Marvel owns the X-men, no profit is to be made from this work.

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The fog that brought death was on them, the wind carried it too fast down the mud and mire. Every step sucked and clung with briars of steel and twisted metal clawing at her coat as she struggled. Her friend and Familiar was behind her just as weary and tired as she was, ordering her on with a snarl and a howl and a yipping bark.

...too much wolf coursing through her veins, Quoth the Raven...

"...any more! I can't!"

Like a pup she took her by the neck of her threadbare coat, tugging and pulling and whimpering and howling with desperate fear. The sodden earth only dragged them down, always greedy and ready to drink the blood of the battlefield until it choked. Growing frantic with every burning breath as she fought, the Wolf was the only strength she had and it was a beast of instinct that would chew its own leg off to be free of a trap.

Grappling arms took her and she could only claw, kick and bite as she lost her friend of so long in the fog, lost her to death denied for so long. Howling her rage and grief in song, she was alone as she always feared and dreaded and was just so very tired that all the strength left her.

"I couldn't save her..."

It was a voice she knew but didn't, the mire gone and the fog burned off with the light of the morning come at last. A hand stroked her coat and she felt comforted, his words were true and his heart just as pained as her own.

"She told me to save you..."

All the years together and a servant to the end, always thinking of her Lady. She had no strength for song now, just a thirst and that was answered with handfuls of water offered and lapped up. Morsels of meat that tasted of metal and rot were a feast, her belly aching with the hunger of the Wolf.

"I gotta get back to the front."

She was alone in the hollow come den staring at his back, he walked to the mud and mire they had just escaped. The forest was behind them, the forest was home to them, why did he run to fight? His step faltered at her whimpering, turning to look back at her with steely grey eyes that had seen too much of the horrors man had made in this age.

His face was one she knew but didn't, seeing it for the first time all over again. His was a name she heard whispered, a name that spoke of endless wilderness and mountains and snow. His was an untamed heart that didn't belong in the Old World but the New. Visions of a people living with the land as they should came to her, another name called out above the first, Kanata.

"First wolf I've seen here, reminds me of home. Sorry I couldn't save yer mistress, but I'll go give the Krauts hell for her sake..."

And now he turned back to trek off to the hell he had come from with rage that didn't belong beating beneath his breast, and now his name howled with the wind as a storm answered his anger.

"Logan!"

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Jerking awake and smelling the stink of tears and fear, he leapt over the sofa he'd been sleeping on feeling his body stiff and sore. He heard her and she was wailing frantic and in the grips of terror, Rogue. Jubilee looked just as panicked, getting the life choked out of her by her Mistress who was clutching her like a drowning woman. Jumping into the fray and pulling them both into his arms, words didn't mean much as he hushed and whispered to her that he was there.

"I'm here babe, right here, don't you worry..."

Feeling like forever as she cried and whimpered and held tight to her friend, finally the tears stopped and her sobbing quieted. Knowing a nightmare when he saw one, he had woken from enough of them over the years still seeing phantoms. Feeling guilty remembering the worst one, one that had driven her off and on a train back when they'd been little more than strangers, he stroked her hair with his cheek too afraid to let go of her yet.

There was a knock at the door now and a sniff told him who it was, calling to Kurt to let himself in. The moment the door shut behind him the false face he wore vanished, all the worry and fear there for them to see, no need for masks to be worn between friends.

"Just a bad nightmare..." Logan said softly in answer to his concern.

With a smile full of his sympathy Kurt hit the mini-bar for a few ice cold bottles of water. With saintly patience he held the bottles for the ladies and let them drink deep, whatever fear that gripped them too strong for them to let go just yet.

"You died..." Rogue whispered at last.

"Right here babe." Logan promised, he hadn't run into anything yet that could kill him.

"No, no...no it wasn't you. It was Jubilee...but..." Rogue struggled.

If Jubilee had anything to say she was keeping it tight to her chest, her ears wilted and face pressed up against her friend and Mistress. Looking like a kicked puppy and leaving him with an unfamiliar lump in his throat, he reached a hand to stroke those trembling ears and run fingers through her hair. The light touch brought a bit of peace to her and earned him a weak smile from his oldest friend, his stowaway, his Rogue.

"...it was just a messed up nightmare, you were there Logan, you saved me again." Rogue whispered after a calming breath.

"Sounds like something I'd do, you okay?" Logan asked, too much uncertainty in her scent that didn't belong.

"Yeah, just, just a bad dream..." Rogue whispered.

"Well, that tub aught ta be big enough fer the both o' ya, so why don't you ladies have a nice soak or a bubble bath or somethin' and Kurt and me will get some breakfast ordered up." Logan finished, pressing a kiss to her hair and whispering that he'd be right outside the door if she needed him.

