Sych: Yeah, there is a big contrast, but it's a nice change I suppose, Scott normally has the grief whilst Logan's all amorous. You say Logan needs to calm down "chill pills" and all that, hehe. But since when was Logan one to have calm emotions? Lol, come on, he had to stop his "impulse to go and wreck something."

Calandra: Hehe, glad it made you happy. I try to update as quick as I can, but sometimes writer's block stops me, or just the flood of coursework. Haha, I don't think it's obsession, just too keen to read!

Chapter 12

Stars twinkled gently in the bare patches of a sultry indigo sky. Gathered clouds of a stormy grey floated over ahead, being the cause of the current snowfall. The snowflakes slowly fell vertical down into the busy streets of uptown Manhattan. The night sky remained peacefully above whilst below the sounds of traffic life and voices blew along with the bitter winter air. The rows of exquisite shop windows glistened light out upon the snow-covered pavements, which were marked by dozens of footprints from earlier shoppers on a belated Christmas rush.

The street had cars passing, signs of yellow taxis trundling through the thick snow every few minutes. But the streets were getting too thick with the constantly falling snow that the drivers were turning and heading home.

The street was getting quiet as the night wore on. The shops had shut a short while ago, all that happened now were the constant twinkling of fairy lights from the large and impressive glass windows of the expensive boutiques that lined the main street. But in front of the largest window, the most impressive one by far, stood a figure. The window was filled with beautiful Christmas decorations, advertising clothes and furniture by expensive methods. Cold breath drifted out of the lips of the watcher, who stood close to the glass, looking inside wistfully.

It was Madeline, buried inside her coat, hands in pockets as she shivered gently. Her soft chocolate eyes stared dreamily at the shop window, items available for the rich, decorating the window for the poor. She sighed softly, wiping her hair from her eyes with a shudder of coldness. The snow blew around her mystically, splashing up snowflakes against the shop window, smearing it in gentle flecks. She had been stood out here for a while, watching the World and it's baggage pass by - late shoppers running home from the bitter weather, hands clasping straining shopping bags from all the best High Street stores.

But now she was alone, the world around her was quiet. She shivered again, watery eyes reflecting the twinkle of fairy lights. However, she didn't turn when she heard a car pull up further ahead, she didn't pay attention to the footsteps that crunched through the snow. Why should she? It was probably just another shopper running for last minute presents. She continued to stare up longingly at the shop window, in a world of her own. But beside her reflected face arrived another. Familiar warm eyes stared over her shoulder. Madeline slowly glanced to the new reflection in the glass, eyes instantly hardening in realisation before she spun round to grin up to the man from Laughlin City.

"Logan!" she cried, laughter tunefully escaping with breaths of condensation. Her pale lips brightly lifted in a smile as she beamed up to the man, "What are you doing here?"

Logan looked down at her, a smile bringing his face alight with a rare happiness, "Just passin'," he murmured, "I recognised you." That wasn't exactly true, for he had been specifically looking for her in the past four hours; it had gone dark very quick.

"Wow, I never thought I'd see you again!" she cried, voice sounding delighted to see him.

"No, I betcha didn't.." he said softly, eyes upon her, "How're you doin', kid?"

Madeline smiled gently, her hands still shoved in the pockets of her coat, which was fastened up to her neck. Her eyes glowed, reflecting the many lights of decorations, her cheeks aglow from the cold wind. The snow still flowed by, whirling around merrily in the breeze. "I'm doin' alright," she admitted, scuffing her boots idly in the thick snow.

"How come you're out here?" then asked Logan, his own hands buried into his pockets also, face warm with the cold, "No shops open now, Madeline.."

With a glance to the store behind her, Madeline shrugged, "I know, but I like walking down here. It's pretty ain't it?"

Logan nodded his head gently as his eyes took a moment to scan down the street at all the large windows of the stores, each dressed up to the max in lights and tinsel, large Christmas trees and ornamental figures, "It is," he answered, a swirling cloud of condensation breathing out of his lips. His eyes dropped back upon her smiling face, he thoughtfully tilted his head before talking, "You look freezin', kid. Wanna go for a drink?"

At the invite Madeline smiled all the more, looking cheerful at his return, "Sure, there's a nice café round the corner."

