Author's note: Also those of you that are not members here can leave a review. So please do it! ; ) Thanks to those who have reviewed the last chapter!!! : )



So, since you wanted it there will be a third sequel + epilogue. ;)



I received the wishes and I haven't forgotten about all the other wishes. I will include them as soon as they fit into the storyline, don't worry. ; )



One sentence in the scene with Daken was taken from "Dark Avengers #1". Then another scene was taken from "Wolverine Origin".

And I hoped I fulfilled the wish that concerned a scene from "Wolverine Origins #30".

; ) Funny thing was that I wanted to include that scene anyway. lol



Oh, and: Flashback time! (just…different from before. lol) Please comment on them!!



Okasan means mother in Japanese



Changes Sequel – II. Covenant Part 47

Logan sat on a roof in the middle of Manhatten, crouched like a predator that was looking for his prey and watched how cars drove by far underneath him. He hated rush hour and was glad that the streets weren't that crowded anymore. Still… Too much noise, too many scents, too many people, too much to do with his senses… His eyes kept on looking around and he tried to filter the scent he was looking for, which was, in a city like this, even for him not easy. Especially not since he was still pissed. First of all, it was his youngest's birthday and he was here looking for Spider-man and then he had to listen to another sermon of how he could keep it a secret that he had a grown up son… So yeah, he was pissed, his mood below zero and the city was going on his nerves. Getting up, Logan cracked his neck and loosened up his shoulder before he concentrated once more on the winds.

"Found anything?" the Cap asked via comm device and Logan knew the man was still in Xavier's office to keep an eye on his son.

"No…," the feral growled and lightened up a cigar.

"Well, I did…," Steven replied and looked at something he held in his hand before he glared at Daken, who was restrained on a stool, in front of him. "I found a picture of Mary-Jane and Michael in your son's jacket pocket…"

On the roof Logan closed his eyes briefly and exhaled. "So?" he asked and squinted against the disappearing sun. "Touch him, Steve, 'n I'll go after ya," he added warningly. "'n ya can go on lookin' for Peter yerself. Understood?"

"Logan, he has a picture of her and the child!" Rogers replied and supported himself with both hands on Xavier's desk, while he looked at the speaker in front of him. Everything they said was audible for everyone in the room, also for Daken, who just smirked at the Avenger.

"No proof!" Logan grunt came through the speaker and the Cap clenched his fists in anger.

"You're saying that because he's you son!"

"No, coz he's innocent!" Logan growled and threw the rest of his cigar over the edge. "Ya heard what Paul said, he was with him, so is he suddenly a killer too?!"

"Your son can have hired someone!"

"Sure…"

The Cap narrowed his eyes, his jaw clenching, at the mocking reply. He knew how stubborn the feral could be, but he also knew him well enough to know how to get under the man's skin. "If your wife and children had been murdered and someone was found, and be it your best friend, with a picture of them in his pocket, you would kill him in the slowest and most violent way possible!"

On the roof Logan smirked. He had seen it coming. "Nice try, Steve… Won't work anymore," he replied and his head jerked aside as he finally caught up on something. "Gotta go. Touch Daken'n yer dead!" he grunted, deactivated his comm device and headed off the roof to another one.

Cursing under his breath, the Cap looked aside and began to boil from within. "Stop giving me that self-righteous smile of yours!" he warned Daken, who chuckled and was soon grabbed by the collar. The stool he sat on fell back a bit and hit the wall behind him. "You heal, don't you?" Steve threatened, but the smirk didn't fade. He looked aside as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"He only wants you to snap," Scott said and pulled him carefully away. "Just try to ignore him."

After he had brought some distance between them and had watched the feral thoughtfully from his position at the wall against which he leant, the Cap shook his head and crossed his arms. "How can he have a son like you?" he asked, but had thought it more out loud.

Shrugging, Daken tilted is head in a mocking gesture. "Ask him, he threw in the mix."

"Yeah? Then Logan either had a very bad day or something else went wrong," Kitty spat and held the glare she was given.

"Katherine!" the Professor warned her, but Steven waved off.

"No, she's actually right," he said. "I mean Logan is not always a nice guy, but a good guy, but he…" He nodded at Daken, who sighed in boredom, and shook once more his head. "Who did you order to kill them and why?"

On his stool the feral cocked an eyebrow at him. "Did you learn English at school? Because…somehow you have trouble understanding it. Or you're just dense."

"Logan won't notice that I hurt you," the Cap warned him and had enough of the power game that went already on for hours. He was too old for this… "And I will hurt you if you go on like this!"

"Think I'm scared of you or anyone else in this room?" Daken asked and tilted his head.

"You never received a good beating, did you?!"

The feral huffed at that empty threat. "You would only hurt yourself…"

"Hey!" Scott said and pressed a quick hand against the Cap's chest to hold him back. "He's not worth it!"

"More worth than a worthless homo sapien!" they heard the feral spitting and turned their heads into this one's direction.

"What did you just say?" Steven asked and made a step forward.

"You heard me just right," Daken replied and was once more clenching his fists behind his back to further loosen up the restraints. "Your days are count anyway, you just don't know yet…"

Shocked, but also surprised about the words the Cap exchanged a look with the others, realized that they hadn't expected that much hatred either. It was then that he noticed one of his team members standing in the door, one of which he knew was not that fond of Logan and would definitely not be fond of Daken either. Not that he was of the latter himself…

"That's him?" the Sentry asked with a look at Daken and crossed his arms.

"Yeah," Steven nodded and leant back against the wall.

"So why is he still in one piece?" his teammate asked him and look at his leader and listened to the reply. "Why are we not allowed to touch him?! Wolverine can't just decide that."

The Cap sighed and squeezed the back of his nose. "He can, because he's his father and I respect that wish… Not that I'm fine with it though…" He looked up just to see how Robert Reynolds gave Daken a surprised look first and heard him chuckling next.

"What's so funny?" the feral snarled and his eyes were narrowed to slits.

"Nothing," the Sentry said amused and his eyes took in once more the man on the stool. "I just can't imagine a woman who'd let that ferret climb on top of…"

The crashing sound the stool made as it burst into splinters wasn't warning enough for either of them and they didn't even saw a shadow moving, as the Sentry suddenly hit the ground hard. All air left his lungs after the hard kick he'd received into the stomach and his eyes widened as he stared into three sharp and black claws that were prepared to kill him.

"That's my mother you're talking of, you son of a bitch!" Daken barked, his eye furious with rage. Before anyone could react he took a swing, but before his claws could strike he found himself on the ground with someone sitting on top of him.

"Don't!" Northstar begged and had trouble to keep the furious feral pinned to the floor. His strength was no match for his own.

"Get the fuck off me!" Daken demanded angrily and tensed his muscles to get rid off the hands that held his wrists.

"Not before you calmed down enough!" Jean-Paul insisted and applied more pressure after shifting his weight. "He's not worth it." His blue eyes were fixed on the angry hazel ones underneath him and he couldn't hide his nervousness. He knew he only had to not pay attention for less than a second and the feral would stab him. His eyes looked at the black and sharp, long claws for a moment and thought he could almost feel them stabbing through his chest. To his surprise they were retracted and he let slowly go of the feral's wrists.

"Get off!" Daken snarled warningly and stomped out of the room, but not without pushing Colossus out of his way. They all winced as the door was slammed shut.

