How to Slay a Dragon

Rating: R (drug use, language)

Disclaimer: All X-Men characters are property of Marvel.

Summary: Another chapter in the How to Slay a Dragon storyline.

The Devil's Renaissance

Stormy blue eyes, heavy with tears and torment, silently stared at Remy. Logan opened his mouth to say something but his throat felt like it had been pinched shut. Remy squeezed his shoulders, quietly begging him for an answer.

"I..." The single word came out shaken and hushed. Logan cleared his throat and tried again. "I-I need..."

Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed a hold of the thin, white t-shirt Remy was wearing and used it to haul the man to his feet. Logan remained seated and pulled him closer, pressing his face firmly against his lover's stomach. A trembled sigh from Logan warmed the skin beneath and drew a shallow gasp from the younger man. Remy tried desperately to ignore the emotions that caused a tightening in his stomach.

"Y' need?..." Was all he could manage.

Logan slipped his fingers underneath the fine cotton shirt, drawing them back and forth across the taunt and quivering muscles just on the edge of his loose sweatpants. Remy made a strangled sound when the motion ceased but wasn't left disappointed as Logan slowly lifted the material and placed moist, open-mouthed kisses from one sharp hip to the other. Remy was now shaking uncontrollably and his breath came in quick intakes. Logan stopped to rest the tip of his nose on the outline of the sweats all the while running his hands up and down Remy's sides.

"I need, you, darlin'."

Glowing embers floating in obsidian gazed down at Logan at the use of such an endearment. Forlorn azure eyes pleaded with Remy for understanding.

"I need you to love me, please? Please, stay. I'll do anythin', I swear."

Remy knew he needed to say something to reassure Logan but he was at a complete loss for words. The face looking up at him was twisted with desperation. With great effort, he forced his mind to string together a few words and expel them from his throat.

"Chere, Remy not goin' nowhere. He always be der fo' y'."

To further reinforce his words, Remy grasped one of the shaking hands clutched at his hip and placed it on his chest. A jolt raced up Logan's arm and mushroomed out to engulf his aching heart. His eyes grew large with realization. This was the first time Remy had let Logan know exactly how he felt; showing him that words could actually mean what they were supposed to. Remy loved him, without question or second thoughts. He was in this for the long haul and Logan had never known a greater sense of relief and joy. A grin broke his face and he jumped to his feet, gathering Remy into his arms for a crushing embrace. The Acadian laughed and planted light kisses all over Logan's face, which was now wet with elated tears. Remy couldn't tell whether the tears were his or Logan's.

They ended up on one of the couches in the library downstairs later that night. Logan had needed a beer from the kitchen and hadn't wanted to walk back upstairs afterwards. Now, Logan was laying with his head rested on Remy's thigh, nimble thief's fingers dragging through his hair. The continous stroking was immensely soothing and he was finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. Remy smiled down at the look of content on his lover's face as Logan gradually fell asleep. Remy remained watching Logan as he slept. His own slumber slipped in unnoticed; as did the long shadow of the menacing silhouette that stood blocking the light from the hallway.

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Logan felt a slight shiver underneath him and quickly forced himself awake. Remy's face was creased and he was quivering with cold. Logan looked around and saw that one of the library windows was propped open, letting in the cool, early morning air. He brought himself up on his elbow and reached up to gently shake Remy awake. Remy's eyes fluttered, then fully opened. The pale blue light from the pre-dawn sky brought the pale skin of his face to light, turning it an almost spiritualistic hue. Logan felt a vibration in his chest at the picturesque sight of his beautiful boy. Remy blinked and looked down at Logan, a smile slowly spreading across his face

"G'Mornin', chere."

Logan returned the smile lovingly before he brought himself to a sitting position. He wrapped his arm around Remy's shoulder and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

"Hey, sunshine. Ya cold?"

Remy batted his eyes sleepily and nodded his head. He snuggled in closer to Logan, burying his face in the side of Logan's neck. Logan chuckled and ran his finger's through the young man's hair. Remy purred in appreciation and began caressing his lover's leg. Logan started to squirm when he hit a ticklish spot.

