Summary: After losing his adamantium, Wolverine goes feral, leaving Ororo to pick up the pieces. She struggles to get him back to being the Logan she knows and loves at a time when she needs him the most. RoLo.

Timeframe: AU. Hank is around, but there are no new students.

Genre: Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Family, Romance

Note: This is NOT going to be a re-do of the storyline in the X-Men/Wolverine comics of the 90s. I'm just using the general idea as a simple base, but completely reimagining the concept for the most part. This is also going to be more of a RoLo drama/love story rather than something significantly plot-based.

All That You're Used To

Chapter One

It had been almost three months since Magneto ripped the adamantium from Logan's bones, and just a few days since the feral mutant had been captured by Sabretooth and brought to that creepy doctor from Weapon X in an attempt to re-fuse the indestructible metal to his skeleton. The attempt had been unsuccessful, Logan's regressing body rejecting the metal, forcefully expelling it from his pores with such force that the shrapnel-like shards ended up killing the evil doctor.

The X-Men had managed to rescue Logan from his captors, but it had been too late. Ororo had been shocked to see the man she loved had regressed even further than before Sabretooth's capture. He was snarling and hunched over on all fours, all bulging muscles and hair, with longer fangs protruding from an under bite he hadn't had before—more animal than man. Logan was completely feral, and looked as though he'd nearly doubled in mass, appearing almost as big as Beast himself!

They'd gotten him in the Blackbird and to the mansion with difficulty, but once there he'd refused to come inside. Instead Logan prowled the grounds day and night, not daring to get close to those he very much considered friends and family. That had been three days ago, and it broke Ororo's heart to know he was in such turmoil.

"Ororo?"

She drew back from the common room window slowly and reluctantly, turning with a sigh to come face to face with Henry, his expression filled with concern. "He's out there, watching, but keeping his distance," she murmured softly, gazing at her friend with such sadness in her heart. "I can sense him through my connection with nature." Sighing, she moved further from the window, arms dangling dejectedly by her sides.

"Would you like some tea?" Hank asked kindly, trying to draw her attention from the window.

Ororo let out a ragged breath and shook her head, offering her friend a sad smile as she strode passed. "No, thank you, Henry. I think I'll just be going to bed now."

Retreating to the attic loft in which she and Logan had both moved into after their wedding over a year ago, Ororo closed the door and swiftly moved toward the large windows that overlooked the grounds. She opened them wide, peering out into the dark and closing her eyes as she allowed herself to naturally get in tune with the summer night breeze. Stretching out her arms, she felt the breeze blow across every rock and blade of grass, between trees and over water. And if she concentrated hard, stretching her link with nature as far as her mutant ability would allow…she could just barely sense…yes, it was Logan. Ororo couldn't pinpoint him precisely, she was no telepath after all, but she could sense that he was there, by the way the night air swirled around his stocky body, and in a small way that thought alone comforted her.

Changing into a long nightgown and turning out the lights as she climbed in bed beneath a thin blanket, Ororo imagined that Logan was perhaps looking up at their window, thinking of her. She'd even left the balcony doors open like she had the last few nights, hoping, thinking that maybe—just maybe—he would find his way back to her.

.

Awoken by the sound of ragged, growly breathing, Ororo opened her eyes to a dark, moonlit room, trying to keep her own breathing soft and steady. She knew it could only be Logan in the loft with her, and didn't want to chance startling him with any sudden movements. By now she guessed that his acute senses had picked up on the fact that she was awake, but still Ororo tried not to react the way she truly wanted to—which was to sit up and wrap her arms around her husband, to hold him tight and not let him go.

Unable to stop the sudden tear that spilled down her cheek, Ororo heard Logan's heavy breathing change slightly; he sniffed loudly a few times, and she felt as the bed was jarred slightly, the wooden footrest giving a groan of protest as Logan's considerable weight perched upon it.

Turning over onto her side slowly, Ororo cautiously peered at the large, shadowy mass at the foot of her bed. Logan was hunched there like some sort of protective gargoyle, watching over her. Despite worry over her husband's current feral mind state, the Weather Goddess was convinced that at least some part of him still knew who she was, and what she meant to him.

"Hrrrr?" Logan rumbled unsurely as she faced him. He leapt down to the floor with surprising grace, landing with barely a sound and crouching on all fours.

"Logan…" Ororo spoke softly, hesitantly. She wasn't even sure his feral mind could understand her at the moment. "Logan, please stay." Tears gathered in her eyes once more.

He moved about peculiarly, and she froze as he neared the head of her bed, leaning forward and sniffing at her before leaving her line of sight and moving around on the floor.

After a moment she heard him settling, and quietly leaned over the edge of the bed, the light from the moon showing her feral husband curled up on the area rug like a dog. Ororo wished that he would at least lie on the bed with her, but right now that was probably asking too much. For now she would just be happy that he was physically closer to her than he'd been in days.

Ororo closed her eyes, listening to Logan's gruff snores from the floor and dreaming that perhaps he was slowly making his way back to her—mind, body, and soul.

.

Stretching languidly, Ororo smiled as she felt the warm morning sunshine on her face, smelled the fresh summer air coming in through the open balcony doors. As her mind slowly became more awake, she remembered. Logan!

Opening her eyes, Ororo sat up and quickly slid over to the edge of the bed to peer down at the floor where he'd been sleeping. He was gone. She frowned, flinging her feet over the side of the bed and leaning over with her head in her hands. Had it only been a dream? Her heart cried out to him.

