Disclaimer: Still not owning them. Damn Marvel! Will the depression ever end?
Authors Note: Right now it seems to be flowing well, but lets all just hope it stays that way.
Again, much thanks to those who reviewed. Especially AngieX. Your enthusiasm made me giggle.
'text' internal speech
dreams
Wandering Souls
Chapter 7: Flowing Memories
Ororo, Charles and Logan stood their in shock looking at Hank as if he'd just walked into the room wearing a cocktail dress.
"What did you just say fur ball?" Logan growled, taking a step forward and pulling the printed results from Hanks hand. He looked down at the paper and found nothing made sense to him.
"She has half of your genetic make-up Logan, which means…" Hank began trying to be as gentle as possible, not wanting the other man to skewer him.
"She's your daughter," Ororo finished looking a Logan with sad eyes.
Logan looked around the room again, at all the faces before throwing the paper on the floor. "I gotta go," he growled and turned heading out the door.
"Logan wait!" Ororo called after him and started to follow.
"No Ororo," Charles said wheeling up next to her. "Let him go. He has to work this out on his own. And remember on his own."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan paced around the clearing like a caged animal, waiting to strike. It'd been over an hour since he called Nick and the other man had yet to show. Logan sniffed the air and caught the sent of an all too familiar cologne. "Took you long enough Fury," he growled out into the darkness. "Did you bring what I asked?"
"What Logan, no hello hug?" Nick Fury emerged from the shadows he seemed to be a part of. "It's been a while."
"Yeah well not long enough," Logan grunted and turned to face the other man, holding out his hand. "Did you bring it or not?"
"Yeah I brought it, but do you know how much shit I can get into for doing this for you?" Nick replied, pulling a thick manila folder from inside his leather air force bomber.
"Yeah, I know the drill," Logan replied snatching the file from him.
"Why do you want it anyway Logan? You said you didn't want to know about your past? Always told me you forgot it for a reason," Nick said, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Yeah well, it seems I've got a kid running around out there," Logan replied opening the folder and finding a picture of himself, complete with statistics including his birthday, 'am I really that old?' he thought as he continued to glance over the page.
"Only one?" Fury joked leaning against a tree and crossing his arms. "Are you sure?"
Logan let out a growl but kept his focus on the file. "Yeah, she's about 18 and as I recall, I was working for you and S.H.I.E.L.D back then." He looked up and noticed all the color had drained from Fury's face. "What do you know?" Logan barked, closing the folder a page too soon and taking a step towards the other man, claws extending.
"You told me she was dead," Nick stated.
"What are you talking about," Logan looked ready to lunge but Fury quickly pushed off the tree and stood firm.
"It's all in the file Logan. Read it. And if she is alive, I'd love to see here again. Now I've got to go. I've stayed to long already. You know how it is," Fury turned to leave and looked over his shoulder for an instant. "I hope you find her," before he disappeared into the darkness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan sat in the middle of the gym at the Xavier Institute, the file he had collected from Fury thrown down on the bench next to him, a single photo having been removed from it. Logan held the picture in his hand and looked hard at it. There was a woman standing in it, her hands leaning on Logan's shoulders. She had long curly black hair that flowed down perfectly to the middle of her back, deathly pale skin and piercing emerald eyes. She was tall and slender, with nice curves accented by the tight black jeans and lavender sweater she wore. Her full lips were pulled into a big smile as she looked into the camera. Meranda Davidson was what the file said. His wife.
Logan let out a long breath as his eyes moved to what sat perched in his arms. It was a small girl, with the same eyes and skin, but with more of Logan's features as well as long curly auburn hair with two white stripes in the front. She wore a huge smile and held onto his arms as she smiled at the camera, a completely joyous expression on her face.
Logan sighed and got up, picking up the folder and walking up towards the bedroom he shared with Ororo. He stopped before turning the knob and looked at the door. He couldn't do it. Not tonight. He turned and kept walking down the hall into one of the open bedrooms, closing the door behind him as he flopped down onto the bed opening the folder again, he pulled out the page that described what he found when he came home from one of his last missions with S.H.I.E.L.D. and drifted off to sleep reading it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan stood in the middle of a small white room, cringing at the smell of antiseptic in the air. Suddenly the room began to take form and shapes began to appear before his eyes. A beautiful woman was lying in the hospital bed in the middle of the room. She wore a tired, yet happy, expression and cradled a small pink bundle in her arms. 'Meranda' Logan thought as she looked up at him, her eyes sparkling and running with emotion, the smile growing on her face.
"Logan, look what we did," Meranda began, her voice barley above a whisper as she looked down at the small bundle in her arms. "Come look at your daughter."
