AN1:This is for SpencerRemyLvr. I have yet to review on your fics which is a shame ^^° So, instead I do it this way ;P I really enjoyed reading your fics in the past, but since you started adding more than 'just' romance into the mix, I've started love them :D I like that you take your time with developing the relationships, it suits the characters much better. Also, Keep experimenting, different is good ^.~ Just ask any mutant, they will verify that XD Thank you for many hours of enjoyment ^^ I hope this will give you a few as well.

I will add warnings as the story goes on but for everyone who doesn´t care for sexual harassment (not sure how far this will go yet), violence, bodily harm and such things, this is not for you ._. I have a roughly done plot, but details may change. Including warnings, so if you´re not open for that, I´m sorry ^^°

AN2: I´m neither native english, nor native french ^^° And unbeta'ed. So... yeah, you´ve been warned. Feel free to correct me ._.

AN3: I´m going with the movies here. Unfortunately, ffnet seems to have a nearly death X-Men movie section and well -.- it´s nearly death. I think the fic is just better placed in here. This takes place just after the Last Stand.

Included are: X-Men, X-Men: United, X-Men: First Class, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: The Last Stand.

Not included: The Wolverine and X-Men: Days of Future Past. I might pick up some backgrounds from the comics, but nothing big. As for Criminal Minds: This takes place somewhere around the beginning of season 7. I´m not confident writing Blake yet and I kind of miss Emily ._.

Okay, enough ANs ^^ Enjoy.

After the Last Stand

Chapter 1

Erik was annoyed, even though on the outside, he appeared calm. The park should be quiet and most people might agree. However, the man sitting in front of the chess board was so frustrated; he heard every single chirp of every single bird in what felt to be a hundred feet ratio. Ever mutter of 'good old friends' playing various games at the tables. Most of them senior citizen, incompetent and blissfully unaware of just how meaningless their lives had been. He heard every laugh and squeal of foolish children who sat in front of the games. Too incompetent to even grasp the mastery of this game, yet daring to insult it by shoving the pieces around without even planning ahead.

He didn´t belong here. This was not his place, not where he was supposed to be. Not what he was supposed to do. Thankfully, by now these idiots had learned to not ask the lone man sitting in front of the board for a game. It was amusing, showing them their incompetence, but it was also a waste of time. He´d rather practice.

Shifting his attention to the metal pieces in front of him, he tried to concentrate. To blend out all this annoying noise and only focus on the metal in front of him. He wasn´t quite successful, he knew it. Unconsciously, he still noticed them. It was hard to break with old habits. As Magneto, moving metal had been so easy, he had trained himself to be aware of his surroundings, to notice possible dangers. Never would he have thought he would need so much effort to move a single piece of metal, when he had done that. Now, it was difficult to find back into that calm state. As a young man, he had dreaded the thought, had almost been afraid of what might happen, if the piece really moved. What might happen when it did. What Shawn and the Nazis might do next.

Now, he longed for it. It was no longer a coin, he tried to move. It was a single piece of chess but it felt like an almost unmovable barrier, keeping him from being who he should be. Erik focused harder, making that piece of chess the single object of his awareness. He could do it. He had done it before. In his very park, in the library. The cure, or rather the curse as he called it, was not absolute. He could do it.

There! For a moment, he felt like he could grasp it again. The connections between the atoms, that unique combination formed into what was called metal. His talents, now a glow instead of the powerful flame it used to be, flickered back to life and he needed to be fast, take advance of it and move the damn piece. Create another crack in the wall of a human, normal life that was not his!

Excitement bloomed in his chest, the long missed feeling of victory. But he couldn´t allow himself to bask in it, not yet. He needed to move the piece first. His steel grey eyes fixated on the King, his fingers reaching towards the piece, but not taking a hold of it. Do it! Move!

The magnetic field around the piece was there, just out of his reach. The King waggled slightly.

Lift it! Erik could feel his pulse rising, his hands starting to sweat.

Just when he was sure it was going to move, something knocked into him, breaking his concentration.

For a moment, he wanted to murder whoever responsible. He looked up and saw a young man. Or rather, a boy. Asian most likely. A little bit overweight. In his hands, he held a slightly damaged chess clock. It didn´t take Erik long to figure out he must have dropped it and while picking it up, the boy´s backpack dumped into Erik. Annoying.