"Lead the way," requested Logan with a smile, nodding at her. Madeline grinned to him before turning on the spot and slowly manoeuvring through the snow. Logan, however glanced down in surprise as he walked beside her, for her arm had linked through his, securing tightly. After the initial shock Logan felt blissfully warm inside, a smile spreading on his face as he watched the smaller figure lead them both through the snow, eyes not upon him, but ahead, giving Logan all the more incentive to study her secretly as he walked.

The click clacking of heels sounded as the waitress walked over to them both, placing down a tray. "Here you are," she said cheerfully, placing two warm mugs in front of them both before walking away with a ruby smile. Logan grunted his thanks a little more reservedly than Madeline, who smiled politely to the waitress and appreciated her service more vocally. Madeline had led Logan into a small café on the corner of the street. Large glass windows spread around the corner of the building, giving beautiful views of the snow around them at many angles. Inside the café, tinsel and fairy lights decked the windows and ceiling, and a small speaker on the far corner of the wall blissfully wailed out familiar Christmas songs to its customers.

Logan had shuffled deep into the booth, leaning up against the window as he shied away from the busy café. Madeline didn't appear to notice his overall discomfort; she was sat merrily sprinkling chocolate on the top of her hot cocoa. Her lips moved silently in synchronisation to the song that played through the room. She bobbed lightly side to side cheerfully in time to the rhythm; eyes watching her cocoa melt the sprinkles.

Rather hesitantly, Logan lifted his own mug of cocoa, sniffing at it. He'd never drank such a delicacy before, he was unsure of how it would taste. He licked his lips slowly before tipping the mug to his mouth as he took a small sip. He raised his eyes gently as he thoughtfully swallowed the drink, quickly coming upon the decision that he liked the hot chocolate. He looked slowly to Madeline, whose silent miming had changed to a quiet singing of the song.

"To face unafraid, the plans that we've made, walkin' in a winter wonderland…" her body swayed gently to the music, her fingertips tapping gently in time to the music as her palm rested on the table, one hand on her mug handle.

Logan's lips spread to a faint smirk as he watched her, "Having fun?"

She quickly glanced over to him, giving a shy chuckle, "Sorry," she murmured, "I just like Christmas songs."

"That's alright," replied Logan, taking a slow sip of his drink. Eventually he lowered the mug, looking over to her as she too drunk at her cocoa. "So, how have you been doin'?"

"Er.. alright," she said softly, "I gotta check out of the hotel in an hour or so.. I can't afford another night. Blake's still in my room, the hotel staff don't know about him," she grinned to Logan at her revelation.

But Logan seemed more worried at her earlier words, "You gotta check out? Where are you gonna sleep tonight?"

"I dunno," she murmured, looking uncomfortably down at her mug, "I'll go in the park or somethin'.."

Logan stared at her with a horrified grimace on his face, "Nah.. you ain't sleepin' out darlin'. It's frickin' freezing out there, you'll kill yourself."

"Well, I haven't got much choice have I?" she said agitatedly, now holding her cheek with a hand as she glared down at the table.

Logan fell quiet, his eyes studying the face of his daughter. Her hair had lost its earlier style of straightened flicks, it now was softly curled, a restyle from her time in the hotel probably. His eyes drifted across the gleam of her auburn locks, falling onto her pale face that glowed with the earlier coldness. But it was her eyes that he stared at longest, an exact match for his. In the back of his mind he heard Roxanne's voice come into play, her words from the mountain base, "She's got your eyes. We always said that." She was right.. Madeline did have his eyes. And it felt so surreal to be looking at them now, but it felt also right, it felt comfortable and familiar.

"Madeline," he said softly, straightening and leaning closer to her. Her face rose gently, eyes watery and lips held in a soft grimace of unhappiness. "Madeline," he said again, reassuringly, "Remember what I said? About me being a .." he paused, glancing around to café to see if any were looking his way until he said his next words extremely softly, ".. a mutant?" Madeline nodded her head quickly in response, hands clasping around her warm mug in comfort. "Well," whispered Logan, "You know in Westchester? There's this mansion there, and lots of mutants live there, including me. Why don't you come and stay there?"

Madeline tilted her head gently at his words, "What happens there?"

"Well.. it's a school, and others things too. But the most important thing is, is that it is a refuge the mutants who need help. You can't be stuck on the streets darlin'.."

"I don't know.." she said unsurely, lifting her mug, "What if I don't fit in there.."

