Chapter Eight

Luna laid down across her bed and groaned, her face pinching up when a sharp pain tore through her side. “Ah, hell…”

“Sorry,” Logan winced. “You all right?”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I think that stuff Hank put on me is starting to take affect. He said he wanted to keep an eye on me and make sure nothing bad happened. You know, side effects.”

“You do know that’s how he got his blue fur, right?” Logan asked. “By experimenting on himself.”

“What?” Luna asked, eyes going wide.

“Yeah, he was trying to ‘cure’ himself,” Logan said. “It just made his mutation even more obvious.”

“Oh, God,” Luna whimpered. “Logan…”

He laughed and shook his head. “I’ll watch you. Don’t worry.”

“You don’t think I’ll be covered in pink fur, do you?” she asked warily. “Would you still… be attracted to me?”

“Well… It’d be interesting all right,” he said, settling beside her on the bed. He reclined and put his arms behind his head. “At this point, I can safely say I’ve seen weirder things.”

Luna smirked and shook her head at the ceiling. “You’re kind of a jerk.”

“I can be,” he agreed.

“And somehow I still think you’re great,” she said, turning to him and rubbing her cheek on his shoulder.

Logan turned his head and gently kissed Luna on her forehead, then tilted her head up to bring her lips to his.

The door to their room burst open, and Oriana skidded in.

"Erm..." she scratched the back of her head at the sight of Luna and Logan laying together on the bed. "Well… Scott wants everyone to gather in the Xavier’s office."

Logan and Luna both stared at her, then Logan made an annoyed face and snarled, “be right there.”

"Don't take it out on me, Wolvie. Just passing the word along!" Oriana smirked as she darted out of the room.

He growled and mumbled something about slicing as Luna shushed him. “Go on and see what Scott has to say,” Luna told him. “Bring whatever you hear back to me. I may be bedridden for now, but I promise you that I won’t be sitting this out.”

“Maybe you should,” he said gently, an odd tone for him.

“No way,” Luna laughed. “Would you?”

“It’s different for me,” he said.

“I will be there,” she warned. “The team will need me.”

“I need you.” He ducked his head. This was obviously a sensitive omission for him.

Luna kissed his forehead and clenched her fingers in his hair for a fleeting moment. “Don’t fight me, Logan. I… love you.”

He nodded quickly and hurried off the bed, striding out the door. Luna sighed and laid back, shutting her eyes and willing herself to heal quicker.

Everyone was already gathered in the Professor’s office when Logan came in. They all grinned slightly at him, and he turned to Oriana who gave him an innocent shrug.

"Glad you could make it."

Logan kept his mouth shut and turned to Scott, who raised his eyebrows and took a deep breath.

“Beast has found out some interesting things about the stones Apocalypse has been attempting to gather,” Scott began. “Apparently when they’re put together in a certain order, they contain a great deal of power. If we destroy the stones, we can stop him from achieving world domination.”

“What about his regular powers?” Logan asked. “How do we stop those?”

“I think I have a plan,” Scott said. “In Oriana’s mind, we were able to bring him down with both our powers combined and going at full blast. Maybe if we all manage to concentrate our attacks on him at their full potential, we can drive him back.”

“That was in Oriana’s mind, Scott,” Storm said, shaking her head. “The laws that govern the mind and the physical plane aren’t always the same.”

“It’s the only chance we have,” he said. “If anyone else has a better plan, by all means…”

"Actually, Scott... You remember when we faced him the first time? I was able to freeze him. It stopped him for only a few seconds, but if I kept it up, perhaps it would give you guys enough time to find the stones and destroy them," Oriana spoke up.

Scott shook his head emphatically. “No. If you pushed yourself too hard, you’d risk burnout, and I won’t have you facing him alone.”

"But it's possible that I can hold him back. Once he's frozen I shouldn't have to work too hard to keep him that way."

“I’m afraid he’ll be too much for you,” Scott said tenderly, moving closer to her. “Ori, I could help you…”

"I can do it, Scott. You're abilities may be needed to help destroy the stones. Leave Apocalypse to me," she said gently, giving him a brave smile. "I think I've got an idea of how he works, how he thinks. He was in my mind, after all."

Scott let out a short breath and nodded. “All right.” He obviously didn’t like the idea, but he was willing to trust her. He looked at the others. “Let’s get ready…”

“What about Luna?” Logan asked.

