How to Slay a Dragon

Title: A Broken Kingdom
Rating:R
Disclaimer: same as any other chapter for this story. Feedback as always. Come on people. I know you have lives and all but I need something to keep this thing rolling.

Charles Xavier gave a frustrated sigh before yanking Cerebro off his head. He had been at it for almost an entire day and he still had no idea where Logan had gone to. He rubbed his tired eyes as the start of a stress headache began to build. The stray X-man had been missing for close to a week and each day went by with the telepath's worry growing more intense. Deciding his efforts were exhausted for the time being, Charles turned and exited the room.
Outside, Jean stood waiting patiently for her mentor. She walked over and took the handles of his wheelchair.

"Anything yet Professor?"

Charles shook his head and patted her hand gently. "Not yet my dear."

"I feel awful. I dont remember anything from that night. I've tried so hard to find something in my memory but-..."

"I know Jean. I have made my own attempts but as far as your mind is concerned, that night never occured."

Charles turned to regard the young woman he considered to be like a daughter to him. There were tears in her eyes and he felt it pull at his heart. He gave her hand a light squeeze to reassure her.

"It will come. I am sure of it. We must show patience."

They were now at his bedroom and Xavier motioned for her to stop at the door.

"I must rest now, I will begin the search again tomorrow. I would like if you were there to assist me."

Jean nodded and bent to kiss the top of his head.

"Goodnight Charles."

"Goodnight Jean."

With that, Charles entered his room to prepare for bed.

"I dont like this. He's been gone for too long."

Jean paced nervously across the library floor, her heels falling silent on the carpeted floor. She turned to address the only other occupant of the room.

"I think we should just call the whole thing off."

Rogue narrowed her eyes from her seat near the door.

"Yer jus' bein' paranoid. Everythin's workin' out fa-hin. The guy cain't hide foh'evah."

Jean started up her pacing again. "Easy for you to say. You haven't even had to get your hands dirty yet. I blacked out my own fucking memory for Christ's sake. Your a
non-entity still."

Rogue pushed up from her chair and walked over to Jean, catching her by the shoulders and effectively halting her motion.

"Would yah cut it out? Yah makin' me nervous. Ah tol' ya, ah'll be goin' down to n'awlin's jus' as soon as her highness gets back. Ah ain't goin' with her pokin' 'round."

Jean began to chew on her nails. Rogue gave a frustrated growl and swatted at her hands.

"Knock it off!" She hissed. "Jus' stick ta what we talked 'bout and ya'll have yah precious mutt sniffin' 'round yah again lickety split."

Rogue moved to the window and stared out at the lawn, wrapping her arms around herself.

"That no good swamp rat thinks he can dump me foh some ol' scruff. I'm 'bout tah give him one rude wake up. Ah'll get him all tuned up shore 'nough. Make sure he never leave again." She whispered to no one.

She turned back to the anxious Jean and ordered sternly. "Yah jus' make sure tha Professah nevah finds out, heah? Or else we both gonna get screwed."

Jean crinkled her nose and threw up her chin. "I know what I'm doing."

"Good." Rogue spat before resuming her watch at the door. "Watch out Remy. Rogue comin' tah get yah."
=========================================================================================

Remy laughed warmly as he escorted Ororo through the streets of New Orleans. Since arriving they had visited all their old haunts and found a few new places in which to raise Cain. There had even been a few instances which found Remy having to do some fast talking in order to avoid an all out brawl. He'd even managed to go out theivin' once or twice and snatch a decent haul. It felt just like old times again.
They stopped off at one of Remy's favorite bars. The bouncer waved them right in and the barkeep nodded as they made their approach.

"Yo' two back 'gain? T'ink y'd seen 'nough dis ol' place."

He winked at Ororo who simply laughed. Remy ordered a few drinks and followed Storm to an empty table. They sipped their drinks, talking about nothing in particular as they watched the people in the bar. It wasn't long before a handsome man approached their table and asked Ororo to dance. She giggled, slightly inebriated before accepting his offer and sweeping out to the floor. Remy smiled as he watched his sister.
The techno beat swirled around the place, sending a thumping rhythm through Remy's body. It soon consumned him and he felt himself being pulled to the dance floor. He looked particularily appetizing in his dark burgundy mesh shirt and tight leather pants. He swayed solo to the beat, immersing himself in the feel of the music and the bodies writhing around him. He was completely oblivious to the warm body that pressed itself against him as a deep voice rumbled in his ear.

