The Longest Night
by
Zerelda X



X-Men belong to Marvel. Charlotte, Thomas and Matthew belong to me. Luna Foundation and occupants belong to MGM/Showtime/Trilogy. No profit. Don't sue.




The phone ringing brought Charlotte out of a deep sleep.

She fumbled for the receiver, knocking it over before realizing it wasn't the one that was ringing. She stumbled to her feet, moving over to the bureau where her cell phone rested and extended the antenna. "Yeah?" she yawned into it.

"Charlotte?"

The familiar voice brought her closer to the waking world. "Yeah. Emma? Do you know what time it is?" She peered at the illuminated clock dial. 1:30am. She'd only been in bed two hours after the poker game broke up. A sleepy grin escaped her on that one. She'd managed not only to clean Bishop and Bobby out, but hang on to her winnings after Betsy and Nathan joined the game. She couldn't have done that if Logan had been playing. He always distracted her while they played. To be fair, she did the same thing to him every chance she got.

Unfortunately, for him, he got back from Harry's with Remy about the time the game broke up, too drunk to even see straight. Kept calling her Kitty, if that wasn't an interesting moment. Remy hadn't been much better but he managed to get to his room on his own two feet, refusing the oh so gentle assistance Rogue offered with a scowl. Hank helped her toss Logan on his bed, assuring her he'd be sober in a few hours, but now that she was awake she could hear the snoring from next door. Sounded like he was killing a moose with a rusty spoon, or maybe the moose was killing him.

"I guess you haven't heard. Jubilee and Thomas have been in an accident."

It didn't sink in at first. She blinked several times, the silence lengthening as Emma waited for a reaction from her. Then it hit her, terror seizing her brain and her heart, squeezing her chest. "Thomas? Jubilee? What happened? Are they okay? Where are you?"

"I don't have any information on their conditions. I'm at the school. I tried to call Logan, but he's not answering the phone. How soon can you get there?"

"Where are they?" She was already pulling clothes out of the closet.

"San Francisco General. Jubilee went out with Everett to visit and do some Christmas shopping. I'm on my way there." Underneath the cool tones was a current of anxiety in the White Queen's voice. Jubilee was one of hers.

"I'll be there as quickly as I can. 10-15 minutes." She searched the dresser for her homing belt. Gating back to her house, then on to San Francisco would be the quickest way. Dammit, she left it in one of the labs. "How did you find out?" She wasn't going to think about why Matthew or the others hadn't called her. Couldn't think about it now.

"Everett called me."

"Meet you there."

She pulled on her clothes, grabbing a jacket and her knife on the way out of the room. Outside the door she stopped. She had to tell Logan. For Jubilee's sake, if not her own. She knocked on Logan's door. No answer. She turned the knob and went in.

He was laying in the same position they'd dropped him in two hours ago. She shook his shoulder. "Logan, wake up." He mumbled and turned from her. "Logan, there's been an accident. Jubilee's in the hospital."

"Call 'er tomorrah," he rasped out, burrowing into the pillows.

"Logan, I need you," got past her lips before she could choke it back. He was too drunk to understand her. Too drunk to help anyone. With a last look, she left his room and headed for the elevator.

When the elevator stopped she didn't pay attention to where she was going. She dashed out and ran smack into Scott and Nathan, connecting painfully with Scott.

Charlotte bounced back, losing her balance and toppling over in the elevator, hitting her head against the back wall with a loud thunk. She winced and scrambled for her knife, pushing it into her boot. Wrong floor.

"Careful," Scott staggered back, the wall catching him.

"Sorry," she offered tightly, on her feet and pushing buttons, anything to get this crate moving more quickly.

They both stepped in the elevator with her. She didn't notice them followed her out.

In the lab, she found her belt in a drawer. She'd been showing Hank the circuitry the other day and had put it there for safe keeping. She strapped it on, then felt a hand on her arm.

She looked up into Nathan's questioning eyes. "Let go," she told him.

He shook his head. "Tell us what the problem is."

Scott looked down at her with concern, her obvious upset pushing back his normal uneasiness about her. "Is there something wrong with Wolverine?"

Cable felt her emotions spike at Logan's name. His grip tightened on her arm.

"I just got a call from Emma. Jubilee and Thomas were in some kind of accident, they're in the hospital. I'm on my way out there." She tried to shake his hand off. "I've got to go."

"I'll go with you," Nathan told her. "You're in no condition to do this alone."

"Why isn't Logan going? Did you tell him?" Scott asked.

Her eyes flashed at him. "Emma tried to call him. I tried to tell him him. He's too drunk to do anyone any good right now." Her words came out more forceful and hateful than she intended them to sound. "I don't need you to come with me." 'That's it, reinforce your independence,' she told herself. 'You're getting soft, thinking you need anyone.' The urge for physical confrontation grew inside her. She had to get away from them.

"Tell Dom I'll call her when I get a chance," Nathan told his father. He reached down and activated the gate return.

The light flashed and they found themselves in the gate room. Charlotte turned on him, pushing him off the platform, doubling up her fists to swing at him, striking out with the pain and fear inside at the only available target.

He caught her linked wrists with one hand, letting her momentum carry her around, grabbing her around the waist with the other to bring her back up against his body. She struggled against him, emotions out of control. Nathan forced her against the wall, covering her with his big body, holding her down till the anger worked out of her. He knew she'd do this.

~Your problem's not with me,~ he told her matter-of-factly. ~You want to fight some more, or you want to get to the hospital?~

She didn't answer, she didn't need to. He could 'hear' her talking to herself, trying to find a rapid way out of the pain. There was no quick way.

~Let me go,~ she said quietly. ~Please.~

He moved off her slowly, half expecting another attack. ~It'll be okay.~

She gave him a bare half-smile. ~I hope so.~ In another moment they were engulfed in the light.

~*~*~*~*~


They were standing on the front grounds of large mansion shrouded in fog. Nathan could smell salt air and feel the cold ocean breeze. ~Who lives here?~ he asked, looking up at the castle. Lights were on in the downstairs windows, but he couldn't see the upper stories through the mist. San Francisco?

~Friends.~ She strode up towards the front door. ~And we've just breached their security. Brace yourself.~

She knocked on the front door. Then again. The door opened slowly, a gun barrel pointing at her. She stood still and waited for recognition, willing Nathan not to do anything.

"Charlie?" The gun lowered and the door opened. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Hi, Nick. Sorry to just drop in on you like this but I got a message Thomas was in the hospital." Hide the pain in a joke, don't let them know I'm dying inside. She felt Nathan's presence against her shields. Damn him, he knew.

"Yeah. Derek and Rachel are there right now." He shook himself a little. "Who's your friend?"

"I'm sorry. Nick, Nathan. Can I borrow a car to get into town?"

"I'll drive you in, it'll be quicker," the young security chief said, his eyes on Cable. An ex-Navy Seal, he knew a warrior when he saw one, and Cable was pressing all his warning buttons. "Let me grab my shoes and I'll be right with you."

~*~*~*~*~


Scott headed for Logan's room, working himself into a fairly rotten mood. He opened the door, took one look, then shut it again. The older man was too out of it to yell at right now. He'd wait till morning, bright and early. Make the old man sorry to be nearly impossible to kill. Might put Jean on that, once he explained the circumstances.

~*~*~*~*~


Nick let them off in front, Charlotte had the door open before the car stopped and took the front steps in a run, already searching for Thomas's thought signature. Nathan followed behind, adding his power to hers, his hand reaching for her arm again. This time she didn't pull away, she almost seemed to welcome his strength.

~I can't find him,~ she told him, forcing back the panic.

~Try again.~

Nick joined them. "I forgot to tell you what room he's in, come on."

He led them to the elevator and up several floors, the silence inside her, in the elevator nearly deafening. Down the hall, Derek Raynes and Dr. Rachel Corrigan sat outside talking quietly. They stood up when they spotted the new arrivals.

Charlotte bypassed them both and went into the room, the sight of her son drawing her forward even as she felt nothing from him. Nate let her go.

The face on the pillow was pale, too pale for his coloring, his apparent age obvious without life to animate his features. For a moment, a horrifying second, she thought he was dead. Then the sounds the heart monitor made intruded on her fear, lessening it somewhat. This man wasn't her son; this child was her life.

Reaching out both with her mind and hands she touched his cold forehead, taking his hand in hers. Almost immediately, she began to shudder, the images coming through wracking her in their intensity. ~NO!~

Cable's head snapped back, her 'scream' echoing through his head with white-hot intensity.

