Title: Darkest Days #1: Mistaken Identity
Author: RedRazor
E-mail: RedRazor00@yahoo.com

Rating: NC-17 for violence and some language (most of this fic is
just 'R' but there are a few scenes of explicit and graphic violence
near the end)
Summary: A retelling of the movie with a twist
Pairing: W/R
Disclaimer: Marvel owns 'em
Archive: WRFA, otherwise just ask, I'll say yes but I'd like to know
where it goes
Author's Notes: WARNING: Multiple character death but don't let that
scare you since this is more W/R friendly than the movie so they'll be
OK.
Feedback: I know this fic might be a little controversial so it would
be nice to know what you think.
~~~~~~~~~

He knew he was back there. He could smell the metal and disinfectant, could hear the gentle hum of equipment all around him. He had let his guard down after meeting the brown eyed girl and didn't even sense the hairy monster until it was too late. Now he had been captured and he knew what would happen next. It had haunted his dreams for as long as he could remember; visions of scalpels cutting into his flesh, searing pain as metal was put into his body. As he tried to fight the darkness and float up into consciousness he vowed that this time it would be different. He would have his freedom before they could continue their mutilation and he would kill anything that prevented his escape.

Still in a haze of blackness he could feel sensations over his body and wondered if they were mapping his flesh again, preparing to cut into him and continue what they had started so very long ago. Perhaps it was foolish to have remained in the area he had awoken in over fifteen years ago. He should have run as far away from that place as possible but he had had no concept of time or place and it had taken a long time for the nonsensical images of his sleep to congeal into something recognizable. His belief that after so many years he would be safe had landed him right back to where it had all began. However, this time there were differences. He couldn't feel the biting pain of restraints in his wrists or feet, there wasn't the band across his forehead keeping him still. Their belief that the monster had harmed him would be their downfall.

When he felt the scalpel in his arm he reacted instantly, his intent sure and deadly. The brief pain of claws extending was more than compensated by the feeling of sinking hard metal into soft flesh and knowing that one of his enemies had been slain.

Finally fully aware, Logan opened his eyes and blinked at the harsh glare of the overhead lights. He was sitting up and he noticed his claws were buried into someone not wearing the lab coat that was always present in his dreams. He looked into pain filled green eyes and then looked down at the scalpel. Except it wasn't a scalpel.

It was just a needle.

Logan looked back to the woman as she began to slide off his claws, the weight of her body suddenly too much for her. He could have caught her but let her go since the needle spoke of malicious intent.  Something was wrong though. There were no armed guards rushing in to restrain him, no doctors trying to subdue him with potent chemicals. Although the room was metallic and smelled of disinfectant it wasn't the same from his nightmares. Logan knew deep in his bones that he had never been to this place before.

He looked down and saw the woman looking up at him, looking at his red tinged claws dripping with blood. He retracted them and noticed that a similar redness began to quickly seep out of her upper left chest. The colour was the same as that of her hair. Suddenly the flow of blood stopped and then he heard it. The sound was like a thousand needles to his heart, a primal scream born of unimaginable terror and yet her lips never moved. He saw an image in his mind and found himself looking at a man lying prone on a table. The man lunged up and sunk claws directly into his chest. Logan suddenly realized that the man was him and it wasn't his heart that had been pierced.

Logan looked down into lifeless eyes that stared blankly at the ceiling and realized in an instant that she had meant him no harm. It was more than sounds and visions that were placed into his mind but thoughts and emotions as well. She had meant him no harm.

He had no idea what to do. Did her comrades know what had happened? Were they on their way? What could he possibly say to them? He was torn between running and staying to try to make amends, for he knew what he had done was wrong and could not claim self-defense. He could still feel her fear in his mind, a fear so intense it made him nauseous. He knew her fear in no way resulted from a lack of bravery, it was the fear all living creatures experienced when confronted with the knowledge that their existence would end imminently and nothing could prevent it.

Logan left the body since there was nothing he could do for her now. He exited the lab and heard frantic footsteps coming towards him. Before he even had a chance to face them he sensed the change in pressure. Instinctively, Logan threw his body flat against the ground and felt some force travel above him. He could smell ozone in the air.

He heard an explosion from the opposite direction from where the footsteps were coming and saw a huge hole bordered with twisted metal.  Then he heard another primal scream, except this time it was his ears that had detected the sound.

"YOU KILLED HER!!!"

Again the difference in pressure allowed him to sense the attack and Logan sprang to his feet. Where he had been an instant ago was another hole. Still not knowing what his attacker looked like, Logan charged towards the original hole intent on finding cover in the next corridor. As he rounded the corner, Logan heard the sound of metal twisting and felt a burning pain in his left shoulder. A hole had been burned through the corner he had just passed and Logan saw a red beam travel beside him and continue on its path of destruction.

::SNIKT::

Logan extended all six claws preparing to neutralize the threat. The red beam had gone right through his shoulder and Logan could see the metallic bone of his humerus and clavicle. He watched in amazement as muscle and flesh rushed to cover his wound. He knew he healed fast but had no idea he was capable of this degree of regeneration.

Fearing that his momentary lapse in concentration would allow his attacker to catch him unawares, Logan was surprised to hear the doors to the lab he had just exited open. He heard the footsteps move away from him and caught a strong and unmistakable scent.

Grief.

It was far stronger than anything he had ever encountered before and when he heard, "JEAN!!" Logan knew the woman was very important to the man that had just shot him. A sister or perhaps his lover.

::SNACKT::

There was no way he could harm the other man now, especially not with his claws. He would defend himself but he wouldn't kill the other man.

As Logan waited just beyond the destroyed corner, he wondered what type of weapon the other man was using. Logan heard him approach, as he knew he would, and prepared to disarm him after catching him by surprise.

As the man passed by him, Logan grabbed his arms intent on knocking the weapon away. Surprised to find him unarmed, Logan looked directly into his face for the first time. Too late did he discover the source of the red beam.