"Was that necessary?!" Steven asked his teammate angrily and walked back over to the speaker when the lamp began to blink. "Found him, Logan?" he asked and listened to the answer.


Logan had followed the trace of scent he had picked up on in the air. Even if it had been weak, he'd been successful but had been surprised where it had led him. The other Avengers, who were scattered in the city and looking for Spider-Man, would have never guessed where the man had been in the end. After he had typed in his code Logan entered the Avenger Tower and headed downstairs to the basement, surprised that not even security was around. In the end he entered another room and waited for the door to close behind him again. "Everyone's lookin' fer ya, kid," he grunted and stopped behind the man, who sat crouched on the ground and stared at two bodies that were covered by white sheets. The feral pulled a face as he noticed how soaked with blood they actually were. "C'mon, Pete, ya need t'get away from here…," Logan added and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"And then what?" Peter growled and refused to look away from the bodies. "Go home? In case you haven't noticed, Logan, I do don't have a home anymore…"

"But friends'n they're worried," Logan replied. "Whoever did this might be after ya too."

"Think I care about that?" Peter replied and turned his head to look at him, his face tearstained, his eyes emotionless and his face being a mask of sorrow and anger. "Because I don't…"

"Pete…"

"No, Logan!" Parker cut him off angrily. "You don't know how I feel, no one of you does!" he said aloud and stopped only inches from the feral, his chest heaving and falling heavily. "My wife and child are dead, my family and home were taken from me, so don't give me the shit that time will heal all wounds! You and the others don't know shit about how I feel!"

His opposite cocked an eyebrow at him and crossed his arms. "Right… I dunno how ya feel, huh?" Logan grunted. "As far as I remember my ex-girlfriends'n wives didn't leave me coz they had enough, but coz they ended up murdered on the floor! My son, of whom I thought had died with his pregnant mother, hates me coz he thinks I murdered her, so don't give me that shit about not knowin' how ya feel, kid!" Angrily, he didn't break eye contact and was taken aback as Parker leant forward to rest his head against his chest and began to cry in sorrow. Unsure of what to do and feeling uncomfortable Logan remained frozen on the spot and patted his friend's back from time to time.

In the end they both ended up sitting next to each other on the floor and staring at the two bodies. Once more the feral remembered why he hated funerals and never went to one… It only brought more than unpleasant memories which he kept buried deep inside of him.

"Will it ever get better?" he heard Peter asking in a broken voice and looked at the man from aside for a good while.

"No…," Logan replied truthfully and lowered his eyes until he stared at the ground instead. "Ya feel like yer hearts been torn out of yer body, ya try to occupy yerself or ya try hurtin' yerself t'ease the pain, but… It'll never go away. Ya just learn livin' with it…"

"And if I don't want to learn it?"

"Then you've already lost."

Peter nodded weakly and sniffed. "I want to find the one responsible for this…," he said grimly and determined.

"I know…," Logan replied and got up after his friend had done it. He already knew what Peter would ask of him before the man had even turned around.

"You can track that person, right?"

Exactly what Logan had expected. "Only if they don't cover their scents…" He watched how Parker walked around one of the beds and grabbed the sheet under which MJ lay.

"Try it!" he almost begged and pulled the sheet aside, just to make a quick step backwards. He couldn't look at her badly beaten body and even less at the gashes and wounds the claws had left. "Please…"

Logan on the other hand took the view in and his mind had begun to analyze and judge the situation right after the body had been exposed. The way MJ looked it really gave the impression as if either he or Daken had done this. He knew his claws would fit the gashed perfectly. With a grim look on his face he stepped closer. Another thing besides funerals that he hated most was sniffing corpses. This too unlocked memories he'd rather not have. Nevertheless, Logan sniffed and felt Parker's eyes on him.

"And?" he asked hopefully and knew the frown of the feral's face only meant bad news. Before he could ask Logan had activated his comm device and what he heard shocked him even more than finding the two bodies in his house…


"What did you just say?" Steven asked.

"I said it's a shapeshifter or somethin'. This ain't MJ," Logan's growl replied through the speaker. "The kid doesn't smell like theirs too. Someone made it look like it, but there's no scent that could tell us who did it." In the tower he looked up and watched how Peter stared at the bodies in front of him. He knew that the man had just received another big shock… "It can't have been one of the clones either. They can't cover their scents," he went on and looked at the wounds more closely, his mind working quickly. "It was definitely a set up…" He closed the connection and looked at Peter, who still stared at him in deep shock and he knew the man had trouble understanding anything. "Look, we've t'go back t'the mansion, 'kay? Yer not safe!"

"But…," Parker stuttered and looked at the two bodies. "If that's not them…, then…"

Logan sighed and walked over to lay a hand on his shoulder. "I dunno, but we're gonna find'em."


When Logan reached the mansion again and led Peter Parker to where he picked up on the others, he was greeted by Jean, who had been watching over the children with her father. "Good that you're back," she said and hugged him. "Hello, Peter," she added and gave him a weak smile.

"Why? Did somethin' happen?" Logan asked and had his brows furrowed.

"You can say that." She nodded and looked down the corridor. "Daken nearly killed a friend of Steven after this one had attacked him verbally. Or better said…indirectly, since he meant you with what he said."

"Which friend?" he grunted and followed her to Charles's office, but as soon as he saw who that friend was, his eyes instantly narrowed. "'f course it's him…"

"Not nice to see you too, Wolverine," Robert spat and met the feral with the same hatred in his eyes as this one greeted him with. "Oh, and your son… Very nice guy. Like father, like son, eh?"

Only glaring at him, Logan looked at Steven and nodded at his teammate. "What's he doin' here?"

"He made sure we weren't being watched," the Cap replied and crossed his arms while heaving a deep breath. "So? What do you think?"

"I need Daken t'be here, Chuck," the feral demanded and received a nod.

"I doubt he will come here voluntarily, Logan. Not after the outburst before. And I can't access his mind either…" He looked thoughtful into the round until his eyes fell on one of his X-Men. "Would you go and talk to him, please?" he asked and all eyes turned into the direction he was looking at.

"Why me?" Jean-Paul asked and looked at him in confusion, even more so as the Professor just smiled.

"Because, Jean, I doubt he will be willing to talk to anyone of us at all."

"Same here, Professor. He won't listen to me too."

"I don't think so," Charles disagreed. "You are probably the only one he has at least a bit of respect for. Go to him and tell him that his father just has a question for him, that's all."

Logan huffed. "Yeah, he'll sure as hell listen t'that…"

"Would you, please?" the Professor said and watched how Jean-Paul shook his head but left in the next moment.

Logan leant against the wall and watched the Sentry silently. He disliked the man deeply and it wasn't a secret to anyone with eyes that this feeling was mutual. Still he wondered what the man could have said that had made Daken snap… "What did ya say t'him?"

Robert shrugged and shot him a deadly look. "I just wondered what kind of woman would let a guy like you climb on top of her…"

"He said ferret," Ororo corrected him and Logan could tell that she disliked him too, still he began to boil within. "But Daken actually snapped because he saw it as an insult to his mother…"

"I'd watch my mouth, if I were ya," Logan growled and the Sentry gave a brief laugh.

"Or you do what, Wolverine? Beat me up? Scratch me?"

