Star retired early, exhausted by the shopping trip. She left her door ajar so that, even asleep, she would be able to hear the others as they moved about the mansion. The Professor wanted to talk to her about her visions and her anxiety about the meeting made it difficult for her to sleep. Finally, long after everyone else in the house had gone to bed, she was able to sleep. Her rest was short lived. It was as if her new precognitive powers were trying to make up for having been unavailable to her.


She woke to darkness. She heard faint noises of people moving about, but the mansion was supposed to be empty. The X-Men had gone on a mission and had yet to return. She slipped quietly out of the living room, where she had fallen asleep while waiting, listening with all her strength.

"Hurry up with that computer core, Joe. Mike just called and he said they missed, so those X-creeps'll be back here soon."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard him. You can only down load files so fast, you know."

"I know, I know. But we gotta get all the files before we set off the charges. The boss says this guy has records on all the mutants, especially them with special powers. With this stuff, we won't need the mutant registration act. We can hunt 'em down one at a time, anytime we feel like it."

"O.K., that's the last of it. Set those charges for a two hour delay. With a little bit of luck, it'll go off after they get home." Star realized that she couldn't let these people leave with the Professor's files. She didn't know how they had gotten into the building without activating the defenses, but she had to keep them from leaving.

Abruptly, one of the men stepped out of the Ready Room, facing Star. She froze, but it was too late. She had been seen.

"Hey, Joe. There's a kid out here. An' it ain't that Jubilee brat. Mike didn't say nothin' about the guy keepin' another pet." He stepped forward, reaching for her. "C'mere, kid. I ain't gonna hurt ya." She turned and ran, her bare feet making no noise on the floor, while her pursuer thundered down the hall after her. He was gaining on her. She ducked into the kitchen and snatched a large knife from the rack next to the stove. The man rounded the corner and skidded to a halt when he saw her. He smiled cruelly at her and she realized that he was wearing armor.

"Gimme the sticker, kid." She backed away from him, holding the knife as Wolverine had shown her, hoping for a lucky strike. She was suddenly struck from behind and knocked to the floor. The second man had circled and come into the kitchen from the dining room. The knife skittered across the floor stopping at the feet of the first man.

"Well, well. What do we have here? What d'ya think, Joe? Think the boss'd be interested in her?"

"She's not on our list. Get rid of her."

"Aw, c'mon, Joe. She's just a kid."

"Don't be stupid. She's a mutant or she wouldn't be here." He drew his pistol as he stepped forward. He pointed it at her. "Say good-bye, mutie." He squeezed the trigger.


Star sat up with a gasp, clutching the neck of her nightgown. This time she remembered the dream clearly. She had saved Gambit, Storm, and Jubilee, but what could she do to save herself? She didn't know how the men would get into the house, but she had to be prepared when they did. She couldn't allow them to take the Professor's files. Too many lives were at stake. She couldn't tell Wolverine or he would refuse to leave her, then the others would suffer. Suddenly, she couldn't stand to be alone. She ran silently down the hallway and found herself outside the door to Wolverine's room. After a moment, she tapped hesitantly on the door. It opened almost instantly and he stood in the doorway.

"What's the matter, darlin'? Ya look like ya've seen a ghost."

"I...I just...don't want to be alone. Can I...stay with you?" He opened the door wide enough for her to enter, then closed it noiselessly behind her. He took her in his arms and held her until she stopped shaking. He tilted her head back and looked into her eyes.

"You gonna tell me what's wrong?" She shook her head slowly.

"All right, darlin'. I'll be here for ya whenever yer ready." She was suddenly aware of his bare chest, of the strength of his arms as he held her. She stood on tiptoe and brushed his lips with her own. His arms tightened almost imperceptibly around her and he kissed her gently. She put her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him, returning his kiss with passion. She began to tremble again, but this time for a different reason. He drew back, looking down at her, his breath as quick as hers.

"You sure, girl?" She nodded, her eyes never leaving his. He looked at her for a moment longer, then lifted her in his arms and turned with her to the bed.


