"How is she, doc?" Logan asked worriedly.
"She's doing rather well, as expected," the big, blue feline-like man said. "She needed some stitches and developed a couple infections, but nothing that modern antibiotics can't heal."
"She's beautiful, Logan," Natalie said as she adored the little girl. He smiled.
Suddenly, Marnie started twitching and spazzing in her sleep. She made little whiney noises. Natalie backed away and looked at her husband. "Hank, what's happening?" Logan asked, scared that something bad was about to happen.
Hank watched her and took her pulse. "I don't think it's anything to be worried about. It's probably just a night terror. My kids get them quite frequently. Considering what Marnie has been thru, she'll probably have them often." He patted Logan on the shoulder and grinned. "Don't expect to get much sleep from now on. As for myself, I will, so as not to shock the dear child. Good day to you both."
"Wait," Natalie said, "should we wake her?"
"Nay," the Beast said. "She'll wake on her own, or the dream may just pass. Let it take it's course."
The couple watched Marnie as she had her nightmare. "The poor darling," Natalie said. "I wonder what she's dreaming about…"
Logan had a flashback of some of the nightmares he's had. A chill went up his spine. "I dunno. I just wish I could replace 'em with happier dreams."
Marnie shot straight up and gave a long, loud, blood-curdling scream. Logan rushed to her side and held her close. Natalie sat at the foot of her hospital bed. Marnie cried, trying to tell her father about it, but not making any sense between sobs. Logan rocked her and kissed her forehead. "It's alright, darlin'. Daddy's here. Shh…"
Marnie's cries eventually became shorter and softer. She wiped her tears on her father's shirt and pulled away. She looked up at him with her large, brown eyes. "Where's Mommy?"
Logan looked at Natalie. She resembled Silver Fox somewhat. Black hair, brown eyes, thick lips. She was taller than Logan, just as Silver Fox was. "She's right here," he said, hoping she'd be traumatized enough to fall for his deception.
Marnie looked at the woman sitting at the foot of the bed. "That's not Mommy. Mommy's eyes ain't funny lookin' like that," she said, commenting on Natalie's distinctively Japanese eyes. "An' Mommy has darker skin, 'cuz she's an Injun' Princess. That makes me an Injun' Princess, too. Mommy said." Marnie folded her arms and nodded matter-of-factly. She looked at Natalie again. "That is not Mommy!"
Logan's eyes welled up. He couldn't bear to tell his sweet daughter her mother was dead. "She's…sick," he lied. "Mommy's sick."
"Is Grandpa Big Bear gonna use his magic powder-stick to make her better?"
A tear dripped down Logan's cheek. He nodded. "Yeah…"
"Daddy? Why are you crying?" Marnie asked innocently.
"I'm sad 'cuz Mommy's sick," he lied again. It hurt so much to lie to her, especially after all the lies he's been fed in his own life.
"When I'm sad, Mommy gives me a kiss to make it aaaaalll better," Marnie said. She kissed her dad on the cheek. "There. Now you are all better."
Logan smiled sadly.
"Chuck, ya gotta help me!" Logan demanded as he slammed his fist down on Professor Xavier's desk.
"It's wrong, Logan," he said calmly. "You despise those that implanted false memories into your mind, and now you want to subject your daughter to that kind of treatment?"
"It's different, Chuck," Logan said. He ran his fingers thru his hair in frustration. "How do I tell her that her mother was killed?"
"How about telling her the truth?" Scott said from his little corner.
"You back outta this, prick-boy," Logan growled.
"Or what? You're going to slice me up?" Scott retorted. "Try explaining that to your little girl, on top of everything else."
Logan exposed his claws with a SNIKT! "Why don't'cha march your ass an' that stick up it outta here an' leave this 'tween me an' Xavier, 'fore I do it fer ya?!"
Logan! Cyclops! Xavier shouted telepathically. That's enough!
The two rivals gave each other one last nasty look before backing down. Logan retracted his claws and turned to Xavier. "Please, Professor. Spare my daughter the pain an' anguish. At least until she's old enough ta find out."
