"Who are you?"

"You don't remember? Verena, cara mia, non ricordi come ti ha baciato ?" the man asked, a wicked smile curving his lips.

"Non capisco. Chi diavolo sei ?" she replied, her head tilting slightly in confusion.

Both Logan and Verena instinctively stepped toward the man, their claws ready, but a sudden crackle of ice shot up, creating a wall between them. The shimmering barrier gleamed in the dim light, and Logan snarled in frustration, slamming his fists against it.

"No, no, no!" he shouted, his voice reverberating through the hall. 

"Logan! Verena! Come on, let's go!" Rogue's voice rang out from the tunnel.

"You go! We'll be fine!" Logan barked.

"Yeah, but we won't!" Rogue snapped back, her urgency cutting through the tension.

The two mutants exchanged a reluctant glance before turning to the teens. Logan growled under his breath. "Alright, let's go."

They sprinted to the tunnel, sealing the heavy door behind them just as the ice barrier shattered. Verena could hear the jagged pieces breaking apart, but she didn't look back. Her body trembled as they ran through the dark passage, the cold biting at her exposed arms and legs. Still in her thin pajamas, goosebumps prickled across her skin, but she pushed forward, her focus sharp on the safety of the children ahead.

They found a trap door in the ceiling of the tunnel and pushed through it, emerging into the mansion's garage. Logan didn't waste a second, running to the first car he saw.

"I'm driving," Pyro announced, making a beeline for the driver's side.

Logan grabbed his collar and pulled him back. "Maybe next time."

Logan slid into the driver's seat, Verena climbing into the passenger side as the three kids crammed into the back, shoulder to shoulder. Logan started the engine and tore out of the garage, shifting gears like it was second nature.

Verena stared ahead, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened. The man knew her. He knew her past—one she couldn't even remember herself.

"What the hell was that back there?" Pyro broke the silence, his voice cutting through the hum of the engine.

Logan and Verena exchanged a glance, both of them still unsettled. Logan spoke first. "Stryker. His name is Stryker."

"Who is he?" Rogue asked, leaning forward slightly.

Verena sighed, her shoulders sagging. "We can't remember."

The car fell into another uneasy silence until Rogue reached over the seat. "Here," she murmured, something shiny in her hand. Verena looked over, recognizing the dog tags she'd given Rogue earlier.

"This is yours." Rogue placed the cool metal into Verena's palm.

Verena's expression softened as she offered a small, grateful smile.

Pyro, clearly done with the quiet, leaned forward to mess with the radio. The first channel he found blared "Bye, Bye, Bye" by NSYNC, prompting a collective groan from the group. He quickly shut it off, glaring at the speakers like they'd offended him.

"Great taste, Pyro," Logan muttered dryly, eyes still on the road.

Pyro ignored him, fiddling with buttons until something that looked like a phone shot out of the dashboard. Logan grabbed it before Pyro could. "Sit back." He shoved Pyro playfully back into his seat.

"Where're we going?"

"Storm and Jean are in Boston," Logan replied. "We'll head that way."

Bobby perked up at that. "My parents live in Boston."

"Good," Logan said, pressing his foot to the floor. The car roared forward into the night, humming softly as it lulled Verena and the kids into a much-needed sleep.

They arrived at Bobby's house just before sunrise. The teen grabbed a spare key from under the welcome mat and opened the door, calling into the empty house. There was no answer—just the creak of the floorboards as they stepped inside.

While the kids wandered the house, Logan made his way to the kitchen, phone in hand, rummaging through the fridge with a distinct lack of care. Verena found him there a few minutes later. She paused in the doorway, watching him pull out a beer.

"Lo'."

"Hm?" He didn't turn around, popping the cap off the bottle and taking a long sip.

She frowned at his dismissiveness but pressed on. "Logan, I think we need to talk."

"About what, sweetheart?" He finally glanced over, one eyebrow raised.

Verena crossed her arms, ignoring his casual tone. "About what Bobby said earlier. Before we started running. When he mentioned the way you looked at—"

The sound of the front door opening cut her off.

Three sets of footsteps echoed through the house, and they both turned toward the sound. A teenage boy about Bobby's age stopped dead in the doorway, his parents halting behind him. Shock flickered across their faces when they saw Logan and Verena standing in the kitchen.

"Who are you?" the boy blurted out.

"Uh..." Verena faltered, exchanging a glance with Logan.

Before either could come up with an explanation, Bobby hurried down the stairs. "Mom, Dad—uh, I have something to tell you."

"Bobby?" Mrs. Drake looked at her son, bewildered. "Honey, aren't you supposed to be at school?"

Bobby's father frowned. "And who are these people?"

Bobby swallowed hard. "This is Professor Logan and Professor Verena. And, um... I have something to tell you guys."

He took a breath and laid it all out—the mansion, the attack, the fact that he and the others were mutants.

"So when did you first know you were, uh, a... a..." Mrs. Drake hesitated, struggling with the word.

Pyro leaned back in his chair, smirking. "A mutant?"

"You have to understand," Mr. Drake chimed in defensively. "We thought Bobby was going to a school for the gifted."

As Bobby's parents processed everything, Verena's attention shifted. She noticed Bobby's brother, sitting next to his mother, with his fists clenching in his lap. Almost like he was getting ticked off. "What exactly are you a professor of, Mr. Logan?" Mr. Drake asked, his skeptical gaze fixed on the rugged man standing in his kitchen.

Logan didn't miss a beat. "Art."

