Disclaimer: I own nothing

So, once again, thank you guys for the great reviews! Also, thanks for answering my questions…I've pretty much made up my mind, so you'll be seeing an update from me for a new story ASAP. Keep an eye out. Will it be a sequel or a new character? DUN DUN DUN. But yeah, I'll have that out for you soon. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to respond. I hope you like this.

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Home is where your heart is
Find where you belong,
start to take control,
show a little soul
Then you feel who you are
:: The Sounds ::

Complete darkness engulfed us both and for a second I thought I somehow transported us. Quickly I realized it had become full dark outside and I had only been able to shock her off of me. I was lying face first, and that face was covered in blood thanks to exerting my own powers. Asa was lying in a corner nearby, twitching. Was she dead?

This is the part in the scary movie where you think the killer is dead, check, and almost get killed in the process.

Just then, the door burst open and in came Logan and Storm. I pointed towards a door and said "Tony." Quick enough for Storm to catch my hint and bust in there to search for him. Logan ran over to me and looked from Asa back to me again. I rubbed my wrists, thankful that I freed myself somehow.

"Is she?"

"Don't know." I shook my head. He walked over towards her slowly and leaned in to examine her. In a flash she struck, and before either of us could react, she stuck Logan with the needle and collapsed again, shaking all over.

I pulled myself up and ran to him. He yanked the needle out and threw it across the room and quickly unleashed his claws.

"Logan!" I practically screeched at him, trying to hold his arm back. Asa was shaking so much as it was, she was bound to get cut. He was seething though, so I had to use all of my might and eventually we both toppled over.

Pushing Logan down again, much to his dismay, I crawled once again back to where Asa was having a spaz attack and looked at her. Another trick? No matter, she had no needle this time. I watched her shiver and shake and knew she would not recover.

Have you ever known anyone who had been struck by lighting? One time the professor told me that someone struck by me experienced something to a lightning strike 3 times over. You don't survive that and if you do…

Slowly what needed to be done dawned on me. Asa was the bad guy here and maybe she deserved to live the rest of her life out suffering, but I couldn't give her that fate. I know that she ruined me. And my brother…our family. She stole a childhood and a family away from me. What was mine and fated to me was changed because of her. But did that mean she should live out the rest of her days in constant pain? Reliving the shock treatment I just gave her? It would drive her mad eventually, that much I knew. But maybe she was already crazy.

I reached out and grabbed her wrists with both of my hands. Part of me was aware that my face was soaked with more than blood at this point. I think I was shaking as much as she was, but my mind was made up. Taking one deep breath I made my move. Logan must've seen the look on my face or caught on some other way, because I could easily hear the horror in his voice as he called out, "No, Piper…"

Part of me wondered if I would hear the horror in his voice just as clearly when I relived this moment over and over again in the future.

His request was ignored and I released the final blow, using up what was left of my strength. I had murdered a man for killing Asa in the past and now I was killing Asa for murdering my past. That was the last thought that passed through my head as I watched her shaking cease and her eyes roll back into her head. I sighed and closed my eyes only to join her in that same darkness.

-0-0-0

A bright light shone in my eyes waking me up from the long sleep I had been taking. And so I was left wondering, was that it? Was it all just a dream? But as I slowly rolled onto my back the aching and pain convinced me it was real. Ok, so it was real, but what exactly was it? What had happened? I didn't exactly want to remember it.

The movement at the foot of the bed let me know I wasn't alone and I had to face up to the past very soon. I blinked awake and looked at the figure that was now at the nightstand preparing something.

"How long have I been asleep?" Wearily I rubbed my face, yet no dried blood came off of it.

"A day…we got back to the mansion around 3am and you've slept that day through. It's about 9am. Here." Storm walked to my side of the bed and scooted over so she could sit. She set down a cup of what I think was tea and some toast next to the bed. "How are you feeling?" She asked, no ill feelings behind the question.

"Sore…tired still." I couldn't meet her eyes though and we sat in silence for a bit.

"Tony!" I asked, sitting up suddenly, recalling that he was…I gasped and looked at her, but she smiled.

"Oh! No…he's fine! He's quite alright…We got to him in time. We had to bring him back to the mansion to save him, but we were quick about it and the poison didn't take hold. He's still recovering, but he should be good enough to go home in a few days."

"Thank God." I sighed, feeling like crying with sudden relief. "Everything…I don't know what to think now. What to do." I held a hand to my face.

"If you're up for it, I'll explain everything."

I nodded.

"Well, we were able to find out that Dioxin was the son of Asa's last…love. She mimicked her actions with your family, but because of his mutation, he remembered everything. He absorbs things when he's around people, emotions, thoughts, and memories too. The common theory is that he slapped you because he connected you with what happened to his family."

"Oh." I sat up and grabbed the cup, blowing on it before sipping.

"Asa had been in Florida hoping to…well…she wanted Dioxin out of the picture before he let her secret out. But she couldn't find the moment. She called Tony down, told him it was business, and kidnapped him. I think…well…according to Tony, she had planned on killing him in front of you and then doing the same to you, but she got impatient that you would figure it out or care enough to come."

I looked down. "Storm…I'm sorry. This is…"

"What? You gonna blame yourself? This wasn't anyone's fault. None of it was…."

