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Here is the next installment...enjoy!
Part Two

Late afternoon…and a familiar humming comes up the driveway to the gates. It has been six months and those gates have never looked better to the rider of the cycle. The solitary figure on the back of a screaming Harley looks at the sign posted on the wall next to the gate and smiles.

Time to pay the piper…

The motorcycle hums loudly as he presses the secret code into the gate’s security system. The huge iron gates swing open, letting the rider on the cycle motor their way up to the front door. Ororo is walking down the hall when she hears the roar of the cycle’s engine pull up to the garage area. Her heart skips a beat as she hurries to the front doors, almost being run over by Rogue heading in the same direction. The young girl swings open the doors and screams as she watches the rider put away the cycle, gather his things, and head toward the front doors, “Logan! Logan! You’re back!”

The tall figure steps into view and Ororo stops in her tracks before she heads to the door…

Why should she even be here?

She has never had any real close relationship with him and he’s too damn good at smelling out the truth. Being slightly insecure almost has her turning away and making her way to her attic hideaway, but she has to see him…make sure that he is okay and really here. Smiling at the ecstatic teen, she watches him try to remove the girl from around his neck…a gentile smile on his face…

He really can be handsome when he smiles…

Her thoughts begin to betray her, so she straightens her posture and stares at them. Rogue hasn’t stopped pawing at him, asking a question every half second. Patiently, he waits for her to begin to run out of gas before he speaks, “It’s good to see you too, kid…but ya’ think I can get in the door first before knockin’ me over?”

Blushing, Marie backs off, “Sorry, Ah just been waiting for ya’ for a long time, Logan. Where ya’ been?”

His face changes as he lowers his gaze, “I had some things I had’ta work out, kid. I know it took a long time…”

“Too damn long!” she yells and hits him on his chest…pretty damn hard, too. He grimaces slightly, rubbing the spot before speaking again, “Sorry, kid…didn’t mean to make ya’ worry.”

“Well, Ah wasn’t the only one worried…” she starts and Ororo steps up then, not wanting her to run down the names of all those that were on that list.

“Welcome back, Logan,” she whispers as she steps into his line of sight. Still the same…she observes. He is still wearing the same leather jacket he had when he left, but a different flannel shirt and jeans.

His stare can still be fearsome when he wants it to be, but now it’s soft…almost gentle. He doesn’t speak for a minute, but then the gruff rumbling answers her, “Thanks…didn’t expect a welcoming party.”

Smiling, Ororo moves in closer to him…almost involuntarily. “Well, I wouldn’t exactly call this a welcoming party.” Her eyes stay poised on his, trying to read something in them, like if he is in the slightest bit happy that she is here to see him.

Damn girl…you really need to stop this!

Absently clearing her throat, the beautiful African stares at the ground…somehow feeling his gaze on her. Logan decides to let her off the hook by tweaking Rogue’s cheek, “Don’t you think you should get ta’ bed or somethin’?”

Rogue giggles “It’s too early for all of that, Logan…but I do have some homework that I gotta get done, see ya’ later?”

“Sure…” he responds and the teen places a kiss to his cheek. “I’m so glad yer home…” she murmurs and runs back down the hall to the stairway, leaving Storm alone with the one person that she can’t seem to control herself around. An awkward silence takes over the vestibule, until Logan finally speaks, “Well, do I still have the same room…or did ya’ throw my stuff out?”

She laughs, “Your room is exactly the same as you left it.”

“Damn, couldn’t have cleaned it or anythin’?”

