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Of the three people walking up the broken path, two seemed to be trotting along, while the third? Well,…

“Are we there yet?”

“No.”
“No?”

“Yes. No. The same no that I gave you five minutes ago and two minutes before that and seven before…”
“Alright alright. I get it. No need to rub it in. Anyways its not my fault that we am getting bored. Its all…”

“Hey, don’t include me in your whining.” The third voice rose up. “I am fine the way we are. After all, how often do we get to come out here. Here in nature, free, clean…don’t you agree?”
“Yes.” (Deep breath). “Even the air, its like we are in a different world altogether.”

“Aw stop it already. You two are making me sick. Sheesh.”
“You do understand that you a feral, don’t you?”
“Yeah, so? What’s that got to do with anything?”
“What’s that got to do with? Ferals are supposed to love nature, the outdoors…all this.”
“Yeah, maybe outdoorsy ferals like you love all this….this outdoors, but me, I am a…”
“A mall-feral!!” Once again the third person cut in, the comment eliciting a chuckle from the older adult, much to the chagrin of the person on whom it was made.

“Ha Ha. Very funny…freak!!”
“You are the freak.”
“Nuh-uh. You are.”
“You are.”
“You.”
“You.”
“You. You. Youyouyouyou.”

“Hey! Stop it both of you.” The no-nonsense tone silenced the two.
“She started it.”
“Nuh-uh. He did.”
“She did.”
“He did.”
“She.”
“He.”
“Sh…”

“Hey! What did I just say.” This time it was ‘final warning’. “Ugh Goddess. I swear, this is the last time I am taking you to meet grandpa. The next time you want, there isn’t going to be a next time. Next time I will go alone myself and the two of you…you get extra school.”

Horrified at the prospect of school and that too during summer vacations, both youngsters screeched to a halt, their dumbstruck expressions made all the more comical…by how similar they were, so similar that only identical twins could have it. Good, because that is what they were. Identical brother and sister. Rose and Charles. Rose, a mutant, like her mother and maternal grandparents, while Charles the flatline…the human, like his father James McDonald Jr. Usually, the apples of their parents eyes, the look that their mother was giving them wasn’t at all apple-y.

“Mom!! No.” The dark auburn haired Rose whimpered, putting on her ‘trademark’ puppy-dog face for added effect. This look of hers was a sure hit, except with this person for unfortunately for seven year old Rose (and her brother), the puppy-dog was an expression that was well known to their mother. In fact, it was so well known that she could write the book on it…complete with the author’s name in bold lettering. Kendall Logan-McDonald.

“Hmph.” Even though she had said otherwise, Kendall would never make good on her threat. She wouldn’t do anything to take this time of the year from the children…and even from herself. This time was the time when along with her own demon spawn…ahem, jewels, she too got to return to a time when she was all but a little girl herself. A time before she everything changed, both for her and her brother, and for the man who she and the kids were on way to visiting…her father.

A time before their mother left them…all of them.

---

//Flashback//

‘Logan…Its time.’ The third voice, as calm as it was, was answered by nothing else but a snarl from the man in question.
‘Fuck you Chuck.’ The Wolverine wasn’t ready to listen, at least not to anyone external.

‘Logan.’ The soft, barely audible whisper of a thought sounded clear in his mind. ‘You’ve got to let go.’
‘NO.’ This time around, instead of anger it was utter and total hopelessness that called out loud, coming across clear as day between the mind-link that Xavier had formed between the two of them, between Logan and a fast slipping-away Ororo…for that was the only way that they could even converse, the only way they could feel each other. As for their physical selves, although he held her within his arms, Ororo had long crossed the line where her body would finally give up on sensation of any kind. Even though it had come as a respite from the severe tremors that were almost continuously rocked her with pain, it also took away from her feelings…she couldn’t even sense Logan (or anyone else) touching her.

‘’Ro…’ He pleaded, to her, to any god that might be hearing…to anyone. ‘Don’t go…please. Don’t leave me. Not now…not…’
‘I-I am with yo-ouu…’ even though her body had all but given out, even her eyes, still he could feel her tears, mixed with her love, for their children, for those around him, but most of all, for him…even now, that flame burned bright inside of her.

‘Logan.’ Xavier interjected again. Even though he wanted otherwise, the aging telepath knew that there was nothing he or anyone else could do now. But along with his grief, there was also worry…worry for Logan. He had to get Logan out and sever the link before Ororo thought her last thought. Otherwise there was more than a small chance the Logan too would get pulled away along with her.

‘Go.’ Logan sighed, a psychic sigh of dejection and peace at feeling Ororo’s hand caressing him. ‘Go…my love…my Wolverine.’

