Author's Notes: Guess who's back! I know it has been a ridiculously long time, but I am back with more chapters for y'all! The good news for this story is that I actually have it all mapped out, all that is left is actually writing the chapters - I think that means it will make it a lot easier to update much more frequently. Now, there is some science-y stuff in this chapter, and I have never claimed to be a science expert, so I hope I explained things well enough (and keep in mind, some of the stuff is based on how the virus is explained in the comics as well!) Also, I'm not certain I'm happy with Logan's portrayal here, but I think it works, so I'll leave it at that. Until the next (hopefully soon!) update, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men.

One Year

Chapter Four

--

"Marie?" Logan knew his voice sounded rougher than normal. Probably lack of use; he hadn't been talking much to anyone lately.

"I'm here, Logan." The cell phone signal was weak and her voice was faint, even to his ears. "What's going on there? What have you found out?" As always, her happiness at talking to him spilled into her voice. He felt himself immediately relaxing and marveled at the effect she had on him.

"Nothing good." Logan took a deep breath and passed his hand over his eyes, pressing slightly. His mind was going a million miles a minute, reflecting on all that he had seen in the past weeks. How to best word any of it was beyond his conversation skills, even with her.

"Sounds positive." He sighed at her sarcasm and she immediately backtracked. "Sorry, sorry. I know it has got to be frustrating there. It's frustrating for me too."

"No, I know. And thanks. As far as I know, the doc and the flying boy are on the verge of a breakthrough." He heard her breathe in sharply; she hated his habit of giving people their own special Wolverine nickname. Probably why he still did it. Not wanted to risk her lecture on that though, he hurriedly added, "Any luck with those diaries?"

"Ugh." In his mind, Logan could see her flopping back in her chair with the weight of that sigh, and smiled, despite himself. "I'm starting to wonder if this was all a mistake. I knew there was gonna be a wild goose chase aspect, but I really was feeling pretty optimistic about it all, you know?"

"I know, darlin'. Everyone still treating each other civilly at least?"

"Like Mystique?" Of course Marie knew what he was really asking. "Yeah, as much as can be expected. Leadership roles are still being fought over. Kitty is…okay. But the worst is just that you're not here. I miss you a lot and -- "

"And what?" After a lengthy pause, Logan looked down at the phone and cursed. Damn thing had lost the signal completely, cutting Marie away from him. Staying out here was getting to be more and more frustrating. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, he stared out at the snowy landscape; the whiteness was nearly blinding against the sun. Stuffing the phone back into his pocket and pulling out the face mask, Logan frowned darkly. "I miss you too, Marie."

The space underground had been used specifically for secret projects by Mister Sinister, Moira had told them. Peter and Warren had been intrigued at first. Alex, who had been at Safe Haven for a little while, and Logan, who had been involved in secret projects himself, were more wary of what such a term actually meant. Moira's brief overview of the notes she had read through and what she had seen since being there proved Alex and Logan's suspicions correct. It chilled Logan to the adamantium-covered bone to think about what even mutants were willing to do to each other.

On the first day they had arrived, Moira and Pyro had given them a short tour. The hallway paths were finished with cement blocks, and had no lights running through them. In slight contrast, many of the rooms were left unfinished. The bare, earthy walls were smoothed down, and occasionally covered in plastic. Most contained sophisticated equipment, adding a surreal feeling to the place. Moira told them that some rooms had held captives and resembled hospital rooms, but fear of the virus kept them away from those rooms. A few rooms had been designed as sparse living quarters, but the vast majority were specifically for scientific experiments. The paths between the rooms crossed and re-crossed in a dizzying pattern, but staying in the place for nearly two weeks had helped most of the group figure out which paths to take.

Now, Logan made his way with relative ease to the room he had claimed for himself. To his surprise, Alex had chosen to bunk with him, saying it was better to stay in pairs. At the time, Logan had shrugged, not caring too much. Unless he was woken up with snoring, Logan found he was willing to put up with the younger Summers brother. For one, he thought it was hilarious that the kid seemed to admire him more than he admired his brother, which he knew ticked off the elder Summers. For two, he knew Alex didn't get along wonderfully with Warren and Peter. No fault of any of them, just that those two had been friends longer. Logan knew just how easy it was to stay on the outside, and not bother with people.

