As always the X-Men belong to Marvel and I am using them without permission.
I'd love to write for Marvel so if they ever ask, yes I'll work for you, till then I make no money writing this.
Anastasia the animated movie belongs to Fox.
The Romanovs belong to themselves and history, may they rest in peace.
Spoken in Russian
From the Ice Cold Winds By DelCreed (griffincreed@hotmail.com)July 17, 2001
X-Mansion, Westchester NY:
Logan was sitting in the Rec-room with a scowl on his face, glaring daggers at the video Jubilee was waving happily in the air as she gushed,
"This movie is like soooo cool! You'll just love it Wolvie." Logan wasn't convinced one bit,
"It's a kid flick Jubes, I don't watch cartoons." And that was that, that is till Jean walked in and said,
"Jubilee is that the animated 'Anastasia'?" Jubilee handed over the video, "I've been wanting to see this one for a wile now, and I've heard it's really well done." Jubilee shot Logan a triumphant look, settled down next to him on the couch, using him as a pillow. Jean telekinetically put the cassette in the VCR and the opening credits started to roll.
"Cher why you no wait for Gambit, he tol' you earlier he love dis film?" Remy LeBeau vaulted over the back of the big easy chair and sprawled out in it before Scott could finish sitting down, "You too slow mon ami." Gambit smiled up at Scott, who frowned as he went to sit on the rug at his wife's feet. "Ooof, Bobby you squashin' moi." Bobby shifted slightly; careful not to spill the extra large bowl of popcorn he held, and Remy rearranged himself till they were both sitting comfortablely together. Others like Storm, Bishop and Hank had already taken various places around the room. Rogue walked in saw Remy and Bobby feeding each other popcorn and huffed right out again. As Logan watched the TV a strange feeling began to churn in his stomach, within moments he'd been transported into the world of the Romanovs, but as he watched the animated villain Rasputin making his threats to the tsar and his family his mind kept nagging him,
'Wrong, all of this is just so… wrong.' But he kept his mouth shut and watched the rest of the film in complete silence.
*************
Later that night:
In his room Logan stood looking out the window, it was so stupid why couldn't he get that silly movie out of his mind, everyone had gotten up and gone off to do their own thing after it was over, but he'd just sat there staring at the blank screen, frozen. Now when he was trying to sleep images kept popping into his mind, if he didn't know any better he'd swear he was feeling… shaken. With a sigh he turned his back on the window, climbed back into bed, snapped off the lamp and went back to trying to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~
The guards are in the room, waking everyone they're telling us to dress for a photo, what a strange time to take a picture, we're going down into the basement, and the room is so small. Papa and Mama are lining us up and telling Ana to stop fidgeting with her dog. The door is opening, must be the photographer- NO, NO guns they all have guns, they're firing on us, I've been shot, pain- Mama, Papa… silence, I'm alive, footsteps, no don't look up… a, a man, tall, blond, looking at me, evil eyes, he knows I'm alive, no don't shoot me please don't shoo-
~~~~~~~~~
Logan bolted upright in his bed, sweat poured off him as the echo of a shout, his shout, fades from the room. There is a knock at the door and a voice, slightly out of breath, calls out to him,
"Wolvie are you alright?" Jubilee asks, "You'd better be decent cause I'm coming in." with that she opened the door and was startled, Logan was sitting up in his bed and he looked upset, really upset. "You want to talk about it?" He shook his head no as he reached out and just held her for a moment.
"I'm okay now, thanks kid, I just had some weird dream." Jubilee gave him a doubtful look but said good-night before heading back to her own room.
*******************
The next morning, Danger room:
The room was small, Cyclops, Jean, Storm, Rogue, Jubilee and Logan were in the middle of running a routine 'Friends of Humanity' sim, just as Jubilee was about to ask him a question the door started to opene and Logan jumped three feet into the air,
"NO, Papa get down… the guns!" Logan landed on Scott and reached up to pull Jean down to the ground too, "Get down its the Bolshevik they're going to killing us, NO please don't kill my family!" Everyone froze, in the observation booth Hank stopped the sim and he and professor Xavier exchanged stunned looks.
"Um… Logan, did you just call me 'Papa'?" Scott asked looking at his wide-eye team-mate. Logan closed his eyes and growled as he stormed from the room without looking at anyone.
