Part 1: Everything (Alanis Morissette)

"You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate and you're still here."

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas passed quicker than Maia would have liked. She'd adjusted to having a new father, adjusted to finally having heard Logan tell her that he loved her, and she'd even adjusted to Laura finding her way into their bed almost every night. Maia was usually last to wake, but after breakfast they were driving to her...home. It seemed weird to think of Valleyview as home now, and even weirder to think that it wasn't her home anymore. Her home was now anywhere Logan and Laura were.

As carefully as she could Maia reached behind her, fingers finding her glasses quickly. She hadn't gotten used to wearing them yet but having them on made her a whole hell of a lot more useful. That, and with them on she could actually see the features on people's faces.

Slipping her glasses onto her face, Maia fully took in the sight before her. Going to the Grey's had had an unexpected yet wholly appreciated side effect. Laura no longer seemed to hate every second Logan was with her mother. Instead, she had seemed to watch Mr. Grey with Jean, taking in the easy way they had interacted and how he and his wife balanced their affection between one another and Jean. Apparently, all Logan and Maia's daughter had needed was to see that parents could love one another and also still love their children.

So Laura had started sneaking from her nearby cot and into their bed where she would wedge herself between them, not to keep them apart, but to just be close to the both of them. She was fast asleep with one arm tossed back over Logan's waist at what looked to be an uncomfortable angle. Logan, much larger by comparison, had his arm over Laura with his fist pressed tightly against the bed between her and Maia. His other arm was shoved under his pillow where he had tangled his fingers in Maia's hair for half the night.

His face still took her breath away. He looked so different from the first time she'd met him, but in the best ways. He seemed younger, his eyebrows less tightly pulled down, his facial hair neatly trimmed into an odd arrangement she was just waiting to tease him for, and his hair was also neatly trimmed...again in an odd way. But if he didn't seem more like himself, Maia didn't know what to say.

L had been crazy. Instinctual and caring.

Logan was also crazy. And also instinctual and caring.

It was freedom, she decided that had effected the most change in him. That, and Laura.

Comparing the two of them was one of Maia's favorite past times. In all honesty, there was very little about Laura that looked anything like Maia. Laura had Logan's straight eyebrows, his thin upper lip, his strong chin, his ears, his thick brown hair, and, Maia's personal favorite, his smile.

He wasn't a beautiful man, but he had certainly done his part to make their daughter the prettiest thing either of them had ever laid eyes on. All Maia had done was give Laura's hair a slight red tint and share the button nose she had inherited from her own mother.

He wasn't beautiful, but he was insanely attractive. Maia would take him over one of the dime a dozen pretty boys that were plastered all over the television in a heartbeat. Logan's strong Roman nose and rippling muscles did her in every time. That and the adorable thing he did with his bushy eyebrows when he was frustrated. He'd done that as L too.

There really was no question as to why she'd let herself fall in love with him then, and why it had been so easy to feel that love again. His soul. In all her life Maia had never met anyone who was so open. As L or Logan there was never any question that the man underneath was any different from the man he presented himself as.

When he spoke, it was never anything less than exactly what he meant. Sure he did his best work being a growly asshole, but that was born from his past she'd come to learn more about since Thanksgiving. She just couldn't find it in her to blame him for protecting himself with barbed words and vague threats. His problem was he cared too much about others, but that was probably one of the reasons he hadn't eaten her so Maia was grateful for that trait he saw as a flaw.

Maia craved the safety of him, his wry sense of humor, and even his crude language. Also, the expression on his face when he looked at her and Laura made it impossible to fathom life without him.

He seemed to feel the same way about her. God knew she wasn't easy to live with. Hank had finally talked about her having a form of shell shock, which was evident in her frequent night terrors, over exaggerated startle response, general lack of a sense of time, and vivid flashbacks that left her stuck in a time she never wanted to revisit. Her condition changed every day. Some days, even a week, could go by without incident, and then there were days she started screaming hysterically from a simple touch or random smell. Logan had had to haul her off the mansions hallway floor more times than she cared to admit, and held her through the heaving sobs and confusion.

Hank said the physical damage to her brain that had triggered episodes of mania early on was slowly healing itself, much faster than in a normal human, but the emotional damage wasn't so easily fixed. Since Thanksgiving she'd continued her dream sessions with the Professor on Logan's suggestion, and they were slowly helping.

She had a long way to go before she could trust herself completely, but there was a patience in Logan that didn't seem to care. He'd been more bothered by the idea that Laura hated him, and since that had been rejected, he was the happiest she'd ever seen him. It scared most of the students...and a few of the staff too.

Careful not to jostle the bed too much, Maia leaned forward and planted a kiss on his forehead, moving farther and farther down peppering him with light kisses until she reached his mouth. Instantly awake, he kissed her back firmly yet cautiously, wary of Laura between them.

Maia smiled in to their kiss, resting her forehead against his for a few moments to look down at Laura, who was still fast asleep. Logan moved her so her head was to Maia's shoulder, and, because he had already been clinging to the edge of one side, relocated so he was behind Maia, whispering to her that she was awake too damned early and needed to go back to sleep.