Entering the room, Logan sighed and wondered once again how safe it was to be here. He wasn't too concerned for himself, but the other three didn't have the immune system he did. That and Moira wasn't a hundred percent sure how many ways the virus was able to be passed along. If a cure wasn't possible, would it be safe for them to return to the mansion? And would it be safe for him to be around Marie? He flopped back on his bed and closed his eyes wearily, the missing warmth of Marie as painful as always.

Moira reaches for the door handle and turns it. She leads us past Pyro; I can feel the heat radiating off him, whether from his power or a fever, I'm not sure. He's aiming the floodlight into the room, leaving the corners in shadows. Entering, I peer over the heads of the three kids and blink. The sterile room looks something like a hospital. From a bed, Magneto stares back at us.

I can feel my skin crawl with instinct and hatred and I flinch, expecting at any moment to be unable to move. The Wolverine is struggling to act out against him; it's all I can do to contain it. As the seconds tick by, I realize several things. One, he's contained behind a thick plastic wall. Two, he looks practically dead. His skin, always pale, is near translucent; the shocking blue of his veins draws my eyes first. He's sunken into the bed as if he's been there a while; he gives off none of the vibes of fear he seemed so proud of. He just looks…old. And sick. The weirdest thing is his eyes. The pale blue, unsettling against his paler features, gives him an freakishly ominous look. He makes no effort to move, or speak, but his eyes tell of the rage he feels. I stare back at him, startled at the change in this once powerful man. I twitch my fingers, just to check. They still move.

"He's just laying there." Peter voices the obvious and it cuts through the silence. Magneto glares at him. I stare at the plastic wall between us. Can he hear us? Pyro shifts; the light dances around momentarily.

"He's too weak to move." Moira's voice is so soft it's almost impossible to hear. "And using his powers makes the illness worse. He's definitely felt the effects of that." Her quiet words reverberate around the room, and I feel almost dizzy. What exactly are we up against? If it reduced Magneto to this, what chance do any of us have? Marie dances in front of me, and --

"Logan!"

Logan jolted up, claws out, awakened from sleep. He'd been dreaming about that first day they'd arrived here almost every time he went to sleep. Unfortunately, the nightmare he woke up from was still reality. He couldn't get away from it and he couldn't fight it.

"What it is?" His voice was loud, and Alex almost looked chastised. Almost. As he stood in the safety of the doorway, not cowering at his tone or the claws, Logan realized the kid was apparently growing used to his temperament. His number one defense against people was losing effect. He growled, frustrated by that as much as the inactivity of staying in this place.

"Moira and Warren think they've worked something out and wanted to go over it with us all."

"Oh." Logan studied his hands as his claws retracted. Those two had been pouring over Moira's notes and other paperstuff since the second day the group had arrived. It was nothing that Logan had been too excited to help with; an academic he was definitely not. Clenching his fists, Logan stood up and faced Alex. Why was he feeling anxious about what they'd found? It wasn't like it was the end of the world…yet. "Better get this over with," he finally said, moving toward the door. Alex shrugged and disappeared into the hallway.

The room was crowded. It was one of the larger rooms, but it definitely hadn't been designed for meetings. Moira and Warren were by the small table that had been brought in. Settled in a chair, Moira was too pale and her coughing, while no more frequent, was still violent. Warren was shuffling through some papers, his face expressionless. Peter was already there, leaning against a wall. Since he'd found out the truth about his sister, he'd grown as quiet and sullen as Logan. A few moments after Alex and Logan arrived, Pyro walked in, followed by 3 others. Two of them were wearing something that looked like Haz-mat suits.

"Paranoid much?" Alex was looking at the three with strong distrust. Pyro glanced at him and smirked.

