Chapter Nine: The Weary Souls

Author's Note: I've taken the characters from X-Men: The Animated Series and I've combined them with stuff that did happen in the comics. A lot of the conversation between Nightcrawler and Wolverine was written by comic writing genius Greg Rucka: Wolverine Vol. 3. #6, so a lot of the dialogue belongs to him.

Logan let out a sigh as he felt the night breeze caress his face. The day's events had brought back a flood of memories. Arella…Angela…she'd gotten older, perhaps a little wiser in her years than the child he remembered. It seemed like yesterday that he was giving her a ride so she wouldn't have to walk the dangerous streets of Gotham City.

No longer was she the hurt, depressed, troubled girl who desperately sought acceptance from others. Now she was a mature, if not traumatized victim of horrific act that happened far too often to too many women. Except unlike most women, she knew her offspring would be destined to a terrible purpose. He admired her for not aborting the baby and accepting help from the monks of Azarath.

He'd not seen her for 15 years. She'd changed so much. But still, there was something about her…something Logan couldn't quite pin down. He could see her in his mind's eye, her face haggard and older than her 32 years. Could one so young seem so much older? Her slight figure clothed in white robes, her expression solemn and quiet.

He remembered reaching for her hand after he had killed one of the men who had tried to murder her for leaving the Church of Blood. Her touch had felt soft and warm. To see her safe had made him feel…lighter emotionally.

He'd missed a woman's touch. It had been so long since…No. No. He shouldn't think like that. She was still so young. In his mind she was still that young teenage girl he was trying to protect. And yet...at the same time, she wasn't. She was a woman now...a beautiful, attractive young woman when he thought about it…

"No…I shouldn't….shouldn't think about her that way. She's too young…she's still vulnerable…but I don't understand why I feel this way…Ah, forget it," he pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. Where was the Elf when he needed a priest for a confession? He'd have to settle for a smoke.

Logan pulled his communicator out from inside his pocket. He punched in the codes for Nightcrawler and waited for the blue-skinned priest to pick up.

"Nightcrawler here. Vho is this?" he asked with his thick German accent.

"It's Logan, Elf. You on your way?" he asked.

"Of course, my friend, I shall be there shortly," Kurt said.

"You should be here by now," Logan muttered.

"I vould, but ve're flying the jet instead of teleporting there."

"I see. Oh, and one more thing, Elf," Logan added.

'Vhat vould that be Logan?" he asked.

"Bring me some beer, cans or a keg would be nice," he told the mutant.

"I'll bring you two dozen cans and a keg. Vould you like me to bring a pitcher?" he asked.

"Sounds good to me," Logan agreed.

Logan ended the communication and continued smoking his cigarette.

His hyper-sensitive ears heard the footsteps coming up the stairs of the roof of Titans Tower. His keen sense of smell alerted him that it was Beast Boy, Gar. Apparently, his son was worried about him. He turned around to regard him, taking the cigarette out of his mouth.

"I've been expecting you, kid," he said.

"Why didn't you come looking for me?" Beast Boy's voice asked.

"It's not that I didn't try, son. I searched for you in Tawaba's village, but they told me that some people from the U.S. came and took you away. I did my best to track you down. Took me a few years but I found out that scientist Dayton had adopted you. I would have come to get you, but then I discovered where that creep Deathstroke was holed up, so I decided to pay him a visit. Somehow he got wind that I was lookin' for him and he went underground. I promised myself I wouldn't come see you until I'd settled the score between him an' me. Guess I just got lucky findin' you and him in the same place."

"I guess," Beast Boy shrugged. "Deathstroke…you're talking about Slade right?"

"Yeah, Deathstroke's his mercenary alias. How come you've never heard it?"

"Well, Robin and Slade are kinda rivals. He keeps trying to take over this city and Robin keeps trying to stop him, with our help too," Gar added as an afterthought.

"He goes by first name basis with Robin huh? Guess he must really hate his guts," Logan inhaled more tobacco from his cigarette. He exhaled, watching the wisps of smoke rise into the air and disappear.

"Yeah, but I thought he hated everybody," Beast Boy observed, walking over to his father.