~~~~~~~~~~

Professor Xavier was teaching physics to about half a dozen students when he felt it. A death cry. Jean's death cry. He fell out of his wheelchair onto the floor behind his desk as he felt the waves of fear wash over him. It was quickly followed by his own grief.

Kitty looked down at the Professor and was shocked to see tears running down his cheeks. He was not prone to displays of emotion and Kitty felt the panic rise in her.

"Professor? Professor! Please answer me!!"

He couldn't respond to her frantic cries as his psi sensitive mind was reeling from what he had just experienced. He knew the other psi talents in the mansion might be in his state of paralysis or worse but could do nothing for them until he stopped whatever had killed his first pupil. Then he thought of Scott and the panic in him actually increased. He feared the psychic bond he had shared with Jean could have resulted in the destruction of his mind.

With considerable effort the professor reached out for Scott's mind to assess the damage. What he found in the young mutant's mind was something he had never seen there before and never imagined possible.

Rage. Pure blinding red rage.

The professor knew that in his current state of mind it was unlikely that Scott would be able to properly defend himself. His overwhelming urge to kill could very well cost him his life. The professor tried to reach Scott's mind to speak to him and calm him into rationality but the wall of rage and his own mental exhaustion from experiencing Jean's final seconds made it impossible.

Suddenly he detected a shift in Scott's emotions. The need to destroy completely forgotten as the most profound grief imaginable emanated from him. The professor could see in his mind's eye what Scott's red-tinted vision perceived. The lifeless body of the woman he loved.

Wanting to know the intentions of her killer, the professor reached for the only other mind in the lower levels. What he found shocked him. There were no homicidal thoughts, no desire to kill Scott despite the fact he had just injured him. What he felt was remorse.

Remorse and a great deal of confusion.

The professor realized now that her death had been unintentional, accidental. Even if he had been able to speak into the newcomer's mind, the professor didn't know what he would have said right then. What do you say to a man who has taken one of the most precious things in your life away from you?