"Allow me to introduce you all." Moira smiled, albeit not happily, at the group. She gestured towards Warren. "This is Angel, who's been helping me. His father worked on the original Cure that was distributed to mutants. By the wall is Colossus, Havok, and Wolverine." When named, each inclined his head.

"Nice to meet you all." One of the Haz-mat-suited figures spoke. The feminine voice startled Logan.

"Meet the Scarlet Witch and her brother Quicksilver. You know their father, Magneto. Behind them is Multiple Man." Moira sighed and settled back into her chair. "So, would you like to know what we've discovered?"

"I don't understand," the Scarlet Witch said. "Can my brother and I be infected or not?"

"Yes. Well, we think so." Warren was fast approaching flustered and Logan felt for the kid. Moira had allowed him to explain, but being put on the spot, especially in front of Magneto's kids, seemed to make him extremely nervous. Moira held up her hands, interrupting the two and silencing them.

"Allow me break it down for you again. First, the science behind it. This is viroid, which is scientifically different than a virus. However, it is still a pathogen, which is why it is infectious. It works by affecting a person's genes. Looking through what we've found, it appears that original design was to infect mutants. In humans without mutated genes the viroid would simply die and the person would never know he or she had contracted it."

"The person would have no ill effects?" Alex asked his question softly, as if afraid to interrupt Moira.

"As far as we can tell," Moira answered, nodding slightly. "However, in humans with mutated genes, humans who are called mutants, the viroid actually attacks the same mutant RNA that gives mutants their powers. In very simple terms, the viroid puts 'junk' DNA into the mutant RNA coding. Based on our observations of Magneto, this starts when the mutant uses his powers for the first time after contracting the viroid. If the mutant continues to use his powers, it appears to accelerate the process. This junk DNA messes with the replication process in the mutant RNA and eventually leaves the mutant's body unable to make healthy cells. This leads to death."

"Complicated stuff." Quicksilver spoke for the first time.

"True, but it gets even more so. Are we ok with the basic process behind it though?" Moira looked out over the group, waiting.

"Yeah. It attacks the mutant part of us and we die from that." Logan knew he was really simplifying down, but Moira smiled at him.

"In the most basic of terms, that's pretty much it."

"Ok, so how does it get more complicated?" The Scarlet Witch was leaning forward, impatience written into her stance.

"Well, there are currently three separate strains of it." Moira was tapping her chin thoughtfully as she began to explain. "What Angel and I have started calling TYPE-I is the first strain, and probably the original strain. What I think is most likely is that it was developed here by Mister Sinister. I can't say for certain if he discovered it by accident when working with mutant RNA or not - his notes are unclear on that. At any rate, TYPE-I is pretty messy. It looks for mutant RNA to know if the human is a proper target; if the human is mutant, it will attack all cells, making it akin to cancer. It acts fairly quickly and isn't pleasant. At this point, we've theorized that Mister Sinister shared this information with Malcolm, this other man involved in the work down here. My guess is that Mister Sinister worked down here while Malcolm spent time out in the public, keeping him up to date. Based on speculation, Malcolm brought back a sample of the Cure that was being distributed. Looking at the design of the Cure, it seems that Mister Sinister was somehow able to combine the TYPE-I strain with the Cure, creating a TYPE-II strain. This TYPE-II strain is much more selective; when the mutant RNA is identified, it attacks only the mutant RNA. It also works at a much slower rate, dragging out the process. Thanks to the sophisticated design and the influence of the Cure, the way this strain attacks the mutant RNA makes it possible that it will render an infected mutant powerless."

"You once hypothesized that the Cure worked like a virus - infecting the mutant body, but the body was able to fight it off." Logan remembered Marie telling him about the lecture Moira had given while Marie had been trapped at Safe Haven. "So you're saying that this guy managed to make the Cure actually work? It just kills mutants at the same time."

"Well…yes." Moira's tone indicated her surprise, but she was wise enough not to question Logan in the presence of Magneto's children. The two of them, plus Multiple Man, were already looking at him with surprise, and some suspicion.

