ii.
Cecily was jolted awake by a loud, piercing scream. Instantly alert, she glanced around the room, noticing the empty space beside her. "Logan?" she called out, but there was no answer.
She quickly got up, her heart racing with the certainty that something was wrong. "Rogue," she thought, urgency flooding her. She needed to find her.
Cecily sprinted down the halls, her eyes darting frantically. She nearly collided with Rogue as they both rounded a corner, then turned back to each other. Grabbing Rogue's shoulders before quickly letting go, Cecily gasped, "I was so worried about you. Are you okay?"
Rogue nodded, slightly out of breath. "Yeah, I'm okay."
"Good," Cecily replied, relief washing over her. "Come on, let's go this way."
They ran into Bobby and John further down the corridor. "Rogue!" Bobby called out, his voice laced with concern.
"Bobby! This way," Rogue directed, pointing behind her. Cecily let the younger ones take the lead, keeping them all in her sight.
As the four of them rounded a corner, they saw soldiers smashing a window. Rogue screamed, and without hesitation, Cecily grabbed the kids, urgently pushing them in the opposite direction.
The four of them raced down the stairs, but just as reached the doors, they were kicked open by soldiers. Cecily quickly stepped in front of the kids, shielding them behind her.
Before she could react, a shout echoed through the air. Logan leaped down from the balcony, taking out the soldiers in a swift, deadly move.
"A bit dramatic," Cecily muttered to herself, "but okay."
“Let’s go.” was all he said Cecily wasn’t complaining though as long as she didn’t have to lead them anymore
When he opened the doors, a helicopter was waiting outside.
"Well, that’s just great," Cecily muttered. "Come on, we can go this way," she urged, leading them down the hall.
"This is it," John said as he opened a hidden passage in the wall. Cecily couldn't believe she hadn’t noticed it before.
She let the kids enter first, then followed behind. As she turned to look back, she saw Logan closing the passage, leaving himself outside. "Logan!" she yelled, panic rising in her voice.
Cecily ran ahead with the kids for a bit before coming to a stop. "You guys keep going. I’m going back for him."
"He can handle himself. Let’s go," John urged.
Rogue wasn’t having it. "Bobby!" she yelled. "She’s right—they're going to kill him!"
A little extra Cecily never said all that.
Bobby created a wall of ice, blocking off the enemy. "No, no!" Logan shouted in frustration.
"Logan, we need to go now. Come on," Cecily pleaded, urgency in her voice.
"Go! I’ll be fine," he insisted.
"But I won’t," Cecily shot back, her eyes filled with desperation.
Logan looked back at her, meeting her pleading gaze, then glanced at the others before turning his attention to the ice wall. After a tense moment, he finally walked over to them. "Go. Keep going," he urged.
Cecily felt a wave of relief wash over her as he joined them.
The group made it to the garage and dashed toward the first car that could fit them all. "All right, get in! Get in!" Logan ordered.
"I'm driving," John insisted.
"Maybe next time," Logan replied, brushing him off.
"This is Cyclops's car," Bobby pointed out.
"Oh yeah?" Logan responded with a touch of condescension in his voice, before using his claws to hotwire the ignition.
Always with the dramatics.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Cecily stared out the window, biting her nails and muttering something too quiet for the others to understand.
"What the hell was that back there?" one of the boys asked, breaking the silence.
"Stryker. His name is Stryker," Logan replied, his voice tense.
"Who is he?" Rogue asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Logan hesitated, then whispered, "I can't remember."
Rogue unwrapped the necklace she’d been wearing as a bracelet and leaned forward to the front seat. “Here. This is yours,” she said, handing it to Logan.
“I can’t stand uncomfortable silences,” John muttered, reaching for the radio.
Suddenly, NSYNC's "Bye, Bye, Bye" blared through the car, snapping Cecily out of her thoughts.
"Where are we going?" John asked.
"Storm and Jean are in Boston. That’s where we’re headed," Logan replied.
"My parents live in Boston," Bobby added, addressing the group.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
The group entered the house, and Bobby called out, "Mom? Dad? Ronny? Is anyone home?" Receiving no response, he glanced at Rogue and said, "I'll find some clothes for you."
Cecily observed as Logan unsheathed his claws a cat. "Wow, you really showed him," she said, her sarcasm clear.
"Funny," Logan replied dryly.
