Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men characters.
"Who is 'him'?" asked Logan looking at the intense hatred in her eyes, just thinking about him.
"William Striker, you met him in New York. One day you met my mother her name was Natasha Young. You would always tell me you fell in love instantly with her, and you, unlike any other parent on our street or at my school, never cheated, abused, or fought with Mom. You two were the perfect couple, or that's how I remembered. She died last year of breast cancer," Bethany said trying to push on with the story that she had never wanted to tell again.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there, to help you bury her, it must have been hard," Logan said that was all he could think of to cheer up the poor girl.
"It's not your fault, but she told me to keep looking for you, and not stop until I found you. I promised her and I haven't stopped looking until I got a call from Xavier saying that he might know you. So I came as fast as I could. Anyway, on with the story, shortly after you and Mom were married, you had me. That's when trouble started. You had started to show signs of being a mutant, always falling and never being hurt and having a great sense of smell and sight and hearing. I started to show my signs too, right after I was born. Mom didn't understand, but she never judged us. We had this common bond, you and I did. Mom said she would see us looking at each other and it would be like we were talking, but we didn't say anything. When I was born you started to do work with a man named William Striker. It was very logistic, but it brought food on the table. You would never tell me where you went, and I always thought that you had a secret life somewhere and I had no idea what was going on. One day, you and Mom were talking on low voices in the living room. I had a secret hiding space that you and Mom never knew about and I would sit under there and listen to your conversation. You said there wouldn't be Christmas that year, because you were so low on money. You were talking about this experiment that Striker wanted to with you, and it would pay for Christmas and you would never have to work for him again. Mom didn't feel so great about the idea, but knew that I would be heartbroken if I woke up on Christmas and there would be nothing.
"You told me that night you were going away. You wouldn't tell me where and I begged you not to leave. You said you would be back as soon as you could and that everything was going to be okay. You see, we didn't live in the lap of luxury and you said you always felt guilty about that. You wanted a nice house away from the violence and drugs, but we could never afford it. Well, one day you left, and you never came back. Mom tried to contact Striker, but he never returned her phone calls. She called the police, but all they said was that you had probably run away and found someone else. She tried to stalk Striker, but it was no use, she was always afraid that he would find her and does whatever it was he did to you, and then I would have no one. When I got older I would go out looking for you without noticing. I would get in my car to go to work and then several wrong turns later I would find myself in the middle of nowhere searching. You were a good man Dad, I hope no one told you different," Bethany said teary eyed. Then the room started to grow foggier and the rain started again.
Logan took off his jacket and placed it on Bethany, but it was useless. The girl still got wet. "Striker told me I was an animal. He said that I did bad things for him. He said that I hadn't changed, I was still an animal and all I had now were claws."
"That's not true. You were a good man. All you wanted was to help your family. Is any of this ringing a bell? Please, tell me something is reminding you of me. Anything, if it's only a brief memory. I just need to know that you remember," she said wrapping her arms around his neck and crying into his shoulder.
Logan looked at the girl and racked his brain for a memory. Then when he looked into the girl's eyes for the first time, something clicked. "I'm in a small living room and I'm sitting across from a beautiful woman. Then a little girl with eyes like your's walks in and she kisses me goodnight. Then she begs me for a bedtime story and I tell her no, but I will sing her a song, the song was talking about horses and ponies, I think a unicorn too. When I'm finished the little girl falls asleep and I give her one last kiss goodnight. Does that ring a bell?"
Logan had looked up from his hands and saw Bethany holding her mouth. The sun had beamed in again bringing in a welcoming cheer. "There was a song that you used to sing to me, it went like this: When you got to sleep you'll ride ponies When you go to sleep I'll ride too If you go to sleep we'll be together forever With horses and unicorns that are blue
"It wasn't the best song ever but it was ours. You wrote it and sang it to me when I was a baby. You remember!" she wrapped her arms around him again and laughing to herself.
Logan hugged back and squeezed her tight. He had found something he was looking for. A missing link in his search for the truth. Then, like a wave crashing in from the ocean, all of his memories came back. He knew who he was, and what he did. What had happened, he remembered his wife and the birth of his daughter. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. He started to cry as well as they sat there hugging each other. "How could I have been so stupid?"
"You're not stupid, you just love your family too much," said Bethany.
Okay, that's all I have for this story. I hoped you enjoyed it and thanks for reading.