"And like I said before," Warren quickly added, "it's possible this Malcolm guy managed to get the TYPE-II strain out in the public, disguised as the Cure. And when Magneto was hit with four vials of it…well, when he used his power it triggered the TYPE-II strain with four times the expected intensity. That in itself was probably enough to do him in, but after being brought to Safe Haven in secret, being subjected to Mister Sinister's tests definitely didn't help him recover any."

"He will recover." The bristling of the siblings, and the Scarlet Witch's frosty tone brought momentary quiet to the room.

"I'm still unsure about some things." Alex broke the silence. "One, the Cure has stopped distribution, so how is it that mutants are still falling ill? There are probably some that got this TYPE-II strain from the Cure, like you said, but that was way late in the game. Also, if both strains only affect mutants, how do you think you contracted this disease, Moira?"

"This is where it can get even more confusing," Moira admitted.

"We're gonna need some kind of picture chart to keep track pretty soon." Whether or not Alex was joking, Logan wasn't entirely certain. Moira was frowning as she answered.

"Mister Sinister got his hands on a mutant who was of very special interest to him. She was able to scan the genetic structure of a living being and then alter it however she wished. Such an ability fascinated Mister Sinister, I've no doubt, as much as he loved to research genetics. She was called Infectia and was kept here; in fact, she was here when I was first brought here, but she was very sick. Mister Sinister had infected her with the TYPE-II strain simply to see what happened to her. According to his notes on the project, her powers tried to save her by changing the design of the strain. In trying to do so, her powers removed the part of the strain that looked specifically for mutant RNA, making it non-selective. In other words, not only was Infectia still dying from the infection, she also managed to create a TYPE-III strain that would infect and kill both humans and mutants alike."

"So you think working with Infectia caused you to contract this TYPE-III strain?" Moira nodded at Alex's question.

"That still doesn't explain why the rest of the population is gettin' sick now," Logan objected, puzzling through Moira's explanation.

"We've got some theories," Warren said. "First, Brent Jackson, the former director of Safe Haven, escaped here with Infectia. It's possible he took samples of the TYPE-II strain. It could be substituted for any shot, like a regular flu shot, and infect the population. Once mutants are being affected, he could continue to infect them by touting this strain as a cure, or, even worse, a vaccine for the infection. If cities are already rounding up mutants for fear of this illness, it would make it extremely easy to infect all mutants with it."

"Second," Moira continued, "is Infectia. It's more than likely that the TYPE-III strain is an airborne pathogen. If Jackson had her interact with people at all, she might have passed along her infection. If that's true, it's probably still being passed along. And since it doesn't differentiate between mutants and humans, it will continue to move rapidly throughout the population."

"What's worse," added Warren, "is the repercussions of humans getting sick. Since mutants were affected first, it's going to look like what they had, the TYPE-II, was passed along to the rest of the population. Despite it actually being a different strain, it's still not going to look good for them."

"In the end, it might just create the war Father was hoping for…" The Scarlet Witch's quiet musings left a sense of discomfort in the room. Logan knew, of course, that Magneto had predicted, and even tried to incite, a huge war between non-mutants and mutants, but he doubted the man had expected it to be caused by an illness. Speaking of that…

"So, if you got infected by this mutant because the strain she created is airborne…are we safe bein' here?" Logan finally voiced the fear that had started to gnaw away at him ever since being here.

"I'm hoping the face masks and other precautions we've taken will prevent that," Moira answered. "Plus, I'm expecting to create a cure for it as well, you know."

"What about my sister?" Peter finally spoke, and everyone turned to him in surprise. Logan was startled by the pain visible on the kid's face. He was trying to hide it, but wasn't doing so well. "Can you save her?"

"I hope so." Moira's expression was too sad for Logan to believe the girl in question was going to survive. "But as I told you, she was one of the original subjects that Mister Sinister worked on, and she's suffering from the TYPE-I strain. She's worse off than Pyro, or even Magneto."