Stopping in front of him, Logan narrowed his eyes. "Try me," he hissed and both men began to stare each other down. "I could give ya a matchin' scar on yer other brow for a start, how about that?"

"Logan…," Jean said calmly and tried to pull him away. "Just leave it." When he made a step back and gave her a brief nod, she withdrew her hand and shot an angry look at the Avenger. "And just for your information," she said and turned to face Robert, who began to furrow his brows at her and tried to figure out who she was and what she wanted of him. His eyes took in her beauty and he definitely liked the way she looked, especially her best two arguments. "I'm that kind of woman that lets him gladly climb on top of her!" Jean concluded proudly and turned to join her husbands's side again, heard him chuckling while Robert gave her a surprised look.

"What a waste…," the man said and looked aside when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I think that's enough," the Cap said and gave him a warning look. "We need to think about what to do."

"Agreed!" Parker nodded impatiently and was still leaning against the wall. "What's taking that guy so long?!" he asked impatiently as the door finally opened and, to everyone's not-surprise, Jean-Paul returned alone.

"Do you want me to use nicer words or his exact words?" he asked Logan, who rolled his eyes and Northstar shrugged. "Well…," he began and didn't bother to close the door behind him, "his exact words were that we can rod in hell and if you wanted to talk to him, you'd have to crawl on your knees and even then he wouldn't give a fucking shit about you…" He shrugged apologetically. "Oh, and before he told me to fuck off and slammed the door shut he added something like, if you dared to enter his room, he'd…"

"I heard what he said," Logan grunted and shot him an angry look.

"Good, because I don't want to repeat that," Jean-Paul said and sat back down, just to give the feral a confused look. "Where are you going now?"

"Enterin' his room," Logan growled and stomped out of the room, not caring that the man cursed.

"Hey, you should go with him!"

"Why?" Scott asked.

"Just do it!" Jean-Paul said.

Jean sighed and left first. She could already hear the two men arguing as if there was no tomorrow and heard a door being slammed shut. She cringed. "Logan, don't snap…," she begged mentally and saw him leaning against the door, head lowered and his arms supporting his weight.

"I need ya t'listen t'me…," she heard him saying calmly, but he had hardly said it as Daken already barked threats from the inside. "Just listen, damn it!"

"Fuck off!" his son yelled through the closed door and was ready to fight whoever dared to enter on the inside. He was pissed and was fighting hard to remember what his master had taught him. He was not the same animal his father was, he was better, he was in control… His nostrils flared as Logan pushed the door open and he extracted his claws as a warning. "Get out!"

"No, not before ya listened t'me!" Logan insisted and had a hand raised to show him that he meant no harm.

"I don't care about what you say, don't you get that?" Daken snarled and ignored that Scott and Northstar now arrived at the door too, while Jean was not to be seen. "I don't give a shit about you!"

"This ain't about me, it's about ya!" Logan growled and could tell that the control of the situation was quickly getting out of his hands. The wave of hatred that hit him was way stronger than he had expected. "Look…let me try t'help ya!"

"Help me?!" his son asked and came slowly closer, fists clenched and claws at the ready. "You think I need help?!"

The closer Daken came, the more Logan backed off. He knew he had to chose his words very carefully now, since he didn't want to fight him. "Someone knew ya were sent t'assassinate'em'n this someone's after ya now," he tried to explain quickly but could tell that his son couldn't care less. Since Daken was still approaching and had a murderous look in his eyes that even made his hairs on the neck stand up, he backed further off.

"Think I care?"

"Ya should."

"Well I don't," Daken shrugged arrogantly. "I'm better than them." He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "I'm better than you too. If they can't touch you, they can't touch me. So why should I care?"

Scott huffed and shook his head at such arrogance. "Logan," he said and met his teammates eyes as he looked at him, "if he doesn't get it and thinks he's the best there's, let him! He doesn't want help, so he should deal with it on his own. Obviously he believes he can."

Logan thought this briefly over before he turned back towards Daken. He didn't want to go down that road, had sworn to never attack his family but he knew there was no other way. "So ya thin yer better than I am?" he asked provokingly and crossed his arms. "I mean look at ya… Do ya call those muscles?" As he had expected, Daken tensed growling and narrowed his eyes. "Ya couldn't even beat me when my hands were secured on my back, kid." Even if he didn't want to he began to stare his opposite down, thought about what he could possibly do to get some sense into his kid, but Daken made the choice he didn't want to make.

"Outside. Now!" his son growled and turned to leave, claws retracted but his muscles were tensed in anger.

"What's going on?" Scott, who hadn't heard what Daken has snarled, asked as Logan with Daken next to him walked down the corridor and towards the backdoor, both with a determined and dark look on their faces.

"Nothin'!" Logan grunted and pushed the door open, disappeared behind it with Daken.

Frowning, Scott stopped at the window and watched how both men came to a halt in the middle of the garden, a few meters between them and stared each other down. "What are they…," he began to asked himself as Daken threw his shirt aside, revealing his tattooed and muscular body, while Logan did the same. "Shit!" the man cursed and turned around to look at the others. "Professor?" he asked and looked for the man.

"Yes, Scott?" came the reply in his head.

"We're in trouble. Logan and Daken are on the outside and I think they'll start a fight!"

"I'll be right there," Charles said, sounding urgent all of a sudden.

"Thanks," Scott replied and stopped on the terrace where he waited for the others.

In the meanwhile Daken glared at his father and flexed his wrists. No one dared to talk to him like that and he'd be damned if he let him do it. "I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!" he snarled and went into an attacking stance that was mimicked by Logan.

"Vhat's going on?" Kurt asked and looked around the room, trying to figure out what had caused any trouble. Next to him stood Remy, ready with some cards in his hands, Norhstar and they were followed by Hank and Ororo.

"What's wrong?" the weather goddess asked breathlessly.

Scott pointed behind him. "They obviously came to the agreement that killing each other will do just fine…"

"Killing who?" John asked and stopped next to Ororo with Narya and Jean next to him.

"Oh no!" the redhead said and was out of the door in the next second, the other close by. "Logan!"

"Stay outta this, Jean!" her husband growled and still glared daggers at his son, who returned the favor.

"What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" they heard Charles asking from afar and he wheeled closer. "This is a school and we have more important things to deal with right now!"

"And this will be settled now!" Daken growled and cracked his knuckles, while his father did the same with his neck. "So stay out of this, old man."

"Logan!" Jean said warningly but could tell that she was ignored completely.

"Ya think yer as good as I am, huh?" Logan asked, remaining in a crouched position as they began to encircle each other.

"No, I'm better, old man!" Daken spat and clenched his fists, growling when his father gave him a smirk. "I was chosen."

"I won't hold back, kid! Not this time," he warned. "Ya might be younger, but I've the experience. 119 years, 41 years, do the math…" Logan smirked satisfied when the reaction was another growl. He knew he soon had his son where he wanted him to be. "I mean… All ya did so far was fightin' with yer claws. Ya don't know how t'fight like a real man, eh, kid?" To emphasis his provocation his smirk turned into an arrogant grin and Logan added a wink, which made Daken finally snap.

"I'm NOT a kid!" the younger man barked and leapt at his father, who had expected the reaction and quickly grabbed Daken's approaching fists. Using the speed of the younger man, Logan twisted his arm while stepping aside and sent Daken to the ground next.