~*~*~*~*~


3000 miles away, Domino jerked awake at the flood of unfamiliar pain washing over their psi-link, breathing hard and wild-eyed, reaching for the gun under her pillow. She sat up straight, aiming for nothing. After shaking off the effects, she picked up the phone. She hated being linked to Nathan sometimes, she really did. If he was just getting laid somewhere, playing kinky games, she was liable to take her gun to him for waking her up.

~*~*~*~*~


He got her out of there and into a waiting room down the hall. Everett sat in there staring at a magazine blankly. He looked up when they entered, not really seeing them. "Jubilee?" he asked.

Cable shook his head at the young mutant. "Nothing yet." He held Charlotte against him, praying she wouldn't collapse, wishing Jean was here, cursing Logan for not.

Charlotte calmed down slowly, but she did regain control. She'd think about it later, when she could be alone. Right now she needed to be strong, for herself, for Thomas, Jubilee, for Everett who looked at her like she'd lost her mind.

With a deep breath she stepped away from Nathan-

~Thank you.~

~Always.~

-and slipped her arms around Ev, his turn for comfort. He stood stiffly, then released his breath, his arms engulfing her in his need for maternal comfort. For a moment she thought he'd cry, he deserved the release.

~*~*~*~*~


"As far as we know," Jean told Domino, "there's been some sort of accident. Nathan went with Charlotte out to San Francisco. Whatever you felt must have been her. Her son and Jubilee were in an accident."

"Does he need help?" Damn bastard. What did he think he was doing? Knight in shining armor?

"No. As far as we know everything is under control. We'll be glad to let you know if anything changes."

"I'm on my way, something about this doesn't feel right." Maybe because he was with her, maybe the absence of Logan in all this, but it didn't sound right. The shock following the pain through her head still jangled her nerves some. Action would help.

~*~*~*~*~


"They won't let me see her," Everett told Charlotte, trying to be the strong one, the rock. He was only seventeen years old, he shouldn't be here feeling this.

"We're going to see her now." She released the boy and took his hand, squeezing it firmly. He nodded, losing a little of the lost air around him. Someone was in charge, he felt better. "Emma will be here soon, anyway, we'll let her deal with the hospital." The hospital didn't stand a chance.

A slight chuckle escaped Ev.

~I would like Jean to come out here,~ she told Nathan. ~Would you call and ask her? Thomas, his mind is so torn up, I can't.... I don't....~

~I'll contact her,~ he assured her.

~Hank, too. I want someone I can trust.~

~I'll take care of it.~

~*~*~*~*~


Jubilee was asleep, some bruising around her neck and shoulders visible over the hospital gown. She was clearly sedated, but seemed to be resting normally.

Ev took her hand, sinking down in the chair next to the bed. Charlotte steeled herself to peek into Jubilee's mind. It was...not wonderful, but nowhere near Thomas's. She would pull out of this okay, she had to.

"What happened?" Charlotte asked the boy.

He couldn't say the words.

~Ev, what happened? Emma said it was an accident.~

~It was no accident!~ he shot back to her. ~He almost killed them!~

Charlotte moved over to him, resting her hands on his shoulders. ~Tell me everything you remember.~ She could feel Nate listening with her. His presence in her mind was comforting.

They'd spent the evening on Pier 39 where they'd played in the arcade, ate dinner and shopped in the cold. The teens had been having a wonderful time on their visit with Thomas and Matthew. Discussing the next day's plans, they'd crossed the street in time to be the city's newest statistics.

Thomas took the full brunt of the accident, pushing Jubilee out of the way. The car hit him in a solid blow that his body armor managed to disperse, but he struck his head hard. The girl hit a street light, knocking herself out in the process. The driver was gone, hit and run.

Her hands tightened briefly, then she forced herself to relax. ~She's going to be all right.~

~Really?~

~Yeah, really. Emma will be here very soon and she'll tell you herself.~

More fear and tension drained out of him. ~Can I stay here with her? In case she wakes up?~

~I'll fix it.~

~*~*~*~*~


Jean set the phone down, putting her arms around Scott. "Char's asked for Hank and me to come out." They looked out the window together at the falling snow. Dawn wasn't that far away.

"How are they?"

"Hit and run driver. Jubilee will be okay. Thomas is another matter. Nathan said something about possible brain damage. Whatever she found in his head scared her so much it went through him right to Domino."

"Are you up to this?"

She smiled at his concern. "Yes."

"Okay. I'll go wake Hank while you get ready. How are you getting there?"

"Nathan's going to bodyslide in for us. Time is important here, and I don't think he wants to leave Charlotte alone too long. He said she is on the edge, and once Emma gets there she won't have a reason to keep it together."

"Fine time for Logan to pull a drunk."

"He couldn't have known this would happen."

"He's been doing this too much lately. What if there had been an emergency here? We both know he should be out there with Jubilee. She looks up to him, she needs him now."

There was no arguing about this. She turned to get dressed. The door opened and closed behind her, then the front door. Fact remained, Jubilee was an X-men, he still thought of her as his responsibility. Family. In his own way, for his own reasons, his sense of family could be as binding as Charlotte's.

~*~*~*~*~


Charlotte joined Derek and Rachel in the hall between the two rooms. "I apologize for my rudeness," she said to them.

Rachel hugged her. "Don't worry about it."

Derek took her hand. "I'm sorry this is what it took to get you to visit."

"Why didn't either one of you call me about this?" Her voice was quiet and angry; she was going to owe them another apology before this was all over. "Where's Matthew?"

"Still at the police station," Rachel told her. "He's the only one who got a good look at the driver of the car. We should have called you, I know, but it just slipped my mind in the confusion."

"Matthew is okay?" Charlotte's face told her that wasn't good enough.

"Yes."

That, at least, was something to be thankful for.

Footsteps down the hall. Hank's altered face smiled at her. "Here you are." His image inducer was on, startling her for a moment. She'd been waiting for his familiar blue fur, not realizing she'd been depending on it. Feeling needy. 'Stomp that down, don't let them see your weakness, you can do this.'

"Thank you for coming," Charlotte told him, the relief fighting with her need for control.

"Of course, my dear, I would not deprive you of my presence."

Jean followed behind him with Nathan.

"Hank, solstice starts at dusk," she spared a glance at the clock," tonight and he has to be there."

"We will do everything humanly possible to ensure his attendance." He went inside the small room to see his friend.

"If I can just get him there..." Nate tried eased her into his arms, feeling Charlotte's control start to snap, but she stepped out of his reach. Help had arrived, she could be afraid now, but she'd be damned if she gave into it. Never give into it.

~*~*~*~*~


Not too far away, in the deserted offices of the Mutant Advocate Coalition, a fax machine whirled to life. A slim hand picked up the papers the machine spit out, glancing at them before setting them on the desk. A few words jumped off the page. The young woman's mouth opened and she sank into her chair to finish reading.

She folded up the pages and jammed them into her coat pocket. Time to visit the hospital.

~*~*~*~*~


Two hours later, Emma Frost swept into Jubilee's room in full haughty force, hiding her fear and concern beneath a thick layer of disdain that didn't stop her from going immediately to girl's bedside, ignoring Hank on the other side.

It didn't hide her anxiety from him. He didn't mind her attitude. It was enough she cared.

Everett stood up. "Charlotte and Mrs. Summers said she'd be okay," he said in a quiet voice. They had been in and out to check on Jubilee, and him, frequently. At one point Charlotte gave him money to get something to eat, but he hadn't left his friend. He'd convinced himself Jubilee would be fine if he didn't leave her alone here. It was silly, he knew, but it was something to believe in right now.

Emma didn't answer him right away, looking into Jubilee's slumbering mind herself. A sigh escaped her, her relief momentarily visible to the two other people. Then it was gone.

"They're right," she told Everett briskly. "Jubilee will be fine."

The last of his anxiety faded away. He smiled for the first time that night.

She turned to Hank. "Her son?"

He shook his head. "It's too early to tell. Jean's with him now. Charlotte wants to move him as soon as possible."

Emma nodded. "I'll make arrangements. Jubilation can be moved?"

"Yes."

"Good. The sooner I get her home the better." She looked at him closely. ~Did Logan come with them?~ She originally called him first because of what he meant to the girl; she expected to see him sitting in here growling at everyone and generally making life difficult.

~Wolverine is indisposed,~ Hank tried to be diplomatic.

Emma's brows rose, but she didn't comment. Later, when she had Logan's undivided attention, she'd comment plenty.

~*~*~*~*~


Charlotte sat in the bedside chair, watching the clock on the wall, her fingertips resting on Thomas's wrist. She counted the slow heartbeats, focusing her mind on the rhythm to distract her urge to scream, counting the hours and minutes remaining until solstice began. He would be okay if she could just get him there. She pinned her hopes on that thought.