"Leave me out of this." Logan looked between the geneticist and the defiant fire maniac with raised eyebrows.

"Even though he doesn't want to admit it, he was given the TYPE-II strain." Moira's words filled the room with silence once again, and Logan suddenly realized just how lucky Marie had been at Safe Haven. She would say that the testing Mister Sinister had put her through was a nightmare, but at least she hadn't been infected with a disease. The Wolverine was rising up within him, rage at the nerve of people who treated mutants like playthings--

"So." Quicksilver thankfully interrupted Logan's thoughts. "You know what this virus is. You know the three strains of it, and how all three affect us. You even think you know how they've been distributed. So, how soon will you have a cure?"

"And should we be worried about it infecting us?" The Scarlet Witch referred back to her original question that had restarted the whole conversation.

"I don't know." Moira's frustration cut clearly though her voice. "If it's airborne, no one is probably safe. And as far as a cure, it's time-consuming. Even after studying all three strains, even after studying people who have been infected with each strain, even after pouring over all the notes Mister Sinister had, as well as our own, a cure is still not clear. It was a major breakthrough just to piece everything we have so far together in a sensible way."

"Alright, don't get worked up and make yourself worse. Thank you for the update. Let us know more when you can." Quicksilver stood up, followed by his sister and the silent Multiple Man. As they turned to leave the room, a look from Moira caused Pyro to stand up and follow them, scowling and sighing heavily as he did so.

"Infectia has already died." As soon as they were gone, Peter spoke directly to Moira. "My sister is weakening every day. You must hurry to help her!" He left then, too quickly for a response. Moira started out the doorway after him, frustration replaced by sadness.

"Infectia is already dead? The TYPE-III works that fast?" Alex sounded as worried as Logan felt after hearing that, but Warren was already shaking his head.

"Part of it had to do with the reaction of her body - she was already weakening from the way her body was fighting it. Whatever happened to her with Brent Jackson didn't help her condition any either. And she was brought back here by force. Everything was working against her." He shifted, rustling his wings. "I've been really busy working with Moira here," and now his voice was soft, "and I'm worried about Peter. His sister, Illyana is not doing well at all. She'll be lucky to make it another month. Can you guys keep an eye on him or something?"

"How, exactly?" Alex looked puzzled.

"Never mind him, sure." Logan needed something to do to distract him from the nothing he was doing these days. Shadowing Peter was something to do, even if it didn't sound like fun. Besides, with Marie being such good friends with Peter, she would be really upset that he was ignoring the guy at such a terrible point in his life.

"Thanks," Warren said, his own sadness evident. "Illyana means a lot to him."

"Yeah yeah," Logan looked at the two of them, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Are we done here?"

"Not quite. Logan, I'm curious," began Moira. "How did you know of my hypothesis for the Cure? I haven't had a chance to publish it publicly and only presented it while at Safe Haven."

"Marie was there when you gave the lecture, and she told me about it later when she had returned to the Professor's mansion."

"Marie?" Moira looked puzzled.

"You know her as Rogue," Warren explained. "Logan here is the only one who ever calls her by her real name. Actually, he's the only one she allows to call her to do so."

"Oh!" Moira responded, smiling with understanding. Then, "Have you been in touch with anyone at the mansion recently, Logan?"

"No," Logan shook his head. "Should I?"

"Go ahead. With what we've discovered so far, they should definitely be kept up to date. It might help keep the government away too. So if you don't mind, thank you." Logan nodded. As Moira and Warren started gathering up their papers, Logan sighed, stuck his hands in his pockets, and left the room. Talking about Marie had reminded him of her absence even more. The longer he stayed here, doing nothing and away from her, the more antsy, impatient and gruff he got. He didn't really want to talk to Peter at all, but maybe it would be enough to clear his mind.

"And the Professor?"

"The man who the Professor's mind was livin' in died. At this point, Doc MacTaggert is not certain what happened to the Professor's mind, but she thinks he's still out there somewhere."

"Interesting. And slightly concerning, but thank you for the update on what's been going on there," Beast said.