****************
In the woods;
Storm descended from her lofty heights and settled gently on the ground beside the brooding man, who sat curled in on himself, she could feel the misery rolling off him in waves.
"Logan, my friend please do not shut us out… do not shut me out." Her hand came to rest on his shoulder, it was trembling, "Logan?" He lifted his face to look up at her; tears were streaming down his cheeks. Storm gasped. "Logan what is it, what has happened?"
"I… I can remember, Ororo I remember who I am." His arms reached for her and she willingly fell to her knees beside him and held him has he told her everything.
***************
Some time later in the living room;
The residents of the mansion, including Professor Xavier, had all been gathered together and were looking questioningly at Storm who'd asked them all to assemble. When Logan walked calmly into the room and stood in front of the fireplace a silence fell over the group.
"Thanks Storm, I wanted you all here to hear this, 'cause then all it will take is one tellin'," some nodded and he continued. "Last night, after the movie, I had some trouble sleepin' because I couldn't get it out of my mind. When I finally did drop off I started dreamin', but they weren't dreams they were memories… my memories." Murmuring broke out in the room; Logan's inability to remember his passed had long puzzled many members of the group.
"Wolvie this is great, you've always wanted to remember who you were, so why did you get so weird about it?" Jubilee asked. "I mean you… well you know in the danger room you called Scott your dad. Are you from the future too?" Scott went pail and his mouth fell open in surprise, Jean looked uncomfortable. Logan actually smiled at her innocent question.
"Don't worry Summers, I'm not any relation to you. No kid I'm not from the future I come from the past." With those cryptic words everyone in the room seamed to lean in to hear him better and he knew they wouldn't interrupt him so he continued. "I was born August 12th 1904 and my name is Alexei my parents were Tsar Nicholas and Alexandra Romanov, and my family ruled Russia for over 300 years till we were taken prisoner, kept under house arrest and then execute one night. At the time I was only 13, I'd been sickly all my life with sever haemophilia, the slightest bruise or cut could have meant my death. Professor you once told me that when mutancy first manifest itself around puberty, that it is usually triggered by strong emotions and starts out hyper accelerated, the trauma of being shot and seein' my family killed around me triggered my healin' factor that night and one of the soldiers, the one who shot me in the head when he saw I was still alive, it was Sabretooth… I… I know who he is too. Victor was the illegitimate son of Grigory Rasputin, a monk who would heal me when I was so sick everyone thought I would die; I guess he was a mutant with some kind of healin' power. Anyway one night when my cousin Yussoupov and one of his friends poisoned, shot then drowned Resputin to take away the power he'd gained in the country when my papa was away, Creed wanted vengeance for his father's death, so he posed as a Bolshevik and led the group of solders that were sent to kill us. We were all though dead, they dragged us into a mineshaft and left us there, but my powers had kept me alive and I healed. When I came to I found myself surrounded by my family they were all dead, but with my new hearing I heard a moan, it… it was my sister Anastasia," Logan took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, "she was barely alive I couldn't leave her in there to die like that so I dragged her out with me into the woods, I… I held her hand till she died and I buried her there. I walked away and tried to go home, It was all I could think of doing, I'd never been alone before, all my life my parents, sisters and my bodyguard Nayorny had always been with me. I realised I was being followed two days after I left the woods, it was Creed, he'd gone back to the mine and found me and Ana missin'. I ran from him for weeks, hidin' where I could, but he was always one step behind. When I realised that I couldn't go home I made my way to a harbour and jumped on a ship just as it was leaving port, I even saw Creed throwin' a tantrum on the dock because I'd escaped him."
"What did they do when they found you?" Bobby asked. Logan shrugged.