He was right of course, the sun was nowhere close to rising, but she appreciated the chance to see them both so relaxed. Maia took in the sweet scent of her little girl and held Laura tightly, kissing the side of her head. After he turned the lamp off that they'd left on accidentally the evening before, Logan reached over and took Laura's hand in his, settling them both onto the side of Maia's bump where her own hand was already resting.

There would be four of them heading to Valleyview as a family to meet her first family, and, past the nerves, Maia couldn't wait.

Part 2: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

"Through the years we all will be together
If the fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest place
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now."

Logan couldn't believe he'd forgotten how much more Maia talked when she was nervous. She'd rattled on and on until they finally pulled up at the house she'd once called home.

"I don't know how to drive." She said suddenly with a gravity that was incongruous to the statement. Maia looked across the console at him, blue eyes wide, "I never learned to drive."

"I'll drive you wherever you wanna go." He drawled, looking at Laura in the back seat, "No biting, Kit. No claws."

The kid stared back at him, but he knew she'd gotten the message. He'd gotten better at figuring her out, even though she talked even less than he did. She was just like him. That was the key. All he had to do was imagine his own response and put it in the scheme of a tiny female.

Maia was shaking as she pulled herself out of the car he'd "borrowed" from Hank. She fidgeted with her coat, zipping it up and unzipping it repeatedly. "Do you thing they'll notice? I mean I'm going to tell them while we're here, but I don't want it to just be 'bam!' in their faces that I'm pregnant. Shit, my mother just had to tell my brothers. Bad enough she's seeing me when I barely look twenty, but now they are too? She said they wouldn't say anything, but they'd have to, right? I mean I'm not that much younger than they are."

Logan had to stop her before she sent herself into another panic attack. He put his hands over hers, and looked into her eyes, "You're perfect."

She took a few deep breaths and slotted her fingers between his, giving him a tiny smile, "Thank you."

He kissed her gently, and hauled Laura up onto his hip. They'd found she looked less intimidating when someone held her during an initial meeting. Like him she didn't do a very good job at looking like an innocent human. Even though she was a child, something about her screamed danger. Laura looked at her mother critically, "Going inside?"

Maia nodded, and he knew she was internally grimacing at their daughter's lack of pronouns. Maia had fussed about it, but they both knew Laura wasn't going to change until she was damned well ready, "We're going to see your Nana, and all your uncles."

"Turkey?"

Maia laughed, "God I hope we don't repeat that."

Laura looked like she wouldn't have minded another flame engulfed turkey, and he couldn't blame her. It had been more entertaining than sitting around a table avoiding small talk. He hates small talk.

Leslie Kinney's patience had apparently worn out, and she opened the door. Her eyes were only on Maia. "Baby?"

Maia sucked in a deep breath before running up the front steps of her old house and throwing herself into her mother's arms, sobbing. Laura shifted unhappily in his grip, but he quieted her with a slight jostle. They stayed there until Maia pulled herself away and gestured to them. "Mom, I know you've met Logan, but this is Laura, your granddaughter."

Leslie smiled at Laura, "Well don't you look just like your daddy." The older woman looked up at Logan, "Thank you for finding them." She took a step back and looked at all three of them, "Come on in you three. The boys are in here with their families already. Laura here has two younger cousins she can run off some energy with."

Yeah, their daughter was more likely to run other children down than run off energy. Logan kept a hold on her, especially when three giant men suddenly swept Maia off her feet and dragged her into the house. Logan followed them all inside, shutting the door behind him. Laura growled low in her throat when a little boy approached them with wide eyes, "Hi, I'm Robbie!"

Leslie left her four children to their merrymaking, and put a hand on the little boy's head of inky hair, "Laura, this is your cousin Robert, he's four years old."

Logan watched Laura's face as she examined the little boy. Slowly, Laura let her guard down and gave a tiny nod, "I'm Laura."

Logan glanced at Maia, who was watching them, and set Laura on her feet. Laura towered over the boy even at her slight height, but he smiled at her and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards a train set. Logan wanted to keep staring, but Leslie put a hand on his arm, "Relax, they'll be fine."

They were. Laura watched with rapt attention as her younger cousin showed her how the train set worked, and Logan watched them. At least until he sensed the three men leave Maia and approach him. The one he recognized as Thomas, Sarah's twin, spoke first, "You knocked up our little sister."

"Twice." Said the youngest of the three, who had to be Louis, and whose scent betrayed him as the father of the boy.

Well Maia hadn't lasted long sitting on that detail. If he hadn't been a mutant, he might have been concerned, but instead he just nodded, "And a Merry Christmas to you too."

Maia came over to them, bursting with energy again, but smiling, "Look at her! I love you." She threw herself into his arms and kissed him before kissing both of her brothers on the cheek and running out the back door.

The three men stared after her for a few beats before Louis clapped Logan on the back, "Well damn, she loves your old ass. Guess we can't bust your balls too much. Let's eat, everyone!"