"No problem," Logan answered. "Since these underground lines only call Safe Haven numbers, it's a good thing Sage left her phone there for us to have easy contact. Regular cell reception is next to nothin' up here."

"Unusual," remarked Beast. "Though if that place was designed by an evil genius, I suppose he'd want to limit contact by his location. Fairly sensible."

"Yeah well, I'm goin' crazy here. I am not a sit around kind of guy."

"Unfortunately, I don't know how to help you out with that. Perhaps you could find a hobby. Woodcarving, maybe?"

"You're lucky you're not standin' next to me, bub," Logan answered, but Beast only chuckled.

"Just keep me updated," was what he said. "And feel free to call more frequently. You certainly kept us waiting for this call."

"Yeah. Bye." Logan hung up and stalked away from the phone.

Logan found himself outside again, staring at the empty landscape. He held an unlit cigar between his fingers, idly switching it from hand to hand. The sun was going down and it was cooling off quickly, but he still didn't go inside. Nothing was waiting for him there. He couldn't do anything until Moira and Warren made a cure for this stupid virus, and apparently it was gonna take a while. It was pointless, him being here. Useless.

"Need a light?" Pyro appeared from behind the white building, coughing slightly, and Logan stared at him. In the dimming light, his pale features made him appear even more unhealthy. He had traveled with this boy once, along with Bobby, and Marie, before the boy had left to side with Magneto. Logan wondered if Pyro regretted that decision.

"I'm good," he finally said. Pyro shrugged and went inside, down to the tunnels and underground research rooms. Logan looked back out at the snowy scene, raising his eyes slowly up to the sky. He inhaled the cool air slowly, before letting it out with a sigh.

"What am I doin' here, Marie?" But she wasn't there to answer.

A few days later, Logan actually started looking for Peter. According to Alex, he split his time between staying with his sister and staying in his room. Since Logan wasn't exactly thrilled to be around someone with the virus, he opted to knock on the door to Peter's room. When there was no response, he checked the handle. Unlocked, the door swung open and he peered around the doorway into the room. Peter was stretched out across his bed, eyes closed. His sketchbook was beside him, open to a blank page.

"I was hoping you'd go away." Normally shy and quiet, his transformation to sullen and angry had also made him antisocial. Logan was aware of the similarities.

"Yeah well, I didn't. So what?" At Logan's voice, Peter sat up, staring at him for a moment. When he finally spoke, his tone was accusatory.

"What do you want? Gonna lecture me about keeping my chin up? When all you've done since we left is mope about being away from Rogue."

"No, I wasn't plannin' on it, and all you've done is mope about your sister," Logan pointed out, knowing it wasn't the same thing.

"It's not the same thing."

"Point. Look, just checkin' up on you. Isn't that what I'm supposed to do? Leadin' a team, makin' sure that everyone's alive and whatnot."

"Leading?" Peter snorted and laid back down. "Like I said, all you do is mope."

"I think I liked you better when you didn't talk." Logan stared down at Peter, who wasn't looking at him. "And I don't mope."

"Like hell you don't." Peter sat up and stared hard at Logan. "You know I only came on this trip, or mission, or whatever 'cause of my sister. Warren came for the knowledge. Alex came to get away from his brother. Why'd you come? You should have gone with Rogue. You're not happy doing nothing, especially away from her. You don't have any reason to be here."

"Maybe you're right," Logan agreed, trying to contain a growl. "But if I'd stayed at the mansion, I'd still be doing nothing. As for not going with Marie, it was pretty clear I was getting outvoted on that one. She's strong, it's not like she can't take care of herself. A little separation never killed anyone. So here I am. Trying to do something to help with this virus stuff. Least I can do." He tried not to think of the separation he'd had from Marie when she'd been taken.

"Except you're not helping out. You don't even talk to anyone, unless you're forced to. Even Alex visited Illyana with me. He goes and helps Warren and Moira sometimes too. You just mope outside or in your room."

"And you mope too. You're not the only one sufferin' from this, or who will be sufferin', don't forget that."

