Canadian Whiskey

**Note: I want to apologize to everyone for the long wait for this chapter. I hope to be able to finish the story up and post the remaining chapters. Thank you for your words of encouragement in the emails that you have sent me.

Logan looked out the window at the clouds as they passed. The low hum of the Blackbird's engines, normally a soothing sound, grated on his nerves. 'Can't this bucket fly any faster,' he thought as he grunted.

"A penny for ya thoughts, sugah," Rogue asked.

"No, need ta pay da man, Rogue. What he want written all over his face," Gambit said, teasing. Before anyone could respond, Logan was out of his seat, one hand around the Cajun's throat, two claws on the other extended fully and piercing the seat on each side of Gambits face. The third and middle claw slowly made it's way towards Gambit's nose.

"Got something to say, Cajun," Logan growled. Gambit was smart enough to know when to keep his mouth shut and that's exactly what he did. Rogue stood and reached to touch Logan on the shoulder, but he jerked away from her. Sheathing his claws, he moved to the back of the jet and sat on one of the benches there. He could hear Rogue scolding the Cajun, but was too upset to appreciate it. He put his face in his hands and leaned his elbows on his knees, his heart wrenching in his chest.

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there when a familiar scent wrapped itself around him. Lavender and vanilla. There had been many a day when he only had to catch that scent and his body would react. This time, his groin was more dormant than any dead volcano. Grunting, he looked up as Jean lay a hand on his shoulder. Tears welled in his eyes and he looked at the floor, but he knew she'd seen them.

"Logan," she began. "This isn't your fault."

"Bull shit, Jeanie." He looked at her with all his anger. "If I hadn't marked her, brought notice to her, he wouldn't have taken her."

Jean just stared at him. She wanted nothing more than to take him in her arms and soothe away all the pain, but she wasn't sure he would accept her as readily as he once would have. The look in his eyes screamed lost little boy and she'd give anything if she could just wipe it away and give him back the happiness she had seen only hours ago. "Logan, not everyone agrees with," she paused looking for the right word.

"Me fucking Jubilee. Say it, Jean. All of you, just fucking say it," he screamed at them all.

"They can't hear you. I've blocked all sound. It's just you and me here, Logan." He watched the others and there had been no reaction to his yelling. His eyes fell on Scott at the command center. He was looking back at them, watching him intently, but gave no sign that he had heard. He looked at Charles who was also watching.

"Charlie can," he grunted. She just nodded her agreement.

Logan sat back down next to Jean, leaning back, resting his head against the wall of the small area they were in. Their thighs touched, but his body still did not respond to her. He laughed, bitterly. He rolled his head to look at her. "There was a time, Jeanie, that I thought nothing could take away the feelings I had for you." She blushed, but didn't take her eyes off of him. "I was willing to wait for you to get over your infatuation with Scott and realize how you felt about me." He leaned forward on his elbows, hands hanging between his knees. "When you said 'I do' to him, well my world shattered,"

"Logan, I," she interrupted him.

"No, Jean," he said, moving to put a finger over her lips. "I still love you. Still carry you in my heart, but Jubilee has awakened something in me. I realized something today that she's been trying to tell me all these years. She has seen me at my worst and still came back for more." A tear escaped his eye, rolling down his cheek. "She fought every demon I threw her way and won. She never gave up on me. No matter what, she never gave up on me." He had his hand fisted over his heart, tear after tear falling. "I can't give up on her now. Not when she needs me the most."

"But what if we are too late," she asked through her tears.

"Never," he said breathlessly. "Sabretooth wouldn't kill her before playing with her first and making sure I'm tormented. Tormenting me has been his life's goal."

Jean took his hand in hers and, lifting it to her mouth, kissed the back where his claws extend. "We will," she didn't get to finish the statement. Doubling over in pain, she screamed and fell against Logan. The small area was swarmed with his fellow X-Men.


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Sabretooth busied himself with chopping wood. It was a menial task and something he thought beneath him, but it helped to keep his mind off of the little piece of pussy in the cabin. He stopped to wipe his brow and looked towards the cabin. He could hear her moving around, trying to get loose, but the knots he tied in the ropes were good and tight; a product of his military training. He didn't understand why she didn't just give up like all his other toys. This one had spunk and he could appreciate why the runt wanted her.

