Chapter Text
A semi-truck pulled up to a rundown bar in northern Alberta, Canada late at night. The driver opened the passenger door, revealing an asleep Marie, better known as Rouge.
“This is it,” the driver said.
Rouge grabbed her duffle bag and climbed out into the freezing air. She looked around at the isolated building surrounded by snow.
“Where are we?” she asked. “I thought you said you were taking me as far as Lautland City.”
The driver shrugged. “This is Lautland City.”
Fear flickered across Marie’s face.
Inside the bar, the atmosphere was loud, smoky, and violent. People crowded around a steel cage, waving cash in the air and shouting over each other.
A massive man crashed into the side of the cage.
Logan stood over him.
With one final throw, Logan hurled the fighter across the ring, ending the match. The unconscious man was dragged out while the crowd erupted into boos and cheers.
Logan ignored them. He took a shot of liquor in the corner of the cage.
Sitting nearby was a boy no older than fourteen. He had messy black hair, striking blue eyes, and a lanky frame that made him look permanently underfed. He sat with a basket of burgers and fries balanced on his knees.
The kid gave Logan a thumbs up.
Logan nodded back.
Another challenger climbed into the cage—a bald, muscular man cracking his knuckles.
The ringmaster leaned toward him. “Whatever you do, don’t hit him in the balls.”
The man frowned. “You said anything goes.”
“Anything goes,” the ringmaster agreed, “but he’ll take that personal.”
The fight started hard and fast.
The bald man landed a brutal kick that sent Logan to the ground. For a moment, it looked like he might actually win.
Then Logan got back up.
The challenger threw another punch. Logan caught it mid-swing with a sickening crack, snapping the man’s wrist. Before the man could scream, Logan punched him in the stomach and slammed his forehead into the man’s face.
Knockout.
The announcer raised his voice over the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s winner and still King of the Cage—The Wolverine!”
More boos thundered through the arena.
Logan scanned the room for the kid.
Gone.
“Dammit, kid,” Logan muttered, lighting a cigar.
Later that night, the bar had mostly emptied out. The ringmaster and his wife sat counting money with cigarettes hanging from their lips. A drunk slept on one of the couches.
Marie sat quietly at the bar, eyeing the tip jar.
The bartender noticed immediately and slid it farther away from her.
“You want anything else?” he asked suspiciously.
Before she could answer, Logan walked in with the boy trailing behind him.
“Beer,” Logan grunted as he sat down. “And a soda for the kid.”
Danny grinned at the mention of soda, instantly focused on it.
Logan leaned against the counter, cigar still in his mouth, quietly observing Marie.
On the television above the bar, news coverage discussed a United Nations summit happening on Ellis Island the largest gathering of world leaders in history.
Suddenly, the fighter Logan had knocked out earlier approached from behind with a friend beside him.
“Forget it,” the friend warned.
“No man takes a beating like that without a mark,” the fighter muttered, shoving his friend aside.
He stepped closer to Logan.
“I know what you are.”
Logan slowly turned his head.
“You lost your money,” Logan said calmly. “Keep pushing this and you’ll lose something else.”
The man hesitated like he might back down.
Then he spun around suddenly with a knife.
“Watch out!” Marie shouted.
Before anyone could react, Danny moved.
One second the knife was in the man’s hand.
The next, Danny was holding it.
No one had even seen him move.
Now the blade was pointed directly at the friend’s throat. The guy instantly raised his hands in surrender.
At the same time, Logan grabbed the first man and slammed him against the wall. Three adamantium claws slid from between Logan’s knuckles, the center claw hovering dangerously close to the man’s throat.
The bartender cocked his shotgun.
“Get out of my bar, freak.”
Without even looking at him, Logan slashed the shotgun clean in half.
For a few seconds Danny vanished completely.
Then he reappeared beside Logan like nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, the cash from the owner’s table had mysteriously disappeared.
Logan glanced between the terrified bartender and the fighter before finally retracting his claws.
“Let’s go, kid.”
Danny stuck his tongue out at the two men before tossing the knife aside and following Logan out.
Marie stared after them in shock before quickly grabbing her bag and hurrying outside too.
Outside, Logan and Danny climbed into an old truck with a camper shell mounted on top and a trailer hitched behind it.
Logan sighed and looked toward Danny in the passenger seat.
“Alright,” he said. “Tell me what you got.”
Danny grinned and opened his backpack.
It was overflowing with cash, watches, wallets, and stolen valuables.
Logan sighed again.
“We’ve talked about this, kid. One day you’re gonna get caught, and then we’re both in trouble.”
Danny rolled his eyes dramatically before sticking his arm straight through the glove compartment to prove a point.
See?
Logan rubbed his face.
“I know those assholes deserved it.”
Danny smirked.
Logan reached over and ruffled his hair.
Danny laughed before climbing into the camper. He pulled out a picture book filled with photographs of space and curled up in bed.
A moment later, he suddenly sat upright, staring toward the trailer outside.
Then he glanced toward Logan before quietly lying back down.
The truck rolled down a snowy forest highway as the sun slowly rose.
Logan checked his side mirror noticing something.
Then he pulled over.
He climbed out and walked toward the trailer. Something shuffled underneath the tarp.
Logan poked the suspiciously human-shaped lump before yanking the tarp away dramatically.
Marie blinked up at him.
Logan looked deeply disappointed.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m sorry,” Marie said quickly. “I needed a ride. I thought maybe you’d help me.”
“Get out.”
Danny’s eyes appeared in the camper window behind Logan, watching closely.
“Where am I supposed to go?” Marie asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t know,” she snapped, “or don’t care?”
“Pick one.”
Logan tossed her duffle bag onto the road.
Marie climbed down from the trailer.
“I saved your life!” she shouted.