She managed to tear herself away long enough to call Bear, his telephone number the only one she carried in her head. He didn't ask pointless questions; he simply told her they would be waiting.

The nurses had been in and out, giving the young woman with the Indian curious looks, but not asking any questions. Her attitude didn't encourage small talk.

Neither did the white-haired man sitting across the room in a corner. He sat quietly, his head back and eyes closed, but he wasn't asleep.

Jean sat next to Nate, reaching out to touch Thomas's mind occasionally. It was a jumble of random images and flashes, some almost too painful to witness. The control he must have had before the accident impressed her. If he'd managed to keep all this contained he'd already had more mental strength than most psis. He wasn't a mutant, though. Odd.

She felt a kinship with Charlotte right now. She had not given birth to Nathan, but she couldn't love him more. She sat here with her *son* alive and well, while Char...

~Take her out and make her get some fresh air, coffee, something,~ she told Nate.

His head lifted, an eye opened. ~You think she'll just go with me?~

~You don't need to discuss me behind my back,~ Charlotte sent to them.

~Take a break,~ Jean said. ~I'll keep an eye on him.~

Charlotte started to shake her head.

~Like he is my own. You'll do him no good if you fall apart when he needs you.~

~That was low.~

Jean shrugged. ~Low, but true. There's nothing you can do right now. Take a break while you can, you might not get another chance.~

Nate got to his feet and reached for her arm, knowing she wouldn't move unless prompted.

Charlotte touched her lips to Thomas's forehead, resting her mouth against his cool skin. 'You have to come back, sweetheart, you can't leave your poor old mother wandering this world without you. Please.' It was the closest she would ever come to begging for something she wanted -- her son.

~Jean has commanded us, let's go.~ His mouth quirked on one side. It had been nothing less than an order.

Charlotte offered a weak laugh and let him draw her away. Coffee sounded good right now.

~*~*~*~*~


They found Derek and Rachel in the cafeteria and joined them at their table. Nathan went get coffee while Charlotte updated them on Thomas' and Jubilee's conditions.

"Tell us what you've been doing," Derek asked her.

"Not much, really. Thomas told you I've joined the X-Men. There really hasn't been a lot of mutant activity to respond to so I'm beginning to believe all their press is a sham."

"Surely not."

"No, I'm teasing. There just hasn't been a lot lately, but I've taken the opportunity to work on my combat skills and study with Dr. McCoy. His work is really quite fascinating. I'm able to watch now instead of just reading about it."

"You could have come here to the Legacy if you wanted a change," he told her quietly. "You would have been welcomed."

"Thank you for that," she reached over and clasped his hand, "but this is Thomas' life. The last thing he needs is his mother around full time. I've found a niche, at least for awhile. It's a not-too-comfortable niche, but I'm settling into it." She looked over at Nathan coming towards them with two large steaming cups.

"Are you and he-," Derek began, "your teammate, is he your-"

"Nathan?" Charlotte had to chuckled at his unspoken thought. Nathan? "No. He's my friend. He tagged along with me out of concern." She shook her head. "What would you do if a wild-eyed, crazy woman came storming out of the elevator and knocked your father on his butt?"

Nathan set the cup in front of her, sugar packets spilling out of his palm. "This is what passes for coffee around here."

"Is, umm," Rachel began, "I'm sorry, I forgot her name. The other woman with the red hair?"

"Jean." She grimaced at the first taste, then reached for the sugar. If it couldn't be good it could at least be sweet.

"Is she still upstairs?"

"Yes, she offered to stay and ordered Nate here to make me leave."

"Ordered?" Rachel gave the big man a considering look. He didn't appear to be someone that was ordered around all that often, and not by a woman.

"Yep. Jean can be downright persuasive, especially when she's right." She turned her head towards the cafeteria entrance, a violent shimmer in the psychic plane getting her attention. Nathan noticed it too, he looked up from the sludge he was stirring to see what the disturbance was.

Matthew entered the nearly empty room. He was disheveled, his eyes glittering with blue fire, his clothing ripped. He stopped when he spied them.

In a heartbeat Charlotte was out of her seat and about to throw herself at him when he stopped her before she could touch him and shook his head.

~Quickening?~

~Yes. I'm sorry I'm late, I would have been here sooner but I was detained on business.~ The familiar phrase that coded his infrequent encounters with other Immortals almost made her smile. Almost.

~You are unhurt?~ The first time she touched him after a Quickening she'd nearly had her mind blown away by the power coursing through him. Now she could expect it and adjust her mental control over the effect, but it still gave her headaches.

~I still have my head.~ A rueful smile.

Nathan watched them with hooded eyes. The last piece of the puzzle had just fallen into place for him. He wondered when Matthew Brouwer would make his appearance.

Charlotte took her seat again, Matthew sat across the table next to Rachel to avoid touching her.

"The police?" Derek inquired, giving his torn clothing a second look. He'd seen Matthew like this before, but the other man had never explained the reason.

"They took the report, but they don't believe they'll find the driver."

"It's unfortunate, but true."

Matthew nodded, his eyes on Charlotte. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you arrived. How are they?"

Her pain slipped its leash again, whiplashing over Nathan. He closed his eyes tightly and strengthened his shields, his hand tightening on the styrofoam cup. He forced himself to release it before it collapsed in his grip.

"Jubilee will be fine. The headmistress of her school arrived not long ago, and she confirmed the doctor's prognosis."

"Is the headmistress a doctor?" Rachel asked. She'd seen Emma arrive, clad in stunning white leather and mink. Emma had a way of making the women around her feel inferior and lacking in feminine grace. Rachel was no exception.

"No."

"Then how would she be qualified to give an opinion of Jubilee's condition?"

Charlotte let loose a half smile. How Emma would answer that question made for a brief, humorous moment. "She's a very gifted telepath and she loves Jubilee."

"And Thomas?" Matthew's voice was very soft. He watched her eyes, watched them flash and glaze over.

"He is still unconscious. I'm taking him out of here as soon as the administration office opens this morning. I'm taking him home."

"I called the administrator, he is a friend of mine," Derek said. "He's sending someone down here, but you don't have to worry. There are no problems with mutants receiving care here."

"That's the least of Thomas' worries right now." It would be the least if he wasn't there for the rites. She and Matthew exchanged worried looks. The very least of them.

~*~*~*~*~


"Excuse me?"

The fourth floor night nurse looked up. "What can I do for you?" She really didn't sound like she wanted to be helpful.

"I'm looking for Dr. Allen."

The nurse looked her up and down. She saw a woman of mixed blood, about 5'10", slender with long black hair and amber eyes in a face that should have been on a magazine cover, Caucasian features with traces of Native American. She hated her on sight.

"I don't know exactly where the doctor is right now."

"Would you page him for me, please?" The words were pleasant enough, but it wasn't a request.

"Your name?" For someone who supposedly dedicated her working career to helping others, she was making a very good show of personal inconvenience.

"Del Bennett." She pulled a business card from her pocket. "Mutant Advocate Coalition. We were notified two mutants were admitted this evening."

~*~*~*~*~


The Mutant Advocate Coalition, MAC, came into being shortly after controversy hit San Francisco on the treatment of mutants in hospitals and clinics around the city.

In a place known for its tolerant views and a time celebrated for personal freedoms, the mutant question was not the legal and moral hotbed it was in some areas but there had been a few problems. Medical care was one of the more difficult issues. Most hospitals and clinics didn't want to treat mutants, more from the security aspect than anything medical. MAC was created to help mediate the situations that could arise. At some point in its history, the group grew into representing mutants in a variety of situations, from medical care to outright legal defense of mutant rights.

Del Bennett was a founding member of the group at its inception 35 years ago when she and several friends were in the position of finding medical help for a friend suffering from pneumonia. Stephen could increase the surface temperature of any inanimate object he touched. Finding a doctor who was willing to treat him frustrated them to no end. He died; painfully, slowly, coughing up blood and burning with fever.

They started MAC in a back room of a boarding house the night after the service, with one card table, an old phone, and the AMA listings of every doctor in the area. Their first meeting had 4 members, all mutants, and enough funds to buy a pizza for dinner, all that was left after they buried their friend. They shouldn't have bothered with dinner, none of them could eat after the dreary service. Even his parents had not attended.

Since that time MAC had grown to include 200 active members, well-equiped offices in what was reportedly a rundowned section of town, satellite offices in four other majors cities and a rather impressive list of contributors, among them Worthington Enterprises and Frost Industries.

They chose the office location for its accessibility to their clientele. There was never any trouble; they'd never had a break-in, or worse. Many people didn't want to interfere with a good thing, the security company hired to protect the premises dealt with those that did.

