A/N: Thanks for sticking with me along this journey. Not making promises but I plan to post another chapter this week. Thanks for liking, reviewing, favoriting, and following this story. Its greatly appreciated.

Chapter 26: Decisions

"Logan," Ororo called out as she stepped out of the bathroom, the steam following her as she wrapped the long towel around her sore body.

After the incident down in the basement, Logan carried her home. She struggled to stay awake but his silence did little to assist her in her quest. Succumbing to her exhaustion, she tucked her head in the crook of his neck and fell asleep, his masculine scent soothing her.

When she woke up, he was standing at the patio door, looking out. Without turning to face her, he suggested she take a bath to soothe the soreness in her body. He told her, he had one waiting and would wait until she was done before deciding on breakfast.

She'd thanked him for his thoughtfulness, kissing his cheek before hobbling to the bathroom. Now, relaxed and refreshed, she was ready to start the day. She hoped that with Morph at the mansion, they were closer to finding Micah and putting the situation behind them, since they definitely had something to look forward too.

She unconsciously caressed her abdomen as she silently searched for Logan. Not seeing him on the patio, she limped toward Micah's room, finding the door ajar. She stepped inside and found Logan sitting on his bed, holding his Batman Plush toy.

Hearing the door opening, Logan looked up at Ororo before turning his gaze back to the toy. He'd been in the room since Ororo stepped into the bathroom. He had a sudden need to be near the things that meant the most to the kid so he ended up in the room.

Now, feeling weak, he couldn't look Ororo in her eyes, not wanting her to see the pain in his own. He was the fucking Wolverine, possibly the world's most dangerous mutant. Yet here he was sitting in his son's room, wanting to ball his eyes out for missing him so damn much.

"Handsome?" Ororo said softly, taking the stool from the desk and placing it in front of Logan. Taking a seat, she lifted his chin gently, forcing him to look at her.

"I miss him," he whispered, briefly meeting her eyes before looking away.

"I know. I feel the same way," she replied, laying a hand on the toy, "But I don't think that's all that's wrong."

He stood up abruptly and threw the toy behind him, going around her to stand in the middle of the room.

"Logan, please don't shut me out," Ororo told him, turning around to face his back, watching as it expanded and compressed as he took deep breaths.

"There are parts of me that I never wanted to share with you," he said softly after a few moments.

"We all have a past, Logan. Everyone has something they don't ever want the person they love to know about," she told him, getting to her feet slowly and limping over to him, "Myself included."

Hearing her uneven steps, he turned as she got near him and put an arm around her waist.

She lifted her hand and cupped his cheek, forcing him to look into her eyes. "But there are times when those moments in our lives make themselves known and we have to face them head-on, trusting that the life we have built for ourselves and our loved ones will be strong enough to withstand whatever comes our way."

With a slight smile, she continued, "Ask me how I know. Remember when you asked me about combining all of my "personas" when we first met?"

"Yeah."

"The thought of doing so scared me and I didn't want to think about it. Despite how I felt, it happened anyway and all I could do was hope that when the people I loved found out about it, that they would be okay with it," she told him, "And they were. Heck, my father knew about my "secret" long before Forge told him."

"Really?"

"Yes, and you know what my father told me," she began, making sure she had his attention, "He said that he trusted my judgment and thought that when I was ready, I would let him know."

Logan looked away, his mind going over the things that he possibly needed to share with his fiancée. Things that he hadn't and probably wouldn't share, unless absolutely necessary because he didn't want her to change her opinion of him.

"So, like my father told me, I say to you, Handsome," she said, gently moving his face back toward her, her gaze capturing his, "When you're ready to tell me, I will be ready to listen."

"It's not the same situation, Ro," Logan said, stepping away from her and heading out of Micah's room.

"I don't see why it isn't. I had a secret, you have secrets. It's pretty much the same thing," she replied, limping after him, taking a seat on the couch, "We can talk about it now if it will make you feel better."

"I don't want to talk about it, so drop it," he replied.

"Do you remember the night I left the mansion and you and Remy followed me?" she asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Do you think I wanted to have a conversation with you about Forge then? Just when we were just starting to get to know each other?"

"That's different."

"I don't see how," she replied, turning to face him.

"The difference was Forge was still breathing," he replied, turning away from the window to look at her.

