Logan rolled his eyes. "Come in, Thor!" he called. "It's open!"

"How did you know t'was I at the door?" Thor said, ducking as he muscled into Logan's cabin.

"Storm is already here," Logan said with a jerk of his thumb. "It had to be you making all the noise."

"Lady Oruro! 'Tis good to see you again! Has been too long since we last danced in the air, methinks," Thor said with a regal nod. "Sir Henry, it pleases me to see you again. Friend Wolverine, what is it I may help you with?"

With that the raven took flight, and in a flash of light Santana landed in Thor's arms, once again in human form.

"Thor!" she cried with relief.

Thor looked down at her with shock.

"Sister, from where did you come? We have been looking for you!"

Santana looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and when she spoke her voice was but a whisper.

Thor shook his head. "I can't hear you, my sister. What ails you that you speak so softly?"

Logan stepped up next to them. "She said, she can not remember much, just bit and pieces."

Thor looked at him, amazed. "You can hear her? Her voice is as soft as a summer's breeze. What does she say?"

"Wolverine and I have very good hearing," Henry volunteered.

Logan nodded. "Hang out with Storm long enough and you learn to carry hearing protection real fast."

Storm swatted Logan on the back of the head.

"And a helm, I'll wager," Thor added, nodding.

Santana looked at Logan and whispered something else.

"She asks where Loki is," he passed along to Thor. "I called Fury, but he was not very helpful. He told me that Loki was on a mission for the Allfather. He wouldn't say anything else."

"He did not deceive you," Thor nodded. "Loki may be hard to reach for some time."

Santana sat down on the couch with her head bent, eyes cast down. Logan sat next to her, and she curled up into him.

Thor and the others joined them in the living room.

"So, you know this young lady?" Hank asked. "What can you tell us about her?"

Thor stood with his arms folded across his chest. His brow furrowed, remembering. "You know her name: Santana. What you do not know is that she has been missing from Asgard for nearly 30 years. She is half-sister to my brother Loki. They have the same mother, so she is part Jotun and part nymph-an animal spirit if you will. Santana is skilled in magic. She can speak to animals from all the nine realms, and change into them as well. This shape-shifting ability they both gained from their Jotun mother. Tell me, friend Wolverine," he paused, turning to his old friend, "how has Santana come to be here? We have been looking for her these many years."

Logan told him about the explosion in the clearing, and about the cryo-tube he found there, as well as the plaque labeling its inhabitant.

"I am going back there in the morning to see if I can find anything out," he said. "You can all come with me, if you want."

Thor nodded. "T'is good. I will send word home for Loki to come, as soon as he returns from his mission." He looked at Santana with a worried frown. "But mayhaps I should take my sister home to Asgard first." He suggested.

"No," Santana said, curling closer into the crook of Logan's arm. "Stay here."

Thor raised an eyebrow. "Methinks she likes you, Wolverine!"

Logan huffed in annoyance. "It's late," he finally said. "Why don't we all get some sleep? I have two guest cabins down by the lake. Thor, you and Beast can take one, and Storm you and Santana can use the other."

Santana shook her head. "Stay here. Safe."

"It's alright, Logan," Storm said. "I can sleep alone. It's best I not occupy the same space as Thor for too long."

He nodded and handed them the keys.

"The cabins are fully stocked," he told them. "If you need any thing, let me know."

Thor looked down at a now sleeping Santana. "She should be abed," he noted, and reached down to pick her up. Startled from sleep, Santana's eyes snapped open, unfocused, and she lunged at him snarling.

Logan grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him, as she growled and struggled to get away.

"What is wrong with her? Storm asked.

"She was having a nightmare, I think," Logan said. He made a rumbling sound in his chest, soothing her, and calmed her down as her eyes drifted shut again.

Thor looked troubled. "T'was no nightmare, friend Logan. I have seen such in old campaigners. She has lived with fear on waking for a long time."

"Maybe it would be best if she stayed with Wolverine for now," Hank suggested.

Thor nodded in agreement. "She feels securest with him, I deem," the giant god said.

Logan said goodnight as they left, then retrieved a few blankets for himself and spread them on the couch. He picked Santana up, and carrying her to the bedroom he lay her back down and covered her up. A soft purr came from her as she drifted off to sleep, and he smiled, relieved at her comfort. He made to leave, but she woke quickly and grabbed him by the arm.

"Stay," she begged him. "Don't leave me alone, please."

Logan sensed, somehow, that she wouldn't relent until he agreed. He "shhhhed" her soothingly, as he lay down next to her, making sure to keep the blankets between them. Santana curled up next to him and rubbed her cheek against his, like a cat curling up to a littermate.

"Why do you hold him back?" She whispered sleepily.

Logan looked at her in shock.

"Hold who back?" he asked warily.

"The animal inside you," she purred.

He looks at her incredulously. "Just because the beast is chained, that doesn't make it safe to play with. Some things are too dangerous to let out."

Santana purred in his ear and sent a shiver down his spine. Logan felt his jeans tighten…

"But…he is lonely and wants to play," Santana murmured. She nipped at his ear, and a groan slipped passed his lips. She kissed him softly...

A hunger came over him and he took her lips with ferocity. It had been so long… Santana's scent, her taste on his tongue, the feel of her body under his…the primal part of him-the wolverine-woke with a vengeance. Mate, it growled at him, time to take a new mate…

Images flashed through Logan's mind as his hands sought out Santana's: long blond hair and a hammer…Thor… ivory skin and brown hair with a white streak…Marie…a cursed old man…Stryker

Logan abruptly pushed himself off of Santana. "I'm sorry," he said shakily. "I can't do this."

Santana's eyes glowed a bright green, and she scowled. "Why not? Would you lie and say I do not make you burn? My brother is the king of all the liars; do not attempt to deceive me!"

"I won't," he sighed. "I'm conflicted, Santana: not dead. There are many reasons I can't be with you: not tonight."

"Truly? Tell me," she insisted.

Logan shrugged. "Thor is outside, and calls you sister. Do you think he will stand by and let me take advantage of you, so freshly found, and wounded as you were?"

She smiled. "Thor decides not where I make my bed, Logan."

"Maybe not, but he can still kick my ass, or pound it down with that hammer of his."