It helped, too, that they didn't restrict their efforts to just mutants. Anyone that came through their doors received whatever assistance available. All they asked was that non-mutants try the 'normal' channels for help first. They were able to enforce that request due of the number of psi employees on staff.

MAC had a team of lawyers on retainer specializing in affirmative action and personal rights, contacts in nearly every major hospital in the country and in many police departments, too. Their personal staff had 75 permanent employees, 50 more volunteers and could boast additional temporary staff 7-8 months of the year. The employment assistance branch of their group already had placed more than 100 mutants in suitable jobs, some with the security company that patrolled the area.

All in all, Del was proud of what they'd accomplished.

So much so, she wasn't needed full time anymore. She'd turned her attention over to personal projects. Like the one that ended up on her fax machine tonight.

~*~*~*~*~


The nurse gave the card and the woman a sneer, then gestured down the hall. "Room 424 and 426." She hated mutants, but the administrative policy was to allow MAC to represent any mutant admitted without interference. With a disgusted flourish she ripped the card in half and dropped it in the trash can.

~*~*~*~*~


A heated discussion was underway outside Room 424. Heated discussion was a polite phrase. Del's mutant empathy power picked up violent emotions barely held in check. A white coat, presumably the doctor, argued with a brunette. Several nurses stood back behind him, as did a group of people behind her. Something told her she found her newest clients.

"I'm having him transferred." the brunette told him.

"I am his doctor," White Coast insisted.

"I am the next of kin." Her tone was cold, a woman dangerously close to the edge. She was the one throwing off all that emotion. "He's being transferred as soon as possible."

Del stepped forward just as a large blond man reached for the angry woman.

"Perhaps I can help clear things up," Del told the group.

"Who're you?" The doctor scowled at her.

"Del Bennett, MAC. We were informed two mutants were admitted tonight. Car accident." She looked from one to the other.

It didn't seem possible the doctor's face could turn a redder shade, but it did. "Oh, hell!" Now he'd never get anymore blood. The first sample piqued his interest with unusual proteins chains he'd never seen before. He did have the one sample in the lab. With a glare he turned to stomp off down the hallway.

After a pointed look from the brunette the nurses followed suit, then her attention turned on Del.

Del returned the appraisal. The young woman had quite an attitude, Del estimated her to be 5-6 years younger than her own apparent age. Then she got a look in the woman's eyes.

The same eyes that stared at her every morning in her mirror, still filled with the golden fire generated by the argument.

"What exactly is MAC?" the brunette demanded.

"Your name?" Del could barely get the words out, her mouth had gone dry.

"Charlotte Ashcroft. Well?"

She tried to swallow. Had someone kicked on the heat in here? "Mutant Advocate Coalition." That funny, queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach that came with the fax just grew to epic proportions. She was standing on the edge of a cliff about to tumble over into.....what?

"Nice of you to come out, but the situation is under control."

Del didn't hear her. She saw the dark head on the pillow inside the room and found herself drawn in, *dragged* in, right up to the bedside looking down into a face she'd only seen once in her life, nearly 80 years ago, in a picture her mother burned when she was a child, a face that seared itself into her mind and visited her dreams.

~*~*~*~*~


"...who is that man, Mama..."

"...no one, sweetheart. Just someone I knew a long time ago..."

"...what's his name?.."

"...his name is Thomas Ashcroft..."

"...he has the same hair I do..."

"...I know..."

"...why are you crying, Mama?..."

~*~*~*~*~


The brunette, no, she had a name, Charlotte, stood on the other side of the bed, her hand against his arm protectively.

"Are you his daughter?" Del asked. Was this a sister? She wasn't alone?

Charlotte didn't pay close attention to the other woman. She had other things on her mind right now. "No, I'm not. I told you, Miss Bennett, we don't need any assistance."

"Wife?"

Charlotte's face twisted into a snarl that would have done Logan proud. "I don't have the time nor the inclination to answer any questions."

"Wait a minute," Jean moved up beside Charlotte. "Look at her, Char, really look at her."

Charlotte let out a warning sound, but Jean shook her head. "No. Look. At. Her."

Charlotte raised her eyes and stared into the other woman's face. Amber eyes met hers, the long dark hair and cheekbones so familiar to her. She released a breath. `Who is your family?` she asked.

Del looked at her blankly. "I don't understand you."

Charlotte looked even closer to violence than she had dealing with the doctor. "Who is your family?!" she hissed out between clenched teeth.

"I don't have any family. Except for him," she nodded at Thomas. "I think he's my father." Why was she saying these things to these strangers?

"That can't be possible," Charlotte said.

"It is possible," Hank said to her.

"I know it's possible," she snapped, "but it's not possible. Thomas would never father and abandon a child. It's not in him." She shot a look at Matthew, who shrugged back. He had no clue about this himself.

"A simple blood test would prove it."

"I can't think about this right now. First thing we get him out of here and to the summer house. They'll be there soon. I can think about this out later."

Emma's face appeared in the doorway. "I've arranged for transportation for them both back to Westchester." She gave the room full of people an appraising look.

"Thanks, Emma, but I'm taking him to my house. He needs to be there now." Emma still looked cool and calm after spending the rest of the sleepless night at Jubilee's bedside. Charlotte felt a moment's envy for her composure.

Emma nodded. "Is there anything left to be done?"

Charlotte's hands tightened on the bed rail. "No, thank you. I'll be gating him out as soon as Derek can arrange his release. Hopefully within the next few hours."

"It would be better to have him transported with Jubilee," Nathan said, "than to just disappear with him. Fewer questions that way."

Charlotte gave him a reluctant nod.

"Wait!" Del spoke up, alarmed. "You can't leave." She'd just found her father, she couldn't lose him now.

"Come with us," Jean said. "It'll be all right." She glanced at Hank, who gave her his agreement. "We'll sort this out back home."

~*~*~*~*~


Derek's phone call to the administrator got the both patients released before business hours began, after Charlotte signed everything they sat in front of her, taking responsibility for Thomas's welfare and absolving the hospital of all liability if the move proved to be traumatic. The paper work took longer then expected, the office manager did not yet have her wits fully knitted together. The ambulance arrived and the two patients were ready to go before she was finished in the accountant's office.

Dr. Allen reluctantly signed the release forms, notating on the record that he was signing under protest.

"You go ahead," Nathan told Jean and Emma, "We'll bodyslide to the airfield when she's done."

Jean agreed. "The sooner we get them home the better."

Charlotte's hands clenched into fists. She didn't want to let him out of her sight, not even for a short period of time.

~I'll take care of him,~ Jean assured her again softly.

~Please...~ She was beginning to hate herself for the number of times she felt herself begging.

Jean squeezed her arm and stepped up into the ambulance to sit on the bench seat and take Thomas's large hand in hers.

Del stopped her before she turned away to focus on the remaining tasks. "Please, tell me. Who are you?"

"If you're right and Thomas is your father, that makes me your grandmother." She didn't look to see the shock on the other woman's face. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered, except Thomas and Jubilee. "Stay with Matthew," she focused on her 'second' son, "and I'll meet up with you both in Westchester." Del began to protest again, but Charlotte cut her off. "Hank will want to run his blood tests."

Nathan stood with her watching the ambulance and the hired limousine pull away. With a small mental whimper she was unable to suppress, she turned away to go back inside and finish the paperwork.

The sun was a large ball of light through the dark gray fog. Dawn had arrived.

~*~*~*~*~


The outside world was cold and dark when Logan awoke, feeling the pull of the previous night's drunk. His body felt stiff, tired. He stretched irritably, glancing over at the clock. Not surprising, it lay on the bedside table in pieces. Didn't remember doing that. He couldn't even tell what time it was, but he was pretty sure it was mid-morning.

He showered and dressed, letting the hot water wash away traces of the night. What in the world possessed him to take a three for one bet with Gumbo? Not one of the brightest things he'd done lately. He thought he won, but had an idea winning was in the eye of the last man standing. Couldn't remember which one of them that had been. No wonder he slept alone last night. Charlotte wouldn't have let him in her room in that condition, much less sleep in her bed.

The only smart thing he could claim as his own lately was the small velvet box in his bureau drawer. Waiting for Christmas. He was almost eager for the holidays this year. This year he hoped to have something to celebrate.

He stopped next door to see if by chance Charlotte was still in bed. The door was ajar. He frowned and pushed it back slowly. Charlotte was rabid on the subject of her privacy, she wouldn't have left it open. The room was empty, her bed unmade, pajamas on the floor. Those were his pajamas. He didn't know she had them. Made him feel warm and fuzzy inside, as warm and fuzzy as someone like him would ever get. He looked around inside, then closed the door firmly behind him.

Downstairs, the kitchen was deserted. There didn't seem to be anyone around at all. Pouring himself coffee, he leaned against the counter.

