Changes Sequel I Darkness

by Dark Phoenix Rising

Chapter 30! After their children were obviously kidnapped by Sabretooth, the XMen try to find out where their enemy is hiding. Soon, they reach a facility and know that their future depends on their success. But things turn out completely wrong...

27. Chapter 27

Author's note: This chapter will finally have the leaps in time I wanted to include in the previous chapters. So this chapter here has a span from January to May.

And again: Includes some of the content of Wolverine Origin and Origins and Endings!!!

Oh and I'm sorry that the focus here is mostly on Logan and Jean!!!

Thanks to sammy-girl for helping me out! The sentence "Logan sighed deeply and let go of her …" in one fight scene is from her!

Changes Sequel – I. Darkness Part 27

Jean laid on the bed heavily breathing and covered with sweat. With her eyes closed she could still feel the rapid beating of her heart against the mattress, while she also felt his racing heartbeat against her back. His warm hands were twitching briefly, but still held her hip in a firm grip close to his, whereas his head still rested on her neck. The scratches she'd left on his upper body and back were slowly healing, nevertheless, she could still feel his anger being radiated from him. The sheets around them were a complete mess and lay mostly torn on the ground next to pillows and that what was left over of their clothes. Jean shivered slightly when her heated skin began to cool down and opened her eyes. "Feeling better?" she asked him without being able to turn around under his weight. Never before in her life had she experienced something so pure primal and animalistic. She couldn't even tell when their fight had made this drastic turn and how they'd ended in that position. But she knew that her animal had responded to his in every way possible and had enjoyed it.

Opening his eyes when he heard her voice, Logan glided out of her and rolled over so that he now laid on his back next to her. Moving, the redhead turned towards him and supported her head with her left arm. Looking at him waiting, she only received a cold and short glare of him. "You're a stupid cow, ya know that?" he grunted and looked away.

"Why? Because I helped you working off your rage?" she gave back and watched him sitting up while he gave her a snort.

"I could have killed ya!" he hissed. "Do ya even know how far you've pushed me, Jean?"

She sat up, too, and pulled the damp strands out of her face. "Yeah, I do."

Only shaking his head, Logan threw the last remain of the sheet to the ground angrily. "You're not aware of the danger you've been in, do ya?"

She nodded. "I've seen your eyes… I know that you were about to kill me."

"Oh, good! At least one thing you get," he spat and got up with a last angry look at her to walk towards the wardrobe; followed by her.

"Do you get it, too?" she asked provocatively and crossed her arms. He took new clothes out of it while he still glared at her. Logan could only shake his head about her stubbornness and intended to walk past her when she blocked his way. "Am I yelling at you? Am I packing my things to leave or tell you to do so and never come back?" Jean asked and gave him a look when he rolled his eyes sighing just to give her a look afterwards that told her to get out of his way and that now. "God, Logan! Are you even listening?" she asked a bit louder.

"Yeah, I am," he replied cynically. "Never knew my wife was a sadist…"

Jean gave a derisive short laugh. "Look who's talking…"

He crossed his arms and growled. "I wasn't the one who bit that hard, was I?"

"Don't start crying now," she hissed and her eyes glowed fiery for a brief moment. "You don't want to understand it, right? I don't care about that side in you just as you don't care about mine!"

Logan bent forward a bit and narrowed his eyes. "Oh, so you actually liked it?" he said through gritted teeth when she bent forward, too, to face him.

"Well I wasn't screaming because I was in pain, was I?"

Glaring at each other for a while he suddenly shook his head and broke eye contact. "Can I go and shower now?" he finally asked more calmly and made her shrug.

"Can I join you?"

"As long as my sadist-wife ain't gonna shower with freezing cold or burning hot water…," he wobbled his head and made her smile slightly.

Jean bit her lip and gave him a lascivious grin. "Maybe a cold shower can finally convince you?" she asked when she touched his chest and ran her fingers down softly, looking up at him.

Sighing, he looked down. "I do believe ya…"

"But?"

"I don't like to be like…this. I hate this side of me…," he said truthfully and made her touch his cheek gently.

"I didn't want to tell you that you should behave like this, Logan," Jean said. "All I wanted was to show you that I don't mind it."

"You risked your neck with that mean trick of yours, you know that?" he asked her and she shrugged playfully.

"That's what lovers do…"

Hearing that from her made him chuckle and he pulled her close to place a tender kiss on her lips. "Never knew my wife was crazy…," Logan commented her plan, since he knew that she intentionally annoyed him to make him freak out before.

"I thought a sadist?" Jean gave back and he nodded.

"Yeah, that, too…"

Only shrugging she gave him a smirk. "You didn't complain…" Growling again, he pulled her into another kiss. "I thought you wanted to shower?"

"Hmm…," he only made and let go of her so that she could get new clothes for herself out of the wardrobe, too. While he waited for her Logan watched her smirking. "And one more thin', darlin'," he said and made her frown when she stopped in front of him.

"What?"

"Playin' the innocent shy woman really won't do anymore!"

Giggling, Jean dragged him to the bathroom and closed the door. "Just wanted to make sure that my four times older than me hubby can still keep up with me and isn't getting on a bit," she purred and heard him giving a short laugh before he grabbed her waist.

"Keep up with ya, eh?" he asked and cocked an eyebrow at her, before he pushed her against the wall. Slowly he took her clothes out of her hands and dropped hers and his on the ground, when she suddenly arched up since her back touched the cold wall. Logan only grinned wolfishly. "So…," he said huskily and smirked. "You think I'm an old shaky grandpa who can't keep up with an evil little kitten, huh?"

"Evil kitten?" Jean asked him playfully outraged.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Evil, sadistic kitten that has bitten craters in my neck, tore my skin open and was probably herd by anyone in the mansion who ain't completely deaf!"

"I wasn't that loud, Logan!" she said, but he only chuckled.

"That's what you believe, darlin'! My ears are still roaring…"

She slapped him playfully against the chest, nevertheless were her cheeks blushed. "That's not true!"

Logan only grinned when he pulled her up and began to kiss her, while Jean wrapped her arms around his neck and crossed her legs behind his back. "Rowdy!" he grunted between their kisses and received another slap.

"Mummy!" she replied and made him growl playfully before he bit into her neck softly and pushed his groin against hers. Gasping, she broke their kiss and ran her hands through his tousled hair. "No shower then?" Jean asked since he was still caressing her neck, but he only growled and carried her over to it…

---

Ororo looked up and put her cup of coffee aside when the redhead entered the kitchen. "Everything okay?" she asked worriedly and made her best friend from.

"Yeah… Why?" Jean asked in return and got a bottle of juice out of the fridge.

"Well, I heard the two of you yelling at each other." Jean immediately froze and her jaw dropped. Even without looking into a mirror she could tell that her cheeks were just turning into a scarlet red and that her heart kicked into high gear. Ororo noticed it and cocked a suspicious eyebrow at her. "So, everything's alright between the two of you?"

"Yeah…," her opposite nodded quickly.

"Good, because it appeared to me as if you were biting your heads off."

Turning the bottle in her hand nervously, Jean gave her a look. "Ehm, what else did you hear, 'Ro?"

The weather goddess frowned and put her cup down once more. "What else?" she asked and Jean nodded. "Why? Did you tear your rooms apart?"

"So, only the yelling?"

"Yeah, anything else I should have heard?"

Quickly shaking her head, Jean sat down on a stool. "No, no…," she waved off and made her best friend smile widely.

"Oh, I see," Ororo said knowingly and swallowed a giggle.

"What?" the redhead asked her and cocked an eyebrow.

"So the I'm so sorry-part followed directly afterwards, huh?"

While her eyes were fixed on the cool bottle, Jean began to turn it around. "Well…"

"Come on, Jean! As if the two of you were ever mad with each other for longer than 10 minutes," Ororo giggled. "Everything's fine again, right?"

Still blushed, her opposite nodded without looking at her. "Yeah."

When she sipped on her coffee and looked out of the window for a while, the weather goddess finally turned her attention back to her friend. She could tell that something was bothering her. "Wanna talk about the fight? What was it about?" she asked and heard her sighing.

"Logan was just… Well, let's say not really happy with what he read in that file. And happy is a big understatement!"

"As I thought," Ororo nodded. "He wouldn't have disappeared for two days if it was for nothing… Do you know why he left?"

"Yeah," Jean said and sipped on her bottle. "The file documented pretty well what he did back then."

Hearing the dry and weird undertone, her opposite nodded in understanding and looked on her hands. "Not so nice things, huh?"

"Not so nice is again an understatement, 'Ro!" the redhead replied and met her gaze. "It's horrible what they made him do."

"I see. So he lapsed back into his 'animal" thinking?" Ororo asked and sounded a bit worried since she knew how serious that topic was for him. When she saw how Jean nodded again, she sighed. "I hope you showed him that he's not an animal."

"I hope so…," Jean shrugged. "Well, you know how he feels about it. So we ended up fighting."

Giving a short snort, Ororo gave her a look. "A pretty bad fight if you ask me. At least from what I've heard!" she said and the redhead nodded. "What else does the file say? I mean about him? What's his real name? When was he born? Where does he come from?" she asked and made her friend look up, but this one shook her head.

"Ask him ab…," Jean began when Logan suddenly entered and made his way directly to the fridge to get a coke out of it. She watched him closely when he walked back to the entrance without even looking at them once and she knew that he had heard it.

"Tell her! I don't care," he grunted and left; leaving Ororo to give her best friend an impressed nod.

"Wow…his mood is really bad, huh?" she asked and her opposite nodded worriedly, while she asked Logan through their link if he really was alright. "So, when was he born?" she heard her opposite asking and startled a bit as if she'd been awoken from a daydream.

"December 2nd 1897," Jean replied and waited curiously for her opposite's reaction to the news.

Shaking her head, Ororo put the cup down. "Sorry, I just thought you said 1897…," she said and had trouble to understand that Jean was nodding. "1897?" she asked shrieking and nearly dropped off her stool. "But that would mean he's…"

"118," the redhead answered her question and watched how her opposite's jaw dropped first before her eyes widened in shock.

"You're kidding, right? Logan is never that old! He still looks like thirty-something," Ororo gave back and had a knowing smile on her lips. "Come on, Jean! How old is he?"

"He really is 118 'Ro! I'm not making fun right now. Remember when he first arrived here and I assumed that he's probably older than the Professor?"

"Jeez, but 118…that's amazing…," the weather goddess gasped and stared at something only she could see in that moment for a while, before she turned towards her friend again; still not totally able to forget about the shock. "But he is Canadian, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Jean nodded. "Alberta, Canada."

"Siblings?" Ororo asked next.

"A brother, John. But he died the year Logan was born," the redhead replied and stared at her bottle. She would have loved to know if his brother had the same powers and what he looked like…

"Damn…," her friend suddenly cursed. "But can Logan remember anything at all, now? I mean really remembering it?"

"No, at least he hadn't told me."

Ororo ran a frustrated hand through her hair. "Jeez… What's worse? Reading about it without any memories or really remembering it and seeing the pictures of those memories?" she asked but was talking more to herself than Jean. "Can you even imagine how hard it will become for him if he really gets his memories back one day? God,…I really feel sorry for him!"

The redhead only nodded since she'd also thought about it before. "I still wanted to talk to Charles about something," she said and got up to walk towards the door, when Ororo held her back.