"Alright, that's enough kid."

He pushed Remy's hand off his leg, causing the young man to purse his lips in a pout. Logan smiled and tipped Remy's chin up with his finger. His voice dropped to a husky rumble.

"What's say we take this upstairs?"

Remy's eyes lit up. He nodded his head eagerly and leapt from the couch. Logan chuckled and followed closely behind the young man; close enough to view the pleasing motion of his butt as he walked. As he watched, Logan's body began to warm and snap to life. A hot tightening boiled in his gut and he quickened his steps to come up behind Remy; wrapping his arms around the lean frame of his body and burying his nose in the silky hair at the back of his head.

Remy heard him inhale slowly and smiled. He knew Logan was enjoying himself, so he let him be. They continued walking in sync up the winding staircase, Logan clutched securely to Remy. The young man guided them steadily in the direction of his room, again. They were about halfway there when Logan suddenly stopped and pushed him against the wall. He took one last, long sniff of Remy's hair before turning the man around to face him. Remy grinned coquettishly.

"When y' ask'd t' take it upstairs, Remy t'ought y' meant int' a room."

Logan gave a sensual growl, grabbing Remy's ass and yanking him up until he felt the long, muscular legs latch onto his waist.

"Did, until ya started walkin'."

Remy sighed and rested a sharp cheekbone on Logan's forehead. The older man nipped and nuzzled his rough chin. Feeling a bit playful, Remy started jerking away when Logan got close enough to take another snap. Logan snickered and began reworking his attack methods to catch Remy off-guard. They went back and forth like this for a few more moments until Logan decided that he'd had enough. Instead of going for Remy's jawline, Logan dove in for an all-devouring kiss.

Remy sighed into Logan's mouth and wrapped his arms around the other man's neck to bring him closer. Logan eagerly accepted the invite and pressed even further into Remy. Remy unwound his legs from Logan's waist and stood with his back still to the wall. He broke the kiss and gently pushed against Logan's chest to put some space between them. Logan backed off just enough to let air flow between them. Remy took in a deep, shaky breath as he tried to pull himself together.

"Not dat Remy not enjo'in' himself, but le's take dis inside."

He grabbed Logan's hand and began gently pulling him toward his room just a few feet away. Logan resisted playfully at first, before he eased up and let Remy lead him to the door. Remy smiled at his little show of teasing. He pulled Logan in for a quick kiss before pushing the door open and pulling them both inside.

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The sun had risen high when Logan awoke the next morning. He groaned and burrowed his face into Remy's back in an attempt to shut out the sun. The movement startled Remy awake. Logan felt him jump and quickly pulled away, fearing he had somehow hurt Remy. He placed a gentle hand on Remy's arm and shook. Remy grunted softly and twisted around to face Logan, one eye partially squeezed shut.

"Oui, wa's up?" His voice was still gravelled with sleep.

"Are ya alright? Thought maybe I'd hurt ya."

Remy furrowed his brow and wriggled around until he was on his side facing Logan.

"'M fine, Logan. No worries."

Logan's relief was evident and he gathered Remy up next to him in an almost crushing embrace. Remy was quickly becoming confused, did Logan have a bad dream? No, he would have known. Any questions or other coherent thought soon fled his mind as Logan's mouth came down on his in a desperate clash of wet heat. Remy felt his fingers dig into Logan's shoulder out of pure reflex. His lips were forced apart to make way for Logan's tongue. Remy moaned and his eyes fluttered closed.

Then, the moment was shattered by a knock at the door. Logan ripped his mouth away from Remy, catching the younger man by surprise. Remy heard a familiar *Snikt* as Logan released his claws. The arms wrapped around him tightened even further and he felt a vibration in Logan's chest. He was suddenly defensive, which meant the Wolverine wouldn't be far behind. Remy grabbed Logan's chin and forced those icy blue eyes to look into his.

He dropped his voice to a whisper, "It's ok." then spoke in a louder voice to the person on the other side of the door. "Yeah?"