Verena almost lost her cool, a grin threatening to break free at Logan's deadpan response. She bit her lip, but Mr. Drake's attention shifted to her, catching the amused look in her eyes.

"And you, Ms. Verena?"

"Oh," she said smoothly, straightening up with an innocent smile. "I teach history."

The living room went tense as Bobby decided to show his powers. He took his mom's cup of coffee in his hands and focused, the air around him dropping a few degrees. A moment later, frost spread up the glass, and the liquid inside froze solid.

His parents stared, mouths parted—not in fear, but with wide-eyed shock.

Bobby's brother, however, wasn't as composed. He huffed loudly, shoving off the couch with enough force to make it creak. "Unbelievable," he muttered before stomping out of the room.

"Ronnie—Ronnie, wait!" Mr. and Mrs. Drake called after him, their voices tinged with worry.

Verena stepped forward, her voice calm but firm as she looked at Bobby's parents. "Give him time. It's a lot to process—it always is, when someone learns their child's a mutant."

Her tone was gentle, understanding. She knew the look on their faces well enough: the delicate balance between love and the unfamiliar. The Drakes exchanged a hesitant glance before falling silent, their gazes flicking back to Bobby. The comm Logan had been fiddling with suddenly rang, and he let out a low sigh. "Hold on," he muttered, stepping outside with it.

The night air was sharp, carrying the distant hum of something that didn't sit right. A rustle in the bushes caught Logan's attention, and then he saw it—a reflection. Police lights bouncing off the glass door. His instincts flared.

Logan spun back inside, his boots thudding against the floor. His expression alone had Verena on her feet.

"We have to go. Now."

"Why?"

"Now."

"Logan, what's wrong?" Rogue asked, following as Logan strode toward the front door, urgency in every movement.

Verena trailed close behind him, claws sliding from her knuckles with a familiar snikt as she picked up on the danger. Logan didn't say another word. He yanked the front door open to reveal a wall of police officers waiting outside.

"Drop the knives and put your hands in the air!" one of the officers barked, his flashlight glaring in Logan's face.

"What's going on here?" Logan growled.

"I said drop the knives!"

Logan's patience wore thin. "This is just a misunderstanding."

"Put the knives down!"

"We can't!" Verena shouted, her voice sharp and edged with frustration. She lifted her hands alongside Logan, both of them holding their claws up for the officers to see. "Look! We can't drop them!"

But the officer's hand was already on the trigger. Mistaking it for aggression, he fired.

The shot rang through the night. Rogue screamed. Verena's shout of "Logan!" echoed as his body hit the floor with a heavy thud, the bullet lodged in his head.

"Get on the ground now!" another officer ordered, gun still aimed.

Bobby and Rogue quickly sank to the floor, their hands raised. Verena dropped down as well, though her eyes never left Logan's still form.

But Pyro didn't move. He stood, shoulders rigid, his lighter already in hand. The small flame flickered dangerously in his palm.

"You know all those dangerous mutants you hear about on the news?" he said, his voice low and cold.

"John, no," Verena warned.

A slow click of the lighter. Pyro grinned. "I'm the worst one."

Before anyone could stop him, a fireball erupted from his hand, barreling straight for the officer who had shot Logan. The officer screamed, knocked to the ground as flames engulfed him. Pyro didn't stop there. Another fireball hit the officer to their left, sending him sprawling.

"John!" Verena snapped, but it was too late.

He turned his rage to the police cars on the lawn. A final arc of fire struck, and the vehicles exploded in a deafening boom, the flames tearing through the night sky.

The chaos unfolded in seconds.

Verena dropped to Logan's side, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt and shaking him roughly. "Come on, come on. Logan!"

Nearby, Rogue scrambled forward and grabbed Pyro's leg, the sudden contact pulling his powers into her. Flames sputtered out in her hands, leaving her trembling as the fire simmered to nothing.

Verena didn't stop. She shook Logan again, harder this time, until finally—

He gasped awake. The bullet lodged in his head slid free, clattering to the ground as the wound sealed itself with a faint hiss. Logan blinked, dazed but alive.

And then, as if on cue, the familiar hum of the X-Jet filled the air. The massive aircraft descended onto the Drake's lawn, its presence looming like a shadow over the chaos.

The mutants scrambled aboard. Verena and Logan took their seats near the front, both still breathless from the night's events. But their attention was immediately drawn to a stranger sitting a few rows away—a blue-skinned man with glowing yellow eyes and a tail that flicked curiously.

Logan frowned, jerking a thumb in his direction. "Who the hell is this?"

The man smiled politely, hands pressed together in front of him as if in prayer.

"I am Kurt Wagner. But in the Munich circus, I was known as the incredible Nightcrawler."

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©️Fanofadifishman

Word Count: 1798

Translations:

Cara mia, non ricordi come ti ha baciato - My dear, you don't remember how he kissed you

Non capisco. Chi diavolo sei - i don't understand, who the hell are you 

A/N: Crying this chapter is so short. But I finallyyyyy got a chapter in. So sorry it's been so long you guys, Uni has been kicking my butt. But here it is. Hopefully more chapters after finals cause I get four weeks off of school.

Anyway I hope y'all enjoyed. As you could probably tell, I was struggling with the direction of Logan and Verena's relationship especially with everything that happens with... Jean. But I'm back on track now which means, Muwahahahhahahahahha.

Anyway don't be ghost readers. Vote, Comment, and Share

Love y'all,

Allegra 💙