Scott entered. "Bishop said you finally woke up." His face was tired and drawn. He'd waited up for Jean and Hank to return, only for her to tell him she was going to Charlotte's house with her and Nate when she called to let him know how things were. With Domino showing up damn irritated, then Jubilee's arrival, he'd never made it back to bed.

He'd managed to simmered down until he saw Logan, then his anger shot up again.

"Where's everybody?"

"In the medlab." He stood staring down at Logan. "There was an emergency last night."

"How come no one told me?"

"They tried," Scott gritted out between his teeth, "you were too drunk to notice."

Logan moved away, heading for the lab. Scott's voice stopped him.

"Jubilee was in an accident. Hit and run."

That stopped him. "What? She okay?"

"You care?"

"What's that s'posed to mean?" he growled.

"What that means is you were told there was an accident, that Jubilee and Charlotte's son were both injured, and you were in no condition to help anyone."

~*~*~*~*~


The light flashed in the gate room, Charlotte stepped through, Jean and Nathan with her, Nate holding Thomas against him, supporting the other man through the transfer. Almost immediately hands reached out to take his still body from them.

She nearly growled, her lip curled in warning, until she saw Bear and the others, then the relief washed over her. Coyote and Fox carried Thomas out while Bear held her back from following them, catching her easily with strength that belied his many years.

`He is ours now, Grandmother.`

She turned eyes filled with mute pleas on him.

He shook his head at her unspoken questions. `We will do what we can for him. You wait here for our return.` With a last embrace, he followed the others from the room.

Charlotte stood rooted to the spot. Already her heart was emptying out the further Thomas was taken from her. Breathe. Don't panic.

Nathan put his hand on her shoulder, startling her out of her trance.

"Please make yourselves at home," she said in a low voice. "Help yourselves to anything in the house." She shook him off and made her way up the stairs and out the back door.

"Let's make some coffee," Jean said. "It's going to be a long day."

~*~*~*~*~


Logan looked into the medlab to find Jubilee resting quietly. Her eyes were closed, she looked like a tiny doll in the bed, her olive complexion pale against the pillow, dark splotches coloring one side of her face.

Hank sat in a corner in quiet conversation with a young woman. Logan didn't spare either of them a glance, his attention focused on the girl that meant so much to him.

Conversation stopped, Hank rose up to make his way to the opposite side of the bed.

"How..." Logan started, then cleared his throat. "How is she?"

"She will make a full recovery and will certainly protest the amount of rest I am prescribing for her."

Logan nodded. "Good, that's...." his voice trailed off. He covered her small hand with his own, squeezing it gently.

Jubilee stirred, opening her eyes a bit. "Hi, Wolvie," she murmured.

"Hey, darlin'. I hear ya had more excitement than ya planned on."

"Yeah. Beastie Boy says I'm fine. I just hurt a lot."

"Anythin' ya need?"

She moved her head slightly, mindful of the thudding in her temples. "Frosty's got me covered." She cracked a small grin. "No homework for awhile."

"There's gotta be somethin' ya want." She had to be hurting bad if she couldn't immediately give him a detailed wish list, especially so close to Christmas.

"Nothin'," she whispered, closing her eyes again. "Tired."

Logan squeezed her hand again and left her to rest. Hank motioned him over to the corner where the young woman watched him. He hadn't notice Matthew with them before, the Immortal Dane hovering protectively over her.

"She'll be okay?" he asked Hank again.

"Yes," Hank spoke firmly.

"What about Raven?"

Hank shook his head at him, then nodded at the young woman. "We have no additional information about Thomas. Today is Winter Solstice, Charlotte took him back for the rites. She is hoping he will be restored."

"What does that mean exactly, Hank?" Logan ignored his silent warning. "Is he dyin'?"

The young woman sucked in a breath.

"No. What that means is he was still unconscious when I saw him last. I do not know if his condition has changed. Charlotte has chosen to rely on what she believes and has relinquished her son to the shamen in the hopes they will be able to heal him." A part of him, the scientist, deplored her instincts to lean on folk legends and magic to help her son. Another part of him, the part that had seen and experienced so many inexplicable things, still hated it but understood her intentions.

He directed Logan's attention to the young woman. "This is Del Bennett. She came to the hospital as a representative of the Mutant Advocate Coalition."

Logan nodded in her direction, still not looking at her.

"She is also Thomas' daughter."

That didn't register with him, he still focused on Jubilee's sleeping form.

Hank tried again. "Charlotte's granddaughter."

"Gran'daughter?"

"Yes, and I have the blood to prove it."

~*~*~*~*~


Nate stood at the back door looking at the figure nearly hidden in the snow drifts out behind the mountain house. He was afraid to take his eyes off her, afraid she'd disappear and be completely covered by the falling snow.

He was going on nearly 48 hours without sleep and felt every second of it. His mind was playing tricks on him. He imagined he saw someone out there with her, a tall outline of a man behind her. It didn't take much imagination to think he was looking at the Angel of Death.

Crazy, yeah, but this whole area was filled with some kind of energy emanating from the earth, the sky, the very air he breathed. Solstice. It exhilarated and exhausted him all at once, feeling and hearing the low thrum pulsing around him, through him.

Charlotte's body stood out in the falling snow, but her mind was up on the mountain with the shamen and her son.

Jean joined him at the window. "How's she doing?" Was it only twelve hours since she'd stood at her bedroom window with Scott watching the snow fall? They'd been here for about eight hours; time seemed to move differently here surrounded by the high snow drifts and the mammoth iced trees. It didn't seem like it was almost three in the afternoon.

"She's falling apart," Nate said bluntly.

"You want to talk about it?"

He spared a glance for her. ~No, I don't want to talk about it.~ He didn't want to give the words substance and life that he wouldn't be able to kill later.

The frown on Jean's face caused him to close his eyes. ~There's nothing to talk about.~ Why couldn't she be satisfied with a simple answer? Because there were no simple answers. Not when you're trying to change the future and still keep your past.

~You're angry?~

~Yes.~

~At her?~

~Yes. No.~

He opened his eyes again. His hallucinations were becoming more vivid. Now he imagined he saw an Indian with her, hovering over her. ~I'm angry at the situation.~

She said nothing, not understanding at all.

~I know how to help her but it isn't my place. Wolverine should be here.~

~There's no way for him to get here. You can't bodyslide in or out with the shields up and she's the only one who can operate the gate.~

~She won't unbend long enough to admit she needs him.~ Nathan knew she wouldn't go for him. Charlotte and Domino were too much alike, sometimes. Both stubborn, independent, lethal, secretive to an aggravating fault. Both would kick ass if they thought someone they loved was in need but neither one wouldn't ask for help in return.

Charlotte wasn't blaming Logan for not being here. She was too accustomed to getting through life alone. She didn't lean on anyone but the man who's body was carried up the mountain, and even then it was a conditional need.

She didn't blame Logan, but he did.

~I know how to use the gate.~

~What?~

~She taught me a long time ago. I don't think it changed much in 250 years.~ He smiled slightly. ~She doesn't know about that in this time.~

~How do you know her?~

~That's the question, isn't it? When in time did I meet her? You and Dom both.~

~Will you answer the question?~

He considered the past, still gazing at the woman in the snow.

~*~*~*~*~


"She'll be here to getcha pretty quick," the old man said. "Ready?"

"You want to tell me again why I'm doing this?" Nathan scowled at him.

The old man sighed. "You been hurt an' you need time to recuperate. She'll take good care of you."

"What's wrong with staying here, Hammer?" At 22 years old, the young man known as Nathan Dayspring was a lot of things. A strong fighter, an excellent tactical thinker, a natural leader. He was not known for his patience.

Born and bred to lead, to be the culmination of one man's dream for the world. A man he didn't even know.

And here he was, bundled off to a corner for one minor scrape.

Well, so it wasn't a minor scrape. He'd nearly died from the battle wounds, but the old man was overreacting, again.

"If you stay here you won't rest an' you'll drive everyone else crazy. You stay wi' Charlie for a few months, you'll come back stronger for it."

There was nothing he could do about it, not unless he wanted to take the old man on. He hadn't won a skirmish against him yet. He tried, more than once. One of these days he was going to whip that old man.

It wasn't going to be today.

But it was coming.

With a last frustrated glare around his quarters, he picked up his bag and made his way outside. He could see the old man standing not far from the doorway, one hand tapping impatiently against his leg.

A light flashed out in the open area, then a young woman stepped through it. She frowned, looking around, then spotted the old man. A smile softened her face, and she walked over to throw her arms around him tightly. Nate hung back to keep from intruding.