"Ah, I´m sorry, Mister." The brat said while he placed the clock on the table next to Erik and shifted his back pack on the floor. Trying not to let the disgust be shown on his face, Erik observed as the boy placed a turntable chess set on the table. So, he was one of those who thought they could master the game. Unlikely.

Looking down at the chess piece in front of him, Erik lifted his hand again, but once again didn´t touch the pieces. There was no use in practicing while the brat was here. He could see the boy hesitating, looking to him. Most likely wondering why Erik sat alone and didn´t play. Well, it should give him a hint to leave him alone and get lost. But the human was to dump to get it. At least, he didn´t attempt to ask him for a game. So much for small favors.

When the boy started to play, Erik found himself suprised that the brat seemed to be at least a decent player. He was focused and eager and thinking hard. Obviously he had memorized some advanced strategies but he was not yet fully able to really see all the options available. He was lacking in getting a fine grip on the strategies and it took him some time to see some openings. But he was decent, Erik had to admit that. Maybe even a bit better than decent, but too much praise is wasted for mere human. With a bit of guidance, he might become better, he was young after all. Erik wondered what kind of mutant the boy might have been if evolution had blessed him with some advanced mutation. But again, wasted effort.

When the boy oversaw another opening, Erik couldn´t help but snort. The Asian kid froze and frowned, the piece ruining what would have been an superb move still in hand. It took a few moments, but slowly, the kid lowered the piece back onto the board. Really, it took quite some time, but at least the boy seemed able to learn. Something that didn´t happen often in regards to humans. Finally, the kid seemed to see the move and quickly continued the game. It was over in three more moves.

As the boy lowered the king to the ground, he looked up to Erik in something akin to wonder. Then his gaze shiften down again to the board in front of Erik. Obviously, this time the kid wouldn´t stay silence.

"Care for a game, Mister?" The boy asked.

"No." The former Magneto instantly refused. The boy appeared crestfallen, but didn´t get lost either.

"You don´t play anymore as well?" The boy asked. Erik send him a look which should have told the kid just how much he didn´t want to listen to the boy´s nonsense. He didn´t get the hint and blabbered on.

"This friend of mine-" Well, what a promising start into a monolog about something he absolutely had no interest in. "- he´s a really great player. It´s like he´s got all possible moves in his head. I´ve never beat him."

Erik decided the boy simply had no grasp for what was a 'great player'. Obviously someone was so much better than him, it must seem to the boy that this person knew every possible combination. In the end, every player was a victim to his own habits. Breaking those habits and being unpredictable was an art in itself. However, considered the kid was at least decent, this friend of his must possess some skill. How much it really was judged by Erik´s standards, was another matter. It wasn´t for nothing Magneto was considered a great tactician a strategist.

"Well, he stopped playing some day." The boy continued and the former Magneto wondered if that friend had been bored by his opponent or simply annoyed by him. Either could be reason enough to stop play with him. "And we talked about it and he told me every game was to some point an variation of the exact same theme. Aggressive opening, patient midgame and eventually checkmate. At some point, you know all the moves. And he really does know all the moves." The kid repeated and despite himself, Erik listened. The conversation started to move into a direction he had not anticipated. No matter how unlikely and even though the man hardly could calculate any moves - he would need to be a genius to do so - his curiosity was awakened. This live was boring and he longed for a challenge. Even if it was just a well played game of chess with what sounded to be an oppononet what might be worth his time. So even though he didn´t want to encourage the kid, he found himself wondering what happened to the player and so he asked. "He doesn´t play anymore?"

A pleased grin appeared on the brats face and Erik almost cursed himself. He was sure the kid was gloating over being able to draw him into a conversation. But the next words proved him wrong and revealed the real reason for the boys expression.

"He does. He started playing again. Don´t know why, he didn´t tell me. But he told me he´d come by today if he´s not too busy." The boy explained. "I´m sure he´d love to meet you. It doesn´t happen often someone sees a move before I do." Most likely, because the majority of people are idiots. But Erik stopped himself from saying the words. There was simply no point in getting into an argument with a child.

There was a mixture of pride and shyness in the boy´s voice. He must be aware that he was better than most players present but apparently didn´t want to brag about it. It appeared he only did that in some strange form of argument about why that friend of his might want to meet Erik. Strange boy.

Erik didn´t grace the boy with an answer though and finally getting the hint that the old man was not interested in a conversation with him, the boy appeared insecure for a moment, before he started to reset his own chest pieces. Well, apparently the brat was far from being the most social successful specimen. Eager to make friends but also failing to do so. The former Magneto wondered again about the person the boy called his friend.

