Setting: This story takes place in the current X-Men/X-Force/Wolverine setting, though some slight differences. One being Logan isn't in a three-way poly relationship with Scott/Jean, if that's your bag, great, but to me it doesn't make sense for him or those characters in 616, and seems a cheap plot device that fails to give either those who want Scott/Jean or Logan/Jean what they want and doesn't seem to respect the characters (and it feels half-arsed). Also, Logan isn't living on Krakoa. I have some issues with how the X-Men are presented in the current run, they don't seem much like X-Men (much preferred the Cyclops and Wolverine X-Men run) but seem to be following Magento's dream now, even Xavier who seems to be a little creepy and sinister to be honest to me. And some charcters seem very OOC like Beast who I'm expecting any day to be revealed to be Dark Beast, Storm seems a bit too mutant supremacist for my liking and Kurt is only mildly troubled by some of the stuff going on (like de-powered mutants having to be killed in arenas to prove their worth to have cloned bodies raised with their memories that have their powers restored). He used to be the conscious of the X-Men, with a strong heart and firm moral convictions. They all seem a far cry from where they were in classic stories like God Loves, Man Kills where they faced down both Stryker and Magneto in thier more extremist agendas. Wolverine at least seems to be questioning it a little bit, but given his whole schism with Cyclops a few years back was over some of these very issues with Storm, Beast, Shadowcat and Iceman with him on it, I just don't believe they would all be entirely okay with all that's happening. And as for sitting on a council with people like Sinister and Apocalypse, the Mutant Massacre is a memory burned into people like Wolverine, Storm, Collosus, Shadowcat, Rogue and Nightcrawler. The stories aren't bad, it's just I don't really feel like I'm reading the same characters much of the time. Anyway I guess that's why I'm having Wolvie reacting a little bit more to the situation.

Genre: Romance/Adventure

Pairing: Logan/Rose O'Hara

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men, their characters or have rights to them. All rights belong with Marvel/Disney and the associated creators. Please support the original properties, I take no profit from this.

Chapter 1

'You look like shit, Logan, I mean more than usual,' Sage commented with a grin.

'Can it, been havin' trouble sleeping. But the condition of my ol' mug can't be the reason you called me here Sage,' Logan replied.

'Right,' Sage replied sensing Logan wasn't in the mood for jokes. 'Cerebro just detected a major locus of psychic energy,' Sage said.

'Why contact me especially, isn't this something more in Charley, Jeannie or Frost's territory, hell, even Quentin would be better suited. I'm more you're got-to guy when you want somethin' stabbed.'

'True,' Sage replied, 'and I've contacted them, but it came upin your neck of the woods.'

Logan and Sage were standing in the X-Force base on Krakoa, the living mutant island, it was the home of the brave new moving mutant nation, and it's living organic tech. The mutants' fate that had seemed precariously about to snuff out not that long ago, had changed spectacularly. With Krakoa and the unity of all mutants it had risen to one the strongest nations on Earth, particularly with Krokoan telefloronic and miracle plant medicinal technology as leverage. Had even set up bases in the Savage Land, and begun terraforming the Moon and Mars. The island seemed to form itself to the mutants needs, but it put Logan's hairs on end, something about it was off to him, as was the strong arming of other nations, or cosying up to the likes of genocidal psychopaths like Apocalypse or Essex, to name a few, and the changes in Xavier had been distressing to him.

He got it, the need for the mutant nation, but killer though he was, Logan looked at people as people, one of the reason's Chuck's dream for all his cynicism had called to him so strongly, given him something to believe in, a well as a family. And now he was back to being part of the secret service of a government again, even if it was one run by mutants, that didn't entirely sit well with Logan either. This was probably why he'd stopped living here, moving back to Canada, and finally reclaimed the ruined Howlett estate, using the built up fortune to rebuild the place, despite the terrible memories there, after all, bad memories were nothing new to him. Ironically though Logan took to living a wood cabin he'd built further from the grounds, felt more natural that way. He still had a Krokoan gate set up, so whenever they needed him, he'd be there, but he'd taken himself off the resurrection protocols, despite how it upset some people were about it.

Which had brought him here, watching the holographic display light up the X-Force's main room. Logan saw it narrow in on Canada, and looked at Sage.

'It's coming from Canada?' Logan asked, to confirm.

'Yes, from small former quarry town in British Columbia to be exact,' Sage replied.

A distant unease began to stir at the back of Logan's mind, but didn't know exactly why.

'So what else do we know,' Logan enquired. 'What makes this special?'

'Well that's where it gets interesting, and little dangerous,' Sage replied. 'What Cerebro indicates is the energy signature is similar to that observed from the Phoenix Entity.'

Logan felt a cold shiver running down his spine, not again, he thought. 'Is Jeannie okay, she's safe here or at the Summers home on the Moon right?' he asked desperately.

Sage responded, 'yes Logan, she's here, her break with the Phoenix entity seems permanent, but if it's back for someone else..' she trailed of letting Logan fill in the blanks.

Yes, Logan thought, if Phoenix is back just what is it going to burn this time, and how many will die?

Suddenly the sense of unease came back, and Logan turned suddenly to Sage, a terror suddenly rising in him.

'Show me exactly where the source of energy was detected,' Logan commanded.

Looking at him strangely, but complying, Sage magnified the area over the abandoned town it was found.

Logan felt the blood drain from his face, and he stood silent, his jaw muscles tense, before he finally whispered, 'it couldn't be.'

'Logan?' Sage asked worriedly.

