The roar of a massive explosion was deafening, stunning everyone momentarily and knocking several of the building's occupants off their feet. The fierce heat and bitter smoke from the blast drove Storm and Jean from where there were on the second floor out into the cool fresh air, leaving Logan and Scott in the rapidly crumbling building.

Choking on the dust of shattered cement Logan groaned as he eased himself into a sitting position, listening to the deadening silence that came after the building had settled post explosion. Pushing a rather large piece of debris off him he shook his head hoping to clear it only to freeze as he caught a familiar scent, and the rapid thud of a heart beating rather erratically.

The acrid smell of blood and fear had him clenching his hands as he surveyed the small space he was in. Moving on hands and knees he crept toward the smells, "Summers?"

"Logan? That you?" Scott sounded dazed, and shaky like he was suffering from a concussion.

"Yeah. Stay still, smells like you're bleeding,"Logan spoke softly, his hands bumping into the familiar warmth of a body. Realizing he'd found Scott he settled back to lean against the debris, "Your visor still in place?"

"Yeah, thank God. I doubt if the wounds are serious, a scratch or two maybe."

"Yeah but from your voice I'd say you got a head injury and that could be dangerous."

"Don't suppose you put a lighter or something for illumination in your pocket before we left huh?"

"No Scott, I didn't," Logan grimaced. "I realize its dark in here but still its not like we can really do anything about it."

"Yeah," Scott shifted, wincing at the sharp pain from his ribs and reached up to touch the controls of his visor, shooting a beam across the room and heating up the metal enough to start it glowing so that there was some light, not much but at least he could see where he was.

"Great," Logan grunted falling silent as they sat there. He would give anything to be back at the mansion, teasing the shit outta Marie. Right about now, he'd even take fighting with her over being stuck in this dingy hole with Scott Summers.

How long they sat in silence neither man would ever be able to say, but it was broke by Scott clearing his throat, "Logan?"

"What?"

"Thank you," Scott said softly.

"For what?"

"For not leaving me here alone."

"Not like I got much choice Scooter," Logan chuckled and glanced around. "Escape routes sorta blocked."

"They'll get us out, the girls'll find a way."

"I know."

"Hey Logan?"

"What?" Logan glanced at Scott who stared at the opposite wall like it was alive. As much as he detested having someone natter around him, he detested it being Scott Summers even more.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Ya just did."

"I noticed you ain't been chasing Jean lately, some reason for it?"

"Uh I don't know maybe cause she's married?" Logan snapped sarcastically.

"I'm serious Logan. She shoot you down one too many times? Or did you just realize she knows what she wants?"

"No and no," Logan said after a brief pause. "Found out something that made me wake up."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Logan shrugged and shifted glancing around at the soft sound of rubble being moved from a distance away.

"What did you find out?"

"I don't want her," Logan ground out grumpily. Did he have to speak? Probably did, a concussion was serious business and probably this was his way of keeping himself awake. "But you do. So what's so hot about Jean Grey er Summers?"

"That's funny coming from you," Scott chuckled and groaned at the pain. "Mister Sexuality himself not having a clue what it is about a woman that turns a man's head."

"Yeah, yeah. Just answer the question."

"Everything. The way she makes my heart pound, the way she looks, walks, talks. Those are all reasons enough to turn a man's head don't you think?"

"I guess."

"She touches my soul though, makes me happy just by being in the same room. Even at our worst moments I know that deep down she's still mine, that she loves me and it eases my pain, my anger," Scott shrugged. "That make any sense to you?"

"Yeah, perfect sense," Logan replied. It did make sense, he understood exactly what Scott was saying cause it was what he felt for someone else. She made him FEEL, not just anger, or lust, or the familiar empty void, but something, anything that made him a little more human.

"Really?" Scott looked doubtful then shrugged. "Did you know that when you first came back you could probably have had a shot?"

"I knew it," Logan shrugged. He hadn't come back for Jean, hell he hadn't even admitted to himself the reason he came back for over a year. It was after Jean's death and the mansion was slowly getting back into life without Jean when he'd known. He could lie to everyone around him but he could not lie to himself, he hadn't come back and stayed for Jean Grey anymore than he'd gone because of her.

He'd woke one morning and sighed, a smile tugging at his lips as he realized she was sleeping next to him, curled up under the blankets as comfortably as you please. At that moment, his heart had reached out and climbed into his throat, his stomach had developed butterflies, and everything had slid into place in his mind. She was his, just as he was hers and damn anyone who got in the way. Which wasn't to say that he went out of his way to make her aware of how he felt, she was still young, still getting her sea legs and he
didn't want to interfere in that. Instead he became her best friend, sticking close, closer than her boyfriends liked but fuck she belonged to him.

"You knew? How come you never pushed..?" Scott started.

"Mm I don't know. Got back and got sucked into saving the kids, then we wound up at Alkali Lake saving the professor, and she disappeared. After the funeral I realized that I hadn't wanted what was offered."

"You are a liar Logan," Scott spoke softly, without rancor, "You'd no more than walked into the mansion and you..."

"Were wrapped up in Rogue," Logan pointed out. "If you remember correctly, the first person I looked for wasn't Jean. It was Rogue."

Stuttering to a halt Scott blinked, damn he was right. He'd stood for a few minutes talking in low tones with Rogue, hugging her tightly until Bobby had shown up, followed by Storm, Scott, and Jean. He'd grinned at Storm and Jean, tossed the bike's keys at him and quickly fallen back into the familiar bait and tackle of their association. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you seek Rogue out?"