There was a slight pause before Jean's voice drifted under the heavy wooden door. "Remy, have you seen Logan? The professor needs to talk to him and I can't find him."

Remy cocked an eyebrow at Logan and told Jean that he hadn't seen him today. "Alright, if you see him could you tell him Charles is looking for him?" Remy assured her he would.

He waited until he heard her footsteps fade down the hallway before bursting into laughter. Logan groaned and sheathed his claws. He turned onto his back and threw an arm over his eyes. Remy snuggled in tight next to him, still snickering. Logan lifted the arm draped over his eyes enough to fix a questioning look on the young thief.

"Somethin' funny kid?"

Remy swallowed the rest of his laughter and looked up at Logan with the sparkling eyes of a child who was hiding the world's biggest secret.

"Fel' like a teenager jus' now, like we was gonna get in troubl' if we got caught..."

Logan searched Remy's face with an amused twinkle in his eyes. A grin split his face and his shoulders shook with soft laughter. The pleasing sound caused Remy's heart to float weightlessly in his chest.

"Hmm, what'm I gonna do about ya, darlin'?" The question was said in a low timber which turned Logan's voice into a heady rumble. Remy hadn't heard so much as felt what had been said.

A shiver danced down the length of his spine and he closed his eyes so as to let the sensation soak in. When he opened them again, Logan was sliding away from him to sit up. Remy rolled onto his stomach and dropped his chin onto his folded forearms; watching Logan with mild amusement as he got up from the bed and conducted a search for his wayward clothing. He watched Logan slide his pants over his hips before he asked where the man was going.

Logan snatched up his shirt and turned to direct his answer at Remy. "Jean said the professor needed to speak with me. Prob'ly wants an update."

He pulled his shirt on and walked back over to the bed. The mattress dipped generously under his weight as he stalked toward Remy on his hands and knees. Logan slid a hand underneath Remy's arm and pushed him over onto his back. He bent his head to give Remy a sweet kiss and whisper, "I'll be back.", then pushed away.

Remy watched quietly as he slipped out the door and gave a contented sigh. He lay on the bed for a few more moments before forcing himself to get up as well. He decided to steal down to the kitchen to get something to eat for the both of them and bring it back up.

He had barely gotten his pants on when there was a soft knock at door. Remy smiled and shook his head; that was fast. He made his way to the door and opened it just a crack.

"Miss me alr-," Remy stopped mid-sentence at the sight of a redhead standing in front of him. "Jean?"

The woman flashed a flawlessly lit smile at Remy, who stood with his door still only slightly ajar. He cleared his throat and muttered, "Yes?" A light flashed in Jean's eye and she asked if he'd seen Logan yet. Remy drew a deep breath and shook his head.

"Non, Remy ain't seen 'im. Ain't even lef' de room yet." Jean nodded as if she was mulling his answer over in her head. "Anyt'ing else Remy can do y' for?" Jean narrowed her green apple eyes and drew her bottom lip in between her perfectly straight teeth.

"You know, it's funny you should ask me that, Remy Lebeau." Remy opened his mouth to say something but was cut off as Jean pushed her way into the room. "Yes, it's very funny..."

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Logan groaned and dropped his head back against the wall with a careless *thud*. How the hell did that man always manage to make Logan nervous? He knew the professor was acting out of his usual concern but Logan had never been particularly fond of close scrutiny. Anyone that stuck their nose too far into his business usually wound up with the imposing appendage being removed. Of course, he could never really do that to Xavier no matter how far up his ass the man's nose got.

So, his business with Xavier was finished and now there was the little matter of a certain Cajun he was dying to get back to. He pushed himself off the wall and started upstairs to Remy's room.

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"W'as funny, femme?" Remy left the door open and followed Jean as she wandered about the room.

The woman stalked around the room like she owned it; running her hand over objects on the dresser, playing with the curtains, and peeking into the adjoining bathroom. Remy was at first uncomfortable with her prowling but then quickly became irritated.

"'R y' lookin' f' somet'ing?" Remy made an effort to give his voice a direct edge. It seemed to work because Jean suddenly paused in the middle of the room.