"If you're going to ask me if you can smoke, the answer is "No". I can because I'm old enough and my body can regenerate. You're too young and you can't so it's final."

'Er…but I've never seen you smoke before," Beast Boy said.

"Your mom wouldn't let me do it in front of you," he told him. "Said it'd be a bad influence. But I only smoked when you were away or asleep."

"I see. You wanna come inside?" We're all getting ready to eat."

"Sure thing, kid," Logan followed Gar inside. He just had to wonder how long it would be before Kurt arrived with his much needed beer.

"Wait, I think I've heard of this Professor Xavier Wolverine mentioned," Cyborg said. "My Dad talked about him once. Said he was a mutants' rights activist. I think he's a professor in genetics and physics too."

"He's also a very powerful mutant," Jubilee added.

"That makes sense," Robin agreed. "Why else would he be a mutant activist if he wasn't one himself?"

"Well kid, if everyone was as sharp as you, we'd all be in trouble," Gambit, Remy LeBeau remarked.

"So what kind of superpower do you have?" Jubilee asked Robin. The question took him off guard. No one had ever asked him about it before.

He looked at her. "I don't have superpowers."

She was startled. "No superpowers, and yet you're the leader."

"If you know anything about Robin, you know who his mentor was," Cyborg answered her remark.

"Batman, the Dark Knight," Jubilee said. "I heard a lot of stories about him when I was growing up. How come people like him are admired as heroes while mutants are treated like dirt?"

"I'm not sure, but it's a really messed up world out there," Robin smiled. "It'll get better. You'll see."

"Remy highly doubts that," Remy muttered to himself. "You guys don't know how lucky y'all are. Fancy Tower; hailed as heroes by the press. Everybody's scared of us. Calls us 'freaks of nature'." He decided to change the subject. "Anyone up for Blackjack?"

"I'm in, but no betting," Jubilee said, eager to get off the subjects of mutants and politics.

Raven wasn't interested in their conversation and was busy making herself some herbal tea when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Care to pour me a cup, kid?" Logan asked. She was startled, but hid it well.

"Sure," she replied. She poured Logan a cup of herbal tea. He took it from her without a word. At least this would hold him over until Kurt got there with his beer.

He looked up as Angela Roth entered the kitchen. Logan looked up at her, Gar noticed he was smiling.

"Huh?" Gar asked quizzically.

"You want some tea, Angela? Or are ya just gonna stand there and stare at me all day?"

Raven was startled at how flippant Logan's behavior was towards her mother, but to her own surprise, her mother didn't seem to mind. She returned his smile and sat down across from him.

"No, of course I'll join you." Raven went and got her mother a cup of herbal tea.

"How's your eye, Logan?" Angela asked.

"It's fully healed, but I had to wear a glass eye for awhile. So how are you? After all you've been through, I'm glad to see you're okay."

"So…are you…seeing anyone?" Logan asked quietly. Angela was surprised by the question. She didn't get that one often from a lot of people, especially people like him.

"No…and you?" if he was going to ask her about that part of her life, then she deserved to know about that part of his life.

"I haven't dated anyone since my wife was murdered…unfortunately," he sighed; sipping his tea, his mind still wished it was beer instead of tea.

Raven handed her mother a cup of tea as Cyborg walked into the room and said, "There's a large aircraft hovering near the Tower roof, some lady named Kitty says Wolverine gave her these coordinates."

"That's them, he's finally here!" Logan said. "It's about time!"

"What's so important about all of them?" Beast Boy asked.

"Father Kurt brought me my answer to my prayers," Logan told him.

"What would the answer to your prayers be, Logan?" Angela asked in a slightly amused voice, knowing full well what she hadn't seen her old friend doing. Raven and Beast Boy looked at one another, not understanding what they both were talking about.

"My keg and two dozen cans of ice cold beer!" Logan proclaimed triumphantly.

Both Raven's and Beast Boy's jaws dropped to the carpet as their eyes' about exploded out of their heads.

"Dad since when did you drink?" Beast Boy asked.

"I've drank all my life. When your mother and I married, she made me stop. Ever since she died well…" he shrugged. "Let's just say it helps."

"Then I'll allow that plane to land, even if it has beer," Cyborg said.

