She was at one of the computers,enough of the screen reflecting off her wire framed glasses that he couldn't see her eyes,only feel them when she looked at him."Oh,hi,"she said,her voice equally relieved and tense.She was glad he wasn't someone else (or maybe she was glad to see him),but she wasn't in the mood for his company right now.She attempted a faint smile,and said,"You could have sent a postcard,you know."

"I was havin' too much fun,"he replied,coming up to her table.

The library was just that-shelves and shelves full of books,but it also doubled as the 'computer lab',explaining the tables full of computers that lined the room.He moved behind her to have a look at the screen,and leaned over close to Jean's chair,placing one hand on the edge of the table to prop himself up.He knew it made her damn uncomfortable for him to be so close to her,but it actually made it easier for his eyes to adjust to the computer screen the closer he got to it.A weird side effect of his mutation was that sometimes his eyes focused a little too well:he could spot someone miles away with crystal clarity,assuming he had the right vantage point;he could also find a chipped piece of tooth in a pile of pulverized white rock,focusing on them until he saw each separate granule of stone in the heap.But the in between states,the normal acuity for reading something at a reasonable distance,seemed to offend his corneas at times.He made a better hunter than a poet."Encyclopedia of Mythology?"He read,focusing on the words at the top of the browser."Huh.I thought I'd find you looking at something microbial.Is this for a lesson or something?"

"No,"she admitted,and he sensed her discomfort increase,especially in the way she shifted in her chair.(She'd also started using a new conditioner on her hair-it smelled like raspberries and passion flower.)"This was more along the line of personal research."

"Personal research?"He puzzled over that for a moment,trying not to stare at the side of her face (but she had a lovely profile),and suddenly realized what it might be."Is this about Bob?"

Jackpot.She looked at him,her eyes widening in surprise behind the small round lenses of her glasses,and admitted, "Yes. After what happened in Dis,and now in Canada..."

"You don't buy the demon story anymore?"

She both shrugged and shook her head before glancing back down at the screen."I don't know what to believe.He's far more inhuman than I ever would have thought."

He didn't know if he should mention the demi-god theory to her or not.Maybe he'd see what she leaning towards first before volunteering anything."Found anything that sounds like him?"

"Maybe.There's a lot he could fit,but not really,if you know what I mean."

"I think I do."

"This one keeps coming up though."

He leaned closer to the screen,as the font was small and crowded close together,but the picture above showed what looked like an odd looking cherub with flames for hair."Loki,"he read,then frowned."A Norse god?"

She nodded,then read aloud:"Part god and part giant,Loki was a mixture of trickster and creator,and the embodiment of deceit.He could be a friend to the gods,but he also caused the death of the god Balder.He led his monstrous children and the souls of the dead against the gods in Aesir and therefore they were wary of him.Unpredictable and changeable,he was a shape-changer who could appear as anything from a giant to a puff of smoke.Led by him,he and his children brought about the destruction known as Ragnarok,the end of the world of the gods.Other names for Loki are the Sly God and the Father of Lies."

"Well,I suppose it could fit.He's got enough kids.But he's no shapeshifter."

"As far as we can tell."

He shrugged,a sort of agreement.

"The problem is I'd have to believe he was born as fire-Loki means fire-and I'd have to believe in Thor and Odin and Fenrir,the globe sized wolf."She closed the browser,and grimaced at him,embarrassed."I feel like a superstitious idiot."

"Bob does that to us all,"he assured her,pulling over a chair and sitting beside her."He once told me ninety nine percent of mythology is bullshit,but it's the one percent that's not that we have to worry about."He decided he wouldn't tell her Bob had said he was off to visit Ganesha,not unless she asked.

She smiled faintly,appreciating his effort to excuse her momentary lapse of reason."He doesn't really look Norse,does he?"

"No.Looks Australian,though."

"How so?"

"It's hard to explain,but if you ask him nicely,he'll put on his cork hat,and you could see for yourself."

She chuckled quietly,turning back towards the computer screen.

"No,I'm serious.He has a hat with corks hanging down from the brim.He says he wears it to embarrass the kids."

