Chapter 22

(Logan)

Fall turned into winter, complete with early snow. The kids were thrilled, none more so than Evie. Angela went into full "leave me alone, I'm hibernating" mode, since her hatred of winter had become legendary around the school. On one particularly cold weekend, some of the kids convinced Iceman to build them a half-pipe, which ultimately came in handy as a means of punishment. If the kids didn't turn in homework, no half-pipe. Up after curfew? No half-pipe. Slacking on the morning run? Extra laps AND no half-pipe. I mentioned during a staff meeting that we should always have a half-pipe in the winter since it was such a great tool to guarantee good behavior. One-Eye accused me of wanting it for personal reasons, but nothing could have been further from the truth. I've been many things in my life, but a snowboarder is NOT one of them. I might be indestructible, but I wasn't about let anyone in that place watch me destroy my dignity trying to learn something like that. Let the kids have it; I had plenty to keep me busy.

As if that wasn't enough, Christmas fever took over the day after Thanksgiving. I'd been hoping for at least a week or two before all the tinsel and other crap got dug out of storage. I drew the line when I caught Jubilee trying to festoon the little office I used for the defense classes with the stuff. I'm no Scrooge, but just because almost everyone else worshipped Santa doesn't mean I ever did. I tolerated quite a bit of it over the years for Evie's sake, but tinsel in my office is one thing I will never fucking allow.

The school finally broke for the holidays and it was the first time the staff outnumbered the students. In a way, it was almost sad. We'd all gotten used to most of the kids staying because they had nowhere else to go. Now that most of our kids were sent by their parents – and they actually paid for it – the place felt almost empty over Christmas and New Year. Sam, on the other hand, enjoyed it.

"Ah, it feels like old times!" He said over his brandy after dinner one night. "Back when there was only what, eight of us running around this place?"

"Nine, if you include Erik and me in the total." Xavier replied.

"That would just be weird." Jubilee added. "I mean, how did you get away with stuff?"

"We didn't." Hank said. "Pulling a prank was almost impossible. Scott, Ororo, Jean and I tried to blame everything on the new kids, whenever they came in."

"Which was never often enough." Sam swirled his brandy. "Then again, it never worked for long. Besides being psychic, Charles was simply too smart for us."

"I wasn't always confined to this chair, you know." He said with a smile. "I remember my own days in prep school. I simply assumed you lot would be no different and acted accordingly."

Everyone laughed. "Aw, come on Professor," Scott piped in, "we weren't that bad, were we?"

"No, I suppose not. And it's not like any of you had an easy time of things before you got here."

"I hope you're not including me in that, Charles." Storm said. "Once I got off the streets of Cairo, I was worshipped as a goddess."

Sam leaned forward and took her hand. "No, Ororo, we had entirely different things to worry about when it came to you. Like explaining that the world did not revolve around you."

"What? I never…Sam, how could you?" She aimed a blow at his head, which he ducked with ease. "Someone wants to sleep in a freezing cold room tonight."

He laughed. "Ororo, you know I'm only teasing you." He bent over her hand and kissed it. "I, for one, have always worshipped the ground you walk on."

She blushed and pulled him down for a kiss. "Flatterer."

"C'mon you guys, you're givin' me diabetes over here." I joked.

"Don't be such a grouch." Angela said. "In a few months, we'll be standing up with them in their wedding you know. If you're not careful, I'm sure Sam'll toss that garter right at you."

"I plan on bein' somewhere else when that part happens."

"Oh really? Like where?"

I shrugged. "I've narrowed it down to 'somewhere else'." She slapped my shoulder and I laughed. "You don't go in for all that kinda stuff, do you?"

"That's not the point."

"Don't worry, Logan," Sam said, "I'm planning on throwing it at someone who will make good use of it. Remy comes to mind."

The Cajun looked up from the conversation he was having with Rogue, who was suddenly blushing. "Did someone take Remy's name in vain?"

"Always!" I replied with a grin. He glared at me for a second before realizing we were all joking, then he joined in the laughter. I crossed over and clapped him on the shoulder. "Hope ya got some plans for the future, Gumbo, cuz I think the lovebirds over there are plannin' somethin' for the two of ya at their reception."

"Speaking of lovebirds," Sarah said, joining the conversation, "when are you and Angela going to take the plunge?"

Silence descended over the room as everyone looked from her, to me, to Angela and back again. I took a long drag from my smoke, but my woman saved me from having to explain. "We're not."

"What? How come?"

"Because we don't want to. Or need to for that matter." She leaned forward and stubbed out her cigarette. "We know forever when we feel it."

She looked at us, confused. "But don't you want to make it all legal and official?"

"How much more 'official' do we need to get? Everyone here knows we're completely devoted to each other. I don't need to spend a bunch of money on a dress I'll only wear once and a big dinner to prove that to anyone."