"Hey darlin'. Ya lookin' a lil' lonely."

Remy's eyes flew open and he whirled around, his heart speeding a mile a minute. A young man stood behind him; his green eyes sparkling mischeviously and a mess of brunette hair spiked in all directions. The guy's cocky grin faded as he took in the sight of Remy's startled expression. Remy sighed and pushed past the youth. He walked off the dance floor and stopped by his table just long enough to grab his coat before hurrying out the door.
He stepped out into the warm southern air and drew a shuddered breath. Tears sprang to his eyes as he hustled around the corner of the bar into the alley. He collapsed against the wall and slowly began to sob. Despite the warmth, Remy wrapped his arms around himself as he continued to cry quietly. It seemed that even the deep south heat couldn't stand up to the bite of a Canadian chill.
Gambit bit his lip and cursed Logan's name out loud to the night. Why was it so hard to forget the man? Cause y' still love him. You always g'wanna love him. No matter what or who you do, he always g'wanna be der. Y' love dat ol' fool since de day y' lay eyes on 'im. Remy found he couldn't deny it as he wiped at the moisture in his cheeks. He knew Logan to be a good man, one of the best. A man he loved.

"Guess Remy couldn' love him like de dragon."

"Remy?"

Crimson eyes shifted to find Ororo standing nearby with a worried look on her face. As much as it pained him to do so, Remy gave her a genuine smile and picked himself up from the ground.

"Sorry 'bout de quick get away petite. Remy jus' need some air, eh?"

They both knew his statement for the lie it was but Ororo didn't question and Remy offered no explaination. The walked in silence back to the car they had rented and were soon on their way back to the apartment.
=========================================================================================

watch it blow my mind
its something I am ill-prepared to remedy
but let it slow the time it takes to die
and close your eyes to your enemy
Defy

Logan stumbled through the darkened alleys of New York, his vision a mess of fog. For days, he's managed to snort, shoot, smoke, drink, and pop just about everything he could get his hands on. He's hopped from dealer to dealer throughout the city and still it's not enough. He still feels the pain and guilt, but most of all he still feels the love for his mate. If there was just someway to drown out everything he held for the beautiful young man, maybe then he could continue with life.
Slowly, he made his way back to the pest-ridden abandoned hole he was squatting in. He stayed in the basement. The ceiling dripped constantly, it reeked of rotting mold, and the delirious ramblings of fellow slaves could be heard at all hours. Logan was careful not to breath too deeply as he pushed aside the piece of cloth that served as his door. A few people, already ridding their own trains, lay strewn carelessly across the room. Logan paid no mind to any of them as he made his way to the corner and flopped down on a ratty mattress that came with the place.
He groaned and dug through his pockets, pulling out his latest haul. He had long ago exhausted his funds from Xavier. One day, after a long bender he had got into a fight with a guy in a bar. Without an understanding of why, he had stolen the man's wallet and used the money inside to buy his next fix. Now it became his way of financing his fabulous lifestyle. He had managed to make off with a rather impressive wad tonight. He had already placed a call for his order with Snowman and the guy was on his way.
It seemed like no time at all before the dealer swept aside the curtain and stepped into the room. He crinkled his nose at the state of the poor souls barely occupying the space. He carefully picked his way over to Logan.

"How you doin' tonight my man?"

Logan made somewhat of a grunt in response and held up the bundle of money. Snowman squatted down next to him and pulled out a small plastic pouch. He took the money and slapped the bag in Logan's empty hand. He quickly rifled through the pile and nodded satisfied.

"I dont get you stay around here. Thought you had a house to stay at." Snowman said with a shake of his head.

"What are ya, a fuckin' couselor now? I dont pay fer yer concern, bub."

The dealer held up his hands. "I'm just sayin'. I'll see ya later."

