Title: Starting Over

Pairing: Well, several. Jean/Logan and Scott/Emma for sure. Maybe a bit of Kitty/Colossus and Rogue/Remy for fun and flair. We'll see what we get into. :)

Rating: T at the beginning (mainly for language, because dude...seriously...Logan swears a lot.), M (for fluff, maybe?) later on.

Author's Note: So last chapter was a bit emotional, yeah? Let's see how Logan responds to Jean getting knocked out. If the answer in your head is "Not bloody well!" you'd be 810% correct.

ALSO: I have some links on my profile page now! Pics of the Logan in my head, pics of Jean, the song that kinda fueled the rewrite of Chapter 1, and the cover of Devil Inside by London Grammar. Please let me know if you check them out!

No, I'll be a stone

I'll be the hunter

Tower that casts a shade

I lie awake

And watch it all

It feels like thousand eyes.

Thousand Eyes - Of Monsters and Men

The next few moments were a blur for Logan, but when he was able to piece together the events later on, one thing was clear.

Peter shouldn'a been the one I punched.

After checking that Jean still had a pulse, Peter was the one who got the fist to the face, though, and then the boot to the head and the attempt at sticking a claw into his ear. Logan felt himself fall, and realized Kitty had phased him through Peter's body and to the ground. With a roar, he fought to escape her, seeing all of them as the enemy. He managed to get enough traction to crouch and then explode up, throwing Kitty off with a yelp as he was about to renew the attack on Colossus.

The smell of expensive perfume behind him made him pause and then whirl to face Emma, who had some to stand a few inches away from the reach of his claws. With a hardened expression, she roared a command into his brain and he froze, unable to move further.

"ENOUGH."

He felt separated from his body, his senses still roaring but unable to make his muscles move or obey commands. He felt his body crumple sideways and land uncomfortably, one leg twisted underneath his hip as he heard and saw and felt but couldn't move.

He saw Scott's jaw drop before the white cape of Emma Frost passed in front of his vision. Logan tried to squirm, tried to retract his claws or at least move his leg, but there was no response from any of his limbs. Then it hit him that he was missing a conversation between Scott and Emma that didn't sound too friendly, and he redirected his attention.

"...you get into Peter's head like that? Dammit, Emma."

Emma shrugged one shoulder. "What, you think I wanted to deal with an all out war? All your thoughts were of neutralizing the threat. I did that, and with little enough help from you goading that dog back there."

Emma's head turned, her eyes locking with Logan's as she raked him with an unfriendly glare. She turned back to Scott, the lack of repentance clear from her body language.

"We can keep her sedated until a more permanent solution is found. If I'd attacked her directly, she would have kicked my ass and we know it. But she was so focused on Logan and you and me that she didn't register that Peter could be a threat. Nobody needs a repeat of last time, and while I'm still reeling from all that emotion you'd poured into her, this wasn't just Phoenix. This was Jean, and all of you get messy when it comes to Jean."

She examined her nails again in the light from the Blackbird, all sarcasm as she continued.

"Now, are we going to tuck these two away and deal with San Francisco or not? It's too cold to stand out here and braid each other's hair."

Emma turned and started for the Blackbird when Scott caught her arm. He spoke low, but Logan was concentrating on the sound and reading his lips and could just make out the words.

"Don't you dare use an X Man like that again, Emma. That kind of stuff might have been okay with the Hellfire Club, but you will not use someone else to do your dirty work again. Understood?"

Emma stilled, then leaned in a few inches away from his face, focusing on the visor shielding Scott's eyes. The words that floated back to Logan made him want to laugh if only his muscles would cooperate.

"Hello, darling Pot. My name is Kettle. How pleasant to make your acquaintance."

Scott stiffened before letting her move on, and turned his attention to assisting the rest of his team in getting both Jean and Logan loaded onto the Blackbird.

As he was carried onto the plane by Peter, hoisted over one broad shoulder, he heard the Russian's sad voice.

"I am sorry for what I did. I promise you I would never mean to hurt Jean."

Logan could only grunt, his tongue still not functioning from the block Emma had put on him.