Returning his attention to the pieces in front of him, Erik still didn´t pick it up, just held his hand above one of the pieces. For an outsider, it appeared like a player unsure of a move and that´s exactly how it should seem. The boy was too close to risk lifting the piece. As long as he didn´t have some control of his powers back, he needed to be very careful. But he still could try to feel out the pieces, try to feel the metal and it´s components. The magnetic field surrounding them. He hadn´t been able to feel that again for quite some time. Get a grasp on the metal, yes, but not the magnetism. These days, it was as rare to feel it as it was precious.

Which made the fact that he had to give up so close to accomplishing his task even more annoying. He couldn´t really get back into the trance like state which had enabled him to feel the metal. It was rather pointless, really. It didn´t hinder him from continuing though. It´s not like he had something urgent to do anyway.

His hand hovered close to the piece had wanted to lift with his power. Attempting to feel the magnetic field with his fingertips, of course the boy beside him had to open his trap again.

"I see checkmate in six." The boy announced and looked at the board. "What do you see?"

Scowling displeased, Erik looked down at the board and almost sneered. Stupid boy, he could see-

"Checkmate in four." A soft voice said from behind the cured mutant, practically speaking out Erik´s thoughts.

The first thought running through Erik´s mind was 'Telepath', but it was interrupted when he felt metal brush against his finger.

His brain seemed to short wire for a moment. Then he looked down at his hand, the metal piece between his fingers. Not really touching them, it hovered in the air. Quickly, he grasped the piece. Perplex, he looked at the chess figure in his hand. He didn´t pick it up by hand, he definitely didn´t. He was sure it lifted. THe moment he got over his wonder and surprise, he noticed the reappearance of something he had missed so long. He could feel the magnetism in the piece. Just slightly, but there. It felt wonderful. Relieving. Complete again.

Carefully, he set the piece down and looked around. Just sligthly, he could feel the iron in the boy´s blood. And in the blood of the young man he was talking to. He wanted to bask in the feeling. He wanted to grasp it and never let go. It might not be permanent, since the cure, feeling his talent never had been permanent. But it was progress, he hadn´t felt it so clear since before the poison entered his body.

"Hey, Mister!" Again, that annoying brat ripped his concentration. The excitement over his returning, healing talent however overweightened the annoyance and the awareness returned.

He was in public! He needed to be careful if he didn´t want to be poisoned again. Who knew who was watching. Erik couldn´t let them find out, so he covered up his excitement and shifted his attention to the... well, again a young man. But definitely older than the boy. Caucasian, not Asian. And looking at him, observing him.

His earlier suspicion returned to him, but he quickly subdued it. If the man really was a telepath, then it would already be too late. He needed to find out if his secret was already busted or if this was a simple coincidence. And if not, then he would need to find out if this was a friend or a foe.

Observing the man while he spoke rather rapidly to the boy, the former Magneto tried to concentrate on his inner wall and thoughts. He had learned a few tricks while still friends with Charles. Rapidly shifting through his memories, some of them rather gruesome, he kept close attention to the young man. No reaction. Most telepaths reacted to suddenly gory pictures popping up in ones mind. But he saw no reaction here. Either the man was very skilled in suppressing his reactions, or he was no telepath. Considered the close attention he was paying the boy, who seemed to soak it up like a leech, Erik was pretty sure he could go for the latter. Relieved, he finally decided to pay some attention to what he man was saying.

"-earlier. But then I saw the food van and they are selling coffee..." The young man drifted off, blushing slightly when the boy chuckled. Well, someone had it bad. The boy clearly adored the young man and maybe even crushed on him. Erik was unsure just why he took notice. Those silly lives didn´t concern him. Those silly problems didn´t concern him.

"It´s alright, Dr. Reid." The boy quickly reassured the man and Erik found himself stumbled over the unexpected title. Maybe the young man just graduated? "I´ve had some company. I´d think you might like to play with him, he seems to be really good too." The boy turned to Erik, who suddenly found himself the object of attention. It registered to him that this 'Dr. Reid' seemed to be the so called friend the boy had spoken of earlier. Again, Erik found himself surprised. The man didn´t look like much but who better to know to not judge people by appearance alone than a mutant. And he still was a mutant, despite the cure turned curse. The metal piece in his hand proved it. He was still superior to these petty humans. As for Dr. Reid... Erik had to admit, his curiosity was spiked and after all, he had wanted some challenge and apparently, the young ma seemed able to provide at least a decent game. And added to that, Magneto always had a sense for opportunity and his guts told him this was one he wouldn´t want to pass on. He made a quick decision and offered in a dry tone: "Care for a game, Doctor?"

