Duenan Howlet
"Logan! Get over here!" Jean Grey shouted into the sleeping mind of Logan "Wolverine" Howlet.
"Red, get outta my head. I'm coming." came the sleepy reply.
"It's Duenan." Jean added, for effect. Logan was out of the bed faster than ever. He was wearing only a pair of faded blue jeans.
"What's goin' on?" Logan asked, walking into his year old daughter's room. Duenan's bed was surrounded by other fellow X-men. Storm was sitting on the bed, cradling Duenan to her. Duenan's shoulders were shaking in the tell-tale sign of crying.
"Kid?" Logan whispered as so not to frightened her even more.
"D-daddy." Duenan cried out, looking up and lunging into her father's strong chest. Slowly she stopped shaking. Logan's even breathing helped to settle the young girl.
"Kid? What's wrong?" Logan asked.
"Mama… Mama is coming soon. I don't wanna go Daddy." Duenan said into her father's bare chest.
"Mama? Who is she talking about Logan?" Jean asked. Logan did not look away from his daughter. He didn't answer either.
"Duenan, listen ta me, she ain't goin ta get ya. Not even over my dead body. An' you know nothing can kill yer Daddy." Logan reassured the little girl. Duenan nodded, but did not let go of Logan. The other X-men left the room until only Logan, Duenan, and Rogue were left.
"Ya ok Sugah?" Rogue asked.
"Rogue, I need-" Logan started, "I need your help." Rogue stood there shocked. Her brother, the mighty Wolverine, was asking for help. Who was she to refuse?
"Well then, shoot Sugah. How can I help?" she replied.
"Duenan's mother is Yuriko."
"Ya hooked up with that crazy woman again Logan!" Rogue exclaimed. Duenan, by this time, had crawled up into Logan's lap, effectively snuggling into him. Logan just wrapped an arm around her in case she fell asleep.
"Yea, Stripes. I did. She wasn't goin' after Trent anymore so who cares?" Logan growled out. 'Man why did I pick her to help?' Logan thought to himself.
"How old was Trent?" Rogue asked.
"I didn't know about Duenan until she was 3 years old. So Trent would have been 15 years old." Logan said.
"Damn it Logan! I'm glad you hooked up again cause of Duenan, but I'm pissed because now she's coming after her instead." Rogue growled back at her brother.
"Rogue, I still love her damn it. I'm glad Duenan was born. Trent is happy too. Now, shut up and help me keep both my kids. I doubt that she is coming just for 'Nan." Logan all but yelled. Duenan tried to bury herself into her father.
"Daddy, my big brother is here." Duenan whispered, "Stop fighting. Can I sleep in your room tonight? Please?"
Logan sighed.
"Yea Darlin'. You can sleep in mah room tonight. Get going."
Duenan hopped off her dad's lap and made her way to Logan's room just as Trenton "Silverwolf" Howlet walked into the room.
"Dad, its mom-"
"I know kid." Logan said, glancing at his oldest.
"Wha? How? I just found out. She came for me…again."
"Sugah, yer sistah saw her. We are trying to come up with something to stop her." Rogue said, hugging her nephew.
"Yer all grown up Trent." She continued, stepping back to admire him. Trent certainly had grown. Now towering over his father at 6'2, he looked like he could take on Sabertooth. His hair was longer and shaggier.
"Dad, it's good to see you." Trent said, walking towards his father.
"You too kid." Logan replied. Trent would have been a carbon copy of Logan had he not had Yuriko's genes in his DNA.
"Ya stopped dyeing yer hair, I see." Logan said, reaching up to card his fingers through his son's hair.
"Yea, decided that I'm too old to dye my hair silver just to give meaning to my codename." Trent grinned. Logan just smirked.
"Kinda liked the silver. You still any good with yer katana?"
"Do you still heal rapidly?" Trent answered back, pulling out a modified version of his original adamantium katana. It was longer to accommodate Trent's fighting style and longer arms. The hilt was changed to a hand and a half. This way Trent could easily and quickly strike from both sides of the katana. The blade was black as night with a silver lining going from point to hilt. Etched into the blade were some Japanese letters. Logan looked at them and grinned.
"Hey Trent, what do those letters mean?" Rogue asked. By this time the sun was up and the early hustle and bustle were heard throughout the mansion. The door to Duenan's room opened up with a bang.
"BIG BROTHER!" Duenan squealed. Logan flinched at the pitch of it.
"Hey baby girl. How are you?" Trent greeted twirling the girl in a hug.