"Now Remy, why on earth would I be looking for anything in your room?" As she spoke, Jean began advancing toward him. She made a show of it; swaying her hips just a little too hard and pushing out her chest a little too much. Remy furrowed his brow at her apparently awkward hints of sexuality. Was she drunk? She didn't smell like alcohol. She wasn't staggering or slurring her words any. So, what the hell was she doing?

Remy reached out and grabbed Jean's arm to usher her out the door. Jean purposely resisted to make Remy pull harder and when he did she stumbled into his arms, pressing her lips against his. At first, Remy was too shocked to pull away and that is exactly what Jean was counting on.

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Logan rounded the top of the staircase and hurried down the hall toward Remy's,...their room. The thought of something being theirs made Logan smile. He came right up on Remy's room and noticed the door was open slightly. He grinned and decided to sneak a peek on Remy. He looked through the small opening just in time to see Remy pull someone toward him. Their lips met and... wait...Jean? Logan heard his heart stop. His mind reeled into blackness leaving only the autopilot to take him back down the empty hallway.

He later wouldn't remember going downstairs to the garage and jumping onto his Harley. He wouldn't remember the ride into town. All he would remember was Remy standing in...his...bedroom with his arms and lips wrapped around Jean. It was times like this that no vehicle could move fast enough to carry him too far away from where he was.

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-I swear I never meant for this

I never meant...

Dont look at me that way

It was an honest mistake-

-The Bravery "Honest Mistake"

Remy pushed Jean away with every ounce of strength he possessed. It was enough to send her crashing into the dresser and put some much needed space between them. There was a wicked smile on her lips and Remy found himself wanting to blow it right off her face.

"Wh'a de fuck y' t'ink y' doin' Jean!" Remy's accent became thick with anger.

Jean continued smiling and pushed herself off the dresser. "I just wanted to see what it is that Logan could possibly see in a little whore like you, Remy."

Remy felt his blood go cold. "Y' knew?"

Jean's lips twisted from a smile to a vicious sneer. "Of course I knew! I could "hear" you two scrogging like a couple of sick fucks! You were only broadcasting on the highest level possible."

Remy felt sick. His mind flashed back to..was it really just yesterday...when Jean had entered the kitchen. He'd wondered then if she saw the playful pass between him and Logan, now he had his answer. She had known the whole time yet she'd acted like nothing was out of the ordinary. This brought up the next logical question in his mind.

"Why?" Jean narrowed her eyes.

"Why? WHY?? Let's see, why did you come back? Why did Logan choose you when it's obvious he loves me?-"

"Obvious?? So dat's wha' dis is. Y' jus' can't handle dat Logan not obsessin' over y' anymore! Dat when he hurtin' it's Remy he turn to 'n not you!"

"You dont deserve him you slut! You dont deserve to even be in this house after what you did! The professor may have forgiven you but there are more than a few of us who dont. And now, that list is going to include Logan."

By now, Remy was trembling with rage. He slipped a card down his sleeve and quickly charged it before he flung it right at her. Jean deflected it easily, like he knew she would. Remy brought his bo-staff down on her shoulder before she could throw up any defenses. Jean screamed out in pain and collapsed on the floor. Remy raised the staff to bring down again and felt his muscles freeze mid-way.

Jean's eyes flew open and she threw up her hand, sending Remy flying across the room. He crashed through the double glass balcony doors and landed hard on the stone flooring outside. Through the pain-ridden haze of his mind, Remy could have sworn he heard the roar of a motorcycle. He tried to shake off the effects of a slight concussion and pushed himself to his feet. His legs had barely settled before he was forced over the balcony's railing by a telekinetic bolt. Remy stuck out an arm and barely managed to catch the edge. He held on for dear life as he dangled high above the ground. There was the hollow crunch of glass under expensive open-toed sandals, then Jean was hovering over him. Her eyes flared brightly with the cosmic power housed within her psyche. Remy knew that another bolt could very well mean his death. He decided to play one last desperate suicide card.