"It's good to see you, Nick," she said, true warmth in her voice. "How you been, sweetheart?"

Someone actually called that old bastard sweetheart? Nate couldn't believe it.

"I'm okay. Getting old, tired. Everyone at home?"

"We're surviving. What's the emergency?"

Nathan saw the old man's shoulders lift as he took a deep breath.

"I have a guest for you. I don't want him back for at least 4 months."

She turned around and walked back the way she came. "I'll give your regards to everyone."

"Dammit, Charlie, you can't walk away from this!"

"I got out of the rescue business years ago."

"Like hell you did. You can't walk away now, not from this. You gave your word."

That stopped her. "After everything that happened, you're holding me to my word? You've risked my security for him? You're the one that took him in here, not me. You deal with him."

"I'm not holding you to your word. You gave it to a dying woman."

"I would have promised anything to her." Nathan could actually see the waves of rage and pain flow off her, whirling around her. "Who?" she asked, as though she knew the answer but still hoped beyond hope she'd be wrong.

"Nate. He'll be out here in a minute. He was hurt in the last scuffle, hasn't mended right. He needs some time to rest before the next time slip . The only safe place is yours."

They stared at each other for long minutes, a clash of wills that she was clearly losing against the old man. Nate could've told her she'd lose against Hammer. No one had a chance, not even someone who called him sweetheart.

"And exactly what am I to do with him?" her voice still hard but resigned, the whirling sparkles gone.

"Matt's still around, isn't he? Still got his head? Between the two of you, the boy can learn more about ancient battle tactics an' strategy, work on his hand to hand. Teach him to garden, make baskets or speak Torelan, I don't care. I got to send him on in the best possible condition, an' that includes his head."

"Nicademis, I swear, I'd turn you over my knee if I didn't think I'd hurt you."

The old man chuckled, then swept her into his arms for another embrace. She hugged him fiercely, her eyes squeezed tight.

Nathan cleared his throat and stepped out of the doorway. He was still angry, but his curiosity was piqued.

"Nate, come over here an' meet Charlie," the old man gestured him over.

She looked at him coolly. He glared back at her. He didn't want to go any more than she wanted him there.

With one last sour, 'we'll deal with this later' look at the old man, she took a hard grip on Nathan's arm and touched a button on the belt she wore. In a flash they were gone.

Nicademis Ashcroft Logan took a deep breath and ran a thick hand through his graying hair, his dark amber eyes sunken and shadowed. He'd done his part, followed his father's last instructions. He'd just forced his mother to keep her word to a dying Jean Summers and take Scott's son in if he ever needed a safe place to go. If she didn't kill him first. That was a distinct possibility but he was hoping her good sense would win out.

The boy sent to him through the time slip, the boy he'd taken in and cared for this last year, trained and guided in the machinations of war and conflict of this time and place, would be responsible in his future for the deaths of nearly everyone Charlie had held dear. Her family, and those she considered her family.

A future that already was already 250 years in the past. Unless they managed to change the course of that history. His father had hoped doing this would make a difference.

Just how his father knew Dayspring would be sent to him here, Nick didn't know, and he didn't want to know. The old man'd had a real control streak when it came to his wife, and this was Wolverine's last chance to control her from the grave.

Time for a smoke and a prayer.

~*~*~*~*~


Nathan's eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim light after the blinding flash. He found himself standing in a small dark room with her. She dropped his arm and walked out, leaving him standing there.

~Move your ass~ echoed in his head. He hurried after her, annoyed with himself for jumping at her command. Who'd she think she was, anyway?

Climbing the stairs, he heard her raise her voice. Low tones answered her. At the doorway to what looked like the kitchen he saw her arguing with a tall, blond man. At her every word, in a language he didn't understand, the other man shook his head.

She gave up and stormed out. Moments later the front door slammed shut.

The man winced. "Sorry about that," he told Nathan with shake of his head. "She's not happy right now."

"So I noticed," Nathan muttered.

"Give her a few hours, she'll be better behaved or at least more civilized. I'm Matthew Brouwer. You must be Nathan Dayspring." Matthew played his part of this farce, hiding his own feelings beneath the heavy shielding he'd learned from her over the centuries.

"Can you tell me what's going on? I'm forced to come here to a place I don't want to be, where I'm not wanted, and I want to know why. Just tell me why."

"You don't know? Nick didn't tell you?"

"Nick?" Who the hell was Nick?

Matthew let out a breath. "It would have been easier if you'd been prepared for this. Nick is your commanding officer in this time."

"The old man? Hammer? I don't know his real name."

"Nicademis Logan."

"Doesn't mean anything to me."

"Does the name Charlotte Ashcroft mean anything?"

That name did. He nodded, not liking where this conversation was headed.

"That was her throwing the temper tantrum. She's Nick's mother."

The stuff of legends. One of the ancient X-Men team, she reportedly fought along side and against some of most powerful mutants history had even known. She was the only one of them left, an outlaw that carried a steep price on her head for nearly the last 200 years, and now he was in her care. Damn that old man. He'd sent him here to die.

~*~*~*~*~


~Except she didn't kill me,~ he rubbed his eyes. ~They both taught me a great many things. Some of which have come in handy over the years.~ Some of those lessons left him hurting for days. Some had saved his life more than once.

~She doesn't know about this, does she?~

~No, and she can't know. I haven't told anyone.~

Jean nodded. ~Three can keep a secret if two are dead.~

He looked at her.

She shrugged. ~I've heard her say that.~

A reluctant grin crossed his face. ~Me, too.~ Just before she tried to kill him on more than one occasion. That, and 'You're a walking dead man, Dayspring.'

She turned her attention back out the window. ~Where'd she go?~

~*~*~*~*~


Charlotte didn't feel the cold, her misery and anguish too deep for the elements to penetrate. She didn't feel grounded here anymore, her soul tossed adrift at the mercy of her emotions. It had been decades since she'd been this out of control. She hadn't felt this way since Raven died.

Raven.

He was all around her, his voice whispering to her. He said he'd never leave her, his soul would find hers. He'd never left this place while she had. She'd left here and continued living without him, going places he couldn't have gone even when he was alive.

She'd fallen in love with another man, given her soul to him. What hurt most now, her fear of losing Thomas, or her guilt over betraying Raven?

Thomas. The gods help her, she couldn't let him go. She wouldn't give up the single most important person in her life.

'....we may be strangers, we may be worlds apart sometimes....and it's hard to accept the things we just don't understand....so blind to each other we only see one side of nowhere.... some things we may never know, if there's one thing you should ever know....'

Memories washed over her. The baby she struggled to bring into this world, Raven holding her, breathing with her, crying with her when he held his newborn son in his arms. He vowed her she'd given him the greatest gift in his son, after her soul.

'....soul of my soul, heart of my heart....the greatest treasure of my life that's what you are.... soul of my soul, child of my heart....I love you more than you know, soul of my soul....'

She couldn't lose him now. What would life be without Thomas? The parent was not supposed to outlive the child. He was aging more quickly than she, the day would come when she would lay him to rest next to his father, but not now, please, not now.

'....there'll come a time when you'll be on your own....but in your heart you're never far from home....every road you take, your every living day....you will always be, you always be....the soul of my soul....'

She felt arms wrap around her, felt herself drawn tight against a firm body, cradled within a circle of love, understanding, caring.

....`My love`....

It was the wind, it had to be the wind whispering in her ear, the cruel gods masquerading as Raven, driving the ice blades deeper into her soul.

Was this her punishment? Was she to lose her son because she'd forgotten she was a shaman's woman, Raven's woman? What would it take to make Thomas whole again? She'd give her life for his.

Raven, help him! Don't let our son die!

The arms around her squeezed tighter.

....`My love`....

She closed her eyes, feeling sun-warmed skin against her forehead, silky hair caress her cheek. Even in the snow she could smell Raven, the scent of his skin, the fragrance of the herbs he used in the rites. She could smell the smoke of the ritual fire, burning cedar and balsam, the pungent tang of spice. It enveloped her.

....`I am still with you`....

She tried to open her eyes but couldn't do it. Didn't want to do it, too tired to make the effort. She hadn't felt this safe and warm since....

....`My soul found yours`....

The wind song voice changed.

Logan?

....`My love`....

Tears slowly escaped her to freeze on her cheeks.

....`Love knows no boundaries, my soul will find yours`....

Raven found her.

Then illusion was gone, and she fell into the snow, sobbing, unable to sustain the effort it took to be strong. She couldn't be strong anymore, not while her son's soul slipped away.

~*~*~*~*~


"This was stupid," the voice spoke to her through the white haze. "You know better, 'Lotta." The voice was angry. To hell with the voice, she didn't care. Couldn't the voice just leave her alone?