Grunting, he went back to chopping wood, but a strange noise made him stop. Sniffing the air, he turned his ear in the direction of the noise. Nothing. He listened a moment longer. There.

It was the low hum of an engine. Sniffing again, he didn't smell anything yet, but the sound was getting louder. There were no roads to this cabin and the only way in was by plane or boat. He looked towards the lake and, scanning the water, he saw nothing. The water was calm. Looking to the sky, he scanned the clouds, seeing nothing, but the hum was getting louder. He chuckled to himself as he remembered the stealth mode on the X-Men's jet.

Dropping the axe, he moved to the cabin to get ready for the welcome party.


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Logan buckled the seat belt as he sat back in the seat. They had finally gotten Jean settled and learned that Jubilee was indeed at the cabin. They were unable to communicate that they were on their way before Jean lost her again. For some reason, Professor Xavier wasn't able to connect with her.

Hank brought the Blackbird down for a landing about a mile from the cabin. The landing was a bit rough, but done none-the-less. He and Logan rotated their seats to face the others.

"I'll be leading everyone in," he looked at Scott as he spoke. With no objections, he continued, "I think it best if Jean stay here."

Jean sat up to protest, but Scott's raised hand quieted her. "Jean, you know how much this irritates me to admit, but Logan is right. You are too weakened by the episodes that you've had communicating with Jubilee." He smiled to soften his words. "Besides, with all of us gone, who would protect the Professor." Everyone laughed, trying to lighten the mood. Jean returned his smile and nodded her head in acceptance. Scott stood and moved to sit by his wife and, taking her in his arms, kissed her deeply. More to brand her his, to show Logan she belonged to him, but when he broke the kiss, Logan was already descending the steps to the ground.

His gaze met his wife's and she said, "He doesn't want me anymore, Scott. The competition between the two of you is over." She took her husband tighter in her arms and kissed him deeper than she had ever kissed him before. "Come back to me, husband," she said, breathlessly, as she broke the kiss.

"As always," he replied and moved to join the others on the ground.


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Sabretooth finished dousing the cabin walls with gasoline and dropped the can beside him on the ground. This was going to be a fight to end all fights and if somehow the runt got the best of him, he would still have his revenge and burn the bitch out. Double checking the doors, he turned and made his way into the woods, careful to retrace his steps so the runt couldn't follow, but he knew Logan better than to under estimate him. He laughed, but continued on his way.


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Jubilee watched from a window as Creed doused the cabin exterior with some kind of liquid. She was afraid he would ignite it, but he just dropped the can and walked into the woods. He had hung her from the hook again and she couldn't untie the knots, no matter how hard she tried. She knew something was up, just not what was going on. Her contact with Jean earlier had given her a little hope. She knew they were trying to get to her, but didn't know if they knew where she was. It had been so long since she had felt fear this great and had hoped at that time that it would never touch her again. Her parents death had put a fear of living in her that she hadn't known existed. She'd had nowhere to go, no family to turn to. She was homeless and penniless at thirteen. Then she'd met the X-Men; met Wolverine. Now the thought of losing her friends and losing Logan and not kissing him again put a fear of death in her heart. This caused her to panic and she struggled even harder at the ropes around her wrists. Blood began to trickle down her arms, but she ignored the pain and continued.


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Logan waited for everyone to gather in their usual half-circle when they were deciding their plan of action. Scott stepped off the last step from the Blackbird and he began to speak.

"Rogue. Gambit," he looked at each person in turn as he said their name. "'Ro. Scott. Hank," he took a deep breath, but continued. "Your objective is to get Jubilee out of that cabin and back to the Blackbird," he raised his hand to halt any protests. When everyone had quieted, he continued. "If I'm not back within ten minutes of your returning here, then leave." Storm stepped forward and waited for him to acknowledge her. He looked her in the eye and asked, "'Ro?"

"Forgive me for being so selfish, but we are X-Men, Logan. We do not leave our own behind." She crossed her arms under her breasts and dared him to deny her words.

"If I don't come back, darlin', it means I'm dead." He turned and headed into the woods not waiting to see if they followed, but out of love for their friend, they followed him.