Disclaimer: I don't own Wolverine, or sabertooth tigers, or anything else that belongs to Marvel or Fox. I'm not trying to make money off this and have no legal rights to it.

Chapter Five: Another Father and Son

Warning: I'm afraid this chapter is mostly fluff. I know we don't usually read Wolverine Fanfics looking for G-rated fluffiness and I'm sorry. I didn't intend to draw this scene out so long, but once I started I couldn't stop and it ended up being a good foil to the first chapter and also a good introduction to John Howlett. So take the fluff and please leave a review anyway :P

"Just be sure to rest and stay indoors. And don't overexcite yourself."

James nodded with a small cough, managing to give a small, grateful smile.

John Howlett gently squeezed his boy's small, fragile hand and looked up at the middle-aged man with a stethoscope. "Thank you Dr. Kymbol. You have no idea how grateful we are that you were here today."

Kymbol nodded, as he put his things away, but he couldn't quite smile. This wilderness was no place for a sick, little boy and he could only foresee tragedy ahead for the Howletts, but, "I'm going to go have a cup of tea," was all he said out loud.

"Yes of course," John said, "I believe Elizabeth is out in her garden again, but just ask Mrs. Bailey."

"Thank you," replied Kymbol, pushing up his spectacles, before leaving the sickroom.

As the door shut, John placed his other hand over James' and tried to give the boy an encouraging smile. "You've been very brave," he said, "Would you like me to get you some water?"

"I'm all right," James said, "It's not like," he coughed, "I've never been sick before." He coughed again, but managed a ruthful smile, "I'll get well. I always do."

John smiled and fondly pushed James's hair back from his fevered head, "Thank God for that."

"You think that's my gift?" James asked and, when his father looked confused, he coughed and explained. "Getting well. Maybe god knew I'd always be getting sick," James coughed again, "So, ugh, He gave me the gift of being able to always get better."

"Well," John said, "That's probably true." He decided not to point out the fact that God could have saved them all a lot of pain and worry by never letting James get sick in the first place.

"I was talking.. Ahegchah… to Victor about it yesterday. I told him Mother said my gift was being pretty, but…" he coughed, "That's a silly gift, don't you think?"

John pursed his lips thoughtfully, "Well," he said, then smiled a little, "I suppose it is rather silly, but you have lots of other gifts to be thankful for."

James coughed. "Like what?"

John began tucking the covers warmly around James, "Like a good home, and people who care for you." He leaned over and kissed his son's forehead, "And you should know that your mother and I love you very much."

James smiled, coughed, but then recovered quickly and tucked his hands behind his head, "Yeah," he said and a spark of mischief appeared in his eyes, "That's nice and all, but it don't look as cool as sabertooth teeth."

John lifted an amused eyebrow, "Sabertooth teeth?"

"Yeah, like Vic… Ahackegaah!... tor. He's got teeth just like those bones we found and like in the… ahackgah… the picture you… ugh… showed me."

John frowned slightly. He didn't approve of his son playing with Tom Logan's teenage son and the boy's strange… appearance, didn't make things any better.

"You know," James pressed, not understanding the frown on his father's face, "The one in that…" he sat up, coughed and then pulled a heavy book off his bedside table. Its title was Prehistoric Predators of North America. "…In this book." With another cough James began flipping through the pages, many of which contain pictures and sketches. "Here. See?" James dropped the heavy book onto his father's lap. "The sabertooth tiger!"

John looked at the excited smile on James' face and then lifted the book, looking at the picture and clearing his throat with an impression of grave interest, "Ah yes, I see. Same as the bones discovered. Quite a marvelous creature."

James smiled and leaned on his father's shoulder, so he could see the picture as well. "I bet… agackah... I bet it wasn't ever afraid of anything when it was alive. Nothing else in that book has teeth like it does."

"Perhaps," John said, flipping through the pages, "But there are things better than big teeth."

"Like… ahackah..ugh-ah… Like what? Oh look at that!" James put a hand out to stop his father from turning the page on a picture of a small, hairy, but fierce looking animal with long front claws."

John lifted his eyebrows and leaned back, trying to read the description without his glasses. "That's the wolverine," he said then let out a ruthful chuckle, "I don't know much about wild animals, but I do know that the wolverine's certainly a mean and fearless creature."

James looked up at him. "How do you… agahack… know?"

"I had the misfortune to run one over with the carriage last time I was on a trip to New York." John shook his head, as if he still didn't believe his memory. "I don't know if it was mad, or trying to attack the horses, or what, but it busted up the wheel and when we got out to see what had happened, we were amazed to find it still alive and fighting too. Nearly took off Henry's hand. Crazy devil seemed ready to kill us all."

"Wow," James said and then looked back at the picture in the book, "You think it's meaner than the sabertooth tiger was?"

"I don't know about that," John said, closing the book with a smile, "I one thing I do know is that sabertooth tigers are extinct, but wolverines are still around today and getting hit by carriages on the way to New York."

James laughed and then coughed harder than usual. Concerned, John put his hands on James' shoulders, helping him to lie back down and catch his breath.

"Why… ah…. why don't you think the wolverine died out like the sabertooth tiger, father?"

"Probably because the wolverine is a stubborn little monster, who gets run over by four horses and a carriage and still thinks he's winning the fight." John grinned and pushed James' hair back. "But do you know who the real winners are James?"

James shook his head.

"We are. For a million years this county was nothing but a mean, cold and bitter place. Then you and me and your mother started living here and everything has changed. Suddenly, we've made this a place of warmth, wisdom and love. And that's better than anything else in this whole wide world," John grinned and took James' hand, "Even better than tiger teeth."

James smiled and spread his hand open, placing it palm to palm with John's and comparing the familiar size and shape of both their hands together. "I love you," he said.

John bent down and kissed James' head again. "I love you too, now…"

There was the sound of a door slamming and Elizabeth's voice could be heard shouting in an urgent, harried voice, "John! John?"

Her tone made John's brow crease with worry, but he quickly cleared it, before James could see. "… Now get some rest, like Dr. Kymbol said." Patting the blankets he got up to blow out the lamp and walk to the door. "I'll be in to check on you later son," he promised and left to go down to his anxious wife.

AN: Yeah… Enter John Howlett the one sane person in the whole mess. Hope you all liked the happy, fluffy, father-son scene. Things only go downhill from here. Please leave a review.