Chapter One – And Then There Was One

A/N - Just an FYI for anyone interested in African Skies and Canadian Whiskey I'm actually rereading it (and making much needed corrections) so I can get back into it enough to finish it this year. Really.

-xox-

Things often have a way of not turning out as one expects. Ororo knew this. Old friends had died young, some had left and she was getting old. There was no way around it. Her knees creaked and ached, her hair was streaked with gray and she didn't have the stamina she once had. On the outside she still looked youthful, the students at Xavier's school thought she was probably in her late forties and many an interested male had assumed the same but she was sixty-five. She felt too old to remain a part time member of the X-Men and was too afraid of growing old in front of her friends and so she chose to leave them.

She left while they slept leaving a short note of love and farewell to all the remaining original two groups of X-Men though there were not many. She would live out the remainder of her days with her mother's people in Kenya . She told them she would visit, that there was no need for them to follow, that in time they would meet again. And because the X-Men knew she was a woman of her word they let her be. And as long as she communicated with them, she wrote monthly, they were sure she was well and being concerned with their own problems that old age brings they were content to leave it at that.

At times when they reminisced or when one of the original members died they thought of Ororo, missed her greatly and planned to visit but things came up and they never found the time. Remy was the only one who saw her after she left but she soon put a stop to his visits. Besides, Rogue was forever jealous though there had never been anything between Ororo and Remy and still nothing between Rogue and Remy for she had never overcome her mutant curse and had never learned how to touch without harm.

Eventually the monthly letters slowly became bi-monthly, then semi-annually then annually. After a decade she stopped writing entirely. Another decade passed without word and another but there was no one to write too by then save for the only remaining member of the X-Men and when he thought of Ororo he knew she was dead.

Logan did not know how many more years he would live and as the long memories piled up he began to dislike thinking back on the past so he seldom thought of Ororo. He'd lived several hundred years already and the bad memories had begun to far out number the good ones. Like eyes, memories were a window into one's soul, every mistake, every tragedy illuminated and therefore Logan had sealed that window long ago. He tried to learn from his mistakes (what man if he is wise does not?) but he didn't believe thoughts of the past benefited him in any other way. And so, in time, Ororo was forgotten by even Wolverine, the longest lived X-Men.

But the Wolverine was not the only immortal walking the earth. His old nemesis Victor "Sabretooth" Creed was still alive and like Logan he had a healing factor, the same curse or blessing, (which it was neither of them knew) of long life. And sometimes they still ran into each other and fought, still hating each other. Victor had not changed. He usually worked for the wrong side but mostly he worked where the money was because if you are to live an eternity you need an eternity's worth of funds to enjoy the good life.

Sometimes the two men met unexpectedly under neutral conditions in a bar they frequented in the exclusive Hellfire Club where an unspoken truce was upheld. And sometimes, like now, they would share a drink.

"To the good ol' days," Victor said, raising his bottle of beer.

Logan replied with a grunt but took a swallow of his beer nonetheless.

"You ever wonder if we're gonna live forever?" Creed asked.

"What's it matter?"

"You was always stupid runt, never ever thinkin' ahead. You see, I figure if I'm gonna live forever or near 'bout forever it might be kinda nice to have someone you like to pal around with all that time."

Logan , in the process of taking another swig, choked. Victor patted him on the back, laughing his deep loud laugh.

"Kinda wish I'd kept Birdy around ya know? Give her some kind of potion or something where she could still be around helpin' me out an' all."

"The Fountain of Youth," Logan mused.

"I think I found it," Victor said.

"An' why tell me?"

Victor shrugged. "I been thinkin'. See, if we both go after it that doubles the odds we find it. We'd be rich, set for life."

Logan chuckled. "You'd be set for life and I'd be half dead somewhere after you stabbed me in the back."

"What, me stab my little buddy in the back?"

Logan shrugged. He'd never liked Victor, trusted him even less, but a vision of a red headed girl flashed briefly before him and he felt the ache that always accompanied thoughts of her and for a moment he was sorely tempted. If there was such a thing as the Fountain of Youth, if he'd had it years ago, decades ago, a century ago Rose, his first love might still be alive and with him. But of course she wouldn't be because she'd never loved him and she'd died not from old age but through violence. But it made Logan think. If there really was a Fountain of Youth Victor was right, it would be nice to be with someone who like you would never grow old, someone to cherish and love always. But there was no one. Not for Logan . He'd given up on love, that kind of love, the kind that left your head spinning, heart racing and not caring if you bedded them or not because being with them was enough. It hurt too much when you lost them, hurt worse when you never won them.