And just like that, Christmas with the Kinneys was even more picturesque than Thanksgiving with the Greys. Thomas acted like a newly wed chasing his wife around with mistletoe, Elliot sat happily between his son and pregnant wife Susan, Louis and his wife Rita teased Robbie with stories of Santa, Laura helped her grandmother and cousins make Christmas cookies, and Maia soaked in every minute of it with a smile on her face. At least until he turned around and she was gone.

Logan found her in the back of the house in a room that reeked of disuse. Her old room. She shot him a weak smile and leaned into his chest, "It's surreal being back here."

"That's a shit ton of VHSs you've got crammed in here." He commented, genuinely overwhelmed by the sheer number of plastic boxes piled on top of one another.

Maia laughed shortly, "Yeah, I used to love watching movies." She took in a ragged breath and looked up at him, "I forgot how much I liked movies. I liked how I could be surprised by what happened. You can't read the minds of people on a screen. How strange, the things that don't matter when you're a prisoner for a decade." She touched a poster on the wall, "I loved Led Zeppelin too." She laughed at something, and clarified for him when he stared at her, "I always thought Jimmy Page was handsome." Maia kissed his cheek, "Guess older guys have always been my thing."

Logan pulled her into his arms and held her for a few minutes, so damned glad she was safe and coming back to herself more and more each day. All three of them were broken, but somehow they worked. The two of them and their wild little girl.

Maia laughed again, pulling herself up in his arms to kiss him, "Is this our future? How the hell did we get so damned lucky?"

Logan shook his head, "Damned if I know. We went through hell first."

"We can't keep living in the boat house though." Maia added as they went back into the living area.

Yeah, he'd already thought of that. Hank had promised to help, and he was going to get the blue squirt to live up to his promise if he had to skin him first. He might have to get a good chase in before the snow thawed, the damned nerd was more interested in planes than houses, but he had the brains and Logan had the brawn.

"Sure thing, darlin'." Logan murmured, a second before Leslie screamed.

Logan was first to the door behind Leslie, pulling her back probably harder than was good for her, but froze, "The hell?"

Victor stood in the doorway, a box in his hands and his hair halfway managed. He looked almost respectable. And completely uncomfortable, "Hey Jimmy, tracked your from Baldie's place." He held the box out, "Something for the Kit. You know… Merry Christmas."

Maia stepped up and took the box, a smile on her face, "She'll love it. Merry Christmas, Victor." He stood there for a beat and she threw an elbow into Logan's side, "Why don't you come on in? There's room."

He would have protested, but Victor was through the door before he had a chance to process what his female had even said. And that was how he ended up sitting next to his brother at the Kinney kitchen table playing Euchre as Christmas came to a close.

Part 3: How Does a Moment Last Forever (Celine Dion)

"How does a moment last forever?
How does a story never die?
It is love we must hold onto.
Never easy, but we try
Sometimes our happiness is captured.
Somehow, our time and place stand still.
Love lives on inside our hearts and always will."

The months leading up to the birth of 'Baby Howlett' were exhausting. The complete opposite of Laura, he seemed content to go unannounced until nearly the day Maia crossed into the third trimester. Then it was downhill from there. Her moods, not stabilized from her years of imprisonment, were now swinging wildly with her fluctuating hormones. Her ankles were swollen, she had heartburn all the time, and her back was constantly in pain. All in all she was fully aware she was a fabulous person to be around. Which made Logan's routine disappearing act understandable, even more so when he started absconding with Laura in the spring.

She was ornery as hell when Logan came in the door and said, "Come on, darlin'. Got something I want you to see."

Maia scowled at him from her place on the boat house' sofa, "L, I can't see my feet. There's really nothing else I want to see right now."

He scowled back at her, "Tough luck."

The next thing she knew, he had her in his arms. "Put me down!" Maia yelled at him, but he didn't put her down until he'd trudged them both across the grounds. He was hardly winded when he set her on her feet. A normal man wouldn't have even made it a hundred yards. It would take her forever to get back there on her own tree trunk legs. Damn him.

"Shut up and turn around." He barked, but held on to her elbow as she turned around unsteadily.

Maia adjusted her glasses to make sure what she was seeing was real. A house. Brand new. It was the most perfect thing she'd ever laid eyes on. Not a house. A home. Maia looked up at Logan, "You did this?"

He tipped his head once, "Had some help, but yeah. Had to get us out of the fucking boat house. Like it?"

"I love it." She said breathlessly, planting a kiss on his lips. "So does the baby." She added, looking down at her feet…and the small puddle between them.

Logan looked too. "Oh, fuck."

Five hours of labor, a hysterical Laura, frantic Logan, jubilant Jean, and exhausted Maia later…James Charles Howlett was born in the house his father had built.

Staring at him, Maia couldn't believe she'd ever feared not loving him. Just like Laura, he was beautiful, and there wasn't a fiber of Maia that didn't love him every bit as much as she loved Laura. Although, in the hours since she'd given birth, her biggest concern had become Laura.

