"Freedom"

Here is the sequel to "Logan's Christmas Carol". You might need a hankie. Let me know. I'll send you one....More of the TBAA AU and lots of references to Xavier's Academy.

Freedom

Chapter One

July 2nd late evening

Explosions split the night as Logan tried to sleep. He pulled the pillow over his head to block the noise and to difuse the light. 'Whose bright idea was it to have the students do fireworks for a science project?' he wondered. 'And why do they have to practice tonight?'

He could hear some of the young men and women outside, laughing at the silliness of some of their peers' handiwork. Growling to himself, he stormed out of bed and got dressed. His boots sounded loudly on the stairs but he figured that no one else was sleeping anyway. He passed the group of youngsters in a huff and they watched as his Harley roared out of the garage and into the night.

Logan was only a few miles outside of town when a cool breeze blew across the road. He pulled over and stopped at the empty rest area. Turning off his bike, he waited.

A few minutes later, a red convertible pulled up beside him. The passenger side window rolled down.

"Get in," called a soft Irish brouge.

He stowed his bike behind the lonely building and climbed into the car.

Monica greeted him with a smile and a hug. "Oh, Logan. It is so good to see you."

"Same here, darlin'. Where's the Kid?"

"Gloria? She's with Tess right now, but she'll be along."

Nodding, the man settled in for the ride.

The duo rode in companionable silence for quite a while. Monica hummed a soft lullably while Logan dozed. It was well past two a.m. when the car came to a stop. A figure in the road caused the angel to gasp and the human to awaken.

"Andrew!!"

-----

Chapter Two

July 3rd early morning

At Monica's cry, Logan was instantly awake. He saw the glowing figure in the road and recognized the angel of death.

Andrew dashed over to the driver's side and opened the door. "Monica--Hi, Logan--we need to get to Tess and Gloria right away." He slid in as Monica moved to the middle of the front seat. Slamming the car into gear, he set out down the highway at a fast pace.

Glancing past the Irish angel, Logan asked, "The Kid okay?"

"For now, she is but her assignment isn't doing so well."

"What's wrong?" This from Monica.

"Do you remember the diner and note incident from a few years ago?" Seeing his friend nod, he continued. "Jeff was doing well until he suffered a minor stroke. The imbalance in his brain has caused some of his memories to shift and his wife was needing some help. The Father sent Gloria to be their part time housekeeper. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction until the approach of the holiday." Andrew paused and Logan broke in.

"Fireworks, right?"

"How did you know?"

The shorter man grunted. "I guessed. That's what woke me up tonight."

"So what are we to do to help?" asked Monica.

The green-eyed angel shrugged. "I'm not sure. I know that we need to be there and that Logan is supposed to be there as well."

There was a raised eyebrow at that.

"You two get some sleep. We'll arrive in a few hours."

Logan leaned his head back against the seat and dozed off. Monica turned toward Andrew.

"You know more that your are telling," she said.

"Yes, Angel-girl, I do. But it isn't for you to know right now." He looked at her with compassion in his eyes. "You'll know when the time is right." He stroked a finger along her cheek then pulled her close. Kissing the top of her head, he whispered, "Get some rest."

-----

Chapter Three

Monica awoke with her head against Andrew's chest. The car was pulling into a driveway. The Irish angel sat up and looked at the time. It was four-thirty in the moring. Darkness lay over the neighborhood as the trio got out of the car. Tess came out of the house to greet them.

"Angel-babies," she said quietly as she gave each a big hug. Logan looked on in amusement until she caught him in one as well. "Well, 'Old Man', it's been awhile, hasn't it, baby?"

Shrugging her off, he replied, "Where's the Kid?"

"She's inside with Jeff and Alicia. He's gotten worse." Tess led the way into the house. Once in the living room, she continued. "The flashbacks are the only thing real to him now. He can't see Lici anymore. He's trapped in his mind during the war. Monica, the Father wants you to see what he is seeing. And you," she pointed to Logan, "Are going to help."

A cry came from the master bedroom where Gloria was trying to calm the disoriented man. The auburn haired angel grabbed the wiry human's hand and rushed in. Monica immediately began to see what the thrashing man was seeing in his mind and she gasped at the carnage. Logan moved past her and pinned the larger man down. He looked at the face of the invalid and his own memories flashed before him.

"Jeff. Jefferson Archie!"

A woman beside the bed looked up and saw him. "Do you know my husband?"

"Yeah. We met during the war."

"You don't look old enough to know him," Alica Archie said with suspicion.

Gloria was standing beside the woman and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Mrs. Archie, Logan is here to help us."

"He's with you?" She cast a questioning look at the shorter man. Scruffy boots, jeans and a t-shirt didn't quite line up with Gloria's own attire. Sighing, she brushed the hair out of her husband's face. "Please help him. I'm not ready for him to go."

A gentle breeze whispered through the room and Monica stepped behind Logan.

"Mrs. Archie?"

"Alica."

"Alica, your husband is trapped in a situation he experienced during the war. He can't seem to get past it." Monica began to shine softly. "God has given me the gift of being able to see the truth behind things. Only since Jeff is unable to get past this place in his mind, I need to know what happens next."

Before the woman could answer, Logan did.

"I know."

-----

Chapter Four

Logan's answer stunned them.

"I know what happened."

Gloria walked around the bed and took his hand.

"Can you show me?"

"How?"

Monica put her hand to Logan's forhead and place the younger angel's hand on top of hers.

Suddenly Gloria could see a jungle situation. She heard gunfire and artillery in a constant pounding. She flinched until she realized that she was seeing through someone else's eyes.