Logan nodded as he brought a full syringe up to his arm. With deadly precision he stuck the vein and injected the liquid. There was a small shudder before he sank back to enjoy his hard won, if short lived, oblivion.

self-made millionaires wont take ideas
from all the little plebeians
just suffocate with smiles and force fed lies
and close your eyes to reality
deny

He awoke what could have been hours later. Judging by the almost empty state of the room, all the other bodies had gone scavenging. Logan sat up and leaned over to a corner of the mattress. He lifted it and brought out a bag filled with a multitude of pills. He dug his hand in and brought out a small handful, popping the whole thing into his mouth and swallowing them dry. He sat for a few minutes as he waited for the pills to kick in. When at last he began feeling fuzzy, Logan stood up. With a mind swimming in muck, he made his way outside to the streets of the city and a new batch of victims.
=========================================================================================

The ringing from the telephone jarred Charles from his slumber. He blinked a few times before quickly reaching over to grab the receiver.

"Hello, this is Charles Xavier."

"Mr. Xavier, this is Doctor Lyne at NYU hospital. There is a man here by the name of Logan. We were told to reach you."

Charles sat up. "Yes of course. What seems to be the problem."

"Well sir, Mister Logan was brought in a few hours ago. He was found in an alley with extensive injuries, most likely from a mugging. We were wondering if you would be willing to come down?"

There was a short silence as Charles struggled to absorb what happened. "I will be right there."

He never remembers hanging up the phone or notifying Scott. The next time he is aware of what is happening he and Scott are in one of the cars on their way to New York.
They arrived in record time and were promptly escorted to a small room. Charles very nearly vomited when he observed the mass of bloodied flesh laying on the bed. According to the chart they were supposed to believe that this was Logan. Scott breathed a quiet expletive. Xavier just shook his head sadly and manuevered next to the bed. He placed his hand on the bed and felt a tear escape his closed eyelids.

"Oh Logan." He turned back to his surrogate son. "Contact Hank. Tell him to prep the med-lab."

Scott nodded dumbly and rushed from the room. Xavier turned his attention back to the broken creature in front of him.

"We're taking you home."


"That's it! It's over! This stops right now."

Rogue glared at the hysterical redhead ranting as she tore up the carpet.

"What are yah babblin' about girl?"

"I just got a call from Scott. He told me they're bringing Logan in from the hospital. THE HOSPITAL! Scott said he was so bad he couldn't even recognize him. Oh God, we killed him. We killed him!"

Rogue grabbed Jean by the shoulders and shook her hard. There were tears flowing from the telepath's eyes.

"We didn't do nothin'! Yah got it? Ah sware tah Christ if yah screw this up foh me ah'll kill yah mahself. Now get yah shit togethah."

She released Jean roughly and turned to walk out of the library. The fire-haired mutant stared after Rogue's retreating form before resuming her frantic pacing. She didn't stop until she heard the sound of an engine pulling into the mansion's garage.
=========================================================================================

Remy had been awake for the past few hours, pacing the floor. He was muttering to himself as he rubbed his stomach. Ororo was becoming increasingly concerned about her brother's erratic behavior. She had tried asking what was wrong but could only get some non-sensical babblings from him. Now she had no choice but to sit back and let him work through his anxiety.
The cajun trembled as emotions he had no name for continued to pound at his shields. His whole body tingled with imaginary insects creeping underneath his skin. He couldn't make any sense of the murky flashes he was receiving and it was beyond frustrating. Remy grabbed a handful of his own hair and fell to his knees.

"W'as happenin'. What is dis? Why is Remy feelin' so much pain?"

