I walk towards him calmly. "Hi David." I say softly, sitting down next to him.

"You're not going to hurt me again, are you?" he asks quickly.

"No. I was hoping to talk to you. What was it about me that you liked so much? You sort of keep it hidden."

He smiles. "I feel bad about it, 'cause it's changed."

I'm surprised. "What is it? I mean, it's not just that you're here. I realized earlier that I've never found out much about you. You seem to be able to hide things from me, the others can't."

He shrugs. "We think differently, I guess. I've noticed that they're all mutants. Different parts of them are here. The mean blonde chick keeps things from you too."

I nod. "Yeah, but when I took her, I took all of her, her entire soul."

He nods. "You sort of took a part of mine too, I think. I mean, I'm not complete. I don't really think about my family much. I'm too focused on you. I'm the part of me that wanted you."

I nod slowly. "So all of these others, the parts of them…

"Are the parts that were important to them at the moment you touched them."

I glance around at the assembled group. "I'm never going to be able to control them, am I?"

"It's not about control." Phoenix offers, coming up to me.

"What do you mean?"

She looks at me firmly. "It's not about control."

I feel Carol come up to me slowly. "Everything is about control." She hisses.

Her eyes flash open quickly, and she crouches on the bed. I take in the sight as calmly as I can.

"Hello Wolverine." She purrs. "You're looking especially scrumptious today."

"I want to talk to Rogue." I tell her calmly.

"I don't want to let you." she whispers, and then glances around the room. "I want to call Eric."

"There's no phone in here Carol. You know that."

She grins. "Then I'll just have to go somewhere else." She floats over to where I'm seated at the door and settles on my lap. "You're going to let me out now."

I lift an eyebrow. "No, I'm really not."

"Why do you insist on doing this every time?"

"Because I don't like you."

"Now, now Wolverine. That's not very nice."

"Let me talk to Marie."

She sneers. "Marie can't come to the door right now. Don't try back."

I cross my arms. "Darlin' I know you can hear me, and I know I promised I'd just sit here, but I really don't like her."

She snarls. "Stop talking to her like she's still there. She's not."

I laugh. "Now I know you're getting' worried, 'cause blondie, Marie is always there."

She shudders, and collapses. I quickly scoop her up, avoiding her skin, and place her back on the bed. "Logan?" she whispers.

"I'm right here darlin'. I'm not goin' anywhere."

She scrunches her face. "I need you to find Phoenix for me." I pull back to call for her. "No – not there. In me." She corrects me.

"I don't understand."

She smiles softly. "When we were at Alkali, and then again at the hotel, I started to realize that other people can sort of, I don't know, summon, even though that's not right, the others. Get their attention. Like how you always bring me back. I need you to ask Phoenix what she means by telling me it's not about control."

"Darlin', how can it not be about control?" I ask carefully.

She sighs. "I don't know! That's why I need to ask her, but every time I try, Carol and Eric push forward."

"Metal mouth is givin' you trouble?"

She nods. "Logan, if he gets control…I don't know if I can stop him. He terrifies me."

I sigh. "We need to bring someone else in on this." I tell her softly. "I can't fight him."

She shakes her head. "I can't. I can't let them see me like this."

I reach forward and cup her face through her hair. "Darlin', at least let me tell Chuck."

She collapses in my lap. "He can't help me anymore." She sobs. "There are too many. He didn't even recognize me when I called him from the car."

I grip her as tightly as I dare through her shirt and nod slowly. "We'll figure it out darlin'. I promise you, we'll get you straight again."