Xavier bowed his head. "I'm going to regret this," he muttered under his breath.
Xavier sat in Cerebra, focusing intensely on Marnie's fragile mind.
Logan, Natalie and their two daughters watched the child sleep as the Professor rewrote her memories. They hoped it worked.
After nearly an hour of waiting and concentrating, Xavier exited his psionic chamber. "Well?" Logan asked eagerly.
"I've done as you've asked," Xavier said. "I've replaced Marnie's memories of Silver Fox with those of Natalie and inserted Amiko and Jubilation into her memories. Her memories of the attack made by Sabretooth have been erased, as well.
"Now, when I say 'erased' and 'replaced', it doesn't mean she won't entirely forget. She may have nightmares of the attack and dreams of her birth mother. There's a also a slight chance she may regain these memories at some point in time."
"Thanks, Chuck. I really appreciate it," Logan said sincerely.
Scott approached Logan and Natalie and handed them some documents. "Here are the papers we've managed to create for Marnie. Social Security, birth certificate, the whole bit." He began to walk away, but turned around. "I have to say, Logan, I don't approve of this. It's wrong."
"Who asked you, bub?" At that remark, Scott departed.
Logan turned to his family. "Okay, here's the deal: I want Marnie ta grow up a normal kid. The story is, after me an' Nat were married an' adopted you two kiddos, we moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was born there an' we've lived there ever since. I worked as a lumberjack--"
"So we're moving to Canada?" Amiko asked.
Logan nodded. "No one—no one—is ta tell her 'bout her origins. We never time traveled. Silver Fox an' Sabretooth never existed. No one here's a mutant. The only thing she'll know 'bout the X-Men is what she hears on TV—"
"Whoa! Wait. Just. A. Second!" Jubilee exclaimed. "So not only is Marnie's history gonna be rewritten, but mine is, too?! First you're gonna take me away from all my friends here and now you're gonna pretend I never had 'em at all?! That is soooo unfair! If you wanna pretend you were never an X-Man, Dad, go right ahead, but I'm not! I'm proud to be an X-Man and ain't no one's gonna take that away from me, not even you!"
"Jubes, this ain't the time—"
Natalie stepped between her husband and her eldest daughter to avoid a potential fight. She turned to Logan. "She's right. We shouldn't take the girls' life away. I'll go along with it, but we shouldn't force them to."
"You got a better idea?" Logan asked.
"I do, in fact," Natalie said. "I think we can compromise.
"We found an orphaned Jubilee hiding in the lumberyard. We took her in after we married. She developed her mutation, so we sent her to the famed Xavier Academy, where she joined the X-Men and later Generation X. Seeing as how her studies are unfinished, she can stay here.
"Amiko's mother was a friend of yours. She died. You supported her while another friend, Yukio, took care of her. After you married me, you were more confident in being able to raise her properly.
"It covers up your trail, Logan, but still allows the girls to keep most of their history true. What do you think?"
Logan nodded. "S'okay."
"I like it," Amiko chimed.
Everyone looked at Jubilee, awaiting her answer. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, I guess…"
Natalie smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.
Hank McCoy entered. "Logan? Marnie is awake and asking for you."
Logan took his wife's hand. "Ready, 'Mommy?'" Natalie nodded.
Logan entered the hospital room first. Marnie smiled. "Hi, Daddy! Did the doctors make Mommy better?"
"See fer yerself, pun'kin."
Natalie walked in and smiled. "Hi, baby," she said a bit nervously.
"Mommy!" Marnie squealed with delight. She hopped off her bed and ran over to Natalie. Natalie picked up her new daughter. Marnie squeezed her tightly. She let go and looked at her mother. "I am happy Doctor BlueKitty made you aaaaaalll better!"
Natalie giggled. "So am I!"
"Mommy?"
"Hm?" Natalie asked.
"Now that you are all better, can we go to the park and play?"
Natalie smiled and looked to her husband. "I don't see why not."
"Yeaaaa!"
The three left the underground hospital the Xavier Mansion housed. Logan was very pleased that Xavier's treatment had worked.