"Why not?"

"She was just a kid."

"No, Rogue was as far from a kid as you can get. Sure she was young, but considering she had both Bucket Head and I in her head I'd say she was far from being a kid. She's live at least three lifetimes Scott, Rogue isn't a kid."

"Still don't tell me what you were doing seeking her out."

"I made a promise," Logan muttered feeling stupid for admitting it to Summers, "A promise that had it been anyone other than her I would never have kept. But Rogue's special, she's unique and I couldn't stay gone."

Sitting silently Scott frowned at Logan's words, "Does she know?"

"Not all of it."

"You gonna tell her?"

"Why, you think I shouldn't?"

"I think you should be honest about it," Scott paused. "But I'm not sure she would understand that she's your safety device.."

"She is not my safety device," Logan ground out.

"Come on Logan, admit it. She's safe and being around her means you don't have to feel anything.."

"Wrong."

"I am not.."

"I feel everything when I'm with Rogue," Logan snarled. "I feel the highs and lows of her day. I listen to her Scott, I know Rogue inside and out. Know each and every inch of her, body and soul."

"You're still not getting what I'm saying," there was more than a hint of anger in his tone.

"So spit it out!"

"You trust her, which in itself is a miracle, but there is more to life than just trust. Sure you like her, sure you're there for her but that's responsibility, liking, not what I have with Jean."

"You're right. What Rogue and I have is nothing like what you and Jean have," Logan started with a humorless laugh. "And I'm not particularly interested in explaining it to you."

"Yeah? Well I am and we ain't got anything better to do."

"I could always knock you back out then you'd shut up," Logan muttered.

"Yeah but then you'd have to deal with Jean in full doctor mode.."

"Shut up Scooter, you're givin' me a headache."

"Poor Logan, has no idea that his leading her on is only going to cause problems.."

"I am not leading Rogue on!"

"No? You've managed to convince yourself that you're best buddies, you're there for her no matter what and you don't think she's gonna get the wrong idea and fall for you?" Scott laughed then groaned at the pain, his arms wrapped around his ribs.

"No I don't think she's gonna get the wrong idea about us."

"Oh come on Logan, just cause you've stayed this long doesn't mean you're gonna stay forever. Fuck the minute you get another lead, another rainbow to chase you'll be gone.."

"First of all I don't chase rainbows, second of all I have no intention of going anywhere," Logan was starting to get pissed, his body was tense, primed for a fight and his hands were folded into fists.

"Sure."

"Thirdly, I wouldn't hurt her like that."

"Why not? She's just another girl, another body in a long line of 'em."

"Because she's different," Logan muttered softly staring at the ground between his spread legs, "Because to me she's not just another nameless face, she's Marie."

Raising an eyebrow Scott stared at Logan in shock. The mention of a name Scott wasn't familiar with sent a bolt of unease through him but he held his tongue. The man changed moods like most men changed shirts and could go from slightly pissed to homicidal in seconds, "Fine. She's your friend.."

"You wouldn't understand.."

"Try me."

"She knows me," Logan shrugged as though that said it all, tilting his head back to lean against the jagged piece of cement behind him he let his mind go. "She knows the dark side as well as a side I didn't even realize I had. She knows what I am, what I've done, knows my nightmares as well as I do and yet she hasn't run from me. She looks at me and sees me, Logan, not the Wolverine, not the metal monster, not..not the animal. Just me, just the man."

"Yeah?"

"She makes me think its okay to live y'know? Makes me feel like living isn't just going from bar to bar, fight to fight. Makes me FEEL like I'm worth something."

"She accepts you," Scott murmured and Logan nodded stiffly.

"Yes. She accepts the darkness, and makes it disappear. She chases away the cold that used to live within me, makes me want more than what I had.."

"You love her."

Logan shrugged, "She owns me."

"Really?" Scott stared at Logan, aware that his expression usually so closely guarded was stripped bare, that the man he resented was just that. A man one that loved a girl and longed for some sort of normalcy in his life, and while not exactly the most 'normal' of any of them he was still just a man. "I guess she does at that," he muttered as the sound of cement grating against cement reached them, preceded by a shower of dust and loose debris.

Coughing the men waved the dust and smoke away from their faces as sunlight filtered in through the opening. Glancing up Scott smiled at Jean, "Hey beautiful."

Smiling back at her husband Jean glanced between them. "I'm impressed."

"Why?" Logan grunted.

"You two didn't kill each other.."

"I was tempted." Logan said rising to his feet and dusting himself off uneasily. A hard glance at Scott told the other man he didn't want to relive their conversation a moment before he caught the rope that Jean tossed down. "Scott's hurt."

"Scott?"

"Concussion, ribs, scratches and bruises," Scott shot back. "I think I'll live."

"Well we'll get you two out of there in a jiffy and head for home."

"The mission?"

"A bust," Jean shrugged carelessly. "But at least you two are still alive so we'll call it a success."

"Great."

Shaking his head, Logan helped Scott to his feet and up through the opening before following him. Leaving Jean to help a limping Scott to the plane, Logan stalked off, anger warring with embarrassment. He should never have revealed what he had to Scott, but he couldn't have stopped the truth if he'd tried. Sinking into a seat he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, a cold beer, hot shower and some peace and quiet were on his to do list when they got back. Then he'd track Marie down and tell her the truth, what happened after that would be up to her.