‘’Ro….’

//End Flashback//

---

“Hey! There’s grandpa.’ Charles piped up at seeing the his grandfather’s cabin and the two figures seated in front of it on the porch steps.
“And uncle James too,” Rose exclaimed at seeing the behemoth that was James Logan-Hewlett. “UNCLE JIMMY!” She cried out aloud.

In response both men stood up and started towards the trio, the elder Logan even at his six-feet two inches easily dwarfed by his giant of a son. From about three and half foot when his mutation first manifested itself, James had grown by leaps and bounds, finally leveling of a mind-boggling eight feet, three and a quarter inches. As his physical dimensions had grown, so had his muscle size and strength. Now, in his prime, he was truly a sight to behold, and as a leader of his own X-Team, an imposing presence against any enemy. Yet, as he was before the change, he was still the silent sort, and as always his link with the animals was still as strong as ever. Though not a part of his mutancy, Henry (Beast) had inferred that this link of his was a mixture of his father and mother’s links with nature.

None of that mattered now, as tearing up the last hundred or so feet, both Rose and Charles leapt up into their grandfather’s arms, all three of them falling down onto the soft grass in a ungainly heap of laughter and hugs.

“Grandpa-grandpa,” Charles exclaimed breathlessly, “Look what I made for you.” He drew out a small hand-painted ball from inside his jacket pocket. “Its of paper-mash. I made it myself. Now we can play catch with it, and even if I drop it, it won’t bounce away and get lost.”

“Sure kid.” The slightly graying Logan smiled at the young boy. “Its nice…”

Not to be left out, Rose stuck out her tongue at her twin and pushed herself in front of him. “Suck up. I made something better. It’s a…”

“Alright you two,” Kendall cut in, James looming up behind her. “Get up and help grandpa up too. And then pick up your bags and take them to your room. You know the one. And no fighting on who gets to sleep on which bunk.” At seeing no movement, she put on her mom voice. “NOW!”

“Yes ma’am.” And they were off.

---

“Hey old man.” Helping him up, the mother of two didn’t even allow her father to straighten up before falling into his arms, almost the same way as the youngsters had.

“Hey princess.” The familiar rumble, the one that had worked as a lullaby for her in her infancy, sounded to her.

In spite of herself, the tears just welled up, all the more when James stepped up to complete the family huddle.

“No fair.” Both Charles and Rose yelled from the second floor window. “And no crying!!”

“Mmoooomm,” and like clockwork the next ‘request’ came up. “Hungrrrry.”

“Coming coming,” Kendall shook her head, using the back of her hand to wipe her tears away. “Come on dad, Jimmy. Lets feed the monsters…and lets get something for ourselves too.”

“You two go,” Logan nodded towards the side of the cabin. “I’ll come in five.”


Though he did not say what he was staying back for, both Kendall and James knew what it was. It was something they had seen him do every day since their mom…went away. First it used to be at their home, where they had moved after leaving the mansion, and then when he left that too, after James turned eighteen and went off to college, it was here in his mountain cabin.

“Okay dad.” One last hug and Kendall accompanied her brother indoors.

---

“Hey darlin’.” Sitting down on the soft flat grass, next to the three foot by three foot granite surface, Logan gestured towards the house. “The kids ‘re here.”

There was nothing else to said…at least not aloud. For Logan, even though he had been alone for more than half his life, he was never quite alone, not anymore. Even if all that physically remained of wife, his Goddess was a handful of ashes (her body cremated in accordance with her beliefs), he could still feel her on the inside…he could still her voice.

Some might have called him crazy but those who had the power to read minds would notice something very different…something that Xavier himself had noticed, right after Ororo’s last thoughts had sounded from her own mind. It was a side-effect of Logan having lingered for too long in the link.

‘What d’ya say we go an’ join them.’ He smiled knowing what the answer would be, after all, he could sense the joy as if it was his own.

‘Yes…’ and sure enough the reply came, complete with the sultry accent that belonged to one particular person.

‘Yes my love…my Wolverine.’

Note: Now, I could do a ‘sappy-happy’ ending too, but I think that wouldn’t have the same effect as this one.

As for Logan’s situation and mind, took a bit from ‘Wolverine: The End’ mini. There its supposed to be that Logan has another presence in his mind, Xavier I think. Well, its not so here, meaning, its not Charles.

Regarding Kendall’s husband, James McDonald Jr. is a sort of OC character (son of James and Heather McDonald, both of whom are members of Alpha Flight in the comicverse)

Please Review….and in case this is the closer, thank you for all your thoughts n’ comments.

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