The Professor had had to knock her out to keep her from hurting the people keeping her from her screaming mother after a few hours of struggling with her. She hadn't understood. Charles had tried talking to her, so had Jean, but Laura had been completely wild. Maia understood, but it didn't make seeing Logan walk into their new bedroom with their limp daughter in his arms any easier.

Logan stretched Laura out next to her, and sat on the same side, Laura resting on his chest so he could be shoulder to shoulder with Maia to stare at James while he slept.

"Jamie." Maia said abruptly into the silence. "We'll call him Jamie." Maia brushed hair out of Laura's face, "What are we going to do about this one? I think she's more exhausted than I am." She laughed shortly, "Can I just say that coming back from the dead with her was more of a walk in the park than what I just did for this little guy."

"Hank offered." Logan reminded her.

Maia nodded, "Yeah, but I didn't want to miss a minute of it." Jamie squirmed in his sleep, and Maia held her breath until he settled again. Logan had held his breath too. "We have a baby, Logan." Maia said softly, looking over at Laura, "And a little girl." Laura started to stir, her mind flickering back onto Maia's senses, "A very angry little girl."

Laura's eyes fluttered open, instantly seeking Maia's, "Mama?"

Maia smiled at her, using the pain from child birth to offset the pain from being in her daughter's mind, "I'm fine, Laura. You can relax. No one is hurt."

It took almost two months before Maia and Logan relaxed. A month of Laura being moody and more possessive than she'd been in the months leading up to Jamie's arrival. Under no circumstances did anyone leave the two of them alone.

It was a beautiful late spring Tuesday, a few weeks before Laura's tenth birthday, when Maia noticed that Laura wasn't with her father outside anymore. Then she heard the growling. Maia ran as fast as she could to the nursery where Jamie had been sleeping and slapped a hand over her own mouth.

Laura was with her brother alright, but she wasn't hurting him. She'd apparently picked him up out of his crib, and now they were both laying on their backs on the floor. Jamie wasn't napping anymore; his big blue eyes were fixed on Laura as she growled. She stopped and looked at him expectantly. He cooed back at her.

Laura scowled, "No, not like that. Like this." She growled again before adding, "You've got to sound scary." Jamie cooed again.

"Well, I'll be damned." Logan drawled from behind Maia, causing her to let out a strangled squeal of surprise.

Laura sat up instantly, her dark eyes wide and face etched with guilt.

Maia took that like a punch to the gut. Their daughter was guilty that she'd gotten caught playing with her brother. Maia was the one who should feel guilty. They had encouraged that guilt, not any scientist; them, her own parents. Hell, Maia had never even heard her daughter speak that clearly in the time they'd been reunited. What had they done to her?

Logan went around Maia, "Alright, if you're gonna teach him to growl, do it like you mean it." He demonstrated, and Jamie laughed his tiny baby laugh. Logan chuckled and looked at her, "Can't wait to hear what he thinks of your growl."

Maia shook her head, still stunned by the horror of their daughter's reaction to being found playing with Jamie, "What? No? That's all you. I don't…"

Logan cut her off by charging at her and faux flinging her to the floor. It still knocked the wind out of her, but it was worth it to see the hesitant acceptance on Laura's face. Logan had her pinned to the ground, "Come on, one growl. Show these two what you've got."

"L, I can't." Maia pleaded but relented after he goaded Laura into tickling her. The pathetic attempt at a growl that escaped her wasn't anything even remotely scary, but it was the last straw to Laura accepting that she wasn't in trouble. The three of them laughed more that afternoon than they'd laughed in a decade, and Maia wished she knew how to keep her family laughing for the rest of their lives.

Part 4: Another Side of You (Joe Nichols)

"When you lay down in my arms
Let go of all that stress.
Whisper honey I love you
With your head on my chest.
When the world's strongest woman is my lady
When the day is through.
Well that's another side of you
That I'm in love with too"

They'd known it was coming. The Wolverine had been out of service for the better part of a year, and people had started to notice. Enemies from his past had started resurfacing, tempted by the possibility that he had finally kicked the bucket.

"We need you on this mission, Logan." Jean said hesitantly. "You know I wouldn't ask if there was another person, but it's summer, we're short staffed as it is. Maia and the Professor can hold down the fort, we shouldn't be gone more than a week."

He hadn't even listened to her ramble on about what the damned mission was even to do. She was asking him to leave his family. Just a year ago he would have been crawling out of his skin ready to go on a mission after so long at the mansion, but he'd settled into this new life better than anyone could have anticipated, himself included. The thought of not being there the next morning to kiss Maia awake or suffer blissfully through Jamie's foul morning diaper before heading to a morning spar with Laura and Rogue…it just about killed him.

Jean wrung her hands, "I already talked to Maia about it. She's not happy, but she understands that it's the future of mutants that's at stake."

Maia, to her credit, said all the right things. She smiled as she helped him pack a bag, consoled Laura when she pitched a fit over his departure, and stood holding her hand with Jamie propped on her hip as the plane took off.

He should have known better.

