Disclaimer: I do not; in a way, shape, or form, own the X-Men. Any of them! *sigh* Happy now? Oh yeah and the song is called 'Breathe' by Greenwheel, I don't own *that* either. So what the hell do I own? Don't ask me..
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, those of you who did. As for the journal writer, I'm pretty sure all of you guessed Scott, after reading it again I almost thought it was Scott myself. But nope, the journal writer is Remy. And a cyber cookie goes to *Kate* for guessing the stranger as Logan. Congrats. ^_^
BTW- So i don't confuse you guys, this chap. isn't gonna be in journal form. And I'm not gonna even try writing Gambit's accent 'coz it'd come out too bad. So you'll hafta use your imaginations.
Chapter 2: Stranger in our midst
Logan began waking up, grumbling softly as he did so. A growl rose in his throat when he couldn't figure out where he was. He sat up quickly, snapping his eyes open to see two women and a fairly tall man standing over him.
Remy's eyes bore into this stranger as he prepared himself for an attack. Before he could make a move, Jean put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay Rem, he's not going to hurt us, I sensed it. He's just confused."
Remy backed off a bit, but didn't quite relax. He didn't believe he could trust this man, not yet anyway. He'd have to earn his trust.
Logan grumbled, sitting up and staring curiously. He rubbed his head and closed his eyes for a minute while he regained his composure. "W-Where am I? How'd I get here?!" He demanded.
Jean smiled at him, trying to let him know they were friendly. He had obviously been through alot, judging from the state he arrived in. "Take it easy now. You're in bunker 117. We live here. I uh..found you last night in the snow and brought you here to help you out."
Logan scratched the back of his head, trying to remember something.
"D-Do you remember what happened to you?" Jean asked cautiously. "You were in pretty bad shape..." She paused, noticing the bruises from his face and chest were gone, although it seemed the frostbite had a greater effect. "...but you seem to be alot better now..." She trailed off, staring curiously.
"Fast healer." Logan explained, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. He had no idea who these people were. For all he knew, they could've been mutant haters.
"It's ok, we're mutants too." Jean said, answering his thoughts.
Logan looked at her strangely.
Jean smiled sheepishly. "Oh, I'm telepathic and telekinetic. I didn't mean to....it's just-"
Logan put a hand up. "I-It's okay, you were jus' bein' protective." He smiled lopsidedly.
Gambit stood defensively near the cots where Kurt and Jubilee were just waking up, as if trying to protect them.
Jean looked back at the gruff man infront of her, that seemed to be in his 20's, and offered a friendly hand. "My name's Jean." She smiled, then looked at Rogue. "This is Rogue."
Rogue half smiled. "Hi."
Jean then gestured toward Remy and the two small children with him. "That's Remy, the small blue boy next to him is Kurt, and the young girl is Jubilee."
Logan cautiously took her hand in his frost-bitten one. "I'm Logan."
Jean suddenly looked down at his hand. "Oh! Does that hurt? Let me get something for it." She got up quickly and returned with some bandages and warm water that had been heated by the fire. She took Logan's hands and carefully dabbed them with the warm water before wrapping them up.
"Uh..thanks." Logan replied to her kind gesture.
Rogue smiled and walked over to Remy to help him calm Kurt and Jubilee.
"Who's that man?" Jubilee asked curiously, before coughing.
"His name is Logan, Jubes. Jean found him last night, he was hurt." Rogue explained to the little girl.
Kurt grinned, hopping off his cot and walking over to where Logan and Jean were. "Hello Mister." He smiled, waving a three fingered hand.
Logan grinned at the small blue-furred boy. "Hey Squirt." He said gruffly.
Jean looked at Kurt. "Kurt, why don't you help Rogue get some oatmeal ready okay?" She said kindly.
Kurt smiled, "Okay!" Then bounded off to the other room of the bunker with Rogue.
Remy stood up, after covering Jubilee with more blankets and went over to Logan, and maybe find more about this mystery guest.
