His eyes slowly opened. <What's going on? grr...> he thought. <Where am I? grr...> He was held in place on a steel table by adamantium cuffs and adamantium-covered gloves. He looked around. This was no ordinary lab, very high tech. <Someone is coming, grr...>

"How is he, Reed?" asked a familiar female voice.

"Physically, he's back to his old self. But mentally...I just don't know."

"Oh, and the Generation X kids asked me to tell you they missed Franklin and they wanted to know he was doing."

"He's doing good. It's great to be back."

They entered. There were about ten of them, all looking tired and very surprised.

"He's awake!" said the woman with the red hair.

"GRRR" came a growl from the back of his throat.

"Logan. Do you remember us?"

"Grrr, raaar!" He frantically tries to break the binds that held him, trying to bite through the bar holding his body down. They approached very slowly.

"Logan, it's us, your friends. Ahh!" she jumped back as he lunged for her, hitting the bar before he got close, but still he fought the metal trapping him.

"Would it be all right to enter his mind now, Reed?"

"Yes, go ahead."

She closed her eyes and was gone.

<"Logan, Logan it's me, Jean. Where are you Logan?">

"GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!!!!! GRRR!!!"

Suddenly Jeans mind was bombarded with anger, rage, hate, and viciousness.

"Aahhhh!!!!!"

"Jean, are you all right?" asked the guy with the sunglasses on.

"I'm okay Scott. It's Wolverine I'm worried about."

<The bars are suddenly much weaker, maybe now I can...> The bar that he pulled at broke. <Yes!> The beast looked at him; he'd heard the bar break.

"Grrrr!" He turned and approached the man. A bit of drool over his large fangs hit the floor.

"All right, if we must we must."

Blood, hair, skin, sweat, tooth and claw. The battle raged for at least an hour. But the beast was steadily starting to win. The man was just not a match physically until Logan was hit by a flood of memories of his old Sensei and his teachings.

<That's it!>

Calmly he backed off, putting the metal bar he'd been holding down and sat down, Zen style. The animal was furious and jumped at him, roaring, ready to bear down upon him, claws first. Logan did not flinch, or blink or look up. As the monster hit Logan, instead of tearing into him, he was absorbed back into him. Once again the human and animal side of a man called Logan, the thing that made him such a great fighter, were whole.

He did not care about the pain; the healing factor would take care of that. All he cared about was getting as far away as possible. Maybe one day he would go back, grrr, and settle, things. But right now he wanted to go home. He wanted to see his Mom, and maybe, maybe his dad. If he ever found him. <I'm free, free from the pain, free from them, free for good.>

"He hasn't blinked or move in an hour. I'm worried Scott." The redhead had not yet left his side.

"I am sure he's okay; Logan's a tough guy." he said, trying to comfort her as he put his hand on his shoulder. But inside he was a bit jealous. He knew he shouldn't be, but he was. He knew his wife loved him but he would never understand her relations with Logan.

"Uhh err" he was waking up. <Where am I? Better yet who am I?>

"Logan?" she waited to see if he was conscious. "Logan, it's us." He just sat there with a "who are you?" look on his face. <Is that my name, Logan? I think so ... yes it is.>

"Who are you, darlin?" he asked.

"You don't remember me Logan?" <Great answer, another question. But do I know this redhead gal? That's it, her name is Red. I think.>

"Red?"

"Yes, you used to call me that, but my name is Jean." <Jean...> and with that thought a flood of memories hit him. His love for Jean, the few occasions on which they kissed. His pain as she picked Scott over him so many times.

--------

He found her alone in the woods right where he knew she'd be. She didn't know it, but he knew that this was a special place for her. He approached, not so silent that she wouldn't hear, but very quietly.

"Jean."

"Logan, I..." She turned her head so he could not see her expression. But he knew. <Just like he always knows.>

"Let it out Red, let it out." They all knew she'd been under a lot of stress lately, but no one, not even her husband, knew how worn out she was. Except for Logan. They stayed there for an hour at least, Jean in Logan's arms, talking. As she let him in, he felt so much better; she didn't have to bear all the weight anymore, and she said as much. For an instant their eyes meet, and as if drawn by a magnetic force, so did their lips.

"I'm sorry, I have to go." She was running off, just like always, never sharing more than a look, a kiss, or a touch. Scott was winning her. But he wouldn't admit it; after all he was in love.

"No you don't," and with that she was gone. Again he was alone.

--------

He wanted to lash out, to rip this man, this Scott's head off. Fortunately he was able to control his instincts. The others never knowing what he had just gone through.

"Yea I 'mber you now, and you too, Scott." He said Scott's name with such loathing Scott couldn't help but flinch.

"I was so worried Logan." <Sure Red, from what I remember you were probable too busy with Scott. All I remember is you taking my heart up to new heights, then throwing it down.>

"Well, I'm all right now and would you please get these chains off me?"

"Yes of course" Jean immediately answered. Ignoring that "what are you doing?" look on her husband's face, she released him.

"Thanks, that's better" he said rubbing his wrists where he had been held down. Jean knew it wasn't pain: his healing power would have taken care of that, just stiffness easily worked out.

"Now, where am I?"

"You're at the Fab. Four Plaza in New York" answered Scott.

"I know where New York is, but what is the Fab. Four?"

"The Fantastic Four are a group of four superheroes, like the X-Men" the girl said politely.

"Who are the X-Men?" He could tell they were surprised, and worried, when the girl answered.

"The X-Men is a group of mutant superheroes. You and I and Scott are all part of the X-Men." <The X-Men ... a group of mutants ... I am a mutant ... and my code name is Wolverine. Wolverine. That's right ... I named myself when I joined Alpha Flight. Then Professor Xavier had asked me to join the X-Men, and I did.>

"Yeah, I remember now. Chuck asked me to join." He had no idea why he said Chuck, it just felt right. A small, relieved giggle escaped from Jean.

"He hates when you call him that."

Finally, after a year away from home he was back. <IT'S GONE!> The house of his childhood was burnt to the ground. <What happened?>

"MOTHER!!!" He yelled into the night crying at the same time. "MOTHER!!!" He ran as fast as he could to the only person other than his mother he knew.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

"Who is it?" the old man said as he opened the door. "Ethan, your back!" That night the old man told him how his mom had died of a stroke. Ethan was devastated, and for a day he just sat, cried, and remembered.

Till one day he realized he must remember what his mom had told him and do something with his life. <But what will I do now?> Then the answer came to him. He would fulfill his dream, he would find his father, and then join ... the X-Men.