Beside her, Monica spoke. "Yes, this is what Logan knows. Let me show you Jeff's memory and we'll put them together."

The scene changed only slightly. Gloria could see many children running ahead of her and another man off to the side. There was an explosion and the second man fell. She aproached him and saw that he was dead. She picked up the small child that the man had been carrying and continued after the other youngsters. She came upon a river and a hiding place where they stayed as night fell. Children were all around her, clinging and crying. She shushed them and told them they needed to be quiet and soon all were in a restless sleep. She heard a noise, saw a bright flash and then the children began running again.

Monica spoke again. "This is where Jeff cannot get past. Now for Logan."

The scene shifted back and Gloria heard the pounding of the artillery and gunfire again. She hurried through the underbrush with a sense of urgency. She stopped to smell the air. There. That hot iron scent. She followed it to the edge of the river. Pausing, she took careful stock of the surrounding and almost missed the slight displacement of the bushes to the far right. She approached, her guard up and senses tuned to the war around her. Using the end of her gun, she slowly moved the bushes aside to find, of all things, the missing Army lieutenant and a group of small children. Grinning, she quietly woke the sleeping man and informed him that help was close by and that they were in good hands.

Gloria blinked in surprise when Monica removed her hand. "It was so real."

The Irish angel nodded. "It was real and it is to Jeff right now." She turned to Alicia who had watched the proceedings in silence. "You've been his truest friend and companion."

Andrew entered the room, unseen, and stood by the head of the bed. Monica nodded to him and took the human woman's hand. "Alicia, his time is short. Once he remembers, you will need to say good-bye."

Without a word, she lay down on the bed beside her husband, holding him as she had many times in their long marriage. Times when he had cried out in the night looking for the children, times when nightmares had taken hold, times when he awoke in relief to find her holding him, times recently when what was lost had been found. She stroked his hair as he silently went through the vicous memory once again.

Logan respectfully stepped back, knowing that Andrew was present, and watched as a part of his own wounded memory was used to heal another's. Gloria moved to stand beside him and he put his arm around her shoulders.

Monica saw through Jefferson Archie's eyes one last time. She opened her eyes to see a scruffy soldier looking at her with a finger to his lips. "Help's coming. Yer in good hands." She could see no more and looked down at the man on the bed.

Alicia looked into her husband's eyes and saw the deep love there she had always known. Tenderly, she kissed him and watched as his eyes slowly closed one last time. She lay her head next to his and went to sleep with her arms around him. He was at peace now and morning would be soon enough...

-----

Chapter Five

July 4th afternoon

The funeral had ended an hour ago. Alicia Archie had honored her husband's request to be buried in his own town. Many people had shown up. Men and women with families had been greeted by Alicia and were assured that their Lt. was at true peace. "He's free now," she had said. "Nothing can hold him back."

Logan watched from a small hill as the casket was lowered into the ground. He didn't turn as Gloria walked up beside him. She took his hand.

"Are you ready to go?"

He only nodded and allowed himself to be led to the red caddy. Andrew was in the driver's seat and Monica stood waiting outside the car. She gave Logan a hug and smiled through her tears.

"I'll be seeing you around, my friend." She and Gloria stepped back as he got into the car.

Andrew gave a small wave to the pair and drove off toward the school. The two men rode in silence for most of the trip.

"She said he was free."

Andrew glanced over at the smaller man. "Yes, he is."

Logan closed his eyes. "When will it be my time ta be free?" he whispered.

The angel of death pulled into the rest stop and turned off the car. "I honestly don't know. You have a purpose that only the Father understands." They got out of the car and walked over to the hidden bike. "Here is where you try to find one kind of freedom. You try to be free from those who want to know you. You, more than any other human alive, know the true price of freedom. And in that, you are free."

Logan got on the Harley.

"Thanks, Andrew."

"Logan, go home. Be with those who freely accept who you are."

The angel watched as the bike roared off into the early evening. Tess, Monica and Gloria appeared next to him. "Want to see some fireworks?" he asked.

-----

Chapter Six

July 4th late evening

Logan was surprised when he pulled up to the mansion's garage. In front was a small group of students apparently waiting for his return. He barely had time to remove his helmet before they converged on him. The air was filled with various apologies and exclamations.

"We are, like, soooo glad you made it back in time."

"Yeah, we didn't realize how loud we were being."

"It was Bobby's fault."

"Was not!"

Logan grinned as the melee continued around him. He was propelled forward to the south lawn where blankets and chairs had been set up to watch the final efforts of the school science project. He had been thinking about what Andrew had said and now allowed himself to be enveloped by the acceptance around him.

"Hey, Logan!" yelled Scott Summers. "Come sit by us. We saved you a place."

The wiry man simply shook his head as the group of youngsters continued to move him to a spot of their choosing. They stopped next to a man in a wheelchair long enough for him to whisper "They have been told that you served during the war, Logan" before being directed to a sweet spot up front.

"Sit here, Logan."

"Next to me!"

"Go away, Bobby."

"Yourself, Jubes."

He found himself ensconced on a pile of pillows, surrounded by young people. The whole school and even some of their families were out on the lawn. As nine o'clock approached the crowd quieted and the music began. Original arrangements of patriotic favorites by students were punctuated by rocket bursts and whistling shells filled with combustive color. An occasional "That's mine!" floated on the air as well.

Explosions split the night and Logan smiled. He was free.

-------

Author's note: There is a story about Jefferson Archie that I will post if anyone is interested. It will be in another category though. Let me know what you think of my ansty little AU.