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Chapter 6.

(Logan)

Angela fell asleep before I did. It didn't surprise me, not at all. From what she'd been telling me, she'd been through a hell of an ordeal and it was mostly my fault. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't call up the memory of what pushed me over the edge in the first place. I had strong sense that it was something extreme, but the actual event stayed just out of my reach. As for the time I'd been completely out of my head, I had nothing. I couldn't recall a single thing from the night before we got One-Eye back until I woke up in the cabin. On the plus side, Angela said I hadn't killed any people while I was feral, so that was a relief.

I rolled over and slid my arm around her, my hand resting lightly on her belly. I smiled when I thought of what was happening in there right now, the little Hellcat or Wolverine that was just getting started. I should have been pissed off that she'd come after me in this condition, knowing what the risks were and taking them anyway. But if I know my woman, she'd taken as much care as she could to keep herself out of harm's way. On the other hand, trouble seemed to follow the both of us, so harm probably found her anyway. But, she was here and the baby was ok, so whatever it had been, it hadn't been enough to stop her. She still hadn't told me everything that had happened after I went feral. I only knew the basics, that she'd come up here with Sam, Chasca and Kyro to find me, that they'd encountered some resistance but nothing they couldn't handle. I knew there was plenty she was leaving out, but she insisted that was for "later". She usually reserved that for stuff she knew I wasn't going to like. With our history, I was sure I wasn't going to like it a lot.

I don't know how long it was before I finally fell asleep, but when I opened my eyes again it was morning and Angela wasn't in the bed with me. My nose told me she was making breakfast and the smell of coffee was too good to ignore. After a bit of searching, I retrieved my boxers from the tangled blankets and slipped them on before walking out to the kitchen. She turned to me with a smile and a mug of coffee in her outstretched hand. I took it gratefully and sat down at the tiny table. "Mornin' tiger." I said, taking a sip. "How you feelin'?"

She rolled her eyes and took the chair across from me, a mug of tea already sitting there. "I swear, if you're going to be one of those daddies that asks that every five minutes, I'm going to kill you." I stared at her as she toyed with her mug. "I feel fine, all right? Gods above, it isn't like I've never been pregnant before."

"Yeah, but you've never been pregnant with MY baby. So you're just gonna have to put up with it."

"Keep my feet from dancing." She said dryly. "I guess I'll have to get a bunch of maternity tops made that say things like 'I'm fine, so don't ask' and 'Touch my stomach and die'."

"I hope that last one don't apply to me."

"No, you get a free pass. But I know how women get around pregnant women and I'd really hate to permanently injure someone."

I chuckled. "I can see where that'd put a damper on things. Tell you what, I promise to try an' only ask how you're doin' once a day, deal?"

"I suppose." She finished off her tea. "Man, this whole no caffeine thing sucks."

"An' no smokin' an' no booze, too, don't forget that."

"Asshole." She smiled and took her mug to the sink, giving it a quick wash. "Well, I've already called Storm and told her to come get us, so let's get this place back in order."

"How long til she gets here?"

"I told her to come about noon, so three hours or so."

I stood and gathered her into my arms. "Order can wait."

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As it turned out, we didn't have time to leave the place cleaner than we found it, but it didn't look like a tornado had gone through it so we considered it a success. We heard the jet long before we saw it and I took a last look around the cabin. Twice now this place had saved me, thanks to Angela. In a lot of ways, the cabin is more of a home than the mansion will ever be. It had been the site of my rebirth two times and I was going to miss it.

The jet finally set down in a clearing a couple hundred yards from the cabin and I took Angela's hand as we left. Sam and Storm were both standing at the bottom of the ramp and as soon as she saw me, Storm broke into a run and threw her arms around my neck. "Logan! Jesus it's good to see you!"

I returned the hug a little awkwardly. "Thanks Storm. Sorry to cause so much trouble."

"As long as you're all right now. That's all that matters." She smiled then walked over and hugged Angela. "Everything go ok up here?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Angela replied. "Let's get this stuff on the jet, we'll talk more in there."

The two of them picked up our bags and vanished inside, leaving me in the clearing with Sam. "So, I heard you insisted on comin' with her to find me. Thank you, I owe you one."

"Don't mention it." He replied coolly. "Come on, let's get back to the school."

He turned to board the jet, but I reached out to stop him. "Hey, what's the deal? We cool?"

He turned back to me and crossed his arms. "Well, that depends on you, doesn't it?"

"The hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Listen, I know what it's like not being able to control your mutation. I hid from the world for a very long time because of it, too ashamed of my own strength to face people. But I never hurt anyone I cared about because of it."

"Whoa, what're you talkin' about? Angela told me I didn't hurt anyone."

"You didn't KILL anyone, that's true. But you hurt her more than you'll ever know. I understand that it wasn't your fault, there were…circumstances that pushed you over the edge. What I don't understand is how any part of you could forget that she's your mate and leave her like that."

"Look, I still don't remember what happened out there. What ain't she tellin' me?"

