Another Time, a Different Dimension

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men and I don't own the Anita Blake Series. M/M Relationships within...you have been warned


"Circus of the Damned....sure does look like it."

Logan glanced back at me as we walked single file through the caged sights. "Kinda
morbid and twisted, don't you think?" he asked, motioning towards one of the attractions.

I firmly refused to look. After seeing what appeared to be a snake larger than a truck, eating a whole, still kicking cow, I've kept my eyes firmly on the back of Logans shoulders. X-man or not, there were still somethings that were a bit much for me.

"You're not scared, are you Mr. Worthington?" came a sly voice from behind me. "I thought you'd be tougher than that. You know, we allow humans of all ages to enter our Circus." A slender white hand pointed over my shoulder towards two kids laughing at....something...in the cages. "See? Even the children enjoy the show."

"I am not scared," I replied calmly, "I just don't enjoy watching overly large snakes gulp down a struggling cow." I brushed the hand away, feeling the icy coldness of the dead. "Nor does seeing anything else that looks like it belongs in a Wes Craven film make me want to laugh."

I glared over my shoulder at Asher, seeing his smirking face made me even madder. "I'm not scared."

Turning away, I saw Logans shoulders shake with silent laughter.

"How much longer until we're there?" I asked rather huffily.

"Not much further," Asher said, "It's a separate building from the main one. Where we keep all the probable lacantheropes at."

"Probable lacantheropes," I winced at the thought, "I don't want to be turning furry during the next full moon, I have enough problems as it is."

"So do most people who contract it."

"Don't be so worried about it, Angel," Logan said from the front, "the X-gene should nix the contamination."

"At least you shouldn't be worried, Logan. You never get disease or sickness," I scowled down at my expensive shoes, "Scotts going to be pissed."

"You keep saying that, as if it matters that Slim is pissed or not," Logan snorted, "I don't really give a damn what he thinks."

The aisle of attractions we were in came to a stop at an intricately carved dark wooden door.

"This is it," Asher motioned for Logan to move out of the way. He pulled out a set of keys, jingling through them till he came upon the correct one. Opening the door, he stepped aside, letting Logan lead the way in. I followed him in, not liking the looks of the darkened hallway. After all those attractions we had just walked through, I was a bit edgy. Dark hallways leading to who knows where didn't help my nerves at all.

We walked down the dimly lit hallway, our feet loud on the concrete floors, echoing around us.

"Don't get too scared, Angel," Logan said over his shoulder.

"I am not scared, dumbass!"

"Make a left at the next corner, Mr. Logan. No need to worry Mr. Worthington, there's nothing down here that'll harm you."

"So says the vampire," I grumbled to myself. "And aren't there supposed to be a bunch of people here that may have the lacantherope disease?"

"Yes, well, no need to worry about me, you're not my type. As for the other people here, for now you are the only two that will be down here. It's not too often that we use these facilities, we all try to be careful around regular humans."

I ignored the jib, silently following Logan around the corner of the hallway. We entered the only door at the end, and found ourselves in an overly large cell room.

"No way are we going to stay in a place like this," I turned towards Asher, "It looks like a prison cell!"

"It's the only way we can keep you from harming yourselves and anyone else around you," Asher walked towards the darkened wall of the back, where four previously unnoticed doors stood. "You each will have your own separate room. No need to worry," he said, looking at my horrified expression,"It's not so bad as this room."

The room I entered was barren. The floors were linoleum, the walls a dull brownish color. A large bed was perhaps the only good thing in the room, it was queen sized with a decent looking comforter. It was also the only thing in the room besides a toilet and sink.

"..."

"No worries, Richie Rich, the next full moon is only a few days away," Logan said as he glanced around the room, "and I'll be right next door, suffering with you."

"Oh, that's a great comfort."

"I try."

"Please, don't."


The only light filtering into the small room came from a half moon, shining through the small barred window located high on the opposite wall of where the door stood. Feeling drained and worn from the days strange events, I quietly stood in the center of the beam of light, looking out at the moon. My wings, as cramped and tired as the rest of my body, drooped with heaviness. The room itself was too small for me to fully stretch them to relieve the pain in the joints, but it still felt good just to have them out of their harness.

As tired as I was, I couldn't fall asleep. I felt restless, tossing and turning in bed til I couldn't stand it anymore, and had to get up.

The moon was strangely calming tonight, and I basked in the cool glow it offered. The window faced an empty lot of dirt, the attractions being on the other side of this prison. Across the dirt lot I could see the dark outline of a small forest, barely visible in the night. Walking closer towards the window, I peered out through the metal bars, enjoying the cool breeze.

I started when I heard a knock on the door. It was a soft tap, but the sudden noise surprised me out of my reprieve. Wondering who the heck would be coming around at 0'dark 30 to my cell, I walked towards the door. I heard the rattle of keys, and before I could say anything or make a move towards my harness and shirt, the door swung open.

"Hey! Wait a minute! I didn't say you can come in!" I said angrily, hunching my wings as close to my body as the could go.

"Pardon my intrusion, Mr. Worthington," a familiar face appeared at the door, "But you have injuries, yes? I have come to tend them for you."