They had almost completed the mission when things went sideways with Jean opening her mouth again, "Logan, the Professor says we need to hurry, Maia's not handling this as well as we thought."

The need to get home to her, to the kids, made him sloppy, and he got hurt, badly. The last thing he remembered was a metal pole being thrust through his chest a second before it felt like his head got caved in. Shit. Maia was going to kill him.

When he came to he could instantly tell he was back in the mansion based on smell alone. Damp old rich people castles all had the same musty smell, but this one always had the added joy of teenaged desperation and premature ejaculation. Reason Number 286 for why he'd always insisted on staying in the attic or the boat house, and why he'd built their house nearly on the other side of the lake.

Then he distantly heard the rapid breaths and the near hysterical voice of Jean, "He's okay. He'll be waking up any minute. Please stop, Maia. Maia, no!"

There was a scuffle, and he forced himself to his feet. Dried blood crackled on the side of his head and chest, tugging on the hairs there as he moved. He let himself follow the noises, and cursed when he saw what was going on.

Jean had her arms around Maia, and Rogue had Laura on her hip in the far side of the otherwise vacant sitting room. Jean looked hopelessly at him as Maia screamed incomprehensibly in her arms, pulling and tugging, everything short of biting her older sister.

"Jean, what the fuck?"

Jean fought Maia into a more secure restraint, "We brought you in and she lost it. I can't get into her head to calm her down and the Professor isn't here."

"Daddy?" Laura questioned, the stench of anxiety wafting off of her.

"She'll be fine, Kit." He said over Maia's screaming, sparing her what he hoped was a comforting look, "Rogue, get her out of here." Rogue slipped out of the room a second later, and he turned back to Jean and Maia, "Let her go and leave." Jean hesitated, but the look on his face must have convinced her because she let go a second before he was going to yell at her.

Maia slumped to the floor, breathing heavily, scratching at her arms and muttering the same things over and over, "He's dead. My fault." Logan knelt next to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. At his touch she sunk closer to the antique rug, "Don't touch me! I'll be good! I'll do what ever you want!" She sucked in a ragged breath, and whispered, "Just bring him back."

Logan pulled her hair back, carefully, pushing past the way she was trembling, "Hey, Kid, I'm right here."

Maia instantly turned her face towards him, eyes wide in shock, "L?"

He nodded, relieved that she'd seemingly snapped out of whatever memory had grabbed her, "Not real pretty right now, but, yeah."

She glanced down at her bloodied hands, "Fuck, it wasn't a dream." She turned to face him a bit, "They brought you in. Jean said it could be a couple hours before you…woke up." She squinted a bit, as if the memories were foggy, "Storm offered to take Jamie back to the house so Laura and I could get some sleep but be close, and…I must have fallen asleep." Maia covered her face with her hands, "It was so real. I thought I was over this night terror crap!" She growled in frustration, one hand coming down in a fist to hit the ground.

Logan pulled her to her feet, and really looked at her for a moment. It was like the time he'd pushed her away all over again. There had to have been more than one bad night since he'd been away. She was pale, pale enough to erase the sun she'd gotten playing outside with Laura in the last few months. Once again the fire had been sucked out of her red hair in his absence. There were sick purple circles under her eyes, and… "Where the hell are your glasses?

Maia blinked a few times, her gaze flitting around the room before whispering, "I have no idea." She suddenly threw her arms around him, pressing her face into his chest, "I had a shitty week, L. How was yours?"

He laughed in spite of himself. No one did self pity the way his girl did, "I nearly died. What made yours shitty?"

"I'm insane, Laura is moody, and Jamie has colic." Maia rattled off, fingers locked on the remains of his shirt.

Logan pulled back as best he could, "Colic?" She nodded, and he pinched his eyes closed. During the last months of her pregnancy, Maia had read a book about infants aloud while he'd been working out. Colic had been one of the topics her reading had covered that he'd actually paid rapt attention to. "No sleep, eh?" She shook her head, and he sighed, wrapping his arms around her more securely, "I think Chuck would say that's the prefect storm there for a night terror."

There was a knock on the door a second before Storm poked her head in, "I borough Jamie up from your house. Jean and Scott are going to watch him for you tonight. I believe Rogue and Laura are going to have a…sleep-over."

Maia sniffed before turning her face to the door, "Thank you guys. I could really use the break."

Logan appreciated that the two women had started getting along, and watched as Storm's face softened, "Next time, Maia, tell us if you need help. No one will think less of you. Enjoy your evening."

The women shared a lingering look before Maia nodded, "I will. Have a good night, and thank you for watching Jamie earlier."

Storm left with a nod, and Logan distinctly felt like he'd missed out on part of the conversation. He'd come to accept that as a fact of life with Maia though. The petite woman in his arms loosened her hold ever so slightly, "We should get you cleaned up."

We could both use a shower." He amended, looking at the reddened streaks up and down her arms, some just irritated skin but others actual bleeding gouges.