"Well, aren't you just a precious thing," Cecily remarked, walking over to the cat and giving it a gentle pat.
Just then, she heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see someone entering the doorway. "Hey, Ronny. Next time you—" the male voice trailed off as he took in the sight of Cecily and Logan.
"Well, that’s just bad timing," Cecily muttered under her breath.
"Who the hell are you?" the man demanded before anyone could respond. Just then, Bobby came rushing down the stairs.
“Honey, aren’t you supposed to be at school?” his mother asked, her voice laced with concern.
“Bobby, who are these people?” his father inquired, eyeing the newcomers.
“Uh, these are my professors, Logan and Cecily,” Bobby explained. Cecily almost laughed—while she did stay at the school, she was far from being a teacher.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Bobby said, looking at his family with a serious expression.
Cecily stood alone on the porch, indifferent to the family meeting unfolding inside. She was absently picking at the skin on her fingers, muttering incoherently, "No memory. He will have no memory."
Her thoughts were interrupted when Logan emerged, holding the comm device. "No one's left, Jean. Soldiers came," he relayed into the device.
Cecily tried to piece together the conversation but only caught fragments, her focus slipping back to her nails.
Once Logan finished the call, he approached Cecily. He noticed her muttering, catching only a part of what she was saying: "He’s yet to see victory."
"Hey," Logan said gently.
Cecily turned to face him. "Hi."
"Jean and Storm are on their way," Logan informed her.
"I know," Cecily replied tersely. They stared at each other for a moment. "We should um go back inside now." With that, she turned and headed back into the house.
"We have to go now," Logan urged.
"Why?" Rogue asked, her voice filled with concern.
"Now!" Logan insisted, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Logan, what’s wrong?" Rogue pressed.
They stepped outside, only to find the police surrounding the house. "Drop the knives and put your hands in the air!" an officer commanded.
"What’s going on here?" Logan asked, confused.
Bobby suddenly realized the cause. "Ronny," he muttered.
"I said drop the knives," the officer repeated more sternly.
"This is just a misunderstanding," Logan tried to explain.
"Put the knives down!" the officer demanded again.
"I can’t. Look," Logan replied, retracting his claws. But as soon as he did, the officer fired, hitting him squarely in the head.
Cecily quickly looked away, covering her ears as she muttered something incoherent. She knew he would be okay, but it still wasn’t something she wanted to witness.
"All right, the rest of you, on the ground now!" the officer ordered. Bobby complied, dropping to the ground, but John and Cecily remained standing. The voices around her faded into the background as Cecily became lost in her own thoughts, unable to focus on anything but the turmoil in her mind.
"Listen, you two. I said on the ground," the officer commanded.
Cecily, eyes closed and muttering incoherently, whispered, "Shadows closing in... the light fades, but the storm is near."
"We don’t want to hurt you," the officer said, trying to maintain control.
John flicked his lighter open, his voice cold. "You know all those dangerous mutants you hear about on the news? I’m the worst one."
Before he could act, Cecily grabbed his hand. "No, this isn’t the way to handle this," she warned.
John shook her off, ignoring her, and unleashed his fire abilities against the officers.
Cecily watched the jet land, a wave of relief washing over her. The group sprinted toward it, the officers too hesitant to shoot.
As they boarded the jet, they noticed a blue man seated in one of the chairs. "Guten tag," he greeted.
Everyone took a seat, and Logan eyed the newcomer. "Who the hell is this?"
"Kurt Wagner," the blue man began, "but in the Munich circus, I was known as 'the Incredible Nightcrawler—'"
"Aw, save it," Logan cut him off. "Storm?"
"We’re out of here," she confirmed, preparing the jet for takeoff.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
"How far are we?" Logan asked Jean.
"We’re actually approaching the mansion now," she replied.
"I’m picking up two signals," Storm added, her tone tinged with confusion. "They’re coming in fast."
"Unidentified aircraft, you are ordered to descend to 20,000 feet," a female voice commanded over the radio. "Return with our escort to Hanscom Air Force Base. You have 10 seconds to comply."
They exchanged worried glances. "Wow. Somebody’s angry," Storm muttered.
"I wonder why," Logan said, shooting a pointed look at John.
"We are coming up alongside you to escort you to Hanscom Air Force Base," the female voice repeated. "Lower your altitude now. This is your last warning."