"The captain wasn't happy and wanted to toss me overboard, but Nagorny was a sailor, I'd learned many things from him, so the firstmate made me his cabinboy and taught me to speak better English then I'd been learning, I learned the swear words first. I didn't tell them who I was; I was too scared that they'd try to kill me too. It was a Canadian ship and when we docked in the St. Lawrence I was stunned to see Indians, I'd read stories about natives and I even had a little tepee as a toy growin' up, it was my favourite toy, I wanted to learn to be like them. I left the ship and traveled west, then one day I smelt someone, it was Creed, he'd found me and the hunt started all over again. Years passed with me hidin' and Creed huntin' till I was taken captive by the people who did this to me." Logan popped his claws, "They liked my healin' factor, when Creed showed up lookin' for me they took him too. We were brainwashed, all our memories replaced but the basic feelings of hate were always there below the surface. I was Alexei Romanov the Tsarevich of Russia and would have one day been the Tsar, but I lost my family, my past and destiny, now I'm Wolverine I am an X-Man." There was silence. Xavier rolled forward and spoke,
"Logan, what do you want to do?" Logan smiled and shrugged. "Do you want to claim your place in the world?"
"I'd have to prove myself to be who I say I am and I don't want to rule Russia." Hank stood.
"With a blood test you could be reunited with the existing members of your family."
"I… I got all the family I need right here Hank," Logan hugged Jubilee, "and with my blood they'd know I was a mutant, do you really think they'd acknowledge a mutant in their family?" He asked. Remy smiled at him,
"You know homme, dey say dat a Romanove worth millions, and wouldn't you love to kick dose politicians out of your castles, get your family's tings back were dey belong?"
"Leave it to a thief to think of the material side of things." Bishop sighed.
"Ho, I saw a photo of your dad," Bobby said suddenly, "I guess that explains the muttonchop whiskers you are always wearing." Several people laughed, and Logan stood.
"I Guess I have a lot of thinking to do. Jean I won't be in for dinner." Wolverine left the room and everyone broke off into groups to talk about the new turn of events.
*******************
The Garage;
Logan was about to knock back his kickstand on his motorcycle when he heard someone running his way, he waited till the door started to slide open and asked,
"Did you bring your helmet?" Jubilee flashed him a big grin as she held up the black, visored helmet with the splash of rainbow fireworks painted on it in nail polish. "Fine, hop on darlin' I need to ride." Jubilee settled onto the back of the Harley, wrapped her arms around his waist and they were off.
**************
Kitchen;
Scott was rinsing out a coffee mug when Logan walked in, with a sleeping Jubilee cradled in his arms, he nodded to Logan and without a word went out the backdoor to return to the boathouse. Logan watched him go before he left the kitchen and made his way to Jubilee's room, once inside he gently eased her down onto the bed, slipped off her jacket and sneakers then took the folded blanket from the foot of the bed and tucked her in. Kneeling beside the bed he smoothed back her mussed hair and kissed her forehead, to his surprise the kid hadn't said a word during the whole ride till he'd asked her a direct question and her answer had settled everything for him.
"Thanks for being there kid, ya kept me grounded." Jubilee snuggled under the blanket and muttered in her sleep,
"I love you Wolvie." Logan smiled.
"I love ya too Jubes, lots to do tomorrow." With that he stood and went to his own room.
**************
Next morning;
As everyone ate breakfast Logan watched, there was the usual 'Leggo my eggo' battle between Bobby and Jubilee, Storm sat quietly watching the 'children' with a smile as she ate her plain yoghurt with a bit of honey. Scott had oatmeal again, Remy had just dragged himself in and was busy making 'decent' coffee and was muttering something about missing beignets. Jean, Rogue and Bishop ate a variety of cereals as Sam, Hank and Xavier opted for eggs, sausage and toast, Logan joined them. Bobby was the first to talk to him.
"So, what did you decide to do?" Logan looked around.
"I thought it over for a very long time yesterday, but all I needed to do was ask Jubes," Jubilee looked up startled.
"But all I did was like answer one question." Logan nodded.
"Ya but your answer made me realise there was more then just me involved here," Feeling everyone's curious looks he simply said, "I asked her what she'd do and she said that it wasn't just me involved here, that there was a family out there hurtin' because of an unsettled past, that I had to give them the chance to decide if they did or didn't want a mutant in the family, and that I was strong enough to handle whatever they decided." Jubilee blushed,
"Gosh Wolvie did ya have to make it sound like I should be stuck up on a mountain somewere." Storm cleared her through.
"Been there, done that." Everyone laughed. Xavier looked pleased, he knew how hard it was for this member of his X-Men to ask for help, and so he was quick to offer it.