"Wow. I just thought, you know, it was like every little girls' dream to have a big wedding and all that."

"Sarah, I haven't been a little girl for a hundred years. I got over that dream a long time ago." She slipped her arms around me and kissed my cheek. "Not that I'd say no if he asked, but we've talked about it and it just isn't something we feel like we need to do."

The conversation turned to other topics, like the last FOH attack, the latest mutant rights bill going through congress and other such weighty matters. About an hour later, we excused ourselves and went up to our suite. Evie had been in bed for hours, so as soon as our door closed behind us, we turned to each other. She slipped effortlessly into my arms and long into the night, we exchanged the only vows we ever needed to each other.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Over the next couple of weeks, the various holiday gift-giving rituals were observed, with everyone making out like bandits. A couple days before Christmas, a rather large and oddly shaped item appeared in the lounge, covered with a red cloth and tied with a big gold bow. When I asked the Professor what it was, he simply said it was a gift for the entire school and we'd all have to wait until the students returned to find out what it was. I didn't worry about it too much, but it drove Angela up the wall that she couldn't even peek under the cloth to see what it was. Xavier was impossible, simply saying "you'll see" with a little smile every time he was questioned. I can't even begin to describe how much she hated that.

Two days after Christmas, there was an avalanche in Colorado that trapped a number of skiers, as well as blocking the major access road to the remote resort nearest the avalanche site. It was also believed that there were several people trapped in their own homes because of this disaster, so without any prompting, we suited up and took Blackbirds One and Two out west to assist with the rescue.

We took the birds sub-orbital so we could make it there in time to be of some use. We figured Iceman and Storm would come in the most handy, with Angel, Rogue and Echo being helpful with overhead searches. Colossus and Atlas were instrumental because they just picked up downed trees and moved them, while Shadowcat dove right into the deep snow and literally pulled people out who had been buried alive, at least one of which was in the nick of time. Once we'd found all the missing skiers – alive, thankfully – we moved on to clearing the road and digging people out of their houses. It was the people who lived in one of those private homes that we surprised the most.

Colossus, Beast, Cyclops and I had somehow or another been teamed together. Angela was off with Storm, Shadowcat and Gambit, helping another family get themselves sorted out, while the rest of Alpha was similarly teamed up. At any rate, the four of us showed up and we were a bit shocked to see that the house was almost completely under snow. We could hear an ominous creaking sound, so we wasted no time in getting started with the digging. Colossus shifted to his organic steel form and dug in with his bare hands, moving chunks of compacted snow the size of small cars. Cyclops did his part, using his eye beams in an attempt to tunnel through in another spot, using an almost surgical technique that left glassy ice walls in his wake. Beast and I just dug in, hoping that we'd find a door or window before the people inside suffered carbon monoxide poisoning or worse. After about forty-five minutes, we heard Scott say he found the garage door over the com, so we all abandoned what we were doing to converge on his position.

The tunnel he'd carved out was barely tall enough for Piotr to get through and just wide enough for Hank's broad shoulders. Scott had made a wider area in front of the garage by the time we got there, big enough for us to stand in pairs, one behind the other. "Logan, I don't want to blast this door off," he said, "I don't know if there's a car or anything back there."

"Leave it to me," I replied and popped my claws. They sliced through the aluminum door like it was paper and in seconds I made an opening big enough for us to walk through. It was black as pitch inside and although it was ok for me and Hank, the other two couldn't navigate by scent like we could. Scott pulled a flashlight out of the rescue pack he had slung on his back and clicked it on, sweeping the beam over the space before us. Inside stood an expensive-looking SUV and a pair of snowmobiles, as well as the other crap you'd expect to find in a garage. Near the back was a door that had to lead into the house, so we picked our way across the floor towards it. Before Scott even had a chance to knock, the door flew open and the double barrels of a shotgun were thrust in his face. "Who the hell are you?" The man behind the gun demanded.

Scott put up his hands to show that all he had was the light. "We're the X-Men, we're here to get you out."

"X-Men? That damn mutie group?"

I clenched my jaw against a growl and I swear I heard Scott grind his teeth. "Yes, we're mutants, but that's not important. We're assisting with the search and rescue after that avalanche."

"How do I know you're not just here to take us all out, rob us blind?"

I snorted. "Bub, if you could see our HQ, you wouldn't even ask that question." I took a step forward and he switched his aim to me, just what I wanted, and I chuckled. "Go ahead an' shoot me if it'll make ya feel better, but it ain't gonna do much for long."

"What, are you crazy or something?"

"Somethin'. But we still ain't here to rob ya or take you out, unless gettin' you outta this avalanche counts." I took another look around the garage, taking in a few details before looking back at him. "I'm guessin' you got kids in there, maybe two? I can tell ya right now, they ain't gonna last much longer if ya don't get 'em outta this house. You'll be losin' air before ya know it an' it'll get to them before it gets to you."

