Long-ish chapter, but figured I didn't want to break it up any further as thanks to those of you who have made my day (year) by viewing, favoriting, and commenting. Hope you enjoyed the story so far. I present the final part to A Past and a Future.

Logan was in such a state of distraction that he didn't catch the telltale sounds and smells outside the rec room until he had almost collided with Jean and Scott, who were probably on their way to the dining hall. He came to a quick halt, reflexes saving the other two from the painful tumble that would have occurred if he'd actually knocked them over. Jean made a cute, startled squeak, and Scott had jerked in surprise before recovering.

"Hey, sorry," Logan muttered, unwilling to stick around and say anything more than that, especially after seeing Jean's arm twined with her fiancée's. Not that he was after Jeannie anymore, really, but… well, it had been a nice thought while it lasted. He still saw her as a very attractive woman, but that ship had sailed. Honestly, she had probably made the best choice for her, but it was still a bit of a blow to a man who couldn't remember having a bona fide intimate relationship in sixteen years. Logan snorted at himself mentally, instinctively trying to shore up his emotional defenses; he didn't need anyone, not really. His long legs propelled him several steps away from them before he came to a sudden stop, a thought occurring. Damn. Well, probably no better time than now. With what he was going to say, it would probably never be a good time. "Oh, hey, Scott," he called out, turning around. The school's resident couple stopped walking, looking expectantly back at him. Logan did his best casual stroll up to them, feeling as awkward and uncomfortable as he ever could.

"What is it, Logan?" Scott seemed uncertain, probably wondering what he was gonna say in front of Jean. Not that riling him up wasn't always fun, but this was serious for a change.

"Uh…" Logan barely stopped himself from fidgeting, forcing himself to look right at the other's ruby-quartz covered gaze. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. About the motorcycle," he finally got out, sticking his hands in his back pockets just to have something to do with them. "It was a really great machine." Truthfully, Logan almost felt the loss just as keenly as Scott probably did. He'd ridden on it, knew it was a top of the line custom piece of mechanical art. When he realized it was probably rusting under acres of water at Alkali Lake, it had been like getting a kick in the gut. It was hard to tell when Cyclops was surprised from his expression alone, but his jaw dropped just for a second in true shock. That might have given the feral a good laugh, if he hadn't felt so truly guilty about his part in the motorcycle's fate.

"Oh…! Well, it is a shame, yeah," Scott said, looking slightly downcast for a moment. "But you were more important." He then reached out and gave the other man a gentle clap on the arm. Logan would have flinched at the unexpected contact, or maybe let out his claws, except the words had stunned him completely. What..? Scott seemed oblivious to his state of mind. "Well, food waits for no one, especially around here," he joked, making Jean laugh softly. "We'll see you around." The pair of them walked away, leaving Logan staring after them bemusedly. When they'd almost reached the dining hall, Jean gave Scott's arm a gentle squeeze.

"That was very nice, Scott," she said, looking up at him with a smile. He shrugged, giving her a small smile in return.

"Well, it's true. It's not like he meant for anything like that to happen. And… well, if I'm honest, we couldn't ask for a better teammate to back us up than him." Jean pulled him down for a quick kiss.

"That is one of the reasons why I love you," she told him. "And since we're being honest, I must say, I really think Logan needed to hear that at that exact moment. I've been worried about him." Scott nodded in agreement, placing his hand over hers in the crook of his elbow.