Jean questioned Logan again. "So, do you remember what happened to you?"
Logan closed his eyes, memories, painful memories of being beaten and tortured by guards flooded his mind. He snapped himself out of it and looked at Jean sadly, shaking his head. "Can't remember."
Gambit looked at him skeptically. He stared at Logan with glistening red on black eyes. "You don't remember nothin' of what happened?"
Logan shook his head.
Jean sighed, glaring at Remy. "Gambit why don't you head to the base and see if you can pick up some clothes and boots for Logan. The weather isn't too bad now."
Gambit rolled his eyes, knowing she was just trying to get rid of him for being too protective. He also knew if he argued, it would be a loosing battle.
"Alright, I'm goin'." He grumbled, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his beaten up trenchcoat, and heading towards the door.
"Gambit! Get s'more blankets too! And see if ya can get some medicine o' somethin' fo' Jubilee!" Rogue called after him from the other room.
Gambit nodded and reluctantly went out the door, but not before giving one last stare to Logan that meant, 'If anything happens to them while I'm gone, you're dead.'
Logan looked back at Jean, quirking an eyebrow. "Gambit? Thought y'said his name was Remy?"
"Oh, well it is. Gambit is his codename." She smiled. "Do you have one? A codename I mean?...Well we use them you know, when we're fighting with the soldiers and everything."
Logan seemed to space out and stare blankly at the wall. He was remembering being called something...what was it? It was..uh..."Wolverine." He mumbled softly.
Jean smiled again. "Well I'm still Jean, Rogue is always Rogue, Jubilation is Jubilee or Jubes, and Kurt is Nightcrawler."
Logan snapped himself out of his stare and nodded. He then remembered Rogue metioning something about medicine for the little girl Jubilee and suddenly asked, "She's sick?"
Jean was surprised by the sudden question. "Wha-who?"
Logan tilted his head and pointed to the other room where Rogue was with the children. "The little girl over there, Jubilee."
"Oh.." Jean nodded sadly. "Yes, she..she has quite a bad cough."
Logan nodded, then looked up as little Kurt came bounding happily into the room. "Oatmeal is ready Jean!" He announced in his german accent.
Jean started to get up and walk to the other room. She looked back at Logan. "You stay here and rest, I'll bring you some."
Logan watched Jean walking away, then leaned back against the wall and sighed. Leave it to him to wind up with a nice bunch of people like this. It was all so confusing and unexpected.
Jean came back in a little while later and handed Logan a tin bowl of oatmeal and a wooden spoon.
He took the bowl and mumbled, "Thanks."
Jean nodded, then Kurt started 'porting around the room excitedly. Jean laughed when he finally stopped, and ended up near the door. "Kurt, what are you doing?"
He grinned and started jumping up and down in place. "You and Rogue promised to take me to the playground today!!" He squeeled, still jumping up and down.
Rogue came in the room, and looked toward Kurt, then back at Jean. "That's right Jean, we did promise 'im."
Logan looked at Jean, "Playground?" He asked.
"It's not really a playground, it's just an area about a quarter of a mile into the woods where there's some old wood and scraps piled up. We sort of built a little fort for the kids to play in there. They call it the playground." Jean smiled.
"Pweeeaaaase Jean? Can we go? Can we huh?!" Kurt pleaded with puppy-dog eyes.
"Hey Jean, c'mere for a second will yah?" Rogue asked, motioning for Jean to come to the kitchen area.
Jean turned to Logan. "Excuse me for a moment."
Logan nodded, turning to look at Kurt as Jean left the room.
"What is it Rogue?" Jean asked, walking in.
"Well, yah know we can't take Jubilee with us. She's too sick." Rogue reminded her.
Jean nodded. "I know that. But she won't feel left out, she knows we can take her when she's feeling better."
Rogue looked toward the other room. "I don't think we should just leave 'er with that man."
