Many hours had passed when Jean's eyes finally opened once again, though how many she did not know. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard; it was three a.m. She had been sleeping for four hours. Yawning and stretching her arms above her head as best she could, Jean glanced over at Logan, whose eyes were still locked on the road ahead of him, not a trace of sleepiness to be found.
He smiled when she laid her head back against the headrest. "Feeling better, Sleeping Beauty?"
She grinned and nodded emphatically. "Mmm hmmm."
"We're about two hours away, now," he told her, laughing suddenly as a thought passed through his eyes. "Lilli woke up 'bout an hour ago and asked me when we would be at Grandpa's house, when I told her, she just smiled, said, 'good' and then passed back out. Funniest thing I ever saw."
Jean laughed aloud. It never ceased to amaze her how Charlotte could wake from so deep a slumber perfectly coherent, and then simply return to sleep as quickly as she had awakened. "She's so excited about seeing Charles for the first time. He'll be thrilled at her." Suddenly a deep melancholy settled over Jean's heart. Logan seemed to sense it, as he took one hand from the wheel and grasped her hand tightly. She squeezed his hand hard, fighting back tears.
Logan sighed deeply, reading her thoughts. "He'll understand, Jeannie," he said softly, his eyes glancing over and locking on hers. His reassurance meant the world to Jean, and she could see the confidence residing in his dark eyes. He believed the Professor would understand why they had to do what they did, so she let herself believe it, too. "The others, though, I'm not so sure. Especially Scott, he won't understand at first, but he will. Hell, if I have to, I'll make him understand. Don't you worry that pretty little head." Logan smiled and returned his concentration to the road before him.
Taking a calming breath, Jean allowed her eyes to slip shut. Logan was right, it did her no good to worry. Her reasons were justified in her mind, the precious child sleeping softly in the backseat being physical proof. Yet, she knew that it wouldn't be easy for them to accept her reasons for staying away so long, letting them believe that she and Logan had died that day at the Lake. Hard times lay ahead, mentally and emotionally, but armed with her confidence in her family and in the unceasing, undying support of her husband, she would survive. It would take time, but old wounds would heal, and the X-men would be stronger than ever. Her mind at ease once again, Jean soon fell back to sleep.
The next time she woke was when Logan had called her name, telling her they were almost there. The first sight she had seen when she looked out the windshield was the front gate of the School. Her heart began racing with both excitement and nervousness.
"It'll be okay, Red," Logan said as he pulled the car to a stop at the gates. He took Jean's hand again, raising it to his lips and kissing it firmly. "I love you; we'll be alright. Okay?"
Jean took a deep breath and exhaled, replying a breathy, "Yeah."
Logan opened his door and started to move to get out, but Jean held onto his hand tightly. He looked at her questioningly, but the questions faded as he took in the unadulterated look of love on her face. An immensely intense wave of feelings from Jean washed through his mind, her deep love for him sending a shiver through his spine. It never ceased to amaze him how intimate it was when she loved him with her mind. Under her praise and adoration, he almost blushed…almost.
"Logan, before you do anything, I just want to tell you something," Jean said softly. "I love you more than I could ever say. Words aren't adequate, but I know you felt in your mind all I wanted to say. No matter what happens from here on out, my love for you will never change or diminish, not ever."
All Logan could do was nod as a lump formed in his throat. Her outpourings of love always seemed to render him incapable of speech, but he knew he didn't have to say anything to her. She could feel his love in her mind every bit as powerfully as he could hers. For a moment, they simply stayed still, lost in each other's eyes. Then Jean released his hand and he took his queue to step out of the car and approach the gate.
Without second thought, he stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the key he had used many times before, though each previous time he had been coming back from another failed attempt to piece together his past. This time, the only past he cared about was coming home with him. It was quite strange for him to think that after fifteen years of relentless searching that even though he had begun to recall bits and pieces of his experiences in the lab, he had no desire to further investigate his history. All that mattered to Logan were Jean and Charlotte. After them, everything else was unimportant.
Taking one last deep breath, Logan stuck the key into the lock and turned it slightly to the left. When he heard the lock click, he smiled. Logan opened the gate then and motioned to Jean that all was in order, and he waited patiently for her as she gathered Charlotte into her arms and made her way to him. She took his proffered hand without hesitation and they began to walk toward the mansion, acutely aware that this the moment they had both been dreading and anticipating for the past ten years.