"Plenty, but you're not getting it out of me." He gave me a hard look, then turned and boarded the jet. I waited a minute before following him, suddenly less than eager to return to the mansion. Something happened out there that I really wasn't going to like, I could feel it. Sam's cool reception told me a lot more about it than anything Angela had told me and I started to wonder if I shouldn't stay up here a little longer. Before I could act on that impulse, Storm called down from the jet that it was time to go and I reluctantly boarded the jet. Angela was in her usual seat as far from the front as she could get and I settled into the seat next to her. She smiled at me as I strapped myself in and my doubts melted away. I managed a weak smile in return, sliding my arm around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. She snuggled close and held her breath as Storm lifted off with practiced ease.

We arrived back at the mansion just under two hours later. The hangar doors slid open as we climbed down the ramp and Xavier came gliding in followed by Chasca and Kyro, all of them smiling. "Logan, welcome back." The Professor said. "You've been missed."

"Yeah, thanks." I replied, looking around and noticing for the first time that someone was missing. "Where's Rogue?"

"Logan, if you'll come with me to my office…"

"Screw that, Chuck. Where is she?"

"Don't worry Charles." Angela said, coming up beside me. "I'll handle this." She stared at him for a long moment and I knew they were talking about something. Finally, he nodded and she took my arm. "Come on, lover. There's something I need to tell you."

She led me out of the hangar and into the hallway beyond, but instead of turning towards the elevator she went towards the infirmary. As we approached, the doors slid open and I stopped dead when I saw who came out. He was just under six feet tall and powerfully built, but the part that stopped me in my tracks was the blue fur that covered him from head to toe. He was also wearing a white lab coat that could have served as a tent for several midgets, a small pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on the end of his nose. He smiled at us and held out his hand. "Ah, you must be Logan. Dr. Hank McCoy." I looked at his hand before shaking it. He smiled again then turned to Angela. "And you, my dear. How are you feeling?"

She rolled her eyes and I stifled a laugh. "I'm fine, Blue. I'll let you poke and prod later. We're here about Rogue."

"Yes, Charles informed me of your arrival. I've been waiting for you."

"Wait, whattaya mean we're HERE about Rogue?" I said, scowling at both of them. "What happened to her?"

"Logan, please." Angela said quietly. "Just listen to me…"

"Fuck that. What happened?" The two of them looked at each other but said nothing. I tried to push past the doctor, but he pushed me back easily. "Get your hand off me, furball." I growled.

"Logan, I must insist that you wait until we explain a few things." He said mildly. "I've been told there are things you don't remember about your…disappearance."

"And I said get your hand off me, bub, before I take it off." I could feel my feral side coming back out and it must have showed on my face because he lowered his hand slowly. "Now get out of my way."

"Logan, please, there's something you need to know!" Angela shouted, but I pushed past both of them into the infirmary. My senses were assaulted with the sounds of machines whirring and beeping, the smell of disinfectant and the unmistakable scent of Rogue. I stalked towards the back where long-term patients are usually kept, vaguely aware of Angela's presence behind me. I rounded the corner and was once again stopped in my tracks. Rogue was lying there on a table, IV's sticking out of her arms and an oxygen tube in her nose. A machine beeped steadily behind her, but she didn't appear to even be alive. Angela finally caught up to me and that's when the memory hit me.

I fell to my knees, clutching my head and snarling. I could feel the rain pelting me again, see the lightning flashing and illuminating Rogue as she lay dead on the ground. I remembered taking off my gloves and trying to bring her back like I did at Liberty Island, but nothing happened. I begged, pleaded with her to come back but nothing worked. Rogue was truly dead and even I couldn't bring her back. I'd promised I'd take care of her and in the end, I failed her. As then, I threw my head back and screamed my rage.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I sprang to my feet, popping my claws. Angela was there and she immediately fell back into a defensive crouch, the furball just behind her. "Logan, you have to stop and listen to me!" She yelled.

"What the fuck is she doin' in here?" I shouted back, pointing my claws to where she lay. "Hooked up to all this shit? What did you to do to her?"

"We didn't do anything, Logan." The doctor said. "She was brought back here after that night and…"

"She DIED! Why the hell ain't she buried?"

"SHE'S NOT DEAD!" Angela screamed as she sprang forward. "She's alive, Logan."

Even a mutant with my abilities can only take so many shocks at one time. I felt myself go pale for the first time in living memory and my claws slid slowly back into my arms. I clenched my eyes shut and fell heavily to my knees, breathing hard as I tried to beat back the animal. "What do you mean, Angela? She died, I held her in my arms and tried everythin' to bring her back and it didn't work. She died."

"I know, lover. But Josh, he brought her back."

My head snapped up and I glared at her. "How the hell did he do that?"

"Well, we knew he could probably heal just about anything. Hell, even he didn't know if it would help, but he said he had to try, so he did. And it worked."

I stood up, my legs shaking a little and took a step towards the table where Rogue lay. Sure enough, she was breathing on her own and once I filtered out the background noise, I could hear her heartbeat. Angela came up beside me and I looked down at her. "Why isn't she awake?"