"Jean? What's his real name?" she asked her friend and waited curiously for the news.

Thinking about it for a while, Jean finally gave in. "Only if you promise not to tell anybody or even call him like that!" she demanded and her friend nodded.

"Of course!" Ororo assured her.

"James Howlett," the redhead answered her question and left the kitchen to talk with Charles about the dream that bothered her still.

She told the Professor every detail about it and how it bothered her. While she spoke Charles sat opposite her, both elbows rested on the armrests of his wheelchair while his hands were folded in front of his mouth, and was listening carefully. When she'd ended her description of her dream and what she thought about it, he remained silent for a few minutes. "Logan and you share a very strong mental link… But I've never heard about anything similar to your dream, Jean…,"he said, still deeply in thoughts. "Maybe you only assimilated your worst fears?"

"Worst fears?" she asked and furrowed her brows since she'd never seen it from that perspective.

"I picked up your mental condition lately Jean. You had a few days of complete happiness, before Logan read the file, so it's possible that you thought about your worst fears subconsciously while you were asleep. The mind is unpredictable, Jean. It often goes its own ways." Charles explained and waited for her reaction.

But Jean only shook her head. "But I dreamed about…"

"Losing your family and friends due to an attack of our enemies without being able to help them?" he said and looked at her closely. "Losing Logan or seeing him suffering? Your love for him is so strong that his wellbeing is more than important to you…"

Jean thought about his perspective. Part of it, as she had to admit, sounded right. The most horrible thing that could ever happen to her was to lose her family and friends. But nevertheless, there was one thing that made Charles' theory somehow wrong. "But the date… What about that date?" she therefore asked him and watched how he leant forward a bit with a serious look on his face.

"Jean,…I know you want to have another baby… And after losing two within one year only that wish might have strengthened. Even if you do not mention that strong wish of yours, it's still there…subconscious in your mind. And that one deals with it, even if you do not notice it…," he explained and could tell that her mind began to work even more. "Jean, I know…"

"No…," she cut him off and shook her head. "Charles, my senses tell me that it was real…"

"I know. Sometimes dreams can be so real that you can feel it. Ask Logan! He knows best how real dreams can become," he said and she looked down on her hands. "I understand that it bothers you, Jean. But as I said, I've never herd about anything like that before. The only possible way to explain this would be if someone was close by to control your mind or if something similar to Cerebro was used." He waited for her to nod before he leant back in his wheelchair again. "How is Logan? I sensed that he was very angry a few hours ago."

"I don't know," Jean replied and shrugged. "After we had a fight he was fine again, but a few minutes ago…. The things he read bother him a lot…" She had to frown when she noticed the odd look on her opposite's face. Somehow it told her that he knew more than he told her. Or better that he was somehow worried, deeply concerned about something. "Charles, what…?" she began when he waved off and gave her one of his soothing smiles.

"It's nothing," he said. "I just picked up something…"

Jean nodded, knowing that he was lying and got up to leave the office again. On the outside she directly ran into her children, who had obviously been looking for her. "Mommy!" Jack called and made her turn around. "We've been looking for you!"

"Why?" she asked and kneeled down a bit. "Is something wrong?"

"Can we sleep at Aunt 'Ro's place?" Lily asked her pleadingly.

"Isa is staying there, too, and daddy said we should ask you," Ray added and watched how her mother got up again.

"All of you in one room?" she asked frowning and her children nodded. Of course she couldn't overlook the looks they gave her. Sighing, Jean reached out to her best friend to make sure that she and Kurt were really fine with it. Or better: Knew about it, since it wouldn't be the first time that parents would look for their child. She remembered too well how TJ had slept at their place and Ororo had knocked on their door at night, looking for her daughter. "'Ro? Do you know about the kids sleeping at your place?" she asked her mentally and heard how her friend giggled in her mind.

"Yeah, as a special exception I do," Ororo replied. "Just send them over around 8 p.m."

"Can we go?" Jack asked impatiently and looked at her closely.

"Yes, but behave, okay?" Jean warned them. "You know that Aunt 'Ro is expecting a baby and stress or agitation isn't good for her. I don't want to hear any complaints, okay?"

"'Kay!" Lily nodded and hugged her. "Thanks, mommy!"

"We're on the outside with Miloh," Jack added and they ran off together; leaving her mother behind them who could only shake her head smiling.

---

It was late at night in February, when Jean suddenly woke up sensing that something was wrong. She was shivering and felt cold, so she reached out her hand only to notice that she was alone. Worriedly, her hand searched the light switched and as soon as the room was illuminated a bit, her eyes began to search the room, but there was nothing to be seen. "Logan?" she called and waited for a reply, but there was none. Worriedly, she got up, not caring about her silky bathrobe and that she still shivered, and made her way to the living room. Her eyes took notice of the closed windows and door that led to the balcony. When her head switched to the other side, she saw that the light was switched on in the bathroom. Not thinking twice, the redhead opened the door and gasped immediately, since Logan was kneeling in front of the toilet heavily breathing and shaking. Quickly, she kneeled down next to him. "God, what's wrong?" Jean asked frightened and stroked over his sweaty forehead just to realize that he was obviously burning up with fever. "Honey, what's wrong with you?" she asked again and felt how her heart beat in every inch of her body.

Logan still panted heavily while his eyes were closed tightly. Shaking, he leant his head on his arms that rested on the toilet and heaved some deep breaths. "My head…," he managed to say barely audible and Jean leant forward a bit to see if he was hurt.

"What's wrong with your head?" she asked and stroked over it again.

"Too many pictures…"

Frowning, she reached out to check his pulse, which was completely out of control. "Does it hurt?"

"Like hell…," Logan grunted and tried to get his functions under control again, while Jean became even more concerned. She knew it had to be something serious if his healing factor wasn't fighting back. Theoretically it was completely impossible for him to become sick.

"I'll get help, okay?" she asked and laid a hand on his sweaty shoulder when she concentrated hard to reach out for the Professor and Hank; telling them to come to the West Wing immediately. She startled when he suddenly bent forward to throw up again and grabbed a cloth. After she poured cold water over it, Jean pressed it against the back of his neck. "How long are you already sitting here?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Dunno…"

While she checked his pulse again and waited for the Professor or Hank to arrive, the redhead stroked with her free hand over his back soothingly. "What do you see?" she asked. "What kind of pictures?"

"Everything…," he mumbled when the front door was suddenly opened. Hearing it, Jean quickly got up to meet the two men, who looked rather alarmed at her.

"What's wrong, Jean?" Hank, who wore a black bathrobe, asked her worriedly since he saw the frightened look in her eyes.

"Something's wrong with him. He's throwing up and feverish," she quickly explained when they came closer.

"Jack?" the blue mutant asked but she shook her head.

"No, Logan…"

"Logan's sick? That's impossible," Hank said and quickly went over to the bathroom while Charles remained next to the stirred up redhead.

"What happened?" he asked and took her hand into his.

"I don't know," she shook her head. "I woke up and he was gone, so I went looking for him and found him there."

"Did he tell you what was wrong with him?"

Jean nodded. "He said his head hurt like hell and that he saw pictures. When I asked him what, he said everything…," she replied and was shaking even heavier than before. Suddenly, she noticed how the man next to her became even more serious and she remembered that he had given her the same look in his office before.

"I knew this would happen…," Charles said more to himself and let go of her hand to clench his.

"What?" Jean asked and looked at him.

"By reading the file, his mind was confronted with his past again. Practically directly pushed into it. And now everything obviously returns to him at once and his mind can't deal with it…," he explained and watched how she covered her mouth and looked at the bathroom door. "That's the reason why I hesitated to give him the file or read his mind in the past. Especially a fragile one like his. I knew that this could happen as a worst case scenario…"

"What now? Can you help him?" Jean demanded to know and saw him shaking his head.

"I can only try to help him to bring an order into his memory…"

"But?" she asked since she could tell that this wasn't everything that bothered him so much.

"Jean, if it's true that his healing factor also heals damage to his mind due to traumatic experiences…," Charles began, remembering what he'd read in the file. "This one here is such a moment and it is possible that his ability heals his mind by blocking his memories again. That could mean not only his returning ones, but also you and your children. Everything up to now…" Looking at him in shock, Jean could only shake her head in denial. "No…," she gasped when he took her hand into his quickly.

"I am sorry, but I can't stop his powers from doing this… I can only help him to calm down and try to support him by bringing his memories into an order." He looked up when Hank finally reappeared with a more than concerned look on his usually so gentle face.

"You should hurry with it, Charles," he suggested and stopped in front of them. "The process is very painful for him and he already doesn't even react if you're talking with him."

Nodding, the Professor moved towards the bedroom. "Can you lift him up and carry him to the bed?"

"I'll try," Hank nodded and went back into the bathroom, while Charles noticed the fear in Jean's eyes. The only thing he could do right now was to squeeze her hand encouragingly.

---

After an exhausting session with the Professor, Logan was sleeping on his belly while Jean sat on the edge of the bed and held his hand. With the other she kept on cooling his still feverish forehead with a cloth; afraid of what would happen when he woke up. She prayed that he hadn't lost his complete memory again. She had read in the file that Weapon X had also taken notice of the side effects of his ability. Every time they had sent him off onto missions and let him do their horrible work he couldn't remember any of it afterwards. Sighing, she cooled the cloth once more and put it back onto his head while her eyes remained on him. For her it was the most horrible scenario that could happen, if he really woke up and couldn't remember his family. What if he would leave? Reaching out, she stroked over his hair gently and bent down when his mouth suddenly twitched a bit. Hopefully, Jean watched how he slowly opened his eyes. "Hey…," she said and waited for any reaction of him. But the only thing he did was to look at her oddly and it scared her to death. "Please don't tell me you can't remember who I am…," she said barely audible and he closed his eyes again before he pulled the pillow closer. "Why would I forget ya, darlin'?" he asked barely audible and looked at her again, when she let out a sigh of relief.

Not completely convinced about it, she put the cloth back into the bowl with water and turned to him again. "How many children do we have and what are their names?" she asked and made him groan in frustration since he only wanted to rest.

"Jean…," Logan pleaded but she shook her head.

"Answer it!"

"Four… Jack, Lily, Ray'n Jake…"

"How old are they?" Jean asked next and looked into his eyes when he opened them again. "Don't give me that look, Logan! I need to know that you're really alright…"

Turning, he buried his face even more into the pillow tiredly. "Turning 5 and 7 this year… Jake would've turned one," he mumbled sighing. "You also wanna know your bra size and my length?"

Jean couldn't help but shake her head smiling. "I'm sorry, it's just… Charles said that it was possible because of your healing factor…," she explained calmly and reached out to put a hand on his cheek; noticing that he was still feverish. "Do you need something?" she asked worriedly and watched how he took her hand into his and nodded when he closed his eyes.

"You…"

Smiling, she cooled the cloth once more and put it back on his forehead before she got up. "Be right back," she said and disappeared briefly, just to reappear with a glass of water and a bucket. "Since aspirin is useless…," Jean said and put the glass next to him on the bedside table. "The bucket is right next to you, okay?"

"Thanks," Logan mumbled sleepily and heaved a deep breath when she cooled the cloth again. Afterwards, Jean switched off the light and moved over to cuddle up to him. "Wake me this time if something's wrong, okay?" she said.

"Yeah…," he replied and felt how she rested her head on his back a bit before she stroked over it soothingly.