"Mama's after us again isn't she? I was right, right?"
"Yea, she's after us again. We need to help dad and Rogue stop her okay?" Trent sighed. Duenan wrinkled her nose.
"I know. Geez, you're treating me like I'm 5 or something. I'm just as good as you are fighting."Duenan said offended.
"I don't doubt that Squirt, but Mom is very strong." Trent said, looking at his sister in the eye. Duenan slumped in defeat.
"Okay, okay. You win. Well I have to go to school." Duenan said, giving her brother one last hug. Then she turned to her father and Rogue giving each of them a kiss goodbye.
"Be good Sugah."
"No fighting."
"Geez, you guys never let me have any fun." Duenan grumbled as she walked out of her room. Trent turned towards Logan, katana still out.
"Ready ole' man?"
"Born ready…pup."
"Aww c'mon dad! Don't tell me that I still have to go through that series!" Trent whined. Rogue laughed to herself as she left the room, leaving her brother and nephew to their own devices.
"Kid, how have you really been?" Logan asked seriously after Rogue had left. Trent sighed. His eyes lost some of the spark and he looked older than his 22 year old self.
"Dad, I'm not going to lie to you. I don't know how I did it. When I was 13 years old, I was able to stave her off with Storm's help. I don't have that anymore. I know that's why you left me with Parker. Why him? I had more guts and smarts than he did, and I was 13! Why not with Tony?"
Logan started chuckling at the end of Silverwolf's rant.
"Cuz Tony has money and resources. Didn't need a hospital trip on top of Yuriko goin' after ya."
"But still…" Trent whined, sounding like 13 year old self. Logan just patted his shoulder and walked out of the room.
"C'mon, let's go get some food…" Logan said, "…if there is any left." Trent just smiled and followed his father to the kitchen.
*************************************************************************************************************************************
"Duenan! Kick his butt!" yelled Sally, Duenan's best friend. Duenan and the school bully, Link, were circling each other getting ready to fight. On the ground next to Sally, crying was her little brother. Link had shoved him to the ground and he had skinned his knee.
"C'mon girlie. Think you can hit me? I'm not afraid to hit a girl." Link taunted. Duenan said nothing. She struck out and grabbed Link's arm, linking her leg with his a shoved. Link fell to the ground with Duenan straddling him getting ready to punch. Before she could punch him, she was picked up and thrown back by a lady dressed for office work.
"Get off my son you little brat." She yelled, rushing to her son's aid. Duenan got up and dusted herself off. Sally and Billy were just watching now.
"Why? He pushed my friend's little brother and made him bleed."
"Link would do no such thing." The lady defended.
VROOM! VROOM! A black 1985 Harley Davidson rolled into the parking lot before shutting off. Duenan looked over to the man and grinned.
"Daddy!"
"Hey kid. What's goin' on here?"
"Link pushed Billy and made his knee bleed. So I was gonna fight him but before I could-"
"Is this brat your daughter?" Link's mother interrupted, getting into Logan's face.
"Yes she is. Now if you'll excuse me, my daughter was telling me what was going on." Logan said, not liking the woman on the spot. The lady looked surprised. Nobody ever shut her out before.
"Duenan, what did I tell you before school?"
"No fighting."
"So what do you think I should do?"
"Let me kick his butt?" Duenan answered, hopefully. Logan gave her a look.
"I'm going to be doing DR sessions for a week right?"
"You bet. Now get your butt to the bike."
Link's mother just stood there. The little brat was getting away with hurting her son!
"Ummm, excuse me. She pushed my son and you do nothing?" she asked. Logan turned his gaze to her.
"Look lady. Yer kid ain't perfect either. See that kid on the ground? Yer son did that." With that Logan walked away towards his bike.
Duenan was already on it waiting for him. He got on behind her so that his arms acted as a type of safety harness. They didn't talk during the bike ride back to the mansion. Logan rode WAY too fast to hold a conversation. Duenan just leaned back into her father and relaxed into a light doze. Logan glanced down at her and found her fast asleep, bracing her head against his shoulder joint. They arrived at the mansion 40minutes later. Since Duenan was still asleep, Logan picked her up bridal style, backpack and all, and entered into the mansion. He made his way up the stairs to her bedroom, but when he made to lay her on the bed, Duenan tightened her grip around his neck.
"Daddy, mama's here. She's with Trent and the Professor." Duenan said sleepily.
Logan turned on his heel with Duenan still in his arms and made his was through the maze of halls to Professor Charles Xavier's office.