Drawing power from every cell in his being, he charged the stone balcony with an overload of kinetic energy. It happened too fast for Jean to do anything. Remy closed his eyes. His final thought before the balcony blew, was the last sweet moment before Logan left his room. Then, he could remember no more.

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It had begun to rain only moments ago. Logan sat on the back steps leading to the bar, watching the moment outside Remy's door in his mind. He was helpless to stop the constant replay that happened automatically. His worst nightmare had found a flesh and blood release. Right now, he would give anything to be back in a glass tube with nothing but physical torture to look forward to. At least then he could be certain he might pass for alive.

There was still one way. No, he had promised Remy... Logan's throat clamped down but still no tears came, it just hurt too much. He simply laid his head in his hands and stared down at the slimy concrete stairs. He felt trapped, he needed to do something.



"Goddammit, Remy...why...?" What were these wretched sounds coming from his throat? His voice sounded alien to his own ears. It was a weak, pathetic sound.



(You know who did this, dont you? It was him.)



Remy, it was Remy. Everything was fine before him. I was in control, I had a handle on things. Then the son of a bitch had to start poking his nose in where it damn well didn't belong.



(He lied, he said he was doing it for you. Did you ask for his help? Did you even need help?)



I never need help. I have a fucking healing factor for a reason. I can come back from certain death, why the hell shouldn't I be able to handle a drug? Logan lifted his head and it dawned on him just where he was. His dealer wasn't more than a block from here. He had heard it said that humans are creatures of habit but...



(It's the answer. You remember how good it felt? A needle aint gonna go and fuck around with someone else. Come on, we don't need him when we have this. He wants to have his fun, then we'll have ours.)



Logan stood up and stepped down from the hard stairs. Yeah, why should Remy be the only one having fun? He turned up his collar and walked out of the alleyway, swinging toward the left. If Remy can, so can I. This slowly became his mantra as he walked toward a rat bag apartment building and slipped through the front door.

The inside smelled like too many people with too much of the stuff people do. A homeless man sat curled up near the door, a paper bag clutched in his hand. Logan tried to ignore the horrid stench choking the air as he shook excess water out of his hair and ascended the staircase. He could hear television sets going, people shouting, babies screaming and he concentrated on blocking it all out.

At the third floor, he turned to walk down the hall. A wretched looking woman muttering jibberish walked past as if he didn't even exist. As long as she didn't try making conversation, Logan wasn't complaining. He finally reached the door he was looking for and knocked quietly. There was some rapid banging and muffled talk before the door slid open a crack.



"What the fuck you want?" The man's voice was edged with paranoia and his scent had obviously known better days.



"Is Snowman here?" A voice shouted out from somewhere behind the door, asking who it was. The man at the door made a quick visual sweep of Logan.



"Some hairy dude. I don't know man-" There was a sudden rustling and the man was being forced away from the door. The guy Logan knew only as Snowman appeared and threw the door open.



"Look at what the fuckin' pussy dug up! Come on in man, come in!" Snowman stepped out of the way to let Logan into the room. A woman, dressed in only a robe, sat on the couch watching tv. The man who had answered the door, stood a few feet away against a wall. The door shut behind him and Logan turned to see Snowman.



"Where the fuck ya been hidin'? Haven't seen ya in a couple days. Thought maybe you forgot about yer buddy Snowman." He banged Logan on the back as he walked past. Logan flinched and cleared his throat. "Just been busy."



The woman who had been watching tv, was now leering at Logan the way a hungry dog might eyeball a chunk of meat. Logan remained unphased and followed Snowman into what looked like the kitchen. A little boy sat at the counter, watching cartoons on a small television set. Snowman walked over and ruffled the kid's hair.



"So, what can I do for ya, man?" Logan's gaze never left the young boy watching tv. "Ya holdin' anything?"



"Shit, of course man. How much ya need?" The boy turned away from the tv at the sound of another man's voice. Logan almost choked on a sudden rising in his throat. The boy's long, auburn hair fell in front of his eyes. The skin of his face was the smooth color of alabaster. Logan felt himself beginning to tremble. "Hey, man!"