"See?" he mocked, but remained in a position that would prepare him for any attack. He was determined to hold back and let him work off his rage as good as possible before he'd try to talk to him again. He knew it was useless to try now as angry as the younger man was…

"Can't you stop them?" Scott asked Jean and winced when Daken landed a hard hit, blood immediately flowing out of the wound above Logan's right eye, but his healing factor took care of it in the next second. He could only shake his head since Logan was hardly doing anything, whereas Daken wasn't holding back at all. He was now attacking his father viciously and with every technique he knew of. He only waited for one of them to turn completely feral and extract the claws.

"Don't do it!" he heard John saying next to him and gave him a surprised look.

"Are you nuts?" Scott asked him.

"Logan has a plan or something. He'd fight back if he hadn't… And it's in their nature to do this," the man explained without taking his eyes from the fight. "The grown-up son challenges his father for dominancy. That's what the fight is mostly about. Logan knows this… That's why he's provoking Daken into losing control."

"Does that mean…," Jean said and a brief Gods… escaped her lips when Daken sent Logan backwards against a tree with a hard roundhouse kick and she put the tree back together with her powers, "that I have to watch Logan beating up our sons as soon as they are adults?"

"Hell no!" John said incredulously and shook his head in disbelief that she even thought about something like that. "Am I fighting him for dominancy? No! Daken's different… As full of hatred as he is…" He gritted his teeth, a hiss escaping him, as Daken landed a very hard hit by combining three kicks, but saw that the man didn't reckon with Logan reacting to it with a quick butterfly kick. "Mind to explain something to me, Jean?"

"What?" she asked and looked up at him.

"How can Logan move this fast and do those jumps and kicks with all the metal in his body? I mean we're faster than normal humans by nature, but…" He shook his head. "Not like this…"

Ducking, Logan frowned as Daken was suddenly not in front of him anymore. He only saw a shadow moving as a fist met the side of his head and the shadow turned into a few stars dancing in front of his eyes soon after wards. As soon as he had turned into the direction the hit had come from, he was already kicked into the back and landed on his knees with a surprised gasp. He wondered how his son could be that fast and how he did it. Wolverine began to growl as Daken put his arm around his father's throat and tensed his muscles to strangle him.

The younger man watched how Logan's eyes switched from hazel to black and back, knew what it meant and snorted in disgust. "Look at you," he snarled and twisted harder. "You're an animal, always been one. A shame for our race!"

"No!" Charles said as Jean wanted to intervene.

"But…"

"Daken is unfocused, "he told her and concentrated further. "His mind is open at the moment, let me read it to see what I can do…"

Concerned, the redhead watched how Daken went on strangling Logan, who was still motionless on his knees. "Why is he not fighting back?!" she asked aloud and looked aside when Charles opened his eyes in surprise. "What did you see?"

"Something…more than surprising…," he replied and frowned at both men. "Something really surprising…"

"Fight back, damn it!" Daken suddenly barked furiously and kicked his adversary to the ground. "You fucking coward!"

Northstar, who was surprised to see this much hatred, looked at Ororo next to him, who watched the scene in shock. "Why does he hate Logan so much?! I mean he's his father!"

"Because he believes that Logan murdered his mother when she was still pregnant with him," Hank explained in a low voice and kept his eyes on the fight. He shook his head as Daken landed another hit and Logan still didn't do anything. "Charles…"

"Look at Logan's eyes…," Narya suddenly said and frowned. "It seems as if he's not really here."

"What do you mean with that?" Scott asked her.

"That he…keeps himself in a trance-like state," John replied and tried to figure out why. "It's like meditating."

"Well, he does that everyday… But why in the middle of a serious fight?!"

"Damned, if I know…," the feral mumbled as Logan suddenly lashed out with his claws and left three deep gashes on his son's leg. "That…wasn't planned."

Daken, who stared at the wound in shock, began to growl and extracted his claws. "You son of a bitch!" he barked and, not caring that Logan was obviously shocked about what he's done, used his claws to cut open his father's throat and stomach. "You're going to…," he began and raised his claws as Logan, who knelt before him and held his still bleeding throat, looked up.

"Pay?" this one finished and nodded. "Well, go ahead then. Kill me for murderin' yer mother."

Taken aback by this, Daken hesitated for a moment, which gave the other feral time to leap at his son, but before he could even reach him everything around him turned black.

When he opened his eyes again he found himself sitting against a tree, the sun stood high and he began to wonder where those cherry blossom trees suddenly came from. As he got slowly up and looked around, he thought his heart would stop beating instantly as he recognized where he suddenly was. Still, he couldn't remember that he had gone back to this place in his mind again, as he had done during the fight with his son to keep Wolverine down… Confused, Logan walked over to the small pond and looked at his reflection in it as a cherry blossom landed on the surface. He looked up, took the beauty of the trees in and noticed that the wind was playing with the leaves, but he didn't feel it on his skin. His hazel eyes looked around once more. The pond and trees had been his favorite spot at Jasmine Falls next to the waterfall. And he knew why he always chose to go back here inside of his head when times were tough. He'd been the happiest at this time and in this village before Jean…. He'd been a man and not an animal here, had been welcomed and accepted by others…, hadn't been the outsider he was everywhere else… Had a home…

Knowing what would happen, Logan closed his eyes sadly and lowered his head. His heart beat a constant and fast thudthudthud in its adamantium cage and he took another deep breath before he dared to turn slowly around. His chest instantly became heavy as he saw her walking up to him, the dark rosé colored kimono hugging her body perfectly, her long raven black and silky hair reflected the sunlight, while her nearly black and gentle eyes seemed to look directly at him. Still, he knew what would happen and closed his eyes as she walked through him, just to kneel down at the pond to drink some water.

"Don't go t'the house…," Logan begged in a whisper as she got up, brushed her hair back with one hand and touched the noticeable bulge that was her stomach with a smile, before she began to walk up the small hill to the single wooden house, which he had built with his own hands decades ago. Unable to move, Logan watched how she aimed straight for it and, against his better judgment, began to run after her in hope he could stop her from entering the house. He had nearly reached her and his hand reached out to grab her arm, as she was already inside and…

"NO!" Logan yelled in agony as the gunshot could be heard, didn't notice that the sun had disappeared to be replaced by a moon and stormed into the house next just to freeze on the spot, his eyes wide in terror…

"It wasn't your fault, Logan," Charles said and stood right in front of his X-Man, who stared at him with widened eyes and was breathing hard. "You didn't kill Itsu…"

"W…what…?!" Logan began and turned around, just to see that it was night all of a sudden.

The Professor lowered his eyes briefly before he looked at the man again. He knew what he was doing and what this would do to the feral. "I know you go back to Jasmine Falls in your head when you meditate or when you try to calm down. It's where you've been at peace, where you've been happy. Itsu and your life with her is your most cherished memory next to Jean and your children…, but you didn't kill her, Logan! It wasn't your fault."

Distraught, Logan looked up at him, tears clearly visible in his eyes and his face tensed. "It was, Chuck…," he replied, his voice hoarse.

"No, it wasn't!" Charles insisted and made another step towards him. "You loved her with all your heart. You tried so hard to be the honorable man she deserved to have and you were so happy when she told you that she was expecting your child…" He paused when the feral closed his eyes and turned his head away from him in pain. "Why are you blaming yourself for her death, Logan?!"