She shook her head,laughing louder this time."He is a very weird man.Thing.Whatever he is."

"Life is an endless party to Bob.It must be nice."

"It must."She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes,and said,with some surprise,"Rogue gave you your dog tags back."

He looked down,grabbing them almost on reflex,his thumb running over the indents of the numbers and the word Wolverine embedded in the metal."Yeah.I convinced her I'd be stickin' around for a while.Also,I think it was startin' to make her boyfriend jealous."

"Bobby?Nah,he's a good kid."

"Better than I could ever be.I mean,if I was a teenage boy,I don't think I could date a girl I could never touch.I mean,for a little while yeah,but then I'd explode in a frightenin' mess of hormones."

She smirked knowingly."All teenagers are a frightening mess of hormones.I'm surprised any of us lived through that period."She paused briefly,calling something else up on the computer,and said quietly,"I'm glad you're sticking around for a while."

"Are you?"He wondered,studying her profile ,which was limned in the blue from the computer screen.In a way,she was a woman he couldn't touch,wasn't she?So why was he even wasting his time?"Uh,I was wondering if maybe you could help me do somethin'."

"What?"She sounded slightly wary,and it made him want to laugh.What did she think he was going to say?Release pent up sexual tension?Join the 'Mile High' club?(Would she agree if he asked?)

"Set up an email account."

She raised an eyebrow as she finally turned to look at him."Wow.What brought that on?"

He frowned at her."Why is this so shocking?Am I seen as Luddite or something?"

That slightly insulting amused smile remained affixed to her face as she turned her gaze back to the monitor."No.It's just that...it means you can be reached by someone.You seem to prefer to be out of reach."

Logan wondered if she meant that in more ways than one.Maybe she did.And maybe she was right."Well,cyberspace isn't an actual physical location.It wouldn't hurt to establish myself there.As long as socksnnoses doesn't find out."

She gave him a curious look."What?"

He shook his head."A long and frightening story.Did you know somebody put security cam footage from the Statue of Liberty on the web?"

To his surprise,she nodded,her loose auburn hair sliding off her shoulders."It was pretty murky,though,and what there was didn't show a lot of what was going on.Good in a way,but also bad,as people can twist the footage to fit whatever agenda they have."

"And they have."

"Of course."She brought up what looked like a form on the browser,and frowned."Oh dear.You need a last name."

"Smith,"he suggested,not actually caring what she put there.

"Smith?That's so mundane,though."She graced him with a kind smile."You don't strike me as the mundane type."

He smirked at her,and suggested,"Gray?"

She smirked right back at him."Claus?"

"Oh,that hurt."He thought for a moment,then threw up his hands."I don't care;put whatever you want there."

She thought about it for a moment,then typed in the name 'Montague'.

"Montague?"He repeated.Logan Montague sounded really weird and hoity toity,like he should be sipping cognac in a tweedy 'gentlemen's club' that smelled of pipe smoke and old newspapers.

She shrugged a single shoulder."You make me think of tragic figures."

It took him a moment,but he placed it-Montague was the last name of Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet",wasn't it?Was she implying he was a Romeo too?Even though the wimpy little prick offed himself,he was flattered.He bet she never thought of 'Clops as a Romeo.

She typed in the address of the Institute as his 'home address',and then paused,her hands poised on the keyboard. "Hmm.We have to think of an email name and a password for you.I bet Wolverine has been taken."

"Amnesiac?"He suggested facetiously."Nopast."

She frowned at him."Selfpitying."

"Dangeroustoknow."

"Grumpygus."

"Kingofthecage."

"Oh,I like that one,"she said,quickly typing it in.

"I was kidding!"He snapped,grabbing her hand to stop her.

"Oh come on,"she said,smiling warmly at him.It seemed to take her a long moment before she slid her hand out of his grasp."Would you rather be loganthecrab?"

He scowled at her,and let her finish typing it up.

"Password?"She asked.

"Jeanisasmartass,"he replied.

To his surprise,she laughed."Seriously."

"I am serious."

She shrugged,and typed it in."I guess I'll have to change one of my passwords to Loganshouldtalk."

"One?How many addresses you got?"