Hands touched her, rough and gentle, pulling off her wet clothing, bundling her in warm quilts. Her hair was rubbed with a towel. Charlotte tried to move from the insistent hands, but she couldn't get away.

She shivered inside and burrowed deeper into the false warmth. False because there was no way she'd ever really be warm again.

Nathan and Jean left her in the first floor bedroom. "I'll send you back to the mansion," he told her. "Get Logan and bring him here."

"But Charlotte-"

"I can take care of her." He handed her Charlotte's homing belt. "Just get him and come back." After a long minute looking at the device and remembering the the use of it, he programed in the coordinates and Jean stepped through the gate.

Charlotte was still wrapped in the covers, she hadn't moved. She was finally sleeping. This had been one long, endless night for them all.

Nathan rested the back of his hand against her cheek, she was still far too cold. With a sigh he stripped off his clothes down to the thermal shorts he wore under his uniform. The quickest, most effective way to elevate body temperature was through direct skin to skin contact. This wasn't a smart idea, not by any means, but he really didn't have a choice.

Lifting aside the quilts, he slid in next to her and pulled her close, settling her into his arms and covering as much of her as he could with his body. She felt icy, slight tremors running though her smaller frame. Her lips were still tinged blue, her head tucked under his chin, her cold cheek resting against his heart. He could feel the rush that still ran through her from her battle with herself, hating it - her, and reveling the pure flood racing through them both. She fairly hummed with it. Solstice only made him more sensitive to it.

He remembered this feeling from the years past. The cascade of adrenaline from combat, sharing the rush with her during their hand-to-hand training.

He remembered their first clash of wills, not fondly, but he remembered.

~*~*~*~*~


He'd been with them for a week, during which she'd left him alone. He hardly saw her at all and it didn't bother him a bit. Whenever he caught sight of her, she glared and then ignored him. Suited him just fine. He wanted to serve his time and get an early release for good behavior; good behavior defined as not killing his warden.

One morning he found her in the forest.

He meditated, trying to rid himself of the tension that choked him. The utter serenity and peace surrounding him was the one thing he liked about this place. There were other people in the area, but he never saw any of them. Just felt them, catching stray thoughts here and there. Matt told him they were in the valley adjacent to this one, restricted to the old Indian village until further notice. She ordered everyone away while he was here.

They all took her orders as gospel. Who did she think she was and what right did she have to give orders to anyone? His anger at Hammer for sending him here spiked up again, completely destroying the mood he'd worked hard to achieve this morning.

Charlotte crossed his range of awareness. Without thinking, he got up and followed, focusing his anger on her.

He didn't know she was aware of him behind her until she stopped at a gate.

~Come in,~ she told him, the bitterness in her psi-voice warning him of the depth of her own anger and hatred of him. ~Come on in and meet the past.~

He couldn't refuse her. This was what he'd come here for, wasn't it? He stepped through right behind her and found himself surrounded by the dead.

One by one, she introduced him to her family and his, though he didn't know it then.

Name after name rolled over him, along with her unshed tears, her guilt, her fury. Famous and infamous names, obscure names. Legends. Icons. The last hopes of a dead race.

Not the last hope. He was the last hope, though he hadn't known that yet, either.

They sat in there together for a very long time in silence. Charlotte leaned back against a grave marker, allowing selected memories loose for him to 'see,' the people she'd love and cared about.

Hammer's words finally hit home to young Dayspring. She and Matthew could teach him.

His life could have ended in a heartbeat at her whim if he'd pushed her any harder, if her control had been any less.

She finally led the way out through the gate and shut it behind him. ~It starts today.~

Her weaponless specialty was wrestling, and that was his first lesson. Nathan supposed she chose it to establish her dominance over him, which it did at the time. He named her 'Queen Bitch of the Universe' while she held in him in a wrestling lock until he was almost faint from the lack of oxygen, her stronger mind and centuries-honed skills easily besting his younger self. It didn't matter that he was more than a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier. She whipped his ass.

And continued to do so only a daily basis for the next four months.

Was it only twenty some years ago in his life? Twenty years that spanned centuries, millenniums?

Now the tables were turned, he was older, stronger, infinitely wiser than the young man who'd known her. The older man knew the secret to her fighting style. He knew to cheat.

He learned that lesson perhaps best of all. Fighting fair was useless when your enemy didn't follow the rules.

Their training sessions became the preludes to more intimate battles. Not lovemaking. There had been no love between them. They were adversaries, constantly fighting for dominance in every aspect of their association, taking their private war from the practice field into the bedroom.

Love did come, reluctantly, with limitations. He hated her. A part of him still hated her, the 'older woman' in his young man's memories.

He couldn't hate her now, she wasn't that person. She didn't know it, wouldn't know for a couple hundred years, and may never know if he accomplished what he'd been sent to do.

He wondered if Logan had discovered that side of her, if it existed because of the other man. Looking back, he could see elements of Wolverine's fighting style in the way she moved and fought.

Nathan knew what would help her now. He didn't have the level of understanding she shared with Wolverine that would allow her to release her emotions on him. Logan better get here before then. He wasn't doing it.

He didn't dare try.

~*~*~*~*~


Jean flashed into a snow drift right on the front walk of the mansion. The door swung open, Scott ran out and scooped her up in his arms to carry her inside. She hardly had time to feel the cold.

Hank ran a professional eye over her when she walked into the Medlab with Scott. Jubilee was still in bed. Del - good heavens, Charlotte's granddaughter, Jean thought to herself again - sat in a corner of the lab patiently with Matthew. After all these years she could afford to wait a while for more answers than Hank and Matthew could give her.

"How is everything?" Jean asked Hank.

"Fine, just fine," he turned a fond smile on his young patient. "Jubilation will return to her customary self very soon."

"I could do it now," the young firecracker protested, "but Miz Frost said she'd ground me with extra homework if I did."

"And Thomas?"

"Is he okay?" Jubilee asked, her voice cracking a little. "It wasn't his fault. Tol' Frosty not to blame him."

Jean and Hank looked at each other. Del sat up, eavesdropping unabashedly.

"We don't know yet," she answered, "there won't be any news until dusk tomorrow."

"Let me know, 'kay? We were havin' a really great time. I wanna do it again, 'cept for that last part."

"I'll let you know first thing I hear," Jean promised.

Emma was on her way back in when Jean and Scott left the Medlab. "How is everything?" she asked.

"Nothing yet."

"Does Charlotte need any assistance?"

Jean shook her head. "Nathan is still with her. I came back to get Logan." Emma actually sounded like she was sorry. Jean was surprised 'Miss Frost' could show consideration for anyone else but herself.

"Good luck," Emma's face showed her disgust. "He's run off. Domino went after him."

"Jeannie," Remy's voice echoed down the hallway.

"We might as well take this into the War Room," Scott said, "and tell everyone at once."

~*~*~*~*~


"I doan know where he is," Remy said, "but she doan need him now. I go wit' you."

Jean gave him a hard look. "Nathan said Logan, so I'm taking Logan."

They'd been over this more than once during the last 4 hours waiting for Logan to return. Remy insisted they just go back without him.

Jean was getting tired of telling him no.

"Damn well not takin' ya, Gumbo," Logan said from behind them, Domino with him. It had been pretty easy to track him down, she'd simply gone into town to his apartment. Dragging him back had been the hard part until he decided he wanted to go, then the hard part was keeping up.

"Jean's been waitin' hours," Remy answered angrily, "if you're so worried, how come you not wit' Jubilee?"

"Get over yourselves," Dom interrupted. "If we're going, let's go."

"Nathan just said Logan," Jean tried again.

"Since when is Cable callin' de shots?" Remy asked, still glaring at Logan.

Jean's temper snapped. "Since he was the only one sober enough to help her when she needed it."

The silence was deafening. Scott hid a snicker behind his hand.

"Both of you blew this one," she continued heatedly. "It was your own fault and I don't want to hear another word from either of you."

"Jean-"

"Chere-"

"One word and I'll knock you both out right now!"

The seconds ticked by as she waited, hoped, one of them would cross the line.

They weren't going to do it. The look in her eyes warned them she was serious, and they'd better get serious as well.

"It's my opinion she could use all the support she can get right now. Get ready and be back here in 15 minutes."

The two men continued to stare at her.

"Now!"

Domino watched them leave, then shook her head. "That was good," she told Jean.

"They make me so mad sometimes."

"I'll be going with you."

Jean took a deep breath. "Okay."

"No argument?" Dom was surprised.

"There's no need to fuss with you. You can be reasonable, and Nathan could use a friend right now." The story he'd told her was still fresh in her mind. He needed his own support to help him through this mad dash down Memory Lane.

