Thanks to everyone who left such upbeat review for this story! There may very well be a sequel, as obviously I know there are some unanswered questions, although I cannot promise when. But I want everyone to know that I appreciate everything.

The professor sat, perfectly still, in his study. He eyes were on the spring grass and trees swaying softly in the breeze of an unusually warm March day. It is in nature that I find the good that still exists on this world of ours. For only a being more perfect than anything we know could create all of this. We really do have much to hope for.

"Charles?"

He turned to see Hank entering the room. He had expected him sooner or later. "How are you, my friend?"

"Well enough, considering." He sat next to him.

"How are Ororo and the baby?"

"Excellent. The one bright spot on this other wise dark day." Hank turned to look at his mentor. "You do know that it is Logan, do you not?"

Xavier smiled. "Fatherhood will be good for him."

"Time shall show us how good."

The two laughed, neither wanting to broach the subject that was on both incredible minds. But at last Hank could not stand the not-knowing any longer. "What have learned, professor? Of Sinister, I mean?"

Xavier turned to his student, face far graver than Hank hoped. "Creed has paid the price for his part in this. But as for Sinister, we have certainly not heard the last of him. He has some...personal interest in this."

"But can you not locate him? Should we not fight? I mean, if he is after that innocent baby..."

"I cannot find him, Hank."

"What?"

Charles shrugged. "Do not speak to anyone of this. But I feel there is a reason I was not able to locate Remy and Ororo while they were being held captive, and also why I cannot find Sinister."

"What reason, Charles?"

"The baby."

"The baby?" Hank started to laugh, on instinct if nothing else, because the idea of a mere infant preventing the greatest mind on Earth from using his powers fully was preposterous, but the look on the man's face told him that he was not kidding. "How do you mean?"

"I cannot explain it, Beast. But Sinister is using that baby somehow, using her to block my powers. He wanted Gambit and Storm to escape from the FOH compound. There is a connection between them. What, I don't know. Yet. But I do know this much. Sinister is watching us. Even now. Watching and waiting. He will have the baby, but at a time when he is ready. There will be a war for her, Hank."

"War? But why..." Hank began, only to be interrupted by Xavier's voice clear and strong in his head.

Because this baby may be the most powerful mutant born yet on this Earth.

Her room was dark, darkened enough that mid-afternoon looked as if the sun had already set. Logan walked slowly into Ororo's bedroom as if he were unsure of what to expect. The whole room smelled fresh, of hundreds of plants and flowers. It smelled of rebirth. With his excellent senses, he was sure he could smell even a second chance.

"Come in, Logan."

He smiled quickly and silently made his way to the bed. The kid was downstairs, eating some much needed food, but he wouldn't be away from Ro and the baby for long. Logan didn't mind. In a way, he wanted all four of them to be there. It seemed right. But for now, it would be just the three of them. He had a daughter.

"You know, don't you?" He asked.

"Yes."

Logan sighed, sucking in a loud breath. What could he say? Had Ororo wanted Remy to be the father? She had to have. All that time she spent with him. Hell, he knew how they felt about each other. And as close as he and Ro were, it would never be as close as her and Remy. Their relationship was special. Special in a way that Logan had felt in his life. Only to have it swim away time and time again.

"I'm sorry, darling."

Ororo looked at him, her eyes wide. "What in the name of the Goddess for?"

"Jesus, everything." He said. How could she not know? "Running off, killing that SOB, fighting with you, and then not being able to save that kid. And I know that you would rather have had Gumbo for her dad then me. I can't blame you for it. I can't help but feel...feel like I let you down."

"Oh, Logan..." she said, her gaze traveling down to the sleeping baby in her arms. She was a quiet baby so far. Her skin was soft as velvet. Her hair hung in white tendrils like lamb fleece down her face. She had ten perfect fingers and toes. There was a small birthmark under her chin. She made a soft wheezy noise as she slept. Those were just a few of a hundred things Ororo had noticed in the first few hours of motherhood. These were things that the books she had read hadn't prepared her for. How perfect being a mother felt. She had a daughter. She had a legacy. "My dear friend," she said in a soft voice. "You know how much I care for Remy. I owe him more, and he I, than any other person I will ever meet. But that does not change my feelings for you. You are a very important, very special man, Logan. You are unlike any other. And I understand why you did everything that you did. You have given me the greatest gift in the world. You have given me her. And I shall always love you for that."

Logan felt his jaw clamp shut. Something inside his chest, made mostly of indestructible metal felt like it was burning. His hand, normally steady as ice, shook slightly as he reached out toward his baby. With one finger he traced a curl on her forehead. Something in his throat stuck, and he just barely held it back. "Thanks, darling." He said. His voice was hardly more than a whisper.

