Author's note: I have to thank paintedrose! By sending your critique, you have given me a great idea, which began at the end of the last chapter and continues here at the beginning. So, thanks for that, mate: )

Oh, and late Happy Birthday to AliasSpyCrazy! ; )

Changes Sequel – I. Darkness Part 23

Laughing together after Kitty and Jubilee had finished with their story from college, the woman startled when the door was opened in a rush and Logan stepped in. "Have you ever heard about knocking?" Kitty asked him angrily, while he entered with the children close by.

"Is something wrong?" Jean asked him worriedly since she'd noticed the alarmed look on his face and felt his inner turmoil.

"Watch over the kids," Logan only said and shoved them inside one after the next. Sleep drunken as they were, the children didn't understand what was going on. "Take them into your middle with Moira. You and Raven, too," he said and turned to the other mutants, "Kitty, Jubilee and Ororo in a triangle around them. You guys protect them, got that?" With a warning look, he turned to the window and checked the wood again.

"Logan, what's wrong?" Ororo asked and couldn't hide the slightly scared undertone in her voice, when Peter and Bobby entered. "What the hell is going on?" Pulling her daughter close when the child hugged her mother's legs frightened, the weather goddess looked to and fro between them.

"What are ya waitin' for?" Logan asked a bit louder. "Do as I say and take the kids into the middle!" Walking back to the door, he looked at the two men. "Colossus, you face the door," he told Peter, who nodded. "And you freeze everyone who comes through that window!"

"Okay!" Bobby said and took position.

"You stay here, got that?" Looking at every woman, he was about to turn to the door again, when Jean grabbed his hand.

"What's wrong?" she asked again and noticed his odd look.

"Your ex is a double agent. I heard him talking to someone in the woods," he explained briefly and heard the shocked gasp of the women. "We need to hurry and take him down."

"But I can help you," the redhead protested.

"No!" Logan gave back. "You stay here and protect them."

"But…"

Again he shook his head. "Raven's pregnant and you might be, too. I ain't riskin' it! Chuck helps us dealin' with him."

Looking down, Jean nodded and let go of him. "Be careful!"

Only nodding, Logan gave a last warning look at his two male teammates, which told them not to dare to mess this up, before he joined Kurt and Hank on the outside.

Within few minutes they had reached the garden and followed Logan, who's extracted his claws, through the snow. Neither of them could believe that one of their friends and oldest comrade had turned on them. Still, Logan had been alarmed earlier that day. He'd sensed for les than a second that something was wrong before Scott and he had started a brawl. He was angry with himself that he hadn't reacted to his inner alarm. But it had been too short and too weak… "There!" he said and pointed towards a spot between the trees only he could probably see. Hearing the Professor in his head, he knew what Charles wanted them to do. Not hurting Scott was the main priority, but making sure that he wouldn't go anywhere so soon had been the other demand.

"You've to lead the way, boy," Hank said calmly while they came closer. "It's too dark for us. We cover your back and you take him down."

"Then stay here!" Logan replied and gave them a sign. "You're too noisy…" He heard how they stopped and went into his deep crouch again, which always signaled an attack of him. Moving quickly and inaudible through the snow while Hank and Kurt prepared themselves for an attack, Logan saw Scott pausing all of a sudden. Never taking his eyes of the man, he saw too late that this one had reached up to touch the side of his visor. Yelping, when the blast still tore the flesh of his waist and blood splattered the snow after he'd tried to evade the attack, Logan quickly got to his feet again and threw his adversary with a hard punch to the ground. Pinning him to it, Logan called the others for help when Charles spoke to him.

"Logan,…something's wrong," the Professor sad and sounded very tensed. "I sense someone…else inside his head…"

Hearing it, the man pulled his adversary up and growled at him. "Who are you?"

Laughing, Scott grinned at him. "Busted, huh? Took you guys quiet sometime," he smirked. "I played my role far better than you…Wolvie…"

"Who the fuck are ya?" Logan barked when the others reached him and were greeted with a smile of Scott.

"Scott, what are you doing?" Hank asked him completely shocked. "We're your friends…your family… What has gotten into you?"

"That's not Scott," Logan growled and pulled the man closer.

"Guys," Jean said to the three X-Men, while her husband cursed because of her disobedience. "I found the mutant in Scott's head. She's strong, but I can free him… But you have to be quick. I think she'll try and take over one of you!"

"Do your best, Jean," Hank replied mentally and he and Kurt prepared themselves for an attack, as Scott let out a painful scream and collapsed in Logan's arms all of a sudden.

