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**
A couple of hours later
**
“What is wrong?” She asked him with an amused look on her face as she watched him tug and stretch in the uniform he wore, which he had been doing since they left.

“I had forgotten just how restricting these damn suits are,” He huffed out. “Ya’d think Charles could find a better design, I mean, leather, really?” Wolverine tossed her a disgusted look and she giggled.

“Well, maybe you had gained a few pounds in the future,” Storm teased and was rewarded with a playful growl. “I have no complaints I think it fits me very well.”

“Yeah, I think it does too,” He replied as he raked a hungry glance over at her. “But it ain’t never been very practical in combat. In the future I designed our suits and they had kevlar plates to help minimize damage to the body. All tactical and built for combat.”

“Doesn’t sound very fashionable. I personally…”

“You’d prefer to be as naked as the day you were born, I know,” Logan finished for her and she was stunned for a moment that he knew exactly what she was going to say. “You don’t change yer beliefs and views much over the next 20 some years, baby,” He chuckled out as his eyes remained fixed on the huge metal door nearly 40 feet from their position hidden at a side building. She blushed a little at his term of endearment, which flew from his mouth so naturally she was sure it hadn’t registered to him that he had even said it. He lifted his arm and checked the military grade watch housed there. He noted that it took the guard exactly 19 minutes to go around the entire building. “Looks like this place is set up so that is the main way in and out,” Logan whispered as he pointed at the large door before them.

“That does not seem practical or smart,” She offered as she pressed herself against his back to get a better look.

“Yea, well I’m sure Trask has some other secret way out, in case the shit hits the fan,” Logan offered. “And we don’t want that, we need ta find a way ta get in undetected so we can stop him before he escapes and we need ta shut the entire thing down.”

“Well, lucky for you, you marry a master lock picker. We should go, I would say we have got about 15 minutes before those guards make their way back around, and if that lock is digital, I might need all of that time to break it,” Storm said as she moved around him and hurried to the locked door. It had only taken her 4 minutes and 11 seconds to break into the digital lock and get them inside without alarms blaring. “I hope that is a skill I have been able to retain in 20 years,” She playfully whispered to Wolverine.

“Darlin, age has only improved ‘everything’ aboutchu,” He replied as he stealthily led the way down the corridor. She smiled in kind at the compliment as she followed him.

“For this to be such a secret compound holding Trask’s prized Sentinels there is not much security around the inside,” Storm observed.

“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Wolverine countered. He then lifted his head and sniffed the air. “Shit!” He exclaimed as he looked to a darkened door way to their right. Storm followed his gaze and let out a gasp as a red light suddenly illuminated the room.

“Mutant lifeforms detected,” A robotic voice spoke out and they could hear the echoed steps of the yet unseen being as he moved to them.

“Is that a Sentinel?” Storm questioned as she stared over at the machine that now stood before them in the corridor. “I imagined them to be much bigger,” She added as she stared curiously at the robot that seemed to be the same height as her.

“Trust me, they get a major upgrade in the future,” Wolverine promised. “I’m talk’n skyscraper big,” Storm frowned up at the thought of it. “And they do more of the try’n ta kill us and less of the stand’n and stare’n,” He continued as he frowned up at the machine standing there seemingly void of any real threat to them.

“It seems to be in some early stage of development then. Maybe all it can do is detect a mutant,” She offered and as if her words had been a reminder the red light in the Sentinels visor brightened.

“Get down,” Wolverine barked out as he shoved Storm away just before the blast intended for her struck him in the back. The roar it pulled from his lips and the grimace on his face, told Storm it had really hurt him. But Wolverine’s recovery time had always been quick and in his next breath he had already turned and decapitated the iron beast, whose body remained standing as its head rolled back into the dark room it had ventured from.

“Wolverine! Are you okay?” She asked as she rushed to his side while he leaned against a nearby wall.