"Yeah, I got friends on that plane," Logan said. He traveled up to the roof.

Angela, Arella Roth watched him go. Seeing him again had brought back so many memories. He'd protected her, been there for her; he'd been a father figure to her. And yet she hadn't seen him for what he was, a good caring man who had wanted to help her. And now…he was very much the same man…but there was something about him that drew her to him. He wasn't what anyone would call "drop dead gorgeous" nor was he one of those men that a girl could look at and say that he was dashingly handsome at a first glance. Logan wasn't meant to strike you with how good looking he was, what attracted women to him was his caring nature and his good heart.

Not that he wasn't a striking, good looking man, his looks only added to what attracted her to him. Her daughter Raven had gone to greet these friends of Logan's, to see what kind of people he spent his time with, leaving Angela alone with her thoughts.

She had tried to dismiss it when she'd seen him again. There was an undeniable physical attraction to him. She couldn't place her finger on what she felt. These emotions were all new to her. On Azarath, the monks taught that peace and tranquility were achieved when one controlled their emotions. Following their teachings, she had suppressed hers, believing that men would only seek her attention to manipulate her for their own purposes, she had learned this the hard way with Trigon.

But with Logan, it was different. She knew him, she knew he'd never do anything to hurt her, and now…these feelings and desires filled her with confusion and uncertainty. What was she supposed to do around him, especially since she shouldn't feel this way about someone who was much older than her, despite the fact that he didn't look too much older than she was?

What were these feelings? Love? Lust? Both? She wanted to say that she loved him, that her emotions leaned toward the former, not the latter. She didn't think she was capable of feeling such a dangerous emotion. Lust was a truly frightening feeling, one she tried at all costs to avoid.

Angela Roth let out a very confused sigh. "Where's a priest when you needed one for a confession?"

Didn't two weary souls deserve to have something for themselves, even if it was only for a short time?

Kurt Wagner, Rogue and Kitty Pryde all made their way down the exit ramp.

"It's nice to see you all made it here safely," Logan greeted them with a smile.

"Ah, you just wanted Kurt to get here with your beer," Rogue laughed. "So who're all these people?"

Robin stepped forward. "I'm Robin. This is Starfire, Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy. We're the Teen Titans."

"Pleasure to meet all of you," Rogue said. "Beast Boy…You're Wolverine's kid, ain't ya?"

"Yes Ma'am," he replied.

"Please, just call me, Rogue, sugar. Everybody does," Rogue laughed.

"Would one of you guys be able to show me where I can put my stuff?" Kitty asked.

"Sure, just follow me," Cyborg said. "So what kind of power do you have anyway?"

"Me? I can walk through walls…" their voices trailed off as they left the rooftop.

Kurt smiled at Logan as he handed him the beer.

"I brought you what you wanted, my son," Kurt said, feigning a pious tone of voice.

"Why thank you, Father, that's just what I had hoped for," Logan replied. The two men stared at each other, and burst out laughing.

"Come on in, Elf. I'll pour you a drink!" Logan said. They both made their way back inside Titans' Tower.

Raven looked over in surprise as Kurt Wagner; she hadn't really noticed him before. He looked too normal. She thought he was with Rogue and Kitty because he was some kind of mutant. Logan had referred to him as "Father Kurt". Apparently, he was a priest of some sort, probably Catholic. They were known to drink once in awhile.

Raven saw Logan sit down at the table and Kurt put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't even think about touching me unless you're gonna look like yourself when you're doing it, Elf," Logan said. The other Titans were surprised; Kurt was wearing a holographic generator? Why?

"I'm not certain that's the best idea, my friend. You know how people react to my appearance," he glanced around at the others, nervous.

"Don't worry, my son's a green shape-shifter, we have one alien, a human Cyborg and a half demon. They won't care how you look."

"A half demon, that's…" Kurt never finished his sentence.

"There you go Elf, no more excuses."

Kurt pushed a button in his belt and turned off the holographic generator. Raven was very surprised at Kurt's appearance. He was blue-skinned and had three fingers on each hand and a tail, along with a pair of yellow eyes that reminded her of her father.

"Better?" Kurt asked.

