Disclaimer: All the X-Men and the universe this fic is set in are owned by Marvel. No profit is being made from this work.

Chapter Five.

Sophie.

He drew back and stared at her, speechless.

"You remember me?" Her cheeks were wet.

"I do – I didn't – I'm sorry, I left you there, I'm sorry-"

"It's alright, it's OK, it wasn't your fault, they made you forget-"

"How long?"

"We got out about a year ago, the week before the President was attacked."

"And Jimmy," he asked hoarsely, "What about Jimmy?"

"They did him. They did him after you escaped but Logan, he's OK, he survived and he escaped with us."

"And…" he frowned. "There are four of us. I know that. And I know what he looks like, but I don't, I can't remember…"

"Mac."

He smiled. "Mac. Mac, short for McHeath. I do remember. Where are they?"

"Up north, near Chicago. I'll email Jimmy, they'll come down."

"Good. I need to see them."

"They need to see you." Sophie looked at him as though she couldn't believe he was real, and slowly held up a hand. Like a very formal hi-five he laid his own palm against hers. Her eyes shone. "Oh, I've missed you."

"Are we going to tell them?"

Logan thought about it. "No."

"Oh good. I thought you might have wanted to tell Storm."

He shook his head. "She'd want to tell the furball – Hank McCoy – and he'd go digging. We'd be all over the news in no time. I'll tell her I think we can trust you."

Sophie nodded. "She'll ask why. Instinct?"

"Instinct."

Wolverine strode back to the mansion, his thoughts racing as his life, all the befores and all that had happened after came into focus. He caught Storm on her way past. "I think we can trust her."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Instinct. I just think we can trust her."

"That's less than helpful, Logan. You don't know her."

"Nor do you, why are you so sure she's a threat?"

"Because I don't know why she's here. I don't know her motives."

"I trust her. Whether you do or not is your problem."

Storm suppressed a sharp retort as Wolverine left. He was so irritating sometimes!

The rest of the day passed Butcher in a blur. Nothing mattered next to this. She kept having to stop herself from staring at Wolverine and giving the game away. People will think we're lovers. The younger students insisted on hearing the Dracula joke, so she told it, aware all the time of Wolverine leaning on the doorframe. She emailed Jimmy, saying simply "He's here. He remembers. It's safe," knowing that he and Mac would come as soon as they read it. Finally night came, and she and Logan could talk.

"Tell me what they did to Jimmy."

"Same as you. Metal on all his bones, and the claws. But they did something else, too. They put some kind of flexible armor under his skin, below his ribcage. Punch him in the stomach and you'll break your hand. That was thirteen years ago. He stopped growing the year after you escaped, but they left it a couple of years to be sure. Since you left, they started sending us on missions – steal this, deliver that. They never used us as assassins. We think they thought we would refuse."

"How did you get out?"

"They had us training in the woods. We killed the soldiers and just kept running."

They talked for hours, Sophie filling Logan in on all that had happened since his memory had been taken. His story, by unspoken agreement, was left until the others arrived. Storm was baffled. Logan never said two words to anyone, and there he was in a stranger's bedroom, apparently doing nothing but talking. Is she a telepath? Finally she dismissed that idea on the grounds that a telepath would have stopped her getting suspicious to start with, told herself to stop worrying and went to sleep.

Jimmy picked up both emails that night, and could hardly contain his joy as he rushed back to where Mac was waiting.

"She's found him! Butcher found the Wolverine at the school!"

Mac punched the air in triumph.

"Come on, start the car!"

Jimmy jiggled impatiently as Mac coaxed the jeep's engine into life. On the third attempt it started and he was pushed laughing into his chair as Mac hit the gas.

Mac drove like a madman, ignoring all the speed limits. Jimmy was fidgeting as always but this time he could hardly be blamed. The thought of being together again broke even Mac's legendary calm.

A/N Will Storm ever stop worrying? Will the secret stay secret? Will we ever have a math lesson? Find out in the next exciting instalment!