"They’re falling back," Storm noted, but the console suddenly began to beep. "They’re marking us."
"What?" Logan asked, tension rising.
"They’re gonna fire. Hang on!" Storm warned, flipping the jet upside down in a desperate maneuver.
"Please, don’t do that again," John groaned.
"I agree," Logan added.
"Don’t we have any weapons in this heap?" Logan asked. "We are the weapons," Cecily responded flatly.
Storm summoned tornadoes with her abilities, weaving the jet through the chaos to dodge the missiles and escape their pursuers. Cecily gripped her seat tightly as the jet shook violently. Finally, the storm cleared, and the jet stabilized.
“Everyone okay back there?” Jean asked.
“No,” Logan replied, still tense.
Suddenly, the console beeped rapidly. “Oh, my God. There’s two of ‘em,” Storm warned. Jean quickly used her powers to destroy one of the missiles.
“There’s one more. Jean—” Storm began, but before Jean could gain control, the missile detonated just above the jet, blowing a hole at the top.
Rogue, who hadn’t fastened her seatbelt in time, was sucked out of the jet, unable to hold on.
“Rogue!” they all screamed. "No!"
The blue man, whose name Cecily couldn’t quite recall, suddenly vanished from the jet, only to reappear a moment later with Rogue in his arms.
The jet was losing altitude rapidly, spiraling out of control. Neither Cecily nor Jean had the strength to stabilize it.
As they fought to regain control, they noticed the hole in the jet beginning to repair itself.
“Jean?” Storm asked, glancing at her.
“It’s not me,” Jean replied.
Storm turned to Cecily, who shook her head. “Not me either.”
Just then, the jet abruptly came to a stop. They looked out the window and saw Magneto, his powers holding the jet in place.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
The adults stood around the fire, the night completely enveloping them in darkness. Magneto broke the silence. “His name is Colonel William Stryker. He invaded your mansion for one purpose: to get Cerebro—or enough of it to build his own.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Jean said, puzzled. “Stryker would need the Professor to operate it.”
Magneto nodded. “Which is likely the only reason my old friend is still alive.”
Cecily stood off to the side, picking at her fingers, whispering something incoherent. Logan noticed but couldn’t make out the words.
Logan looked at the group. “What are you all so afraid of?”
Magneto explained, “While Cerebro is functioning, Charles’ mind is connected to every living person on the planet. If he were forced to focus intensely on a specific group—let’s say mutants—”
“He could kill us all before we even realized what was happening,” Cecily interrupted, her voice cutting through the conversation. The others turned to her, surprised that she was listening so intently.
“Wait a minute,” Storm said. “How would Stryker even know where to find Cerebro in the first place?”
“Because I told him,” Magneto admitted.
Cecily rolled her eyes, her frustration palpable. She wanted nothing more than to eliminate Magneto right then and there but knew they needed him alive.
“I helped Charles build it, remember?” Magneto continued. “Mr. Stryker has powerful methods of persuasion, even against someone as strong as Charles.”
“So who is this Stryker anyway?” Jean asked.
“He’s a military scientist who’s spent his entire life trying to solve the ‘mutant problem,’” Magneto replied. “If you want a more intimate perspective, why don’t you ask Wolverine?”
Cecily glanced at Logan, who met her eyes before looking away. Magneto continued, “You don’t remember, do you? William Stryker, the only other man I know who can manipulate adamantium—the metal on your bones. It carries his signature.”
“But the Professor—” Logan began.
“The Professor trusted you to figure this out on your own,” Magneto interrupted. “He gives you more credit than I do.”
Cecily’s whispered words from earlier echoed in her mind: “No memory. He will have no memory.” She hadn’t realized she was talking about Logan all along.
As she zoned out, she noticed the others looking up and followed their gaze. “Oh… hello,” the blue man said, hanging from the trees.
Jean prepared to read Kurt’s mind, but Cecily had no interest in what he might reveal. She turned and walked back toward the ship, lost in her thoughts.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Cecily stepped out of the ship, seeking fresh air. She slowed her pace as she saw Logan standing at the bottom of the ramp. “Hey,” she greeted him.
“Hey,” he replied, his gaze fixed on the horizon.
She glanced back at the ship before turning to him. “That was a lot to take in back there. You holding up okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, though his tone was unconvincing.
“You sure?” she pressed. Before she could continue, he interrupted with, “How we doing?”