Logan snapped himself out of shock. Snowman had fixed him with a wary stare that Logan recognized as suspicion. Logan drew a deep breath.



"Sorry, spaced out," The boy had gone back to watching cartoons. "I'm gonna need a lot."

Now Snowman was definitely apprehensive. It was rolling off him in waves. Logan realized his poor choice of words and cringed. Snowman thought he had turned snitch.



"Listen, Snowman. I know what yer thinkin' but ya can relax. I ain't here t' get ya busted." The man was still on edge and Logan knew it was going to take something drastic to put him at ease again. He got in close to Snowman and talked in a hushed voice. "The kid is makin' me uncomfortable. How 'bout we take this in the other room?"



Snowman narrowed his eyes and jerked his head in the direction of the front room. Logan followed him out but the man kept walking, past the living room and down the hallway into a back bedroom. He ushered Logan in and closed the door behind him. Logan stood in the middle of the room and waited for Snowman's next move.

The dealer pushed past him to a dresser on the other side of the bed. He dug through the top drawer for a few moments. When he drew his hand back, he was holding a small baggie filled with heroin. Logan felt his mouth begin to water.



"Usual price, $1500. One catch this time though..." Logan knew there was going to be a "but". "I want ya to shoot it here."



Logan sighed. He usually liked to be alone when he did it but he had no choice, it was the only thing that was gonna make Snowman trust him. He nodded his head and pulled out his wallet.



"Ya got a clean kit?" Snowman smirked and began digging through his top drawer again. He produced a fresh needle and a clean spoon. Logan handed him a wad of cash and took the needle and spoon. Snowman began counting out the bills.



"There's some belts in the closet and..." He opened the drawer of a small nightstand and tossed something on the bed. "...here's some cotton."



While he continued counting, Logan removed his jacket and got everything ready. He cooked a small amount of heroin and skillfully filled the syringe. He was careful not to cook too much, or else Snowman would become suspicious again. Logan cinched a belt tightly around his arm and clamped the loose end between his teeth. He tapped his arm a few times to get the veins to pop. Then, he carefully inserted the needle into his vein and drew out some blood before pushing down the plunger.

The rush was instantaneous. Logan sighed and fell back onto the bed. The world spun, faster and faster until it disappeared altogether. It was like finding an old love. A tingle faded into precious warmth and chased away the pain caked around his heart. He was lifted high, floating above himself and the world. Still the same; different, but always the same.

Logan lazily opened his eyes and saw Snowman leaning over him, a satisified simper on his face.



"Feels good don't it?" Logan barely had the presence of mind to nod. It felt like a hundred hands were running over his body at once. With great effort, he reached over and pulled the needle out of his arm. His hand fell limply into place when he brought it back to the other side. Snowman reached down and took the needle from his hand.



"Sorry 'bout the mix up back there man. I just had to be sure, you know. And just to make sure there's no hard feelin's, how about I top ya off a little huh?" The man dumped a few small scoops from a large bag into the packet he sold Logan. "For bein' such a good customer."



The high was beginning to fade and Logan was able to bring himself to a sitting position. "No problem, I understand." He pulled the belt off his arm and started looping it back around his waist. He took the small pouch from the man and slipped it into an inside pocket of his jacket. Snowman walked over and stuffed a new needle in an outside pocket with a quick wink. Logan gave a gruff chuckle. Both men were now relaxed enough to share a joke on their way out to the living room.



Before he left, Logan pulled Snowman close and slipped a bill into his hand. "Fer the kid," he muttered. Snowman smiled and patted Logan's arm. Then, Logan walked out the door and found himself standing back in the hallway of a decrepit building. He fingered the needle in his pocket as he hurried down the corridor. It was time to go somewhere private and do this right.