It took a few hours of being watched over in the infirmary by Dr. Hank McCoy before he regained his muscle control. He heard the Professor being called down to take a look into Jean's mind and ensure she was alright after the head trauma. It grated, not being able to move or properly speak beyond grunts and blinks. When he finally sat up, his first instinct was to check on Jean. Hank, however, seemed bothered by what he'd been told about both patients.

"Let me make sure I am understanding correctly. I've been informed that Jean is back, obviously, and that you were hiding this the whole time to get back at Scott?"

Logan snorted.

"Not a damn chance. I mean it's true I knew she was back, but she seems...different this time. Determined to control the beast. Ownin' up to all it's-to all she's done to everybody. So sue me for not wanting Cyke to kill off her chances at a normal life."

Hank nodded, then flicked a concerned glance in the direction of the other room where Jean was still sedated. When he continued, hushed, Logan felt the hairs on his arms raise at the words.

"It was implied, indirectly, that Jean attacked the group? I'm taking it, then, that Ms. Frost's implication was perhaps...a bit skewed?"

It took a lot for the claws to not come out, for Logan to not go hunting a particular blonde. With a deep breath, he bit out, "Yeah, you could say that. Jean was on her knees in the snow. She wasn't attackin' anybody. I was the one who started punching Peter for coldcocking Jean. I shoulda realized he'd never be that much of a dick."

Hank managed to subdue the twitch of his mouth. He was silent for a few minutes, checking Logan's vitals, before he continued tentatively.

"I've made the Phoenix capsule bigger, so she has some space. She safe in there, even though visitors are being limited to Scott and Charles right now. But it's not permanent solution, no matter what Scott thinks. You should talk to Charles. I think you'll find more of an ally there than you may previously have had."

Logan gave a short nod before hopping off the table and stomping out of the room, making a beeline for Professor Xavier's office.

Professor Charles Xavier was calm when Logan found him, slamming the door to the office once when entering and again behind him. He looked up at the angry man pacing across his office and could feel the inner beast raging even without reading Logan's thoughts. He sat, silent and patient, for the explosion that was bound to happen. It was a surprise, then, when Logan sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

Head in his hands, lips moving in silent prayer for calm, Logan worked to center himself and diffuse the rage that threatened to overwhelm him.

Too easy to just slash at a problem. But you can't stab every problem away.

When he looked up at the Professor after a few minutes, he did his best to keep his thoughts from screaming and his face neutral. The look of understanding on the face opposite told Logan he didn't do as well of a job as he'd hoped.

"Logan, my impression is that there was an...altercation with Jean? At least that's what I've been told. I wanted to talk to someone who was there instead of verifying for myself what happened."

Fighting the instinct to bristle, Logan repeated to Charles what he'd said to Hank. Nodding, Charles pursed his lips before continuing.

"Yes, Emma had indicated much the same to me as she had to Hank. It's concerning that so egregious an implication be laid, even sublty, at the feet of someone who is innocent. And even more concerning that Emma would take control of another to harm someone. I suspect," and here Charles gave a longsuffering sigh, "that Emma may have sensed some conflict coming from Scott and decided to take matters in her own hands. Either way, it's unacceptable and unreasonable."

"So what do we do, huh? He'll never let it alone. I know there's a danger, but we were able to handle it the last time. Now more than ever Jeannie's fightin' for all she's worth. She deserves more'n a life locked in a room."

The nod from the figure behind the desk was reassuring, even if the figure's next words were not.

"The fear is understandable. You remember what the Phoenix did, what it's capable of. While I agree with you in principle, I would advise caution, which is what I believe Scott is advocating."

Logan snorted.

"Shitty way of bein' cautious."

Charles' smile held no mirth.

"True, but can you blame him? That is his ex wife in our basement and we're all hoping she doesn't blow the entire facility apart turning into Dark Phoenix again."

Logan's head rested once more in his hands.

I'm tired, an' this is stupid, and I need some sleep. Fuck.

With a start, he heard Charles' reply in his mind.

You aren't the only one.

"Let me speak with Scott. I do agree that Jean's mental state is rather altered from her previous times here. Perhaps we can come to a compromise that will meet the needs for safety yet also give her the stability that will help her keep control this time."

Logan nodded and left Professor Xavier's study. After all, he had to keep an eye on the egg that Hank had built.

Even if you can't hear me, Red, I'm here and I'm rootin' for ya.