Logan smiled gently as he watched her drink from the mug, "Trust me darlin', you will, everyone does."

"I'll come and look.." she decided quietly, "but no promises, huh, Wolverine?" she smirked gently as she placed her empty mug down.

"Of course," he said with a chuckle, raising his mug in a toast before drinking the remaining chocolate.

Madeline quickly hopped into the back of the car with Blake tucked under an arm. She'd checked out a little too late from the hotel, and only managed to scrape payment with her money. Logan had waited patiently in the driver's seat, when she jumped in; he turned to grin to her. She in return smiled, fastening the seatbelt over her torso. She pulled her eyes from him for a moment to look up to the hotel that she had exited before she sighed and leant back in the seat.

Logan turned from her, looking back out of the window. He started the engine, pressing down the throttle as the car skidded gently on the snow filled roads before it set off bumpily along the mushy roads.

Occasionally, he glanced into his rear view mirror, watching as Madeline looked out of the windows as they drove through New York. His face constantly held a satisfied smile. For at last, he had his daughter back.

The long driveway to the double doors of the main entrance beckoned them in. The snow was still falling, but the wind had dropped, and so the snow fell gracefully down, marking their torsos with gentle specks of white. Logan chuckled softly as he guided her up the driveway, which was rather slippery from the lack of gritting. She gave a nervous giggle as she stepped slowly across the mix of ice and snow, her hands clasping Logan's arm as he held her upright. Exchanging smiles and laughter the pair made it to the scale of steps leading up to the large doors. Madeline paused as she stared up at the impressive mansion, exhaling her breaths slowly with misty clouds of air.

"Did you.." began Logan softly, looking anxiously away before back on her, "Did you find your father?"

Madeline turned her head gently to him, eyes shifting from the mansion and onto Logan, "No.." she answered softly, shaking her head forlornly.

Slowly, Logan lowered his hand into the inside of his coat pocket, retrieving the lightly crumpled photo that she had left in the car, "You forgot this," he whispered softly, staring down at her, "It was left in the car when you went.."

"Oh.." breathed Madeline, her hands shakily taking the photo from him. She stared down at it longingly, "Thank you," she whispered, her palm closing upon it securely. She smiled up to him with gratitude.

"It's great to see you again, Madeline," Logan quickly said, his face beaming with a smile and gleaming eyes.

A mildly surprised face lifted to Logan, but Madeline just grinned, assuming he was just being friendly, "Thanks, you too."

"No," whispered Logan softly, "it's really great.."

Now Madeline looked rather puzzled, glancing slowly to the mansion's doors, frowning a little, "What do you mean?" she asked gently, head tilting.

But Logan gently took her chin in his bare but warm hand, and tilted her face back to him, his eyes stared down at her warmly, "Your eyes haven't changed one bit," he whispered softly, his gaze saddening for a moment.

Madeline continued to frown, now staring up at the man with an aura of curiosity at his intentions, "And how would you know?"

With a soft motion, Logan lowered his hand from her face; both palms gripped her clasped fist and gently unfurled the fingers to reveal her clutched photo. The three faces still smiled jubilantly upwards, snowflakes dropping gently upon the shining surface of the photo. His hand gently tapped the child in the middle, "Your first Christmas.." he whispered suddenly, the memories flooding back to him as he stared down at the glimmering eyes of his daughter. The snow still fell gently around them, decorating their hair mystically, patterning their coats.

"How do you know?" she questioned gently, face remaining perplexed at his words.

Even so slowly, Logan moved his index finger from her face to the male beside the baby. Him. The Wolverine. He continued to watch her face, waiting. Her eyes stared down at the face his finger pointed at. Her eyes darted from the photo then to Logan, face relaxing in realisation.

All of a sudden she gasped, a bare trembling hand flinging to her mouth as she stepped away from him, "Oh my God!" she cried, eyes staring in shock, anger and relief all at once. She made a tearful sob before she span from him, dashing off the steps and tearing away from the mansion, back down the driveway.

"No!" cried Logan as he turned, eyes frightfully staring at he saw her go, "Madeline, no!" he screamed, taking a few steps in a numb stumble as he saw her figure hurtle around the gates and disappear from view, "No.." he whispered despairingly, eyes staring heartbrokenly down through the flurry of snow.

That wasn't supposed to happen..

Weee, review for me! Logan's finally revealed!