"We all have."

x_X_x

Logan made his way to the staff wing of the mansion where his bedroom was located, still off-kilter from the unexpected outcome of that conversation. He'd truly thought Scott would be pissed, or confrontational. Not… well, not acting as if he actually gave a damn about him. It was a nice feeling. Maybe they really had put the rivalry down for good. At least one good thing was finally happening in his life, that he could remember at least. With a shake of his head, Logan walked along the plush runner that deadened his footsteps, ready to hole up in his room for the rest of the night. Upon reaching his door he halted quickly, staring down at what appeared to be a small cardboard box filled with… something. More than one something, really. It was right in front of his door, with his name scrawled on it in what looked like crayon. The somethings in the box were folded pieces of construction paper, mostly brightly colored, with equally bright marker scribblings and pictures on them. Logan was fixed to the spot, completely flummoxed.

x_X_x

Ororo came out of her room, ready to head down to meet Scott and Jean for supper, when she saw Logan standing outside of his room. The quiet click of her door shutting didn't get his attention, and she gazed curiously at him. He didn't look any different, wearing a simple black tee and jeans with a deep green flannel shirt, but he seemed sort of rigid, caught up in looking at something on the floor. When she saw what had captured his attention, she couldn't help smiling. Ah, they had finally gotten them all together.

"Hello Logan," she said softly, not wanting to startle a distracted Wolverine. His hazel eyes turned to her, still filled with confusion, but at least looking pleased to see her.

"Oh, hey Storm." He smiled a little, then looked back at the strange box. Ororo was liked by everyone at the school, and they talked with her a lot. Maybe she knew what was going on here. "You know what this is all about?" he asked, gesturing loosely in the box's direction. He looked so perplexed that she had trouble stifling any outward show of amusement.

"Oh, yes, I do, actually. When word got out that you had been in trouble and were recovering down in the medical wing, Rogue volunteered to collect any offerings of support the children might want to give you. I believe those are your 'get well' cards. Rogue must have gathered up the last of them and dropped them off for you," she explained, maintaining a perfectly straight face, somehow, at his expression. He looked down at the box, one eyebrow arching, as if expecting it to explode, or jump up and bite him.

"For… me?" He looked back to her as she nodded. "Really?" Again, the urge to laugh had to be stifled, but it was easier seeing how completely this was taking him off guard, as if he'd never had anyone concerned about him before. Which was probably, and sadly, true, she reflected. He just didn't expect others to worry about him, and when they did, he met their concern with discomfort and biting remarks. These homemade cards from the children seemed to completely get around his usual defense, as he just stared at them. There looked to be dozens, and Ororo knew even some of the school staff had added their voice of support. Finally, Logan must have realized he'd been standing there doing nothing for a good five minutes, snapping back to himself with a little shake and glancing over at her with a chagrined expression. "Ah… guess I'd better get 'em inside my room." He followed that by bending and quickly picking up the box, still looking down wonderingly at its contents as his free hand reached for the knob and opened the door, allowing him to step inside. Storm leaned against the doorjamb while he placed the box onto the chest of drawers against one wall, the light shafting from the hallway providing the only illumination.

"Believe it or not, Logan, you are liked around here, even if you don't want to be," she said, smiling to take any sting out of the words. True, he'd settled down some since living at the mansion, but the feral still had a tendency to not join in group activities, preferring to watch from the sidelines as the students and staff enjoyed cookouts, pool parties, and celebrations of all sorts. That was probably another reason Rogue felt so close to him: he tended to keep her company during these get-togethers, since she held herself apart voluntarily to minimize accidental touching. Logan was just about the only other mutant at the school who appeared to not worry about that at all. But with her burgeoning ability to control the pull of her power on contact, it was a matter of time until she could join in with the others and be a normal teenager. Storm then hoped that, with enough time and patience, both of their loners would feel more comfortable around the rest of the school.

"I don't know why," came a gruff voice from the dim interior, and Ororo started slightly, caught up in her own inner monologue. It took a second for her to recall what she'd said that he was responding to, and she pursed her lips in exasperation at the honesty in Logan's tone. He really didn't think of himself as someone people would like, outside of those who saw his usefulness as a weapon, or saw other less scientific uses for him, like the women he might have encountered at those bare-knuckle fights Rogue had mentioned one day. In their first meeting, and some of Logan's dredged up memories, the girl had seen the mutant fighter being ogled by several 'ladies', and she had definitely used the term loosely, raptly watching the altercation inside the cage. Storm sighed, prepared to make her case.