“Not great,” Cecily admitted with a sigh. “I had to come out here; otherwise, I might have used a wrench on Jean’s head.” Logan chuckled softly.
“It’ll take a couple of hours to get the ship airborne,” she said, stepping closer to him.
“That’s not what I meant,” Logan said, his voice softening as he closed the distance between them. Cecily met his gaze, her own eyes searching his.
“I worry,” she confessed, finally coming down the last of the stairs. “I worry about the Professor, about Scott.”
“I'm worried about you,” Logan said gently. Cecily looked at him, surprised by his concern. “You’ve seemed off lately—back at the mansion, at the house.”
With a deep sigh, she admitted, “I don’t know why, but controlling my abilities is getting harder. I feel like I’m not contributing enough.”
Logan placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, then moved it to the back of her neck. “Hey, you’re doing fine. All right?”
“I’m just worried about Scott. He’s like a brother to me,” Cecily said quietly.
“Is he now?” Logan replied, a hint of something more in his tone.
“Girls flirt with the dangerous guy, Logan; they don’t take him home,” Cecily said slowly, her eyes locking with his. “They marry the good guy.”
“I could be the good guy,” he said, his gaze lingering on her with a roguish charm.
Cecily raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at her lips. “The good guy sticks around—” But before she could finish, Logan cupped her face and pulled her in, kissing her with an intensity that spoke of years of unspoken longing.
For a brief moment, Cecily felt the pull of surrender, but Scott's words echoed in her mind: “He’s not a good idea, Cecily.”
She began to pull away. “Cecily,” Logan whispered, trying to draw her back. She hesitated, their lips nearly touching, before pulling away again. “Please,” she murmured, her voice trembling. “Don’t make me do this.”
Releasing his face, she stepped back, her voice breaking as she added, “I’m sorry.” With that, she turned and headed back to the ship.
Jean watched Cecily return with a knowing look in her eyes. “You wanna talk about it?” she asked, her tone light.
“Don’t speak to me,” Cecily snapped, her voice sharp with emotion as she brushed past Jean and reentered the ship.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Cecily sat on the ship biting at her nails she thought about that kiss for the rest of the evening. It had consumed her entire being, and she couldn’t help but imagine where it could’ve gone if she hadn’t pulled away
Scott’s words kept ringing through her head. She knew he was just trying to protect her but what did he know?
She had destroyed her nails and the skin surrounding it by that point. With a sigh, she got up from her seat and started making her way out of the ship.
As she approached the tent, she couldn’t help but worry that this was a bad decision. What if he was mad at her? No. He’d never gotten mad at her. It was too late for self-doubt now, seeing as she was right outside the tent
She entered the tent “Cecily-” he began, only to be interrupted by her lips meeting his, consuming his every thought in that moment. “Don’t talk.” she breathed out
His hands roamed her body, one at her waist, and the other grabbing her thigh as he pulled her closer to him.
Cecily continued the kiss until she physically couldn’t, breaking away only for air. Logan took advantage of this and began to kiss at her neck, ravaging through her like a predator catching its prey. Her hands latched onto his shoulders. Steadying herself on his lap.
He nibbled at her flesh, and bit down at a pressure point, so hard that his teeth broke the skin slightly, drawing some blood. Cecily moaned out softly at that feeling. Tasting this, he pulled back immediately to look at her. “Cecily, I’m so-”
“Why’d you stop?” Cecily asked, looking at him.
Logan gave her a puzzled look. “You…you’re bleeding. You realize this, right?”
Cecily reached up and touched her neck, humming. “Huh. Guess I am.” She said and examined the blood on her finger. The two shared a look, almost like a silent understanding.
With a deep breath, Logan leaned forward and gently licked up the blood off of her neck, placing a gentle kiss there afterward.
As they continued, Cecily trailed her kisses down his jaw and to his neck. Hesitant, she licked a spot and bit down, just as hard as he did, drawing blood in return. As she pulled away to see his face, the wound quickly healed. She couldn’t help but grin with a dark look in her eyes, and he couldn’t help but groan.
He had, had just about enough of these games, he reached to undo her bra, his fingers working intricately with the clasps. “I want you, Cecily,” he breathed against her chest, pressing a kiss to it. “And I know you want me. So, let’s fix that, yes?”
Cecily nodded eagerly and was pushed onto her back.