The walk back to their house was a quiet one, but Maia never let go of his hand, even when she stumbled in the dar over a hole one of the students must have made and nearly dove right into it. Or maybe it was he never let go of her hand. He wasn't going to dwell on that. The truth was, she'd been unable to tell a nightmare from reality, even when her sister and daughter were right there, and that scared him. For the first time he felt like he understood just how fragile she truly was.

There had always been something innately breakable about her appearance, but he'd always thought of her mind as strong. Now he understood how she'd hidden her mutation for nearly eight years: fear. The fear for him had made her fragile, and their sweet boy keeping her up while he'd been gone had set her up for failure.

He felt like a failure.

They'd talked nearly every day. He should have realized she wasn't sleeping, that her placid assurances that everyone was fine was a lie, but he hadn't. The rush of being back in the field had consumed him.

He hadn't even realized that they'd reached the door to their house, not until she put a hand on his face, "Hey, this is on me, not you. Get that guilty look off your face. You're an angel for putting up with me." She wrinkled her nose, "A very scruffy angel."

Before he even knew what was happening, Maia was trailing her hands up his chest and pulling him down for a kiss. Their lips locked in a long, passionate kiss, and Logan growled, his need for her growing. He guided Maia from the porch to their living room, breaking the kiss to shut and lock the door behind him before turning back to devour his crazy little woman.

Her fingers tangled in his hair as he trailed tender kisses over her jaw and down her neck. He pressed his lips to her favorite spot on her neck, sucking gently. "Fuck, I need more." Maia rasped, her hips arching towards him.

"We've got to clean up, kid." Logan reminded her, loving the desperate look on her face.

Maia pouted expertly at him for a moment before a slow grin spread over her face, "Come catch me, Wild Man."

Sometimes he forgot how young she was. He wasn't going to let her win, though he didn't really even need to try though because she'd forgotten that she didn't have her glasses on. He knew every inch of their house well enough he could navigate it blindfolded. She, however, only knew how to get from their bedroom to Jamie's nursery, and completely nailed the doorframe of their bedroom. Logan scooped her off the ground and carried her into the bathroom, flicking on the light so he could make sure she hadn't hurt herself even more.

Piece by piece he peeled her clothes off of her, and she did the same for him, her fingers lingering over the still caked on blood. Logan grabbed her hands and pulled her towards the shower he'd turned on. "Come on you."

She was quiet as she grabbed a washcloth and held it under the warmed water before turning back to him and rubbing gently at the blood. The rusty water that flowed down him made her flinch, "I could have lost you today."

Logan kissed her forehead, "Not a chance. I'm virtually indestructible."

Maia shrugged, a strand of her dampened red hair sticking to her cheek, "I know that, it's just…I can't imagine living a single day without you."

"You won't ever have to." He promised, soaping up her hair and massaging it in. The truth was, he was more likely to live without her, and that killed him. He'd avoided this, domesticity, love, for most of his life because he remembered the first time he'd watched a loved one get old and die and he never wanted to repeat that. But now he probably would. Laura's influence on Maia seemed to have gone away, evident by the scratches on her arms that were still bleeding ever so slightly.

Logan took the one worse off and held it under the water. Maia looked solemn, but let him clean her up like she'd cleaned him up. With a kiss she left him alone in the water so he could shave.

When he left the steamy bathroom he found Maia brushing her wet hair out on the bench at the end of their bed. And she was dressed for bed. Logan frowned at her, "Now what happened to finishing what we started?"

She smiled at him, "Now we both know you enjoy playing with your food."

He chuckled darkly, "Yes, yes I do."

Maia stood, placing her brush down on the bench, "Well here I am."

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to his body, carefully moving her up on the bed before letting her settle against the pillows. His towel fell away in the process, but neither of them tried to speed things up. It was easy to take things slow and simply melt into one another. He kissed her as he moved his hands downward, slipping them under her night shirt and squeezing her breasts. She moaned into the kiss, and he swallowed each sound that left her. Her fingers moved through his wet hair, gently gripping, but not tugging. She rolled her hips up against his hardening cock. Not a needy motion, he knew the difference between all her movements and noises.

His lips trailed down to kiss at her neck, and she moaned a little louder when he found that spot under her ear again, "L," she gasped, and he smirked against her skin. He was getting harder, so ready to be buried inside of her, but unwilling to go any faster. She was right, he enjoyed the teasing just as much as he did the actual act. She rolled her hips again, her covered core dragging over his dick, and it was his turn to groan.

Gently he pulled her panties down her slender legs and tossed them to the side before running his hands up her body, letting her nightshirt bunch up before he pulled it over her head. He sat back a bit to look into her eyes as he lined up with her entrance. Slowly, he pushed in. Inch by inch until his hips met hers. The warmth and wetness of her walls was completely amazing, and he would never get over how it felt to be inside of her. So tight, her body gripping his perfectly, like he was supposed to be there.