Jean turned to look toward the room, then back at Rogue. "You mean Logan? They'll be fine. He's not going to hurt her, I know that." She said, emphasizing her words by tapping her temple. "Besides, Remy will be back in a little while too. He may even get here before us."
Rogue sighed. "Alright."
Jean smiled, walking back to the other room. "Let me just make sure Logan's okay with this."
Rogue nodded.
Logan turned his eyes back to the other room as Jean stepped back through, moving the curtain that was used as a door, out of the way.
"Um..Logan, Rogue and I did promise to take Kurt to the playground today. Would you mind staying here with Jubilee? I'm sure she won't cause any trouble, she'll probably be resting the whole time anyway and you probably will too so..."
Logan nodded, smiling slightly. "Sure, it's ok."
Jean grinned, thanking him, then went to tell Jubilee.
"Jubilee? Wake up honey." She said gently.
"Huh?" Jubilee mumbled, starting to sit up in her cot.
Jean smiled. "Rogue and I are taking Kurt to the playground. Logan's going to stay with you until we come back alright?"
Jubilee coughed, then mumbled, "Okay", before falling back asleep.
Rogue and Jean covered Kurt up in his torn little jacket and went out the door.
Logan had finished his oatmeal and got up to bring the bowl back in the other room. After putting his bowl in a large tin bucket, which seemed to be serving as a sink, he noticed the fire pit near the corner of the room. There was sort of a screen, that could be covered up, over the pit on the ceiling to vent the smoke. He looked at a spot on the floor where it seemed the firewood was.
'Hmph, looks like they're outta firewood.' Logan thought to himself. He made his way to the door and opened it, stepping outside and looking around. He didn't see another wood pile outside either. Logan noticed a path into the woods that must've served to gather firewood and go towards the 'playground' Jean spoke of. 'Maybe I should do 'em a favor an' get some wood.' He answered himself with a nod, then started off toward the path.
His feet were still bare and slightly frost-bitten, and he had no shirt, but he went out anyways. Logan thought it was the least he could do for their hospitality.
After using his claws to chop some firewood, he began carrying piles back toward the bunker and stacking them outside near the door.
When Logan was on his third pile, he had just finished stacking it, when he heard a tiny voice and someone tugging on his torn pants leg.
"Hey Mister Logan?"
He looked down, surprised he hadn't sensed her before, he wasn't really paying attention to anything but the wood. "Huh?"
Jubilee stared up at him, her bright blue eyes gleaming. "It's cold out here, whatcha doin'?"
Logan stared at the small girl. "I'm uh..gettin' firewood for ya."
Jubilee smiled. "Oh." She paused for a moment, then started following him when he was going back to get the rest of the wood.
Logan sensed her now, and turned around. "What?" He asked gruffly.
"Mr. Logan?"
He sighed. "Ya c'n jus' call me Logan kid, or Wolverine."
She smiled. "Ok, Wolvie."
Logan growled slightly at the nickname. "What?" He asked, starting to pick up more wood.
Jubilee looked at the ground, then back up at his gruff face. "Your feet are bweeding." She pointed a small finger at his feet.
Logan looked down at his cut up feet and shrugged. "Yeah..guess they are."
Jubilee began jogging a little bit to catch up with him. She coughed, and tripped on a rock, falling to the ground.
Logan stopped, turning around to see the little girl getting up from the ground and brushing herself off, coughing more. He put down the wood he was carrying and went over to her. "Y'ok darlin'?" He asked.
Jubilee looked up, unphased by the fall. "Yeah, I'm okay." She grumbled, before getting caught up in a fit of coughing.
Logan frowned. "Y'shouldn't be out here kid, it's too cold fer ya an' yer sick." He sighed and bent down to pick the yound girl up. "C'mon, I'll carry ya back."
Jubilee jumped up into his arms and he stood up, leaving the wood, and began carrying her back to the bunker. "It's too cold for you too Wolvie. Yer sick too and Jean said to go to sleep."
Logan chuckled. "Alright, after I get the rest o' the wood."