"Coz it's been my fault!" Logan hissed and glared at him, a tear running down his cheek. "I put the death sentence on her by loving her… If I had kept away from her, she wouldn't have been murdered!" His eyes switched to the side as a person he knew well suddenly appeared in the room. He frowned in confusion.

"It wasn't you who killed her, Logan," Charles said calmly and he, too, looked at the person. "Romulus gave the order to murder your wife."

Logan still stared at the person in shock, felt how missing pieces began to fill the puzzle. "Bucky…killed her?!" he asked and was breathing hard. When the room began to spin he sat down on the ground and held his head.

Having watched him, Charles joined him on the floor. "He did it under mind control, Logan… He didn't know what he was doing," he explained calmly and thought about how far he could still go without risking that the feral would lose it. "It was Romulus who murdered Itsu and it was also him who stole Daken from his dying mother's womb. No one else is to blame! Least of all you!" He wanted to reach out and comfort his X-Man, knew in how much stress and agony Logan was in. "Logan…"

"Why are ya doin' this t'me, Chuck?!" the feral demanded to know, his voice pained and he sniffed. "I don't want t'see this!"

"It's not you I want this to see, Logan…," the Professor replied and Logan's head jerked around. His eyes widened in shock as he realized that Daken was standing next to him, eyes as wide as his father's.

"What's he doin' here?!"

"The miraculous thing about your son is that he is in much more control over his feral nature than you, Logan. But as soon as he gets close to you, he loses every control he has and opens his mind," Charles explained with a look at Daken. "Jasmin Falls is where you go to find peace, Logan, and where your son goes to fuel his rage and hate for you."

Breathing hard, Daken made a step back and shook his head. "You're lying! Those are lies," he said over and over again before he lashed out with his claws, just to realize that they went directly through the Professor.

"That won't work, Daken. This here is a construct I was able to create due to both of you thinking about the same event," the bald man told him and noticed the terror and confusion in the younger man's eyes. "Your father didn't murder your mother, child."

"He murdered my mother!" Daken growled at him before he turned to face his father, who watched him warily. "You murdered her and left me alone is this goddamn world!" he barked at him in rage. "Because of you I was raised as a mongrel, you son of bitch!"

"You know that this isn't the truth, Daken!" the Professor said and joined Logan's side, knowing that the man had no strength left in him at the moment. "Your father loved your mother and would have rather sacrificed himself than losing her and you! It was Romulus who murdered her and it was Romulus who stole you away from…"

"Stop telling me what I know!" Daken yelled at him and turned away from both of them to bury his face I his hands. "Don't tell me…," he added in barely more than a whisper and dropped to his knees, his breathing still coming too fast. Lost, he looked around the room and his eyes fell on the door. "I want out of here…"

"Then go. The door is open," Charles shrugged and watched how the man looked at it. "I told you that you are our guest. You can leave whenever you want…" Closing his eyes, he concentrated for a moment and soon the village disappeared and they were back in the garden. He exchanged a brief look with Jean, who was the only one from the rest of the group who had witnessed everything, then looked at Logan and Daken, who were both lying unconscious on the ground and woke up.

"What did you do?" Scott asked the Professor and looked at the two ferals again that were now standing and gave each other odd looks. He didn't know what to make out of it. First both had dropped motionlessly to the ground, then the Professor had been unresponsive and Jean had suddenly begun to cry… And now Logan looked as if he'd just been on an emotional rollercoaster with a bad ending, while Daken didn't seem to know what to do. "What happened?!"

Logan looked away from his son as this one turned his back on him and stared at the grass, still feeling the pain deep within him. He knew he'd just lost the battle for his eldest as this one began to walk away from them. In the end, the Professor had been right. He was their guest and not their prisoner. Sighing, he ran a hand over his face and kept his eyes closed. He refused to look at anyone else before he'd built up a wall again that would protect him from further emotional hurt. Especially the one that came with it when he thought about Daken leaving… He knew he had failed Itsu once more…

"Tell me about her," Logan heard Daken suddenly saying and turned his head in surprise. From his son's demeanor and since the man was keeping his eyes on the ground, he guessed that it had cost him much to even ask for it.

"How about I show ya?" Logan asked in return and received a frown from his son first, before they were back at the pond with the cherry blossoms falling onto the surface and the wind playing with the leaves. Once more the sun stood high and the place looked peaceful.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Ororo asked and looked around, being as confused as the other X-Men.

"Vhere are ve?!" Kurt asked next as his wife suddenly froze and seemed to stare at something behind him. Confused, he turned just to witness something he didn't understand. "Vho is she?"

"Daken's mother…," Jean told them calmly and in a monotone voice.

"Damn, she's beautiful, non?" Remy commented and watched how the woman walked over to the pond. "Remy understand w'y da Wolverine 'as fallen for da belle petité… Elle est très belle…"

Scott rolled his eyes at the remark and crossed his arms as he watched how Logan gave the Japanese woman a sad look, almost avoided looking at her at all, while Daken stared at her speechlessly, his chest rising and falling heavily which once more gave the expression that his tribal tattoo was moving. He was surprised that the man was able to show emotions in the end…

While his heart was beating triple rhythms in his chest the younger feral's eyes glued on the approaching woman and his eyes tried to take as much in as possible. He'd never seen his mother before, not even on pictures and had always wondered what she had looked like. Now that he saw her for the first time after all that years of imagining it, he didn't know what to do or say. Insecurely, he made a step forward as she had almost reached him and wondered why she wasn't looking at him. "Okasan…?" he said in his native tongue and tried to touch her, was surprised as his hand went right trough her. Disappointed and angry he clenched his fists and glared at his father. "That's not enough!"

"It's all I can give ya…," Logan replied and looked at Itsu once more when she knelt down to drink the water again. "It's only a memory. I don't have anythin' else left from her." Thinking about his words, he looked up and at his son. "Except ya…"

"Then…," Daken began, desperate for more information about his origin. "Then give me another memory! I want to hear her voice!"

"Don't do this!" Logan said almost pleadingly and looked away, as a strong hand grabbed his arm and turned him back around.

"Please!" his son begged to his great surprise and he sighed heavily.

Logan held his opposite's gaze and realized there was the same pained expression in Daken's eyes that he probably wore himself. He didn't want to go back and witness once more what he kept locked away deep inside of him. Especially not when Jean was close by. He knew she was probably already hurt enough after getting to know what he thought of during meditation… But still he was also aware of the fact that his son deserved to know who his mother was… With a heavy heart he nodded weakly and allowed the Professor to use the memory he came up with. Soon his surroundings began to change once more and he found himself back in his house at Jasmine Falls, knew it was winter and thought he could feel the fire that was burning in the fire place to heat the room. He remembered how Itsu and he had lain in bed, on the ground as it had been typical during that time in Japan and was still common in some places as far as he knew, and cuddled with each other. He had been at peace back then, had worn an eye patch after Cyber had gorged out his eye and went under the name Patch after most people had started calling him that, but she and the villagers knew him as Logan. As he raised his head to watch the scene he felt his heart clenching painfully. His other self was clearly in love with the woman next to him and occupied with stroking through her long black hair, while she rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying his caressing. He still remembered how long it had taken her to get used to him not being like Japanese men at that time. How embarrassed she had been every time he had helped her with something in the house, because it simply wasn't common.