“No you didn’t,” Logan shot back before slamming the truck door shut.
He started driving away.
Danny sat in the passenger seat glaring at Logan through crossed arms.
“What?” Logan muttered. “She was a stowaway. She’ll only attract trouble.”
Danny continued staring.
Logan huffed.
“Fine.”
He stopped the truck.
Marie hurried over and climbed into the passenger seat while Danny sat smugly in the back.
“I’m starving,” Marie admitted quietly.
Logan reached into the glove compartment and handed her some food.
Marie quickly pulled off her gloves before devouring it.
Danny watched her for a moment before silently placing one of his prized Snickers bars in her lap.
Startled, Marie looked at him.
“Thanks,” she said softly.
After finishing the food, she leaned back.
“I’m Rouge.”
Silence.
She noticed Logan’s dog tags hanging from his neck.
“Wolverine?” she asked awkwardly. “Were you in the army or something?”
Logan immediately tucked the tags away.
Marie looked toward the camper. Despite its age, it was surprisingly clean and organized. Clearly lived in full-time.
“Wow,” she muttered.
“What?”
“Suddenly my life doesn’t seem so bad.”
Danny looked offended.
Logan noticed and smirked slightly.
“If you prefer the road—”
“No, no,” Marie interrupted quickly. “It looks great.”
Danny let out an amused huff.
Trying to change the subject, Marie turned toward him.
“So why aren’t you in school?”
Danny slowly raised an eyebrow.
Marie immediately realized how ridiculous that sounded considering she was also clearly a teenager skipping school.
“You’re a quiet one, huh?”
Danny simply returned to reading his space book.
Marie rubbed her hands together, visibly cold.
Logan turned up the heater and instinctively reached for her hands to warm them.
Marie flinched backward.
“I’m not gonna hurt you, kid,” Logan said.
“It’s not personal,” she replied quietly. “It’s just… when people touch my skin, something happens to them.”
Danny immediately looked up.
“What happens?” Logan asked.
“I don’t know. They just get hurt.”
Logan nodded once.
“Fair enough.”
Danny tilted his head toward Logan’s claws.
“When they come out,” Marie asked carefully, “does it hurt?”
“Every time.”
A long silence followed.
“What kind of name is Rouge anyway?” Logan asked.
Marie smirked slightly.
“I don’t know. What kind of name is Wolverine?”
Logan snorted.
“My name’s Logan.”
“Marie,” she replied, giving her real name this time.
She glanced toward the back, clearly waiting for the boy to introduce himself.
“That’s Danny,” Logan said. “He can’t talk.”
Marie frowned.
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Can’t. In all the time I’ve known him, he’s never said a word.”
“Do you know why?”
“You sure ask a lotta questions.”
She had clearly hit a nerve.
A moment later, Marie glanced toward him again.
“You should really wear your seatbelt.”
“Kid, I don’t need advice on—”
A massive tree suddenly crashed across the road.
The truck slammed into it.
Logan was thrown through the windshield headfirst, skidding across the snow.
Danny was tossed violently around the cab as flames began spreading through the wreckage.
Logan lay motionless in the snow.
Marie struggled to orient herself, panic rising as she spotted him lying there.
Then he moved.
Slowly, Logan stood up.
The wounds across his face healed right before her eyes.
Marie stared in horror as her jammed seatbelt trapped her inside the burning truck.
Logan sniffed the air, immediately sensing something wrong.
This wasn’t an accident.
His claws snapped out.
Sabretooth exploded from the woods and tackled Logan into the snow.
Logan barely got to his knees before Sabretooth slammed him with a fallen log, sending him crashing into the truck hood.
“Protect the girl,” Logan growled before collapsing unconscious.
Inside the wreckage, Danny stood up.
Ice spread from his hands, instantly extinguishing the flames.
Then he phased straight through the camper wall.
Marie barely had time to react before Danny grabbed her and phased her through the passenger side as well.
The world flipped upside down as she fell into the snow.
Danny steadied her by grabbing her bare hand.
Marie froze.
Nothing happened.
For the first time in ages, she was touching someone skin-to-skin without hurting them.
Sabretooth approached slowly through the snow.
Danny stepped in front of Marie.
His eyes glowed green.
Sharp fangs emerged as a growl rumbled from his throat.
Then Danny lunged.
A dome of glowing green ectoplasm surrounded Marie protectively as Danny slammed into Sabretooth hard enough to send him stumbling backward.
Danny attacked again, launching Sabretooth into the air before rocketing upward himself and smashing him back into the ground.
Snow exploded everywhere.
Storm and Cyclops arrived just in time to witness the chaos.
Neither seemed entirely sure how to intervene.
Storm rushed toward Marie and the glowing barrier while Cyclops struggled to drag Logan’s heavy body away from the wreckage.
Meanwhile, Danny was absolutely mauling Sabretooth.
Sabretooth tried to retreat, but Danny clamped onto his neck with a vicious bite.
Blood sprayed across the snow.
Sabretooth finally tore himself free, missing a chunk from his throat as he fled into the woods completely traumatized.
Danny almost chased after him.
Then he noticed Logan unconscious nearby and the two strangers standing over him.
Danny wiped the blood from his mouth and immediately dropped into a fighting stance.
Storm raised both hands quickly.
“No, no, no! We’re friends!” she shouted. “We came to stop him and help you!”
Danny studied them for a moment.
Then, just as suddenly, he relaxed back into the appearance of an innocent fourteen-year-old boy.
He even gave them a thumbs up.
Cyclops let out a relieved sigh.
The green barrier around Marie finally faded.
“We have a safe place your friend can recover,” Storm said gently, offering Danny her hand.
Danny hefted Logan’s massive body over one shoulder like it weighed nothing at all.
Then he took her hand.