Logan pulled back and started an easy pace. Her body moved with his, finding a rhythm. He looked into her eyes before kissing her again as he interlaced the fingers of his right hand with hers, squeezing gently. There was something different from the other times they'd had sex. It was so gentle, so soft, and there was a warmth in his chest that he could feel spreading out through his fingertips and toes that had nothing to do with the shrapnel that had previously been buried in it. They stayed at that slow pace for a while, and time seemed to be meaningless. It was just him and her, and that was all that mattered.

Maia gasped against his lips; she was starting to get close, but she wasn't there yet. Letting go of her hand, he kept himself up on one arm and slipped it down between them. He found her clit, rubbing it gently, but with enough force to give her that push she was seeking. His hips continued to thrust, filling her over and over again.

Suddenly, her back arched, pressing her body into his. He could feel her walls clenching around him, pulling him in deeper.

"Maia," he moaned, and his thighs shook as he reached his own climax deep inside of her. Their eyes stayed locked on each others, and he could have drowned in those sky blue eyes of her. The started to come down, Maia panting heavily, and him resting his forehead against hers, finally letting his eyes flutter shut. "You are mine. Forever."

Maia nodded, and said breathlessly, "Always." She kissed him chastely, cupping his face with both of her hands, "Let's get married."

Logan smiled at her, wondering how it was possible to love anyone as much as he loved her. He'd always thought of love as a weakness, but the woman beneath him made him strong, stronger than he'd ever thought possible. "Darlin', you read my mind."

Part 5: Perfect (Ed Sheeran)

"Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms
Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song
I have faith in what I see
Now I know I have met an angel in person
And she looks perfect
I don't deserve this
You look perfect tonight."

Logan let Maia handle the talk with Laura about them getting married, but it didn't seem to sink in until the day before the wedding. "Mama, are things gonna change?"

Maia glanced from Logan to Laura quickly, and gave their daughter a comforting smile he could never have pulled off, "Not really. Remember what I said before, a wedding is just a big party where two people share with their family and friends how much they love each other. From now on, I'll wear a ring on my left hand, and Daddy will wear one on the same chain as his dog tags. That's really it."

"Your Mama will have a new name too." Logan added.

Maia smiled wryly at him, "Yeah, I'll have a new name."

Logan went outside with Jamie in his arms, but stayed close enough that he could hear the rest of their conversation as he sat the little guy down on his feet and walked up and down the porch holding onto his hands as he toddled around.

Since Logan's first mission over a year ago, Laura had started talking a lot more, which they both appreciated. Except for the occasional curse word that slipped out of her mouth. Maia went bananas over that, but she wasn't going to rewrite his almost two hundred years of foulmouthed-dom. In his opinion he did a great job at not cursing too much in front of the kids.

"When you get married, do you not love anyone else anymore?" Laura asked her mother.

Logan heard Maia suck in a breath, "Oh, baby, no. God, I will love you until the end of time. Getting married doesn't change that. I promise."

"Who's going to be there?" Laura questioned blithely, but he heard the relief in her voice.

Maia pushed in one of the kitchen chairs, "All the X-men, Nana, Grandpa and Grandma Grey, your uncles and cousins, and your Uncle Victor."

Laura giggled, "I like Uncle Victor."

Logan could imagine Maia rolling her eyes, "I know you do. You two are not allowed to go hunting tomorrow, okay? You're going to have a nice dress on and we both know that your Uncle Victor isn't the neatest."

"Are you and Daddy going to have another baby?" Laura asked abruptly.

Maia hesitated for a second, and he knew she was aware that he was within hearing range. "No, I don't think so. We have you, and we have Jamie. Your Daddy and I are happy."

Laura didn't stop. "Is Jamie a mutant?"

Judging by the change in her voice, Logan should probably jump in, but he was never as good with words as she was. "We don't know, and we won't for a while. He's only a year and a half old."

He heard the distinctive snick of Laura's claws emerging, "I don't remember ever not having these."

"I know." Maia said softly, "Bad things were done to you, Laura, but most mutants don't get their powers until they are a year or so older than you are now. That's when your Daddy got his, and I got mine when I was thirteen. They're a gift, Laura, you just got yours early. Maybe Jamie gets powers, maybe he doesn't, but we won't love him any less. He's still Jamie."

Yeah, the woman had a way with words. The boy in question went still suddenly and scrunched up his face, staring off into the distance with his mother's blue eyes as he released a nice fresh wave of feces into his diaper. "Son of a bitch." Logan hissed under his breath. He'd found a new nemesis since the birth of his son: diaper-duty. The kid was cute as hell, but he could also do some massive damage to Logan's nasal passages.

Jamie, to his credit, smiled in self-satisfaction and made another wobbly step as if to continue with their previous activity like he hadn't just detonated a bomb in his tiny pants. Logan picked him up swiftly, "Not a chance, little guy."

Of course Jamie started crying, and kept crying as Logan walked into the house and past the females to the nursery. At least the kid was aware enough to hiccup his sobs to a stop once Logan set about cleaning his son up with practiced militaristic efficiency. Logan stared down at him pointedly after he'd tossed the receptacle of the offending odor into the trash can, "See, I'm not a total asshole, am I?"