"She's doing rather well, as expected," the big, blue feline-like man said. "She needed some stitches and developed a couple infections, but nothing that modern antibiotics can't heal."
"She's beautiful, Logan," Natalie said as she adored the little girl. He smiled.
Suddenly, Marnie started twitching and spazzing in her sleep. She made little whiney noises. Natalie backed away and looked at her husband. "Hank, what's happening?" Logan asked, scared that something bad was about to happen.
Hank watched her and took her pulse. "I don't think it's anything to be worried about. It's probably just a night terror. My kids get them quite frequently. Considering what Marnie has been thru, she'll probably have them often." He patted Logan on the shoulder and grinned. "Don't expect to get much sleep from now on. As for myself, I will, so as not to shock the dear child. Good day to you both."
"Wait," Natalie said, "should we wake her?"
"Nay," the Beast said. "She'll wake on her own, or the dream may just pass. Let it take it's course."
The couple watched Marnie as she had her nightmare. "The poor darling," Natalie said. "I wonder what she's dreaming about…"
Logan had a flashback of some of the nightmares he's had. A chill went up his spine. "I dunno. I just wish I could replace 'em with happier dreams."
Marnie shot straight up and gave a long, loud, blood-curdling scream. Logan rushed to her side and held her close. Natalie sat at the foot of her hospital bed. Marnie cried, trying to tell her father about it, but not making any sense between sobs. Logan rocked her and kissed her forehead. "It's alright, darlin'. Daddy's here. Shh…"
Marnie's cries eventually became shorter and softer. She wiped her tears on her father's shirt and pulled away. She looked up at him with her large, brown eyes. "Where's Mommy?"
Logan looked at Natalie. She resembled Silver Fox somewhat. Black hair, brown eyes, thick lips. She was taller than Logan, just as Silver Fox was. "She's right here," he said, hoping she'd be traumatized enough to fall for his deception.
Marnie looked at the woman sitting at the foot of the bed. "That's not Mommy. Mommy's eyes ain't funny lookin' like that," she said, commenting on Natalie's distinctively Japanese eyes. "An' Mommy has darker skin, 'cuz she's an Injun' Princess. That makes me an Injun' Princess, too. Mommy said." Marnie folded her arms and nodded matter-of-factly. She looked at Natalie again. "That is not Mommy!"
Logan's eyes welled up. He couldn't bear to tell his sweet daughter her mother was dead. "She's…sick," he lied. "Mommy's sick."
"Is Grandpa Big Bear gonna use his magic powder-stick to make her better?"
A tear dripped down Logan's cheek. He nodded. "Yeah…"
"Daddy? Why are you crying?" Marnie asked innocently.
"I'm sad 'cuz Mommy's sick," he lied again. It hurt so much to lie to her, especially after all the lies he's been fed in his own life.
"When I'm sad, Mommy gives me a kiss to make it aaaaalll better," Marnie said. She kissed her dad on the cheek. "There. Now you are all better."
Logan smiled sadly.
"Chuck, ya gotta help me!" Logan demanded as he slammed his fist down on Professor Xavier's desk.
"It's wrong, Logan," he said calmly. "You despise those that implanted false memories into your mind, and now you want to subject your daughter to that kind of treatment?"
"It's different, Chuck," Logan said. He ran his fingers thru his hair in frustration. "How do I tell her that her mother was killed?"
"How about telling her the truth?" Scott said from his little corner.
"You back outta this, prick-boy," Logan growled.
"Or what? You're going to slice me up?" Scott retorted. "Try explaining that to your little girl, on top of everything else."
Logan exposed his claws with a SNIKT! "Why don't'cha march your ass an' that stick up it outta here an' leave this 'tween me an' Xavier, 'fore I do it fer ya?!"
Logan! Cyclops! Xavier shouted telepathically. That's enough!
The two rivals gave each other one last nasty look before backing down. Logan retracted his claws and turned to Xavier. "Please, Professor. Spare my daughter the pain an' anguish. At least until she's old enough ta find out."