This one only saw a woman becoming visible, who gave him a wicked smiled, before she attacked Kurt. "Watch out!" he yelled, but Kurt only let out a gasp when she took over.

"Too slow!" Kurt grinned and sent both, Hank and Logan, with a roundhouse kick to the ground before he disappeared.

"Damn it!" Logan cursed. "Jean, where's he?"

"Oh God…," he heard her reply in his head. "She's taken over Charles…"

"Take him back inside!" he said to Hank and handed the still unconscious Scott over, before he ran as fast as he could back inside. All his senses were working as sharp as possible, alerted to their maximum, screaming at him to be careful. He knew he had to act quickly before things got out of control. Stopping, when a horribly crazy smiling Charles Xavier stood only a few meters away from him, Logan thought this scene had something of a true horror movie. He couldn't be scared so easily, but the way the Professor smiled, which had smoothing of a true maniac, sent shivers down his spine…

"Hello Logan," the man greeted him in his casual gentle, still strange sounding voice.

"Get out of his head!" Logan warned and held his claws a bit higher than usual. He wanted to be prepared for his adversary, no matter what. Deep inside his head he felt some kind of funny touch, barely more than a tickle. "Ya can't get inside my head, Charley. Ya know that…"

"I know," the man replied still smiling. "But into your children's…"

"No!" Logan immediately yelled and came closer. "Leave them alone!"

"Logan, do something!" Jean begged and the way she spoke to him told him that the man had made his threat true. "I can't get into his head… Make him stop!"

Heavily breathing, Logan retracted his claws and glared at the man. "Stop it!"

"It only shows how weak you are," Charles smiled. "You're nothing more than a tamed animal by now. You really disappoint me, Logan…"

Hearing Jean's pleas becoming louder, he still hesitated to do anything. He knew it wasn't the Professor talking to him, but he was also aware of the fact that it was still the man who was sitting in front of him that caused trouble. He couldn't do anything without hurting a friend. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Logan clenched his fist in the right hand. "Sorry, Chuck!" was all he said before he landed a hard punch into his opposite's face, while he extracted his claws briefly afterwards.

It didn't take long before the woman reappeared and glared at him. "You can't win!" she hissed, while he gave her a mocking smirk.

"Wanna bet?" Logan asked and as soon as his eyes figured which foot of her was solid and not transparent like the rest, he buried his claws into it. Hearing the scream, he waited for the desired effect and plunged the other set of claws into her abdomen. Growling, Logan gritted his teeth, while her breathing only came in rasps. "You picked the wrong house, missy!" he hissed and sliced his way to her heart as if she was made of paper, before she only stared at him in deep shock. Retracting his claws again, Logan watched how her dead weight dropped lifelessly to the ground.

Watching the blood covering the ground, he just stood there for a while and stared at the body. He'd never seen this woman before. Her spiky, but thick black hair was a complete contrast to her milky skin and icy blue eyes. She also wore no uniform that could possibly explain where she came from and who'd sent her. But he knew for sure that she was the reason behind all it. She had affected his senses when Scott had began to provoke him and he would bet everything he possessed that it was also her who had made his nemesis act so strangely. Shaking his head with a scornful look on the dead woman, Logan turned towards the Professor, who'd begun to groan. Kneeling down next to the man, he helped him to sit up a bit. "Easy, Chuck," Logan said and quickly checked how much he had injured the man. "You know where ya are?"

"Logan, as much as I appreciate your concern," Charles replied while he let out a hiss after touching his right cheek carefully. "…but I can assure you I fine."

Cocking an eyebrow at him, Logan wasn't so convinced. "Okay,…question. Where do I hide my cigars?"

Giving the mutant a look, Charles couldn't help but smile about it weakly. "Behind the fridge… And I tell you once more that I'd appreciate if you took them upstairs and hid them within your own four walls."

"Already done, Chuck!" Logan smirked and helped the man back into his wheelchair. "Let's let Hank take a look at ya."

"How is Scott?"

"Dunno. The Furball is taking care of him," he shrugged and walked next to Xavier down the corridor towards the elevators. Reaching out to Jean by using their mental link, he made sure that she, his children and the others were fine, before he went down to the infirmary. Reaching it, they saw how Hank was occupied with scanning Scott, while the man was still unconscious.

"How is he?" Charles asked worried and made Hank turn around.

"Unharmed from what I can say," the mutant replied. "Is still don't fully understand it. Who was that mutant?"

"From what I can tell her name was Malice. She's a very powerful mind controller and can switch from one body to the next within seconds, due to her body. She's pure psionic energy," the Professor explained with his hands folded in front of his mouth. "The only question I can't answer is…why him and why now?"

