It was a pretty normal day at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Classes started at eight, except for Jubilee, whose classes always started fifteen to twenty minutes late. She was, in her words, "Like, SO not a morning person!" Xavier's had been rather short-staffed as of late, owing to several deaths and departures, so class size was bordering on ridiculous. Still, it was a better education than any mutant child would receive in a public school. The teachers, however, were getting frazzled. Ororo Monroe, or Storm, taught both history and English. This was rather impressive seeing as English was her second language. Dr. Henry McCoy, or Beast, taught the science and math classes. These two teachers and the senior students who were already X-Men, taught combat and defense classes to those older students who showed an interest in one day being a member of the X-Men. Kitty Pryde, a senior, taught computer classes in addition to her own schoolwork. There was also a kindly old woman named Linda, who cooked and cleaned as much as she was able. She was not a mutant herself, but she held no prejudice. In fact, those children most affected by their mutations, which would have been shunned in normal society, found shelter in her mother-hen demeanor.
It was on this normal day that Logan returned…again. It was in the middle of a wonderful chicken dinner that Linda had prepared. Marie was the first to hear the tell-tale rumblings of Logan's motorcycle. A Cheshire grin spread across her face, lighting it up in a way none had seen since Logan had gone. Springing from the table, she hastily excused herself and thanked Linda for the supper before dashing out to the main corridor entrance. Bobby Drake, her boyfriend, simply sighed and continued eating his chicken. He had accepted a while ago that he was not the only man in Marie's life. Logan was a combination father/big brother/crush. There was no way poor Bobby could compete. It wasn't that Marie didn't care about Bobby as well, but Logan was on a pedestal; he was her hero. Everyone else at the table just smiled. They all knew how attached Marie was to Logan, and how curiously tolerant he was of her.
There was a squeal from the entryway, then a loud grunt. Well, Marie had said hello apparently. Moments later Logan lumbered into the dining room with Marie on piggy-back. He wasn't helping her stay on either, but she clung to him like a hyperactive teenage monkey. The look on his face said he REALLY wanted to dump her on her butt.
"Why Logan," said Storm, "you seem to have developed a growth on your back…" she giggled. The others at the table seemed equally amused.
"Yeah." Logan turned to Hank. "You wanna help me remove it, doc?" He unsheathed his claws on one hand. "Or should I do it myself?" He looked over his shoulder at a laughing Marie.
"Okay, okay!" she said, and dropped to her feet next to him.
"Would you like any dinner, son?" asked Linda sweetly. "It's roasted chicken with potatoes and salad." She got up to get him a plate.
"Yeah, um, thanks." He said, and took an empty seat near the end of the table while Marie went back to her old seat to resume eating.
It was then they heard it; a large booming noise from the direction of the garden. The senior X-Men jumped up and ran towards it. Storm quickly told the younger X-Men to stay and calm down and protect, if necessary, the rest of the students. She turned around and already Hank and Logan were halfway to the garden. She found herself missing Scott just then. As she ran, she thought about how he would be taking charge, giving directions. Instead, Storm now had to rely on her own knowledge and judgment, without even the Professor to fall back on. She realized that, though she trusted Hank and Logan, Hank was more of a bookish lab-rat, and Logan was a lone wolf. Neither one of them was a leader.
She rounded the final corner out to the garden, but stopped short. The ground all around was shaking, and the noise was so loud. It was deep and rumbling, and high and piercing at the same time. Storm saw Logan and Hank standing inside the memorial section of the garden. Hank turned around when she yelled, but Logan didn't. She made her way towards them, slowly, so as not to fall, and Hank met her halfway. This placed them just outside the gate to the memorial garden, where the graves of three dear friends were placed.
"It seems to be originating from the graves!" Hank shouted over the noise. They both looked back to the graves and where Logan was standing. Then suddenly, they were both flying backwards in a flash of light, landing close to the doors of the mansion. Logan hit the outside wall of the garden, but was hardly fazed. He knew which grave the force was coming from, and nothing else mattered. He tried to see past the light, towards the only stone marker that held a body beneath it.
And just as suddenly as it had appeared, the light dissipated. In its place was…nothing. The grave stared back at him, undisturbed. He couldn't believe it. By this time Hank and Storm had made their way to his side, but he took no notice. How could it be? He had thought for sure that she…unless…
"Get a shovel!" He yelled, and dropped to all fours with his ear to the ground.
"What?" said Storm, feeling bewildered. "Why? You aren't going to dig her up, Logan? Honestly, I know she meant a lot to you but-"
"SHUT UP!" He barked, ear still to the ground. "She's down there, and we have ta get her out!" he lifted his head and looked at them, scowling. "I can HEAR her down there! Listen yourself if you don't believe me Blue-boy!" At this he ran off, presumably to get a shovel. Storm and Hank looked at each other.
"Well," said Hank, "I guess…" he slowly kneeled down and put his ear to the ground as Logan had done and closed his eyes to concentrate. His hearing was not as developed as Logan's, but it was still better than a human. Silence reigned in the garden for a long minute. Finally, Hank's head shot up.
"I heard something!" he exclaimed. "A banging noise. Dear God, if she is down there in the coffin…" he left unsaid that she didn't have much time. Not to mention waking up underground, not knowing where she was or how she got there, would definitely be more than a little traumatic. The woman had been through so much already.
Logan finally returned with two shovels. He handed one to Hank and said, as he started digging,
"Storm, you better go an' let the kids know. Get some out here that can help get this dirt up! The Tin Can can help." By this he meant Peter. Storm dashed off as fast as she could. Logan and Hank kept digging furiously. The only thing going through Logan's head was: she's back! I have her back!
He had always had a thing for Jean. From the very moment he first saw her in the Med-Lab, he knew there was something about her he found irresistible. The way she kept her cool, even with his claws at her head, and how she had regained her composure so quickly afterwards, by the time they met again in Professor Xavier's office. She eyed him so subtly, no one even knew but him. Of course, she had been taken. Such a catch ol' One-Eye had! He was obligated to hate him, even if he wasn't such a prick, just for having her. She was faithful, in body at least. Logan and she would flirt all day, and then she would go to bed with her boyfriend. Scotty-boy didn't even imagine the reason she was so hot at night, and why their sex life had gotten so much better since Logan arrived.
The few moments that Logan and Jean shared were so wonderful. The time he snuck a kiss under the jet…he dreamed about that one quite frequently. The way she kissed him, full of fire and promise…she just couldn't be kissing the Boy Scout that way! Now here he was, with the prospect of getting her back again.
Storm arrived back before Logan knew it, with reinforcements. Peter had a huge shovel, and started digging alongside the other men right away. They were pretty far down, but it was an oblong hole, only roughly where the casket should be. They were all surprised when they heard a thunk of metal on wood. Logan tossed aside his shovel and started clearing the top and edges of the coffin, muttering words few could hear and none could understand. He had finally found the latch on the top half of the lid, but before he opened it, he motioned for the crowd to back up. Just Hank and Storm stood above the hole as Logan carefully opened the lid.