Logan watched how Daken's eyes were fixed on his mother and how he took everything in the woman was doing saying. His eyes switched back to his former wife and heard how she told his other self the news that had changed his life on that day. He'd been shocked first, but had felt incredibly happy right afterwards as he got to know that he'd be a father soon. Unable to take it anymore, Logan slammed the connection to the Professor shut and ran a hand over his face and through his hair. He definitely had enough…

"Do you still believe it's us that lie to you?" Charles asked Daken after a long moment of silence and held the man's glare. "They do to you what they intended to do to your father, Daken. They shaped you into the weapon they wanted him to be and they are still controlling you!"

"No!"

Charles sighed. "I have seen it in your head, child. Whoever Romulus is, he made you go through exactly the same as your father and that from your childhood on…"

Daken shook his head. "Not true!"

"Fine. Then let me show you," the Professor replied, his face grim and before one of the two feral could say something the garden around them disappeared once more, but when Logan realized what kind of memory the telepath was using, he paled.

"NO!" he said aloud and turned to look at Charles with horror in his eyes.

"You told me you'd do whatever necessary to set your son's mind straight, Logan," this one replied. "As much as it pains me, but you'll understand why this is necessary."

But the feral shook his head. "Not this! I want out!" he protested, panting, and sounded almost begging. Nevertheless, he could already hear people arguing loudly and his worst nightmare began…

As his eyes grew wider, John made a step forward in shock. He had instantly recognized the walls of the corridor they were standing in. There was no way he'd ever forget about them, no matter how long ago it had been. But he already began to fear what he knew he'd see… While his brother stood frozen on the spot, his face full of terror and looked desperately for a way out, his eyes looked at the people that suddenly became visible and he made a step back. "No… Not this…," he whispered more to himself than the others and watched how his father, who wore a nightgown, demanded to know from the gardener, who carried a shotgun and was accompanied by a boy with the same weapon, what he was doing in his house, whereas his mother stood next to the gardener and did nothing. The whole situation soon escalated and he wanted to intervene as the gardener hit his father with the weapon. He watched the man laying on the ground and wiping the blood from his mouth, before he replied to the threats that were uttered and soon looked at the end of the shotgun. He heard his mother pleading Thomas to stop, asked himself who the girl with the red hair was and had hardly turned his head to the door, where his tired brother appeared to ask what was wrong, as the gun went off and huge amounts of blood left the back of his father's head, who landed dead on the floor next.

John felt how his heart began to race while he was terribly cold from the inside. His whole body shook as he watched how his younger brother ran to their father's body in shock and pleaded him under tears to say something and get up, to tell him what was wrong, as the gardener's son was ordered to silence him by his father. The whole situation escalated further as his brother lashed out at Dog, who dropped screaming to his knees and held his bloody face, before James jumped screaming at the gardener, who kicked him to the ground and was about to shoot him, as he realized that his shirt was suddenly soaked with blood.

His eyes went from the dead body to his brother once more, heard him uttering an animal-like scream before he stared at his hands in shock, not knowing what had happened, nor remembering anything of it. John's eyes narrowed in hatred when he heard how the boy begged his mother to tell him what was wrong, who those people were and where his father was, just to be hit by her.

"Mama, please, no! I behaved, I promise!" James begged, tears still running down his cheeks and tried to reach her, as he had to duck when his mother threw a vase at him. "I love you, Mama!"

"Get away from me, you monster!" Elizabeth Howlett barked and grabbed the next object to throw it at him, ignored his pleas to stop and was still not satisfied as a candleholder hit him. "You're not my son! You're a monster…an animal!" she barked and the next object she threw hit the mirror behind him, which burst. "Get out of this house, you damned abortion!" she added even louder and still didn't stop throwing things at him, after he had already fled.

"This is horrible…," Narya said next to him and shook her head in disgust with tears in her eyes. She watched how the little redhead spoke to the woman and ran after James, while Elizabeth knelt down next to Thomas and stroked over his face. She could neither understand what she was saying to the man nor to the boy afterwards, before she walked over to the shotgun and aimed it right at her head.

The gun had barely went off as they were suddenly standing in rain in the middle of the night and watched how a boy with a black mohawk was arguing with a Japanese man. Since they spoke Japanese, no one of them could understand it first, but the Professor changed it.

"You are no longer part of this family. I disown you of the name Akihiro," the man said in a strict voice and looked down at the boy in disgust and disappointment.

"Akihiro isn't my real name anyway!" Daken barked furiously and had his fists clenched and teeth bared. "It has never been my name!"

"You murderer!" a Japanese woman suddenly barked behind the man and stormed towards Daken with a shotgun in her hand.

Surprised about the sudden attack, the boy raised his arms and tried to push her away as she suddenly dropped to the ground. Shocked, Daken stared at his bloody hands and the three black claws that were suddenly visible. He didn't hear how his foster father cried out in sorrow and held his now dead wife in his arms, nor noticed that the man got up to take the gun himself and point it at the confused boy.

"Father, no!" Daken begged, his body still shaking and made a carefully step back.

Panting, the man aimed the gun at the boy but lowered it in the end. "I'm too weak. I can't to it…," he said in barely more than a whisper and regret, paused for a moment before he aimed the weapon at his head and shot himself with it.

The scene changed again and the group was suddenly in the snowy mountains to watch how a very young Logan pulled the thin jacket he was wearing closer around himself and fought his way through the thick snow of a quarry. He kept his eyes to the ground, well aware of some of the men watching him again and knew they only waited for a chance to pick on him again. To them he was the weakest link in their chain and he did his best to get out of their way as much as possible. But since he hadn't been able to get done with his work in time, he'd been forced to work until way after midnight, was tired and hungry and could hardly walk anymore. His eyes constantly began to close as his exhaustion tried to take over, so he didn't notice how he ran into someone.

"The little slack-off again…," a man said and grabbed the boy by his collar to pull him easily up. "What are you staring at, huh?"

"N…nothing..," Logan stuttered and stared at his opposite with widened eyes.

"Nothin', huh? I'm sure you stared at my food," the man replied and pushed him away. "You hungry, kid?" he mocked and received a nod. "I asked you something, whelp!"

"Y…yes, sir," the boy replied and didn't like the smirk he was given at all. Before he was able to react, the man had grabbed him once more and was now dragging him towards one of the tiny cabins. "Let me go!"

"Hey, folks, our little fella here says he's hungry," the man said and pushed him into the room, just to close the door next. "A boy has to work to earn his share, don't you think?" he asked and winked at them.

Scared, Logan looked at each one of them and began to back off. His senses told him that he was in danger and needed to get away from here. "I…am not hungry anymore…"

"No?" another older man asked after he had gotten up from his stool and gave him the same dark smirk as the three others. He enjoyed how the boy backed further off in fear of him. "Why don't I believe that, runt?"

"Really," Logan panted and realized that they were forcing him into a corner without a way out. "I should go… Rose's probably waiting and…"

The third man laughed aloud. "Oh, you heard that? The damsel is waiting!" he mocked and grinned. "Does a pretty boy like you even know how to handle such a chick?" he asked and received a frown from the boy. He laughed. "As I thought…," he nodded and his hand wandered towards his belt. "Why don't you let your pretty mouth work down here. We still have enough food. If you're good enough we might give you some for your cousin too."