"Try to sleep." Gently she placed a kiss on his neck and took his hand.

"Hm…," Logan made and suddenly let out a hiss; making her sat up again immediately.

"Do you see pictures again?" Jean asked and touched his shaking shoulder.

"Yeah…," he replied through clenched teeth while his eyes were closed tightly. It didn't take long and he could practical feel how his stomach began to turn once more.

"Let me try to make it stop!" he heard Jean saying, but shook his head and pulled her hand away.

"No!" Logan grunted and moved away from her a bit. "I don't want ya to see this…"

Sighing, the redhead ran a hand through her face, not believing that he could still be so stubborn when he was in pain. "But you need to…" she began when he cut her off with another No! of him. "You can't scare me away, Logan," she tried another tactic even if she knew that his answer would remain the same. "You need to rest and if I can help you…"

"No…," Logan grunted once more and made her sigh in defeat.

"Fine… Then try to sleep," Jean said and cuddled up to him again.

---

He'd been awoken by loud voices and had left his bed sleepily to see what was going on. He'd asked his father as soon as he'd opened the door if something was wrong while he'd rubbed his tired eyes, just to widen them in shock in the next second, when a terrible loud shot echoed through the mansion and blood left the back of his father's head to splatter the floor in a rush. He hadn't seen the gardener with his shotgun or his son, who stood next to him or the redhead and his mother. He'd only eyes for his now dead father and ran with a horrified scream, towards him…

FLASH

A small village. Not from this century. In front of him a tall blonde man with a wicked grin on his lips. Blood ran down his own nose and mouth, but he didn't care and leapt at his adversary, who didn't came to bring him back to his dying grandfather, but to seek revenge for murdering his father. Then a terrific scream behind him after he'd taken a swing with his fist and his eyes widened in horror when he realized that he'd stabbed the redhead…

FLASH

A snowy wood, not far from another village, much later. He came back home from a hunt and approached his cabin. Then his nose caught the smell of blood. Her blood. Instantly he dropped the hind he'd been able to catch and began to run. His heart was racing when he opened the door quickly and his eyes widened. Blood was splattered on the walls and ground; centering her dead and torn body, while her dead eyes stared at the ceiling and a silent scream left her open mouth…

FLASH

Back at the mansion. The gardener was dead, his son bleeding and holding his face with both hands. He didn't know what was wrong or what happened. All he realized was that something was wrong with his hands. He reached out for his mother, begged her to help him, but she slapped his hands away with a disgusted and terrified look on her face. She called him a monster, but he couldn't tell why. All he wanted from her was to embrace him, to tell him that he was safe and it was all a dream. But then she hit him, grabbed everything she could reach and began to throw things at him; yelling that he wasn't her son anymore, that she wanted him to leave. So he ran…

FLASH

Jasmine Falls. Itsu telling him that she was carrying his child. The happiness and peace he felt. The traditional fight against the men of the village, an explosion; then his claws extracted in instinct and he wounded a man, Itsu looking away, ashamed of him… The night he'd spent at the waterfall, afraid to go home to her and see the disappointment in him. The realization that he wasn't human, but an animal and the decision he'd made to leave and come back when he was worthy of her and raising his child. Then the blood he'd smelled, her blood. He ran towards his house and opened the door in a rush, finding the carpet soaked with blood and her dead body on the ground…

FLASH

Too many pictures again… He fought as a soldier in a war against Nazi Germany, rescued a boy the enemy was scared of out of Auschwitz and brought him to a place where he was safe. He remembered the name boy telling him his name was Eric… Then he fought in Vietnam, already under the control of the men who made him their toy. He did was they told him, he couldn't fight back; killed people no matter how old, tortured the enemy until he got the information he wanted and was feared by the enemy and comrades in return. Then he opened his eyes and noticed that he couldn't move, that he only saw a green liquid around him. He tried to breathe, but couldn't. The liquid instantly flooded his lungs and choked him. He screamed in fear, desperately tried to get free when everything turned black again…

Sitting up in a rush, Logan realized that he was lying on the floor. The calmer his heart beat usually, the more it was racing now; made it nearly impossible for him to breathe. His clothes were soaked with sweat, which still ran down his heated face. And he was shaking. Not because the room appeared to him as freezing cold, but because of the pictures that kept on appearing in front of his eyes. The things he'd lived through, the things people had done to him, the things he'd done… Everything was just too much. For the first time ever he felt helpless and couldn't deal with something. Quivering in fear, he raised his head a bit and looked at the door; being out of it and on the balcony in an instant, where he remained and sat on the ground, his legs pulled close while his head rested on his arms. Just sitting there like this, Logan didn't care that it began to rain. While his eyes were closed tightly he still tried to control the rapid sequence of pictures in his head. He only looked up when something wet nudged his hand gently. "Still here?" Logan asked Miloh and gave the animal a brief look when it laid down next to him. Resting his head on his arms again when he thought once more that his skull was torn apart, he clenched his hands into fists firmly. "Go away!" Logan hissed through gritted teeth and held his breath when the pain became unbearable.

"Why are you sitting here in the rain?" Jean shrieked, completely ignoring his demand, and touched his shoulder. She startled a bit when he backed away as if he'd been hit by lightning. "Logan…"

"I said go away…," he repeated and gritted his teeth once more. "Please…"

Barely seeing in the dark how he looked away, the redhead still noticed that he was quivering. Swallowing hard with tears in her eyes, since she was once more worried like hell, Jean felt how the strong pressure in her chest began to spread. "I can help you…," she said barely audible in despair. "Please, Logan, let me help you…"

"No," he grunted and his voice broke when another horrible scene appeared in front of his eyes. "Please, just leave me alone…," Logan begged her once more and ran his hands through his hair while his head was lowered.

It was then that she realized it… Not thinking twice about any consequence for her, she kneeled down in front of him; not caring that she was shivering because of the cold wind or that her clothes were soaked by the rain. "Look at me…," she demanded and reached out to touch his cheek when he backed off once more. "Logan, please…" Noticing that he was about to get up, she held him back with her powers and pinned him to the ground. "No, you'll stay here now!" Jean hissed and ignored his low growl. "Look at me…"

"Leave.me.alone!" he said through gritted teeth and tried to break through her force, but let out a painful groan in the next second. Making use of her chance that he was distracted for a moment, the redhead cupped his face and forced him to look at her. What she saw made her heart stop. It was the third time after Alcatraz and Jake that she saw him crying openly in pain. There was so much hate against others but mostly against himself, pain and despair in his eyes that she had to swallow hard. "Satisfied?" he hissed and turned his head away from her.

"Let me help you," Jean begged and touched his arm gently when he shook his head again.

"I don't want you to see it…"

"And I don't want to see you suffering so much," she gave back in anger and began to cry. "Please, Logan…," the redhead begged and laid her hands on his shoulders while she kneeled between his legs. "I said you can't scare me away. I don't care what I'll see, but I'm worried about you. Please, let me help you…" Seeing how he fought with himself, she waited for a reaction, but when there was none she just leant forward and wrapped her arms around him. "Please…" She heard him taking a deep breath, but nothing followed afterwards until there was a weak nod in the end. "Come," Jean said and offered him a hand. She led him back inside, followed by Miloh and told him to change into dry clothes while she got two towels from the bathroom. After she, too, wore new clothes, she gave him a sign to lay down; still feeling that he hesitated and fought with himself. "Close your eyes," she said calmly and waited for him to do so. "And now relax…"

---

When he opened his eyes again, he shut them groaning again. Bright sunbeams illuminated the room and made him suddenly frown. Carefully he touched his forehead and paused for a moment, realizing that he was able to think straight for the first time in weeks. There weren't any rapid sequences in front of his eyes, no skull breaking headaches at all… Logan looked up when the door was opened and Jean entered. "You're finally awake," she commented and sat down on the edge next to him to examine his eyes and head.

"Why finally?" he asked confused and noticed that his mouth felt awfully dry.

"You slept for a whole week now, Logan. You needed more rest than you thought," she told him and handed him a bottle of water that stood on the ground next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly good," he grunted and sipped on the water when he recalled what she had done. Shame and embarrassment came back to him instantly and he avoided her eyes. Jean noticed it of course and was about to say something when he cut her off. "What day is today?"

"February 17th," she told him and watched how he ran a hand through his face.

"I missed Ray's birthday…," he groaned and laid back down. "Fuck…"

"Don't worry about her. She understood that you've been sick and needed to rest," the redhead soothed him and touched his hand, but he withdrew his. "Logan…"

"I'm sorry," he murmured and looked away.

"For what?" Jean asked and shook her head. "I told you that I won't judge you."

"Really?" Logan asked cynically. "You can't tell me that you just don't care about what I've done…"

"Right!" she nodded again. "What you've done years ago, Logan. You're not that man anymore and you know that perfectly well. They used you! From what I've seen I can't even believe what you've been through in your life…" Turning his head at her in surprise, but still skeptical, he saw the tears in her eyes. Hearing how she let out a sob Logan reached out to pull her down. Resting on his chest for a moment, she sat up a bit and ran a hand through her face. "I don't know how long it will last, but you should be fine for the next days," the redhead told him and he nodded.

"Thanks, darlin'," Logan replied and squeezed her hand. "I'm…," he began when she put a finger on his lips.

"No," Jean shook her head. "There's no need for you to be sorry, Logan. What I saw didn't change the way I think and feel about you and never will. Don't worry about that." Seeing how he nodded with a week smile, she patted the bed briefly. "And now, come on. You need to eat something and your kids missed you. Oh, and Mystique wants to see you."

"Why?" he asked and got out of bed slowly; letting his sore muscles getting used to the now unfamiliar movements. He frowned and cocked an eyebrow at her when she smiled.

"Her baby was born the night I read your mind. Hank had knocked on the door after I finally managed to put you to sleep," she told him.

"I'd bet the Boyscout fainted," Logan grunted and got fresh clothes out of the wardrobe.

"How do you know?" Jean smiled and heard him chuckling. "I don't know why she wanted to see you, but I told her that you will come to her as soon as you can. I'll go and make you something to eat while you shower," she said and turned around when he grabbed and kissed her.

"I love you," he said barely audible and pulled her close. "I don't deserve you…," he added thinking.

Kissing him, se stroked his cheeks briefly. "Stop thinking like that!" she gave back and headed for the door. "And take your time with showering. I'd bet you eat a lot after one week, so I need some time." Smiling, he could only shake his head about that woman and entered the bathroom.

---

After a very bog breakfast, Logan was on his way to the room Mystique shared with Scott and knocked on the door. He waited for her to tell him to come in and opened the door, just to find her sitting on the bed with the newborn baby in her arms. "Hey… You wanted to see me?" he asked smiling and closed the door before he came closer.

"Yes," Mystique said and sat up a bit, giving him a sign to sit down on the bed.

Logan eyed the baby curiously. He couldn't tell if the dark hair would remain black or would turn into a dark brown later, but from the way it looked now the boy had inherited mostly his mother's look. "Where's the daddy, huh? Did he faint again?" he asked and saw that Mystique held back a giggle.

"He wanted to talk to Charles… Would you finally sit down?" she asked again and nodded once more to the space next to her.

Doing so, he still eyed the baby and memorized its scent. "Already got a name?" Logan asked and switched his gaze to the woman again.