I had backed into a corner, using the walls to push my wings closer to my back. I don't know why I tried to hide them, since the fact that I was a mutant was already known.

Instincts I had learned throughout my life as a mutant had kicked in with the surprise intrusion, and I felt foolish.

"Ah, Mr. Osha," I whooshed, "sorry, you just surprised me."

As I stepped away from the wall, my wings carefully unfolded, still cramped from the day. As I did so, Oshas already paled face seemed to drain of colour completely, his light blue veins plainly visible. The dark bag he held in his hand fell from his slacked hand, making a soft thump as it landed on the hard concrete floor.

"Mr. Osha? It's alright, it's part of my mutation," I stood in front of him, a bit worried about his lack of response. Bending down, I picked up the bag and held it out to him. "Thank you for your consideration, but unless you have some sort of medicine for sore muscles, I really don't need any medical attention. I healed rather quickly, surprisingly."

That seemed to snap Osha out of his daze.

"Just call me Osha, please," he said, taking the bag from my offering hand. "You healed already you said? Is that also part of your mutant abilities? I realized that Mr. Logan had also healed within minutes."

"No, I heal fast, but this was a bit out of the ordinary." I shrugged, dismissing it from my mind, "It may just be this place."

"Hmm," was all he said to that. "Your...wings....they are amazing. A mutation you said?"

""Yes, I got them when I was a teenager, it definitely changed my life when they literally sprang into my life."

"I assume they are not just for show? That you can actually fly with them?"

"You assume correctly, I enjoy flying whenever I get the chance."

"May I...ah...I don't mean to be too forward, but may I touch them? They look so soft."

Being used to this request whenever someone new saw them, I turned my back to him. "They're a bit sore right now, so I don't want to move them around too much," I explained. "You can touch them if you'd like"

I heared a hesitant step, then felt a cool hand gently placed on my back, between my wings. I wasn't able to see his facial expression, but I could feel his awe radiating off of him like heat.

He slowly moved his hand to where my left wing connected to my shoulder blades, caressing the small downy feathers. "Amazing," he repeated softly. "They're so soft, but so powerful."

"Hmm," I replied, trying to ignore how good his hand felt against my sore muscles.
He spent a good while inspecting them, and asking questions on my capabilities flying. We ended up sitting on the bed and talking til the wee hours of the morning when he had no choice but to leave.

"When you are able to get out of this cage, I'd like to see you fly. It'd be a wonderful sight to see, like a real angel in flight," Osha said, turning from the opened doorway.
"Well, I don't know about blue skin being angelic, but once I get out of this cage, you'd have a rather difficult time tying me to the ground."
"Do you mind if I visit you again tonight? I'd like to get to know more about you, not just your beautiful wings."

"Ah, sure, I'm not going anywhere," I shrugged.

======

"How much longer are you going to keep me in here like an unwanted, disease infested, grape? I'm molding here!"

"Grape? Is that what you compare yourself to?" Asher chuckled from the open doorway.

"Does it really matter what I compare myself to, one-eye? Just let me out of here already! It's been two days!"

"I am well aware of how many days it's been since you arrived here." Asher walked into the room, closing and locking the door behind him. I instantly tensed up when I heard the click of the lock turning, looking at him in suspicion. "It's been two days," he repeated my words in an almost sing-song fashion that made me grit my teeth. "Two days, and already the wounds you received your first night here are gone. Nary a scratch nor scar, now why would that be?"

I sat silently on the bed, my arms crossed over my chest. I leaned lightly against the wall near the head of the bed, staring at the annoying vampire as he walked towards the barred window. He paused briefly to look out at the nearly full moon, before turning his attention back to me. "Full moon is tomorrow...do you feel it?"

"The only thing I feel right now is the need to get out of here! Do you realize you're
keeping me here against my will?"

"Mr. Worthington, I believe you don't truly grasp the severity of your situation here," Asher said impatiently.

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"Does not the fact that you most likely have contracted the lacantherope disease not bother you?"

"Of course it bothers me!" I got up from my sitting position, running my hand through my hair in frustration, trying not to strain my cramped wings against their bindings. "I can't stay here locked up like this! I'm going stir crazy! And I stink!"

"You will be allowed to bathe by the end of tomorrow."

"I don't want to bathe by the end of tomorrow! I want a shower now! I stink! The clothes given to me are old hand me downs from what must have been an extremely disturbed individual, given the language written acorss it, and I haven't had a real meal since I've been here!"

"We don't run a hotel service, Mr. Worthington. These are temporary living conditions until we discover whether or not you can leave the Circus of the Damned."

"As if y--" A loud knock on the door cut off my words, and I scowled at the interruption.
Annoyance clearly written on his face, Asher went to the door, unlocking it.

"Warren," Scott entered the room like I had just seen him two minutes ago, instead of two days, "we have a problem."

AN: I know, I know, it's short and it's not all that great for the amount of time it took me to actually write this bit. I'll try better next time! I actually do have this story completed...in my mind, it's just getting it all down on computer that takes so long.