"Suit yourself, runt you don't want in I don't need your help."

"Then why'd you ask?"

"Hell if I know, maybe old age's made me senile – hah!" he laughed. "What the hell, Africa 's a big ass country, two lookin' fer it's better 'n one."

"You think this Fountain of Youth's in Africa ?"

"Heard some woman in Africa 's got it. Word is she's a goddess. Sounds a lot like Storm if ya ask me. Remember that gal? Man was she all woman! Never got a piece of her either," he murmured the last part to himself. "Would be funny if it was her huh? Or some brat of hers. Yeah I'd like some of that – do the mother an' the kid 'slong as she ain't no wrinkled up ol' hag anyways."

"You're an inbred half wit," Logan said, now standing.

"You had her. I know ya did runt. Was she any good? Come on little buddy you can tell me."

Victor's head snapped back from the force of Logan 's right fist connecting with his jaw.

He spat a stream of blood onto the carpet and grinned. "Oh, I get it," Victor said. "You still got feelings fer that skirt. Well you know what buddy? When I find your Storm I'm gonna screw her all kinds of ways so she ain't never gonna remember you much less remember her own name."

"Storm's dead," Logan said. He turned, ignoring the bouncers that were approaching and headed towards the exit.

"I'm gonna fuck that bitch so hard she won't know what hit her!" Victor yelled.

An hour later Victor staggered out of the club. Logan , watching from across the street just inside the doorway of an apartment building, shook his head. He was down wind enough and Victor drunk enough for the moment that he was sure Victor wouldn't pick up his scent. Not that he cared. If he had to rip Victor's head off for information instead of trailing him it made no difference to him.

Nowadays it took a lot to enrage Logan but Victor's threats of what he'd do to Ororo had stirred that always lurking berserker rage within. But, as he'd waited outside for Victor his anger had slowly turned into something worse – remorse. Logan had plenty of regrets, some minor, many serious. Ororo was a major regret. He wished he'd never lost touch with her. She'd meant a lot to him once, more than he'd admitted at the time. A tinge of longing for what they'd once shared had begun to slowly creep over him and Victor's talk of a Fountain of Youth of having an eternal companion made him wish Ororo was alive. He was sure she wasn't but who could be sure when you were a mutant and most especially an X-Men? And if she was alive she was now in danger.

Years ago he'd finally stopped pussyfooting around with Jean and beating around the bush with Ororo. He'd started going out with Ororo, even double dated with Kurt and his lady friend at the time. He even put on a stupid monkey suit for her, did things she liked that he'd never thought about doing for anyone. But she didn't often ask, maybe that's why he'd gone along with it. She was a lot like him for all their differences. She preferred to be outdoors, hiking, camping, swimming, flying. Jean he'd loved and she wasn't a girly girl but she wasn't one to go hiking and camping. Sitting by the pool was just about the only thing she preferred to do outside.

The thing about Ororo was that she wasn't like any other woman he'd met. When he'd seen her coming down the stairs dressed to kill for a night out on the town or even dressed in jeans and a tee shirt his heart had always beat a little faster, his breath catching in his throat and without fail he'd have to think of other things to fight back the arousal he always felt. But it wasn't sex that had done him in though she did things to him no other woman had before and made him do things he'd never imagined doing, it was that she knew him and accepted and wanted him just as he was. When they were together Ororo made the earth stand still for Logan as if nothing else mattered in the world. And then she'd turned around and married another man with no warning whatsoever.

"Why is she doing this? She doesn't know this man!" Kurt had demanded when Logan had thrown a bachelor party for T'Challa the King of Wakanda, Ororo's out of the blue fiancé.

"First love. Guess you never get over it. You oughta know that," Logan had replied blandly.

"That is ridiculous! This is ridiculous! Why did you do this?" exclaimed Kurt who truthfully couldn't deny that he knew how deeply first love affected a person. And yet he could not abide by Ororo's decision.

Logan 's only reply was an absent grunt which hadn't satisfied Kurt.