"Better than you having to hide yourself, but it's a start," Logan looked at him. "Actually Kurt, I have something I wanted to talk to you about," Logan sighed.

"Vhat's that?" Nightcrawler asked.

"Oh, nothing, never mind," he muttered.

"You're in a mood," Kurt observed.

"Has nothing to do with it, Kurt," Logan muttered as he opened up the keg of beer and poured it into the pitcher his friend had brought him.

"No, of course not."

"You gonna just stand there," Logan asked, gesturing to the seat next to him.

Logan poured Kurt a glass.

Kurt raised his cup in a toast. "To Peter," he said.

"To absent friends," Logan added.

They both drank their beer. Raven decided she wasn't interested in their conversation and turned her attention to her herbal tea and the book she was reading.

"Hey, you Dudes want some peanuts?" Gar asked, plopping down a bowl full of shelled peanuts.

"Thank you," Kurt smiled. "You must be Beast Boy. Your father has told me much about you."

"Er thanks," Beast Boy said. He sat down away from them and watched them drink. He'd never seen his father interact with other mutants before. He didn't even know his father was a mutant."Did I tell you I'd seen Katchen?"

"You told me..."

"-Maybe three, four months ago? She's doing vell, going to school in Chicago. She called me, thought she's seen Peter—"

"Peter's dead," Logan interrupted, emphasizing the word dead. Kitty's here now, so you can tell her about Peter yourself..."

"Yes, that's vhy she called me. She thought she had seen him, as I said—"

Kurt noticed Logan wasn't really listening and he changed the subject.

"Vhat happened?" Kurt inquired.

"Nothing happened," Logan said shortly.

"Certainly something did. You're even more unpleasant than normal. And you could use a shower, I might add."

"You don't think I don't know how I smell?" Logan asked; his voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Self-loathing does not become you Logan," Kurt told him.

"This from the guy who hides his face," he shot back.

"Vhat was her name? " Kurt asked. Logan stopped drinking. Arella looked up from her tea. What were they talking about? Who was this "her" they were discussing?

"What?" Logan asked, repeating the first part of his friend's question.

"The girl who died. The one you couldn't save. What was her name?"

"Lucy. Lucy Braddock. She was seventeen, Kurt. Not any older than Angela when I first met her…"

Angela noted the comparison. She wondered if Lucy Braddock had gotten involved in a cult. She also noted that Kurt said that Lucy had died and that Logan hadn't been able to save her. She decided to move over to where they were sitting.

"Have a seat kid. I noted you perked up when I mentioned your name. I'm sure you wanna know what this kid's got to do with you."

"Is it vorking?" the beer?" Nightcrawler asked. "It must be hard to punishing yourself when your healing factor fights you every inch of the vay."

Logan regarded him. "You have no idea."

"Yet here you are doing your best impression of a fish." Kurt watched Logan as he continued drinking his beer. "We have both seen innocents suffer, my friend. We have both seen the inhumanity of man to his fellow man."

"Why is Lucy Braddock so important that you dive three days without rest to meet me here, and to engage attempt to torture your liver?"

Logan poured himself another drink. "Seventeen is too young, I agree. Seventy, some would say, is too young, as well. We have both seen too much death, lost too many we have cared for. But trite as it is to say, Logan, death is a part of life, even unnatural death, even, perhaps, murder."

Logan all but slammed his glass on the table. "Not murder."

"You think? I do not advocate it, of course, but I would point out that every Judeo-Christian religion has murder in the basic text. Cain slew Abel and thus, the world knew murder. One could argue that murder is as natural as dying of old age."

Robin, who'd been listening long enough to get the gist of the conversation, spoke up. "You can't seriously believe that, can you?" He stared at Nightcrawler, waiting for his answer.

Logan agreed with Robin, "You don't really believe that."

"I am longer sure vhat to believe, my friend. My grasp of ethological and theological theory is slipping, to say the least. As a result, I am forced more often than not to rely on the facts as I know them."

Kurt paused for a moment. "Actions always speak louder than words. You know better than most. You actions have always marked you, to me, as a good man. An honorable man."

Everyone in the kitchen came to a dead stop as these eight words left Logan's mouth:

"Three days ago, I killed twenty-seven men."