was whirling with a myriad of thoughts and she felt hot and uncomfortable – sand seemed to be creeping into her clothes and was chafing against her skin. Cursing the circumstances which had forced them to stop in such inhospitable surroundings, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wasn't going to be able to sleep at all …

oooOOOooo

The nightmare hit without warning, sending Kristi spiralling down into a hellish world of shadows and screams. She whimpered in her sleep, finding herself in a corridor which was achingly familiar and knowing what was about to happen next. Her mate, standing solidly by her side, tightened his grip on her hand as if, he too, was aware of the dream and its effect on her. Together, they advanced.

The first room around the corner was filled with a malevolent blackness and the stink of evil. Even as she became aware of the pleas for mercy coming from within that room, instinct was warning Kristi to turn away – to run and never look back. But her feet kept moving forward, until she was past the threshold and the dreadful creature that haunted her dreams was revealed in all its terrible glory. Like a huge forever shifting cloud of pure evil, it loomed over the terrified children cowering in the corner, preparing to slaughter them once more before her very eyes and she powerless to stop it.

There was a sudden ferocious roar and something pushed between Kristi and her mate, ripping into the creature with teeth and silver claw. The creature howled in anger and frustration, furious at being robbed of its kill, and fought back with every dirty tactic at its disposal, flooding the room with evil intent. But the newcomer was lightening fast, its smaller size enabling it to evade every attack until, with a final ear-splitting howl, the creature dissipated, leaving the room echoing with the sound of its defeat.

In the aftermath of the confrontation, the victor was revealed – a huge white cat with black tiger stripes across its hindquarters. Turning sea-green eyes on Kristi and Logan, it sat back on its haunches, licked a paw triumphantly and then, slowly and very deliberately, winked at the startled pair …..

oooOOOooo

….. Kristi jolted awake with a yell, flailing around in her confusion as her brain sought to make the transition back into the real world – relatively speaking. She jumped as a pair of strong arms surrounded her, panic making her try to push them away, but it was only her mate and she quickly relaxed as she recognised his presence through the bond. Stroking her hair and whispering soothing words into her ear, Logan scooted them both back until they were leaning against the bank wall, where Kristi snuggled her face into his chest, taking comfort from his familiar scent.

The rest of the group, startled awake by Kristi's yell, watched in concern.

"Is she okay?" asked David, softly.

Logan nodded, never taking his attention from his mate as he soothed her. "Just a nightmare," he told the boy in return. "Go back to sleep."

He grunted as Kristi pushed away from him, her hands reaching for the little shellan, which was sitting back and watching her with eyes that were far too intelligent and knowing for its young age.

"You were there," Kristi whispered in disbelief, as she gathered the kit into her arms.

Craning its neck, the kit licked her nose then stared up at her, intently. Kristi's response was a startled "Oh!"

"Kristi?" Logan frowned as his mate's eyes went glassy, almost as though she was in psychic rapport. Then, when she didn't immediately respond – "Kristi!"

His mate turned to look at him dreamily, her hand reaching for his as though needing to ground herself in his presence. "My god, Logan! The shellan …he says ….. he says his name is Kimarhi …!"

NEXT: No time for regrets as Nikki faces danger!

And extra kudos for anyone who remembers the significance of the name Kimarhi!