"That's why I wanted to see you," she replied and he cocked an eyebrow at her. "I wanted to ask you two things…"

Nodding, Logan leant back a bit and crossed his arms. He could tell that the questions would either surprise or annoy him. "Shoot!"

While her still pale finger caressed the cheeks of her baby, Mystique remained silent for a while. "I wanted to name him after you…," she finally said and watched how his arms dropped slowly. She had trouble to hold back a giggle when she noticed the look he gave her.

"After me?" Logan asked her surprised and his mind began to race. He had no idea why she would probably do something like that. Even his children didn't carry his name…

"Well, he wouldn't exist without your help," she said and smiled when the boy yawned and opened his blue eyes a bit. A blue, as she could tell, would become lighter a bit when he got older.

"Did you do anything to me while I was asleep nine months ago?" he asked her suspiciously, but she could tell that he was joking.

"No, what I meant was… If you hadn't talked me into helping against the Brotherhood back then, I would have never stayed. And the baby wouldn't exist."

"I see," Logan nodded and crossed his arms again. "So, it's my fault, eh?"

Smiling, Mystique nodded. "Yeah. So, do you mind?" she asked hopefully and noticed the smirk when a special thought crossed his mind.

"Does the Boyscout know?"

"No, but I don't care. He picked the name Alex," she said and made a face. "After his brother…"

Chuckling, Logan gave her a smirk. "And you're not fond of it, huh?" he asked and looked at the baby again.

"How can you tell?" Mystique said and gave him a look which spoke volumes.

"Just a guess!" he replied and smiled when the boy took hold of his finger. "Feel free to use it, but I wanna see the Boyscout's reaction to it!" The woman nodded smiling. "What's the second question?"

"Would you agree on being the Godfather, too?" she asked and received a cocked eyebrow of him.

"Why does everyone want me to be the Godfather lately?" he asked her since Ororo had asked him the same a few days ago, but Mystique only shrugged.

"Maybe because we know that, if something happens to us, you can still take care of our children?" she explained and gave him a pleading look. "Scott wanted to ask Jean, but I want you to be it…or both of you before he starts bellyaching again."

Chuckling, Logan wobbled his head and withdrew his finger. "As long as you guys don't plan on dying on us all at once…," he replied and made her smile happily.

"Thanks!" the woman said and suddenly began to move. "Would you hold him? I need to use the bathroom."

Doing so, he heard her closing the door and looked down on the boy when this one opened his eyes. "Just one thing, bub! Don't even think about dating my daughters!" Logan grunted when another door went open and Scott entered.

"What are you doing here?" the man immediately asked and his tone told instantly that he wasn't pleased to see his nemesis in his rooms.

"What does it look like?" Logan gave back with a look on his own and watched him coming closer when Raven returned. With an evil smirk, he turned towards her. "Please, can I tell him?" Logan asked her with an even more devilish grin and made her frown, since she couldn't tell what he was up to or why telling Scott about her decision was suddenly making him so happy.

"Sure…," Mystique shrugged and sat down on the bed again while she pulled her silky white bathrobe closer. "It's you who wanted to see his reaction."

Furrowing his brows, Scott crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked to and fro between them. "What reaction?" he demanded to know and saw Logan shrugging nonchalantly.

"You ain't his father, bub!"

"What?" Scott asked and let his arms sink.

"Sorry for not telling ya earlier! But I didn't want to hurt ya feelings," Logan added and saw how Mystique hid a grin when Scott's cheeks suddenly became red.

"What?" he asked again and stared at the woman in confusion.

"He's only kidding!" she quickly waved off. "I asked him to be the Godfather."

Letting out a snort when Logan handed the baby back to her, he crossed his arms again. "Now you're kidding, right?"

"Nope!" Logan said and met Mystique's gaze. "Is my name gonna be the first or second?" he said and smirked at his nemesis when this one's face turned red and he heard him letting out a laugh.

"Your name?" Scott spat and turned pale next when the woman nodded.

"Yes. I wanted to name our baby after Logan," she explained as if it was the most normal thing to do.

With a smirk on his lips Logan walked towards the door and patted Scott's shoulder; trying hard not to start laughing since the man was like frozen on the spot and stared with a dropped jaw at Mystique.

---

It was late at night when Logan sat in the kitchen and a sleep drunken Scott came in with his son on his arm. Both men only exchanged a brief glare, while Logan smirked in amusement and enjoyed seeing his nemesis being so shattered. The other man just began to prepare a bottle for the baby when this one began to cry aloud. Scott couldn't help but sigh in frustration. "Please not again," he muttered and desperately tried to calm the child, only to notice that it was getting worse. "Come on, don't do this to me…," he pleaded and turned around, seeing out of the corner of his eye that Logan was smirking. "What?" Scott asked him angrily and made his opposite shrug.

"It won't work that way…," Logan only said and sipped on his beer.

"Oh really?" the other man hissed cynically and let out a snort. If he couldn't need something than it was his nemesis lecturing him about babies.

"Yeah," Logan went on. "The kid feels your stress, bub. It won't stop until you do."

Snorting once more, Scott let out a groan next when his son cried even louder. Still smirking, Logan got off his chair and held out his hands. Looking at him, the other man hesitated first, but finally reached the crying baby over before he sat down on a stool and ran a hand through his tired face. Scott closed his eyes for a moment and suddenly frowned. "How did you do that?" he asked him when he noticed that his son was sucking peacefully on the bottle.

"Told ya so…," Logan grunted and watched the boy in his arms with a smirk. If he had the chance to watch the Boyscout like this every night from now on, he would gladly wake up at night and sit in the cold kitchen. There was nothing better to him than watching people he wasn't so fond off desperately trying to achieve something…

Seeing it, Scott could only shake his head. "How did you manage to take care of two children at once all alone back then?" he asked him tiredly. "I sleep approximately two hours each night and it's only one baby…"

"Mine didn't cry that much," Logan replied and heard his opposite snorting.

"You're one lucky bastard!" Scott muttered. "How's your planning doing? You still want to have a fourth one, don't you?" he asked and saw how Logan only shrugged. "You can't tell me that you guys aren't trying it!"

"You're only hoping that I'll look as fucked up as you do, bub," Logan grunted and made Scott smirk.

"How can you tell?" he asked and noticed that the baby was deeply asleep in his opposite's arms. "Ts…I don't believe that!"

Logan's head turned towards the door when Jean suddenly appeared in a tight black top and black pants. "Hey," she said sleepily and ran a hand through her long hair. "There you are…"

"Be right there," he said and handed the baby back to Scott. "Had to teach One-Eye here a lesson."

"I can see that," she nodded and watched both men suspiciously.

"And stop stressing him!" Logan warned Scott once more before he turned towards his wife.

"I'll keep that in mind," the other man replied and looked down on his baby.

Jean smiled at the child briefly before she hugged her husband's bare chest. "Had a nightmare again? I told you to stay in bed…"

"I'm fine, Jean…," he grunted and put a hand around her waist while she gave him a look.

"Yeah, sure!" she mocked. "Night, Scott!"

"Night," the man replied and watched them leaving. "And thanks!"

"Don't mention it," Logan grunted before he received a slap against his chest. "What was that for?" he growled and glared at her.

"You drank beer?" the redhead asked him and nodded towards the bottle on the counter.

"Don't baby me Jean!" he groaned and quickly placed a kiss on her mouth before she could go on with her sermon.

"You'll go back to bed now and stay there, mister!" she warned him while she dragged him towards their rooms. When Jean heard him sighing and knew that he was about to protest again, she gave him a warning glare. "Logan…"

"Yes, ma'am," Logan finally gave in and made his way back to bed.

---

After she'd woken up at night and had roamed through the apartment and had even went down to the kitchen to drink a tea in hope it would calm her someone, Jean was now laying in bed again, but still completely awake. Too many things were floating around in her head… Logan's current condition, his past, but especially the dream. The dream she had was still scaring her to death since her senses kept on telling her that it was real. Nevertheless, she didn't know how to deal with it…

"What's wrong?" she heard him asking sleepily and could slap herself for being so stupid. Finally, he had a more or less calm sleep and she'd managed to wake him from it.

"Nothing. Go on sleeping," Jean tried to calm him when he pulled her closer.

"You wander around for hours now and it's nothing?" he asked her sleep drunken. "What is that dream you're thinking about?"

Surprised she turned in the darkness. "I was sending?"

"Yeah… So what is it about?" he mumbled into her neck and nuzzled her with his nose.

"Remember when I woke you up a few weeks ago?" she asked and played with the sheets lost in thought; feeling him nodding his head behind her. "Well, I…," she began and told him word for word and scene for scene what her dream was about, noticing that he remained awfully still for the whole time.

"It was a dream, Jean…," Logan mumbled into her neck. "Why is it bothering you? Dreams can only be real if you really experienced what happened…"

"I know, but still," Jean muttered and sighed. "Maybe you're right."

"Yeah, I am," he yawned and heaved a deep breath before he rested his head on her shoulder. "And now sleep, will ya?" Nodding, she cuddled up to him and closed her eyes, not knowing that they would end up fighting about it a few days later.

By then they sat together in the kitchen with the others for dinner after Logan had once more experienced a rough and sleepless night. Still, she'd been unable to sleep again, too. "Logan…about that dream again," she began calmly and heard him sigh.

"It was a dream, Jean…," he gave back with a look. "It wasn't real."

"I still think it was… It seemed too real for me…," she defended herself and saw how he leant back to cross his arms; completely ignoring the confused looks of the others.

"Real, eh?" he mocked. "So let me think… An older fucked up me travels back in time to warn you about a son we don't have and visits you in a dream…" Nodding playfully he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, seems very real to me!"

Feeling how her blood began to boil even if she knew that he was just tired and exhausted, Jean narrowed her eyes. "This isn't funny, Logan!"

"Am I making fun outta it, Jean? Dammit it was a fucking dream! My nightmares are real cause I lived through it, but, come on!" he shot back a bit louder than he wanted. "Are you recently crazy to believe such a shit?" Glaring at him, Jean slammed her fork onto the counter and got off her stool. "Are you pregnant?" he asked her and made her turn around with a frown.

"What?"

"Jeez, am I talking Chinese?" Logan said. "Are.you.pregnant?"

"I'm not dumb, Logan!" she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Then answer my question…"

"No, so what? I thought your senses were so…heightened!" she mocked and heard him growling in anger.

"If you're not dumb then your brain would tell ya that August can't work anymore, right? Except it would be premature again…," he grunted and ignored the brief glowing of her eyes.

"You're an arrogant bastard!" Jean nearly yelled at him when he got up to get a beer out of the fridge.

"Thanks, darlin', ya can kiss my ass, too!" Logan shot back and only heard a cup shattering to pieces right next to his head. Slamming the door of the fridge shut growling while her teeth were gritted and her eyes were now glowing completely, he raised a warning finger at her. "Do that again, girl, and something else shatters, here!" Hearing how she let out a derisive snort and left, he began to clench his fists in anger.

"No, Logan, not the…," Ororo began shrieking when his claws had already stabbed the door. "…fridge…"

"Fourth fridge in two years… Congrats!" Scott mocked and shook his head.

"Is everything all right between the two of you?" Hank asked his friend concerned. "Or do we have to worry?"

"Haven't slept," Logan grunted and shook his head before he grabbed his beer and left, too.

"Second big fight this year…," Ororo muttered and sipped on her soda. "I call that something."