"Apocalypse?" Hank asked and looked to and fro between both men. "As you said…it couldn't have been that easy." Hearing a groan from behind, the man quickly turned around and saw how Scott began to move slowly. "Scott? Do you hear me?" Opening his eyes, Scott blinked before he could realize where he was. Confused, he began to frown and sat up in a rush. "Hey, easy, easy!" Hank warned him and held him back.

"What…why I am here?" Scott asked him and looked around until he saw Logan who had his arms crossed in front of his chest and was watching him closely. "I thought you wanted to go to Canada?"

"What?" Logan asked him. "What are you talking about?"

"Jean… You said the two of you wanted to go to Canada…," Scott said and held his head, getting more and more confused by the looks the others gave him. "What?"

"Scott," Hank began and checked his opposite's eyes once more to make sure that he hadn't had any head injuries. "Logan and Jean went to Canada for two weeks…in June. We have November now."

"What?" the man asked him and leant back a bit. "What are you talking about Hank?"

"Scott, what is the last thing you remember?" Charles asked and came a bit closer.

Lowering his head, Scott looked down and closed his eyes tightly. "Logan and Jean wanted to go to Canada… I said to Hank that this was a bad idea, because of Jean's condition, and then I went outside to think…"

"About what?" Logan demanded to know while he still eyed him suspiciously.

Sighing, Scott ran a hand through his face. "About…Raven," he said after a while. "I walked a bit through the garden and stopped at the wood." He heaved a deep breath when he tried to remember what had happened then, "There was a noise behind me…," he went on and shook his head. "I thought it was your wolf. So I turned around…"

"And?" Logan asked dryly. "What happened then?"

"I woke up here…" Watching how the men in front of him exchanged glances, Scott still thought they were making a joke. He didn't believe that he had missed five months in total. "So what about Jean?"

"Jean's fine," Logan grunted.

"She wasn't well, Logan. She can't be…fine…"

Sighing, the other man turned around to walk towards the door. "She's fine. You have other things to take care of, bub!"

Watching him disappear through the double X-door, Scott's head turned towards Hank and Charles. "What things?" he asked and frowned. "Can someone please explain what happened?"

Crossing his arms, Hank leant against the bed next to him and fixed his eyes to the ground. "You behaved like a complete asshole, Scott," he said bluntly and saw how the man cocked an eyebrow. "You really don't remember anything, do you?"

"No!" Scott replied and looked at the Professor for help.

"You were controlled by a powerful mutant. She controlled your mind, but we don't know to which purpose," Charles said and caused his former student to run a hand through his face and hair.

"What did I do?" he demanded to know after a moment and just stared to the ground.

"You hurt Mystique by saying that she doesn't mean anything to you, you scared Rachel when she showed her first power," Hank began and saw out of the corner of his eyes that Scott's head slowly turned towards him in shock. "You and Logan had a fight and if Logan wasn't in possession of a healing factor, you would have killed him… Did I leave something out?"

"Oh God…," the man next to him only gasped and buried his face in his hand.

"Scott," Charles said and bent forward a bit. "It's not your fault. Malice was too powerful. Even for me. There was nothing you could have done about it."

"Are you feeling alright?" Hank asked him, handing him something to cool his cheek, but Charles nodded. "Logan left a good bruise on your cheek, Charles. Let me check if he caused some damage, will you? Remember that it were adamantium bones that hit you and not normal ones." Moving closer, he began to examine the bruise, while Scott still sat on the bed like a picture of misery.

"How's Raven?" he asked and sounded worried. "Is she alright?"

Slapping his forehead, Hank groaned. "Right, he doesn't know. I totally forgot about it in that chaos…"

"Know what?" the man asked immediately. "Did I hurt her, too?"

"No, not physically," the blue mutant replied while he went on examining Charles's head and eyes.

"Hank, tell me what's wrong with her!"

"I can't! It's something between you and her," Hank replied and heard Scott jumping off the bed.

"What's wrong with her?" Scott demanded to know louder and saw how his friend turned around.

Thinking about whether to tell him or not, he figured that it wouldn't change anything at all. In fact, Mystique had told him, but he only couldn't remember her doing so. "She's expecting…"

Staring at him with a complete blank expression, Scott nearly dropped to the floor when he wanted to sit down again. "You're kidding, right?"

Letting go of the Professor and nodding at him briefly to tell him that everything was fine, Hank turned towards Scott. "No, I'm not… She's at the beginning of the fifth month by now and it took Jean and Logan a lot to convince her of keeping the child." Putting some equipment aside, he sighed. "And by now, I think, she will be happy that she listened to them and not your possessed self…"

"She wanted to get rid of it?" Scott asked him shocked, while his face was completely pale. "Why?"