Remy sat in the kitchen, devouring a huge plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, and biscuits with honey that Jean had made especially for him. All southern foods that he had grown up on and loved. Temporarily distracted by the food, he could think of nothing but filling his stomach. Never had he been so hungry before.

He didn't even look up when Logan came into the dining room and sat down next to him. He didn't talk, just sat there while Remy ate. Finally, he set his fork down and looked at him. Logan raised his eyebrows. "You already know, don't you?"

Remy nodded. "Yeah, don't ask me how, but I know. Does Stormy?"

"Yeah," Logan said, recalling the scene. "She does. I'm sorry, kid. It shoulda been you."

He shook his head. "If it was supposed to be me then it would have. So don't say that. You got yourself a beautiful daughter, mon ami, and she needs you."

Logan actually grinned. "Yeah." He wanted to say more. He wanted to explain to the kid how he felt, but he couldn't. But it was a euphoria that he would have gladly shared. So he said the only thing he could. "She's just as much yours, you know. I think that's the way it should be. She's my daughter, but yours in a way, too. You know what I mean?"

Remy starred at him. Yeah, he knew what he meant. Or what he was trying to say. She was his in a way. And that would have to be enough. For now, it was enough. He nodded, smiling, not trusting his voice. And it was enough. He wanted nothing more now than to be with Ororo and the baby.

"Hey, Cajun," Logan said, before Remy could leave. "I...uh, I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. About what happened. This whole Friends a flamin' Humanity thing was my fault."

Remy shrugged. "No, it wasn't. It wasn't 'cause I'd have done the same thing."

"We ain't seen the last of them, ya know," Logan said, rising. He didn't want to admit it, but what good would lying to yourself do?

"I know. But I'll be damned if they gonna get within a hundred miles of that baby. If I have to fly my plane into that compound to see that that don't happen, I will."

Logan nodded, sharing the man's new-found paternal feelings. "And I'll be right next to ya in the co-pilots seat, Cajun."

The two stared at each other for a second, and then both started laughing. Neither know why, maybe it was just a way of relieving all the stress of these last eight months, but for whatever reason they laughed until their chests hurt. It was funny, and they knew it, but both also knew that they hadn't been kidding. If it ever came down to it, both would die for the life of that little baby girl.

A few moments later, he went to see Storm. "Come in, my friend. She's awake."

He sat down next to her bed. The baby was wearing a pink onesy, and wrapped in a beautiful hand-knitted yellow blanket that Betsy had made for her. She had the biggest blue eyes that he had ever seen. "I'm sorry that she is not yours," Ororo said.

Remy reached out to touch her silky white hair. She had quite a lot of it. It was pretty obvious where she got it from. "That don't matter, chere. She may not be my daughter, but that don't mean she not mine."

"You are right," Storm said, kissing him. "She will always be Logan's daughter, and that makes me happy because I know he will be an excellent father, but it makes me even more happy to know she has you for her uncle and godfather."

"It makes me happy to, chere. I love her already. I can't believe she's here."

"I know," Storm said, smiling down at her. "I've already discussed it with Logan, and he agrees. If it's alright with you, I think we should name her Aquiel. Aquiel Christina Logan."

Remy smiled. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. "I think he would have liked that. It's right."

"Welcome back, you guys!"

They looked up to see Bobby, still in his wheelchair, came in the room. "I knew you guys were okay. I had faith in you, just like you did in me. Oh, hey, guess what, I won the baby poll!"

"You did?" They both said in unison.

"Yeah," he said, beaming. "I picked a girl, 6 pounds, and she was 5 and a half, and I had the earliest date, April 1st, and even though it's only March 7th, I still won! So, thanks, Storm for having the baby now. You just made me 200 bucks!" He grinned down at little Aquiel. "You hear that, sweetheart, you just made your Uncle Bobby a lot of money. Yes, you did." He kissed her tiny little purple cheek, and wheeled out of the room as if the baby had been born under perfectly normal circumstances.

"He is such a character," Ororo said, shaking her head.

"You can say that again."

"Remy," Ororo said. "I am sorry about what happened to Chris. It is a tragedy. But now, he will live on. I wanted to tell you that. His spirit will live on in the child that bears the name of his beloved sister."

Remy nodded. "That he will. Forever an' ever."

Storm stroked her daughter's soft head. "You are a very lucky little girl. You have so many people who love you. My beautiful Aquiel..."

"Each child is a new being, a potential prophet, a new spiritual person, a new spark, a light precipitated into the outer darkness."

-R.D. Laing

The End

(For now, at least)