“She’s staying here,” Scott said.

“She won’t like that,” Logan warned.

“That’s too bad,” Scott said. “She’s hurt, and I won’t risk her.”

Logan had to admit that he agreed, but he didn’t relish being the one to deliver the news.

"If you need help, Logan... let me know, hm? Maybe the two of us can talk some sense into her," Oriana said as she stood up.

Logan nodded curtly. “Now that you mention it, I wouldn’t mind some back up.”

"Then you shall have some!" She stepped up beside him. "Let’s go tell her, and she'll probably try and rip both our heads off, but I think between us we can hold her back."

“Let’s just hope she doesn’t go wolf on us,” he smirked.

They exited Xavier’s office and walked side by side to Luna’s room. The woman watched them distrustfully, noting how they entered together and said nothing for a long moment.

“What’s up?” she asked timidly.

"We think we may have a way to defeat Apocalypse," Oriana started off.

“That’s great!” Luna cried, moving to try and sit up against her pillows. She winced and managed it once Logan helped her. “So what’s the plan?”

"Well... We're gonna try and destroy the stones while I hold Apocalypse off by freezing him." Oriana was treading carefully, trying to find the best way to tell Luna she wasn't going.

“Sounds dangerous,” Luna said, worry for Oriana showing on her face. “I’ll stay with you to make sure he doesn’t get out of control.”

"Um... no, I don't think you will be... You're uh... not going." Oriana said, unconsciously taking a step back from Luna in preparation for her yells.

“What?” Luna laughed with disbelief. “I am, too, going.”

“No, Luna,” Logan said stalwartly. “You’re staying behind to rest.”

“You’re kidding,” she laughed again. “This is a joke.” She looked from Logan’s serious face and back to Oriana and grew serious herself. “There’s no way you’re going without me.”

"Yeah, we are. It's for your own good, Luna. We can't have you getting hurt again or killed. You're already weak. If you face him again, it could be your end," Oriana said sternly.

“If you face him alone, it could be yours!” she shouted at her. She winced and held onto her side, tears surfacing in her eyes. She coughed and glared at her. “I can’t believe you agreed to that crazy plan. Logan, tell her.”

“She’s the one that came up with it, darlin’,” he informed her.

Luna stared at him, then turned the look on Oriana. “You are insane. I can’t let you do this alone.”

"Hey, I managed to get Scott off my back, and you're staying here. Even if you were well enough to go, I wouldn't want you around. Don't forget I know how he works now that he's invaded my mind."

“You’re acting like I’d just be in the way,” Luna snarled. “He’d just as soon break you in half than give you the upper hand, and you know it!”

“That’s enough,” Logan said. “Listen, you’re not going to argue your way in, so you might as well stop now before you say something you’ll regret.”

“Fine,” Luna spat. “Both of you go and commit suicide if that’s what you want.”

Oriana's face darkened. "Fine, we will. You stay in bed and rest, because when I come back as a ghost, I want you to be good and healthy so I can haunt you."

“Go,” Luna cried softly, having lost her strength.

Logan leaned down to her and kissed her cheek then moved his mouth to her ear. “This is for the best.”

“You watch her,” she hissed. “Don’t let her out of your sight…” She moved her mouth to his and locked with him for a fiery moment, then released him. “Do you promise?”

“As well as I can,” he said. “I admit, I’m not great at promises. But you have one from me, for what it’s worth.”

"Come on, Logan, we need to scoot," Oriana said. He stood up, and Oriana smiled softly at Luna. "I love ya, and I'll be fine. You take care of yourself."

She gave her one last smile and left the room with Logan behind her.

Luna laid her head back on her pillow, her mouth tight with grief. Her eyes were red from the tears that threatened to fall, so she shut them to keep them from spilling. This lasted for a few moments as she tried to calm herself. She turned her head to the right and opened her eyes, watching at the jet rose from the basketball court and took off across the sky, skimming the clouds.

“This isn’t going to work,” she said simply as she turned to gaze up at the ceiling again. With a powerful grunt, she pushed herself into a sitting position and threw her legs over the side of the bed. She managed to hobble to her feet after a slight struggle and made her way to the elevator. When she reached the underground floor, she hurried as well as she could to Dr. McCoy’s laboratory. She glanced around and sneaked further in when she saw that she was alone. Several vials and containers drew her attention, but she soon located the one she especially wanted and took the entire bottle.