"Well, you know them," Jubilee shrugged and killed the already dead chicken on her plate with her fork. "First fight, then good-night…"

"How true!" Kitty added.

Upstairs, Logan saw Jean standing at the window in their bedroom. Catching the salty scent, he didn't have to look to tell that she was crying in anger. "Jean…," he sighed and put his beer aside before he came slowly closer.

"You're a bastard!" she sniffed and looked away.

"Come on," he said and ran a hand through his hair. "We both haven't slept at all at night… We're too heated up to talk normally…"

"We would be able to talk normally if you weren't such an asshole," Jean nearly barked at him when she cut him of and turned around. "I talked normally with you before you had to become aggressive! And thanks for doing that in front of all others!"

"You threw the cup at me," he shot back through gritted teeth.

"And why?" she cried aloud. "Because you sounded as if it was my fault that we lost Jake!"

"What?" he asked her and shook his head. "I never said that!"

"You did!" Jean said accusingly and pointed a finger at him, just to walk past him when he grabbed her arm. "Let go off me!"

"Jean, I never said that!" Logan growled and narrowed his eyes.

"That's what you think!" she shot back in a hiss and her eyes began to glow. "And now take your fingers off me!" Pulling her arms roughly away, she walked down to the first floor again and walked past the kitchen towards the elevator, when he grabbed her again. "Damn it!"

"You're gonna listen to me now," he said through gritted teeth.

Hearing it inside the kitchen, Scott gave Jubilee a look. "Good night, huh?" he mocked and she shrugged when Hank and Ororo quickly got up to intervene if necessary.

"Hey," the weather goddess said when she found her two friends in the middle of the corridor with looks that could kill. "Come one, calm down! Do you want your children to hear you?" she asked and crossed her arms as good as she could over her belly. "What's gotten into you?"

"Ask him," Jean hissed with tears in her eyes.

Seeing it and knowing that he started the whole mess, Logan sighed deeply and let go of her arm. He turned his back to her, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, if you got the impression that I blamed you. I never did, Jeannie. You have to believe me." Being surprised about his sudden softness, she raised her head briefly. "I'm just damn tired…"

"Well, it's your own fault when I tell you to stay in bed and you never listen," Jean muttered and made him smirk.

"Right…," he nodded.

"God, just grab each other and start smooching!" Jubilee called out of the kitchen. Nudging Ororo gently, Hank beckoned her to follow him back into the kitchen and to leave the couple alone.

"So, forgiven?" Logan asked her after a while. "If you want to slap me additionally, go ahead!" Shaking her head, she still had her eyes fixed on the ground and her arms crossed. Seeing that she didn't move an inch, he slowly came closer and wrapped his arms around her slim form. "I'm sorry, Jeannie. Really…"

"I'm serious about it, Logan," Jean replied and looked up while he wiped her tears away. "It means something. It wasn't just a dream…"

"Let's stop it, okay?" he asked and she nodded. "I'll go to bed…"

"Already? It's not even 7:30 p.m.," she asked worried and saw how he ran both hands through his face.

"Yeah. I need to sleep," Logan replied and gave her a tender kiss. "And I'm really sorry. I'd never accuse you of losing our kid, darlin'…"

"I was just angry," she said guiltily and managed a weak smile. "Then go to bed, I'll be right there…" Nodding, he placed another kiss on her lips before he turned around to walk back upstairs; leaving her lost in thoughts in the middle of the corridor.

---

While Logan was finally able to talk Jean into letting him teach all of his classes again after two months of recovering, he was outside and watched over the children on the basketball court, while she sat together with Scott, Hank and a nine months pregnant Ororo in Charles office to discuss the teaching plans for the upcoming school year. Especially since Ororo wouldn't teach all her classes for at least a year after the baby was born. Sitting in front of Charles, who told them how he'd planned the classes, they went on discussing it for nearly two hours by now. Finally finding common ground Jean took Logan's new schedule, too, before she got up to went upstairs again. As soon as she stood everything around her went black briefly and she collapsed. "Jean!" Scott shrieked and caught her quickly as she supported herself against him. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked her worriedly and helped her back into the chair when Hank immediately checked her pulse.

"I don't know… I think I got up too fast," she said and ran a hand through her face; noticing that the others gave her worried looks.

"Hank, please bring her down to the infirmary and make sure that everything's fine with her!" the Professor demanded and Hank nodded, but the redhead waved off.

"I'm fine…really! It's nothing," she assured them and let go of Scott's arms when Ororo laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You sure?" the weather goddess asked her concerned and received a nod.

"Yes, I'm fine." Smiling briefly at her, Jean got up again and walked towards the door slowly; being closely watched by the others.

Scott saw that she suddenly reached out to grab the doorframe and leapt forward. "Jean!" he yelled, but was too late to catch her fall this time. "Jean?" he asked and shook her a bit. "Come on, wake up!"

"Pull her up!" Hank demanded and headed towards the next elevator; holding the door open for him.

"I go and get Logan," Ororo said to the Professor, who also moved towards the elevator with a concerned look on his face.

On the sunny outside, Logan was watching his next PE class playing and leant with crossed arms against the fencing when his nose caught a familiar scent and his ears heard someone approaching. "Logan!" Ororo called from afar and made him turn around with a cocked eyebrow. He could tell instantly that something was wrong by the tone she'd used to call his name. He let his arms slowly sink and watched her coming closer as fast as her condition allowed.

"What's wrong?" he asked and laid a hand on her shoulder when she stopped and bent forward a bit to catch her breath. "'Ro, what's wrong?"

Still out of breath the woman looked up at him. "Jean…she collapsed," she managed to say and laid a hand on her chest; causing the children to stop playing instantly and watching their teachers.

"What?" Logan asked and stared at her with an indefinable look in his eyes, while he began to walk backwards at the same time. "Where's she?"

"In the in infirmary," she told him and watched how he ran back to the mansion. Heaving another deep breath and ignoring her racing heart for a moment, she turned to the children who still stared at her in confusion. "Class dismissed! Pack your things together and bring them back, okay?" Ororo said and waited for them to nod.

In the meanwhile, Logan had reached the basement and stormed into the infirmary. "Where's she?" he asked and made everyone look up before he stopped next a bed panting. His eyes quickly took notice of Moira, who sat in front of a screen with a more than obvious frown on her forehead, while Xavier sat next to Jean, who laid still unconscious and unusually pale on the bed. Walking over to her side, Logan briefly growled at Scott when he noticed that he was holding his wife's hand. Giving him a glare, the man stepped aside quickly and watched how Logan bent down worriedly to touch her cheeks. "Jeannie?" he asked softly and turned to Charles. "What happened?"

"She collapsed twice upstairs. The first time she was still conscious, but then she just dropped to the floor," the man explained clearly worried.

"And what's wrong with her? She was fine the last time I've seen her!"

Turning his eyes from the monitors to his friend, Hank crossed his arms, still standing behind Moira. "Did she eat enough at breakfast?"

Shrugging, Logan met his gaze. "Dunno. We didn't eat together 'cause I overslept and her classes began later…" His gaze immediately turned to the woman on the bed again who uttered a soft groan. "Jeannie?" he asked and caressed her cheek gently as she slowly opened her eyes a bit. "Hey…"

"Hey…," she replied barely audible and tried to adjust her eyes to the unfamiliar bright light in the room.

"How are you feeling?" the Professor asked her worriedly and bent forward a bit to have a better look at her.

"As if a truck hit me…," she replied and made her husband chuckle slightly.

"I'm scarcely gone and you screw up, girl," Logan said and smiled down at her.

"Sorry," she said and closed her eyes briefly. "What happened?"

"You collapsed again," Scott told her when Moira got up to check her pulse again. "Did you eat and drink enough at breakfast?" she demanded to know and looked at the woman closely.

"Actually…I hadn't time to eat…," the redhead replied guiltily and watched how the woman next to her cocked an angry eyebrow.

"Are you crazy? In your condition?" she asked aloud and also Hank shook his head.

"Girl, no wonder that you collapsed. You can be glad that you didn't break your wrist," he said.

Looking at them in confusion Jean could only shrug. "Well, it's not the first time that I did that…," she replied and thought about how often she'd overslept and hadn't eaten anything at all until it was time for lunch. And she could remember seeing Moira doing the same not so long ago.

"But not in your condition!" Moira scolded her again and saw how Logan raised a hand while he furrowed his brows.

"What condition, damn it?" he demanded to know and saw out of the corner of his eyes that Scott crossed his arms and nodded.

"Good question!" the man said and heard how Moira let out a frustrated groan, before she went over and pushed a button to activate the printer, which was working as a special exception and didn't make her wanting to kill the stubborn thing again.

In the meanwhile, Logan lifted his wife up a bit and sat down behind her so that she could rest against his chest. "If you want to kill me, do that again!" he grunted when his heart was finally beating normal again after the shock.

"I'm sorry…," Jean mumbled and took his hand while he caressed her side with his free hand. "But I woke up late, too, and there was no time to eat anymore. I wanted to eat something after my biology class but then we had the meeting."

"Don't do that again, got that?" he said warningly and kissed her neck softly as she leant her head against his.

"I'm sorry!"

Chuckling, he pulled her closer. "Go on like that and my hair's grayish soon, girl!"

Sighing, Scott could only shake his head about them whereas Charles and Hank watched them smiling. Hearing how Moira grabbed something and walked over to them with the same angry look on her face, the couple on the bed looked up. "THAT condition!" the woman said and handed Jean the paper. Taking it into her hands and turning it around the redhead's eyes widened in shock, while also Logan cocked a confused eyebrow. Both turned their heads towards each other and exchanged a blank look in surprise. Noticing it, Moira put her hands to her hips. "You didn't know that?" she asked with a high pitched voice in shock and gasped before she let out a short laugh, just to look at the others in disbelief. "They didn't know it!" she said again and shook her head.

"Know what?" Scott asked and looked to and fro between the still shocked couple and the outraged woman in the white coat.

"I thought you guys were planning?" Moira asked the two mutants on the bed angrily and would have bet that Jean had just moved closer to her husband.

"Well, that one wasn't planned…," Logan grunted and took the picture out of Jean's hand just to shake his head.

"Jean!" Moira shook her head and came closer. "How can you not have noticed this? It's already at least the beginning of the fifth months…," she asked in disbelief before she gave the men next to the redhead an angry glare. "Or better…how could you have not noticed it? I thought you can smell it?"

"Well…," Logan swallowed and leant back a bit since he'd never seen the woman being so angry. Or even thought that she could become that furious. "I noticed that she was slightly bigger, but…"

"And that doesn't make you suspicious? I don't believe it!"

Glaring at her, he cocked an eyebrow. "If I'd told her Darlin', is it just me or did you gain weight? What do you think would she have done, eh? Definitely not a test!"

Leaning against the wall with a smirk on his lips, Scott cleared his throat. "Well, do I have to tell you what can happen if you shot with live ammunition?" Hearing a growl, he raised his arms in defense.

"Give me a gun and I show ya," Logan shot back with a glare.

"Guys, stop it!" Hank intervened and stepped between the two of them.

"It's not the right time for this," Charles added with a warning look.

Shaking her head, Jean still looked at the picture with a complete blank mind. "I don't believe this…," she gasped barely audible and didn't know if she should laugh or cry.

"What?" Logan asked and turned to her again as she looked up.