"Who is 'him'?" asked Logan looking at the intense hatred in her eyes, just thinking about him.
"William Striker, you met him in New York. One day you met my mother her name was Natasha Young. You would always tell me you fell in love instantly with her, and you, unlike any other parent on our street or at my school, never cheated, abused, or fought with Mom. You two were the perfect couple, or that's how I remembered. She died last year of breast cancer," Bethany said trying to push on with the story that she had never wanted to tell again.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there, to help you bury her, it must have been hard," Logan said that was all he could think of to cheer up the poor girl.
"It's not your fault, but she told me to keep looking for you, and not stop until I found you. I promised her and I haven't stopped looking until I got a call from Xavier saying that he might know you. So I came as fast as I could. Anyway, on with the story, shortly after you and Mom were married, you had me. That's when trouble started. You had started to show signs of being a mutant, always falling and never being hurt and having a great sense of smell and sight and hearing. I started to show my signs too, right after I was born. Mom didn't understand, but she never judged us. We had this common bond, you and I did. Mom said she would see us looking at each other and it would be like we were talking, but we didn't say anything. When I was born you started to do work with a man named William Striker. It was very logistic, but it brought food on the table. You would never tell me where you went, and I always thought that you had a secret life somewhere and I had no idea what was going on. One day, you and Mom were talking on low voices in the living room. I had a secret hiding space that you and Mom never knew about and I would sit under there and listen to your conversation. You said there wouldn't be Christmas that year, because you were so low on money. You were talking about this experiment that Striker wanted to with you, and it would pay for Christmas and you would never have to work for him again. Mom didn't feel so great about the idea, but knew that I would be heartbroken if I woke up on Christmas and there would be nothing.
"You told me that night you were going away. You wouldn't tell me where and I begged you not to leave. You said you would be back as soon as you could and that everything was going to be okay. You see, we didn't live in the lap of luxury and you said you always felt guilty about that. You wanted a nice house away from the violence and drugs, but we could never afford it. Well, one day you left, and you never came back. Mom tried to contact Striker, but he never returned her phone calls. She called the police, but all they said was that you had probably run away and found someone else. She tried to stalk Striker, but it was no use, she was always afraid that he would find her and does whatever it was he did to you, and then I would have no one. When I got older I would go out looking for you without noticing. I would get in my car to go to work and then several wrong turns later I would find myself in the middle of nowhere searching. You were a good man Dad, I hope no one told you different," Bethany said teary eyed. Then the room started to grow foggier and the rain started again.
Logan took off his jacket and placed it on Bethany, but it was useless. The girl still got wet. "Striker told me I was an animal. He said that I did bad things for him. He said that I hadn't changed, I was still an animal and all I had now were claws."
"That's not true. You were a good man. All you wanted was to help your family. Is any of this ringing a bell? Please, tell me something is reminding you of me. Anything, if it's only a brief memory. I just need to know that you remember," she said wrapping her arms around his neck and crying into his shoulder.
Logan looked at the girl and racked his brain for a memory. Then when he looked into the girl's eyes for the first time, something clicked. "I'm in a small living room and I'm sitting across from a beautiful woman. Then a little girl with eyes like your's walks in and she kisses me goodnight. Then she begs me for a bedtime story and I tell her no, but I will sing her a song, the song was talking about horses and ponies, I think a unicorn too. When I'm finished the little girl falls asleep and I give her one last kiss goodnight. Does that ring a bell?"
Logan had looked up from his hands and saw Bethany holding her mouth. The sun had beamed in again bringing in a welcoming cheer. "There was a song that you used to sing to me, it went like this: When you got to sleep you'll ride ponies When you go to sleep I'll ride too If you go to sleep we'll be together forever With horses and unicorns that are blue
"It wasn't the best song ever but it was ours. You wrote it and sang it to me when I was a baby. You remember!" she wrapped her arms around him again and laughing to herself.
Logan hugged back and squeezed her tight. He had found something he was looking for. A missing link in his search for the truth. Then, like a wave crashing in from the ocean, all of his memories came back. He knew who he was, and what he did. What had happened, he remembered his wife and the birth of his daughter. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. He started to cry as well as they sat there hugging each other. "How could I have been so stupid?"
"You're not stupid, you just love your family too much," said Bethany.
Okay, that's all I have for this story. I hoped you enjoyed it and thanks for reading.