Luna slipped back out and down the hall where their outfits were on display. She chose her black and pink bodysuit and hastily stripped, slathering as much of the cream on her stitched wound as she could. She zipped her outfit in place, and she officially looked normal. As long as she attempted to hide her limp…

She trotted to the garage with her side wailing at her even as the cream began to creepingly take affect. She spotted a motorcycle and mounted it, revving the engine and whimpering when her side jostled.

“I just hope I’m not too late,” she muttered as she tore out of the driveway.

* * * * *

Oriana stood behind Scott as he guided the jet over the New York City airspace.

"He's not going to be in the actual city," Oriana said. "Too many people will see him."

"Right, that’s why we're heading to the country side, which is where the Professor says he should be."

It wasn't long before they picked up a signal on the jet and soon after a visual of Apocalypse. He looked up at the jet, and Oriana swallowed and sat down in her chair as Scott flew them a little ways away and landed the ship. Everyone left the ship except for Oriana and Scott. Oriana had her eyes closed and was breathing deeply.

Scott put his hands on her shoulders to help brace her. “If you need to back out, tell me now,” he said. “I’d completely understand after what he did to you…”

"I can't back out of this, Scott. It has to be done, I'm just... scared." She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

“It’ll be all right,” he said, trailing a gloved hand across her cheek. “I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you. Not as long as I live…” A whisper of fear passed across his face, but without his eyes exposed it was hard to tell. It was gone quickly, and he pulled Oriana against him. “I love you.”

"I love you, too," Oriana said softly, leaning into his embrace and finding his lips with hers.

Scott sank against her, feeling his body give in to her. Then he heard a derisive snort at the foot of the ramp, and his head snapped up.

“When you two get done, it might be a good idea to join the party before it starts without you,” Logan grunted.

"Yeah, Logan, coming, coming," Oriana sighed as she moved away from Scott. "Everything will work out; don't worry." She walked down the ramp and took her place at the head of the group. She had to get Apocalypse quickly so the rest of the team could get to the stones.

“He should be a few yards ahead,” Scott said. “If we’re lucky, he didn’t see the jet. From what the visual confirmed, he’s back to a somewhat normal size… Still, don’t underestimate him.” He glanced at Oriana. “Lead the way…”

Oriana gave a slight nod and started forward, as nerves started to assault her. They didn't have to go far before they found Apocalypse. Oriana wasted no time in darting forward and blasted him with a wave of ice. He managed to turn halfway towards them before he was completely frozen.

"Hurry up and find the stones!" she cried as she closed her eyes and focused on holding Apocalypse.

“Would he have them on him?” Rogue asked, staring at their frozen enemy.

“Not necessarily,” Scott answered. “He may have a hideout where he’s stashed the stones and the parts he’s finished on the device to hold them.”

“Stop wasting time with talk,” Logan grunted, running past the others and in the direction Apocalypse had left.

“Logan!” Scott shouted. “Kurt, follow him.”

The blue man nodded and bamfed away as Scott kept a close eye on Oriana. “Storm, can you get a better view?”

“Of course,” she said graciously as she rose to the air. She looked down from her bird’s eye view and shook her head. “Nothing from here! It seems Logan had the right idea. I think I see a cave in the distance. He and Kurt are almost there.”

“You and Rogue follow!” Scott ordered, standing tensely at Oriana’s side.

"Scott, they might need your powers! Leave me! I'm holding him fine!" Oriana yelled as she gripped her left arm with her right hand, trying to steady it as it began to shake. She opened her eyes and could see that some of the ice was melting off Apocalypse, and she strained harder to counter his attempt to break through.

“I won’t leave you!” he insisted. He glanced at her shaking arm and back at Apocalypse. “You’ll need someone here if he frees himself…”

"And they will need someone if they find those stones! I can keep him busy if he breaks through. You GO!" she yelled, trying to hide the fact that it felt like her own arm was starting to freeze. Apocalypse was managing to melt the ice as she hit him with it.

Scott shook his head, then realized how futile it was. She was right. He was the only one with the power to vaporize stone. He growled as though agreeing begrudgingly and took off after the others.

