Logan sat in his room staring at the piece of paper in his hand. No longer the vibrant white it had been when he'd received it, the paper was now a dingy yellow, showing it's age. It had been almost two months since Gambit had handed him the piece of paper and yet he still hadn�t used the information printed on it. He wasn�t sure what his hesitation was, but he just hadn�t wanted to complicate things or put her in any more danger. He wondered why he was so hesitant to do something, he never had been before. Was he finally giving up on her? Had he just tried to hard and decided that nothing he did was working?

He sighed then got up and walked over to stare out the window. Only the small white flakes that fell from the sky, blanketing the earth once again in their splendid brilliance, broke the darkness. There was already a thin layer of snow on the ground from the storm a few weeks ago but this storm promised more snow than the last one had given.

Again he sighed and glanced down at the paper in his hand, finally coming to a decision. He stuffed the paper into his pocket and started for the door, grabbing his jacket off the foot of his bed as he went. The sound of the others gathering in the living room echoed through the hall as he made his way to the front door. Just as he put his hand on the knob a voice made him stop.

�Logan,� Jean said, coming out of the living room, �Where you going? The Professor wanted to talk to us.�

�I got somethin� that needs taken care of,� he said, turning to face her.

Jean gazed at him for a moment, her eyes studying his face even as she took a step toward him.

�Do you think she�ll listen this time?� she asked.

Logan shrugged as he pulled on his jacket.

�Don�t know,� he said, �I gotta try. I can�t just give up. I didn�t save her life before just to set back and watch her waste it now.�

Without another word to Jean he turned and walked out into the snowstorm, her final words following him into the night.

�Be careful.�

* * * * * * * *

The cabin sat nestled into the foot of the mountains and surrounded by pine trees. It was a quaint place, one that spoke of simplicity and peace. Even as the snow fell outside a warm fire burned inside casting it�s glow across a rustic themed interior. The fire gave the only light in the house, all other sources having been extinguished several hours before. The fire sparked and snapped as it roared on, licking at the logs that had been placed in it�s midst.

Regina sat between the fireplace and the couch on a bearskin rug, her pet tigress Mika lounging in a chair to her right. Next to Regina sat a wine glass and a bottle of wine, now half empty. Her attention was on the fire, her eyes staring into the flames as if they could give her the answers she sought.

She had spent many days thinking over the situation she was in, yet she never seemed to be able to come up with a solution that she felt was feasible. How could she get away from the Brotherhood yet still get the information that the Professor needed? Even more important, how could she get away from the Brotherhood and keep her life?

The sound of the door opening interrupted her thoughts. However, even as the sound of the storm outside filled the room she didn�t look up. She didn�t have to. She listened for the door to close and for his footsteps to carry him across the room to stand behind the couch.

�So how�s the weather out there?� she said, her voice soft and almost distant.

�Could be worse,� Logan replied as he shed his jacket and came around to the other side of the couch.

He tossed the jacket on a nearby chair, then slowly lowered his frame to the floor next to her. He glanced down at the glass and bottle of wine, a frown coming to his rough features. He had never known her to drink, at least not alone. The only times she had drank before had been when there had been a fight between her and Victor.

His stomach tied in a knot at the thought of that happening again. The last time there had been a fight she had come to him covered in bruises and reeking of shame. However, tonight he could smell no shame only roses, burning wood, and warm wine.

Determined to be sure that she had kept her promise and stayed away from Victor, he reached out and gently grasped her chin in his hand turning her to face him. There were no scars or bruises on her face, just her smooth ivory complexion turned a light shade of pink by the heat from the fire. The shimmer of her bright green eyes was dimmed a bit, but he was sure it was from the wine.

�It took you long enough to come,� she said, her words slightly slurred, �I had honestly expected to see you on my doorstep a long time ago.�

He just looked at her, his blue eyes focusing on her green ones.

�I didn�t want to put you in any more danger,� he replied softly.

She scoffed, then pulled her chin from his grasp and turned back to the fire.

�Trust me,� she said, �Nothing you could do would endanger me again. Magneto has already threatened my life more than once, and so has Victor.�

He scowled, his attentions fixed on her even as she stared once more at the blazing fire before them.

�Why didn�t you tell me?� he asked, his voice tight.

�No reason to,� she shrugged, �You already knew I was in danger and that it was my choice. Why worry you more with the details of how badly I screwed it up.�

He sighed then reached out again turning her to face him. She stared back at him for a long moment, her eyes trying to focus on his face. He could tell she was struggling, which meant she was far more intoxicated than he had originally thought. With another sigh he released his grip on her face and turned to stare at the fire trying to decide what to say next. He had come up here to try and talk her into giving up this foolishness, but he could tell that this was not a good time to talk about it.