"Because of you. You said, or better Malice said through you, that it was only a unique thing and she doesn't mean anything to you. She was very hurt…"

Jumping of the bed again, the man headed for the door. "Where's she?"

"Scott, the others don't know about Malice. They still thing you are the enemy," Charles warned him when Scott stopped at the door. "Wait a bit more and let me or Logan explain it to them…" Clenching his fists, Scott swallowed hard before he lowered his head and nodded in defeat. "We now have to worry about what Logan heard you saying. He said you said something about a gene pool and that combining it had to wait till you can get your hands on it." Seeing the blank face on his former students face, Charles folded his hands. "We have to find out who you've talked to before Logan attacked you, Scott."

Shaking his head the man sighed. "Then look for yourself because I can't remember it."

After another meeting in which Charles had told then that he couldn't read Scott's mind at all, Scott had returned to his room. Not having moved at all from his bed, he still just sat there and stared at the floor while his head was supported by his hands. He couldn't believe it. He just refused to accept the things he'd heard. Not only that five complete months had been taken away from him, Malice had also managed that the others had still been skeptical about his sanity first. They had listened carefully to what the Professor had said and, thank God, he'd convinced them that he couldn't be held responsible for the things he'd done and said. Of course he couldn't… He would never hurt his friends that much. And he'd become a father… That news shocked him the most… And he didn't know what to think about it. Partly, he felt lucky like he hadn't in a very long time, but the other part in him was far stronger right now. He was scared. Frightened of what would happen in the future…

Looking up, he heard a knock on his door and turned his head. Who would want something from him now, after he'd asked for a few minutes of privacy? Hearing another knock, Scott finally got up and opened the door, just to let out a gasp of surprise. He'd reckoned with a lot, but not…

"Hey," Jean smiled and looked at him closely.

"Hey…," he replied and met her gaze. Scanning her whole demeanor from head to toe, Scott couldn't help but smile. "He made it again, huh? You look good…"

"Thanks," the redhead gave back smiling before she became serious. "How are you feeling?"

Making an inviting gesture, he stepped aside and let her enter his room before he closed the door. "Fine… Except that I still can't believe it…"

"Me neither," she replied and sat down on his bed. "And no one noticed it…"

"You really thought I could do that?" Scott asked her in disbelief. "Jean, I would never…"

"I know!" Jean cut him off after she'd raised a hand to soothe him. "But that's exactly the point. It was strange for you, but there was no indication that it wasn't you. We also believed that it was Logan back then…"

Snorting, he sat down next to her and shook his head before he ran a hand through his tired face. "Isn't it great? We can't even trust ourselves anymore…"

"Charles is working with Logan on it. They planned a training session tomorrow, while Hank called a friend of him who runs a security business and has specialized in mutant powers."

Chuckling, Scott shook his head. "So we're only safe if Logan can't get in? Jean, it doesn't safe us from here," he said and tapped his temple.

"I know, but Logan is trained for infiltrating maneuvers," she gave back while looking on her hands. "We'll be safe for a while if he can't get on the grounds… Of course it's only temporary and won't work forever… It never does…"

He nodded. An uncomfortable silence filled the room and neither of them said anything, before Scott turned towards her. "You're really fine again?"

Jean nodded with a half smile. "Yeah…"

"So, your marriage is fine again, too?" he asked next. "I mean because of…"

"Logan won't forget about it, Scott," the redhead answered his thought and looked at him directly. "He said he wasn't mad with me but disappointed and… Well after he came back we talked about everything, so…yeah…we're completely fine again."

"Good to hear that," he smiled. "I know he won't forgive me, though…"

"Jean shook her head. "Don't say that! The two of you only need to sit down once and start talking with each other…"

Giving a laugh, he shook his head and smiled sarcastically. "You don't really believe that this would change anything, do you? You know that we were never fond of each other. We're both too stubborn to give in."

"Back then it was because of me, Scott," Jean replied sternly. "You got along well with each other for four years. Don't ask me how, since no one can answer that question, but it worked fine…"

"Not anymore, Jean. Not after that!" Scott said and looked away.

Kneading her hands, Jean let her eyes travel around the room she's shared with him for decades. "What will you do about Mystique?" she finally asked and heard him sigh.

Shrugging, he ran another hand through his face and hair. "I don't know…"

"It's your child, Scott…"

"I know," Scott gave back harsher than he intended to. "It's just… God, I don't know if she ever lets me talk to her again…"

Watching him closely, while her powers picked up the tiniest wave of emotions, Jean reached out to cover his hand with hers. "Do you like her?"