Xavier bowed his head. "I'm going to regret this," he muttered under his breath.
Xavier sat in Cerebra, focusing intensely on Marnie's fragile mind.
Logan, Natalie and their two daughters watched the child sleep as the Professor rewrote her memories. They hoped it worked.
After nearly an hour of waiting and concentrating, Xavier exited his psionic chamber. "Well?" Logan asked eagerly.
"I've done as you've asked," Xavier said. "I've replaced Marnie's memories of Silver Fox with those of Natalie and inserted Amiko and Jubilation into her memories. Her memories of the attack made by Sabretooth have been erased, as well.
"Now, when I say 'erased' and 'replaced', it doesn't mean she won't entirely forget. She may have nightmares of the attack and dreams of her birth mother. There's a also a slight chance she may regain these memories at some point in time."
"Thanks, Chuck. I really appreciate it," Logan said sincerely.
Scott approached Logan and Natalie and handed them some documents. "Here are the papers we've managed to create for Marnie. Social Security, birth certificate, the whole bit." He began to walk away, but turned around. "I have to say, Logan, I don't approve of this. It's wrong."
"Who asked you, bub?" At that remark, Scott departed.
Logan turned to his family. "Okay, here's the deal: I want Marnie ta grow up a normal kid. The story is, after me an' Nat were married an' adopted you two kiddos, we moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was born there an' we've lived there ever since. I worked as a lumberjack--"
"So we're moving to Canada?" Amiko asked.
Logan nodded. "No one—no one—is ta tell her 'bout her origins. We never time traveled. Silver Fox an' Sabretooth never existed. No one here's a mutant. The only thing she'll know 'bout the X-Men is what she hears on TV—"
"Whoa! Wait. Just. A. Second!" Jubilee exclaimed. "So not only is Marnie's history gonna be rewritten, but mine is, too?! First you're gonna take me away from all my friends here and now you're gonna pretend I never had 'em at all?! That is soooo unfair! If you wanna pretend you were never an X-Man, Dad, go right ahead, but I'm not! I'm proud to be an X-Man and ain't no one's gonna take that away from me, not even you!"
"Jubes, this ain't the time—"
Natalie stepped between her husband and her eldest daughter to avoid a potential fight. She turned to Logan. "She's right. We shouldn't take the girls' life away. I'll go along with it, but we shouldn't force them to."
"You got a better idea?" Logan asked.
"I do, in fact," Natalie said. "I think we can compromise.
"We found an orphaned Jubilee hiding in the lumberyard. We took her in after we married. She developed her mutation, so we sent her to the famed Xavier Academy, where she joined the X-Men and later Generation X. Seeing as how her studies are unfinished, she can stay here.
"Amiko's mother was a friend of yours. She died. You supported her while another friend, Yukio, took care of her. After you married me, you were more confident in being able to raise her properly.
"It covers up your trail, Logan, but still allows the girls to keep most of their history true. What do you think?"
Logan nodded. "S'okay."
"I like it," Amiko chimed.
Everyone looked at Jubilee, awaiting her answer. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, I guess…"
Natalie smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.
Hank McCoy entered. "Logan? Marnie is awake and asking for you."
Logan took his wife's hand. "Ready, 'Mommy?'" Natalie nodded.
Logan entered the hospital room first. Marnie smiled. "Hi, Daddy! Did the doctors make Mommy better?"
"See fer yerself, pun'kin."
Natalie walked in and smiled. "Hi, baby," she said a bit nervously.
"Mommy!" Marnie squealed with delight. She hopped off her bed and ran over to Natalie. Natalie picked up her new daughter. Marnie squeezed her tightly. She let go and looked at her mother. "I am happy Doctor BlueKitty made you aaaaaalll better!"
Natalie giggled. "So am I!"
"Mommy?"
"Hm?" Natalie asked.
"Now that you are all better, can we go to the park and play?"
Natalie smiled and looked to her husband. "I don't see why not."
"Yeaaaa!"
The three left the underground hospital the Xavier Mansion housed. Logan was very pleased that Xavier's treatment had worked.