The double barrels wavered a bit. "Yeah, I've got kids in here. But it doesn't mean I'm going to trust their safety to mutie trash like you just on your say-so."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes or bull-rush my way into the house. "Listen, your house is all but buried here, pal. We got some emergency medical supplies if ya need 'em an' Cyclops here dug you a way out, but you gotta trust us. Who the hell knows how long it'll take the rest o' the search teams to get this far?"

The barrels dipped lower and I could see he was considering what I was saying. "It's just…I heard about the crap that Magneto's pulled and I've got some friends who think you're all just like him, just waiting to get us all comfortable with you before you take over the whole thing. It makes a kind of sense if you think about it."

"Sir, I assure you that we are not like Magneto in any way." Hank piped in as he stepped into the backsplash from the flashlight. The man's eyes widened and the barrels started to come up again slowly. Hank simply put his huge hands up at chest height, but continued to speak. "Some of us may look fierce or even monstrous, but most of us just want to live our lives like the rest of the world. I, for one, have neither the time nor the inclination to rule the planet, my hands are quite full teaching biology to young mutants!"

The shotgun lowered again. "You're a science teacher?"

"Yes sir, I am." He slowly put his hand forward. "Dr. Henry McCoy, biologist, geneticist and sometime super hero."

The man broke into an unexpected grin. "No shit? Dr. McCoy? I've read some of your papers, based my master's thesis on your theories of gene splicing to cure disease." He took Hank's hand and shook it with something like awe. "Dr. Stephen Gibson. I teach chemistry at NYU."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Hank replied with a smile.

"Damn. I always wondered why there weren't any pictures of you. I guess now I know." He pointed the shotgun at the floor and stepped back. "Come on in, we do need some help in here."

Scott stepped in first with a muttered "thank you" and the rest of us followed, with Hank bringing up the rear. The two of them launched into a discussion about Dr. Gibson's paper and I just shook my head. I was willing to bet that the "friends" he'd spoken of earlier were none other than the Friends of Humanity, a suspicion that was confirmed moments later.

"Sorry about all that, but like I said before, I have some friends who are convinced you're all just terrorists waiting to happen." Gibson said.

"Hm, 'Friends of Humanity', by chance?" Hank asked and Gibson nodded, looking almost ashamed. "I know that Magneto will never become the poster child for mutant rights, but he is not indicative of our kind."

"Not even close." Scott added. "Like Hank here said, most of us just want to live our lives."

Gibson looked down, realized he still held the shotgun and put it carefully in a corner. "Well, we just heard so much about him and almost nothing about mutants doing good things for so long, it was hard to think of them as being anything but."

"Magneto has his reasons for feeling the way he does," Hank said, shaking his head, "not that I don't blame him. He's a Holocaust survivor, so it's understandable that his experiences have tainted his views on the rights of those that are considered different from those in authority. However, I do not believe it gives him the right to control or even eradicate normal humans."

Gibson nodded. "Well, I can honestly say that you're the first mutants I've ever met personally. That I know about, at least."

"Trust me," Scott said, "we're not that different from you and the X-Men believe we should use our powers to help those who need it." He looked around the large sitting room that Gibson had led us in to. "So, you said you needed some help in here. What can we do for you before we get you out?"

"This way." Gibson replied and led us up the stairs. "My son Jacob was trying to help me dig out from the upstairs balcony and I think he may have broken his wrist."

"Please, take me to him." Hank said, immediately in doctor mode.

"Wolverine, why don't you and Colossus help the rest of the family pack some essentials?" Scott said. I nodded and went in search of the rest of the Gibson clan.

We found them in the master bedroom, Mrs. Gibson and a little girl about eight years old. She was clutching a stuffed bear and crying, while her mother tried to keep her calm. She stifled a gasp as we walked in and Piotr played the diplomat. "Please, do not be afraid," he said quietly, "we are only here to help you."

"Wh-who are you?" The woman asked.

"My name is Colossus and I am with the X-Men. We're here to get you out."

"You have a funny name." The little girl said, her sobs quieting. I smirked as her mother said "quiet Lauren, that's not nice", while Piotr just smiled.

"Yes, I suppose it is a little strange. But what else to call a man who can lift your car over his head and do this?" He activated his power, his flesh becoming steel in a matter of seconds.

The little girl looked at him with wide eyes. "Whoa, that is so cool!" She exclaimed. "Does it hurt?"

"Nyet, little one. Would you like to feel it?" She nodded and held out a hand, so Piotr crossed over with his own hand before him. She touched it and smiled again. "It is different, yes?"

"Yeah." She looked at me. "So what can you do?"

Ah shit. "I have really good senses, I can smell all kinds o' things most people can't, see farther, hear better. An' I heal up really fast." No need to say anything about the claws, as far as I was concerned.