She held his gaze before he turned and headed to the chair, sitting heavily, his arms on his knees. She turned and watched him. "I'm guessing you're referring to all of the blood on your hands."

He looked up at her questioningly, meeting her gaze.

"There isn't much I don't know about you, Logan," she replied getting up and taking a seat on the coffee table in front of him, "You were one fifth of an elite black ops team that performed "duties" as assigned to cleanse the world of rogue elements."

"How much do you know?" he asked quietly, shocked by what she had told him.

"Not enough to know where all the bodies are buried but enough to know there are many," she replied, taking his hands in hers, "And that you can be every bit of the savage that Forge accused you of being."

"If ya knew all this, why did ya let me come work here?"

"Why did I let Remy?" she asked, her tone defiant and strong, "I did because I've learned to trust my instincts and my instincts told me I could trust both of you at this school. Don't ask me how, because honestly, I cannot tell you but I trust you both with the lives of everyone living here on this estate."

"And it helps to have a father who's a telepath," she added with a shy smile.

"Ya still fell in love with me, knowing this?"

"There was something about you that night at Cass's that I couldn't let go of," she told him simply, "That has only happened once and you know how that ended."

"So why try it again?"

"Because, one Logan, you are not Forge. You have proven that to me, time and time again," she replied, "And secondly, if I gave up every time I didn't succeed the first time I tried, I would have never learned to do many things, including how to ride a bike."

She paused in her explanation, a small smile creasing her face. "So I thought, he's cute, why not give it a try."

"I don't know what to say," he said softly, his mind reeling at the thought of her knowing as much as she knew and still having a relationship with him.

"And that's okay," she told him caressing his cheek, "Ask me what happened in the medlab before Morph arrived."

"What happened in the medlab before Morph arrived?" he asked obediently.

"Hank told me I would have to lay off the beer for a while."

"Why? He trying to tell ya ya got no business in a place like Cass?"

"No, he told me that because it wouldn't be good for the baby."

"Baby? What baby?" Logan asked, his head tilted.

"The one I'm carrying," she replied, watching his face closely for his reaction.

"What?" Logan asked, struggling to understand what she was saying.

"I'm pregnant, Handsome," she told him, holding his face in her hands.

"Are ya serious?" he asked, watching as tears formed in her eyes.

She nodded and he pulled her to him. He had noticed that her scent had changed slightly but chalked it up stress. Now, he knew what it was and as he cradled her to him, he took a deep whiff, allowing his sense of smell to sort through the unique scents that were Ororo until he found the one that was different. The scent was now imprinted in his brain and he felt a new sense of protectiveness wash over him as he thought about his child, now nestle deep in the womb of his fiancée.

After a moment, she pulled away and gazed into his eyes, finding them swimming in unshed tears that quickly disappeared when he blinked.

"So you're happy about this?" she asked.

"More so than ya will ever know," he replied, pulling her back to him, needing her embrace.

He knew that the rules of the game had changed and now it was time for him to go on the offense. But first, there was one thing he had to do.

"Ro, do me a favor?"

"And that would be?"

"Sit this one out," he told her, readying himself for her comeback.

"What? No," she told him angrily, pulling away from him to look into his face.

"Ororo," Logan began but stopped when she stood abruptly, her arms going around herself, covering her abdomen protectively.

"How can you ask me to do that?" she asked him.

"Because the stakes just got higher and I will be damned if I let something happen to either one of ya," Logan told her getting to his feet and walking over to her, lightly touching her arm that covered her abdomen.

"But," she began but he cut her off with a low growl.

"There are no buts. No ifs or ands, either," he growled, his eyes changing, his pupils widening, eclipsing the grey in his eyes, "Yer carrying my baby, our baby and there ain't no way in hell I'm letting ya go out there in yer condition."

Before she could respond, he took her face in his hands. "Ya just told me that ya trusted yer instincts in letting me in, not just the school but in yer heart," he told her gently, "Were ya telling me the truth?"

She nodded, tears cascading down her face.

"Then trust me to do this. Ya know what I'm capable of and that being the case, where I may have to go to get our son back won't be pretty and damn sure ain't no place for you right now," he told her, "So ya gotta trust me to get our son back. Can ya do that?"

After a long moment, she sighed, knowing he was right. When she nodded, he pulled her in a hug and whispered, "When we get back, we'll celebrate properly."

"Okay," she responded.

"Now, come on. We need to tell yer Dad the news."