Dr. Reid blushed and fumbled with his messenger back while the boy next to them seemed abnormally excited and eager.

"Just Reid or Spencer is fine." The brunette man offered while he observed the pieces on the board. "That´s an intriguing chess set, Sir." He stated and somehow, Erik felt as if he was categorized and analysed, despite the fact that the young man seemed polite and almost shy.

"Erik, please." He said. No point giving away too many information. If the man believed him to be just another senior citizen in a park, it was not an view Erik planned to correct anytime soon. People lowered their guard if they believed their opposites to be harmless. However, he had the strange feeling it might become difficult to fool the man for long. He wondered why, clearly Reid was just as socially inept if not even more so than the asian boy.

Making an offering hand gesture towards the seat across from him, Erik added: "It was a present from an old friend." He said, just to keep up the appearance. The set had been a present from someone who had been once a friend, but Erik Lehnsherr had no desire to inform Reid of the complete history between himself and Charles. A shame how this had turned out. Some days, he still felt as if the telepath had betrayed him.

"I´m sorry." Spencer said and Erik blinked in surprise. The younger man flushed a bit and added. "I didn´t want to bring up bad memories."

Intriguing. Erik didn´t think himself of someone so easily read.

"Bad memories are part of all our lives. There is no point in feeling sorry about them." he almost chastised and was once again surprised, when Spencer bowed his head slightly in both acceptance and agreement. Erik couldn´t point down if he man, despite his age had that many bad memories as well or if he was simply accepting an old man's right to judge life after living for so long. Possibly both.

Looking down at the board, he nodded when Spencer hesitantly reached out towards a piece and looked at him when doing so. Almost as if he wanted permission to touch the precious pieces. At his nod, Dr. Reid started to set up the black pieces in front of him. Erik's lips curved in amusement. The irony of him playing white was not long on him. Many people who weren´t able to think in anything but white and black would think the white, 'good' pieces to be fitting for him.

"You are either underestimating me or you have some false sense of politeness." He commented on being given the slight advance by opening first. Giving up an advance just because it was polite would be foolish but underestimating your enemy even more so.

Spencer looked up. His gaze both kind and almost piercing.

"Sir, you are hardly anyone one should underestimate." Doctor Reid said and Erik felt uncomfortably taken aback and found himself wondering if Spencer was a telepath after all. Then the younger man continued.

"It is agreed that the player maneuvering the white pieces does have an advance. Statistically, he white player earns about 54 percent of the possible points. 38 percent of the games played end with the white player winning, 32 percent end with a draw and only 30 percent are won by the black player."

Erik couldn´t help himself but thinking, that the degree the young man earned might have been in Mathematics. Until Spencer continued.

"There is however the psychological aspect one needs to consider. The majority of players let their strategy be influenced by personal preferences..."

Now Magneto almost felt offended. Did the young man do that on purpose? There was no room to point anything out however, Reid was still talking.

"... dominates the kind of game they play. Their strategies are influenced by what they know best. So, a strategic player, who is strong on defense might benefit by playing the less aggressive black set. Adding to that, the opening move of he white player already can tell an observant opponent a lot about preferred strategies of the-"

He cut himself off, when he noticed Erik´s expression. However, he seemed absolutely obvious to the almost swooning expression on asian boy's face. It was almost amusing to see, the boy obviously had quite a kink for intelligent people. In particular the person in front of him, who seemed to noticed close to everything but the more than noticeable crush of the love stuck teenager.

"Well, someone has to make the first move." Lehnsherr said and took hold of the first piece. He was astonished that the young man seemed to observe the game from both a mathematic as well as a psychological point of view. It didn´t happen often he stumbled upon someone who thought in more than just one point of view. Remembering that the young man would likely read into his first move, Erik hesitated. He could of course use that knowledge and bluff, but then again, with the knowledge of that first move being judged out in the open, who knew if Spencer didn´t take a changed course of action into account as well. Huh, it´s been so long since he had to wonder about things like this.

Well, it couldn´t be helped. Magneto was hardly someone who did not act, so he made his decision and picked up the first of many pieces.