“Yeah, darlin, I’m all right,” He answered as he patted her hand which gripped at his arm. He took note of the fear and concern in her eyes and wanted to soothe her. “But I’d forgotten how badly their blasts burned. “But I’m all healed now, see,” He turned his shoulder a little and she was able to see a hole in the suit caused by the blast, and she also could see his fully healed fleshed underneath. She smiled and then surprised him when she swooped in quickly and captured his mouth in a kiss. It quickly deepened for a few seconds before they both remembered themselves and where they were, and they slowly pulled from the kiss.

“Thank you for saving me,” Storm panted out as she pressed her forehead to his and stared intensely into his eyes.

“I’ll always save ya ‘Ro, or die try’n,” He declared softly as he reached up and stroked her cheek and she blushed sweetly at him. “Now, how about we blow this place up and head home?” He said as he reached into one of the pouches in his suit and pulled out the advanced micro C4 patches that Forge had designed. They were lightweight and tiny but just a couple of ounces of it had the blast power of an atomic bombs. “I think there ain’t many security guards on the inside because they’ve got active Sentinels to protect things. So, stay alert,” He instructed and she nodded as she followed. As they made their way through the warehouse like building, they had come upon and dispatched four more Sentinels. And Wolverine would occasionally stick a C4 patch on a wall. Storm silently watched him and thought it was a bit of an overkill but remained quiet. She could see that the man before had lived a hard life and suffered many losses. Now, he had a chance to change things and he was determined to do everything in his power to ensure history didn’t repeat itself. They had scoured the entire building, which took nearly 2 hours given its size, but they had managed to allude several more Sentinel guards. Finally, they reached the end where there was another large metal locked door. It took a little longer for Storm to crack this door, which told Wolverine that what he wanted was behind it. When the door opened it showed a large lab where a couple of dozen people bustled about. All the people were either too busy or didn’t care to notice their new visitors. They all continued their work which was piecing together humungous Sentinel parts. “Master Mold,” Logan hissed out.

“Master Mold?” Storm repeated curiously.

“Trask’s Momma Sentinel. Its job is to create more Sentinels quickly and efficiently. He felt humans can make mistakes more easily than machines, so he eventually takes them outta the equation. In about 10 years from now, that thing is gonna become sentient and it’s gonna realize it’s at the top of the food chain and that humans should be eliminated just like mutants. It’ll want Earth to be Sentinel populated only. It’s definitely gotta go,” He announced as he smacked C4 patches against every panel he walked by.

“Logan,” Storm broke protocol and used his name as she kept a quick pace behind him. “We have to evacuate these people before we blow the building.”

“Why, these were the motherfuckers who build the gotdamn things, they’re the reason for everything. So, let’em burn.”

“No,” She stopped as she reached out, gripped his arm, and pulled him around to face her. “You cannot be serious. I will not be a party to murdering innocent-”

“Innocent!” Wolverine yelled and she jumped a bit as his rage brushed over her. Even a couple of the nearby workers had stilled and looked at the wild man they hadn’t noticed before. “They had a hand in the death of billions. They’re the reason yer…” He pursed his lips, shook his head as he closed his eyes a second to clear that last thought from it. “They cause it all.”

“But they are not aware of what will happen, only you have the knowledge of that future. We do not know what Trask has told them about what it is they are building here. And I cannot allow you to be their judge and executioner, I will not,” She stated and her eyes whitened to let him know that she meant it and that she would fight him if she had to, to help protect these people from him.

“Fuck, why do ya gotta be so righteous all the time, ‘Ro? It’s gotdamn annoying,” He growled out.

“No more annoying than your ‘leave nothing alive’ policy. Why do you act so heartless when I know first-hand that you are not?” She countered but she could tell that her words nor the threat of a fight had swayed him. “Do you love me, Logan, love your ‘Ro I mean?”

“Yes and yes, yer one and the same. Thought we’ve covered this already,” He answered around slight pants as his body shook with his rage and his hands itched to get started with some sort of destruction.

“Then if you love me, please spare them for my sake,” She pleaded. “Because if you do not, I promise I will never forgive you,” She threw down the gauntlet and they began to stare one another down, neither giving an inch in their stance. All of the workers had stopped in their tasks and were engrossed in the stand down that was happening in the middle of the room.