The sun had barely cleared the horizon when they awoke, their limbs still entwined. The fragrance of her hair was intoxicating and he tightened the arm that was around her, pulling her close. She murmured wordlessly, her hand stroking his chest. He bent and kissed the top of her head. She tilted her head back and smiled dreamily up at him. He bent once more and covered her mouth with his own, his tongue tasting her lips before she parted them willingly, returning his kiss tenderly. He felt desire rising once more as he felt her body cradled against him.

"Star," he said, suddenly afraid that his courage would fail him now of all times.

"Hmmm?" she answered, her hands beginning to explore his body.

"Will you marry me?" he unconsciously held his breath as he waited for her answer. After a long time, she finally lifted herself up on one elbow and looked down at him.

"Why?" He inhaled angrily but bit back his reply when she flinched. She put her fingers on his lips.

"I love you, Logan. I will stay with you as long as you will have me, but why should we marry?" He thought about her question for a long moment, the angry beating of his heart slowing gradually to a more normal rhythm.

"It's a...cultural thing, darlin'. Gettin' married is a way two people can tell the whole world that they love each other, that they trust each other, that they want ta spend the rest of their lives together." He was astonished to see tears suddenly forming in her eyes.

"What...?"

"Shhh," she said, her fingers across his lips once more. She smiled sadly for a moment, then said "Ask me again in a week, if you still want me. I'll give you my answer then. For now, please, just love me."


He woke suddenly, alone in the bed. He sat up and looked around. The balcony window was slightly ajar and he moved the curtain aside. Star stood on the balcony, her hands on the rail as she looked up into the morning sky. The sunlight gave her bare skin an enchanting glow. He opened the door and stepped outside, shivering as the winter air touched him. He put his arms around her and drew her back inside.

"What's with you an' goin' outside in these temperatures darlin'?" he asked teasingly.

"The outside is so big," she answered solemnly. "Sometimes I just can't resist it." He wrapped her in his bathrobe, holding her close as she began to shiver. When she finally relaxed, her body warmed again, he reluctantly released her, turning to put his pants on.

"Let's go get somethin' ta eat, darlin'." She took his hand and together they went to the kitchen.


They were putting away the plates when Cyclops voice came over the intercom.

"X-Men, report to the War Room immediately." Wolverine moved for the door, but paused when Star did not follow.

"I will join you in a moment, Logan." He nodded and hurried on. She put the last dish away and turned toward the dining room. She stood in the doorway, puzzled by the impulse which had sent her here. Finally, she turned to the large cabinet where board games were stored. She opened the door and looked within. All the way to the back, nearly invisible in the gloom, was a deck of cards, bound by a rubber band. She reached in and picked it up, remembering how it had come to be there.


Jubilee was trying to teach Star a card game, but somehow it wasn't coming out right. Finally, disgusted, they counted the cards. There was one missing.

"Well, no wonder it wouldn't work." Jubilee had snorted. She'd snapped the band around the gathered cards and tossed them toward the trash can. Jean had snatched them out of the air and sailed them back to her.

"Save those for Gambit, Jubilee."

"Yeah, right." Jubilee had later tossed them in the cabinet, intending to give them to the Cajun later that day. And they had been forgotten.

Star took the cards with her, putting them in the pocket of Wolverine's robe. Then she went to the War Room.


"No. As soon as we got the call, I checked with his hotel. The Professor never arrived." Cyclops was saying as Star quietly closed the door behind her.

"So somebody's managed ta snatch Chuck. They say where ta bring the ransom?" Wolverine asked.

"Yes." Cyclops typed a command into the computer keyboard at his fingertips and a map was projected on the screen. "It's an abandoned subway line." A red X appeared on the screen. "They want the money dropped here, tonight."

"That don' give us much time," Gambit said.

"Let's move, people. I want us airborne in ten minutes." The X-Men moved quickly to change into, as Wolverine had put it, their working clothes.


Star watched as the X-Men boarded the blackbird. Wolverine stopped in front of her.

"I hate leavin' ya like this, darlin'." She reached up and touched his cheek.

"Go, Wolverine. You are needed." He looked at her a moment longer, then turned and joined the others. Jubilee dashed past Star on her way to the plane.