Pulling his hand away, since he didn't want any comfort right now, Scott snorted. "You know that I'd never sleep with…"

"…someone you don't like. Yeah, I know," she cut him off. "But do you like her enough to have this child with her?" Watching him closely for some time, he finally nodded. "Good, come on!" Grabbing his hand, while she ignored his protest, she shoved him out of the room and down the corridor. Stopping at another door, Jean knocked and waited.

"Jean…," Scott hissed panicky and tried to free himself, but she stopped him with her powers. "Damn it, Jean, let me…" His eyes widened when two yellow ones stared at them all of a sudden.

"Hi," Jean smiled at Mystique and used her teke to push Scott forward.

"What do you want?" the woman asked them and crossed her arms.

"I want the tow of you to talk," the redhead explained and pushed her gently back into her room with her powers; ignoring the look of the woman. "Come on, you, too!" she said to him and one look into her green eyes told him better not to argue. Sighing, he stepped into the room while Mystique glared at the redhead. "Good!" this one smiled and closed the door.

Standing opposite each other, both mutants looked everywhere but at the other. While Mystique had her arms still crossed and her eyes fixed at a picture on the wall, Scott watched her through his visor, even if it appeared as if he was staring out of the window. His eyes scanned her body before they paused at her slightly bigger belly. He practically felt how his heart made a jump. But still he also felt scared…

"You want to talk, then talk and stop staring at me," Mystique suddenly said and looked at him directly.

Realizing that she kept her distance on purpose, he remained where he was. "How are you?"

"Why don't you just ask what you want me to ask?" she said in a chilly voice and rolled her eyes.

Sighing, he buried one hand into his pocket and ran the other through his hair. "It wasn't me who said those things…"

"I know," she gave back in the same tone she'd used before.

Looking into her cold and distant eyes, Scott came a bit closer. "I would have never said it."

"Really?!"

"Of course…"

"Hm…," Mystique only made and sounded rather unconvinced.

Not knowing what to say or do, he shook his head. "Is the baby alright?" he asked after a while, whereas Mystique only gave him a brief look.

"Sure…"

"And you?"

Sighing in annoyance, she put her hands to her hip. "If you want to play the loving father, there's the door!"

"I don't want to play it," he gave back in anger. "This is our baby…"

Snorting, she gave him a look and tilted her head a bit. "And I don't want a man who's only interested in the child," Mystique gave back.

"What makes you even think that?" Scott asked her angrily. "Do you think just because you accidentally got pregnant I'd treat you differently?"

Coming closer with her arms crossed, she looked directly into his eyes. "Then what is it you want?" she demanded to know.

Studying the building plans of the mansion, Logan sipped on his coffee from time to time, while he marked spots, of which he thought as a security risk, with his free hand on it. Looking up from time to time to watch Hank, who was occupied with writing down new equipment to deal with the security issue, he noticed of course how his friend looked at a specific woman sometimes. "Jeez, Furball," Logan said and could only shake his head about the mutant. "Ask her out!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Logan…," Hank replied in his best diplomatic voice and checked the list again while he heard the man chuckle.

"Come on! Who goes all moony eyes here, eh?" Logan gave back. "You like her, then ask her out!"

"I only want to make sure that Moira is fine."

"Yeah," Logan mocked and marked another spot on the map. "…every time I lay in bed with my girl, I only want to make sure that she's fine, too…"

Sighing, Hank gave him a look. "It's not always that easy, boy!"

"It is… It's you who makes it hard…," his friend said and put the cup down. "I thought a diplomat was supposed to talk with people…" Hearing a snarl next to him, he sighed. "For how much longer do you want to do this little dance?"

Looking up, while he gave Logan another warning look, Hank looked at him over his glasses. "My boy, it's not always about getting a woman into ones bed…"

"Tells a single someone who has a girl for seven years, eh?" his opposite gave back with a cocked eyebrow. "You're too shy, Furball! You like her, then go and get her before someone else does." Watching how Hank was looking at Moira again, Logan let out a loud frustrated sigh, before he headed off.

"Logan!" Hank hissed warningly, but it was already too late. From afar he watched how Logan leant next to Moira against the table and was talking to her. Seeing how she smiled and laughed, he suddenly felt how his blood began to boil. The look the woman gave the man next to her spoke volumes and Hank knew what kind of effect Logan had on women. He couldn't help but feel jealous even if he knew that Logan would stay faithful to Jean. Narrowing his eyes, when the man returned and was writing something on a small piece of paper, he gave him a glare. "Diplomat or not, I'm going to kill you for this, boy…!" Hank murmured and snarled at Logan when this one handed him the paper with a telephone number on it all of a sudden.