"The whole time through we have tried…and now…"

Shrugging, he put an arm around her again. "Call it we suck in planning, darlin'!" he replied when she suddenly frowned.

"5 months ago…," she mumbled and her eyes widened all of a sudden. "Oh my God…"

"What?" he asked her again in confusion; not knowing what had hit her now.

"Don't you remember?" Jean asked him in shock.

"Remember what?"

"This wasn't us!" she said and pointed at the picture. "Logan, 5 months ago we had a fight about your past and nearly killed each other…"

Hearing it, the others exchanged a look and switched their eyes towards the couple. "Killed each other? What are you guys doing in your bedroom, huh?" Hank asked when he noticed Charles serious look.

"Jean, what did you mean with it wasn't us?"

Having completely forgotten that she and Logan weren't alone, Jean's cheeks blushed slightly. "Well…let's say we lost control…," she replied and looked away feeling embarrassed.

"Hold on a second!" Scott said and came closer again. "Does that mean we had your negatives on day release and no one knew?"

"Something like that," the redhead said and heard him giving a laugh, while Hank nodded.

"Okay, now I get the killing part…," the blue mutant muttered.

"Darlin'…it's not that we haven't done it afterwards again…," Logan said mentally and gave her a look. "Or do I have to mention Christmas and New Year?" he added when she blushed even more.

"That means you turned into Wolverine and Dark Phoenix?" Charles demanded to know and saw them nodding. "That's remarkable…"

"What?" Scott asked him. "That the mansion is still standing?"

"No one noticed it, Jean. There were no sign of your alter ego at all. I haven't even sensed her…," the Professor went on, ignoring his former student's remark. "It only shows how much you're obviously in control of her."

"so, at least one thing our negatives are good for, huh?" Logan teased and smirked at her before he reached out to touch her cheek. "And now stop making such a sad face and be happy girl! You finally have what you've wanted!"

"I know… But I still can't believe it," she said when he groaned.

"Smile!"

"Is everything fine?" the redhead asked Moira and Hank worriedly.

"From what I can tell, yes," the woman said.

"But you have to eat! Make your husband cook for you again," Hank added and winked at her with a smile, just to hear Logan suddenly groaning aloud.

"No…," that one cursed and ran a hand through his face.

"What?" Jean asked him concerned when he gave her a look.

"That means I have to do the housekeeping again, huh?" he asked her sulking and watched how she turned around a bit to wrap her arms around his neck; kissing him tenderly and nodding with a smile on her lips.

"And my classes, and the cooking, and getting up for me at night…and…," she listed when he growled.

"Darlin'…shut up!"

"But Jean…," Moira intervened and shook her head. "…it still doesn't explain the problem that you or Logan didn't notice it. Was there really no morning sickness, tiredness or dizziness? Or…weird cravings?" she asked when Logan snorted.

"She always eats weird stuff…"

Giving him a look first, she swift her attention to Moira again. "No…"

Turning to Hank, who also had a frown in his face, the woman sighed. "That's strange…"

"Well, it wouldn't be if…the child already had a healing factor," he said but she shook her head.

"The twins had a healing factor back then and still she was in a coma for nearly five weeks."

"But what if the healing factor affected her system, too?" Charles asked them thinking out loud. "If it protects and affects her?"

"What do you wanna do?" Logan asked him with a grunt. "Stab her with a knife?" Only hearing how his claws suddenly extracted on their own, he let out a howl. "Are you out of your mind?" he nearly yelled at the redhead when she held up her bleeding, but healed finger.

After they came over the shock, Hank drew some blood and left to analyze it when Moira checked Jean's pulse once more. "And now I want you to go upstairs and have a proper meal!" she said warningly. "Do you still feel dizzy?" she asked.

Sitting up a bit just to sink slowly down onto the bed again, the redhead nodded. "Yeah…"

"Come on," Logan said and lifted her carefully up into his arms.

"If you're still not feeling better after you ate something, I need to know about it!" the other woman warned her and waited for Jean to now before she allowed them to leave. Resting her head against her husband's shoulder, Jean didn't see the thoughtful look Charles gave them.

Upstairs, Logan pulled the sheets aside and laid her down, walking to the drawer afterwards. "You change into something more comfortable and I go and cook something," he grunted and turned around with one of her sweatpants and shirt in his hand. "And then I want you to sleep!"

"No, I want your shirt," she pouted and gave him a pleading look, which made him smirk.

"Already?" he asked and put hers away to get one of his out of the drawer. Handing the clothes over to her he crossed his arms. "What do you wanna eat?"

"Surprise me!"

"Kay," he said and left while Jean changed her clothes and laid down again. She rested her head on her right arm, while the other laid on her belly lost in thoughts and without a smile on her lips.

In the kitchen Logan leant against the counter and watched the pot attentively when Hank entered. "We were right!" he said and stopped next to his friend, who coked an eyebrow at him.

"With what?"

"The fetus has an active healing factor. I found traces of your power in Jean's blood, too. That explains why she was feeling well the whole time through," Hank explained and watched how Logan stirred the spaghetti in the pot.

"Does she have to eat as much as I do to keep the system working properly?"

Shrugging, he leant against the fridge. "You could test it by giving her more to eat than she usually does. You should know the best how much Jean eats, so of she eats more…it will answer your question." Logan nodded. "But the good news is that you don't have to worry about her or the baby. I don't know why also she's affected by the healing factor, but it means that she should be fine until the baby is born."

"Which is?" Logan asked and turned the stove off.

"Mid September is everything really goes well," Hank replied and saw the smirk on his friend's lips, but didn't thought about it further.

"Good to hear that," the other man said and put the Spaghetti Bolognese onto a plate first and the plate on a tray next with a bottle of water.

"Make sure that she gets enough rest for today. And you heard Moira! If Jean still feels dizzy later, let us know!"

"Yeah," Logan nodded. "Thanks, Furball!"

"Don't mention it, my friend!" Hank smiled and watched him leave.

Upstairs, Logan entered the bedroom and closed the door behind him. Sitting down on the edge if the bed, he waited for her to sit up a bit before he placed the tray on her lap. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Jean smiled and slowly began to eat; not noticing that he was watching her closely.

"You're thinking about the dream again, ain't ya?" he asked her after a while and made her look up in surprise.

"How can you tell?" she asked when he pointed a finger at her forehead.

"That one practically screams thinking, darlin'!"

Feeling caught, Jean blushed a bit and looked away. "Right… Okay, yes, I am thinking about it…," she admitted and heard him sigh.

"It was a dream, Jeannie. Maybe your body only wanted to tell ya, hey, Mrs. Grey, just in case ya haven't noticed but you've to eat for two," Logan said, but she shook her head.

"I wasn't pregnant then, Logan."

Seeing that her cheeks turned darker, he had to frown and touched her chin to make her look up. "How do you wanna know?"

"I made a test after New Year and asked Moira for a scan, too," she admitted and met his gaze guiltily since she had done this secretly.

"And? The Furball said mid September. You said somethin'bout August." He shrugged. "And they confirmed the healing factor, so nothin' can happen this time… Except you plan on jumping off the Empire State Building. She smiled slightly. "You think way too much, darlin'!"

"My sense tell me something else, Logan," Jean gave back.

"Well, mine don't tell me anything. I can't sense the cub at all…," he said and placed a hand under her shirt. "Do you feel anything?" he asked but she shook her head and looked onto her belly when a thought crossed her mind.

"You wouldn't have said anything, would you?" Jean suddenly asked and he coked any eyebrow at her while he stroked her belly gently.

"About what?"

"That I was, as you called it, slightly bigger?" she asked.

"No, why should I?" he asked in return.

"So, you wouldn't care if I weighted more?" Jean challenged him and crossed her arms when he smirked.

"I'm not Cyke, Jeannie. I don't need a woman who looks good next to me," he said back and earned a skeptical look from him. "I don't love you for the way you look…, which is of course breathtaking…," he quickly added the latter.

"But?"

"For your soul," Logan replied calmly. "Hell, you know that!"

"But it's good to hear it," she giggled and heard him growl playfully. "When do you want us to tell the children about the baby?" she asked after a while and he shrugged.

"Whenever you want, Jeannie." He put the tray down and the bottle onto the bedside table. "And now drink something and sleep!" Getting up, he turned towards the windows to close the curtains.

"By the way…," Jean smirked devilishly and opened the bottle when he looked at her with a suspicious glow in his eyes.

"What?"

"I wanted to do the laundry and clean the bathroom today… Oh, and it's my turn to cook dinner…," she listed with an amused undertone in her voice and giggled when he groaned in frustration.

"You really hate me, don't ya?" Logan complained.

"I can do the first two things tomorrow, Logan!" she soothed him, but he shook his head.

"Forget it! The only things you'll do in the next weeks are eat, drink and sleep. And you'll work only as long as Moira and Hank tells ya, got that?" he said. "I said I'll do your work, so I'll do it and play desperate house-husband for ya again."

Watching him with an indefinable look, Jean crossed her arms. "Someone's becoming a bit too overprotective again, don't you think?" she asked with a warning undertone.

Ignoring it, Logan pointed towards the wardrobe. "So, what needs to be washed?"

---

While Jean was asleep upstairs, Logan had finished cleaning the bathroom before he had put the dirty clothes into the washing machine and was now standing next to Ororo, who sat on a stool and was cutting vegetables. "So she already makes you work again, huh?" the woman smile and put the cut potatoes into a bowl. "Or is the mighty Wolverine doing it voluntarily?"

"Be surprised or not, 'Ro, but it's the latter," h replied and went on preparing the meat.

"Oh, wow," she teased him giggling. "One lucky woman, huh? Maybe I should have engaged you, too, to do my work. Damn that I'm realizing it too late!"

"Next time, 'Ro," he replied with a smirk. "But I ain't cheap!"

"Why? Do you clean the bathroom naked? I'd bet some girls would love to see that," she laughed. "You could make a lot of money, Logan. Think about it!"

Making an impressed face playfully he reached out for the pepper. "Now that you're mentioning it, 'Ro… Maybe I should really start building up a business." He smirked when she had to giggle again. "So, already got a name for the kid?"

She nodded. "Tommy."

"Sure it's gonna be a boy?" Logan teased her.

Ororo gave a laugh. "Don't get your hopes up too much! You're finally not the only one with a son, Logan."

He chuckled. "It's me who'll laugh if it's a girl, 'Ro! Count on it!"

"We'll see," she gave back and he took the filled bowl with potatoes to give them into a pot on the stove. "Is Jean feeling better?"

"She's sleeping but at least she didn't feel dizzy anymore."

"Good." Ororo nodded and turned around a bit to watch him, while her hand rested on her belly. "She scared me to death when she just collapsed… What else can I do to help you?"

"Nothin'. Just lean back and rest, darlin'," he smirked and put the meat into the oven. "You wanna drink somethin'?"

"Ehm, Logan…," she said and the tone she used made him turn around with a frown.

He didn't have to ask if something was wrong. The searching hand that she reached out to him while her eyes were closed tightly, answered that question. In an instant he was on her side and took her hand. "Just breathe," Logan said as calm as possible when she nearly squashed his hand.

"Easy for you to say, Ororo hissed through clenched teeth.

"Something wrong?" Bobby suddenly asked and watched how Logan pulled the whimpering woman up.

"Watch over the dinner!" the man only told him when he walked past him out of the kitchen.

