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Blood, Torment and Illumination	By : MyraThorne Category: X-Men: (All Movies) > Slash - Male/Male Views: 3625 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men or any of their movies, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Authoress�s note: WARNING: cop out ending ahead. Not for the whole story. Just for the Gehenna Stone piece. I was beginning to feel like there were too many characters in this story and I want to keep the focus on James/Jimmy/Logan and Victor (and the various men who want to have James/Jimmy/Logan as their Lover). So, the stone had to go. And when I had originally read this story in the comics, what happens is what kept going through my mind when I was reading it and going: why is this story arc six comics long when all you have to do is-
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Romulus did not like it when things did not go according to plan. Oh, little mistakes and random coincidences were fine and he dealt with those easily enough.
But Victor showing up tonight was not one of those minor annoyances that could be so easily swept under the carpet. It took every bit of his self control not to simply grab James, drag him off to somewhere remote, and completely erase his memory. Of course, that also meant that he would have to completely abandon Daken, and Romulus seriously doubted leaving both a living Victor and a living Daken at his back would do either he or his lover any good.
�You,� James whispered, moving around the bar slowly. He blinked owlishly at Victor. �What are you� How dare you��
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Twelve Hours Ago
James was not a happy man. Police Chief Tai was waiting for him when Romulus brought him over to the Princess bar. Romulus placed a reassuring hand on his back as the two of them walked up to the front door. He had filled his lover in on the activities of the previous night.
James had been less than pleased.
He was even less pleased now. James didn�t much care of Tai on a good day. The man made it very hard for him to do a decent business whenever he came around.
James noticed several Yakuza thugs who were pretending to play some kind of dice game on the corner. That brought a small smile that he kept hidden. He had managed to make very nice with the Yakuza. They were all too eager to get in on Romulus�s plans once James had given them a taste of what was to come.
And they were very good at taking care of problems for James when he couldn�t afford to get his hands dirty personally. These lower level boys were always so eager to get on his good side, convinced that through pleasing him they would get a little closer to the coming glory.
Though Romulus told him that he would have to wait, as Tai still had some great role to play, James felt there would be something ironic about letting such a self important man like Tai get taken out by mere thugs. And for that, James was willing to wait.
�Morning, Police Chief,� James greeted, bowing his head. �So I hear there was a little, ah, trouble last night.�
Tai smirked. �I hardly consider a double homicide only a �little� trouble, James.� Reaching into his breast pocket, he pulled out a small flip notebook. James noticed that Tai had beautiful hand writing. Each character was flawless, an efficient piece of artwork. Also, Tai was writing in Japanese. Well, around here, that was an easy way to keep most people from spying on what you wrote.
Itsu had helped James learn over thirty years ago. But he didn�t have time to dwell on the past.
James fished his keys out of his pocket and opened the door. �Why don�t we take this conversation inside?� James offered. He waited for Tai and Romulus to precede him. He made brief eye contact with the Yakuza.
Message delivered: No need to do anything yet. But stay on alert.
One of the Yakuza shouted in triumph, pointing at his friends and laughing. Message received.
James walked into the Princess, flicking on the lights. When Tai wasn�t looking, he wrinkled his nose. He could smell the cleaners that Tai�s people had used to clean up after themselves, and the two dead men that had until several hours ago had been upstairs.
�Have you learned anything new since last night?� James asked softly, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. The lupine weren�t prone to many of the aches and pains of humanity, but somehow they didn�t get a pass on stress headaches. �And what am I not allowed to tell people?� Tai raised an eyebrow at him. �Tonight�s gonna be hoppin�. We had a murder here- hell, two murders here. And everyone loves a good story.�
Tai nodded in understanding. �Keep to the facts about what happened, but leave out the part about the diamond. It is well known that your� partner is looking for it. And it is also well known that you are the best way to get his attention.� Tai smiled thinly. �Look for the biggest attention getters.�
James began busying himself by taking the chairs off the table. �I don�t suppose I will be getting O�Donnell back any time soon?�
�My plan is to release him so that he will arrive one hour after you open this evening,� Tai explained. �He was the last one known to have had the diamond. And there is nothing like a grand entrance of the returning wrongly accused to shake loose a few good leads.�
James nodded grimly. �Until then, I will see if I can dig anything up from a few friends of mine.� After Tai left, James sat on one of the chairs trying to rub away the tension trying to beat its way out of his skull.