"She always wanted to see Phantom of the Opera. Call that number and tell him I sent you to get the best seats," Logan said and saw the confused look on his opposite's face. "Or do I have to do that for ya, too, huh?"

Shaking his head smiling, Hank put the paper into one of his pockets, while Logan concentrated on the map again. "What about Jubes and Bobby?" he asked him teasingly. "Don't you think they need a little help of armor, too?"

"Nah!" Logan gave back and pointed towards a spot at the pond, but no one was to be seen. "I hear the smackers up to here… And I ain't wearing wings and a bow, Furball!"

Laughing, Hank shook his head. "Thanks, Logan!"

Waving off this one smirked. "Don't mention it!"

A few days later, Jean sat on the edge of the bathtub and looked at a stick in her hands nervously. By now her heart was beating so fast, while her eyes kept on switching towards her wrist watch that she couldn't wait any longer. Looking down again, she suddenly let her hand sink slowly and sighed aloud. Leaving the bathroom and apartment, she headed for the kitchen where everyone was already seated for lunch. Looking up, Logan watched her entering and immediately had to frown. He saw how she gave the others only a half hearted smile before she sat down next to him. "What's wrong?" he asked her worriedly and looked at her from aside, but Jean only waved off and slowly began to eat. Doing the same, Logan still gave her confused looks in between.

After lunch he quickly got up to grab her hand and dragged her towards a corner. "Jeannie, what is it?" he asked again and made her look at him. Just as she was about to answer him, a voice echoed through the room and made both turn around.

"Daddy, come on! We've PE now!" Lilly called and stopped right in front of him.

"Be right there, okay?" he said and gave her a smile. "Why don't you go ahead already? I'll be right there."

Pouting, she tilted her head a bit. "I thought we could go together…"

Touching his arm, Jean nodded. "It's okay. Go!"

Frowning, he gave her a look. "But…"

"We talk later…," she replied and gave him a brief kiss before she turned around to leave.

Grabbing her hand quickly, Logan made her stop and pulled her closer again. "Hey, you don't really believe that I can concentrate while something's wrong with ya, Red," he protested.

"It's nothing, really….," she replied sighing but didn't look at him.

Cocking an eyebrow at his wife, Logan finally bent down to his daughter. "Go ahead, okay?"

"'Kay… But hurry up, will ya?" Lily said and made him chuckle before he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"'Kay!" Hugging her mother briefly, the girl stormed out of the room again to join her brother on the outside, while Logan crossed his arms and turned his attention to Jean again. "And now to you," he said and looked at her worriedly. "What is it?"

Jean swallowed and he could clearly see that she was disappointed. "It didn't work…," she said barely audible and stared on the ground.

Reaching out, Logan pulled a strand out of her face. "What didn't work darlin'?"

"I'm not pregnant…," she replied barely audible.

Seeing how sad she was, he pulled her close and held her for a while before he cupped her face and kissed her gently. "Then we try again…," Logan said calmly and stroked over her cheek.

Nodding, Jean pushed him away a bit. "The kids are waiting for you…"

"You'll be alright?" he asked concerned and gave her a look. "'Cause you look sick, darlin'…"

Nodding once more, the red smiled slightly. Go!" Sighing, since he rather wanted to stay with her, Logan gave her another kiss and left; still feeling uncomfortable by doing so.

After his classes, Logan went upstairs while his children were still playing with their friends in the snow. Surprised, he closed the door behind him, when he saw that Jean was sleeping on the couch. Frowning, he put his bag on the ground and sat down on the table next to the sofa to look at her. Reaching out, he touched her cheek gently just to withdraw it again. He knew he had been right before. Worriedly, since her skin was burning, Logan looked at her when she slowly opened her eyes tiredly. "Hey…," he said softly. "Pretty fucked up, huh?" Bending forward, he stroked over her cheek gently.

"Yeah…," she replied barely audible.

"Told ya so. Why didn't you lay down in bed, darlin'?" he asked.

"I was too tired…," Jean gave back and closed her eyes again since her head was hurting too much.

Getting up, Logan pulled her carefully into his arms and carried her over to the bedroom. "You could have jus said anything mentally, Red," he scolded her and helped her to lay down in bed after he'd pulled the sheets aside just to tuck her in afterwards. "Do ya need anythin'?"

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes again. "Thanks…"

Kissing her softly, Logan got up and walked towards the door. "Be right back." He left the apartment and walked down the stairs; following his nose which led him towards the kitchen. "Hey, Furball," he said and made Hank turn around since he'd taken notice of the urgent undertone of his friend.