It was finally too much for Ororo. She hurried to Remy's side and wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug, like she was trying to protect him from the things he was feeling. Remy leaned into her embrace and mummured against her skin. Storm couldn't understand what was being said but she didn't care. She stroked his hair and spoke soothingly.
It seemed to work as after a few moments, Remy was finally able to relax. They stayed this way for a while longer. Ororo rocked back and forth slowly, still whispering in his ear. Eventually, Remy pulled away and took a breath to calm himself. Storm keep a wary eye on her brother as he rose to his feet and walked over to the king-sized bed. He crawled onto the mattress and climbed underneath the covers. Ororo moved around the room and turned off the lights before joining Remy a short time later. They fell asleep without speaking a word.
=========================================================================================
Hank scurried about the med-lab, setting up everything he could think of to monitor Logan's condition. By now, the man's more serious injuries should have been taken care of by his healing factor. It seemed however that his body was beyond it's limits and was struggling just to keep the man alive. He had gotten whatever information Charles had been able to supply as a means to give Hank an idea of where to begin his treatment.
A tox-screen had been performed at the hospital, the results had showings of massive amounts of drugs in Logan's system. Opiates, depressants, alcohol, tranquilizers and just about everything else known to medical science had been present in the man's blood. Even more upsetting was the collection of a rape kit. The doctor on call had reported signs of sexual assault upon initial examination. Results had come back positive. Logan's muscles had been torn something terrible, and the report stated that there was evidence of "use of a foreign object".
Hank had been forced to perform his own examination and the doctor found traces of gun powder inside Logan's sphincter. A gun had been used to rape the man. All of this was relayed to the Professor and Hank looked on sympathetically as the man turned ashen. He had since then refused to leave Logan's side for any reason. Scott had come in a few times to check on the progresses but never stayed long. Anyone else was strictly forbidden to enter the lab.
Logan's condition finally stabilized after a day and a half. Henry was now running on short spurts of sleep and his appetite was nearly non-existent. Charles wasn't fairing any better. He worked non-stop on keeping Logan's mind in check. There was no telling what the trauma would do to the man's psyche when he was once again conscious.
The Professor leaned back in his wheelchair, completely exhausted and at wits end. There were so many instabilities in Logan's subconscious from the combination of drugs, trauma and anguish over Remy's departure that Charles was having a hard time keeping up. He jumped when a heavy paw landed on his shoulder. Henry's dark, tired eyes gazed down on him and he let out a long sigh.

"Charles, I fear this is simply not working."

Xavier nodded in agreement. "Yes Hank. I believe so as well."

"I have an inkling that there may be only one possible hope of saving our dear feral. We need for him to come back."

Charles' eyebrows scrunched together in exasperation. "Henry, we are not even certain he would agree to return. After everything that has happened-"

"Yes but is there any harm in trying?"

There was a long silence as the Professor struggled to come to a decision. Finally, he gave a defeated sigh and nodded his head.

"It would seem we are out of options. Call him."

It feels like I'm losing again
when I've lost everything
I'm sure I will see more clearly
lose what I'm feeling to them
and not feel anything
I'm sure I will bleed sincerely
tonight
=========================================================================================

Remy looked at the ID on his cell phone, letting it ring until it kicked over to voice mail. Ororo studied him from the corner of her eye. Her brother gave her a timid smile before setting down the phone down on the nightstand and disappearing into the bathroom. She waited until she heard the water running and then reached over to grab his phone. She called the voicemail and punched in his code.
Remy came out of the shower to find Ororo standing next to the dresser, both of their bags packed and in hand. He gave her a confused look.

"What's goin' on 'ere Stormy?"

"We are needed back at the mansion Remy."

Lebeau dropped his gaze and gave a shake of his head, droplets of water cascaded in an arc from the motion.

"Y' know Remy can' do dat. Can't go back 'n-"

"Remy Lebeau! We are returning to the mansion and I refuse to hear anything to the contrary!"

Remy was taken aback at the sharp edge of anger in his beloved sister's voice. She never spoke to him like that unless he had done something truly idiotic.

"I am tired of watching you wallow in grief. I know that what happened between you and Logan was horrible. I personally may never forgive him for his actions and I dont expect you to either. But I will not leave you here in this state."

Gambit swallowed hard and furrowed his brow at Ororo. "Chere? What be goin' on?"

There were tears in Storm's eyes as she attempted to explain. "It's Logan. Brother, something terrible has happened."

So you make the simplest mistake
so you make the simplest mistake
and fearlessly you deny
your involvement in my demise
but give me your open hand
bye