Remy lay in bed worried. Over the last few days things had changed drastically, even if his lover and team mates tried to hide it. The few visits he would receive had become less and less. Even when he did get a visitor, it would be short and there was this look of sympathy they all shared. Something that wasn't there before. Did they know something? Was he going to die and they didn't want to tell him? God he hoped not.
Hank was spending an ungodly amount of time in the lab. Remy knew he was working on a cure for him, the doctor was working day and night with no sleep or food. Remy hoped that it was due to a break through, but he couldn't get his hopes up too much. They all seemed to think he was dying, so maybe he was.
Then there was Jean. She had almost taken Logan's place by his side the last few days. She was always there. It was strange enough waking up in her arms a few days before. She was apologizing for something no one would explain. Since then she had become motherly towards him. Even to the point that Scott had recently wrestled her out of the lab to sleep a few hours ago.
All these things were strange enough, but Logan was the one that worried him the most. His lover had been at his side constantly through all of this. Before he would have to beg Logan to leave him alone to rest or eat, now he had to pled for Logan to stay. His lover would always agree, but when Remy would wake he would find Logan was gone again. It worried him to no end. Was Logan tiring of him? Did he do something wrong? He dreaded to ask the questions, but he needed to know the answers.
Remy slowly sat up in his bed, which was not an easy task. His constant fever had slowly weakened him, and the loss of blood still made his body feel heavy. He was thankful that Hank had removed the IV the day before, at least he would not have to fight with it. He slowly made his way towards the adjoining lab where Hank toiled at the cure. If he found out that a cure was impossible it would answer all his questions. In one hand that would make Remy's quest simple, but in the other it would mean he would die at the hands of Sinister.
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Hank slammed his large fist into the counter. Why did this have to be so difficult? He was a genius, he had all the information he thought he needed, so why didn't it work? He had just used the last of the blood he extracted from Creed and still nothing. Every time he thought he was on to a breakthrough it would fail. The little information he had, told him that Creed's blood should be the key, but it was destructive. Introducing Creed's blood to Remy's caused an almost explosive reaction due to the healing factor. He couldn't help but think it was right there in front of him. Why couldn't it come to him?
He sighed in defeat. He wouldn't get anywhere without more blood so he might as well go and get it. He shut off his equipment and grabbed his bag to head to the danger room. When he turned there was someone there that he didn't expect. He jumped out of his skin and dropped the bag on his bare foot. He released a yelp and rubbed his sore toe. "Remy! You should be in bed." Hank looked from his foot back to Remy, expecting the young man to be laughing at his expense. Instead it was terror on the pale man's face. "Remy what is wrong?"
Remy didn't look at Hank. He came in to ask the doctor about his progress. He didn't mean to startle Hank, but before he announced his arrival a monitor had caught his eye. At first he wasn't sure what it was, but then he realized it was the Danger Room. Sitting quietly in a cage in the center of the room was the man of his nightmares. Creed was there, in his home. They brought him here. How could they?
Hank followed the direction of Remy's eyes. His own eyes widened when he remembered the monitor. He quickly shut it off, breaking the trance Remy was in. "Remy, you have to listen, understand, please." Hank tried to grab Remy who was backing away from him.
"How could y' bring him here? After everything he has done to me! Y' didn't even tell me!" Remy shook his head slowly in understanding. "Y' weren't going to tell me were y'? When was I going to find out? When he attacked me again, is that how I would know?" Remy pushed Hank's hand away. "Non! Don't touch me!" Remy turned and ran out the of the Medlab. He had found new strength in the fear. He had to hide, had to run, he couldn't let the monster hurt him again.
Before exiting the Medlab after Remy, Hank stopped at the intercom on the door panel. He quickly dialed up the Danger Room. He would need Logan's help to find Remy. If the young man wanted to hide no one would find him. "Logan! I need you down here now!"
"What's wrong Hank? Is Remy alright?"
Hank could hear the panic in Logan's voice. "He knows Creed is here, he ran out of the lab!"
"Shit!"
Hank heard the intercom shut off, he knew Logan was on his way. He ran out of the Medlab and towards the elevators. Logan would catch up or find Remy himself. Right now he needed to find the rest of the team and have them help with the search. They had to find him before Remy did something irrational.
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Logan rushed out of the Danger Room and down the hall. He passed the Medlab, smelling the fear mixed with his lover's scent as he ran down the hall. He followed the smell as it continued up the stairwell to the second floor. Remy's path seemed to go in a meaningless maze through rooms and halls. The path ended in the Summers bedroom, were three broken perfume bottles lay scattered on the floor. Logan lost the scent to the strong smell of the chemicals. Then he realized what Remy was doing, he was running from Creed. He was blocking his scent, trying to stop the stalker from finding him. Logan cursed loudly as he tried to clear his senses, if Remy was preventing Creed from tracking him, it would hinder Logan as well.
He tried to pick up his lover's scent again as he exited into the hall. Nothing. He wondered around the floor and up the stairs, sometimes picking up the trail again, only to find Remy's shirt in a hidden corner or another broken cologne bottle blocking the path.
Logan stopped in the room that they had claimed as their own. He had hoped Remy had come back here, but again, found nothing but the lingering scents of Remy and himself. He stood with his hand on the post of the large bed, thinking. How was he going to make this up to Remy? Could he?