"Several.I have one for members of the medical community to get a hold of me about mutant issues,but I keep having to change the address because anti-mutant activists keep getting a hold of it and spamming me relentlessly."

"Give me their addresses next time.I'll take care of 'em."

"That's what I'm afraid of."She finished typing,and turned towards him,hands raised in triumph."There you go- kingofthecage is all set."

He shook his head,not willing to believe that was actually his email address.How was he going to explain that to Srina?

She got up,smoothing the back of her red knee length skirt as she stood,and he asked,"Have I chased you off?"

Her smile was almost pained."No,I'm done,and I suppose I have some more packing to do."

There was a look in her eyes that seemed to suggest that she wanted him to try and talk her out of her little trip with Scott.But why would he bother?He was tired of dicking around.Of course he wanted her,and he knew she wanted him, but he wasn't going to play this game anymore;it was up to her to make her choice,and he was not going to let her string him along anymore."Have a good time,"he offered,almost sincere.

Surprise flashed through her eyes,but that forced smile remained fixed to her face,never wavering."Thanks.I hope I'll see you when we get back."

He looked away from her,moving to her vacated seat so he could be in front of the computer,and also so she could not see the pained look on his face."Probably.Maybe you can send me a postcard."

"Maybe,"she agreed,and put her hand on his shoulder.His first impulse was to reach up and take her hand,but he ignored it,keeping busy by hunting and pecking on the keyboard instead.After a moment,she squeezed his shoulder,and then let go,leaving the library.He watched her walk away in the reflection of the computer screen,hoping she'd stop and admit she wasn't happy with Scott anymore,but no,of course not.

She wasn't ready yet.But one of these days she'd have to decide if she was gonna give up on old One Eye,or see it through with him,whether she was happy or not.

He focused on the keyboard and got to work on contacting Srina,if only to let her know he got back in one piece,and hoped she was okay (and not taunting the Claw Luvvers or,god forbid,sending them his way).

He didn't know how long he was willing to hang around here,Bob's oblique warnings not withstanding.But he knew Srina may have had a point.While searching for the remnants of his old life,there was no reason at all why he couldn't try and start another.

***

Logan quietly stalked the dark and empty halls of the mansion in his bare feet,heading towards the rear of the house. Whoever was out there (one person was all he heard-but that didn't mean there weren't more who were more gifted with stealth farther out) was trying hard to be quiet,but they were failing.

As he went on further,a draft of cold air hit his skin,and he realized the door of the 'sun room' was open.A kid sneaking out?

It was times like this he saw the wisdom in wearing pajama pants,but seriously,he missed sleeping without clothes on. Still,he had to be ready to fight no matter when,and while he had no problems fighting naked if he absolutely had to, there was no sense in making the other guys around here feel inadequate.

As a slight breeze ruffled the hair on his chest and arms,he caught a familiar scent:Scott.And...an animal?Was he sneaking out on Jean with mammals other than bipeds?Oh,that would explain so much about him,but on the other hand,it would make him more interesting than he actually was.

He padded softly to the open glass door and peered out.It was one in the morning and pitch black,a thin layer of velvety grey clouds hiding the moon and the stars,leaving the distant blue-white glow of the security lights the only illumination for the entire back garden.But he didn't really need the lights at all;everything was crystal clear to him, just dark blue with shadows,nothing more.And Scott was around the right side of the house,hidden from view by a couple of sprawling red twig dogwoods and a juniper that looked like Marge Simpson's hairdo gone nuts,but he could hear him hiss in a low but frustrated voice:"Would you get out of here already?"

Logan just had to see what this was about.He crept out into the backyard,and up to Scott.He made no noise at all,and Scott never turned around.

It was an interesting scene:Scott,in a t-shirt and pants almost too baggy for him,had cornered a rather large raccoon by the recycling bins,and boy was it mad.Even before it reared on its hind legs and bared its tiny muzzle of teeth, making a noise that was more weasel than cat hiss,Logan could smell the anger coming from it.

"Friend of yours?"Logan asked,and Scott just about jumped ten feet.