She continued to stare at him, her eyes focusing for a few seconds then blurring out. It gave her a slight headache but for some reason he had suddenly become more interesting than the fire. She stared at him, finally being able to maintain her focus. With her eyes she traced the lines of his face, moving from his mouth to his eyes and back again. She was fascinated by the small lines that she found there, and how the more she stared at his face the more she started to wonder about the way she saw him.

After a few minutes she slowly reached out her hand and ran it down his cheek causing him to turn abruptly and stare at her. She moved her attention up to his eyes, staring into those crystalline pools as her hand moved across his chin and back up the other cheek into his hair.

Without a word he leaned forward, reaching up and running his fingers through her hair. It was soft, and just the simple act of moving it renewed the scent of roses that hung lightly in the room. Before he knew what he was doing his lips had closed over hers in a soft kiss. She didn�t even bother to fight it, instead she leaned into it, opening up to him and allowing his tongue into her mouth. He could taste the wine still fresh on her lips, warm and mixed with spices just as she liked it. He felt her soft sigh as she sank against him moving her free hand up and splaying it across his chest. Her other hand had gone further into his hair, pulling him closer as she ran her tongue along his slightly pronounced fangs. He let out a soft moan against her lips as he pulled her closer, wrapping his other arm around her waist and pulling her up off the floor and onto his lap. Her scent invaded his senses, moving around him and penetrating his entire being. He found himself lost in emotions he had not felt in a long time, not even for Jean...but he had never kissed Jean.

He pushed that thought from his mind, focusing instead on the feelings that coursed through him and the woman in his arms that fed those emotions. How was it that something as simple as a kiss could do this to him? He was a trained fighter; he should have more control over himself than this.

Abruptly he pulled away from her, looking up into her slightly glazed green eyes.

�I�m sorry,� he said.

Regina stared at him, a confused look on her face.

�Why?� she asked, �It�s not like you did anything wrong or unwelcome.�

She leaned in and nuzzled his neck, placing a few kisses under his ear then moving up. He shivered at the touch of her lips on his skin, almost loosing himself in the feel of her warm skin next to his. Again her scent wafted around him, mixing with the smells of the fire and the bottle of wine that sat on the floor next to them.

He moved his hands up to her shoulders and with a sigh of resignation pushed her away from him.

�I think it�s better if we don�t,� he said simply.

Again she stared at him, a myriad of emotions crossing her face. He didn�t want to hurt her...but he didn�t want her waking up in the morning and regretting anything that had taken place tonight. If he had allowed her, or even himself, to continue he was sure they would both regret it in the morning. He was here to help her, not take advantage of her.

�I should go,� he said, gently pushing her off his lap and starting to rise.

�Please,� she said, grabbing his arm before he could get up, �Stay.�

He turned and looked at her, a frown coming to his face. She quickly released his arm, then hung her head so he couldn�t see her face.

�It�s just,� she stuttered, �I...I hate being alone. I usually spend the night at the club so I don�t have to be alone but something came up and I had to come home. Then once I got here it started snowing and I couldn�t make it back to the club. Viper�s don�t do well in the snow ya know, they slip and slide everywhere...�

She trailed off, suddenly realizing she had been babbling. Logan looked down at her, the frown on his face deepening.

�Then come back to the Mansion with me,� he said as he sat back down, �You�d never be alone there. Gin you can�t keep hiding, and having you in the middle of this does no one any good. All it does is put your life in danger.�

He reached out and cupped her face with his hands bringing it up so that their eyes met.

�I didn�t save your life all those years ago so that you could throw it away like this,� he said.

He didn�t want to call in that debt, but if he had to he would. He was not leaving here unless she came with him. True, he would never kidnap her, but there were other ways of getting her to go with him. He studied her, his eyes roaming over her face as he tried to decide what to do. He couldn�t make her promise anything right now, she had been drinking and it wouldn�t be fair to either one of them.

He sighed, finally coming up with an idea.

�Go get some sleep,� he said softly, �I�ll be here when you wake up and we can talk then.�

�Promise?� she asked hopefully.

�Yes,� he said softly, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on her forehead, �I promise.�

He watched as a weak smile graced her features, giving her eyes a bit more sparkle. She nodded her head, then pulled his hands away as she rose to her feet. She gave him one last smile, then turned and disappeared down the hall with Mika right behind her.

Logan shook his head, then moved up to the couch. He found a pillow and a blanket nearby, even though he knew he may not need the blanket at all. He pulled the pillow over and laid down on the couch, settling in for the night. One way or another he vowed she would be leaving with him in the morning.