Thanks so much to all of those who reviewed; it means a lot to me! Hope that you enjoy this next chapter of Spirit's Life!

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"Logan, we can't keep doing this," Hank said with a sigh as he injected more tranquilizer into Spirit's IV line. "It's been almost two weeks, and there's been no improvement. In fact, she seems worse to me."

Logan didn't respond, just looking at the she-wolf as she slammed herself against the cage bars in a rage, snapping and snarling at the two men as best she could through her muzzle. Her once beautiful blue eyes were now completely black, her white fur a dingy grey. Logan thought that once Jean had died, the Phoenix's influence would have left Spirit; it appeared that they'd been wrong. He knew that it was wrong to leave Spirit the way she was, constantly injecting her with tranquilizers and sedatives to keep her quiet. It was obvious that she was stressed and anxious, thrown into a frenzy anytime anyone came close to her cage. Hank had had to up the dosage of sedatives because her system was starting to gain immunity to the drugs.

Logan remembered the first time they'd come back from the labs, everyone exhausted and battle-worn. He himself had had it the worst, since he'd been the one to take Jean's life and bring her body back to the others. He'd hoped that the universe would have cut him a break as they came back, wanting to see Spirit get better; he'd made his choice, and now he wanted confirmation that it was the right one. However, he'd been greatly disappointed when Spirit had immediately attacked the bars in a frenzy when they'd come close, spittle flying through her muzzle. Hank had immediately tried to calm her down, but to little avail until he'd dosed her with enough tranquilizer to down an elephant.

Hank touched Logan's shoulder with a heavy sigh. "Logan, this isn't fair to her. Or to you for that matter," he said, watching as Spirit wavered in her attack before falling onto her side in a light sleep, falling silent once more. "I mean, look at her! The IV is giving her nutrients, but it's not enough to keep her alive. Last time we tried taking off the muzzle so she could eat, she started biting at everything in sight, including herself. Her healing ability is practically gone, and you know she's gone feral. We can't keep doing this to her; it's torture!"

Still, Logan didn't respond, trying to keep himself together for the sake of his sanity. Once he was sure that Spirit was out of it, he opened the cage door, sitting down and resting her head on his lap. The she-wolf stirred slightly at being moved, giving a half-hearted growl, before the drugs took over and she was out of it once more. Logan gently stroked her ragged fur, watching as her flank moved laboriously for breath. "Hank's right," he thought as he watched her, feeling her ribs as he ran his hand down her side. "It isn't fair to make her suffer like this." He stroked her a few more times before slowly nodding.

"You're right, Hank," he voiced, his eyes never leaving Spirit. "Get the others; we'll do it in the morning. It'll give everyone time to say good-bye."

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Logan watched as Rogue held Spirit's head in her lap the next morning, crying softly. He himself was holding back the lump that was trying to form in his throat, keeping strong for Rogue's sake. He'd spent the night down in the infirmary, keeping Spirit company and talking softly to her, even though her mind was gone. At least now, she'd be at peace.

"Why?" Rogue asked softly as her tears soaked into the she-wolf's fur, pulling Logan out of his dreary thoughts. "We've lost so many now; why do we have to lose her, too?"

"I don't know," Logan answered honestly. "But Hank's right; it's not fair to make her live like this. She wouldn't want to live like this. I should have done this when we realized the Phoenix's influence hadn't left her; I just couldn't let her go."

"None of us blame you, Logan," Storm said softly, touching Logan's shoulder gently. Unshed tears twinkled in her eyes; she was just as upset to have to put Spirit out of her misery. "We would have done the same thing."

Logan nodded slightly, going over to Spirit as she began to stir. Hank had told them that he'd cut back the sedatives so that the drugs would work faster; he didn't want her suffering anymore than she had to either. Logan slid his hands under Spirit's body, lifting her out of the cage and setting her on a blanket that they'd set up earlier. The she-wolf's black eyes flickered open, looking over at Logan and giving a soft growl of warning.

"Don't," Logan whispered as he set her down on the blanket, soothingly stroking her fur. "Not today, please. Just . . . not today. It'll be over soon, I promise."

Rogue was openly crying now, turning into Bobby's embrace. Storm came to Logan's side, crouching down next to him as he held her head. Hank came next with Jimmy; he'd make sure that Spirit's powers were completely voided so that she'd go in peace.

"So, this is Spirit?" Jimmy asked, rubbing his hands together anxiously.

Logan nodded, eyes never leaving Spirit's face. "Yeah, this is her," he said. "She was an amazing friend and an even better teammate. She was always there for others."

Rogue nodded in agreement, standing in Bobby's grasp as Hank knelt down next to Spirit, taking hold of her IV line with two syringes in his hand. The she-wolf was almost fully awake now, whining and growling as she tried to figure out what was going on. She tried to thrash, but Storm and Logan both held her tight, tears in their eyes. Logan was murmuring softly to Spirit, tugging gently on her ear to help her calm down. Jimmy knelt down next to Spirit's head, rubbing what was visible of her nose with an index finger. Spirit tried to snap at his hand, lips peeling back slightly to show jagged teeth and bloody gums from where she'd slammed her head against the bottom and sides of her cage.

"I can see why you need to help her," Jimmy said softly. "This isn't anyway for someone to live."

"It's not," Logan agreed. "I just wish I'd realized it sooner."

"Are we ready?" Hank asked, slipping the first needle into the IV line.

Everyone slowly nodded, fresh tears running down already wet cheeks. Hank gave a final, grim nod before slowly injecting the contents into Spirit's veins. The she-wolf tried to thrash again, making a horrible crying noise in the back of her throat as the icy liquid ran through her body before she slowly fell limp. Hank quickly took the second syringe and injected it the same way, watching sorrowfully as Spirit's sides steadily stopped moving, her demonic black eyes turning glassy. Her heavy breathing stopped, and she seemed to sigh in relief before she went completely still.

The seven people in the room stayed with her for a few minutes, holding their breaths. When Spirit's breathing stayed still, they seemed to sigh in relief themselves; they didn't want to have to go through everything all over again if her healing factor suddenly started working again. Rogue and Bobby left first, Rogue still crying as her boyfriend led her out of the infirmary. Hank was next, and then Storm, and Jimmy soon after, leaving Logan with Spirit's body.

"I'm so sorry, Sprite," he whispered as he stroked her cooling fur. He unstrapped the muzzle from her jaws, the fur matted with sweat and spit from the last few weeks. He kept stroking her until her body grew cold, and even then, he couldn't make himself leave her. After about an hour, he finally forced himself to get up, using a second blanket to cover Spirit's body completely. He knew that Hank would help arrange her burial, but he didn't really want to think about it at that moment. As he walked out of the infirmary, all he wanted to think about was drowning himself in beer.

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A heart jerker, ya? The more reviews, the faster I get the next chapter up! Thanks again for all of those who reviewed last chapter!

ML out