"W…what?!" Logan asked, his eyes wide and he tried to figure out what they wanted from him.

The men laughed. "Told ya the whelp never got some," one of them said and smirked. "Why don't we teach him, fellas? Then he's at least useful for one thing."

Logan watched in horror how they closed in on him, still not understanding what they were up to and pressed himself further against the wall. Desperate he looked for a way out and shrieked when one of the men suddenly grabbed him roughly.

"What's the matter, whelp? You're still standing," the man hissed and the two others closed in, clearly enjoyed the fear the boy was in. "You're hungry, aren't you? You've gotta work in order to get something. So better get started!"

"If you suck, runt," another one threatened him, "you'll face hell here, understood? A baby like you should go back where he came from, sucker! Do what we say or your days here are over. If you thought it was hell before, then just wait and see what we can do!"

Panting, Logan eyes switched to the third man as this one looked at him full of hatred. "I hate pretty boys like you who think they're something better, fucker! Just because the boss likes you, doesn't me we do, understood? Do what we say or we'll take good care of your cousin!" "No, leave her alone!"

"Did I allow you to speak?!" he asked angrily and raised his hand, but turned around as the door was slammed open.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Smitty demanded to know and his eyes took in the scene, stopped on the boy. "What are ya doing t'him?" he asked and came closer, his eyes scrutinizing each of them. "Did they hurt ya, kid?"

"No…," Logan replied calmly but his body shook in fear.

"We're just having fun, Smitty," one of the men said with a shrug. "Right, whelp?"

"I told ya t'leave Logan alone!"

"Hey, it was just a joke, alright boss?"

"Do I look like someone who's in the mood for jokes, bub?" Smitty grunted and glared at him, before he looked at the boy again. "Logan, come on. I'll take ya home."

"We've enough of the kid getting special treatment, Smitty!" one of the three men spoke up and earned a glare. "That kid is supposed to be 14 and looks like 10. This whelp keeps up slowing us down and it's our rations that get shorten because of him!"

"Ya think he gets special treatment, eh?" Smitty asked and crossed his arms. He gave Logan next to him a brief look and saw that he was still intimidated. He knew no matter what kind of questions he'd ask, the boy wouldn't tell him the truth about what had happened. "As far as I know you were caught napping, Joe. And Logan here worked until past after midnight, so who slows the group down?" he asked and turned to leave, put a protective hand to Logan's shoulder and closed the door behind them. "I told ya to stay away from'em, son and to take the longer route home. Do ya even realize what could have happened if I hadn't come by?"

"No…," Logan mumbled and stared at the ground as a hand touched his shoulder.

"Go home, eat and sleep," Smitty told him. "Rose has your ration." He turned to leave first but gave him a look over his shoulder. "It's 1 a.m., kid. If ya keep up working until that late, ya won't get outta bed at 5 a.m. Work faster and ya get the rest ya need."

Watching him leaving, Logan swayed a bit as his eyes closed for a moment. When he noticed the men at the window he began to run to his cabin.

Then suddenly they were back in Japan and saw a group of 6 Japanese boys standing around Daken, who tried to escape their hands. He landed on the ground several times as they kept on pushing and hitting him, didn't know who of them to attack first and getting angrier with every word they said.

"Hey, mongrel!" one of the boys kept on calling until Daken's eyes were on him. "Didn't mommy and daddy want you?"

"Yeah, I bet they didn't want Daken," another boy laughed.

"My name is not Daken! It's Akihiro!" Daken barked and clenched his fists in anger.

Laughing, the boys looked at him. "Maybe in your father's house, mongrel. To us you're Daken!" another boy mocked. "You're not Japanese, so you don't belong here!"

The scene changed and they were now standing in some kid of dark hall that was illuminated by fires here and there and used as a training room. They watched how Daken, who wasn't older as Logan before, tried to pull a heavy weight up an artificial hill, but failed since he was too weak to do so. As the rope tore and he fell to the ground, he watched in horror how the weight landed on the lower level and he lowered his head in exhaustion. He knew what would await him now and he wasn't let down as a whip slashed across his bare back. Knowing that it would get only worse, if he made the tiniest sound, he bit his lip hard and endured it. After the whipping stopped and his back was scarlet red with blood, he dared to look aside, saw how angry his trainer was.

"I told you to watch it, you useless thing!" the man barked. "Now get up and try again!"

"It's too heavy…," Daken said and was instantly hit once more.

"I said get up and try again! Now!" His trainer watched how the boy limped down the hill and took hold of the bit that was left over from the rope. "We won't stop before you've made it! Only the strong survive and you're weak!"

After they watched two more memories, the first showing how Cyber, dressed in military clothes, first beat Logan, who also wore military clothes, up until he lay motionlessly on the ground, and then did the same to Daken, who wore a newer version of said clothing, in the second memory, they were all back in the mansion's garden and noticed the dark looks Logan gave the Professor, who chose to ignore them.

"Do you now understand what I mean, Daken?" he asked with a look at the man, who kept his angry eyes on the ground. "They made you deliberately go through exactly the same as your father. They messed with your head and emotions to forge you into the weapon they needed. You know that your father isn't responsible for any of that, because it's you who has been there when your mother has been murdered. You're the only one who knows what has really happened," he went on and held the glare he was now given. "In fact I have never seen so much scar tissue in a mind before. Not even in your father's. In your mind is so much evidence of abuse and trauma, even more so than in Logan's and whoever did this to you had your memories distorted and your conscience cauterized, made sure that it can't be reversed by sealing it off behind a strong telepathic wall." Charles paused to let his words sink in. "I can help you set your mind straight, Daken. It's your choice." He sighed and leant back in his wheelchair as the feral just left wordlessly, watched how he shoved Captain America roughly out of his way before he disappeared in the mansion.

"What's gotten into him this time?" the man asked after reaching the group and frowned at Logan, who kept his back to the rest of them. "I just wanted you to know that Tony gave me a call just now. They found MJ and the baby, or better said S.H.I.E.L.D. did."

"So who was behind it?" Scott asked and crossed his arms.

"That's the point," Steven replied. "They said it's classified, so my bet is someone of them is behind this and hoped Peter would take out some of their wanted enemies. If that's the case, they can be sure we'll pay them a nice visit later on. Thanks for the help, Logan." He watched how his old friend gave him an odd look and just left. "What's wrong with him?"

"Charles went too far, that's wrong," Jean said angrily and moved to follow her husband.

"He agreed on it, Jean," the Professor stopped her and held her angry look. "He told me to do whatever it takes to talk some sense into Daken and allowed me to access his mind if necessary!"

"But not THIS memory, Charles!" she disagreed. "Never THIS memory!" Glaring at him, she turned and tried to find Logan, whereas Narya looked at John in concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked and reached out to touch his cheek, but he only nodded weakly in silence. Understanding him, she pulled him into a comforting embrace and stroked through his hair. "I'm sorry about your father. I have never seen something this horrible before…"

"And can you believe Logan had witnessed this?" Ororo asked and still felt like crying.

"I'd rather say…," Hank said with a grim look on his face, "can you believe how much the gardener looked like Logan…"

"Actually, I think…," Kurt spoke up and looked at each of them insecurely, "that Logan's father looked like Logan did on his vedding day vith the short hair…"

"Whatever…," Scott sighed and took off his glasses for a moment to rub his eyes. "It's already late…"

"Right and I don't understand a thing anyway," the Cap said and moved to go. "The invitation is still valid?"