She laughs a little harder, waving her arm to the stairs, “I think you can find your way…second door on the left.” She watches as he picks up a bag from outside the door, probably dropped there when Rogue attacked him. Closing the door behind him, he turns to the stairs and heads on up. As an afterthought, Ororo tells him, “I will let the Professor
know that you’re back…”

“You know he already knows that…wait, Xavier’s alive?” Logan states, pausing half way up the stairs. He looks back down on her…wondering what other shit she may be hiding. How in the hell is Xavier alive? Jean killed him…damn, Jean...he thinks. This wasn’t what he wanted to think about now, but something tells him that he won’t be able to escape dealing with it…by the look in Storm’s eyes. He can smell her nervousness…

“What else is there, Storm?” he asks and watches as she swallows hard. “First, yes…he’s alive and there have been a lot more things going on since you’ve been gone…but I think that the Professor should tell you about it. I’m heading to his office now, so I’ll meet you there?”

Nodding, he answers, “Be there in a minute…wait there while I put these things in my room. I’ll be right back.” He bounds the rest of the way up the stairs as she waits for him…contemplating Logan’s reaction to the happenings in the mansion since his sabbatical. Within a few minutes, she hears a door close and she looks up the stairs, watching him run down them. “Well, let’s not keep Chuck waiting…” he says, the both of the heading down the hallway to the headmaster’s office.



As they approach the door, they can feel a presence in their minds speaking to them,

Logan, Storm…please enter…

Ororo opens the door to a smiling Professor Xavier, who has wheeled himself around his desk to greet them. “Ororo, Logan…it is so good to see that you are doing well, and came back safe and sound.” He puts out his hand to Logan in greeting.

“Thanks…good ta’ be back.” Logan says as he takes the Professor’s hand, shaking firmly. After they break, Xavier wheels over to the sofa area in his office and gestures for them to come with him, “You have been away for quite some time and there have been quite a few changes around here that you need to be made aware of…” He waits for them to take their seats before he continues his speech. Ororo, of course, knows everything that he is about to tell him, but it is still a hard pill to swallow.

“It’s not necessary…” the former Weapon X starts as he gets comfortable on the sofa, with Ororo sitting next to him, but Charles cuts him off. “Logan, when you left I was seemingly dead…Scott gone, and Jean…well, the Jean that had returned to us had to be stopped. I heard about what you did when I came back and I’m so sorry…”

A quick wave of the hand cuts him off, “Don’t sweat it, Chuck...old news.”

“Well, it seems that our Jean still had some power over the Dark Phoenix and transported Scott and myself to another dimension for our safety…letting the Phoenix think she had destroyed us. She was able to convince you to stop her...so all her faculties weren’t lost.” Xavier watches as Logan clenches his jaw…a sparkling of tears enters his eyes. Ororo sees this as well, and compulsively grabs his hand in comfort. He looks down at her hand for a moment, but doesn’t disengage her grip. He tries valiantly to clear his mind of the anguish he felt when his adamantium claw ran her through, but his jaw just tightens…he has shown enough weakness to these people.

“Logan, no one blames you for what happened…you need to stop blaming yourself…”

And just as suddenly, Logan jumps up and starts to pace the room, “I KILLED HER, dammit!” His claws make that distinctive *snickt* as they emerge to prove his point. “I ran her through as if she were nothin’…like the fuckin’ killin’ machine they made me inta’!” His outburst should have startled Storm, but she knew this was coming…knew it had to come for him to heal. But to watch him pace like a tiger in a cage was almost primal, very close to being inhuman. A pull within her wanted to comfort him, but she knows he has to let this out. Xavier senses the same and lets him vent, “Logan, you were the only one that could do it, the only one that she would let do it. No one blames you…”

Unable to feed his anger anymore, he flops back down in his seat, holding his head in his hands. “Now, that ya’ve made me remember that, what the hell else do ya’ wanna tell me?”

“Logan…”

He whips his head around at the soft voice to the doorway and almost passes out. There, standing there with her arms at her sides is Jean Grey…her long red hair flowing down her back and a soft smile on her lips. Too stunned to speak, Logan just stares at her...unable to form any words. Right behind her steps another familiar face…

“Cyclops? What the fuck is goin’ on here? How in the hell…?” he stammers and Ororo grips his hand again…tighter this time. Xavier waves them to come in the room to stand by him. “As I mentioned, Scott was in the dimension with me, and so was our Jean. Her personality had split, leaving the Jean we know with us…to keep us safe from the nasty images that was left with us by Dark Phoenix. Dr. McCoy was able to get in contact with a mutant named Forge to build an inter-dimensional gate to bring us back. When you killed “Jean”, you set the last part of her free…leaving only the Phoenix to be consumed. Forge was able to reconstitute all of us and here we are.”