"Jubilee! Wait!" Star hurried after her and quickly gave her the deck of cards. "Take these with you."

"Yeah, sure. Gotta go!" Jubilee ran up the ramp to the waiting plane. The ramp closed behind her and the huge plane moved slowly toward the opening hangar doors.

When they had gone, Star went to her room and dressed quickly. She wasn't sure how much time she had. She moved silently through the empty house toward Xavier's Ready Room and the powerful computer housed there. She suddenly changed directions and went downstairs to the armory instead. She located the Kevlar vests and put one on. It was much too large, but she decided that it was better than nothing. She found a shirt, discarded in the gym, and put it on, effectively concealing the vest. Then she went to the ready room. She searched until she found a box of blank discs. She inserted the first disc into the computer and, closing her eyes, she sought the proper key strokes that would allow her to bypass the Professor's security system. In just a few moments, she was copying the data to the first of the blank discs, erasing the information from the computer as she went.

She had accumulated an impressive stack of filled discs, and had nearly completed transferring the files, when she suddenly had the feeling that time was running out. She put the last disc into the slot on the computer and quickly gathered the other discs together. She was at a loss as to where to hide them. Then she knew. She ran, silently as always, to the rec room. She pulled open the drawer where the computer game discs were stored. As she'd hoped, they were in total disarray. She dumped the discs in and ran back to the Ready Room. The final disc was just finishing when she heard voices. It was the men from her dream. She snatched the disc out of the machine and slapped the off switch. They were just outside the door. She was trapped.


The blackbird landed silently atop a large building which, their map showed, had once had an entrance to the abandoned subway somewhere in the basement. The X-Men slipped out of the plane. Jean probed ahead of them.

"The building is empty," she told them.

"Mebbe so," Wolverine replied, standing in the open doorway leading to the stairwell. "But there's been a lot o' people here recently. Includin' Chuck." They proceeded down the stairs with Wolverine leading. They reached the ground floor without encountering any security at all.

"This is too blamed easy," Wolverine muttered. He carefully opened the door to the basement and paused for a moment. "Scent's stronger down here." At the bottom of the stairs they spread out, searching for the entrance to the subway system.

"Here, mes amies," Gambit called softy from where he stood in front of a barely visible door. It led to yet another set of stairs leading down. At the bottom of this set of stairs was the subway line.

"Which way?" Cyclops asked.

"Can't tell. Too many scents overlappin'" Wolverine said.

"Scott, this is the tunnel from Star's dream," Jean said suddenly.

"Look sharp, people. We're expected," Cyclops answered. "Storm, you take Wolverine, Gambit, and Jubilee, and check the right-hand tunnel, the rest of you, with me." Quietly, but efficiently, they split up.


Neither team encountered any resistance as they moved down the different branches of the subway line. Finally, Jean turned to Scott and said,

"I don't recognize any of this. I think we're going the wrong way."

"Do you sense anything?"

"No."

"Come on. Let's catch up with the others." They turned back.


"Somethin's not right," Wolverine said. "Scents stronger all of a sudden."

An explosion ripped through the wall as a dozen trap doors opened all around the second team, exposing the men that had been waiting for them.

"Ahhh!" Storm cried as the wall collapsed. Wolverine snatched her out of the way. Gambit charged and threw his cards, the explosions scattering their enemy as Jubilee blinded them with her powers. Wolverine leaped into the fray as Storm recovered her feet and called on the powers of the Arctic winds to impede their foe. Wolverine slashed through the barrel of the automatic weapon one of the men carried, rendering it useless. Most of the enemy tried to flee, only to find their way blocked by Cyclops and his team. The battle was quickly over. The floor of the subway line was littered with unconscious bodies. Wolverine grabbed one of the men by his shirt front and shook him.

"Wake up, pretty boy." The man groaned and opened his eyes. "Where've you got the Prof stashed?"

"Drop dead, mutie," the man snarled, grinning up at him. Wolverine growled deep in his throat.

"Answer the question, or I'll give ya another smile ta go with that one." He held his free hand in front of the man's face and extended his claws with a sharp, metallic sound. The man swallowed, his grin fading for a moment.