Logan walked slowly towards the bed, afraid to speak or even breathe for that matter. He carefully took the small pink blanket from Meranda's arms and felt the warmth that radiated from it. He moved the blanket aside and sure enough, a small face and hands appeared. The baby yawned and opened her eyes to look up at Logan, and he was shocked to see how green they were since normally babies eyes started out blue. He smiled down at her and knew she was going to be someone he'd love for the rest of his life. Someone he'd die for, and kill for without remorse. Finally, he worked up the courage to speak. "Hey kid. We've been waiting for you."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan walked through the door into the kitchen silently. Meranda stood at the stove in a tank top and tight pair of jeans, not noticing his entrance. He smiled as he admired her form and snuck up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and whispering into her ear, "I don't care what's for dinner darlin', so long as you're desert."
Meranda let out a yell as the room went dark for a moment, until her brain realized who he was. The lights came back and she spun in his arms. "Damnit Logan! Don't do that!" she slapped her hand once against his chest before wrapping him in a large hug. "When'd you get back?"
"About an hour ago," he replied kissing her deeply. They broke apart and he moved away and began to take off his S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform as Meranda turned her attention back to dinner. "Where's Stripes?"
"She has a name Logan," Meranda replied turning off the burner and moving the pot to the counter. "And she's upstairs taking her nap."
Before Logan could reply, little feet were heard running down the stairs.
"DADDY!" a small voice called as a 4 year old girl ran into the room, still in her footed pajamas. Logan knelt down and scooped her up into his open arms in a tight hug. The white streaks fell in her eyes as she kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Ya miss me kid?" he asked throwing her up in the air and catching her on the way back down.
She giggled excitedly and held out her arms as if she were flying. "What'd ya bring me Daddy?" she laughed as he threw her one final time before setting her back onto the ground.
"Now, lets see. Did I remember to bring Marie a gift," Logan said pretending to search through his pockets as she stood there anxiously. Finally he pulled out a purple stone and handed it to her.
She clasped it excitedly and examined it, her smile broadening. "Thank you Daddy," Marie said, and ran over to her mother, who knelt down beside her and placed an arm around her waist. "Look what daddy brought me!" She exclaimed handing it to Meranda.
"Let's see," Meranda took the stone and studied it for a moment before handing it back. "It's an amethyst. It'll help guard against bad dreams," she said smiling at the child. "Why don't you go put it in your box?" Meranda suggested kissing Marie's forehead and letting her arm fall.
"Okay Mommy," Marie pulled away and started to walk out of the room, her eyes transfixed on the stone before she stopped and turned back towards her father. She walked over to him and looked up shyly, pulling the pants leg of his combat uniform.
"What Stripes?" he asked, kneeling besides her.
She smiled at him and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I love you daddy."
"Love you to kid. Now go put that away," he said ruffling her hair a bit as she turned and sped towards the stairs. Logan smiled as he watched her run off and rose slowly.
"I don't think magic can help her Logan," Meranda said looking after the girl. "I've tried. I'm not sure anything can."
"What are ya talking about?" Logan said turning to his wife, who had a worried expression on her face.
"She had the dream again. While you were gone. It took me over an hour to calm her down," Meranda said biting her lip. "I tried and tried, but you're the only one that can comfort her after that one."
Logan let out a long sigh and leaned against the counter, running his hand through his hair. "What should we do?"
"I don't know," Meranda replied, taking out some plates and placing them on the table. "Maybe you could try to stay home more often. I could cut back on work. I don't know, but we have to do something." Meranda began placing the utensils and plates on the table, a worried expression on her face.
"We'll figure it out," Logan said walking up behind her and wrapping her in a hug. "Don't worry."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"MREANDA!" Logan screamed as he jumped out of the S.H.I.E.L.D vehicle before Fury could stop it completely. He ran up to the house and watched as it burned steadily in the night.
"LOGAN WAIT!" Fury called out as he watched his friend run into the blaze. He got on his radio and sent for help.
Logan searched the burning house room by room not noticing the burns covering his skin, or the smoke stinging his lungs. It'd all heal. Besides, it wasn't him he was worried about. He came into the kitchen. "MERANDA! STRIPES!" he yelled, then stopped dead in his tracks. Despite the smoke, and ash in the air, he could still smell his wife's blood. He looked around for his daughter and wife but found nothing before he blacked out.
Logan woke up in the middle of a hospital bed, setting upright and seeing Nick Fury standing looking out the window.
"What happened?" Logan asked, looking around the room as he pulled the iv out of his arm.