The pain in Oriana's left arm was starting to grow, and a coldness swept over it and into her right arm which suddenly thrust forward. Instead of fire shooting from her palm, another steam of ice flew forth as she dropped to her knees, flinging her head back at the pain that was taking over her body. She could feel herself reaching the brink of her powers as she pushed them to keep working and to keep fighting.

Within Apocalypse’s cave, Logan and Kurt stumbled through narrow passageways. Both relied on their keen eyesight to sense obstacles in the dark. Logan tripped once, and Kurt caught him with a friendly smile. Finally they reached an open space filled with a combination of electric light and candles. The most twist amalgamations of the caves natural alcoves and modern technology slithered across the walls, and both could tell that Apocalypse had been conducting some interesting experiments within this hideout even in the short time he’d been there.

“Come on, let’s find those things and get outta here,” Logan grunted.

“I think I see something,” Kurt muttered, then bamfed over to the spot where something red glinted with the flicker of a candle flame. “Yes, a ruby!” He picked it up. “Look how large!”

“I don’t think it’s a ruby,” Storm said behind them. Kurt spun to her, and she asked, “do you see any more?”

“Only one,” he said. “It’s green, like an emerald.”

“Bring them here,” Storm said, and she took them from his three-fingered hands.

“What about that thing he was supposed to be working on to hold them?” Logan asked.

“It won’t matter once the stones are gone, right?” Rogue asked at Storm’s side.

“Let’s be on the safe side,” Storm said gently. “Keep looking, Logan.”

He nodded and began searching the various work stations about the cave.

“Storm!” Scott panted as he ran up, then bent over and grasped his knees. “The stones…?”

“We have them, Scott,” she said.

He nodded and motioned for her to lay them down. As she did, he did not hesitate to blast them with the concentrated, angry-red energy from his eyes. The first glittered as red as the blast and shattered. The second followed in a shower of green flakes.

“And the third?” he asked.

“No sign of it,” Logan answered. He held up a steel pyramid covered in patterns and symbols with slots arranged neatly on each side and smiled. “I did find this pet project though.” His claws shot out and turned the intricate piece into scraps.

“We can’t leave without destroying the third stone!” Scott said frantically as he raced to search the cave.

“He may not have found it himself,” Storm said.

“But can we take that chance?” Kurt asked. “What if he’s hidden it, hoping we would think that?”

“Keep looking,” Scott ordered.

* * * * *

Ice covered the large figure of Apocalypse, and the ground that surrounded him. Oriana was now visibly shaking with the effort it was taking to hold him, and she was starting to lose the battle. She opened her eyes slightly as she felt searing pain in both of her arms. Her own powers were starting to backfire on her, and she could see the ice starting to creep up her arms.

She could feel her body starting to give out on her, and her breath was quickening. She closed her eyes again, trying to focus on the job at hand.

Luna spotted the jet and revved the bike as fast as she could push it. Already she was jouncing over rough ground fast enough to flip over, but she had to take that risk. She saw Oriana in the distance, fallen and trembling alarmingly even though her powers raged on. Blocks of ice were traveling over her, and Luna saw her only chance.

She glanced at the button she’d been eyeing through her entire trip and pressed it as she clung to the handles for dear life. The bike roared and surged forward with newfound power, barely touching the ground. Luna squinted, seeing every millisecond clearly and disallowing her concentration to waver. She swerved and purposely struck a fallen tree trunk, sending the bike into the air. Halfway toward Apocalypse she leapt off and slammed into Oriana, rolling with her as ice swirled around them like a blizzard.

The bike struck Apocalypse as he began cracking the ice which melted all around him. He reflexively raised his hand to block the vehicle with a plasma ball and aimed foolishly for the gas tank. It erupted, and metal shards slammed into him, melting and burning through his seemingly impenetrable skin. The molten metal and flames covered him, and he panicked and clutched at a large piece of metal protruding from his chest as his skin burned in a thousand different places.

Luna managed to stop their roll, but she had taken Oriana by surprise, and Oriana hadn't been able to stop her powers. Ice rained down around them, and as Luna looked at Oriana, her eyes grew wide as ice suddenly shot up through Oriana's arms and covered her entire body, completely freezing her over. Luna gasped and threw her head back as cold swept over her, pinning her against Oriana with a look of fear emblazoned across her face.

