They were sitting on the couch mid-afternoon, still no one wanted to lose physical contact. Especially Levi, who was currently having his afternoon nap, on daddy, his little dark haired head resting on Logan's chest. While Logan lay on the couch, his own head in Marie's lap, where she ran her fingers lovingly through his hair. Logan's hair was a lot longer than usual, almost down to his shoulders, and his beard, which was normally trimmed quite short was full and bushy, he didn't have the tools to tame either yet but he was surprisingly good at pulling off the caveman look. Lucy was sitting on Marie's other side, her hand in Logan's as she cuddled up to Marie's side.

Suddenly Logan picked his head up, glancing toward the window, slowly and without a word, he eased himself up, cradling a stirring Levi, as his eyes scanned the treeline around the cabin.

"What is it?" Marie asked, standing also.

"Someone's coming," Logan stated, handing Levi to her. "Take the kids into the bathroom, stay there until I give you the all clear," Logan instructed. His whole demeanour had changed, from the relaxed, loving father, to the highly alert and territorial predator, so Marie didn't waste time arguing, just gently prompting Lucy off the couch and into the bathroom.

He overheard Lucy worriedly ask Marie as the disappeared out of the room, "But mommy what if it's the bad people wanting to take daddy away again?"

"It's okay cutie pie, it's only one person, I can take one person if it is a bad guy but it's probably not, I just want to keep you safe is all," Logan said, loud enough for her to hear, catching her relieved smile before she ducked I to the bathroom and closed and locked the bathroom door behind her.

Once he was sure his family were tucked away safely Logan stepped outside, the person he heard was closer now, and they weren't trying to hide their approach. Cautious of a decoy Logan scanned the rest of the area, for sound or scent, as he waited. Just as the figure stepped out the trees Logan released his claws, the sharp metal blades glinting dangerously in the sun, a warning all their own. The approaching figured, head bowed as he trudged through the wood, paused and looked up at the sound of metal swishing against metal.

"Logan," Victor breathed, as his eyes fell on the son he hadn't seen in almost five years.

Logan paused, frowning, waiting for the face in front of him to fire some memory. "Dad?" he replied a moment later, as images came flooding back.

Victor came closer, noting the claws still extended from his son's fists, even though his arms were by now hanging lax. "Yeah kid, it's me," Victor replied, through the emotion that had been gripping him since ehe had heard the news his son was found. "You gonna run me through or hug me?" he asked teasingly, watching as Logan shook himself back to full awareness, the metal claws sliding smoothly into his fists.

"It was you, wasn't it? They kept moving me, I figured it was because someone was looking and getting too close, it was you?" Logan asked, as he hugged his dad tightly, this was good, not quite as good as having Marie back but good nonetheless.

"Yeah," Victor replied, not releasing his grip as he told him. "I got close about six times but they'd always moved you just before I got there, the closest was two days, they'd moved you two days before I got there. I'm sorry," Victor said, as he finally allowed the relieved tears to fall.

"You did your best, you never gave up on me, and you took care of Marie for me too, couldn't ask for more," Logan reassured him, as they both pulled away, voices still thick with emotion.

"Speaking of Marie, where is she, and the kids?" Victor asked, only a touch of worry in his voice.

"I sent them to take cover while I figured out who was coming," Logan replied, as he led the way back into the cabin. A split second after he called for the rest of his family to come out, the air was split by excited squeals of 'grandpa', as Lucy and Levi descended on Victor.

"Hey you two troublemakers, have you been behaving yourselves?" he asked the excited children, hugging them tightly. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Marie placed herself in Logan's arms, kissing him lovingly before she turned her attention to Victor, though she stayed where she was wrapped around Logan. "Hey Marie," he added with a smile, as he hugged her where she stood with Logan.

"Hey dad, how have you been?" she asked.

"Compared to right now?" he asked sarcastically. "A fucking shell of a man, it's good to have you back son," he repeated.

"It's good to be back," Logan told the crowd, petting Levi's head, where he had again attached himself to Logan, this time to his leg.

Lucy interrupted a moment later. "Grandpa, did you bring us presents?" she asked, eyeing up the bags he had dumped on the floor when he hugged the kids.

"No Lucy-lu, no presents this time, I bought stuff for your dad, clothes, and there's a razor in there too so he can re-join civilization looking a little less like a crazy forest dwelling hermit," Victor joked, as Lucy giggled.

"I guess I'll go pretty myself up then, are you gonna come too little buddy?" Logan asked, with a chuckle of his own, when Levi followed, step for step, after him, holding onto the pocket of his jeans. The little boy just nodded determinedly, and kept following him. Half an hour later Logan called out of the bathroom, "Marie can you come give me a hand with the hair?"

"How did you do that?!" Marie laughed, as she walked into the bathroom a moment later.

"Ask the midget," Logan chuckled, as Levi stood beside him on the bench with a pair of scissors in one hand and a handful of hair in the other, a cheeky grin on his lips.

"Give daddy back his hair, trouble," Marie laughed, kissing the little boy as she took the scissors off him and set about fixing Logan's hair.

"No! Mine!" Levi announced, hiding the handful of hair behind his back.

"Alright, yours," Logan replied after considering the little boys’ reaction. "Do you want me to put it in your hair?" he asked, watching Levi cast a suspicious glance at him before slowly handing over the carefully clutched stolen hair.

Taking a section of the chopped hair, it was about eight inches long, Logan sectioned out some hair on Levi's own shaggy head, about halfway down his head and just behind his ear. Logan had learned how to braid hair when Lucy was little, for the days he had to get her ready for kindy, using that knowledge he quickly whipped up a short, four-strand braid, two parts his hair, two parts Levi's. Lucy came running in with a little elastic when Logan called for one, as soon as she saw what Logan had done, she asked for one too. By the time he was finished with Lucy's braid Marie had finished cutting his hair.