"She barely knows him!" Kurt had continued, "He tells us he saved her from certain death when they first met while she has always told us it was she who saved him! And we are supposed to believe this interloper over our Ororo? Ororo who never lies, Ororo who is full of honor!"

"Calm down, Elf. This is what she wants."

"Is it truly, Logan ?"

"Ororo wouldn't be doin' this if she didn't want to, Kurt you know that. Hell, she ain't a kid. If she wants ta marry the Panther an' it's gonna make her happy who're we to say anything?"

"Have you said anything at all to her?"

"What's there to say? She made her choice."

"I would have thought you were closer after all you – well, you were dating only last week."

Logan knew Kurt had developed deep feelings for Ororo over the years, more than feelings of friendship but Logan had boldly made a move on Ororo while Kurt had done nothing. Logan just figured Ororo had made her choice and it was him not Kurt besides, Kurt had beat around the bush worse than Logan had. If Kurt had spoken up maybe Ororo would've chosen him and not Logan. Now her choice was a man she hadn't seen in years but it was her choice and like Kurt had felt when it was Logan and not him her happiness meant more than his wounded pride and hurt feelings.

"A woman gets to a point in her life where she doesn't want ta put off life anymore," he'd replied.

"Stop speaking gibberish and stop this travesty!"

"Kurt, I expect she wants babies, wants a man to be around, someone steady, wants someone to grow old with, to face death with."

"Has she told you this?"

Logan hadn't wanted to admit that she hadn't but Kurt had seen the answer clearly on his face.

"Perhaps that is the problem my friend, you should talk to her," Kurt had persisted certain Ororo didn't know what was best for her.

"There's nothin' ta say."

"I never would have thought you of all people would do something like this, Logan ."

"Think what you want she's happy."

"So you think but I believe she is not or she will not be for long."

"Then you talk to her, Kurt! You straighten her out an' while you're at it why don't you step in an' make your move too?" Logan had growled.

"It is not that, Logan . I accepted you and Ororo as a couple and with no animosity but you and she were always flirting with each other and so I should have seen it coming. But, Logan with this stranger she will not be happy. She cannot be if she does not follow her heart."

"An' what's that supposed ta mean? She's gushing all over the place about the Panther; don't that sound like love to you?"

"When have you known Ororo to gush, Logan ? That is not the Ororo we know."

Logan hadn't stayed to hear more but Kurt had followed him. "You know I'm right! Logan it isn't him that she loves."

Logan had assumed otherwise. No matter how often he'd gone over the few months leading up to the day he'd found out Ororo had decided to marry T'Challa he couldn't find any other reasonable explanation why she'd left him for the Panther. They'd had fun, been happy, comfortable even, the sex was incredible and if he'd been one of those metro type men in touch with their feelings he would've even said she completed him. Obviously he didn't complete her. It was T'Challa who did. And who was to say Logan wouldn't have left Ororo without a word if Rose had suddenly come back to life like a Phoenix , like Jean always did?

It still hurt even the memory. He'd pretended to be happy for her and thrown the party for T'Challa as testimony. If she'd known him as well as he thought she had she would have seen through his act but she hadn't. She'd let him throw a bachelor party for a man that had no respect for the relationship she'd been in when he'd proposed to her out of the blue. From what Logan sensed T'Challa didn't have much regard for Ororo either and his tall tales were proof. Kurt was probably right, she would regret her spontaneous out of character decision but at that time Logan had convinced himself it wasn't his concern.

A few years later her marriage disintegrated. She tried her best to make it work but ultimately she divorced T'Challa and came back to the X-Men for good. Neither he nor Kurt or anyone said 'I told you so'. She was back where she belonged and content enough so everyone left it at that. Accept him. He'd made the mistake of trying to pick up where they'd left off at, thought she wanted more from him than friendship but he'd read her wrong again. Eventually they were able to settle back into their old ways and remained friends until the day she left leaving only a note wishing him a happy life signed "love always, Ororo".

And now Victor wanted to find Ororo – if she was still alive – and do things to her that had Logan seeing red. If there was any chance that Ororo was alive Logan had to find her before Victor did. He would do everything within his ability to keep her safe and if he had to finally kill Victor once and for all in the process then so be it.

A/N – Next up Logan and Victor eat a little lion meat and discover Ororo's alleged hiding place. Also, how Jubilee, Remy and Rogue died.