"Oh, Logan…" she murmured mournfully, feeling the warm sunshine fade, only to have dark clouds take its place as a steady rain fell from the sky. Ororo was quite aware that the abrupt change in weather was her doing and she ought to rein in her emotions, but at the moment she didn't care. She was torn.

"Rrrraaaarg."

Ororo's head snapped up at the sound of the disgruntled growl, and she turned toward the balcony doors as a very wet Wolverine hopped down from the heavy stone railing and entered the loft. He padded inside slowly on all fours and gave himself a shake, spraying water everywhere. Ororo lifted an arm in a weak attempt to shield herself. "Logan," she chastised automatically.

He just blinked at her with black eyes and moved toward her. Logan gave her a cursory sniff and then tilted his head, brows furrowed. Ororo barely moved as he inched closer for a more thorough perusal of her scent.

"Hrr?"

"What is it, Logan?" she tried softly, confused by his examination of her. She felt his cheek brush her shoulder as he continued sniffing all around her. "Logan, it's me—Ororo," she insisted lovingly, concerned that he wasn't appearing to recognize her. At least, that's what she thought.

Before she had a chance to further contemplate Logan's odd behavior, a wave of nausea washed over her and she lurched forward, staggering to the bathroom. She dropped to her knees and began heaving into the toilet, hoping she hadn't scared her feral-minded husband away with the abrupt actions.

Leaning over the toilet as she caught her breath, grimacing at the foul taste in her mouth along with the lingering nausea, Ororo turned to the door when she heard a low, guttural sound. An alarmed-looking Logan was crouched just in the doorway to the bathroom, leaning forward on the tips of his fingers, nostrils flaring. She held up her hand as he started anxiously rocking forward and back; he was jittery, on edge. "Logan, it's alright. I'm just a little sick."

"Nnn…" he made another low noise from deep within his throat, sharp eyes firmly fixed on her.

Ororo wasn't unnerved by his stare, quite the opposite; she was intrigued. Her husband was behaving more like a dominant male concerned for his mate, rather than the piercing, predatory look she'd noticed he sometimes got around others recently. This behavior most definitely fueled Ororo's theory that Logan—her Logan—was still in there. He still had some measure of control, she was certain.

Sure that she was finished vomiting now, Ororo flushed the toilet and pushed to her feet, staggering to the sink to rinse her mouth and brush her teeth. Logan continued to hover anxiously in the doorway, as though afraid of moving into the confined space or even of getting too close to her. It was like he wanted to be close, but wouldn't allow himself to.

Ororo finished brushing her teeth and stood leaning against the counter for a moment, trying to force back another wave of nausea. She'd been feeling a little sick on and off for weeks, but kept dismissing it as symptoms of stress due to what was going on with Logan and everything. Now, though, she wasn't so sure. Logan's senses were advanced, and with the way he was acting around her, Ororo suspected that he could smell the sickness on her, and that was the reason behind his strange behavior. Maybe she ought to let Hank check her over, she considered worriedly.

Logan ambled backward a few steps as Ororo left the bathroom and went to retrieve some clothes. Maybe a hot shower would make her feel better, she thought. As she gathered her things and returned to the bathroom, Ororo stopped just in the doorway and turned to look at Logan, crouched just five feet away from her. He was filthy and barefoot, wearing nothing but the same pair of tattered jeans he'd worn for days, and she wished she could convince him to join her for a shower, or take one by himself, but knew that probably wasn't going to happen. At least her earlier rain shower had cleaned him up a little bit. But now he just smelled like a wet dog. Ororo wasn't too concerned over the smell though, she was just glad that he was willing to be near her.

Logan ambled forward slightly with his hands on the floor, lifting his chin and sniffing.

Ororo gestured inside the bathroom. "I'm just going to have a shower, Logan. Will you stay? Please?" She was worried he would take off on her and she wouldn't see him again for a few days.

He lowered his chin and cautiously crawled backward a few steps, keeping his dark eyes on her.

Hoping he understood what she was asking, and that he wouldn't disappear, Ororo walked further into the bathroom and closed the door all but a crack. She turned on the water and undressed, quickly getting under the spray.

.

The soothing water from the shower had left her feeling a little better, and as she stepped out from behind the curtain, Ororo gasped, nearly jumping backwards in surprise when she saw Logan's massive form perched on the closed lid of the toilet seat, watching her.

"Goddess! Logan, you startled me!" She reached for her towel and wrapped it around herself, but her feral husband was just as startled and quickly hopped down from his perch, loping out of the bathroom on all fours like a scolded dog. Ororo shook her head with a troubled frown and put her hand to her forehead, holding back tears. The regressed feral behavior her husband was exhibiting was very distressing to her.

Feeling overemotional, Ororo tried to reign herself in as she heard the thunderclaps outside as the storm clouds rolled in. She dressed quickly and then ventured slowly into her room, not wanting to startle Logan again.

She found him out on the balcony, crouched on the railing despite the storm outside, and staring into the bedroom. Ororo worried about him being out there in such temperamental weather, and tried to calm herself enough to lessen the intensity of the storm. She carefully approached the balcony doors. "Logan? Logan, I'm going to see Hank alright?"

He straightened slightly from his precarious crouch, head tilting, alert.

Ororo gestured to the door. "You could come with me?" She moved away from the balcony, but didn't honestly expect Logan to follow her. He didn't. Sighing, she continued on her way with a heavy heart, and a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach that had nothing to do with nausea.

.

Note: Thanks for reading this first chapter! There is more to come, and the following chapters will also be longer than this one. I'm going to try and update once a week, and will pick a day once I figure that all out. Hope I've hooked some readers! :) Reviews greatly appreciated.