“If you sons-of-bitches wanna live, ya better get outta here now,” Wolverine commanded as he continued to hold his mad gaze onto Storm, whose hard-glaring back faltered a little as a pleased smile pulled at her lips. When he noticed nobody was moving, Wolverine grasped the gun he had holstered on his right thigh, rose it, fired off a couple of shots. “Get the fuck out,” He roared and chaos ensued as the men and women ran for the exit screaming and tripping over themselves. As a man and two women tried to run by where he and Storm still stood, Wolverine shot out his arm and stopped them. “Where’s Trask?” He asked as he turned to them mincingly. Fear filled all three as they shook with fear. “Well?”

“W…we don’t know,” One of the females finally answered and Wolverine aimed his gun and shot it so quickly and the woman crumbled to the floor with her bloodied knee before Storm could even react.

“I really only need ‘one’ of ya ta tell me what I wanna know,” Wolverine growled out the threat as he cocked the gun.

“Dr. Tr…Trask’s office is through those doors and at the end of the corridor,” The jittery man was the one to speak as the lone female vigorously nodded her head and also pointed. “He’s in there right now if you need to speak with him.”

“Thanks,” Wolverine muttered out as he shoved past them. “Storm, make sure everyone gets out safe.”

“What? No, I will not leave you,” She attempted to argue.

“Hey, you were the one with a conscience, I wanted ta blow’em all up,” He said as he kept walking. “So, they’re yer responsibility.” *SNIKT!* “I’ll take care of Trask,” He said as he disappeared through the opened labs door that led to where Trask’s office was. Storm stared after him for a second before the terrified man recaptured her attention.

“C..can we leave now?” He asked as he stood stock still, too afraid to move.

“Yes, I shall help you get out safely,” Storm replied and they helped the wounded woman up and all exited out the building. Once outside she had made sure all the workers had gotten through the locked security gates that encased the grounds. It hadn’t taken much convincing as most took off full speed as soon as they exited. All that remained were the dedicated security guards. She had told them that the place was going to blow up and in reply they had fired their guns at her, so she had to use strong winds to push the guards back and kept them from harming her or rushing inside to ambush Wolverine. Although she knew he would be able to smell them coming. Storm anxiously waited for Wolverine to come out. She found it distracting as well as draining to wield her powers while watching for Logan to walk out or for the building to blow up. A moment later Wolverine burst through the exit at full speed.

“Fall Back!” He yelled as he fast approached where she stood. Storm rose herself up and drifted to Wolverine, grasped him, and lifted them to the sky and at sonic speed flew them away a millisecond before the warehouse and all the surrounding vehicles and smaller buildings on the grounds exploded. From the position high above they both could see the crater that now replaced the facility.

“Was that not overkill, Logan?” Ororo asked.

“I needed ta make sure there was nothing that didn’t burn,” He answered.

“Is there a way to be sure? I mean, what if there are filed stored elsewhere?”

“There ain’t, Trask was a paranoid fucker,” Logan stated. “He knew what he had and knew he would be of most value if he made it so no one could ever get their hands on his work ta copy it. So, he never wrote anything down, kept it all in that big head of his, which I cut off,” She cut her eyes to him in slight horror over how callous he spoke of taking someone’s life, and as if he had read her mind he replied. “And don’t give me any shit about it, ‘Ro. That fucker deserved ta die and he died more humanely than all of our fallen friends during the Sentinel war.”

“So, it is done?”

“I don’t know,” Logan said around a sigh. “But I do know that that had ta’ve changed the future somehow, and in our favor,” He added. “C’mon darlin let’s go home.”

“Do you think we should? I am sure those workers got a good look at us. They may report us to the authorities. I do not wish to bring trouble to the school.”

“Doubt it, that was supposed to be a top-secret military facility, the shit they were doing in there won’t sanctioned by the US government, just by a few powerful and power-hungry politician assholes. They ain’t gonna want any real kind of investigation into what happened ‘cause it’ll expose them too. I’m sure they’ll play it up as a mutant attack. But those workers will all be taken out before they are able to say anything about anything,” He stated and Ororo looked horrorstruck. “Ya shoulda let them all blow up in that place ‘cause now it is very likely their families will be killed too,” She found her heart clinch at the idea of it, and as she carried them to where they had hidden their vehicle she shed quiet tears of remorse and regret for those families.