"Let's see…" She held up a hand and began ticking off fingers. "Well, there's the fact that you're easy on the eyes. Many of the female students have a crush," she told him with a teasing wink. She couldn't quite see him roll his eyes in the dark, but the posture was very much there in the way his head tilted briefly. He couldn't hide the flash of smirk that showed teeth though as she at least got a rueful chuckle out of him. "You make them feel safe," she continued, ignoring the way he jerked at the statement. Safe…? How the hell could they feel safe when he was more dangerous than Marie, with a wellspring of rage that just wouldn't quit? "That's because you did help protect the school, Logan," her train of thought continued, thankfully unaware of his mental dialogue. "They seem to think you're some kind of unbeatable warrior, after hearing about what happened last year." The memory of how that group of mutant haters had used him to find the school made him grit his teeth a little, but he forced a laugh and a confidence he wasn't quite feeling at the moment.

"That's because I am." She huffed softly, ignoring his teasing jab, and continued.

"You have the respect of everyone here." Logan made an obvious sound of disbelief at that, and Ororo grinned, knowing exactly who the feral was thinking about. "Come on, he has gotten better, admit it." Broad shoulders rolled in a shrug as Logan recalled the conversation with Scott only minutes ago. Well… She smiled again at his nod of reluctant agreement. "There's quite a lot to respect, in my opinion. But as I've seen it, the majority respect you for your ability to fight, but others, I know, see you as someone to look up to." She didn't miss his slight shift in stance that telegraphed his disagreement with the idea. So he didn't want kids to see him as a role model? Tough, he was already there. She kept going. "You're very, very loyal. Even though you weren't sure about us, or staying here, you committed. And once you do that, I know you can be counted on. You don't let us down, Logan," she said softly, trying to peer through the dim room to see his face. He'd turned a little away so only his profile showed, but he seemed to be listening, head slanted in her direction. "See how much there is to like about you?" Logan peered sideways at her, the light coming in from the hall making a halo around her snowy hair.

"Well, I suppose if I'm as great as all that, then…" He let the sentence trail off, unable to help the little grin appearing on his lips. It somehow made hm feel almost worthy, having Ororo say all those things about him. She believed it too, because he could detect no falsehood coming from the weather witch, and that made the bolt hit home for him. He had a home. He even had a family here, he just hadn't realized it before. Storm laughed and shook her head at his teasing statement.

"Don't let it go to your head," she told him dryly, but laughter was still evident in her sparkling eyes, obvious to him even in the gloom he was surrounded by. He suddenly didn't want to be alone in darkness anymore, wanted to step toward the light in the hall and the light that Storm seemed to represent in that moment. She must have seen a shift in his posture or something, because she cocked a hand on her hip and spoke again. "Logan, would you like to come down and eat with us? Everyone will be glad to see you." The invitation was there, within easy reach if he'd only take it. He rocked forward on the ball of one foot, hesitated, and then took that step, moving toward the doorway, and her.

"I think I'd like that," he admitted, aware of a hint of hunger in his belly, the first sense of appetite he'd had for days. She smiled brightly and took his arm in hers in a companionable way, and that simple, trusting gesture was his undoing. He felt moisture sting his eyes and looked away from her quickly, knowing she had to have seen it. The white-haired woman by his side studiously ignored his discomfort and pretended to admire the artwork on the walls as if she hadn't seen anything, making him grateful for her understanding. He'd gotten himself under control by the time they reached the stairs heading down, swiping the dampness from his face and putting on his most stony expression. Wouldn't want to give anyone a heart attack by seeing the relaxed grin that wanted to cover his lips. He might never know who he had been, or where he came from, but maybe he was okay with that. Somewhere out there was a past that belonged to him, but it occurred to Logan that he didn't need it anymore. In this place, with these people, he had a future. And damned if that wasn't the best thing to come along in his crazy life.

The End