I shook my head, unsure of what to say.

"There is a silver lining though. Dioxin is the key to your memories. After absorbing things from Asa and being around you…Xavier thinks that if you two meet again he can capture all of your memories and cause you to recall everything."

That's your silver lining?

"Are we just going to ignore the last thing that happened?" I asked, meaner than I meant.

"You were just protecting-"

"It wasn't in self defense, Storm. I killed her." I shrugged. "Thank you for waiting for me to wake up and for filling me in. And for the food. I really appreciate it. I do. But I'm sore and tired and just…I just want to sleep, ok?"

Storm sighed and stood up. "I'm here if you need me, ok?"

As she left she pulled the blinds down and turned back to me one last time, "Look, I know I wasn't there or anything, but it sounds to me like you made the toughest decision a human can make. You have to be strong enough to make that choice and I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to do it. Just…you know, keep in mind, if it were you, you'd want someone to make the right choice for you too."

I had already tucked myself back in by that point and closed my eyes. We were both aware that I was faking, but she left without another word anyway.

The last thing I remembered thinking before letting my aching body fall back asleep was that I can't recall turning down a meal before in my entire life.

0-0-0-

I woke up to find a big dog asleep at the foot of the bed and a sitting up Logan on my bed, eyes closed, in a soft slumber. One glance at the clock let me know it was around 10 o'clock at night. For a second I wondered if I'd be expected to get up in the morning and teach or train, but I quickly pushed the thoughts away and pulled myself up to sitting position. That cold bread still didn't look good, but now I did have a bit of an appetite.

Sensing my movement, Logan's eyelids slowly opened. I smiled wearily at him and he returned it. "Have a good nap?"

"A decent one." I sighed.

"Good to hear." He tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "I woulda been here sooner, but I wass trying to figure stuff out with Dioxin. Figures that you'd wake up when Storm was in here, right after I left."

I took his hand and kissed it softly, not sure I knew what to say at the moment, in response to anything at all.

"You scared me there, darling." He said, all seriousness.

"Did anything happen when she hit you with the needle?"

"Nah, she never got to inject me with anything. But. I'm proud of you. Angry at you for making me worry, but you know, proud all the same."

"Oh yeah, thanks." I sat up fully now and in Indian style. "We're both aware that I'm a killer, right? It's scary." I could hear the fear in my voice and hated myself for it.

"Look we both know you made a choice and it was the right one."

"Maybe. I mean-"

"First off, aren't you the one that always said it wasn't about right or wrong choices, just choices? Would you go back and change it? Now?"

"What if I never would have-"

"What if? What if? C'mon, be realistic with me Piper. Things happen certain ways for a reason. Beating yourself up over your choices isn't going to change the course of history."

"Maybe. But…it's getting to the point where…Logan, I'm becoming terrified that I won't be able to use my power on someone without actually killing them. I've only been successful at that once or twice. But every time I try to use them in self defense, someone dies."

This fear was nothing new, to Logan or myself, and here I was voicing it once again.

"Well then, we know what we have to work on. In the meantime, just don't use them so much on people you love or care about." He put on a small smile and I mirrored it. This wasn't an answer to solve everything; in fact it was similar to the answer I got before. Logan was a fighter, killing people in battle wasn't a big thing to him. Me? Well, I guess we were about to find out, seeing my recent activities.

"I'm not sure that everything has hit me yet…"

"It probably won't. Not for awhile."

"Logan…I've made a decision though, ok? And I'm certain you won't agree with it, but please, just try to accept it, ok?"

"I'm not totally unreasonable, Piper." He sounded a little offended.

I rubbed my eyes, " I know, I know, but…I don't want to see Dioxin, ok? I know it's crazy, after everything…but right now, I just want to deal with all of this."

I waited to see his face drop or him to spout out a lecture or something. Instead he pulled me close, "That's perfectly alright by me. You owe it to yourself to take a break anyways."

He held me like that for a little while and I wished I could read his mind and just know what he was thinking. Was he being sincere? Yes, I knew that. But had I let him down in some way?

"One more thing."

"Ok."

"I know it's late, but is there a place we can go to get some breakfast for dinner?"

He laughed and said he knew of a diner we could go to.

It wasn't over like that, no stories are, especially not mine. I knew that something was just beginning, whether it was between Logan and myself or whether it had to do with my memories, family, or mutation…I wasn't sure. But I knew that in this moment I had a brother. A boyfriend. A real family. And a home.

Things weren't perfect, but then again, neither is life. And hell, while I was aware that my demons weren't nearly defeated, I still had it pretty damn good. And that's enough for now.

-0-0 THE END 0-0-

So, there we have it. I realize it kind of just ends, but then again, I was trying to be…"realistic" about it. As in, this is life, so things can't end perfectly. But you can reach a place where things seem good, so that's where I put her. I think this end doesn't do it justice, but I wasn't sure that I could come up with one that did! Anyways, I hope you liked it. I am so thankful for all of you, readers and reviewers. I means a lot to me to see you guys following and responding and it keeps me going. And thanks for being so loyal and not giving up on me…wow…I can't believe I started this story back in July! And not it's finished…!

Expect an update soon!