"How fast?"

"Well, if I cut myself shavin', it disappears in a couple o' seconds."

She tilted her head and gave me an odd look. "It don't look like you shave ever." Piotr snorted loudly and I looked down to hide my smile, while her mother once again admonished her.

"Trust me darlin', I do. It just don't last long." She giggled and I smiled at her and her mom. "So, our friends are helpin' your daddy with your brother. Why don't you grab some suitcases an' we'll help ya get some stuff packed?"

Twenty minutes later, Hank had declared that the boy's wrist was sprained, not broken, and had him all wrapped up. In the meantime, Piotr and I helped the ladies pack up enough stuff for them all for about a week and we made our way out of the house. It took us a bit to get to the road where we'd left the SUV we'd had to take to get up here and in the end, Hank and I ended up carrying the kids. By the time we got them bundled inside, little Lauren was calling me "Uncle Wolv'rine" and the rest of the team seemed highly amused by it. Since I didn't want to scare the kids, I had to settle for shooting death glares at them and grumbling silently to myself. As soon as we had them off the mountain and on their way to one of the nearby hotels that had agreed to take on the refugees, I turned to Scott with a growl. "Not one word, Scooter. Not. One. Word. You got me?"

He covered his mouth to hide a smirk. "Sure Logan, whatever you say." I growled again and went in search of my woman.

I found her at the Red Cross station, sipping hot chocolate and surrounded by a gaggle of kids. She smiled when she saw me and waved goodbye to them before jogging over to me. "Logan, how'd you do?"

"I'll tell you later." I said and pointed to the group. They were about the same age as the senior students back at the school and they all seemed to adore my woman. "What's all that about?"

"Oh them? Ski trip from some little school Michigan. Once they found out I used to own RnR, they went nuts. Seems I'm something of a celebrity." She sipped her cocoa. "They had a private cabin rented. Whole thing was all but buried when we got there. We sent Kitty in to calm them down while Remy and Storm did their thing from the outside. I got to stand there like a putz and watch."

I chuckled. "Well, it sure beats a shotgun in the face." I said and recounted our experience, leaving out the "Uncle Wolv'rine" part. She was still laughing by the end, thanks to the shaving comment. "Anyway, if nothin' else, looks like FOH lost a member today."

She nodded. "So it would seem." She looked around as she finished her drink. "So, anything else or are we done here?"

I cocked my head towards the tent where the rescue effort was being coordinated so I could overhear what they were saying. After a few minutes of eavesdropping, I turned back to her. "Sounds like we're done. Rest o' the houses were empty, we got the trapped skiers an' the resort's got their own people to dig 'em out."

"Fanfuckingtastic!" She exclaimed and tossed her cup into a nearby trash bin. "Get me the hell outta here and in front of a nice fire where I belong!"

I laughed out loud, startling a couple who were walking past. "Should I get ya a nice pillow an' a bowl o' cream when we get there?"

She tried to punch my shoulder, but I dodged easily. "You are so not even close to funny."

"Yes I am." I replied and leaned down to kiss her. Scott's voice came over the com, telling us to return to the jets and we went gratefully. The atmosphere in the jet was light, the kind of feeling that surrounds you after a job well done. It wasn't all the time that we got to go on a mission and have everything work out for the best. It hadn't escaped anyone's notice that there were camera crews from several news agencies there and our presence at the rescue could not be avoided. In fact, a few days after we got back, Dr. Gibson was interviewed by CNN and one of the things he said would eventually be one of the most quoted sound bytes from the whole experience. "My family and I owe our lives to the X-Men. Had someone told me that I was going to meet a group of mutants that morning, I would have said they were crazy. But what astonished me is that the one they call Beast would turn out to be more human than many people I know. The men I met that morning give me hope that eventually, everyone will see and understand that mutants and humans have more in common than we thought. I simply cannot thank them enough for what they did for me."

AN: Well, 22 chapters down, four more to go...oh, and an epilogue too...so technically five to go...:) Super thanks to everyone, especially Levanna, theNightEnchantress and Nataku's Wrath for reviewing...:) Now, the good news for all of you is that this story is technically complete, i'm just evil and i make you wait for updates...:) What's the bad news? Well, the sequel (and possibly final installment in the series) is on hold for now because i have this evil plot bunny that i'm chasing...if the entire story winds up being longer than six or eight chapters, i'll be amazed, but it's an insistent little bunny that wouldn't leave me alone...on the plus side, the story is ENTIRELY unrelated to this series, so if you all are interested in reading it, i'll post the first chapter in the next couple of days...so, if you review, let me know if you'd like to read something that's just Logan, an OC and some wackiness...:)

As for those of you who have read and haven't reviewed, go ahead and give it a go...you could be responsible for shortening the conclusion of this story from about 15-20 days to...five!! One new reviewer a day one new chapter a day...think about it...:)