A/N: please review. Hopefully if it works out right, this is gonna turn into a Logan/Jean. *~DarkChaos~*
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, those of you who did. As for the journal writer, I'm pretty sure all of you guessed Scott, after reading it again I almost thought it was Scott myself. But nope, the journal writer is Remy. And a cyber cookie goes to *Kate* for guessing the stranger as Logan. Congrats. ^_^
BTW- So i don't confuse you guys, this chap. isn't gonna be in journal form. And I'm not gonna even try writing Gambit's accent 'coz it'd come out too bad. So you'll hafta use your imaginations.
Chapter 2: Stranger in our midst
Logan began waking up, grumbling softly as he did so. A growl rose in his throat when he couldn't figure out where he was. He sat up quickly, snapping his eyes open to see two women and a fairly tall man standing over him.
Remy's eyes bore into this stranger as he prepared himself for an attack. Before he could make a move, Jean put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay Rem, he's not going to hurt us, I sensed it. He's just confused."
Remy backed off a bit, but didn't quite relax. He didn't believe he could trust this man, not yet anyway. He'd have to earn his trust.
Logan grumbled, sitting up and staring curiously. He rubbed his head and closed his eyes for a minute while he regained his composure. "W-Where am I? How'd I get here?!" He demanded.
Jean smiled at him, trying to let him know they were friendly. He had obviously been through alot, judging from the state he arrived in. "Take it easy now. You're in bunker 117. We live here. I uh..found you last night in the snow and brought you here to help you out."
Logan scratched the back of his head, trying to remember something.
"D-Do you remember what happened to you?" Jean asked cautiously. "You were in pretty bad shape..." She paused, noticing the bruises from his face and chest were gone, although it seemed the frostbite had a greater effect. "...but you seem to be alot better now..." She trailed off, staring curiously.
"Fast healer." Logan explained, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. He had no idea who these people were. For all he knew, they could've been mutant haters.
"It's ok, we're mutants too." Jean said, answering his thoughts.
Logan looked at her strangely.
Jean smiled sheepishly. "Oh, I'm telepathic and telekinetic. I didn't mean to....it's just-"
Logan put a hand up. "I-It's okay, you were jus' bein' protective." He smiled lopsidedly.
Gambit stood defensively near the cots where Kurt and Jubilee were just waking up, as if trying to protect them.
Jean looked back at the gruff man infront of her, that seemed to be in his 20's, and offered a friendly hand. "My name's Jean." She smiled, then looked at Rogue. "This is Rogue."
Rogue half smiled. "Hi."
Jean then gestured toward Remy and the two small children with him. "That's Remy, the small blue boy next to him is Kurt, and the young girl is Jubilee."
Logan cautiously took her hand in his frost-bitten one. "I'm Logan."
Jean suddenly looked down at his hand. "Oh! Does that hurt? Let me get something for it." She got up quickly and returned with some bandages and warm water that had been heated by the fire. She took Logan's hands and carefully dabbed them with the warm water before wrapping them up.
"Uh..thanks." Logan replied to her kind gesture.
Rogue smiled and walked over to Remy to help him calm Kurt and Jubilee.
"Who's that man?" Jubilee asked curiously, before coughing.
"His name is Logan, Jubes. Jean found him last night, he was hurt." Rogue explained to the little girl.
Kurt grinned, hopping off his cot and walking over to where Logan and Jean were. "Hello Mister." He smiled, waving a three fingered hand.
Logan grinned at the small blue-furred boy. "Hey Squirt." He said gruffly.
Jean looked at Kurt. "Kurt, why don't you help Rogue get some oatmeal ready okay?" She said kindly.
Kurt smiled, "Okay!" Then bounded off to the other room of the bunker with Rogue.
Remy stood up, after covering Jubilee with more blankets and went over to Logan, and maybe find more about this mystery guest.
Jean questioned Logan again. "So, do you remember what happened to you?"