Suddenly, that train of thought became moot as he could now see that the man was face to face with Cyclops. The professor didn't know what to feel as he knew that the man who had killed Jean was only a second away from sharing her fate. There was no doubt in his mind that Cyclops would kill the man standing before him.

~~~~~~~~~~

>From her classroom where she was teaching history, Ororo saw Scott run down the hall as if all the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels.  She had only seen him for a second but knew that something was very wrong.

Thinking it would be best to pursue Scott despite the fact the professor hadn't alerted her to any danger, Ororo asked one of her students to continue the passage she had started reading and left the room in a hurry.

She ran in the direction Scott had gone in and just as she turned the corner she saw him step into the elevator that would take him into the lower levels. She called out his name but he did not respond in the least. The door closed just as she approached the elevator.

Ororo pushed the call button frantically and wondered why Scott hadn't given her the extra second she had needed to join him in the elevator.  What could have possibly been so urgent?

Just as the door opened she heard Kitty's frantic cries and Ororo knew something had happened to the professor. Rushing to his study, Ororo saw Kitty leaning over the professor and gently shaking his shoulder as five other students stood nearby.

She approached the professor and was surprised to see that his cheeks were wet with tears. Suddenly his eyes opened and looking directly at her, he tried to speak. She wondered why he was trying to make such a big effort with his voice when he could have just used his telepathy.

"S-Storm…go to…Scott…lower…"

Before he could finish, Storm ran out of the study and headed towards the waiting elevator. She pressed the button to take her to the lower level and prepared herself for the worst.

Meanwhile… St. John had just finished reading the passage Ms. Munroe had asked him to continue. Since she hadn't returned yet, silence fell over the classroom but it was quickly replaced with whispering. Every student except for one wondered if she had been called by the professor for 'X-Men business' as it was called.

Rogue wondered if the teacher had been called away because Logan was in trouble. Since her arrival she had asked more than once if she could see Logan but everyone insisted that he would be fine and she could see him later. In the meantime she had been thrust into classes with the rest of the student body. It was a rude shock since she hadn't attended school since running away from home. After eight months on the road the last thing she was interested in was a history lesson.

As everyone talked around her, Rogue's thoughts dwelled on the man she had met in Canada. It annoyed her that no one allowed her to see Logan, she was very worried since she was there when he crashed through the windshield of his truck and then was attacked by a huge man-beast. The only thing that gave her some piece of mind was that she had seen how quickly the large gash on his forehead had healed after the crash. Still, until she saw him with her own eyes and was able to talk to him she would continue to worry.

~~~~~~~~~~

Logan knew what was coming. As he looked directly into the visor he knew even his superhuman reflexes wouldn't save him but he tried anyway.

Logan ducked and preparing himself for the burn he wondered if his healing ability would keep him alive.

The burn never came.

Logan continued to hold the other man's arms in a firm grip and wondered why he hadn't opened fire yet. The man continued to struggle futilely in his grip and Logan could smell the rage pouring off of him in waves.

Deciding to end this encounter as quickly as possible, Logan released one of the visored man's arms and prepared to strike. As he connected with his jaw, Logan noticed the other man had brought his hand up to the visor and now he finally felt the burn he had prepared himself for moments ago.

Fortunately, the punch had moved the other man's head upwards and Logan had instinctively pulled as far back as possible when he saw the red light of the visor intensify. Even so, the flesh above Logan's eyes had been completely burned off and the metallic bone of his forehead was visible.

The last thing Cyclops saw before losing consciousness was the rapidly healing forehead of the man who had just killed his fiancée.