'I'm off to Gateway,' Logan said, drawing his cowl up and running off.

'Wait, Logan, what about waiting for the rest of the team,' Sage shouted after him.

'They can catch up,' Logan yelled back.

Moving through a Krokoa portal Logan was by Gateway's side in moments, and as always the mysterious aboriginal mutant knew exactly where he wanted to go. Ever since he'd first met him in Australia during the period the X-Men were believed dead he'd never really ever known much about Gateway. But he always get you where you wanted to go, often without a word spoken, even helped Logan save the whole universe once, with Raven and Spiral along for the ride.

Once again Gateway spun his bullroarer around, and bright light flashed from it, forming glowing circle as he levitated into the air, and a glowing yellow portal formed before him, taking a quick look back at the old mystic, Logan thought he could see expression of sympathy and even the shadow of a smile on his weathered face.

'Thanks bub,' Logan responded, and then jumped through the portal, and emerged straight from the warmth of Krokoa into the biting cold of the Canadian winter. Thankfully due to his healing factor it had never bothered him to much, looking around Logan saw the snow lay thick across the valley nestled within the mountains.

The remains of the abandoned mining town still there to be seen here and there, remains of buildings and odd structures, but most of it was gone, a faded ghost almost exorcised by nature's reclamation.

And not soon enough for Logan's tastes, he had avoided this place for so long, over 100 years now, even though he didn't remember it consciously for most of that that time. Something in him had always avoided this area like the plague, and now ever since Wanda Maximoff's M-Day had restored all his memories, he knew exactly why.

He just couldn't come back here, the memories and pain were too terrible, , to deep. His legs felt like lead, fear and grief he'd suppressed for so long trying to hold him in place. He knew what was before him, where the old cemetery was, and he had a terrible fear of what the presence of the power of the Phoenix here meant.

Please don't make me kill her, Logan begged to a God he wasn't sure existed, not again.

He felt something calling him, urging him on, welcoming him, and steeling himself Logan made his way forward.

Logan felt his unease increase and the hackles on his back rose, he could feel the presence and pressure of power around him, as though he were in the eye of a hurricane waiting to sweep over him.

Logan moved further through the snow, deeper into the old cemetery, pulled by something beyond his senses. The that same pull caused him to stop before a weathered stone, covered in snow, he couldn't see the writing on it, but he already knew who was buried there.

Every instinct in him wanted to bolt, to leave this place, leave it all far behind, yet something stronger keep him rooted in place.

He felt the power in the place concentrate on where he was, the snow and rocks began rising and swirling around him, faster and faster, forcing Logan to crouch to the ground, holding his arm against the debris hitting him. Stones and rocks bruised, slashed and lacerated his body, as the rising maelstrom roared around him, but his healing factor was able to keep up.

He felt a buzzing in his mind rising and getting mentally louder, he felt off-balance, as though his senses were becoming unmoored, and then Logan noticed the ground before the headstone beginning to glow like living flames.

Brighter and brighter it glow, until it was blinding, and then the maelstrom ceased, all snow, rock, branches and debris fell and settled to the ground, and the ground exploded into the form of a gigantic flaming bird, that enfolded and encased him within it, lifting him into the air with it, rising with an ear-splitting screech, that tore across his mind. For a moment all he saw was white, and then nothing.

Eventually his consciousness swam back and he opened his eyes, groaning at the splitting headache left from the psi-blast. All things considered it was lucky that was all that had happened and he was still alive, and his healing factor would soon deal with the headache.

Slowly rising back up, Logan looked around, the snow had vanished around him, evaporated, and he could hear the distortion and ozone scent of Gateway's portal. The others were coming, he distinctly made the scents out, Jeannie, Dominio, Hank, Quentin, and it seemed Slim and Ororo had come along for the ride.

But he couldn't focus on that, before him, in front of the now opened grave a beautiful woman lay nude, curled on the ground, her silky long red hair cascaded around her, he breathed hesitatingly in and took in her scent.

So like Jeannie's, Logan thought, or was it the other way around, you could almost mistake 'em for each other.

Vaguely Logan heard Jean call out to him mentally, warning him to stay back, could here the others moving to get by his side. But he couldn't, not now she was before him.

Staggering to his feet, Logan stumbled forward the few feet that carried him to her, dropping to her side.

Tentatively he reach out, his hand shaking, caught up in a whirlwind of fear, hope, guilt, self-hatred and love. The he touched her shoulder, she was warm, and he could feel the blood pumping in her body, her heart beating strongly, could feel her breathing.

She was alive!

Gently, with trembling hands he stroked the hair from her face, and she began to stir.

Sighing, she lifted her face towards him, and slowly opened her eyes, those green emerald eyes framed by their long lashes, the achingly beautiful face so like Jean's they could be twins, closer even.

The eyes widened in recognition and she smiled a warm and tired smile at him, he couldn't comprehend it, how could she, she should hate him.

Reaching up a hand she cradled the side of his face, and he realised his cowl along with upper uniform had been largely destroyed, and she stroked his side burns.

'You came for me James,' she whispered tiredly, smiling warmly at him 'just like I knew you would. We're finally together again'

Then her eyes closed and she fell back to sleep, her arm falling back to her side. The rest of the team had come around him by now, silent for the moment though tense, but Logan barely noticed them.

Carefully Logan lifted her into his arms and cradled her against his chest, he looked down at her.

He just stared for a long moment before, his voice filled with ancient grief mixed with flickering hope, he whispered hoarsely like a pray, 'Rose?'