The deaths of Charles, Scott and Jean had hit the X-Men hard. Very hard. There was no telepath strong enough to maneuver Cerebro. At least not in the manor. Callisto, who might have been able to find someone, had not survived the electrical shock in the battle of Alcatraz and even then, they didn´t trust just anyone with a tool as powerful as that.

Of course they tried to keep things moving, to continue the work he three deceased senior members of their group had been part of. But very slowly and painfully, things started to go downhill. Without Cerebro or Callisto, they were not able to find mutants as easily anymore. Some mutants still came here without any trouble. Some parents were understanding enough to place their children into the school. Some parents were not so understanding, but still send their child or children to the school. Away from their eyes and the eyes of society. This was no different than before.

But then... there were the ones not so lucky. The ones they should have been able to find, before their lives became hell. The ones they had been able to find in time once. Now, they stumbled over newspaper articles with death mutants. Children, teenagers, adults. Jean, no Phoenix, had killed so many so easily, people were even more afraid of mutants than before. The cure was legalized now as a weapon of defense, no matter how flimsy the excuse. But with Leech no longer being a prisoner of the government, reproducing the cure was difficult and the serum was hard do come by. And people became even more afraid.

Then there were those children they found alive. But abused. Terribly threatened and wounded. Some people threatened them like slaves or animals. Some threatened them worse. It was heartbreaking and every time it left Ororo feel wounded and raw on the inside to witness again and again what the so called humanity was capable of. Sometimes, death seemed to be of more mercy than life and sometimes, when finally freed, the victims of so much abuse has chosen to suffer no more. Those were the worst. The young woman who jumped out of that window and deliberately didn´t use her mutilated wings which might have still carried her weight still haunted her. Nightmares were common now. Sometimes, she wondered if Magneto had not been right after all. The thoughts were banished as fast as they came, but they came. It was tiring.

The children who had suffered so much, they were unable to adapt to a life of school and learning. Very soon, they had opened another institute. One that would allow them to recover from the abuse. Both physically and mentally. It was a hospital, at least Ororo and the other senior members called it that. Some simply called it Asylum, because most of the patients needed mental guidance more than physical therapy. Most needed both, but the majority was worse off mentally. When Ororo overheard some students talking about the 'nut-house' and their unwillingness to study along with such mental cases, she wanted to scream at them. But she didn´t. It was not the way to do this.

So calmly, she made a speech before the entire school. She spoke of hard times and acceptance. Of progress and surviving and a better future. It felt hollow, but thankfully, she seemed to have been able to cover up her feelings and do her job. Afterwards, Beast had spoken to her. Praised her for continuing on the path Charles had set. That was, when it broke out of her.

She slumped down on the chair. Exhausted and far too tired, lacking her usual elegance.

"We can´t go on like this, Hank." She said and the silence was more than answer enough. "You´re working yourself to the bone in that hospital. Logan is not himself since he had to kill Je-Phoenix." The Wolverine more than just once had left the manor for extended periods of time. Each time, they wondered if he would come back. Each time, she prayed he would come back. They needed him. There were far too many rescue missions lately and Ororo couldn´t risk her life anymore like she used to. Not with the responsibility of being the schools headmistress. "Most of the staff... Hank, we need help." Most of the staff were barely adults as well. Having graduaded from this school, they had not visited any universities and couldn´t teach any advanced topics. The older classes tutored the younger ones. There was no empath or telepath able to teach those with such talents as their own. Of course she or Hank could talk about telepathy or empathy, but it was not the same. Bobby was not able to pull off being a staff member, he was to much of a buddy for the students. However, to his credit, he seemed to improve. But it was still at least a year until she could name him a proper teacher. Rogue as a teacher was... a catastrophe was the best description. To much temper, not enough patience. Having given up her power was not something which earned her a lot of respect among mutants. But the young woman was willing to help, although sometimes Storm wondered why. Peter did well, at least when it came to sport lessons and some talent experiments. Being able to turn your body into steel did a lot of good when a telekinet accidently threw a statue your way.

If Bobby was to much of a student to pull of the staff member, then for Kitty a new word needed to be found. She was far to... soft. The majority of students, especially the boys, held no respect for her. No matter her experience or Ororo´s talks with them. However, she did provide an excellent mix of teacher and kindergartener, so she took care of the very young children and also helped Hank in the hospital.

