Disclaimer: I don't own X-men, only this plot! ^_^
A/N: This chapter moves back and forth between the timelines, before the murder and after the murder. Ripley is a human and Max is… well I haven't decided if he is or isn't a mutant yet.
~*~
Dinner that night was unusually quiet, even with three-year-old Max talking up a storm about his day. Ripley glanced up nervously at her husband who hadn't said a word since he had found the odd note stuck in the door.
"Dada?" Max said absent-mindedly sticking his fork into his mashed potatoes making it stand up.
Logan raised an eyebrow at his son, "What is it kiddo?"
"Can we go to the park tomorrow?" Max asked looking up at his father with his big brown eyes.
"Sure squirt, we can go to the park tomorrow."
A grin spilt Max's face in two, "Really?" His little voice asks excitedly.
Logan chuckled, "I said we would, didn't I?"
A knock at the door startled them all. Logan looked warily over at his wife and shrugged getting to his feet.
"Can I see who's at the door too, daddy?" Max squirmed in his chair and turned around so that he could see his father standing behind him, "Please?"
"Not this time, why don't you stay with your mother and keep her company?"
Max slumped back down in his chair, "Alright." He sighed then giggled when Logan ruffled his hair.
Ripley followed Logan with her eyes then smiled across the table at Max who was poking his potatoes with the tip of his finger.
"How about some ice cream?"
~*~
A man in uniform stood on the opposite side of the storm door looking as professional as he possibly could. Logan stopped in front of the door, his arms crossed over his chest.
"You Mr. Howlett?" The soldier asked adjusting his glasses with his right hand.
Logan nodded and opened the door allowing the soldier inside, "What is this about?" He growled eyeing the official looking envelope under the soldiers left arm.
"A war sir," The soldier said handing Logan the envelope, "between mutants and the humans."
Logan took the envelope and opened it up looking over its contents, "So it's finally happened." He growled shaking his head in disgust.
The soldier looked at the ground sadly for a moment then with a sigh turned for the door, "We leave in two days." He added over his shoulder as he walked outside to his awaiting jeep.
Logan took a minute to digest what he had just heard, 'two days…' he thought, 'Somethin' ain't right 'bout this.' He turned towards the kitchen finding Ripley standing in the entryway.
"I heard…" She said softly stepping further into the room.
Logan sighed and glared at the envelope in his hand before dropping it to the ground, "This whole damn thing is stupid," He growled then looked back up at Ripley, his eyes softened, "What's wrong?"
Ripley wiped away the tears with the back of her hand, "I was going to tell you…" She began suddenly finding herself in a warm embrace.
"Tell me what?" Logan whispered.
"I'm pregnant."
~*~
The Present
The clouds were finally starting to break up allowing the sun to pour through to the water logged earth below. The sound of children laughing and playing rang through out the air followed by a high-pitched ringing.
Logan pulled up to the building and watched the children scramble inside for lunch. He pulled into a parking space and climbed out of his black pickup truck. He climbed the stairs to two large glass doors and pulled them open finding himself in front of a large wooden desk.
The receptionist looked up at him, "May I help you?" She asked in an annoyingly screechy voice.
Logan nodded, "I'm looking for my son, I was told he was here," The woman narrowed her eyes, Logan sighed running a hand through his hair, "I was gone for three years and when I came back," he closed his eyes, "my family had been murdered and my son was brought here."
The receptionist typed something into her computer, "What's your last name?"
"Howlett."
She nodded typing in the name then frowned, "I'm sorry, he's been adopted."
Logan's eyes widened, "What?! When?"
"About 3 months ago," She sighed, "I'm sorry that's all I can tell you, the rest is confidential."
"H-how can I find him?" Logan clenched his fists trying to keep them from shaking.
The woman shook her head, "I don't think you can." She said sadly turning back to her computer she typed something in.
"T-this can't be happening." Logan muttered rubbing the back of his neck.
"I shouldn't be doing this," He looked up at the receptionist who was holding out a paper to him, "but this should help." She smiled kindly at him then turned back to her computer.
Logan looked down at the paper finding an address printed out on it.
~*~
2 Years Earlier
Sighing Ripley shuffled through the mail looking for one particular envelope, finding it she smiled shoving the rest of the mail under her arm as she ripped it open. Pulling out the folded letter she accidentally dropped the rest of the mail to the ground. Shaking her head she bent down to pick it up when something caught her eye, a white piece of paper with red writing on it. Picking it up she found that the red ink was still wet; she gasped realizing that it wasn't red ink but blood.
'We all bleed the same, some more than others.'
Shaking she crumpled up the note and shoved it in her pocket then proceeded with picking up the rest of the mail.
~*~
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