“But, but…” stammers Logan again, thunderstruck. Ororo can’t help but wish that all of this was over to spare him anymore pain, but everything had to be said, so she holds on to calm him. Logan is completely speechless…everyone is back; Jean, Chuck, even Dickhead. How was this all possible? He looked over at Storm and noticed a sad look in her eyes when the name “Forge” was mentioned.

What happened here?

He keeps silent for now, still trying to assimilate everything that he has been made aware of. He can’t look Jean in the eye, and she senses why. Coming over to him, she takes his chin in her hand to make him look at her. “Stop blaming yourself, Logan. You did what I needed you to do and I thank you for it. It saved us all.” She bends down and kisses him lightly on the lips before pulling back. Scott bristles a little, hurriedly putting his arm around her waist when she returns to his side. Smirking at the reflex, Logan has to get his shot in, “See, One-Eye? She can’t keep her hands off me!”

Storm giggles, Jean blushes while Xavier clears his throat, “Yes, well…I think that this has been quite enough for one man to handle in one night. You can re-familiarize yourself with the mansion. Oh, we have added some new programs to the Danger Room as well…I’m sure you’ll love the new additions.”

A sneaky smile forms on Logan’s face as he stands
and shakes Xavier’s hand again, “Ya’ always knew what I liked, didn’t ya’?” Ororo still hasn’t let go of his other hand yet as she stands with him. Jean takes note of the grip, as well as Xavier…but neither says anything. As he starts to move to the door, she lets him go…but follows close behind him as they leave the room. The three that are left stare after them…

“Did you have to do that?” Scott asks Jean, frowning at the smile that she has on her face. “Scott, he saved us…whether or not you like that fact. It was nothing…” and she plants a longer, more heated kiss on his lips to prove her point. “I love you…not him. Please know that.”

Shaking his head, he looks at the Professor and frowns again at the somber look that the Professor has. “What is it? Regretting that he came back?”
“Don’t be silly…I am overjoyed that he has returned. No, I am more worried about how he’s going to take all of this. Logan has blamed himself for everything that has happened here six months ago…now to find out that it has all been undone. It would drive a normal person crazy…”

“I think we can all agree that Logan is as far from normal as they come…” says Scott and Jean hits him. “Look, I know you don’t really appreciate him being here, but he’s here and you better get used to it,” she says. A very disgusted snort escapes him as Xavier shakes his head. “He will need some time to get used to all of this again, and he’s going to need all of us to do it…that includes you, Cyclops.”

He nods reluctantly as he pulls Jean closer. Any thought of her spending any time with that…beast makes him nervous. But the next words out of his girlfriend’s mouth ease him a bit. “Professor, did you see what I saw...I mean between Logan and Ororo?”

“Yes, I did…but let’s not jump to conclusions as of yet. She still has been having a hard time getting over Forge.”

“Maybe, Logan will be the one to break her out of it…”

“WHAT?!” asks Scott. “How in the hell can he do that?!”

“If you have to ask, then we are definitely doing something wrong!” Jean replies as she gently nips his ear. Blushing profusely, Scott finally has nothing left to say and Xavier smiles at him. “Right now, we have more to worry about than our dear friend’s love life…Jean, please accompany me to Cerebro.”

“What’s up, Professor?”

“I don’t know yet, Scott…but I have a feeling that we are heading into another battle of sorts, and soon.”
That didn’t bode well, but since Scott doesn’t have telepathic abilities, he has to back off until he is told exactly what is going on. One thing is true…when the Professor is worried, everyone should be worried.





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