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"I'm sorry I scared you..." Rogue said in soft apology.

A nod was all she was going to get, but it was enough. Sullenly sitting and letting her hair be shampooed, Jubilee couldn't hide her sadness for how her ears fell as limp as a frown. Working a soapy later across her hands, she started to wash her friend's back massaging her shoulders and tenderly trying to work the tension out of her neck. Finally melting at her touch, she wrapped her up in a hug and pulled her down until just their noses were above the water.

Thinking her doodling at first, a question was written in the fogged mirrors that surrounded the tub, Y u lie? Feeling a fresh ache in her chest and hugging her friend tighter, she started to cup handfuls of water to rinse the soap from her hair as she considered the question.

The dream felt too real, it hurt too much. But already it was getting harder to remember in detail, the only things she could remember was the grief at losing her friend and Familiar and that Logan had saved her. Writing her own question thinking how clever her friend had been, with Logan just on the other side of that door they couldn't whisper quiet enough not to be heard. U see?

Shaking her head, Jubilee pressed a hand to her heart and looked at her from beyond the hazy reflection across from her. Strong emotion, strong response...those had been the words the raven had used. Writing another question with just one word, Crow, Jubilee agreed by underlining it.

"You hungry?" Rogue asked, already knowing the answer for how ravenous she was herself.

"Starving." Jubilee said as her first words spoken for the new day.

"Five more minutes?" Rogue asked reluctant to leave the bath just yet.

"Ten." Jubilee said before sinking down to her nose.

"Ten it is."

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"How about this one?" Jubilee asked, trying on another hat.

Looking up from her sketching, Rogue tilted her head in thought to just shake her head at how silly her friend looked. Frowning and rushing back to the selection, after a few too many interesting looks the matter of her ears was drawing just a little too much attention for their liking. Breakfast had been had with the boys ending in a promise to go hit a few steak houses back stateside so they could get some free dinners.

The excuse to go looking for the raven on the sly had been easy enough, Jubilee asking to go shopping before their flight back tonight. Notorious for dragging the unlucky through malls until they dropped from fatigue, they were given their 'girl time' just so long as they met up for lunch.

"This is what I get for leaving my Jayne hat back home, I bet it'd be perfect. Okay, this one?" Jubilee asked.

"It works." Rogue mumbled with a glance, looking like something a cabbie would wear in a detective movie and about two sizes too big but it did the trick.

"...that was your dream?" Jubilee asked stealing a peak at the sketch.

"My nightmare..." Rogue corrected, adding a bit more definition with a few strokes of black ballpoint.

It helped her focus, helped her hold onto the details, the muddy field and the barbed wire mistaken for bramble patches. The uniform had her think of history classes had with Ororo studying the First World War. Free from the terror she had known it was easy to now see the fog had been gas, but it didn't help her feel any better remembering the burning of her lungs and the pain of watching someone die.

Taking into a hug of surprising strength for the slight arms that wrapped around her, she dried her eyes on her sleeve and smiled down to her friend who gave her just the comfort she needed.

"It really does look like Logan..." Jubilee admitted, staring down at the scene.

And that's what she needed to know, was that really him or was it just really just a very bad dream. The last few days had been just too much to take in all at once, and now there was this. Closing her sketchbook and tossing it into her handbag, she followed after her friend to go pay and start their hunt for the raven.

"Least he wasn't a pigeon." Jubilee mumbled as they made their way through the crowds.

Trying again for directions to the beer tent, their only clue to find their wayward spirit had been something he had said in passing, 'Nothing says easy scavenging like a bunch of humans getting together to drink beer'.

"Okay, that's a lot of crows." Jubilee admitted after finding their way at last.

"And they all look the same." Rogue added.

"Hey, I got an idea, play tourist for me." Jubilee said, pulling out her phone and skipping back.

Humouring her friend, she posed and enjoyed the sights despite the melancholy that gripped her, played at doing everything they were supposed to be right now before her life once again turned upside down. Right now Logan should have been with her making memories if not the person taking pictures of her. But like her Momma always said, no sense crying over spilt milk.

Seeing a fanged grin that reminded her too much of Kurt, another who should be here enjoying the sights and playing tour guide, Jubilee skipped ahead and just like any tourist herself showed the freshly snapped photo. Thinking it was a nice picture actually, a bit of fancy finger work showed just what had her friend looking so proud of herself, something that looked like the silhouette of a raven made of corrupt pixels.

"How did you..?" Rogue asked in wonder.