"I'm sorry Logan," Nick said, not even turning to face him, unable to. "They're gone."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"By the Goddess!" Ororo breathed as Logan finished telling them about what had happened the night he came home from that mission.
They all sat around the table now, including the kids of the X-Men, listening to Logan's tale.
"And you never found the bodies?" Jubilee said bluntly, causing her to receive several reprimanding looks. "What?"
"No firecracker I didn't. No one else did either. But by the time the fire department got there, the whole place had burned down." Logan looked down at his fist and clenched it, causing his claws to pop. "If we hadn't came back early, I'd of found a hole in the ground. Instead I found the place burning, and no trace of either of them. After that all I could think was if only I had come home earlier, until finally, I didn't think about it period. Blocked it. Thought of them dead was just too much to take. Still is."
"So you think that perhaps Mystique had something to do with the fire?" Charles asked, his fingers together under his chin as he contemplated the story.
"Why else would she have Stripes?" Logan growled pacing the room slightly.
Ororo rose and stood next to him, "She's Logan's daughter. That makes her family, and she should be here with us," she stated looking at the group.
"Auntie O's right," Evan spoke up. "We should bring her home."
"But what if she doesn't want to come here?" Jean asked looking around the room. "As far as I can tell, she's convinced that Mystique is her mother. She was 4 when she was taken, and she may not remember anything else. If we just spring this on her, she might not be ready to handle it."
"Jean's right," Charles continued. "We must handle this matter as delicately as possible."
"Whatever Chuck, but I'm telling you now. If I get my hands on that shape shifter," he popped the claws from his other hand to emphasize his point. "There's not going to be anything to identify."
Remy stood off from the group in shock. 'Man, dating that girl just got harder,' he thought as he looked over at the clock. "So what we do den?" he asked pointing to the clock. "School be startin' soon. Do we tell the fille, or hide it from her? Cause it seems to Remy dat enough been hidden from her already, non?"
"You're absolutely right Remy, but perhaps it would be best to keep this to yourselves, at least in a public environment. There's no telling how she will react and we may not want to bring that out in the middle of the hallway," Charles said thoughtfully. "Now all of you go get ready for school, and please, be on your guard today."
Authors Note: And there you all have it. Logan's reaction. Chapter 8 should be written and up by tonight or tomorrow morning, depending on when I finish y'know, writing it. And remember, reviewing is our friend.
Authors Note: Right now it seems to be flowing well, but lets all just hope it stays that way.
Again, much thanks to those who reviewed. Especially AngieX. Your enthusiasm made me giggle.
'text' internal speech
dreams
Wandering Souls
Chapter 7: Flowing Memories
Ororo, Charles and Logan stood their in shock looking at Hank as if he'd just walked into the room wearing a cocktail dress.
"What did you just say fur ball?" Logan growled, taking a step forward and pulling the printed results from Hanks hand. He looked down at the paper and found nothing made sense to him.
"She has half of your genetic make-up Logan, which means…" Hank began trying to be as gentle as possible, not wanting the other man to skewer him.
"She's your daughter," Ororo finished looking a Logan with sad eyes.
Logan looked around the room again, at all the faces before throwing the paper on the floor. "I gotta go," he growled and turned heading out the door.
"Logan wait!" Ororo called after him and started to follow.
"No Ororo," Charles said wheeling up next to her. "Let him go. He has to work this out on his own. And remember on his own."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan paced around the clearing like a caged animal, waiting to strike. It'd been over an hour since he called Nick and the other man had yet to show. Logan sniffed the air and caught the sent of an all too familiar cologne. "Took you long enough Fury," he growled out into the darkness. "Did you bring what I asked?"
"What Logan, no hello hug?" Nick Fury emerged from the shadows he seemed to be a part of. "It's been a while."
"Yeah well not long enough," Logan grunted and turned to face the other man, holding out his hand. "Did you bring it or not?"
"Yeah I brought it, but do you know how much shit I can get into for doing this for you?" Nick replied, pulling a thick manila folder from inside his leather air force bomber.
"Yeah, I know the drill," Logan replied snatching the file from him.
"Why do you want it anyway Logan? You said you didn't want to know about your past? Always told me you forgot it for a reason," Nick said, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Yeah well, it seems I've got a kid running around out there," Logan replied opening the folder and finding a picture of himself, complete with statistics including his birthday, 'am I really that old?' he thought as he continued to glance over the page.
"Only one?" Fury joked leaning against a tree and crossing his arms. "Are you sure?"