Maia giggled from the doorway, and he turned to see her walking towards him whimsically. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him, smiling broadly, "Look at us, nailing this parenting thing. I managed not to freak out at Laura playing twenty questions, and you tackled another dirty diaper like a pro. You know, I think this might just work out."

It was his turn to roll his eyes, you know, if he was Scott or some other less manly man. Instead, he just snorted, "We're getting married tomorrow and we have not one, but two kids. It better do more than work out at this point."

She nodded, still smiling, her blue eyes sparking behind what had to have been her eighth pair of glasses, "I sure hope so."

Jamie squawked to get her attention, and she turned her smile to him, "I know, little guy, diaper time with Daddy isn't near as fun as it is with Mama." She cut her eyes up at Logan, "He never stays this still with me you know. It's like trying to put a hat on a worm."

Logan kissed the top of her head, "Kid knows you don't work out like I do. He's just looking out for you."

Maia rolled her eyes, "I'm sure he is. Or he thinks Mama is a sucker." She grimaced, "Wait, I happen to know that's exactly what he thinks." She glanced up at the Crayola clock on the wall, "I need to get going. You sure you don't want Laura to come to the mansion with us?"

He shook his head, they needed the time alone. "Nah, I'll make sure she gets up to the house in time to get all dolled up."

Maia laughed shortly, "Yeah, that's going to be fun. I'm just glad that, as my Maid of Honor, it's Jean's job to wrangle her into a dress and then keep her clean." She kissed him on the cheek and pulled away, picking Jamie up off the changing table and perching him on her hip, "Say goodnight to Daddy, Jamie."

Jamie made a little noise that may have been an attempt at saying 'daddy', and Logan took it anyway, ruffling the thick auburn hair on top of his son's head, "Night, little guy." He kissed Maia slowly, savoring every second of being with her, "I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Kinney."

That got another tiny laugh, and she shook her head in amusement as she left, "Goodnight, Mr. Howlett."

Logan and Laura spent the evening sparring, and got up early to go…fishing. Maia didn't really approve of the way they did it, but the activity had been one of the first things that had gotten Laura to smile at him. Victor found them standing in the middle of the stream behind their house using their claws to catch fish. "Hey, Brother, Kit."

Laura held a speared fish up to show him, "Look, Uncle Victor!"

Victor smiled indulgently, as he always did with Laura, and barked, "Couldn't feed anyone with that, Kit."

She scowled, but by the time the sun had risen, all three of them were in good humor and Logan had finally settled into the reality that the day had finally come. The rest of the morning was a flurry of activity that overwhelmed him, especially given the fact that Maia had specifically requested most things being as toned down as possible. He could only imagine the hell he'd be going through if she'd been the stereotypical monster bride.

Every minute of it was completely worth it when he watched her walk down the aisle flanked by Mr. Grey and Charles. She was a vision.

Wearing her mother's dress with her hair coaxed into uniform curls, Maia looked effortless, and the only hint that she was as overwhelmed as he was lay in her scent. The hint of stress, however, vanished the moment her hand came to rest in his. He was almost positive that neither of them heard anything Hank said, and they both had to be prompted to echo the vows because they were just simply in awe of one another. Even through their first kiss as a married couple, Logan wasn't aware at all that they were being watched by dozens of people.

They didn't speak until they had walked hand in hand back down the aisle. Maia beamed up at him, "Well, you sure do clean up nicely, Mr. Howlett."

He chuckled, "You look good enough to eat, Mrs. Howlett."

Not a single person was surprised when it took them a solid half hour to return to the party, and Jean was only mildly offended to see that the heels she'd forced on Maia had been abandoned.

Their first year of marriage was filled with a lot of firsts. Most memorably: Jamie's first word (mine), Jamie's first solo steps, Jamie's first curse word (shit), Laura's first crush (on none other than fucking Scott Summers), Maia getting her GED, Laura stopping her first crime (a petty thief in a convenience store), he taught Maia how to drive, the first rumblings of mutants appeared in the media, and Maia's first day as 'Mrs. Maia Howlett, Psychology Student'.

Their first anniversary was spent with their kids, all four enjoying the sunny summer day, and when evening fell, Logan found himself carrying all three of the loves of his life inside. Jamie, per usual, didn't stir in the slightest when Logan pulled him out of the circle of his mother's arms. Laura, on the other hand, whacked him in the face in her sleep when he picked her up off the cushion she'd been lounging on. Maia stirred as soon as he closed the door behind them, but stayed quiet until he laid her down on their bed.

"Happy Anniversary, L." She whispered, pulling him down towards the bed in a clear invitation.

He kissed her once before pulling the chain on the light above them, plunging the room into darkness. "Happy Anniversary, darlin'." As he returned to her lips and wandering hands, he growled, "Mine. Always."

Maia smiled into their kiss and whispered, "Always, Wild Man, always."

If you are a believer in HEA endings, than this is the end! If not, the last epilogue will be up in the next week or two. Just a hint, I binged the first season of The Gifted... ;)

Please let me know what you thought, and thank you for reading!

-Jenn