"Ehm…okay," the younger man muttered in confusion and sat down on a stool.

As soon as Logan had reached the infirmary and had laid the now crying woman on a bed, he wanted to head for the phone to call Hank or Moira. "No, stay here!" Ororo shrieked and grabbed his hand quickly

"I'll stay, 'Ro," he tried to soothe her. "But someone needs to come down and the Elf needs to know, too. Just let me get the phone, 'kay?" He waited for her to nod before he went over to the desk and made the necessary calls. As soon as this was done, Logan cooled a cloth and went back to her side. While he held her hand in his left, he cooled her forehead with the other. "They'll be right here," he said calmly despite his inner turmoil. She nodded and breathed out through gritted teeth; her hand squeezing his painfully again. He hated such situations. On the one hand because one wrong word made them start yelling at each and everyone in their surroundings, on the other because he was unable to do anything to ease her pain. His ears concentrated on the elevator at the end of the corridor, while she let out another painful groan.

"Oh no!" Ororo suddenly gasped and let out a shriek when the mattress underneath her was soaked with the waters.

"They just entered the elevator!" Logan immediately tried to soothe her and was once more thankful for his heightened senses. Otherwise this would have been the moment for him to freak out. "They'll be here in a second, 'Ro! You'll be fine, don't worry…"

Still holding his hand in a firm grip, she began to pant when the door finally opened and Hank and Moira entered. "Where's Kurt?" Ororo asked them when Hank stopped right next to her and Moira got the equipment together.

Checking her pulse, the blue mutant looked up from his watch. "We couldn't find him so we sent Jubilee and Kitty. They are looking for him now."

Groaning again in pain her free hand grabbed the pillow hard. "But he has to be here," she cried despaired when another labor hit her.

"Logan, would you…," Moira began when Ororo's eyes shot open.

"No! He stays until Kurt's here!" she protested aloud and tightened her already firm grip in his hand even more. "Don't you dare and send him away!"

Noticing the look Logan gave her, Moira finally nodded. "But you know that I have to undress…," she began when the man gave her a warning look. But it was already too late. The woman had jus broken rule one: never annoy a woman in labor and tell her things she already knew…

"I know that damn it!" Ororo nearly yelled at her, or better, would have yelled if not another labor pain had hit her in between. "Just do what you have to do!" Moira raised both hand in defense and prepared her for the birth while Hank hooked her up to the necessary machines. Being occupied with an ultrasound scan next the woman made sure that everything was going according to plan, whereas Hank gave Ororo something against the pain and Logan cooled her forehead once more.

"Okay, everything is normal," Moira said and switched the scanner off before she looked at the wall clock, wondering what took Kurt so long to arrive. One look at Logan told her instantly that he wished to be anywhere but here. She knew too well how the primal part of him reacted in such a situation. Hank monitored the heartbeat and was about to turn around when a loud bamf could be heard in the corridors. "Finally…," Moira said in relief when Kurt entered and joined his wife's side out of breath.

"Where have you been, bub?" Logan grunted and wanted to let go of Ororo's hand when another labor pain hit her. He waited for her to loosen her grip a bit before he gave her a kiss on the forehead. "You'll do fine. But don't forget that Kurt's bones ain't indestructible, 'kay?" he asked and she nodded panting. He moved to make room for Kurt, who directly took her hand nervously. "TJ can stay with us."

The teleporter nodded thankfully. "Dankeschön!"

Logan nodded and left the room to take the elevator. Upstairs he realized that he'd missed dinner and went to the kitchen to get something to eat for himself and Jean, when a familiar scent caught his nose. "Hey, kid!"

"Hi," TJ greeted him and sat rather lost on a stool. "Daddy told me to wait here for him. Do you know where he is?"

Nodding, Logan stroked through her long black hair and met her yellow eyes. "He's in the infirmary with your mommy. You're staying with us for tonight, 'kay?" he asked and watched how the child's face suddenly brightened.

"Is my brother coming?" she asked suddenly totally excited and surprised him with what she already knew.

"Yeah, but it will still tale some time," Logan replied. "Look, I have to go upstairs briefly but I'll be right back, okay? We go and get your stuff then."

TJ nodded and sat down again. "I'll wait here…"

He smiled and took the tray into his hands. Watching him leaving the girl heard a scratching sound at the window and hopped off the stool to see what was wrong. Seeing that it was only Miloh, who wanted to come inside, she was about to open the door when her hand was grabbed. "No!" Jack said and shoved her away from the door.

"But he wants inside," TJ protested and looked at the boy slightly angered.

"He doesn't know you that well," he told her and gave her a look. "Stay behind me…" He reached out and opened the door to let the animal in. This one entered with his eyes fixed on the girl and sniffed. "She's a friend," jack told the wolf and watched him closely. Sniffing once more, Miloh walked past them and looked t the boy closely.

"What does he want?" TJ asked him and grabbed Jack's shoulder.

"Something to eat," he replied and saw a plate on the counter with food that had been left over from dinner. But it was too high for him to reach it. "Stay!" he said towards the animal and began to climb up a stool.

Watching him, TJ switched her yellow eyes to the wolf again. She'd always been fascinated of the animal. "Will he bite me?" she asked Jack, who put some meat and vegetables on another plate.

"I don't know. Daddy always says that he doesn't attack us because he sees us as his family," he said and carefully climbed back down again. "Here!" Putting the plate in front of the wolf, he turned just to see TJ coming closer with a small bowl of water. He saw how Miloh immediately stopped eating and watched the girl. "Slowly!" Jack warned her. The girl put the bowl next to the plate on the ground and hid behind the boy's back again, but the animal only cared about his food. "Why are you sitting here anyway?" he asked her and turned around.

"Uncle Logan told me to wait, so I wait," she replied and looked out of the window briefly when he laughed. "What?" TJ asked and narrowed her eyes.

"You're getting a sermon, huh?" Jack teased her laughing.

"I'm not!" she gave back and her cheeks blushed, what he could only pick up due to his senses.

"What did you do, eh?" he grinned and quickly jumped aside when she threw a cloth at him.

"Nothing," she pouted and gave him a hurt look. "You're mean!"

"I was only kidding!" he said and waved off. "What does daddy want from you?"

"I'm staying at your place today," she told him and made him frown.

"Why?" Jack asked and stroked through Miloh's white fur when he had emptied his plate.

"My brother's coming," TJ said and he nodded. "And my mommy had told me that daddy has to stay with her then…"

"Well, you're lucky," Jack said and let go of the animal. "I wanna have a brother, too…"

Slowly coming closer the girl reached out and watched how Miloh sniffed on her hand. She smiled when he allowed her to stroke through his soft fur. "I heard mommy saying to daddy that you get one."

"A brother?" he asked her with bif´g eyes, but she shrugged.

"I only heard them talking about your mommy and daddy becoming a baby."

About to say something in return, he turned his head when he heard his father approaching. "I'm getting a brother?" he asked him excited as soon as Logan had entered the kitchen.

"What?" the adult asked confused and looked to and fro between the children.

"TJ just said that mommy and you are becoming a baby…"

Cocking an eyebrow at the girl, Logan gave her a look and briefly patted Miloh's head when the wolf asked for his attention. "How come you know, kid?"

Looking down on her feet in embarrassment the girl bobbed up and down. "I heard mommy and daddy talking about it…," she said and held her head lowered when she met his gaze. "I didn't want to snoop…"

"So it's true?" Jack asked and looked at his father hopefully, when this one put the bowl and plate into the dishwasher.

"Later! Go upstairs. It's time for you to go to bed. I'll be right there," he said and picked TJ up. "And we go and get your things now. Come on." Pouting, the boy gave Miloh a sign and headed upstairs where he waited for his father to come back.

---

Watching how Logan tucked her in, ZJ pulled her doll closer; still feeling bad about what she'd done. "Are you mad with me now?" she asked guiltily and made him smirk.

"No, kid, why would I be mad with you, huh?" he asked and sat down on the edge of Rachel's bed.

"Because I told Jack about the baby…," she replied and made him chuckle.

"We had to tell them anyway and you didn't know that we hadn't done it, yet," he said smiling. "So no need for you to feel bad, kid, okay?" She nodded smiling. "Good. Rachel will be right here," he said and got up after he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Good night, kiddo."

"Night," she yawned and cuddled up to her doll when he left the room and walked over to the bedroom where Jean was waiting with their children. He smiled at her and closed the door, while the redhead rather looked nervously at him; even if it was the second time for her to tell her children that she was expecting a baby, only that this time she wasn't all alone. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he took her hand into his and squeezed it encouragingly.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked them and looked to and fro between her parents.

Not knowing how to start, Jean's pulse began to race and she exchanged a look with Logan. "Well, we need to tell you something," she began and immediately sensed that the girls became scared because she'd obviously sounded too serious.

"It's nothing bad," Logan therefore quickly added, since he, too, had felt the change in them. "You know…mommy's expecting a baby."

Seeing the big eyes of her daughters, Jean nodded. "If everything goes well you'll have a little sister or brother in a few months…"

"A sister!" Lily said and hugged Rachel smiling.

"A brother!" Jack grunted and crossed his arms. "I wanna have a brother, mommy!"

"Well, you'll see," Logan said and messed up his son's hair even more when he ran a hand through it. "You stole my gel again, you thief!" he noticed.

Sticking out his tongue, the boy shrieked giggling when his father grabbed and tickled him. "No…stop! Please!" he pleaded and had to heave deep breaths when he was finally released.

"Come on, now! It's already late and you have classes tomorrow!" Logan said and got off the bed, watching how his children gave their mother a kiss and said goodnight; stating their wishes once more to have a sister for the girl while Jack protested. Only shaking his head, the grown-up shoved them over to their bedrooms, while Jean laid down smiling.

---

"Come on, 'Ro, just a bit more and it's done," Moira said and heard how both men let out a painful hiss as each bone in their hands were forced together painfully. While the woman had one hand on her friend's abdomen and waited with the other to catch the baby if necessary, the weather goddess fell back heavily breathing with a tear strained face. "Don't even dare to think about giving up!" Moira warned her when she heard for the one hundredth time that the woman on the bed couldn't go on. She briefly exchanged a look with Hank when she felt another labor coming up. "Push!" she demanded when Ororo shook her head weakly. "You have to push, Ororo! Come on!"

"I…can't," Ororo replied barely audible and loosened her grip on the men's hands.

"You said that before," Moira gave back. "You made it through 33 hours with TJ and now it's only 8, so come on and pull yourself together!"

"Kurt, get aside!" Hank suddenly demanded and began to pull the head of the bed down.

"What…?" Moira began when she saw how the woman's head dropped to the side.

"Her blood pressure suddenly sinks rapidly and the baby's heartbeat gets weaker," he said and looked at his friend on the bed. "'Ro? Come on stay with us!" he said scared and checked her pupils when he realized that she wasn't reacting. "She's going into shock, we have to hurry!" While he pulled the bed towards the surgery room, Moira laid a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "She'll be fine!" she said, but knew that he didn't understand one word she was saying right now. "Wait on the outside, okay?" she asked and ran off.

Upstairs, Jean sat up in bed rapidly, making Logan freeze on the spot while he was about to get rid of his shirt. "What?" he asked her worriedly and cocked an eyebrow at her. Only staring at him, Jean suddenly jumped out of bed. "Woah, where do ya think you're going? You're supposed to stay in bed, girl!" he said and grabbed her quickly.