* * * * *

The explosion rocked the air, Logan feeling and hearing the affects of it most potently.

“Elf!” he ordered. “Bamf us out there!”

“Right away,” he agreed, and each of them reached for some part of his arms or shoulders as he teleported outside.

When they saw Apocalypse on his knees, covered in burns and healing over quickly even in his shock, they immediately went to work on him. Logan’s eyes were wide when they lit on the frozen pair beyond him, but Scott ordered him to take care of Apocalypse.

He rushed to Oriana and Luna, crouching down and letting out a pensive breath. He carefully adjusted his visor and let a stream of his laser touch the ice. It weakened, melted, and cracked under his gaze. A pool of water formed around the two girls as they crumpled to the ground, the ice releasing them from it's hold. Luna gasped as her lungs felt warm air again, but Oriana lay, unmoving, in the ice water.

“Oh, God,” Luna coughed. “Scott…”

He was leaning over Oriana with his ear to her lips. He leaned back and felt for a pulse. “She’s not breathing…” He bent back in and pinched her nose, covering her mouth with his own.

Luna panted and sat up. Her side didn’t hurt, and she thanked God for small favors. She figured it was only because of the numbness the ice had set into her entire body, and she shivered uncontrollably. She looked with disbelief at Oriana and Scott, then up to Apocalypse as he submitted to the vicious beating her teammates dealt out.

“Oh…” Luna looked down at Oriana and covered her shoulder with a shaking hand as Scott puffed into her lungs. “Honey, you did it… Don’t give up when you just won the fight…”

Scott pulled away from Oriana and pressed her chest again, every part of his being willing her to breath.

There were silent moments of uncertainty before Oriana gasped and jerked violently.

"Scott," she whispered as she blinked slowly, her eyes red from strain.

He yanked her up into his arms and gripped her desperately. “I thought I’d lost you…” he whimpered in her ear.

“Get a grip,” Luna chided, though her eyes were brimming with tears of relief. “We’re still in a battle here…”

Apocalypse was on his knees as Logan panted over him, claws wet with blood. “You ready to give in yet?” he snarled.

“Never,” Apocalypse replied stubbornly.

“You asked for it,” Logan grunted, rearing back to deliver a killing blow. His claws sliced Apocalypse’s throat, and Logan snarled down at the still body before shoving himself away. He moved over to Scott and fell to his knees by Luna.

“Logan?” she asked, touching his face.

“Healing…” he murmured, leaning into her touch. “He’s dead. Only found… two stones.”

“Taken care of,” Rogue said as she and Kurt ran toward the group. “We just got off the communicator with Beast. The last museum hadn’t been hit yet. We got them all.”

Good," Scott muttered, looking up from Oriana who was shivering intensely in his arms. "Let’s get out of here."

He stood, lifting Oriana up into his arms and started back towards the jet. Logan stood and pulled Luna to her feet.

“Told you to stay behind,” he grunted, coming back to himself as his wounds healed completely.

“Like I intend to start listening to you,” Luna laughed weakly, leaning on him as they moved back toward the jet. “I’m an independent type of woman.”

“I can see I’ll have my hands full with you,” he chuckled as they walked up the ramp.

Oriana clutched the blanket around her that Scott had given her as Luna sat down in the seat next to her.

"I so knew you were going to come," she smiled.

“Can’t resist a good fight,” Luna grinned in return. She narrowed her eyes at the front view and sighed. “I wonder if this is really over…”

"Oh God, I hope so. I can't do that again." Oriana shook her head slowly. "Hey, next time I decide that I can go and save the world alone, please… hit me upside the head with something hard."

“I almost did,” Luna said. “Just be lucky my aim is good, or you’d have had a head full of motorcycle.” Luna took Oriana’s hand and squeezed it gently. “You ready to go home?”

"Home..." Oriana smiled. "I think this is the first time, in a long time, I've found a place that is actually home. Yeah, I am ready." She nodded her head.

As if on cue, the jet took to the air and skimmed across the sky. Luna rested her head back and let it drift to Oriana’s shoulder as she fell asleep from exhaustion.

Scott turned back slightly in his seat to glance at Oriana who smiled as she rested her head on top of Luna’s. Oriana looked past Scott, out of the jet’s view and into the sun that was just starting to set. Life was finally something worth living.

The End

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