"Darlin' I'm sorry. I just wanted to protect ya from him. Now I let him hurt ya again and he can't even get out of the room. I'm sorry." Logan whispered his apology in an attempt to ease his mind. He took one last look at the room and went out to find the others, maybe they had better luck.
"No one can protect me." Remy whispered from under the bed. He curled his fingers in Logan's flannel he had pulled out of the dirty hamper. He knew that Logan's scent would cover his own, or at least disguise it. He had heard Logan's apology, and he wanted nothing but to pull his lover to him, but he was so afraid Creed would hurt Logan too.
What if Logan was killed by Creed trying to protect him? He couldn't allow it! He laid there thinking over Logan's words and the scene he saw on the monitor. Creed was in a cage, in the Danger Room, helpless. Now may be his only chance! He had to end this! He crawled out slowly from under the bed and out into the empty hall towards the lower levels again.
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Jean turned towards the kitchen door as it opened. She sensed it was Logan and hoped Remy would be with him. When he walked in the room alone, his face wrenched in worry, her hope was lost. She walked over to the Canadian and pulled him into her embrace. She knew he was as worried and she was about Remy. "You could not find him?"
Logan shook his head. "He's been running from Creed so long that hiding his trail from the bastard is an instinct. The problem is, it hides it from me too. Did Cerebro pick up anything?"
"No, he is shielding himself too well." Jean answered in defeat. "The others are checking the grounds, Hank went back down to the lab. He hoped that maybe Remy..."
Before she could finish a frantic voice came over the intercom. They could hear it echo through the house as it was broadcast for anyone that was out there to hear. They heard the fear in Hank's voice, they had never known him to panic.
"Someone, anyone! I need you down here to the Danger Room. My god he's going to kill him! I can't get in, I'm locked out! Someone!"
Jean and Logan raced to the lower levels. The voice of Hank over the intercom continued to fill the rooms and halls. Each plea only making them run faster. They could hear Hank pulling and scratching at something as he yelled over the speaker, his voice breaking in fear. When they finally made it to the lower levels and to the Danger Room, Hank had nearly collapsed in his attempt to open the Danger Room door.
"Hank, what is going on?" Jean yelled as she pulled him away from the door.
"Remy is in there! He has locked us out, I can't get in! If he kills Sabretooth I can't cure him! He doesn't know that."
Logan was stunned with all the what ifs that flooded his head. What if he kills him? What if Creed hurts Remy? What if Creed tells him? He pounded at the door trying to open it even though he knew it was impossible. He looked at the control room door and raced up the stairs.
Hank called out to Logan as he ran up the stairs. "Logan, it is useless, you cannot break thought the observation windows."
"Yea, but I can break this door!" Logan yelled as he busted through to the control room. He heard the others running up the stairs behind him as he stepped over the broken door, now on the floor. "There has to be a way to override it!" Logan started punching keys, not daring to look out the windows. He had to concentrate on getting in there!
"Dear God!" Jean pressed her hand against the glass as she looked out the window. Hank was equally stunned as he stood behind her looking at the scene below.
Logan heard the concern in Jean's voice and it pulled him to the glass. What he saw made his heart wrench. The cage in the center of the room was crushed. Creed was loose in the room. He feared for his lover's life, but not to the hands of Creed, to himself. Remy was standing in the center of the room glowing brighter then the morning sun. The energy that flowed around him was so bright he was almost unrecognizable. "Jesus, what is he doing?"
Hank stared at the floor below him, he knew Remy had power, but never this. "I believe he is going nova. He is going to kill Sabretooth. We can't stop him."
"I can't live with that!" Logan ran back to the control panel. He had to talk to Remy, had to stop him. He turned on the intercom to the room and sighed in relief when it activated. "Remy! You have to stop, please Darlin'! You can't kill him. Please!"
Hank shook his head. "Logan, he cannot hear you. The heat in the room has melted the speakers."
Logan dropped the microphone and returned to the window, pounding on the glass in attempts to stop his lover. Nothing got through to Remy. He just seemed to take in more power, glowing brighter. Logan could see Creed's lips moving, he was talking to Remy, obviously pleading for his life. Logan hoped that Remy could not hear him, he could only guess what Creed was saying.
All three jumped as sparks flew from the control panel. They turned to see the screens jumping and flipping, all the gauges in the red. "The room cannot take this much power! It's shorting out." Jean yelled over the loud humming and electric sparks.
They all turned back when they heard a loud scream from the room. The light brightened in the room below as the glow around and in Remy flowed out of him like a coiled serpent. It flowed into the air hell bent on one target. The monster cowering in the corner, begging for his life. When the explosion hit they had to turn away, the light was too bright. When they turned back the room was empty, minus the figure laying in the center of the room.
"NO!" Logan ran down the stairs to the door of the Danger Room. It opened and closed erratically due to the damage the blast caused. He quickly dodged the door and ran inside the room. The heat alone was worse then the hottest desert. The walls were scorched or melted. There was nothing left in the room but Remy. Creed, the cage, all the cameras and monitors, gone, annihilated by the energy. For a brief moment Logan cringed at the power his lover held inside him. He quickly overcame his thoughts and ran to Remy, falling to his knees inches from his fallen lover. He picked Remy up in his arms and raced from the room. Though the room was blazing hot, Remy was freezing. He was met in the hall by Hank who directed him to the lab.
TBC