They approached the door. Logan quickly shuffled through his key ring to find the key the Professor had given him so many years ago. "This is your key, Wolverine," he had said, handing Logan the small, silver key. "All locks in this mansion are designed to open with it. Only two other such keys exist. Scott is the keeper of one and I hold the other. I realize that you may have to come and go at times, but this mansion shall always be your home, Logan, and you will always be welcome in it."
Logan had taken the key hesitantly, sensing the enormity of the Professor's implicit trust. He had looked at the distinguished man as he took the key, and Charles had smiled. One thought only had run through Logan's thoughts at that moment: here was a man he would die for. In the end, he had taken the key with a solemn nod and whispered thanks to Professor Xavier as he left the office and returned to his quarters. He smiled when he had heard the Professor's equally meaningful reply. "You are most welcome, Wolverine. Most welcome."
And so, things had come full circle as Logan slipped the key into the lock and opened the door, entering the mansion for the first time in almost ten years. Jean came in slowly behind him, quiet and reflective, gently brushing her fingers through Charlotte's hair and placing feather-light kisses upon her forehead. They wandered from the foyer into the spacious living room, both standing still for a moment and gazing around them, taking in the sights they had nearly forgotten, like the Grandfather clock Jean had bought the Professor when he turned sixty-three. It was still there - ticking just as regularly as it had been the day she bought it. A tear slipped from her eye at the memory.
"I hadn't thought it would be such an object of tranquility," an elder, distinguished voice suddenly said, as they both watched in shock as the Professor wheeled around the corner toward them to face the old clock. "But ever since that day, I have spent many hours before it, hearing the constancy of the ticking and realizing that perhaps somewhere out there, you both were still alive." He paused and turned to them, a sudden smile brightening his features. "I am so pleased to know that I was correct."
Logan merely stared at the Professor mutely, afraid that if he were to speak, he would lose what little control of himself was left. Jean had no such luck. She was clutching Charlotte to her, tears streaming down her beautiful face. She took a shuddering breath. "Oh, Charles, I'm so sorry!"
Professor Xavier merely smiled again and rolled his chair in front of her, tilting his head to inspect the child more closely. "And who, may I ask, is this beautiful child?"
Jean sniffled, but managed to smile brightly, as she always did when there was talk of Charlotte. "Professor," she said, holding Charlotte out slightly towards Charles, allowing him to take her gently into his arms. "This is my daughter, our daughter, Logan's and mine. Her name is…"
"Charlotte," Logan interjected, finishing her sentence having found his voice at last. "Her name is Charlotte."
The Professor merely looked from Logan to Jean, astonishment on his face. When the older man looked back to Logan, there were tears in his eyes. "Charlotte, you say? Such a wonderful name - a name befitting such a beautiful little girl."
"We named her after the most important person in our lives, aside from each other," Logan told the Professor, whose focus had returned to Charlotte. "He was the man who guided and taught us. His influence – made us better people. There could have been no other name suitable for our daughter."
A tear fell from his gracefully aged face as Charles brushed a hand through the silky paleness of his namesake's hair. "I am honored more than words could express," he said solemnly, his eyes glancing up and locking with both Jean and Logan's in turn. "Thank you."
"No, Chuck, thank you," Logan replied, almost effortlessly reverting to his behavior around the Professor before things had taken such a turn at Alkali Lake. His heart swelled with affection for the man in the wheelchair, seeming so frail, when really he was stronger than they could ever imagine.
Professor Xavier smiled again as Charlotte shifted in his arms, but did not wake. He was quite taken by the child. She was very beautiful; she looked just like her mother, except for her startlingly pale blonde hair. He imagined if she were anything like her father, though, she would be quite a handful. "I suppose you two will want to get settled," he said then suddenly, "since you'll be staying with us once again."
The certainty in his voice was simple and plain. He had heard Jean express their desire to return in his mind, her voice more clear than ever before, and he was amazed by the effortlessness with which she exerted her powers now. It was obvious she had changed. Yet, even though her abilities had evolved, in many ways, she was still the same old Jean as she had always been: dutiful, trustworthy, honest, and loving. It had also been obvious to him how deeply her love ran for Logan. He could not begin to guess at how Scott would accept them, but his own acceptance had been a foregone conclusion. He loved Jean like a daughter. Logan loved Jean more than life itself, and that feeling was obviously reciprocated fully. They had a daughter together. Though he wished they been open with him from the beginning, he could not deny that their separation from the school and from the X-men had been something necessary, especially for Jean. No, he would not begrudge their love, even though he thought of Scott as his own son. In time, Scott would come to terms with the situation, until then, he had to be calm and steady for all their sakes. The next few days and weeks would be quite a trying time, indeed.