Logan let out a growl but kept his focus on the file. "Yeah, she's about 18 and as I recall, I was working for you and S.H.I.E.L.D back then." He looked up and noticed all the color had drained from Fury's face. "What do you know?" Logan barked, closing the folder a page too soon and taking a step towards the other man, claws extending.
"You told me she was dead," Nick stated.
"What are you talking about," Logan looked ready to lunge but Fury quickly pushed off the tree and stood firm.
"It's all in the file Logan. Read it. And if she is alive, I'd love to see here again. Now I've got to go. I've stayed to long already. You know how it is," Fury turned to leave and looked over his shoulder for an instant. "I hope you find her," before he disappeared into the darkness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan sat in the middle of the gym at the Xavier Institute, the file he had collected from Fury thrown down on the bench next to him, a single photo having been removed from it. Logan held the picture in his hand and looked hard at it. There was a woman standing in it, her hands leaning on Logan's shoulders. She had long curly black hair that flowed down perfectly to the middle of her back, deathly pale skin and piercing emerald eyes. She was tall and slender, with nice curves accented by the tight black jeans and lavender sweater she wore. Her full lips were pulled into a big smile as she looked into the camera. Meranda Davidson was what the file said. His wife.
Logan let out a long breath as his eyes moved to what sat perched in his arms. It was a small girl, with the same eyes and skin, but with more of Logan's features as well as long curly auburn hair with two white stripes in the front. She wore a huge smile and held onto his arms as she smiled at the camera, a completely joyous expression on her face.
Logan sighed and got up, picking up the folder and walking up towards the bedroom he shared with Ororo. He stopped before turning the knob and looked at the door. He couldn't do it. Not tonight. He turned and kept walking down the hall into one of the open bedrooms, closing the door behind him as he flopped down onto the bed opening the folder again, he pulled out the page that described what he found when he came home from one of his last missions with S.H.I.E.L.D. and drifted off to sleep reading it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan stood in the middle of a small white room, cringing at the smell of antiseptic in the air. Suddenly the room began to take form and shapes began to appear before his eyes. A beautiful woman was lying in the hospital bed in the middle of the room. She wore a tired, yet happy, expression and cradled a small pink bundle in her arms. 'Meranda' Logan thought as she looked up at him, her eyes sparkling and running with emotion, the smile growing on her face.
"Logan, look what we did," Meranda began, her voice barley above a whisper as she looked down at the small bundle in her arms. "Come look at your daughter."
Logan walked slowly towards the bed, afraid to speak or even breathe for that matter. He carefully took the small pink blanket from Meranda's arms and felt the warmth that radiated from it. He moved the blanket aside and sure enough, a small face and hands appeared. The baby yawned and opened her eyes to look up at Logan, and he was shocked to see how green they were since normally babies eyes started out blue. He smiled down at her and knew she was going to be someone he'd love for the rest of his life. Someone he'd die for, and kill for without remorse. Finally, he worked up the courage to speak. "Hey kid. We've been waiting for you."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan walked through the door into the kitchen silently. Meranda stood at the stove in a tank top and tight pair of jeans, not noticing his entrance. He smiled as he admired her form and snuck up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and whispering into her ear, "I don't care what's for dinner darlin', so long as you're desert."
Meranda let out a yell as the room went dark for a moment, until her brain realized who he was. The lights came back and she spun in his arms. "Damnit Logan! Don't do that!" she slapped her hand once against his chest before wrapping him in a large hug. "When'd you get back?"
"About an hour ago," he replied kissing her deeply. They broke apart and he moved away and began to take off his S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform as Meranda turned her attention back to dinner. "Where's Stripes?"
"She has a name Logan," Meranda replied turning off the burner and moving the pot to the counter. "And she's upstairs taking her nap."
Before Logan could reply, little feet were heard running down the stairs.
"DADDY!" a small voice called as a 4 year old girl ran into the room, still in her footed pajamas. Logan knelt down and scooped her up into his open arms in a tight hug. The white streaks fell in her eyes as she kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Ya miss me kid?" he asked throwing her up in the air and catching her on the way back down.
She giggled excitedly and held out her arms as if she were flying. "What'd ya bring me Daddy?" she laughed as he threw her one final time before setting her back onto the ground.
"Now, lets see. Did I remember to bring Marie a gift," Logan said pretending to search through his pockets as she stood there anxiously. Finally he pulled out a purple stone and handed it to her.
She clasped it excitedly and examined it, her smile broadening. "Thank you Daddy," Marie said, and ran over to her mother, who knelt down beside her and placed an arm around her waist. "Look what daddy brought me!" She exclaimed handing it to Meranda.