"So would you like some help contacting the proper channels?" Logan nodded, "Well I believe agent Valerie Cooper, X-Factor's liaison might be able to direct us to the right people, shall we continue this after breakfast?"
"Ya thanks Chuck. Bobby that's Jubilee's eggo, if you don't' leggo I'll give you six reasons why ya should." Bobby quickly slid the pilfered food back onto Jubilee's plate and gave a sheepish smile.
"It was getting cold I was only about to warm it up." Remy laughed,
"Oui cher in your mouth, Remy got some of dat crawfish brulé left from last night and it always better the next day, want some?" Bobby shook his head as he covered his plate.
"Um… maybe for lunch, if I eat it two spicy meals in a row I might burn out my stomach lining, I'm an accountant that makes me prone to ulcers and heartburn."
********************
A Week later;
It was to be in a very ornate and old world styled room that Tsarevich Alexei Romanove AKA Logan would be reunited with his family. After contacting Cooper the ball had started rolling, blood samples were sent to five different labs for DNA testing and when they all came back positive arrangements were made for the events about to unfold, because even knowing he was a mutant every member of the 'Family' he'd lost insisted on meeting him and welcoming him home. When the doors opened and people started to enter the room Logan stiffened, at his side Jubilee squeezed his hand and the rest of the X-Men stood behind him. The first to enter was a very old lady; she was making her way slowly to where he stood so Logan went to her, with only a slight push from Jubilee. She up looked at him and smiled her eyes were the same blue as his,
"I take it you are Alexei?" Logan nodded, "They said your 'powers kept you from ageing, you look very well for a ninety-seven year old, I envy you that. I am a cousin of yours I was six the last time we met, it was hinted at back then that we might have made a match because we got along so well together. I cried many years for you my lost friend." Logan looked into her eyes and a picture flashed in his mind of him playing dolls of all things with a little girl.
"Sara, I remember you, I held you as a baby once, you sneezed on me and mother was terrified I'd be sick. Every time you visited you brought a trunk full of dolls and insisted I play house with you." Sara laughed.
"And you always did, of course there was always a lot of eye rolling and groaning before you agreed." She held her arms open for a hug and Logan gently held her as she cried. "Oh Lex I'm so happy." Logan could hear sniffing from behind him and several people around him as well, it was only then that he realised that there had been a steady stream of people entering the room behind his old playmate. One by one they all introduced themselves, Sara had been the only one who was old enough to remember him and his family, but there were many decedents that were eager to meet him and hear about not only the 'tragedy' but also about his life. When he told them about being hunted after escaping the mineshaft they were outraged, 'who could do that to a child?' and 'How brave.' was murmured. He introduced his family to his friends and soon everyone was talking together. Remy scowled at a count that kept looking at Bobby too long with longing eyes.
"Remy, put that watch and wallet back." Storm whispered.
"Oui, you right Stormy I brake into his house later instead." Storm rolled her eyes.
"No you won't, just put those back and go stand beside Bobby, the count will get the picture, and don't call me Stormy." Remy smiled as he walked past the count and bumped into him.
"Sorry homme, Bobby you want somthin' to drink cher?" Remy looked over at the count as he put an arm around Bobby and flashed his red eyes at the stunned man, who now it seams couldn't decide who to look at first now faced with two marvellous creatures. Logan sat with Sara, they spoke quietly and laughed at times, Logan forgot himself once and growled when a young relative asked Jubilee if she wanted to step out for some air.
"If she wants air she'll open a dammed window." Sara laughed just as Jubilee did just that and the man left.
"So you still growl, I remember you'd sit in that tipsy, growl and tell everyone you were a bear." Logan smiled.
"Tepee, Sara it's called a tepee." She sighed.
"So you said then too. She is a lovely young lady your Jubilee," Logan looked startled and was about to speak, "Lex I know it has been some time but I can remember your father looking at your mother like that, you must love her very much." Logan looked at Jubilee with shocked eyes. "It is a good thing you don't age like the rest of us, you can afford to wait for her to catch up."
"I… I didn't realise I was." 'Boy is this ever going to floor Scott.' Logan smiled brightly and he looked ten years younger.
"What are you planning now?" Sara asked.
"I guess I'll have to ask her if she's willin' to wait for me, she still has a lot to learn about life to do."