�Please tell me you have a plan for this,� James asked resignedly.
Chuckling, Romulus began to rub James�s shoulders. �Of course I do,� he promised. �Even now, your son is on his way back to Madripoor with the final piece. If all goes well tonight, he should arrive just as you find the rest of the stone.�
James stood and buried his face in Romulus�s chest, taking comfort in the warmth of his scent. �When this part is all done, let�s take a vacation. Just the three of us, let�s go somewhere nice. I want to hunt something incapable of using guns.�
Romulus smiled into the top of James�s head. �I don�t think we�ve ever been to the Amazon together, have we?� he asked softly. �I�ll begin making the arrangements while you talk to your Yakuza friends.�
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Three hours ago
After the plane had landed, Daken had his little unwanted entourage tucked safely away in a hotel. To appease his uncle, he had agreed to take the boy in the tacky red glasses with him when he announced that he had some arrangements to make.
Daken seriously doubted that Scott was capable of making a decision on his own yet. Well, capable of making a decision without looking like a total fool anyway.
And speaking of, Scott was proving to be more difficult to get rid of than fleas. Upon arriving at Daken�s apartment, Scott had practically surgically attached himself to Daken. Which was giving Daken some very interesting ideas, pity that he didn�t have time for that sort of thing though.
With a smile and whiff of pheromones, Scott was as complacent as a puppy with a new bone to sit on the couch and not bother Daken while he made a few calls.
The first was to Romulus, but he wasn�t at home. Or he was too busy fucking James to be bothered. The second was to Police Chief Tai to find out if anything interesting had happened in his absence. And the police chief had quite a mouthful of information for Daken, including the plan for recovering the bulk of the stone.
Daken grimaced at that. This would mean stepping up his plans a bit, but that wouldn�t prove to be too terrible of a problem.
He made several more calls before trying to reach Romulus again. This time, the elder feral answered.
�I was beginning to think you had run off on me,� Romulus growled into the phone. Daken smirked. You wish, old man.
�Of course not,� Daken replied smoothly. Not without my father. �I just ran into a little vampire trouble stateside.�
�You do have the stone.� Not so much a question as a threat.
Daken grinned. �Of course I do. Shall I bring it to the house right away?�
�No, I want you to bring it to your father�s bar later this evening.�
Daken noted that Romulus seemed to be going out of his way to avoid saying his name. Don�t want Dad to know I�m back yet? Then you�re going to love whose coming to help me deliver the stone to you tonight. �Very well,� Daken said out loud, pretending to sound slightly confused.
Daken gripped the phone tighter when he would hear the mutter of his father�s voice on the other end, asking some kind of question. He was almost tempted to demand that Romulus let him speak to James.
�I will see you then,� Romulus said quickly before hanging up the phone.
Gritting his teeth, Daken took a moment to get himself under control. He was not about to tip his hand this close to his goal.
With a winsome smile, he walked out to pick up his charge. Scott looked at him, with what Daken assumed to be a glassy stare. It was hard to make out his eyes through those damned lenses. �All done, precious,� he purred. �Let�s get back to the hotel so we can make our plans for the evening.�
Ten minutes later, Scott had his wits about him again and was none the wiser as he entered the hotel suite with Daken. Scott made eye contact with Victor, indicating that nothing untoward had happened.
Burt was talking animatedly to his brother and the two girls. When they noticed Daken�s return, they all gathered together in a small group. �Well?� Victor demanded.