**
Hours later, back at the School
**

Logan and Ororo crept back into the mansion as quietly and easily as when they had left. The darkened corridors attested to the fact that they hadn’t been missed. Ororo had noticed that during the drive back that Logan had been reserved. He was never much of a talker after their missions but it wasn’t his quietness that had her worried. She just knew that he was heavy in thought and that was what worried her. When he had walked her up to her loft door, and before he could fully turn to leave, she spoke to him.

“There is something you are not telling me, what is it?” She asked as he stood with his back to her. He only turned his head slightly to regard her.

“I’m leav’in, ‘Ro, and I ain’t com’in back,” He announced and Ororo felt as if he had punched her in the gut. She felt a panic wash over her which left her feeling hot in the summer dress she had changed back into.

“W…why? I do not understand,” She questioned as her mind reached for ideas that would make him change his mind.

“’Cause, I don’t know for sure if what we did tonight will change anything.”

“But as the Professor said, us knowing what took place in the future is in turn changing it.”

“We were married on New Year’s right down there in the back gardens,” Logan spoke this as he turned to face her fully, yet his eyes didn’t lock on her but to the large window at the end of the only hallway next to her loft. “Man, you were so beautiful, ‘Ro, and I was on edge the whole time think’n at any minute God was gonna tell me it was all a joke and take you from me,” He said as he looked to her with a slight smile which she returned. “I still remember it all like it was yesterday, and you gave me this that day,” He pulled out the ring he kept on the chain around his neck. “And it’s still here. This is why I need ta leave.”

“Because of me, the memories of the life you had with the other me?”

“If I changed the future then why do I still remember everything just as it was? Shouldn’t I have no memory of it if things have really changed? Shouldn’t this be gone?” He asked and he clutch at the ring and she looked up at him stunned, fully understanding what he was getting at. “So, maybe I’ve come back to do things different personally. Choose a different path.”

“A path where you don’t love me or marry me?” She replied as she nodded her bowed head. She found that she couldn’t look at him for fear tears would fall. She couldn’t explain why this news broke her heart as it did. She had only just learned of the life some future version of herself had shared with Logan. She had experienced none of that life but the thought of him leaving and her missing out on that possible life and love pained her greatly.

“I love you, ‘Ro, and that’s fact. Nothing I can do ta change that.”

“Then, why leave me?” She asked as she let some tears slip out and Logan cursed himself inwardly at the obvious hurt, he was causing her. “If you do not want to have any kind of romantic relationship with me as before then we can forget what I said earlier. We will remain just friends as we have always been,” She offered and he smiled sadly at her proposition.

“I know that wouldn’t work,”

“Why not?”

“I won’t be able to just be your friend, not now. Not knowing that there’s a part of you that wants me too.”

“I never thought I would see you run away scared from anything, Logan,” She said bitterly knowing it would rile him up. And she could tell by the hard glare he threw at her in that moment it had been mission accomplished. “We do not know for sure that even if you and I never became involved romantically there would be any change to that future you remember. But I do know that if that future were to still happen those Sentinels would not fair well against the RoLo Combo,” She said with such conviction Logan instantly forgot her earlier put down. He knew she was right she usually was. “But you go ahead, run away from me, from the X-men. See if I care,” She then turned to her door and reached for the knob. “You would not be the first to do so,” She said so low he was sure that she hadn’t really wanted him to hear her. As she opened the door and before she could fully cross the threshold, Logan had grasped her arm and yanked her back around to face him.

“This could cause the end of the world, and I honestly don’t even care. But dontcha say I didn’t warn ya, that I didn’t try to end things before they got outta hand,” He spoke as he pulled her closer until the weight of her chest pressed intimately to his.

“Logan, whatever will happen we will face it together as we have since we joined the X-Men. Now, shut up and just kiss me,” Ororo commanded and he curled his lips with a smile. And as Logan leaned in to kiss her, he thought that was something else about her that didn’t change in the future, she sure was a bossy lady.

The End





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