Logan heard a door opening in the corridor he had just come from and decided to take no more chances. He could tell it was a woman and the scent also revealed her to be a mutant just like the man slumped before him. If he had thought about it he would have known the woman he just killed had also been a mutant.

~~~~~~~~~~

Storm stepped off the elevator and gasped at the destruction she saw.  Several smoking holes decorated the floor and walls all around her. She recognized them as resulting from Cyclops' optic blast and wondered what could have prompted him to cause so much destruction.

She ran towards the medlab hoping to find him safe along with Jean and the newcomer. Before she got there, Storm saw the man she had helped rescue come around from the damaged corner at the end of the hall. He held Cyclops in front of him and had three sharps blades at his neck that seemingly came out of his hand.

"I don't wanna hurt the kid, I just want out of here."

Before Storm could respond she felt the professor in her mind trying to speak to her. The professor had always found it easiest to communicate with Storm telepathically, her serenity and emotional balance allowed for this type of communication with a minimal effort.

~Storm…he means what he says…please do not do anything rash…stall him…I need time before I'll be able to speak with him…~

~Professor? What is going on? Why is your voice so unclear? What has happened to you?~

The professor knew that if he told her what had happened to Jean the likelihood of violence would only escalate.

~Trust me, Ororo, and remain calm…I only need a few moments more~

His mental voice did sound stronger to her so she turned her attention back to the clawed man.

"We mean you no harm, please release him."

Logan wanted to snap at her and ask why the man he was holding had done his best to take his head off then. However, Logan knew why and given the circumstances he couldn't begrudge his actions. If their roles had been reversed he would have done the same.

Seeing she would get no answer, Storm tried again and said, "I do not understand what is happening here."

"Yeah, well that makes two of us, darlin'"

They just stared at each other, neither of them making a move, hostile or otherwise. Logan was about to break the standoff when he felt a presence in his mind.

~Logan…~

"Who the hell is that? Get outta my head!"

In his study the professor recoiled slightly from the anger but redoubled his efforts and tried again. He had come to a decision and knew what he wanted to say to this man who only thought of himself as 'Logan' or 'Wolverine', who had killed a woman that was like a daughter to him.

~My name is Charles Xavier and I know what has happened. I know her death was an accident. There will be no more violence.~

For the second time that day Logan was astonished by feeling another presence in his mind. It was different than the woman though, this presence radiated calm but there was also sorrow. Thinking about what the voice said, Logan could tell the man knew what had happened was unintentional and he wasn't interested in revenge.

~I don't want to fight either but this kid was trying to kill me. I know why and…I just want out of here~

~I believe that would be best~

~You're just gonna let me go?~

~That is what I have decided, yes~

The professor's words served to reduce Logan's apprehension but only intensified his guilt. Logan was going to ask about leaving the underground facility when he remembered her. Marie! She had been caught in his burning camper and as he remembered, fear gripped his heart for the first time he could remember.

To conserve his mental strength, the professor had broken off contact after telling Logan he was free to go and didn't catch his last thought but was able to sense his fear but could tell it wasn't for himself.

Before the professor could question why he heard Logan's thoughts.

~There was a girl with me, is she alright?~

~She is fine, we were able to save her from the fire. She is unharmed~

~Where is she? I'll take her with me~ Logan was stunned by his last thought. He wondered why he was so concerned about some girl he had just met. Before he could really think about it the professor responded.

~It would be best if she remained here~

~But…~

 The professor immediately sensed Logan's thoughts and responded with ~Her association with you will in no way jeopardize her. I am not interested in retribution. I understand what has happened and I simply want you to leave.~

In Logan's opinion, the man speaking into his mind was being more than generous. However, for reasons unknown to even himself, he was still concerned about Marie.

~You'll take care of her? She's a mutant.~

~As am I and everyone you've met since your arrival. This is a school for mutants and you have my word that Rogue will be cared for here. No harm will come to her~ As the professor told him this he also sent images of the school and other children in attendance.

Logan believed the professor and from the images being placed into his mind he understood the nature of the school. He decided Marie would be better off here than with him. Again he wondered why he cared so much, why he was being so protective. Then he remembered what the professor had said about giving his word to protect Marie and again that feeling of guilt was foremost within him. He had killed someone very important to this man and yet he was making promises to him. What was worse he had not once apologized for his actions.

~I'm sorry for killing her~ His words seemed so hollow even to himself and he wanted to say something more. ~I thought…I…I'm sorry.~ He couldn't think of anything else.

~I know. Now leave and never return here.~

It had been spoken into his mind without venom and Logan just nodded.  

The professor was about to tell him that the woman before him would escort him out when he heard Logan speak.

~What was her name?~

~Jean Grey~

~~~~~~~~

"Left? Whadya mean he left? He didn't even…Ah mean Ah thought he…" Rogue didn't know why it hurt so much. She had just met Logan, known him for maybe half an hour, but she thought that at least he would have said goodbye.

"I asked him to leave."

"What?! Why'd ya do that? He's a mutant just like us."

The professor thought of the best way to answer that and decided sheltering her from the truth would be pointless since everyone would find out eventually. He hoped but doubted that this conversation could be concluded quickly. Jean had been dead less than ten minutes and Scott was lying unconscious maybe twenty feet from her body. He wanted to go down to the lower level and deal with that first but knew the young woman before him needed an explanation.

"He killed someone here and I decided-"

"You're wrong! Logan wouldn't do something like that he…he…just wouldn't." Rogue didn't know what made her defend Logan like that, especially when she thought of all she knew about him. She had seen him fighting in a cage, brutally beating another man into submission, had seen him draw his claws on a man that had tried to stab him and then slice through a shotgun pointed at his head. Despite all the violence, something in Rogue told her that Logan wouldn't kill unless he was defending himself or another.

"It was an accident. He was unaware of his surroundings and killed her before he was fully conscious."

Rogue just blinked. She could tell the professor was telling the truth, Logan had killed someone. A woman apparently. However, she wondered why the professor asked him to leave if he knew her death was accidental.

"Why'd ya make him leave then? If ya knew it was an accident, wasn't there something else ya could have done?"

"I really had no other choice. His presence would not have been tolerated despite the accidental nature of her death."

The professor could tell from the expression on her face that Rogue was not about to accept that as answer and was going to argue. He decided he could give her a few minutes more since Scott was relatively unharmed and Jean was beyond his help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Storm walked back to the mansion as a million questions raced through her head. The last five minutes had been the most awkward she could ever remember experiencing. The professor had asked her to escort a man off the school grounds but not say a word to him. Perhaps the man had been asked to do the same since he hadn't said anything either.