"Yeah, right, mutie. Everybody knows you guys don't kill anyone."

"Mebbe they don't," Wolverine said, returning the man's smile. "But I do." The captive's smile disappeared.

"Wolverine..." Beast began but Cyclops stopped him.

"Leave him be. We can always ask one of the others." Wolverine never took his eyes off his prisoner, but his smile widened. The color drained from the man's face.

"Wait! I'll take you to him!"

"Just tell us where he is. We'll go get him ourselves."

"D..down that tunnel," he pointed. "Take the second left, then the first right. He's in an old maintenance room."

"Thanks, bub." Wolverine drew his fist back, the claws gleaming, and punched the captive, retracting his claws at the last instant so that the man's final sight was of the vicious weapons bearing down on him.

"That wasn't very nice, sugah," Rogue said and they moved in the direction the now unconscious man had indicated.

"It worked, didn't it?" Wolverine moved ahead, with Jubilee on his heels.

"How'd ya know he knew where the Professor was, Wolvie?"

"I recognized their uniforms. These're Friends of Humanity punks. An' he had the most confetti on his sleeve."

"Oh."


Though they moved quietly, they soon began to encounter resistance. The FOH was well entrenched, and soon Gambit was reduced to charging bits of rubble to throw at the slowly retreating enemy. Suddenly, they were before a door marked 'Maintenance'. Wolverine tried the knob, but the door was locked. He extended his claws and drove them into the door above the lock, intending to cut the door open. A powerful electric charge surged through his body, throwing him backwards. He struck Rogue, knocking her down as well.

"Wolvie?" Jubilee asked tenuously.

"He's still breathin', sugah. So I'd guess he'll be fine shortly," Rogue said, picking herself up.

Cyclops focused his power on the door, only to have the blast reflected back. Everyone ducked.

"Jean?" he asked.

"No good, Scott. It's shielded with a field similar to the one we found Star in. I can't penetrate it."

Storm tried both heat and cold, to no effect.

"Why dere never anyt'ing' ta t'row when ya need it? Looks almost like dis place been swept up or somethin'," Gambit said.

"I think, perhaps, it has been," Beast quipped. "They seem to know quite a bit about us." He examined the door, careful not to touch it.

"If you'll notice, the knob is made of non-conductive material. Only the door itself is electrified. The walls seem to be specially reinforced. Probably to prohibit Rogue or myself from going through them." He pondered for a moment. "The door would seem to be the only viable entrance. And by depriving Gambit of any ammunition we seem to have been, for the moment at least, stopped cold."

"Hey, Gambit!" Jubilee said suddenly. "Here!" She tossed the deck of cards to him.

"Much obliged, Chere." He said, deftly catching the bundled deck. "Where you get dese?"

"Star."

"Oh." He turned to the door. "Stand back, mes amies. Dere no tellin' what kinda reaction we gonna get." Everyone moved away from the door, Rogue and Beast taking the still stunned Wolverine with them. Gambit carefully charged several of the cards and casually tossed them toward the door. It exploded, with no further traps. Within, they found the Professor, unconscious but apparently unharmed. Beast gathered him into his arms and the X-Men moved quickly back the way they had come. Rogue and Jubilee assisted Wolverine until he had recovered sufficiently to move on his own. They encountered no one and soon were back on board the Blackbird, airborne, and headed for home.

« « BACK
» » NEXT
[ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 ]

- Wolverine's Realm - Facts About Wolverine - Origins of Wolverine - Wolverine's Allies -
- Wolverine's Enemies - Picture Gallery of Wolverine - Fan Art Gallery of Wolverine -
- Wolverine Fan Fiction - Wolverine Rumor Section - Current Wolverine Issue -
- Wolverine Issue Database - Sound Gallery - Wolverine Price Chart - Wolverine Chatroom -
- Wolverine Books for Sale - Wolverine Poll - Other X-Men related links - Other Comic links -
- Webring Membership - Wolverine Search - Mail Me!! - Guestbook - Feedback -
©Copyright by Alan Quan. This printed article is ©copyrighted by its respective author and has been reprinted with permission.