It worked more or less. Unfortunately, the empathis was on the less and not the more. The worst was, they were horribly understaffed and overworked. Even if one did not take the missions into consideration.

"What do you suggest?" McCoy said, as he sat down heavily on the couch. He looked just as tired as she felt. Considered the blue fur which made reading expressions on his face difficult, this was not a good sight. "We can hardly put job offerings into the newspaper."

"No." Storm agreed and leaned back. Out of the window, she could see the tombstones. Often visited graves. It wasn´t unusual to see someone stand in front of them, but the figure in front of Scott´s... Instantly, she sat up again. "Alex!" The woman cried out and despite her exhaustion, dashed out of the office. They all had wondered what had happened to Havoc and none of them had known how to contact him. Now the very same young man they had searched for so long was standing before his brother´s grave.

The sun was setting down and Erik Lehnsherr was in a mood so rare for him, some people actually avoided him as he made his way towards the not quite small house he had bought. Having been the leader of an organization like the brotherhood of mutants had left him with enough money to buy a place far into the woods and secluded from human society. Enough to buy him his way into a new identity. Even before his time as the brotherhood leader, he had raided enough former Nazi hide outs in his search for Shawn to be well off; he could afford what he needed and more. Although he had a car, he went for a walk into the city every day. It calmed him, helped him in his meditation. On his way into the city, people tended to avoid him because of his permanent scowling face. Today, they avoided him because of the small smile. Barely there, but so strange in the eyes of the people he passed, they still noticed it instantly. And even went so far as to change to the other side of the road. Because that smile was not a nice one. It showed a hint of the man who despised humans and thought himself superior. It showed a hint of Magneto.

Maybe the sensitive ones even noticed the faint presence of power. Again, barely there, but his powers had not died down anymore. During the game against Doctor Reid, he had checked again and again. The feeling of the magnetic fields surrounding him was still there. The damn cure was not perfect. Not the absolute distinction of the next evolutionary step. He was recovering.

Sadly, he had not been able to finish his game with Spencer. The young man had received an urged call and excused himself. Frankly, Erik didn´t mind it much. The constant checking on his powers had been a distraction. A slight one, but enough for his opponent. Erik knew he most likely would have lost that game. Still, he must have presented enough of a challenge for Reid to offer picking up where they left once the young man returned. He didn´t take a smart phone picture of the positions the pieces were in, but still promised he would remember the positions and even their times of the clock the Asian boy eagerly had started the moment the game began. Again, Magneto had found himself surprised and quite sure by now that he young man had to be above average intelligent. He still declined to pick off where they left. He had the right to do so. Although he was quite sure Spencer really would remember the pieces, he had no desire to play a losing game. Instead, he simply offered another game the next time they saw each other. The young man was intriguing and as long as his powers were not back to the point he could use them properly again, playing with Spencer seemed a worthy way to spend the time he didn´t use on practicing.

Speaking of practicing. When Erik reached his house, he instantly went to work. The first thing he did was unlock the door. It took some concentration, but the metal locks slowly slid away to let him in. He hadn´t been able to do that yet. Not since he bought that house, not since the cure. However, it came at a price. Already he could feel his talent fading back into it´s dormant state again. But he didn´t let that discourage him. It was a step into the right direction and there was progress. There would be more progress, he just needed to be patient.

"Non." The accent became more prominent when the man was angry. And obviously, he was.

"I´m not taking no for an answer." Logan informed him and followed the Cajun. The man shot him a glare, all the usual nonchalance gone by now.

"F` days y´ve been following Remy. Get lost, casse-pieds, t' answer is still 'non' and will stay 'non'." Back to talking about himself in third person. LeBeau really must be agitated. After three days of constant following and being unable to do anything about it, Logan couldn´t even blame him. Remy had tried to dodge him, but Wolverine followed his scent quite literally like a tracking dog. The thief, unable to follow his occupation or do anything without being followed, had enough of it. By now, the man seemed beyond pissed. Well, it´s not as if he could kill him so when Gambit walked on, Wolverine followed him. Hissing in anger, Remy turned around. "Wha´ part of NON d-"

The hit came as a surprise and knocked him over without further add. At least Logan was kind enough to not let him hit the ground. Catching the man, he shouldered the motionless body and made his way back to the car.

Three days the feral mutant had followed the thief and asked him to come with him. No one could claim he had not tried the patient approach.

Tbc.

Feedback is appreciated ;) Cu next chapter