"Of course," Charles smiled tiredly at him. "We'll have a barbeque again for Jean's birthday next Sunday."

"Then until then," the blonde nodded and wished them a good night before he left.

In silence the remaining X-Men returned to the mansion and locked down the school for the night. While the Professor, Remy, Scott and Hank went into one direction, Kurt, Ororo, Narya and John went upstairs to their rooms. "It's good you made up," the weather goddess said after watching Narya and John for a while.

"It was a misunderstanding," the blonde waved off and still held onto her lover's arm. They parted after reaching their room doors and she instantly embraced him once more, felt how much seeing this one particular memory must have hit him. Nevertheless, before she could say something a door was opened and Anna ran towards her.

"Narya!" the girl called happily and hugged her.

"Hey, sweetheart," the woman said and hugged her back. "You're still up?"

"I heard you! Are daddy and you no longer mad with each other?" the girl asked and looked to and fro between them.

"It was just a misunderstanding, baby," John tried to calm her and pulled her up into his arms. "And you should already be in bed."

"So she moves back in?" Anna asked excitedly and wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her back to her room.

"Of course I do," Narya smiled and reached out to stroke over her head. "Otherwise your father never finds his things, right?"

While John rolled his eyes playfully, his daughter nodded in agreement. "He misses his watch," the girl whispered in hope he wouldn't hear it. "But don't tell him I told you that!"

Giggling, the blond winked at her with a nod. "I won't," she whispered back.

"And now you'll sleep, alright?" John said after putting his daughter back into her bed and tucking her in. He leant down and kissed her on the cheek. "Love you."

"Love you too, daddy," Anna said and kissed him back while hugging her teddy.

"Sleep well," Narya smiled and kissed her too before she walked over to the door.

"I missed you," she heard the girl saying and her heart made a leap. "And daddy missed you too. He was cranky, you know?"

"I missed you two too, sweetheart," Narya smiled at her and switched off the light. "Good night," she added and closed the door behind her. She then walked over to the drawer and pulled a shirt out of it. "I'll take this for tonight, okay?" she asked John, who was coming out of the bathroom in briefs only. "I don't feel like packing up my things tonight. I'll do this tomorrow," she announced and went into the bathroom next. Afterwards she slipped under the covers next to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Will you be able to sleep?"

John shrugged. "Guess so…"

"Try to sleep, okay?" she said and placed a kiss to his lips before she switched off the lights and cuddled up. For a long while no one of them said anything. Narya just rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat, while he kept on stroking up and down her back. She knew he was thinking about something. "A penny for your thoughts…," she mumbled sleepily and shifted a bit.

"Do you still want a baby?" she heard him asking and was suddenly completely awake.

"W…what?!" Narya closed her eyes for a moment as he switched the lights on his side back on.

"I'm just thinking that…," he began and avoided her eyes, "everything that happened today made me realize how fast things can change or be over… We shouldn't waste time like this…"

When their eyes met she frowned. "But I thought…you don't really want a second child?"

"I didn't want one because I thought it might kill you," John said and looked at her. "You have no idea how often Anna keeps on asking me why everyone in this house has siblings but her, when we love each other. And…" He shrugged. "If it hasn't been my fault that Anne died,…why not give it a shot?"

Not knowing what else to do but kissing and hugging him, Narya did exactly that, until he turned them around and deepened the kiss.


"Thank you for watching them and bringing them to bed," Jean said and gave her father a weak smile, who only nodded in concern.

"Did something happen? Because Logan looked rather…off," he asked and heard her sighing.

"It's…complicated. I tell you tomorrow, okay?" she replied and ran a hand over her face. After wishing each other a good night, she locked their room door, made sure all windows were properly secured and the children and dogs were sleeping, before she went into the bedroom and gave Logan a worried look. Jean knew that when he curled up on the bed that he was far from feeling well and after witnessing his memories, she couldn't blame him. Quickly, she undressed and changed for the night, then lay down behind him and tried to comfort him somehow. She knew that stroking over his skin or through his hair would help him as much as embracing him did at the moment, namely not at all. And she also knew that he wouldn't talk about his thoughts and feelings either, just like he always did. Still, and to her great surprise, Logan turned in her arms, pulled her as close as possible and hid his face on her neck. While Jean kept her eyes closed and her arms firmly around him, she used her powers to rock him gently, nevertheless, it didn't take long until she felt how her neck got slowly wet…


In his room, Daken lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, his arms crossed behind his head. His mind kept on replaying the memories he had seen, asked himself if they were true or only supposed to fool him further. What if his life was one big lie? What if everything he had believed in was wrong and the Professor had shown him the truth? What if they were lying to him in hope he would led them to his master, who was probably still angry with him for what he had done…? Sighing in annoyance, he turned his head and looked out of the open window, saw the moon and concentrated on it to prevent any further thoughts. A knock at the door didn't surprise him at all. He had long heard and smelled the person coming. Still, he wanted to be left alone and remained silent, but to his luck the door was slowly opened and he turned his head to glare at the intruder.

"You left your shirt in the garden," Jean-Paul said, closed the door behind him and went over to the stool that stood next to the bed. He watched Daken, who was once more staring at the moon for a while. "I'm sorry for what you've been through… Are you alright?" he asked and received a cocked eyebrow.

"What?!" Daken asked and thought he hadn't heard right.

"I asked if you're alright?" Jean-Paul replied and tilted his head a bit. "It's what people usually ask other people, you know?" he added and looked at the man. "But you're right. It was a stupid question. After seeing those memories, I wouldn't be fine either…" He heaved a deep breath and ran his hand over his face, thought about what to do. "You shouldn't be alone, you know?"

"What do you care?" Daken growled and rolled over so that his back was now to the X-Men. "People never cared, so there's no need to start with it now!" Angrily, he glared at the wall and waited for the door to be shut again. But instead the bed moved as another weight was added. "You really have a death wish, don't you?" he snapped and turned quickly around to bare his teeth at the intruder. "Get the fuck out this room!"

"No, I won't, because I know how irrational your dad can be if he gets depressed."

"I'm not depressed and don't you dare comparing me to this son of a bitch! I'm not like him!"

"You're more like him than you want," Northstar replied seriously. "And I think that's why you hate him. Because you are like him and don't want to be. Or you don't know who to blame for what happened to you, so you pick the easiest target, which happens to be Logan. But I know that even you shouldn't deal with the events from today alone, alright?" Seeing how Daken was confused, he used his chance and pulled him into a comforting embrace, reckoned with the man stabbing him right there, but nothing happened. And he knew why… "I know you're not used to people caring about you… But trust me, even people like your dad and you can't live all by themselves. Why won't you give us a chance?" he asked him in a calm voice, but there was no reply…

So sorry for the long wait but I had exams until last week and on Monday my internship at a local kindergarten begins. I'll try to update as soon as I can. I have to write another essay and a paper for two classes, but I should be able to update soon, hopefully. Thanks to all reviewers!! The wishes will be included as soon as they fit into the story. As I said, I haven't forgotten about them. ; ) Can't wait for next Sunday and watching Hugh hosting the Oscars. : ) I'm so excited! Please let me know what you think about this chapter and your ideas of what will happen next!! See ya!!