"No!" the redhead shook her head her head. "Something's wrong with 'Ro!"

"What?" he asked her confused and let go of her arms.

"I don't know, but I have to go down," she replied with tears in her eyes. "Please, I have to!"

"Then pull this over your shirt," Logan said and handed her one of his sweatshirts. Waiting for her to do so, he followed her down to the basement; suddenly also sensing that something was wrong. He could feel too many emotions at once. Fear, stress, despair, hope, panic…everything rushed over him like a gigantic wave when the elevator door opened and they stepped out. Instantly they took notice of Kurt, who was kneeling on the ground and was praying under tears.

"Kurt?" Jean called and made him look up. "What happened?" she asked and kneeled down next to him before she put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know…," he replied and shook his head before he stared helplessly onto the floor again.

"The baby's not breathing," Logan told her mentally and made her look up in shock. "'Ro's not well either…" Giving her a grim look, he sat down next to his friend. Seeing that Jean was close to start crying, since she remembered too well what had happened to her last year, he took her hand into his, while the other rested on Kurt's shoulder. Together they waited for what appeared to them as an eternity when also Charles joined them after he'd picked up their thoughts. Just as he'd stopped next to the group, a door went open and Moira came out; being surprised to see so many faces.

"How's the baby?" Logan immediately asked her and stood as the other two mutants up.

Turning around to watch Hank on the inside briefly, she gave them, especially Kurt, a serious look. "Due to the complications the baby didn't breathe first, but we managed to get his lungs to work," she told them and heard them sigh in relief. "He's still hooked up to some machines, but he's doing fine. Your son hasn't taken any damage and his height and weight are normal, too."

"And 'Ro?" Kurt asked her. Noticing the look she gave the others, he waved off. "They can know, too!"

Moira bit her lip briefly and heaved a deep breath. "She had an internal bleeding, which caused the complications, but we were able to make it stop…," she explained and saw how Jean was furrowing her brows.

"Internal bleeding?" the redhead asked confused. "How?"

"It was a late consequence of Sabretooth's attack."

"That's months ago," Logan protested and crossed his arms. "It's May now…"

"Yes," Moira nodded. "There obviously was an injury no one had noticed. It wasn't visible on any ultrasound picture. I checked it again." She shook her head frustrated. "Anyway, due to the moving of her pelvis and the agitation of the process, especially the pressure on the pelvis, the scar must have torn from within first and it started to bleed into her abdomen."

"I told you the blood couldn't have been caused by a small wound only!" Jean said aloud and met the woman's gaze.

"You haven't noticed it either, Jean!" Moira gave back.

"It's the wrong place and time to fight," Charles intervened. "How is Ororo now?"

"She's still hooked up to machines and transfusions. She's weak but she will pull through, even if she lost lots of blood, but…"

"But?" Kurt asked and his breathing became heavier in fear. Especially by the look she gave him.

"You won't be able to have children anymore, Kurt," the woman said barely audible and couldn't look at him. "You can go inside to see her and your son." Only nodding in silence, he walked past her when she put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry…," she added sadly, but he only nodded once more when the doors went shut behind him.

"Fuck!" Logan cursed and wanted to ram his claws into something when he noticed the look on Jean's face. Forgetting about his rage, he pulled her close.

"How can we not have taken notice of it?" the redhead sobbed and buried her face in his chest.

"Even if we had…," Moira said and shook her head. "There would have been nothing we could have done about it without risking her baby."

"But she and the baby will survive?" Charles asked concerned and looked at the woman in front of him.

"Yes. If nothing happens they should be fine… But I thought my heart would stop beating when the baby didn't breathe first." Hearing another loud sob from Jean while Logan glared at her, Moira blushed. "Oh… God, I'm such a stupid cow…," she cursed and slapped her forehead. "I'm sorry!"

"Can't she really have another baby?" Jean asked her sniffing whole Logan slowly rocked her back and forth. "I mean did you have to take out her uterus?"

"Thank Go, no!" Moira said. "Theoretically she can still become pregnant but not without risking her life. It's still a miracle to me that the bleeding hasn't start sooner. But still another pregnancy is just too risky for her…"

Remaining there for a while, Logan made the redhead look at him. "Come on, we go back upstairs," he said calmly and wiped her tears away.

"No, I'm staying here," Jean shook her head but saw the warning glare he gave her.

"You won't! There's nothing you can do and even if you have that temporary healing factor, you need to rest!" Pulling her up into his arms, he ignored her protest.

"He's right!" Moira said. "Ororo won't wake up so soon and you need to rest. Think about your baby!"

Finally nodding in defeat, the redhead leant her head against Logan's shoulder. "But I want to know immediately if something happens," she demanded and Charles nodded.

"I'll stay here and inform you, Jean," he assured her and went back inside with Moira, while Logan carried Jean back to the elevator and then upstairs again.

---

The mood on the next day was more than bad since the news had spread like fire in the mansion. While Kurt stayed with his wife and baby, Jean had tried her best to explain TJ why she couldn't see her mother and newborn brother even if she wanted to. Since the birthday of the twins and Logan's and Jean's anniversary were in less than four days, the couple went on discussion what to do, when Jubilee suddenly entered the kitchen; a weird look on her face. "Ehm, Wolvie… There's a strange guy who wants to talk to ya," she said and made everyone in the kitchen look up.

"What do ya want here?" Logan growled at his visitor and got off his stool to face the man.

"Nice place," the African-American man with an eye patch stated and crossed his arms when Logan began to growl at him. "You don't skip a beat, do you? You're a hard man to get a hold of."

"I ain't your friend, Nick!" his opposite hissed. "Tell me what ya want and then piss off!"

"Logan, who is that guy?" Scott asked while he cradled his son in his arms and looked to and fro between both men.

"No one who needs to be mentioned," Logan spat and pointed at the door. "Five seconds, Nick!"

Laughing nonchalantly the man grabbed a slice of cheese from one plate. "Or what, Wolverine?"

Stopping only inches from the other man's face Logan extracted one set of claws. "Try me!" he hissed through gritted teeth.

"You know that it's not that easy," the man called Nick gave back. "Your butt belongs to us, pal, and you know that!"

Giving a short arrogant laugh, while the others were whispering calmly, Logan narrowed his eyes. "You wish! I saved your life back then, Nick, so your butt belongs to me! You owe me and now piss off or you'll face the reaper today!" Pushing him towards the door, he turned his back to him to return to his wife, when Nick nodded at her.

"It's the twins seventh birthday on May 10th, isn't it?" Turning his head in slow motion, Logan gave him a glare. "What? Surprised?" Nick challenged. "We know everything, Wolverine. When you arrived here, when you married, when your children were born and that your pretty wife is expecting another one…"

"Get.out!" Logan hissed and his eyes began to blacken in fury while Jean stared at the man in shock and crossed her arms over her belly protectively.

Nick only smiled and crossed his arms. "Do you want to know what some people are willing to pay for your head, pal? You never wondered why no one came looking for you after Weapon X, huh?" Hearing it, Logan became even more suspicious. That question had bothered him many times. "I haven't forgotten that you saved my life back then. No one's coming for you or your family because we don't let them!"

"What do you want?" his opposite growled and remained in a position to attack him if necessary.

"The Cap's in trouble and needs our help. You're the best we have, so you gonna do it," Nick replied and heard Logan chuckle.

"Forget it! I ain't working for ya anymore. And if the Cap has gotten his sorry ass into trouble, it's his problem, not mine!"

"Right," the other man nodded playfully and gave the scared boy next to Jean a look. "So you wanna know what adamantium does to a child then? I always asked myself if a child could take such a process…" Instantly he was grabbed roughly and faced the black eyes of the Wolverine. "You're gonna do it or I'll stop shielding you from them! And then you can try to protect your family against those who did this to you, Wolverine!" Pushing him away roughly, Nick straightened his clothes. "The van's waiting in front of the mansion at midnight and brings you back within a week. If you're not there, I can assure you they'll be here within the next days!" With that he left, leaving Logan glaring at the door in hate while his fists were clenched so firmly that his hands shook.

"Logan…," Jean asked carefully after a while but he didn't turn around. Instead he walked towards the door and left to work off his rage in the Dangerroom.

"Who was that?" Hank asked and looked at the redhead but she only shrugged.

"I only know his name," she replied and shook her head. "From what I read in Logan's mind his name is Nick Fury. He works for some organization called S.H.I.E.L.D…"

"And what has Logan to do with them?" Scott asked her suspiciously and clearly angered.

"Are you done eating?" the redhead asked her children and they nodded. "Would you go upstairs, please?"

"But…," Jack began when he received a look from her. Finally, he followed his sisters and left the room.

"Jean," Scott said and bent forward a bit. "What are you not telling us? What has Logan to do with that organization?" He looked at Hank, who appeared to be rather thoughtful. "Do you know that group?"

"Yes," the mutant said with a look at Jean. "But I really would like to know, too, what Logan has to do with them."

"Who are they?" Scott asked him.

"Counterterrorism or Intelligence Agency. Call it what you want."

"He's CIA?" Mystique asked confused and took her baby into her arms when Scott's jaw dropped.

"I thought he was Canadian," the man said when he'd finally found his voice again. "Isn't he?" he asked Jean.

"He is Canadian," Jean replied and crossed her arms. "Would you stop talking about him when he's not here?"

"What do you expect us to do?" Scott gave back. "What else is there about him that we don't know, huh? What was that file about?"

"Scott," Jean warned him. "If you want to know something about Logan's life, go ahead and ask him. But he's not CIA!" she said and left the kitchen angrily.

Upstairs, she waited for Logan to return and looked at her watch impatiently. It was already 11:55 p.m. and she hadn't seen him since then nor could she reach out to him mentally. He was blocking her completely. Looking up when she heard how the front door was opened, she switched the light on and sat up; watching him closely when he entered the room. "You're leaving, aren't you?" she asked instantly and he nodded.

"I have to," Logan replied and sat down on the edge next to her, his eyes fixed on the ground. "I always asked why no one came looking for me, now I have the answer. And I know Nick. If he threatens ya with somethin' he makes it true and I can't risk that."

Nodding, she placed a hand on his cheek. "Be careful…"

Giving her a sad look, he nodded and kissed her. "Tell the twins we celebrate later and that I'm sorry, okay?" he asked and she nodded. Kissing her again, he let go of her hand and walked towards the door. "I'm sorry, Jeannie…," Logan said barely audible while he held his head lowered and left. As soon as he'd left the mansion's front door, he saw the black van that was waiting for him in front of the gate…

Jeez, you guys won't believe how much I hate this chapter. LOL First, I never planned such a long one, second, I'm not satisfied with it but I had a huge writers block and then I made changes over changes in the past two days. Originally I stopped writing yesterday and the chapter ended with Logan asking Jean what needs to be washed. Then I wanted to write how Mystique gave birth, changed it again today in putting Logan to sleep for a week, since the chapter wasn't going as I wanted it to. I also didn't plan to have such a strong focus on Jean and Logan. : ( I'm really sorry for that. So, as I said: I am not satisfied with what I wrote. I hope you can forgive me and I promise to write something better next time!!! Hope you guys had a great New Years party! Happy New Year to everyone!! Thanks for the reviews and I hope that the server will work properly again soon! See ya!