�The other chunk of this stone is most likely in the possession of a man calling himself �O�Donnell� at the Princess Bar,� Daken explained. �The local authorities are currently holding him in custody for questioning after two brothers murdered each other last night. Apparently, they were originally in possession of the stone.�
�So, if we get the stone in its entirety, then we have something to bargain with Romulus for James�s return,� Storm reasoned.
Archie grimaced. �I don�t know about that, young lady. I hate to burst anyone�s bubble, but I�ve met James a few times since he also works at the Princess. And he didn�t exactly seem to be a prisoner of Romulus�s.� He glanced warily at Victor, wondering how much he knew about his younger brother�s� personal life. �In fact, he and Romulus seem to be pretty close to each other. I don�t think James is going to want to leave.�
Daken�s mind spun to keep things under control. He hadn�t realized that Archie knew his father. �First off, given what this stone may do, we don�t want Romulus getting it in his possession. I was thinking about using it to lure my father back to the United States. Once we get him away from Romulus, I believe that Romulus�s control over him will fade.�
Jean nodded. �We could even take him to the Professor,� she added. �He might be able to help James.�
The rest of the group seemed to be in agreement.
Victor decided to keep his peace for the time being. He suspected that there was no way in hell that his nephew was going to let them take Jimmy to the Professor. Victor knew he would have to find a way to quietly get rid of Daken.
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Ten minutes ago
Everyone was full of questions at the Princess that night. James did his best to keep up with drink orders while giving out minimal information.
He was shocked when his son walked through the door. Daken smiled easily at him, taking a seat at the end of the bar.
James quickly poured a few more drinks before indicating to one of the bar maids, Jessica, to fill in for him. He wandered down to Daken. �When did you get back?� he asked, pulling his son into a warm embrace.
�Several hours ago, didn�t Romulus tell you? I called him to let him know,� Daken asked, voice full of concern.
James frowned. Something tickled at the back of his mind. Why wouldn�t Romulus have told him of Daken�s return? �Things have been crazy here. Apparently, we had a double homicide last night and a giant diamond turned up missing,� he explained. �Add to it that the two dead guys were twin brothers, and here�s what you get.�
Daken nodded sympathetically. Earlier that night, it had gone unnoticed when he had lifted the final stone fragment from Burt�s pocket. �I don�t suppose there are any secret compartments in this place that you don�t know about?�
James snorted. �I wish it was that easy.� He frowned over Daken�s shoulder as O�Donnell entered the bar to cheers and questions. �Let�s hope he has a few of the answers.�
O�Donnell was grinning and talking as James went back to serving. He wondered where O�Donnell could have hidden the diamond. James caught the eyes of one of several Yakuza that had been loaned to him for the evening. They were here to make sure that nothing was missed upon O�Donnell�s return.
James reached into the cooler that they kept the ice for the drinks in. What his hand touched was definitely not ice for a drink. Glancing down, he saw the diamond covered by his fingers. �You have got to be kidding me,� he muttered softly. There was no way it could be that easy.
O�Donnell�s hand suddenly closed around his wrist. �What are you doing, James?� he asked, friendly and dangerous at the same time. �That doesn�t belong to you.�
�Uh, last time I checked, it didn�t belong to you either,� James replied, his hand starting to ache from the cold, but refusing to let go of the diamond.
�Finders keepers,� O�Donnell shot back, trying unsuccessfully to pull James�s hand away. �Besides, you only plan on giving it to your boyfriend. And God only knows what he wants to do with it. You think I don�t know what you two are up to? Maybe I should clue in the dear police chief. Or how about Old Uncle Sam? Do you think the Americans would be too happy if they found out what you and Romulus are doing? I bet they would love to get their hands on your terrorist lover.�
�What the fuck is wrong with you, O�Donnell? Have you lost your mind?�
O�Donnell suddenly pulled out a gun. He fired one shot into the air. The bar had become deathly still. �Everyone get the fuck out of here!� he yelled. The majority of the patrons decided that this was very good advice and fled.