"How's he holding up?"

"Fine. He's tired, though. We'll probably find him sitting over a pot of coffee cursing at us for taking so long. I should've been back hours ago."

~*~*~*~*~


The four of them arrived in the gate room, the men still angry at each other, and themselves, if the truth be known.

The kitchen was empty, the half empty coffee pot and dirty cups still where they were when Jean left earlier. The house was dim and quiet.

"So, where are they?" Dom asked, looking around.

"We put her in the bedroom," Jean said.

Remy reached the doorway first, his body blocking the view for the others. He turned to keep them from entering, but Logan pushed past him into the darkened room.

The two were entwined under the quilts, Nathan's bare shoulders just visible above the covers. All that could be seen of Charlotte was the flow of hair over the pillow. They were both sleeping deeply, Charlotte pressed up against and nearly covered by Nathan, his utter exhaustion etched on his face.

Logan made a move towards the bed, but Remy grabbed his arm and shook his head, gesturing him back out.

~Let them sleep,~ Jean told him.

~They can sleep in separate beds.~ Logan shook Remy's hand off and reached for Charlotte's shoulder, intending to get her out of that bed.

Nathan's hand shot up from around her and fastened onto the other man's wrist in a bruising grip. His eye flashed a warning.

Dom felt Nathan's disorientation through their link. He hadn't realized yet who they were or what was happening. They really were only sleeping, she thought in surprise.

Logan's face curled into a growl.

Charlotte moaned softly and tried to burrow deeper into Nathan's shoulder, her face against his neck.

Logan reacted as though he'd been struck. He jerked out of Nathan's grip, his claws snicked out. Jean was at the other side of the bed in an instant, holding him in a TK vise. ~Stop this!~

Nathan opened both eyes, reality intruding on what had been a dead sleep. The first real sleep he'd had in two days, and Wolverine had to ruin it.

He looked around, taking roll of their company. Not only Logan, but Gambit and Domino. Could this get any better? He threw back the covers and untangled himself from the still sleeping woman, who seemed oblivious to all the psi-talk flying around the room. Where ever Charlotte was, she didn't want to come back.

He envied that right now.

"What do ya think yer doin' in bed with her," Logan rumbled, still unable to move. He saw Charlotte was naked in the pile of quilts and snarled a warning at the Cajun for looking at her.

"What do you mean, what am I doing in bed with her? What do you think I'm doing? Trying to seduce her? Who would be aroused by someone that cold?"

Domino was the first. She tried hard to stifle her chuckles; failing that she left the room. They could hear her laughing all the way to the front of the house.

Nathan angrily yanked on his clothes, his mouth thinned in a tight line. He hadn't meant to say that, exactly. It was bad enough getting caught in a compromising situation, but the implied accusation of taking advantage of a woman made him furious. He glared at Logan and stomped his way out of the bedroom.

Remy leaned over the sleeping woman and tucked the blankets back around her, his fingertips stroking the hair from her face. "He's right, homme, she's cold."

"You're going to apologize to him," Jean said tightly to Logan. She released him, her eyes flashing her extreme displeasure with his behavior.

"The hell I will!" He pushed Remy away from her. "Get outta here." He backed them both through the door and closed it, locking it behind them. Locking it didn't mean anything, anyone of them could have had it open in a heartbeat.

He pulled off his own clothes and climbed in, wrapping his arms around her. Charlotte nestled against him, his name on her lips.

Logan didn't smile, but he let out a long sigh. Finally, he'd found some control in this nightmare. He wasn't going to give it up again.

~*~*~*~*~


At dusk, Charlotte was back on the porch watching for the shamen. The snow continued to fall lightly, the lights from the house reflecting off the white drifts surrounding it. An unreal haze fell over the valley as the unnatural light that had been glowing from the ice coated trees faded with the end of Solstice.

Logan waited with her, staying back out of the way. She didn't seem to notice he was there, all her attention was focused on the wait and the fear that the shamen couldn't help her son. She didn't question how they got here, Jean's explanation falling on distracted ears. It didn't matter, nothing mattered.

Gambit opened the door and stepped out, a large mug of steaming coffee in his hands. He offered it to her, but she didn't notice that either. Taking her hand, ignoring the warning growl from Wolverine, he molded it to the cup. She grasped it reflexively, not really paying attention, and sipped automatically. At that moment, she wouldn't have known if she drank coffee or turpentine.

"Come inside, chere," he said gently.

"'Kay," she murmured, not moving from her spot.

"He's right, Char," Logan moved to her other side to tug at her left arm. "Gotta get inside an' keep warm." He tried to move her back towards the door.

Charlotte resisted, pulling back away from him. The coffee sloshed in the cup at her efforts. "Lemme 'lone," she muttered.

When he didn't let go, she swung around and caught him across the face with the flat of her hand. "Leave me alone!" she hissed at him. "I have to be here!" More hot liquid spilled out.

The gloves Jean had forced on her lessened the impact, but not the surprise. Unhurt, he let go and moved back away from her.

Remy frowned at him. "Chere," he began again in his most soothing voice, "you know you just hurt yourself tryin' t' hit dat man." He reached for her hand to check for any damage she may have sustained by striking Logan. "Can't hurt him dat way."

"They're coming," she said suddenly, dropping the cup to the ground at her feet, coffee splattering over her boots, and dashed head long into the falling snow.

Logan dove after her and missed, tripping over Remy as he followed behind her. Cursing, he rolled to his feet and continued after her, unable to see what she knew was there.

~*~*~*~*~


From her place by the back window, Jean watched Charlotte take off into the dusk, made darker by the storm settling in. "Charlotte's moving," she told Cable and Domino sitting at the table. "Logan's gone after her."

Nathan nodded. "They're on their way back down." His eye flashed in the dim light. "They got him."

Domino shot a sharp look at him, then turned her attention back to the cup in her hand.

"But is he okay?" Jean persisted.

"Don't know. He's alive." He left the kitchen for the library, mainly to get away from the bland looks Domino was shooting at him constantly. He didn't know how to explain Charlotte, or this place to her, or if he should even try. It was enough Jean knew some of the story.

What Charlotte would do to keep this place in the future, the bitterness that was so much a part of the woman she would become, even the furious warrior that wouldn't outright kill him, those things had nothing to do with the here and now. He still had respect for this younger version, however. He would not make the mistake of underestimating her.

He looked around the house as he passed through, his memories overlaying what he saw. The paintings and photographic prints on the walls gone, the crystal, china and delicate stone works here and there, gone. Emotionally priceless collections, all gone. She would barter painful chunks of her life away to keep her charges safe, down to and including pieces of her heart and soul. And for a very brief time, he would be one of those she protected.

The library was not the same, either. The furniture would become scuffed and damaged, the books she loved now gone. A smile curved his mouth for a moment as he looked down at the chess set set up in the corner. It was the same one she'd whip him on later. Picking up the white knight, he admired the craftsmanship of the piece, old enough now to appreciate it. He was old enough, and experienced enough now to appreciate many things.

Like it or not, that woman played a small part in his past, a part that he now could look back on and cherish in his own way. Old Woman. He called her that, but the truth was only her eyes had aged then. His past was changing bit by bit with the every day that passed. There were some pieces of it he'd like to stay the same. Charlotte Ashcroft was one of those pieces.

~*~*~*~*~


Coyote stopped her from careening headlong into the center of group, Crow and Fox supporting Raven's body between them.

Shaking the old man's hands off, she pushed her way between the bodies to come face to face with her son. `Misae?` she demanded, her tone of voice betraying the fear and apprehension inside her. `Please, Misae....`

At the childhood name, Thomas opened his eyes and gazed blearily down at her, eyes sparking gold with remnants for Solstice magic. His cheek twitched. `Impichi.`

The tears she thought were exhausted began again. She wound her arms around his waist to bury her face in his chest and sob unashamedly.

`Grandmother,` Bear place a gentle hand on her shoulder, pleased at her reaction. `We must get him inside and warm.`

She sniffled and let him go reluctantly, allowing the elder to draw her against himself as the others passed with Thomas. She didn't see Logan standing away from the group.



impichi -- mother

'Soul of My Soul'
Copyright 1993 Warner-Chappell Music Ltd
Used without permission.



All references to characters belonging to the X-Men Universe are (c) and TM the Marvel Comics Group, 20th Century Fox and all related entities. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, duplication or distribution of these materials in any form is expressly prohibited. No money is being made from this archive. All images are also (c) and TM the Marvel Comics Group, 20th Century Fox and all related entities; they are not mine. This website, its operators and any content used on this site relating to the X-Men are not authorized by Marvel, Fox, etc. I am not, nor do I claim to be affiliated with any of these entities in any way.