Thinking back to what little she knew of the man who was now making his way to the main road, she remembered the professor had asked her and Scott to bring him back to the mansion from Canada. For reasons unknown to everyone, including the professor, it seemed that Magneto had been looking for him. He hadn't discussed how he knew this but Storm suspected that it had something to do with the professor's underground network, for even a psychic as powerful as he could only know so much.

She and Scott had managed to find and rescue this man from another mutant and in the bargain had managed to bring back someone else as well, a girl with untouchable skin. The man had been unconscious and the last she had seen of him before their confrontation was when Cyclops had left him in the medlab. She was truly baffled when the man had come around the corner holding an incapacitated Cyclops with knives at his throat. She hoped that by now Jean was tending to her injured fiancé and that she could go to the professor for answers.

As Storm approached the front stairs of the mansion, she began thinking of the other newcomer they had brought here. The girl had looked miserable sitting in her class and it was obvious she wasn't paying attention. Storm wondered about the professor's decision to immediately place her into class but supposed he was just trying to integrate her into the school and hoped that she adjusted in time.

As she opened the door and walked towards the professor's study, she could clearly hear the heated voice of the girl she was just thinking about.

"…so if Ah accidentally hurt someone with mah skin then y'all will kick me out too?"

The professor was about to tell Rogue that it was an unfair comparison but at that moment Storm walked into his office.

"I am sorry to interrupt, Charles, but I must know what is happening here. Why were we asked to bring that man here only for him to leave?  Why was he attacking Cyclops?" Storm thought the stranger must have made the first offensive move against her field leader and he was only defending himself. In a sense, her assumption was correct.

The professor was actually thankful for the intrusion since he really didn't have any more answers for the young woman who currently had her fists planted on his desk. He thought about asking Rogue to leave before answering Storm's questions but then felt it might make things clearer to her if she saw firsthand Storm's reactions to the news of Jean's death.

"Storm, there really is no easy way to say this, but Jean is dead."

She just stood there in shock, all previous questions forgotten. She wanted to refute it but then remembered the state the professor had been in before asking her to go to Scott.

"But…how…when…"

"The man you and Sco- no the man I asked to be brought here stabbed her. She died almost instantly." The professor was glad he had caught himself, he didn't want Storm to feel responsible in any way.

Rogue and the professor watched as Storm's eyes clouded over and she ran towards the window, which she frantically tried to open.

"Ororo stop. What are you doing?"

"I can still catch him. We cannot allow him to escape."

"No, we will let him go. He did not kill her intentionally, it was accidental."

"How can you know that? Your telepathy was weakened by…by…Jean's…" Storm finally understood why the professor had needed time to use his telepathic gift.

"Yes it was but I have recovered enough to know what really happened.  I felt it was best-"

Storm turned an angry gaze on the professor the likes of which he had never seen and heard her say, "You knew he killed her before you let him go?! Jean loved you like a daughter and you just let her killer go?!" She felt nauseous all of a sudden, she had been walking side by side with Jean's killer and didn't even know it.

Rogue could see that Storm's words had really hurt the professor and for the first time she understood what a difficult choice he had made when he had asked Logan to leave. She now felt guilty for questioning that decision. She hardly knew the professor but he had offered her a home here and she had repaid him with angry words after he had lost someone very close to him. She wondered how different things would have been if Logan hadn't killed that woman. In that moment she realized that what the professor had done was for the best but it still hurt her to think she would never see Logan again. From the moment she had seen him she had felt a connection. It was more than the fact that they were both mutants but she really couldn't describe what she felt. Whatever it was, it had allowed her to risk hiding in a stranger's trailer and know that he really wouldn't leave her on that road after he kicked her out. She wondered if Logan had felt the same but doubted she'd have the chance to find out because it was unlikely that she would ever see him again.

Rogue was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the professor respond to Storm's anger.

"It wasn't an easy decision, Ororo, but it's the one I made. We will discuss this later but now we must attend to Scott."

The thought of Scott lying helpless on the cold floor of the sub levels didn't really quell her anger but she decided the professor was right and would discuss this matter after they had taken care of Scott.

The professor followed Storm out of his study and knew that this discussion was far from over. He had anticipated her anger but didn't even want to think of her reaction to the unavoidable sight of Jean's body when they went to the lower level. Despite her reaction, the professor knew that Scott's anger would be infinitely worse when he woke up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note: This story is in no way a commentary on my Jean issues (PETJ members don't send your enforcers after me!). I thought of this the second time I saw the movie which was months ago, long before I even knew what fanfiction was and certainly before I regarded Jean as a possible obstacle to W/R. I wanted to see what could have happened in the movie if the above highly plausible scenario occurred.

Part 2