All that remained was James and his son, the three Yakuza, and Police Chief Tai. O�Donnell suspected that Romulus was somewhere as well. But he wasn�t thinking very clearly at the moment. He leveled the gun at James�s midsection. �I don�t want to hurt anyone. Just give me the diamond and everything will be just fine,� he promised, madness in his eyes.
Before anyone could reply, the bar door was blasted open. O�Donnell jumped, giving Daken an opening to knock the gun away by breaking O�Donnell�s wrist. A gust of wind followed, whipping through the bar, rendering Tai and the Yakuza unconscious.
Three teenagers walked in. �What the fuck are you three supposed to be?� James asked.
Before anyone could answer, Victor walked in behind them. Time seemed to stop as the two brothers looked at each other.
�You,� James whispered, moving around the bar slowly. He blinked owlishly at Victor. �What are you� How dare you��
�Jimmy,� Victor whispered, his voice caught in his throat. After almost a year of fruitless searching, here was his brother in the flesh right in front of him.
�You son of a bitch,� James growled lowly, one set of claws all ready out. �I�m gonna kill you.�
Victor looked confused. �What the hell did Romulus do to you, Jimmy?� he asked, holding his hands up to indicate that he meant no harm.
�A hell of a lot more for me that you ever did, you sick bastard,� James ground out, both sets of metal claws at the ready by his sides. �I don�t know what lies you told these kids to get them here, but I am going absolutely nowhere with you.�
�Jimmy� Jimmy, listen: Romulus has done something to your mind. He�s fucked you up pretty bad,� Victor tried to explain before things got out of control. �But I�ve met someone who can help sort out your head.�
�Oh, so if you�re telling the truth, I should go from one guy messing around in my head to someone you know to mess around in my head?� James snorted.
�Yes� no, Jimmy, it�s not like that. If you would just come meet the guy-�
�Does he know how you used to rape James?� Romulus purred, appearing from the shadows.
�What? No, it wasn�t like that.� Victor could feel his anger starting to rise. How dare this asshole try to twist things around on him. He had never lied to his little brother like this sick fuck had just to get him in bed and to do what he wanted.
Romulus chuckled, pretending to examine his claws. �But you don�t deny raping him,� he pointed out. �Nothing says true love like forced sex.�
Victor glared at Romulus. �You tell me,� he shot back. �Do you think Jimmy would still want to be with you if you hadn�t completely fucked up his memory? He�s only with you because you made him believe that�s what he wants.�
Romulus grinned wickedly. �Oh, my dear boy, James does love me. That isn�t something even I could falsely convince him of.�
Victor gave an equally nasty smile. �But you don�t deny falsifying his memories.�
James�s head was spinning. None of this was making any sense to him. He needed answers. Why did seeing Victor make him long for something he couldn�t remember?
It was at this point that the vampires finally made their appearance, effectively ending the conversation.
Of all the great battles in history, this one would thankfully be forgotten and never written about again. It was over almost before it began. There were some superficial punches thrown.
Fortunately, no one had noticed Burt quietly making his way over to the bar. Since everyone was distracted by the vampire fight, Burt grabbed the diamond. He placed it on the bar and, using a hammer that he had tucked into his belt, pounded the shit out of it.
Everyone stared at the now pulverized diamond in shock. With a cheeky grin, Burt puffed up his cheeks and blew the bits of diamond dust all over the bar.
�Well, that takes care of the vampire god,� Burt said happily. Then, whistling a bright tune, he started to walk back out of the bar.
Nobody quite knew what to make of what had just happened. Scott summed it up nicely: �Well, that was stupid and unexpected.�
Burt chuckled. �Well, it was certainly the easiest answer to our vampire problem,� he said. �No stone, no vampires.� And with that, he left.
The vampires, apparently feeling equally foolish- and most likely eager not to get staked- also silently left the bar.
�Wait, where did your brother go?� Storm asked.
Both Victor and Romulus looked around frantically. James had indeed disappeared.
- 5
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- 7
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Blood, Torment and Illumination