Before (Younger days of Wolverine and Sabretooth)

Part I

"Can you run, little brother?"

Those five words still haunted Jimmy as he huddled shivering in a cave. Most of it was cold, but part of it was fear. He had never spent so much as a single night away from his home before. Home. He didn't have a home any more. He couldn't start thinking about that. About his father. Both of his fathers. He couldn't not think of John Howlette as his father. He had been the only father he had ever known.

Until tonight. Until he was standing there with blood on his hands, looking from the claws he'd never known he had to the father he'd never known he had. Thomas Logan. The man who was his real father. The man he'd just killed as his mother screamed at him and disowned him.

He'd run into the night, as much to get away from her words as from his own actions. Then Victor had caught him, brought him down. And, even with their joint sire's blood still fresh on Jimmy's hands, Victor had claimed him as family. Victor didn't have a reason to run from the men who were coming to find Jimmy, but he sealed his bond and his fate by sticking with Jimmy and running away with him.

Jimmy still didn't know what they were going to do. He didn't even have any clothes other than the night shirt he'd been wearing. Victor had wrapped his coat around him and told him to stay here in this cave. But... what would he do if Victor never came back?

Not that Jimmy could bring himself to doubt that Victor would try. He had to cling onto the one thing he had left. But what if the men that had tried to chase them spotted him. Caught him. Would Victor be able to get away? And if he didn't? How long should he wait here?

He shrank back as he heard a soft noise outside. He could almost have wept with relief at the sound of Victor's voice, but he didn't. Without being told, he knew that he had to get tougher or neither of them would make it.

"It's okay, Jimmy - it's me."

There was a bundle tied to Victor's back that weighed nearly as much as Jimmy. He wondered how Victor had managed to get it here traveling through the snow.

"I couldn't get t' th' main house. Too many folks around, but nobody bothered goin' t' where I used t' live. Grabbed what food I could an' some o' my old clothes that're too small fer me now. They'll still be big on you, but you'll be lots warmer. Shoes are pretty worn out too, but they'll be better'n bare feet out here."

He brought out some stale bread and cheese, passing half over to Jimmy before eating some himself.

"Eat up. Got a few other things, but these'll go bad first if we don't eat 'em now. We can't afford t' waste anything. An' we need t' be gone 'fore mornin'. I'm sorry we can't get rest here, but I couldn't help but leave a pretty clear trail gettin' this stuff here. They'll be able t' go from th' cabin straight to this here cave."

Looking over, he could see Jimmy's eyes were bright. Tears, but unshed ones. Part of Victor wanted to sneer, part of him felt sorry for him. And for once, he didn't envy Jimmy the soft life he'd had. Victor's young life had been a slice of hell, but maybe there was something good he could make of it. He was strong - he could make his brother strong too.

And once they were both strong? It would be the two of them against the world. But right now? His little brother was still little. Still needed protecting. He was the eldest - he would have to prove he was man enough for the job.