Disclaimer: Hi there. Sabretooth, Logan and Jean Grey are all characters copyrighted by Marvel. So too are Ororo, Rogue, Hank and Scott. Mulder & Scully belong to Ten Thirteen Productions, I believe, or Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Everything else is my own creation, I think. Here There Be Tygers, part IX. Sean Venning, June, 1997 Scott pounded through the undergrowth, straining to reach the site indicted by Cerebro before it was too late. Behind him he could here Hank as he too moved as fast as possible. Overhead he knew that Rogue and Ororo would probably beat them both but that didn't matter. Cerebro had shown them enough to cause this anxious charge through the warm night. Less than five minutes ago, they had been sitting inside, waiting for Jean to return so they could all leave for Salem Centre, when Cerebro informed them that there was an unauthorised mutant present on the grounds. A rapid scan had verified the presence of Sabretooth, but before anyone could react, the sensors had shown that Jean and Logan had engaged him already. Now the rest of the X-Men present were attempting to intervene before matters went out of control. Scott, always anxious where his wife was concerned, was far more worried than his demeanour let on. Scott slowed a little as he sensed the clearing up ahead which Cerebro had informed them was the location of the three. Suddenly a long, mournful howl broke through the night air, causing him to stop in momentary shock. Behind him Hank also paused. "If I'm not mistaken, that would be Logan. However, I fear I've never heard him like that, before." Scott pushed on without speaking. Bursting into the clearing he nearly stopped again, the scene forever shocking itself onto his memory. Logan crouched in the centre of the small clearing, rocking back and forwards; Jean cradled in his arms. All about them the ground was glistening blackly in the light of the full moon, which Logan continued to cry out at, a mournful howl of despair. Running towards them as fast as he could, Scott shoved Logan aside, grasping at Jean's body. "Jean, Jean, speak to me. Jean..." Beside him Logan became quiet, his head hung low. As Scott held desperately to Jean's still form, Logan could sense Rogue and Ororo carefully approaching Creed, but he knew that Creed would never be a problem again. Hank stepped up quietly beside him and looked him over briefly before turning to look at Scott and Jean. "My God," he breathed, seeing clearly Jean's injuries for the first time. "Quick Hank!" Scott all but yelled, "We must get her to..." Hank shook his head as he took his hand back from Jean's throat. There was no pulse there; he could see the gaping wounds in her chest, the blood that had soaked into the ground about her. Scott stood, Jean clutched tightly in his arms, and turned to move back the mansion. "We must get her back to the medlab. The systems there can..." Hank reached out and put a blue furred hand onto his friend's shoulder. "No, Scott. Even the equipment we have there can't help her now. The injuries she sustained..." Hank shook his head sadly. "Her heart Is ruptured in two places, her carotid has been severed. There is nothing we can do. I'm sorry, Scott..." Scott whirled on Logan, his visor glaring red in the darkness. Hank reached forward to take Jean carefully from Scott as he took a step towards the now silent Logan. "It's your fault!" screamed Scott, all semblance of calm now gone. "She needed your help and you weren't there to give it! Cerebro showed us!" Logan hunched unmoving on the ground. Behind Scott, her eyes moist with tears, Rogue stepped forward to restrain him. "Scott," she spoke quietly, "Look at him. He tried. You know he did." Scott angrily shrugged her aside, his visor now gleaming a fiery red. "You never forgave me, did you?" he screamed. "I took her from you, so you had to let her get taken from me, didn't you?" Logan finally moved. Turning to look up at Scott, he just stared at him, his face an emotionless blank. "DIDN'T YOU!" Logan reached up with his one good arm and tore open the tattered front of his shirt, baring his still wounded chest. "Just do it," he muttered quietly. Rogue gasped, the stepped forward to hold back Scott. Ororo held out an arm to wave her back. "You'd just love that, wouldn't you?" sneered Scott above him, his voice still raised in anger. "Erase your weakness in one easy go? Well, maybe I just should, little man!" With a motion that was barely a blur, Logan was on his feet, his injured arm braced across Scott's throat, forcing him backwards until he was stopped by one of the large trees that surrounded the clearing. Before the others could react, Logan had brought his right fist up against Scott's forehead, Jean's blood still wet on his skin. "What's say we both go, Summers? You can fry me, we both know that. But my last reflex would ram home three blades, right into that poor excuse for a brain you carry with you all the time," Logan's lips pulled back from his teeth, in a less than sane rictus of hate. "What do you say, Summers? You man enough to join me?" Scott looked from Logan to the others and licked his lips apprehensively. Logan gradually released his grip, dropping his arms to his sides. "Didn't think so." Logan turned to look at the others. "I guess I've about had my fill of this place. 'Roro, tell the rest I won't be back. Rogue, Hank," he nodded at them, then turned and walked past Scott into the woods, back towards the mansion. They were still standing there several minutes later when the sounds of a motorcycle reached them, before being swallowed by the night. New York 1:05 pm Saturday Dana rubbed her hand gently across her forehead, then returned to her typing. 'The body recovered was that of a male Caucasian, aged between thirty-five and fifty years. His general features fitted those of the suspect sought for questioning over the recent spate of murders. The body had suffered numerous injuries, consistent with knife wounds. Death was due to one of two wounds, one of which involved an incision into the chest, bisecting the heart, the other of which was decapitation, by means of a single blade strike. As both wounds apparently occurred within a very short time of each other, it has not been possible to determine which was the primary cause of death.' She stopped typing for a moment to gather her thoughts, then continued. 'Of the two who assisted us with our inquiry, no trace has been found. Forensic analysis of the area where the body was located found large quantities of blood, most of which belonged to the victim, but a large quantity of which was determined to have been from a female. However, no other trace of the two could be found. Whilst a search is being maintained for these two at this time, it is felt that the threat posed by the killer has been neutralised.' Dana stopped typing and saved off the file for later printing. Mulder was in the room next door, his head heavily bandaged, and anxious to be back in Washington. She took a deep breath, then switched off the laptop. Outside the window, a light snow began to fall.