-In your life you seem to have it all

You seem to have control

but deep within your soul

you're losing it

You never took the time

assume that your to blame

you think that your insane

wont you spare me

I know the breakdown

everything is gonna shake now someday

I know the breakdown

tell me again am I awake now maybe

You can find the reason that

no one else is livin' this way-

"Breakdown" -Tantric

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A short walk and Logan was back at the bar where he had been only thirty minutes ago. He walked up to the bar and ordered a beer, making sure the bartender left the top on the bottle. After the keep turned his back, Logan opened the bottle and slipped the top into his pocket. He made quick work of his beer then slipped from his seat, making his way to the back and the one person bathroom.

After he made sure the door was locked, Logan pulled the beer top from his pocket. He carefully balanced it on the edge of the grimy stainless steel sink. Next came his savior in powder form; Logan was meticulous when taking the rice paper package from his pocket. He set it down next to the bottle cap before he hastily shrugged off a sleeve of his jacket. He ripped his arm free, using his other hand to unbuckle his belt and yank it loose. Suddenly remembering the needle; Logan paused for a moment to search, albeit impatiently, for the syringe and clamped it between his teeth when he found it. It was at this point that Logan realized that he had nothing to hold the bottle cap while he heated the heroin. He growled with frustration at himself for not being better prepared.

Then, he was struck with an idea. He slid out a lone claw and carefully pierced the side of the aluminum cap. He snatched up the pouch containing his stash from the sink and tapped the bottom of the package until a sizeable chunk fell into the cap. He folded up the pouch and dropped it back into his pocket for safe keeping. Next he leaned over the toilet and tore off a corner of toilet paper, setting it on a dry spot of the sink. Then, he pulled a zippo lighter from his hip pocket and sparked the flint. A flame flickered to life and Logan brought it underneath the metal cap. The piece of powder melted and was soon bubbling. Logan flipped the lid of the lighter closed and picked up the corner of toilet paper; rolling it into a small ball before dropping it into the liquid-filled cap. Logan removed the syringe from his mouth and filled it with the yellow elixir. Then he slid the the cap off his claw and let it drop into the sink basin, drawing his claw back with a click.

Logan pulled his belt out of his jeans the rest of the way and made a loop which he slipped onto his upper arm and cinched tight. He held the loose end between his teeth and clinched his fist. Once the veins rose, he inserted the needle and pushed the plunger.

Colors swirled in front of his eyes, growing brighter as the world came crashing down hard. Logan fought to bring focus back to his mind. He found himself staring at the gritty, filth covered dry wall inside a bathroom with his head resting on the putrid metallic toilet rim. The gut-wrenching stench soaked into his nose and Logan felt his stomach heave. He struggled to his knees and disgorged forcefully into the bowl. It was mostly dry heaves, since he hadn't eaten anything in hours; ever since...

Logan choked on a gag, tears burning his eyes and flowing in a steady stream down his face. A sickened sob escaped his throat. He backed into the wall and curled up, feeling his heart cramp until his breath no longer flowed to his lungs. Thoughts of Remy flooded his mind and caused his body to suddenly ache in a way he never would have thought possible. Logan wondered what he had done wrong this time. It must have been the nightmares, maybe his outburst had gotten to Remy. If that was all, then why had Remy claimed he could handle it? Logan chewed on his lower lip until he felt blood squirt onto his tongue, the amaroidal taste a familiar, if morbid, calm. The pain was real and that meant he was still real. This was always something he could rely on, when everything else in life had failed him. Why was it that things were stolen from him the instant he would begin to need them the most?

Logan sat on the cracked linoleum floor for a few minutes longer as he foolishly tried to will the cold from his soul. A pounding on the brittle wooden door reminded him of his present occupation. He climbed to his feet and began collecting his paraphenilia. Once he was sure he had everything Logan jerked open the door, nearly ripping it from it's fastenings. An obviously inebriated man gave his general direction an unfocused glare and staggered by him toward the toilet. Logan snorted with disgust and moved in a hurry to get back to the bar. The rain outside had stopped and Logan decided that it was time to go back to the mansion. The drug was still fresh in his system but would probably be thinned out by the time he arrived. It would need to be, if he was to keep his hands away from the throats of two traitorous lechers. This macabre fantasy was the last thing on Logan's mind as he walked out of the rathskeller and into the heavy air of the rain-soaked city.