Smiling up at Jean again, he handed Charlotte back to her and then began to wheel towards the staircase. He motioned them to follow. "If you wish, you may stay in Logan's old quarters until proper housing can be arranged," he said as they all walked towards the stairs, stopping at the base of them. "It will be a bit small, perhaps, but comfortable nonetheless."
Logan extended his hand to the Professor, who took it without question. "Thank you, Professor, for everything. And for my part, I'm sorry we stayed away so long. I hope you aren't angry with us. But if you are, and ya gotta be mad at somebody, blame me, not Jeannie."
Jean opened her mouth to respond, but the Professor cut him off. "I harbor no resentment toward you, Logan, nor do I blame you or Jean for what transpired." He was very sincere as he talked, and as he did, both Jean and Logan could feel the waves of peace, love, and acceptance from him enter their minds. "Indeed," he continued, his voice inflecting a tone of thoughtfulness. "It seems to me that it was an inevitability, perhaps even a blessing in disguise. Jean's powers were changing. I felt them. They were unstable and potentially destructive. That you found each other and were able to come to terms with your love for one another may well have been Jean's salvation. I can't help but feel that had she remained here with us or had she in fact been taken by the Lake, things might have turned out quite differently."
His speech ended for a moment, and he took both Jean and Logan's hands in his own. "If it is my blessing you seek, you have it," he said, looking to each of them, his sincerity shining in his eyes. "If it is my support you need, you have that also. I have the utmost trust and faith in you both." He released their hands and smiled at them, Logan and Jean both smiling back at him like little children who were given the blessing of their most beloved parent. "Now, I wish that you would both go upstairs and get some rest. I will have someone fetch your luggage and vehicle in the morning and we can talk more then. Until then, may I say that I am so happy that you have returned to us, both of you, and I shall look forward to introductions to that sweet little girl on the morrow."
Jean laughed lightly and brushed away the tears from her cheeks. "Of course, Charles," she replied, her face more lively and beautiful than Logan had ever seen. "She's been looking forward to meeting you for so long – she'll be thrilled."
Logan nodded in agreement as the Professor smiled once again. "Very well, then, good night to you both and may you sleep well." With a nod to them and after exchanges of goodnights, he began to wheel down the hallway towards his own quarters, a smile on his face and his heart lighter than it had been in many years. 'Yes,' he thought, laughing quietly. 'I shall sleep very well tonight.'
Jean and Logan could not help but feel the same. They were both very tired, but very happy to finally be home. It was certain that hard times certainly lie ahead, especially the next few days, as everyone learned that they had returned, were married, and had a child together. But they both believed that with the Professor's steadfast support and one other to lean on, they would make it. After all, they were home now, and the future looked more promising than ever.
When they had finally arrived at Logan's quarters, Jean wasted no time putting Charlotte down in the middle of the spacious bed that the girl's father had slept in so many years ago. Logan merely stood by and watched quietly as Jean undressed Charlotte and pulled her pajamas out of the bag of things she had thankfully remembered to bring with her. Once Charlotte was settled, Jean and Logan laid quietly down beside their daughter, having only bothered to remove their shoes and socks. Jean's eyes locked onto Logan's and she delighted in the happiness and contentment she saw there.
"Night, Jeannie," he whispered over to her, proceeding to yawn rather loudly.
"Night, baby," she replied, reaching her arm over to touch his cheek.
Logan smiled at her touch and his eyes slipped shut. Soon, his breathing steadied and Jean knew that he was asleep. She sighed happily, pulled the covers around Logan and Charlotte, and then covered herself, allowing her own eyes to close. It was not long before sleep claimed her also, the last thought running through her mind that they were finally home.
Some notes:
First of all, I made a minor change or two in the first chapter due to rightly expressed concern over issues I failed to realize existed.
Secondly, this second chapter was pre-written before the first posting, so it is in no way a response to reviews. However, I must say Rachel's review was rather thought provoking, and should I get any further with this story, I would like to address those particular concerns even though the answers may not be sufficient in the eyes of some. However, I write these stories for my own entertainment and satisfaction, and I do promise that any future explanations will meet my own expectations fully. I respect the opinions of others, however, wholly negative feedback is never the most constructive way to seek the administration of change or explication. Nonetheless, my thanks for honesty in any case. Enjoy this chapter for what it is and for what may come later, and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.