Logan closed his eyes, memories, painful memories of being beaten and tortured by guards flooded his mind. He snapped himself out of it and looked at Jean sadly, shaking his head. "Can't remember."
Gambit looked at him skeptically. He stared at Logan with glistening red on black eyes. "You don't remember nothin' of what happened?"
Logan shook his head.
Jean sighed, glaring at Remy. "Gambit why don't you head to the base and see if you can pick up some clothes and boots for Logan. The weather isn't too bad now."
Gambit rolled his eyes, knowing she was just trying to get rid of him for being too protective. He also knew if he argued, it would be a loosing battle.
"Alright, I'm goin'." He grumbled, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his beaten up trenchcoat, and heading towards the door.
"Gambit! Get s'more blankets too! And see if ya can get some medicine o' somethin' fo' Jubilee!" Rogue called after him from the other room.
Gambit nodded and reluctantly went out the door, but not before giving one last stare to Logan that meant, 'If anything happens to them while I'm gone, you're dead.'
Logan looked back at Jean, quirking an eyebrow. "Gambit? Thought y'said his name was Remy?"
"Oh, well it is. Gambit is his codename." She smiled. "Do you have one? A codename I mean?...Well we use them you know, when we're fighting with the soldiers and everything."
Logan seemed to space out and stare blankly at the wall. He was remembering being called something...what was it? It was..uh..."Wolverine." He mumbled softly.
Jean smiled again. "Well I'm still Jean, Rogue is always Rogue, Jubilation is Jubilee or Jubes, and Kurt is Nightcrawler."
Logan snapped himself out of his stare and nodded. He then remembered Rogue metioning something about medicine for the little girl Jubilee and suddenly asked, "She's sick?"
Jean was surprised by the sudden question. "Wha-who?"
Logan tilted his head and pointed to the other room where Rogue was with the children. "The little girl over there, Jubilee."
"Oh.." Jean nodded sadly. "Yes, she..she has quite a bad cough."
Logan nodded, then looked up as little Kurt came bounding happily into the room. "Oatmeal is ready Jean!" He announced in his german accent.
Jean started to get up and walk to the other room. She looked back at Logan. "You stay here and rest, I'll bring you some."
Logan watched Jean walking away, then leaned back against the wall and sighed. Leave it to him to wind up with a nice bunch of people like this. It was all so confusing and unexpected.
Jean came back in a little while later and handed Logan a tin bowl of oatmeal and a wooden spoon.
He took the bowl and mumbled, "Thanks."
Jean nodded, then Kurt started 'porting around the room excitedly. Jean laughed when he finally stopped, and ended up near the door. "Kurt, what are you doing?"
He grinned and started jumping up and down in place. "You and Rogue promised to take me to the playground today!!" He squeeled, still jumping up and down.
Rogue came in the room, and looked toward Kurt, then back at Jean. "That's right Jean, we did promise 'im."
Logan looked at Jean, "Playground?" He asked.
"It's not really a playground, it's just an area about a quarter of a mile into the woods where there's some old wood and scraps piled up. We sort of built a little fort for the kids to play in there. They call it the playground." Jean smiled.
"Pweeeaaaase Jean? Can we go? Can we huh?!" Kurt pleaded with puppy-dog eyes.
"Hey Jean, c'mere for a second will yah?" Rogue asked, motioning for Jean to come to the kitchen area.
Jean turned to Logan. "Excuse me for a moment."
Logan nodded, turning to look at Kurt as Jean left the room.
"What is it Rogue?" Jean asked, walking in.
"Well, yah know we can't take Jubilee with us. She's too sick." Rogue reminded her.
Jean nodded. "I know that. But she won't feel left out, she knows we can take her when she's feeling better."
Rogue looked toward the other room. "I don't think we should just leave 'er with that man."
Jean turned to look toward the room, then back at Rogue. "You mean Logan? They'll be fine. He's not going to hurt her, I know that." She said, emphasizing her words by tapping her temple. "Besides, Remy will be back in a little while too. He may even get here before us."