"Duh, never heard of Spirit Photography?" Jubilee asked.

"You are smart in the weirdest damned ways Lee." Rogue gushed, heading on up to their quarry as he enjoyed the better part of a pretzel.

"Before you two even say anything, go buy me a fresh one and head over to that bench. Then make like you're feeding the pigeons. I'll see you there." The raven said, flapping off and flying off.

Following after the raven as Jubilee headed off to get some pretzels for them, Rogue found a seat and tried not to stare too much at the bird looking back up at her. Gratefully accepting the warm treat, she left Jubilee to feed the pigeons who couldn't keep up with the raven snatching every piece and bit tossed.

"No mustard? Really?" The raven asked after his first few bites.

"Roguey? Please?" Jubilee asked in that way she had the day before.

"I don't think ya could kick him if ya wanted to Lee." Rogue replied to her eager friend.

"Any chance you got one of those bluetooth things? They're just brilliant, look like a complete lunatic talking to yourself and no one bats an eye these days." The raven inquired.

Digging through her handbag until she found hers, slipping it in and faking a call, somehow the raven was looking smug again and she wondered just how beady little eyes and a beak could express that much emotion.

"I had a dream this morning." Rogue said, tossing a piece of her own pretzel to the raven.

"Must have been some dream to have you come looking for me, just how did you find me anyway?" The raven remarked, turning to caw at a pigeon that had tried to steal from him.

"Spirit photography." Jubilee answered.

"Clever girl, looks like you got something in between those ears after all. Nice hat by the way." The raven said, crowing his laughter.

"Does this mean anything to you?" Rogue asked, pulling out her sketchbook and opening to that one page.

Hopping up onto her knee and looking at the scene, any humour the raven had been having at their expense seemed to drain from him as his feathers ruffled. His head tilted and turned, intent eyes taking in everything that had been captured in ink.

"All the knowledge of the Lady is yours." The raven said, hopping back down to vie for a few straps from the gathered pigeons.

"You said that." Jubilee spat, throwing another piece right at the bird to vent her frustration.

"What do you mean by that?" Rogue asked, looking back to the sketch and struggling to deal with the feelings it conjured.

"It means if you dreamt that, then I've got a question myself quid quo pro. Does that mean anything to you?" The raven asked.

"We know him..." Rogue whispered, running a finger down the vision of Logan she had captured in ink.

With a flutter of wings the raven was perched on her knee again looking at the image, looking to the likeness of Logan in particular. Turning his dark black eyes on her as if looking for any sign of a lie, with a cluck and caw he sounded as though he were swearing.

"Just how do you know the Soldier from Kanata?" The raven asked, and Rogue felt her blood run cold.

"It's real..." Rogue whispered.

Again she found comfort in the arms that wrapped around her and gave her thanks, staring down at the image in ink that ran with her tears. Remembering they were in public, her next question was whispered in the embrace she was wrapped in.

"Quid, Quid Quo Pro, how do you know him?" Rogue asked, struggling against the lump in her throat that stole her breath.

And now the raven looked to be touched by the pain and sadness they knew, ruffling his feathers and flapping his wings. Pecking at sand and grit as if looking for words, he turned on them and she swore he looked to be about to cry.

"Because he saved the Lady's life and the Lady never forgets a debt even if she's the one who owes it. You call it the Great War, humans and your stories. We thought you humans had finally gone mad, oh how foolish we felt when we saw your real madness. Regardless...the Lady was looking for her Heiress in Belgium then..." The raven explained.

"Sorry I couldn't save yer mistress..." Rogue recalled the words he had spoken to her in that terrible dream.

"I say this with no pride or humour, but it was a crows feast back then. Every scavenger and carrion feeder was kept busy, but that gas...it poisoned everything even the land. We couldn't keep up with the rot and I was so busy, but when I heard..." The raven whispered.

"It wasn't the Mistress who died..." Jubilee croaked, her heart aching in sympathy.

"Picking your Famliar, that Rite is a one time. Maybe you didn't do so bad after all Heiress. When I heard of the Lady's Handmaid passing..." The raven added, offering what must have passed for a smile to Jubilee.

"She told him to save her." Rogue cried, hugging her own Familiar hard.

"You know him, the Canadian, the Soldier from Kanata as she called him...don't you?" The raven asked in a voice soft and kind.

Not trusting herself to speak, she found her phone and there as the background was among one of her favourite pictures of him taken one sunset in the Rockies. The raven hopped up onto her knee, crowing his surprise.

"He hasn't aged a day..." The raven said solemnly.

"He's here." Rogue managed, two simple words an effort to spit out for the weight she felt on them.

"Take me to him."

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