"What's wrong?"

"Could you come upstairs for a second?" Logan asked him and watched how his friend put the vegetables he was cutting down. "Jean's pretty sick."

Stopping to prepare the dinner, Hank immediately followed him towards the West Wing again. When they reached the living room again, Logan took the blanket, which still laid in the sofa, with him and entered with Hank close by the bedroom. Looking up when she heard footsteps approaching, Jean met Hank's worried eyes. "Hey, girl!" this one said and sat down on the edge next to her. "What on earth are you doing, huh?"

"Thought it would be nice to be sick…," she gave back.

Shaking his head smiling, he touched her cheek and forehead before he got up again. "Measure her temperature while I get some stuff from the infirmary, okay?"

Logan nodded and put the blanket on the bed before he got a thermometer from the bathroom. "Here," he said and handed it to her while he pulled the sheets away to spread the blanket over her body. Tucking her into it first before he pulled the sheets over her next, he sat down next to her and bent over a bit to stroke her back gently. "Woah, darlin…that's a good start," he said and took the thermometer into his hand to look at it again.

"Why?" Jean asked and pulled her legs closer since she was shivering.

"104 F… That's pretty high, don't ya think?" he said and gave her a worried look again when he his ears told him that Hank was climbing up the stairs. "What did you do to get so sick, huh? Runnin' around in the snow naked? If, then I really have missed somethin'…"

Smiling slightly, she pulled the pillow closer. "I always get sick in the winter… You should know it by now."

"Well, not every winter, darlin'… And never before with such a good start," he gave back and turned his head towards the door.

"Here I am," Hank said and came closer. "So, what does the thermometer say?"

Getting up to give him enough room to work, Logan leant against the wall right next to the bed while Hank began to examine her. "104 F," he told him and could tell that also his friend gave her a worried look.

"That's not so good…," the blue mutant murmured. "Did you already feel sick yesterday?"

"No…," she said and shook her head.

"Your temperature shouldn't be so high so fast… I'd like to draw some blood, okay?" Hank asked her and saw her shrugging. "And we better do a complete check-up again, too…"

"Do whatever you want, Hank!" Jean gave back and looked at her husband, who was still leaning against the wall and gave her worried looks.

"Could you carry her to the lab?" Hank asked and got up. "I'll prepare everything I need."

Nodding, the other man went over to the bed and pulled her carefully up again. "Ain't that a service, darlin'?" he smirked at her when she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder after she nodded.

Reaching the infirmary, he retreated to a corner again. Close enough to comfort her, but far away enough to have a look on everything. Watching how Hank ran some test in the redhead, while she looked tired as ever, he suddenly noticed that the mutant was beckoning him to follow him to the outside. "Be right back!" he said and saw Jean nodding. Following Hank to the outside, he waited for the door to close behind them and crossed his arms. "What is it?" he asked and could tell that the mutant in front of him was very concerned.

"She caught a pretty bad flu. Due to her high fever I have to give her strong meds to prevent it turning into pneumonia," Hank explained and sighed. "And you know what that means…," he added seriously.

Sighing, too, Logan put his hands to his hips and nodded. "Yeah, that I have to find someone who stands in for me until she's fine again and that I have to keep Ray away from her…"

"Actually I meant the embryo, Logan…"

Cocking an eyebrow at his opposite, Logan stared at him for a moment. "She's pregnant?" he asked in disbelief.

"You didn't know? I thought you guys were planning?" Hank asked him in surprise when the man shook his head.

"Yeah, but she made a test before lunch and it said she wasn't…"

"Well, I can assure you that she is…and there lies the risk in her condition," Hank replied and crossed his arms.

"So what can happen?" Logan demanded to know and crossed his arms, too

"You probably know that a pregnancy in its early stadium is risky. And with the meds I have to give her…," the other man explained when Logan cut him off.

"So she can loose it?" he asked straightforward.

Nodding, Hank heaved a deep breath. "Very likely. For her body it's already enough stress to deal with the fever and the virus…"

"Damn…," Logan cursed and growled slightly in anger.

Laying a hand on his friends shoulder, Hank made him look up again. "If you didn't know, she might not know about it, too, because of the test. We could…"

"No! She has to know the truth," Logan immediately said since he knew what Hank was about to say. "I ain't gonna lie to her about it!"

"Okay…"

When they went back inside, Jean had sat up again and gave them a frightened look when she noticed the tensed look on Logan's face. "Is it that bad?" she asked worriedly and felt her heart kicking into high gear. Watching Logan sitting down next to her and taking her hand, she became even more scared.