"Suffering? Of course I am, my sister is dying and there's nothing I can do about it. Whatever, like you even care. If it weren't for Rogue, you wouldn't be anywhere near any of us anyway. You would have left the mansion for good. You wouldn't know anything about this. You'd just be another mutant in the crowd."

"And yet, I'm here, aren't I?" Logan growled. "And I'm not turnin' my back." He turned and stomped out of the room, the irony of his statement and actions lost on him.

Alex wisely chose not to talk to him for a few days.

"Hey Marie…this feels weird. Hope your searching is going well. Some progress has been made here concerning the virus. Hopefully that'll lead to a cure. Here's hopin' that works out soon. I love you."

With a click, Logan closed the phone. It was the first time he'd had to leave a voicemail for Marie. He tried to tell himself it was nothing to worry about.

After several days of deliberating and time wasting, Logan finally went to see Illyana. Choosing a time when no one else would be there, he took a hesitant peek in the room. Initially, he was a little sorry he had done so. Physically, the girl looked similar to Magneto - very pale and bedridden. Long blonde hair that had probably been quite pretty at some point was now stringy and falling out. She laid as still as if she'd already died, but her blue eyes were open and filled with pain. An electronic speaker system allowed for communication between the plastic barrier that separated her from any visitors, but she didn't speak much.

All in all, it was very depressing.

As Logan sat there and watched her, he began to think. This girl was Peter's sister - no wonder he was so distraught to see her like this. How long had it been since he'd seen her? When he knew her, she had been healthy. While Marie had been missing, Logan had imagined all sorts of horrible things happening to her, but she had returned to him healthy, even though she couldn't remember him. Even that had eventually changed, and he had gotten Marie back, safe and whole. But this…as long as there was no cure, Peter wasn't getting his sister back. Logan found himself wondering how many mutants were already infected? How many families would go through the pain of watching their loved ones die?

The longer he looked at Illyana, the easier it was to imagine Marie there, sick and dying, and him unable to help her.

Peter was right. Logan probably would have been long gone from the mansion by now if he hadn't had Marie gently pulling him back. Hell, he probably would still be wandering around, alone, angry, bitter, and confused about his past. But it was Marie who'd led him to the X-Men, and it was Marie who'd somehow been the factor in his always returning there. Thanks to that, he'd learned a little more about himself, but he'd also learned a lot more about love. After what had happened with Jean, he'd also learned a little bit about healing. His nature had always been about distrust and being alone, but being with Marie had shown him that a little trust in a particular person could make a world of difference.

Logan stood up.

It didn't matter what his reasons for coming here had been initially. He was here now, and it was his responsibility to make sure no one else had to go through what Peter was going through. As an X-men, he had a responsibility to all mutants. As himself however, he had a responsibility to Marie. Giving Illyana one last look, he nodded to himself, then left the room.

He missed the almost inaudible sigh from her as she left. He also missed the tear making its lonely way down her cheek.

"Alright, it's been nearly a month since we got here," Logan announced to the surprised faces of Moira, Warren, and Alex. "You think you've figured out what this is and how it works. What can I do to help you with findin' the cure?"

"You want to help with the science-y stuff? The paper work?" Warren was staring at Logan in disbelief.

"If I need to."

"Well, there is something you can do for us." Moira paused, coughed, then sat back in her chair. "I'm exhausted. Warren is wonderful, but he doesn't have the knowledge and experience needed for this. We need another genetically-trained mind."

"I don't think that would be me…" Logan shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and tried not look as embarrassed as he suddenly felt.

"Probably not, but thank you, Logan." Moira smiled tiredly. "But you know who is? Hank McCoy. We need his help, Logan. Can you convince him to leave to school to come here?" Logan considered Moira's request. Beast was supposed to stay at the school to stop the government from doing anything rash to the mutants there. But, if he was able to help with the cure it wouldn't matter anyway, since the school wouldn't need the protection then. It was probably a long shot, but -

"I'll talk to him."