He spun around in a clumsy pirouette,hand instantly raised to his visor,and the stench of fear,sudden and acrid,made Logan feel obscurely bad.The guy was still probably freaked out about his capture by the Organization,no matter what Bob had done to ease the shock.Yes,it was Scott,but that wasn't reason enough to torture him.(Not quite...but close.)

"Logan,"he hissed angrily,keeping his voice low."God damn it,would you warn someone when you're sneaking up on them?I almost shot you."

"Coulda clawed you first,"he said,reminding him of the sim.Scott scowled at him,but he simply looked over his shoulder and nodded at the raccoon."There a reason you're harassing the big rat?"

Scott continued to give him that deep frown,but turned away,suddenly embarrassed by his own fear."I got up for some water,and I heard a noise around back.I thought it might be...a kid,breaking out,but it was just this thing tearing things up.I tried to scare it off,but it's intensely aggressive.I was thinking it might be rabid."

He knew Scott hadn't thought it was a kid breaking curfew,but exactly what Logan first thought it was-a hostile. It was an unsettling thought to ponder:him and Scott having the exact same idea.Almost gave him shivers.But he decided to let it pass,and let Scott have this one.He had gotten kidnapped and used in his stead,hadn't he?"Doesn't smell rabid. It's just lost its fear of people."

Scott looked back over his shoulder at him."You can smell rabies?"

Logan shrugged a single shoulder.He knew illness when he smelled it,and this raccoon-a twenty pounder,at least-was far from ill.Actually,if you could call an animal cocky,this one was,and why not?It had probably taken out a few domesticated animals in its nocturnal ramblings;it was a big male,and like big men of any species,it thought it was a stud.

Logan looked at its beady yellow eyes,and growled;a nice,impressively big growl,baring his teeth in the same manner it had.The raccoon seemed confused,its growling sputtering out (he could just imagine it thinking:'Doesn't he smell Human?Sort of?') and then he held his hands out at the side,elbows bent slightly so the big rat had a good look at them, and popped his claws.

Well,that was it for the rat.It immediately turned its big,fluffed out ringed tail and ran for it,almost stumbling in its haste to get the fuck out of there.

"It ain't comin' back,"he told Scott,retracting his claws back into his hands.The big stud knew it was way outclassed here.

"All I had to do was growl?"He asked,sounding amazed.

"Well,yeah,and show your claws.You got 'em?"

He looked to Scott with a smart ass grin,and got the prim frown he expected in return."Actually,you know what you sounded like?This big,mean Rottweiler that used to attack the fence when I walked past it on the way to school in the third grade."

"I could take that too."

It got the reaction he expected-Scott shook his head,and started back towards the sun room porch."Logan,you're... you remember you're Human,right?"

"I'm not only Human,I'm the Alpha male,"he said,finding it hard to hold back the grin.He had so much fun taking the piss out of Scott;it was just too damn easy.

And Scott continually reacted like he expected.He let out a small,derisive scoff,and replied,"I didn't realize we were a tribe of gorillas."He paused,and Logan waited a moment,just to see if the kid would go for it.He did."Well,maybe you're one,but..."

Scott ducked inside,and Logan followed,almost sad to leave the cool air and open spaces of the garden for the more claustrophobic dimensions and filtered air of the house,but if he had somehow gotten used to working with assassins, he could get used to living around other people.Maybe if he told himself that enough,it would eventually become true.

"You're such a dick,"he said,chuckling faintly.He was too;the Organization hadn't fixed that.

Scott gave him a final scowl as he shut the glass doors and threw the locks."And you're a complete asshole."

"As long as we understand each other,"Logan offered,then headed back down the hall,towards his room.

It was faint,but he caught an amused scoff from Scott,and he knew he'd be okay,no matter what the Organization had done to him.A little lingering paranoia would probably be healthy for him,considering all the shit going down.

He was almost jealous.Where was Bob to put his mind back in order after the Organization took him?

Still,Logan knew the next time he went after the Organization,things would be different.He'd take Bob along for the ride,and maybe it was better to have him around to tear down the tower than to pick up the pieces.

It was just another thing Logan told himself.But this one thing felt truer than the last,and he knew it would have to be enough.

The End