"Long time no see stranger," Marie teased, resting her chin on his shoulder so she could admire his 'new' old look in the mirror, as her arms wrapped around his waist.

"Too long darling," Logan replied. It was just the two of them in the bathroom, now that the kids had run off to show grandpa their braids. Quickly extracting himself from Marie's arms he checked to see the kids were occupied, catching Victor's eye before he silently shut and locked the bathroom door.

"What are you doing?" Marie asked coyly, lifting herself up to sit on the bench.

"Seizing an advantageous opportunity," Logan replied, with a smouldering grin, sliding her knees apart as he slipped in between them.

"And what are you going to do with such a opportunity?" Marie asked, feigning innocence.

Sliding his hands up her thighs, under her skirt, until he had both hands on her ass, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "You."

--

When they emerged from the bathroom half an hour later the kids were occupied colouring at the table with snacks, Victor keeping them distracted. Marie couldn't help blushing, like she used to do when they were so much younger, at the thought that Victor definitely knew everything they'd just done. The kids, thankfully, were oblivious.

"What should we have for dinner?" Logan asked, checking the clock on the cabins microwave.

"Waffles and ice-cream!" Lucy announced, grinning up her daddy; he remembered that had been their 'fix anything' 'happy meal', he was surprised she still remembered.

"That sounds delicious cutie pie but we have neither a waffle iron, nor ice-cream," he replied apologetically.

"Macaroni Cheese?" Levi asked hopefully, demonstrating his sudden hunger by chewing on the end of his colouring pencil.

"That we can do," Marie confirmed, sorting through the food she had gotten from the local town convenience store that morning.

Later that night, after both children had tired themselves out, they grudgingly allowed themselves to be put to bed, both insisting daddy had to read them two bedtime stories, each. Logan agreed but had to reclarify, with a laugh, when Lucy produced a dictionary she had found as one of her book choices. As it was, both were asleep before he even finished the third book anyway, and he eventually returned to the living room with Marie and Victor.

"So, have you thought about your next move?" Victor asked, after Logan had given him a brief rundown on his time in the lab, what he knew about who was behind it, his 'rescue', and time with the X-Men.

"Not at all," Logan admitted, "I don't want to go back though, well, not yet at least, ideally, I think, we just need to disappear for a while, get used to being a family again." Marie nodded in agreement.

"I sold the house in New York state but the money's been sitting untouched in our private account since then, so we've got the funds to buy something new," Marie told him. She was pleased to note Logan didn't look upset at that news.

"I haven't told you yet, how proud I am of you Marie," Logan suddenly commented, smiling softly at her, "It took so much courage... I'm so proud of you for not giving up, for finishing college, setting such a strong example for Lucy, raising Levi all alone... I love you so much, I don't know what I ever did to deserve you."

"I just followed your example," Marie replied, after she kissed him. "You never gave up on anything, no matter what life, and everyone around you, threw at you, you just knuckled down and made things happen."

Giving them a moment to bask in each other, Victor couldn't help marvelling at how well they both had handled the events of the past several years. He didn't doubt there would be some hurdles still to be overcome but there was no doubt in his mind that they would handle them with ease, now that they had each other again.

"You don't have to worry about buying again, the cabin in Montana's in good nick, I was there recently. You guys may as well have the big cabin now, it'll be enough for your whole family, the security's all up to date, and it's a locale you should hopefully be familiar with Logan, it seems being exposed to triggers is jogging your memory, and you should have plenty of triggers there," Victor suggested.

"Cabin in Montana? Where Logan was born?" Marie asked, a contemplative smile on her face. "I've always wanted to go there, and see it," Marie replied, when Victor confirmed it was one and the same, "You always spoke so fondly of it, made it seem almost magical, I think the kids would enjoy it too, they both, Lucy in particular, love the outdoors, we could take them camping..."

Logan got a sudden faraway look in his eye before he smiled. "That sounds like a good idea, but no bringing home fawns this time," he said with a chuckle, clearly, he remembered their first camping trip, way back when they were still in high school, not long after they first met.

"And why not," Marie pouted with a grin, "Dyani is very happy living at the mansion with the horses."

"Yeah but the cabin doesn't have a stable, or horses," Logan teased. "...So, are we going to Montana then?" he asked Marie, he wanted her to make the decision, it would be leaving behind the last four years of her life, her job, her friends.

"Yes, I think that would be a good idea," Marie confirmed, smiling up at him.

"Is there anything you need from the mansion; we didn't bring much with us?" Logan queried. They could go back and pack if need be, it shouldn't be a problem... At the same time a little voice in the back of his head decided to give him a very detailed play by play of what he would like to do to Charles Xavier if they went back; maybe going back to pack would be a bad idea after all.

"I can get Jubilee to pack everything up and ship it, it would mean not having to waste time doubling back, also, I'm not in the right frame of mind to be facing my uncle again yet," Marie replied, his own thoughts on that matter didn't seem so troubling now.

After a little more discussion, they settled all the details of their travel before Marie called Jubilee, direct to her cell phone, and explained the situation. She extracted a promise from Jubilee not to tell anyone else what she was doing, or where Marie and Logan were going. They wanted privacy, which Jubilee supported wholeheartedly - now that she knew Marie hadn't been kidnapped by a crazy wild feral, as she had been led to believe.

The trio then retired to bed, Marie and Logan to the bedroom, while Victor took the couch.
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