Rogue sighed. "Alright."
Jean smiled, walking back to the other room. "Let me just make sure Logan's okay with this."
Rogue nodded.
Logan turned his eyes back to the other room as Jean stepped back through, moving the curtain that was used as a door, out of the way.
"Um..Logan, Rogue and I did promise to take Kurt to the playground today. Would you mind staying here with Jubilee? I'm sure she won't cause any trouble, she'll probably be resting the whole time anyway and you probably will too so..."
Logan nodded, smiling slightly. "Sure, it's ok."
Jean grinned, thanking him, then went to tell Jubilee.
"Jubilee? Wake up honey." She said gently.
"Huh?" Jubilee mumbled, starting to sit up in her cot.
Jean smiled. "Rogue and I are taking Kurt to the playground. Logan's going to stay with you until we come back alright?"
Jubilee coughed, then mumbled, "Okay", before falling back asleep.
Rogue and Jean covered Kurt up in his torn little jacket and went out the door.
Logan had finished his oatmeal and got up to bring the bowl back in the other room. After putting his bowl in a large tin bucket, which seemed to be serving as a sink, he noticed the fire pit near the corner of the room. There was sort of a screen, that could be covered up, over the pit on the ceiling to vent the smoke. He looked at a spot on the floor where it seemed the firewood was.
'Hmph, looks like they're outta firewood.' Logan thought to himself. He made his way to the door and opened it, stepping outside and looking around. He didn't see another wood pile outside either. Logan noticed a path into the woods that must've served to gather firewood and go towards the 'playground' Jean spoke of. 'Maybe I should do 'em a favor an' get some wood.' He answered himself with a nod, then started off toward the path.
His feet were still bare and slightly frost-bitten, and he had no shirt, but he went out anyways. Logan thought it was the least he could do for their hospitality.
After using his claws to chop some firewood, he began carrying piles back toward the bunker and stacking them outside near the door.
When Logan was on his third pile, he had just finished stacking it, when he heard a tiny voice and someone tugging on his torn pants leg.
"Hey Mister Logan?"
He looked down, surprised he hadn't sensed her before, he wasn't really paying attention to anything but the wood. "Huh?"
Jubilee stared up at him, her bright blue eyes gleaming. "It's cold out here, whatcha doin'?"
Logan stared at the small girl. "I'm uh..gettin' firewood for ya."
Jubilee smiled. "Oh." She paused for a moment, then started following him when he was going back to get the rest of the wood.
Logan sensed her now, and turned around. "What?" He asked gruffly.
"Mr. Logan?"
He sighed. "Ya c'n jus' call me Logan kid, or Wolverine."
She smiled. "Ok, Wolvie."
Logan growled slightly at the nickname. "What?" He asked, starting to pick up more wood.
Jubilee looked at the ground, then back up at his gruff face. "Your feet are bweeding." She pointed a small finger at his feet.
Logan looked down at his cut up feet and shrugged. "Yeah..guess they are."
Jubilee began jogging a little bit to catch up with him. She coughed, and tripped on a rock, falling to the ground.
Logan stopped, turning around to see the little girl getting up from the ground and brushing herself off, coughing more. He put down the wood he was carrying and went over to her. "Y'ok darlin'?" He asked.
Jubilee looked up, unphased by the fall. "Yeah, I'm okay." She grumbled, before getting caught up in a fit of coughing.
Logan frowned. "Y'shouldn't be out here kid, it's too cold fer ya an' yer sick." He sighed and bent down to pick the yound girl up. "C'mon, I'll carry ya back."
Jubilee jumped up into his arms and he stood up, leaving the wood, and began carrying her back to the bunker. "It's too cold for you too Wolvie. Yer sick too and Jean said to go to sleep."
Logan chuckled. "Alright, after I get the rest o' the wood."
A/N: please review. Hopefully if it works out right, this is gonna turn into a Logan/Jean. *~DarkChaos~*