"Who better to teacher, slowly, then one who has lived a long time." Sara pointed out. Logan patted her hand and was about to go and see Jubilee when a group of several people approached him.
"We want to know what you will do about taking your rightful place as the Tsar?" The spokesman for the group asked, as the other nodded. Logan shrugged,
"I just wanted to find my family, I don't have any ideas about going to Russia, when my father gave up the thrown he gave it up for me too."
"He was forced to give it up, the entire country is suffering."
"And you thing I could fix it? I don't have any training, I'm not what Russia needs." Logan said.
"True, you aren't trained, but you can be a symbol like the queen of England, a figurehead. You could make democracy the ruling form of government and help everyone, with advisers and assistance from other democracies you could bring a better standard of living to Russia, it is what your family was born to do." Logan looked at all the hopeful faces, Sara's laughing eyes and Jubilee's proud smile. "You will have some strength, many of the people have grown up hearing stories about how Russia was when it was ruled by your family, before the iron curtain fell."
"Aw heck, lets see what we can do to clean up Stalin's mess and get things running right." As they all cheered he looked at Jubilee and whispered, "Come with me." He led her over to a deserted corner of the room. "Jubes your sixteen now, do you think that in four or five years, after collage an' all, that you would like to help me fix a country? I'll wait for you." Her mouth dropped open.
"You'll wait for me, Wolvie I've been like waiting for you!" She hugged him."
"So, will ya marry me in about five years?" Jubilee gasped.
"But Jean-" He cut her off.
"Jean was at first a beautiful lady who caught my eye, then I kept her on a pedestal to keep from pushing you too fast and to annoy Scott." Jubilee beamed up at him.
"Wolvie I've loved you forever, I can wait but they have colleges in Russia you know."
"Is that a yes?"
"Of course that's a yes you big lug." She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him. Logan looked around the room and turned Jubilee so that his back blocked her from everyone's sight, then he kissed her gently on the lips for the first time.
'This is what heaven is going to be like.' He thought, 'damme one kiss and I'm spoutin' poetry, what will I do when we finally-" That's when Scott tapped him on the shoulder.
"What's going on here?" He pointed at Jubilee who was spinning around happily.
"Well one-eye I figure if I'm going to be a Tsar, I'm going to need a Tsaritsa in a few years, and after college Jubes said she'd be willin'." Logan was rewarded as Scott seamed to sway on his feet for a moment.
"You and Jubilee are… are…"
"Getting married in five years, or sooner if I can convince him that I can go to school and be married too." Jubilee smiled as she hugged Scott, "Isn't it wonderful."
"But… but…"
"Five years kid, I don't want you regrettin' getting married too young." Jubilee huffed,
"Fine, then we'll just live together once I'm eighteen." Logan blanched, sure he and Jubilee lived together now, but she wasn't legally of age and his sense of honour kept him in check. Scott spoke up at that point,
"Not if your not married you won't."
"Jean never mentioned that you both waited till you were married, in fact I think she hinted that what you gave her for her eighteenth birthday was, um… unwrapable." Scott blanched.
"What! Jean told you about that!" Logan choked as Scott looking desperately embarrassed shot a condemning look at his wife, who in turn flushed and looked up shaking her head 'no'.
"Well no, I was just guessing but see that proves my point, you didn't wait, so why should we?" Logan leaned back against the wall, happy to let the kid handle this one. Maybe Jubilee didn't have that much to learn about life, after all she had grown up with the X-Men and on the streets. "I love Wolvie and he's always told me he loves me, so waiting two years or five isn't really a big difference, only thing different is that two years is sooner then five to get someone to hold me all night every night, and I don't have to have a nightmare first and come wake you and Jean up because I can't crawl in with him." Logan was startled.
"You go to Jean and Scott when you have a nightmare?"
"Ya, it's like crawling in with my mom and dad when I was little." She hugged Scott "Please, be happy for us."
"I am, its just I just want you to take some time, don't rush in to this, you have plenty of time." Scott said hugging her back.
"Ya two years." Logan smiled. Scott's head came up.
"Hey you said five." Jubilee laughed.
"Sue me I decided I can't wait five years after all for someone who could probably fix my country's all by her self if given the chance."
The end