"We don't know." Dr. McCoy said, coming up on my other side. "I've done a CT scan and Charles has looked inside her mind. Her higher brain functions were unaffected, but she remains in a persistent coma. My best guess is that she doesn't really realize that she isn't dead."

"What about the Professor? Hasn't he tried to reach her?"

"Yes, he has, but he's been unsuccessful so far in making contact." He went over to the machine behind her, checked a few readings and made notes on a clipboard that was sitting on a small table. "Again, I have never encountered a situation like this, so I am unable to give you a satisfactory answer at this time. Angela visited her every day before she left to find you, talked to her and yet the coma persists."

"I keep trying to tell everyone that if anyone can bring her back, it's you." Angela said, placing her hand lightly in mine. "You are her sworn protector, after all."

"What happened to her in the first place?" I asked.

"Josh said that there was significant damage in her frontal lobe and from what he described, it was consistent with a sudden hemorrhage, most likely an aneurysm." The doctor replied. "Had you been right there when it happened, it's unlikely you would have been able to help her."

"But I brought her back at Liberty Island. I would swear on anythin' that she was dead then too."

"She was probably very close, but you managed to catch her in the nick of time. But something like this, it comes on very suddenly with little or no warning. She may have felt a little dizziness, but it's unlikely she felt any pain."

I nodded, not knowing what to say. There was a chair next to the table and I turned back to Angela. "Do you mind, darlin'?" I asked, nodding to it.

"No, it's fine." She replied quietly. "You do what you have to do. I have to let the doc here give me a once-over before he'll let me leave anyway." I leaned down and kissed her, then watched as she went off with the doctor. Once they were out of sight, I sat down next to Rogue.

The first thing that I noticed was that she didn't have gloves on. It was the first time since the day she stowed away in my truck that I'd actually seen her hands and I couldn't help but notice how graceful they were. I was also surprised to see that her nails were painted bright pink, which I found odd for her to do when no one ever sees her hands anyway. I just smiled and brushed it off as a girl thing. After a few minutes, I took a deep breath and started talking to her.

"Hey Marie, I'm home." I whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't take better care of you, like I promised. An' I'm sorry I wasn't here when they brought you back. But seein' you like that, it pushed me over the edge. See, it reminded me of somethin', someone else from a long time ago, 'cept it was my fault she died. And I couldn't help but thinkin' the same thing about you, that you'd have been all right if I'd just been there. Next thing I know, all this other stuff came crashin' in on me an' I started rememberin' just about everythin' I ever forgot. I guess it was too much an' it was just easier to let the other side of me take over for a while." I looked at her closely, but nothing had changed so I continued. "Anyway, Angela went out to find me. Sam, Chasca an' Kyro helped her out. I shoulda known somethin' was wrong when she didn't mention that you were part of the team. I know you'd go to hell an' back for me, cuz that's what family does. An' well, since that's what we are, you know what I gotta do now, right darlin'? So don't get mad at me for it later."

I looked over my shoulder, but Angela was still busy with the doc. I turned back to Rogue and took a deep breath before slipping my hand into hers. As usual, there was a heartbeat before her ability kicked in and I felt the life draining out of me and into her. I didn't take my eyes off her face, I kept my eyes locked on her as I willed her to wake up. Moments later, I felt her hand twitch and I watched as her eyes flew open. She gasped my name and jerked her hand away as blackness overtook me and I slid to the floor.

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Calm. Dark. Quiet. He finds himself again in the black nothingness, but this time he knows there's somewhere he can go. He look about himself until he spies the sliver of light that's coming from behind the door of the trophy room that is his memory. He moves towards it quickly, praying that he'll get more time in here this time. The door opens in as he approaches and he finds himself once again surrounded by the remnants of his life. He stands in the middle of the room and looks about as the things he saw before snap into crystal clear focus, even as other things that had been vague shapes begin to form.

A wheelchair sits in the corner, a physics text sitting on the seat.

A white lab coat is draped over the back of an armchair, the name "Jean Grey" stitched on the left side.

A strange mask sits on a table next to something that looks like a mechanical syringe, a file folder with "Weapon X" written on the front underneath them.

A pink stuffed bear sits next to a toy car, discarded on the floor near the fireplace.

A model of a sabretoothed tiger snarls silently from its perch on yet another small table.

So many things in here, so much that he'd forgotten. But now all he had to do was reach out his hand and touch something and anything he'd ever wanted to know would be right there. With a smile, he reached out. And remembered.

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AN: Back home, safe and sound and he has to go and do such a Logan thing...:) You'll just have to wait a few days to see what happens next...:) Special thanks to my beta readers, Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel, who keep me in good spelling and grammar...:) Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm), when he can pull himself away from the online Star Wars thing long enough to badger me into writing more...Super Special thanks to the readers, who keep me smiling just by reading...and Super Swanky Special thanks to my reviewers, who were reeltreble1031 and Ineluctability...you guys rock:)

So, click that little button there and give me a review or just say "hello", i don't care...:)