"You've caught a pretty nasty virus, girl," Hank said and smiling slightly first, but it immediately vanished when he sat down in front of her. "Look, I have to give you strong medicine to prevent that it gets even worse. We only have a problem…"

"What?" the redhead asked scared and looked to and fro between them.

"You're pregnant, darlin'…," Logan said and she turned her head towards him in shock.

"But…," she gasped first before she realized what this meant. "No…"

"I already told him about possible consequences," Hank said when she ran a hand through her face and sighed aloud.

"Then try something else!" Jean demanded and gave him a pleading look.

"Jean, that's impossible! Your fever already is very high, your lungs are affected, too…," he gave back but she shook her head. "You risk pneumonia, girl…"

"No! Try something weaker, Hank, please!"

"Jeannie…," Logan sighed and looked into her pleading eyes while tears gathered in them. He felt how she grabbed his hands firmly.

"No! Honey, I swear stay in bed and do whatever he wants me to do as long as he tries something weaker," she said and began to cry in despair. "Please not now when it worked…"

Looking at her for a while, Logan turned to Hank for help while Jean clung to him and he rocked her slowly back and forth. Right know he didn't know what to think or feel. He was torn between understanding for her and Hank.

"Okay, we try," Hank suddenly said and it was obvious that he didn't like the idea. "But if your fever doesn't go down within the next two days, Jean, I'll give you stronger medicine!"

Nodding in agreement, she wiped her tears away and wrapped her arms around Logan's neck again when this one pulled her up to carry her back.

A bit later, Logan knocked on Xavier's door and waited for him to tell him to enter. Doing so, he was surprised to see some X-Men gathered in the room and closed the door behind him.

"Logan, good to see you," Charles said and pointed to a chair in front of him. "Moira has received important news from England and we need to act fast."

Running a hand through his hair, the man sighed. "Why?"

"Some of my students have told me that the weird activity in England goes back to a man who calls himself Mr. Sinister," the woman explained and frowned a bit since she could tell that something was wrong with her friend.

"Nathaniel Essex is a strong telepath and self-called scientist," Charles added and folded his hands. "As far as we know he is still in England, but Mystique told us that she knows where his US lab is. I think it was him who sent Malice and it might be possible, too, that he worked for Apocalypse. It can't be a simple coincidence that we hear of him now…"

"What makes you so sure that it isn't Magneto?" Scott asked him and leant back in his chair while Logan still stood in the middle of the room; which was very unusual for him, since he always preferred a wall to his back while he had a good overview over the whole room.

"No, Eric never hides what he does," Charles said. "He would want us to know that it was him."

"And Eric would never work together with Sinister," Mystique added as she gave Scott a look. "He hates Sinister since he experiments with mutants."

"Look, as much as I would like to listen further, but I only want to tell ya that I can't work for the next week. So someone has to stand in for me," Logan cut them off and ignored the strange looks the others gave him.

"Is something wrong?" Ororo asked worriedly.

"Jean's pretty sick and needs me. So is it okay if I take some days off?"

"Of course," the Professor nodded. "How bad is it?"

About to reply, the door opened and Hank came in. "There you are," he said to Logan and walked over to him. "Here. I wrote down how often and how many she has to take."

Taking the bottles into his hands, Logan gave them a brief look before he looked at Hank. "What are the odds?" he asked him and saw the man shaking his head.

"Not good if you ask me," Hank said. "But you never know…"

Logan gave him a nod. "Thanks."

"And call me immediately if it gets worse, okay? Especially if she's in pain," the blue mutant warned him and waited for another nod before he turned to leave again.

Looking at the pills for a while, while he completely forgot about his surroundings, Logan turned around, too. "Excuse me," was all he said before he left.

"Okay, I think it's serious," Ororo said. "Or there's something else which bothers him…"

"So, how do we proceed?" Scott asked.

"Mystique will give us the address of the laboratory and I would like you and Kurt to go there and see if you can find any hints or information on what their plan is," Charles said and Scott nodded. "But be careful!"

"Don't worry, we will!" Scott gave back. "Give us the address now and we head off. The sooner the better."

Nodding, Mystique took a paper and pen into her hand and wrote it down before she handed it towards Scott. "Be careful…"

Smiling at her, he held her hand for a while. "We'll be back soon, don't worry!" He got up and left the room when Ororo turned to the blue woman in surprise.

"Got something to tell me?" she asked smiling, but Mystique only shook her head before a smile appeared on her lips…

Okay, that's it for today. Sorry that it took so long to upload again, but I had hardly time to type. : ( Thanks for all the nice reviews: ) You guys are really great. : )

Number 200 can wish for something again, so please review and tell me what you like or don't like! See ya!!!