"Let's see," Meranda took the stone and studied it for a moment before handing it back. "It's an amethyst. It'll help guard against bad dreams," she said smiling at the child. "Why don't you go put it in your box?" Meranda suggested kissing Marie's forehead and letting her arm fall.
"Okay Mommy," Marie pulled away and started to walk out of the room, her eyes transfixed on the stone before she stopped and turned back towards her father. She walked over to him and looked up shyly, pulling the pants leg of his combat uniform.
"What Stripes?" he asked, kneeling besides her.
She smiled at him and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I love you daddy."
"Love you to kid. Now go put that away," he said ruffling her hair a bit as she turned and sped towards the stairs. Logan smiled as he watched her run off and rose slowly.
"I don't think magic can help her Logan," Meranda said looking after the girl. "I've tried. I'm not sure anything can."
"What are ya talking about?" Logan said turning to his wife, who had a worried expression on her face.
"She had the dream again. While you were gone. It took me over an hour to calm her down," Meranda said biting her lip. "I tried and tried, but you're the only one that can comfort her after that one."
Logan let out a long sigh and leaned against the counter, running his hand through his hair. "What should we do?"
"I don't know," Meranda replied, taking out some plates and placing them on the table. "Maybe you could try to stay home more often. I could cut back on work. I don't know, but we have to do something." Meranda began placing the utensils and plates on the table, a worried expression on her face.
"We'll figure it out," Logan said walking up behind her and wrapping her in a hug. "Don't worry."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"MREANDA!" Logan screamed as he jumped out of the S.H.I.E.L.D vehicle before Fury could stop it completely. He ran up to the house and watched as it burned steadily in the night.
"LOGAN WAIT!" Fury called out as he watched his friend run into the blaze. He got on his radio and sent for help.
Logan searched the burning house room by room not noticing the burns covering his skin, or the smoke stinging his lungs. It'd all heal. Besides, it wasn't him he was worried about. He came into the kitchen. "MERANDA! STRIPES!" he yelled, then stopped dead in his tracks. Despite the smoke, and ash in the air, he could still smell his wife's blood. He looked around for his daughter and wife but found nothing before he blacked out.
Logan woke up in the middle of a hospital bed, setting upright and seeing Nick Fury standing looking out the window.
"What happened?" Logan asked, looking around the room as he pulled the iv out of his arm.
"I'm sorry Logan," Nick said, not even turning to face him, unable to. "They're gone."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"By the Goddess!" Ororo breathed as Logan finished telling them about what had happened the night he came home from that mission.
They all sat around the table now, including the kids of the X-Men, listening to Logan's tale.
"And you never found the bodies?" Jubilee said bluntly, causing her to receive several reprimanding looks. "What?"
"No firecracker I didn't. No one else did either. But by the time the fire department got there, the whole place had burned down." Logan looked down at his fist and clenched it, causing his claws to pop. "If we hadn't came back early, I'd of found a hole in the ground. Instead I found the place burning, and no trace of either of them. After that all I could think was if only I had come home earlier, until finally, I didn't think about it period. Blocked it. Thought of them dead was just too much to take. Still is."
"So you think that perhaps Mystique had something to do with the fire?" Charles asked, his fingers together under his chin as he contemplated the story.
"Why else would she have Stripes?" Logan growled pacing the room slightly.
Ororo rose and stood next to him, "She's Logan's daughter. That makes her family, and she should be here with us," she stated looking at the group.
"Auntie O's right," Evan spoke up. "We should bring her home."
"But what if she doesn't want to come here?" Jean asked looking around the room. "As far as I can tell, she's convinced that Mystique is her mother. She was 4 when she was taken, and she may not remember anything else. If we just spring this on her, she might not be ready to handle it."
"Jean's right," Charles continued. "We must handle this matter as delicately as possible."
"Whatever Chuck, but I'm telling you now. If I get my hands on that shape shifter," he popped the claws from his other hand to emphasize his point. "There's not going to be anything to identify."
Remy stood off from the group in shock. 'Man, dating that girl just got harder,' he thought as he looked over at the clock. "So what we do den?" he asked pointing to the clock. "School be startin' soon. Do we tell the fille, or hide it from her? Cause it seems to Remy dat enough been hidden from her already, non?"
"You're absolutely right Remy, but perhaps it would be best to keep this to yourselves, at least in a public environment. There's no telling how she will react and we may not want to bring that out in the middle of the hallway," Charles said thoughtfully. "Now all of you go get ready for school, and please, be on your guard today."
Authors Note: And there you all have it. Logan's reaction. Chapter 8 should be written and up by tonight or tomorrow morning, depending on when I finish y'know, writing it. And remember, reviewing is our friend.