Little was said during that long flight back to the mansion. The X-Men were tired from their ordeal, and Logan and his pack were beyond words. The parents and their four children sat very still, all seemingly lost in thought; Logan with his arms around the three boys, and Selene with James still nestled in her lap.

The triplets were thrilled to be home at the mansion, but James was wary at best. As he walked from the jet through the halls of the subbasement, he kept a wary eye on every closed door and shaded corner. He was uneasy, but he did his best to show it. He walked at an even stride next to his mother, head held high. He knew that he could not show weakness in front of his sire for fear of proving a disappointment. James knew that his new pack could not be like Sinister (he bit back a growl at the thought of the name), but he could not know that his worth was not based on how he impressed his pack. To James, failing his Alpha meant loosing his place in the pack. He could not afford that outcome.

James was relieved when they left the cold halls of the subbasement (halls that reminded him too much of the different bases and hideouts where he had spent his childhood) and entered the comfort of the main mansion. He bristled visibly whenever a stranger came too close, and was wary and tense by the time the family reached their suite of rooms.

James inhaled deeply, recognizing the scent of his pack as it permeated this place, 'this must be our den,' he thought. He was pleased with the layout; the rooms were more comfortable than his usual accommodations, offered close proximity to his mother and sire, and would be easy to defend should enemies come after the young. He would guard his siblings well in this place, and greatly please his sire.

Logan, who had kept an eye on James throughout their return, recognized the turmoil behind his eldest son's stoic expression. He brushed Selene's arm and gave her a look. Reluctant to leave James, Selene resisted for a moment, but knew that her mate needed to speak with his son. She took the triplets, who were only too eager to stay attached to their mother, into the master bedroom and closed the door, leaving James and Logan in the children's room.

"James," Logan started, not knowing entirely what to say, "sit with me for a moment".

James stared for a moment before joining his father on Michael's bed.

Logan sighed, trying to best figure out how to explain. He knew what his son was going through, he had experienced it on more than one occasion. When the world makes no sense, trust your instincts. After he had woken up with no memories and a new set of claws, Logan had no idea who or what he was. He had no idea how the world worked, so he acted on instinct. He had staked out a territory, defended it against intruders, and constructed a den for himself. Even when he first encountered humans and started regaining his humanity, he had been compelled to find his place in the pack, to either serve his alpha, or take the position for his own.

With only the cold, functional upbringing that Sinister had provided, Logan was not surprised that James operated on a feral pack mind, but how could he explain? How could he convince James that he was home, safe, and loved beyond his abilities as a pack member?

"We are a pack," he began slowly, "you wish to protect our mother, your brothers, and those cubs yet to come, and so do I. That is a good thing."

James straightened, pleased that he had already satisfied his Sire so.

"But," Logan continued, "we are more than just pack here, we are family. I am not your sire; I'm not your alpha. I am your father, and you don't need to impress or serve me. I love you because you are my son, and so does your mother. You do not have to earn our trust or protect us, just accept our love and let us protect you."

James understood what his Sire- father had said, but found it difficult to believe. As Logan pulled his son into an embrace, he hoped that he would understand his place, that he would adjust and start to undo some of the evil that Sinister had done to him, but Logan understood that his son needed time and love for that to happen, both of which the family had in abundance.

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Over the next few weeks, life went back to normal at the mansion. The triplets were reserved at first, but with help from Xavier, they were soon back to their raucous selves. Selene and Logan also had much to overcome. Selene with the potential loss of her mate and children, and Logan with the same, combined with his lapse in sanity as he fought Sinister. In time the wounds were healed, but Logan knew that his feral side now lay closer to the surface, and struggled often to keep it in check.

As for James, he did as well as could be expected, but never fully recovered from Sinister's touch on his life. In time he grew to understand the love of his family, as well as to not treat every stranger as a potential lethal threat. Throughout his life he retained his fierce loyalty to his pack (which eventually grew to include some members of the X-Men). He also maintained an eternal determination to please his father. 'My father is a great and powerful protector, and I must make him proud,' often ran through James's head as he strove to mimic his idol.

The years passed, and Logan and Selene's brood continued to grow. Michael, Liam, and Daniel were thrilled to be big brothers, and loved their roles as protectors. Their pack-mind stayed with them as they grew into adulthood, and when the time came for them to leave the mansion, the Wolf Pack struck out, following in their parents' footsteps as vigilante heroes, trotting the globe and protecting the weak.

Soon after the incident with Sinister, Colin and Conner were born. The twins grew quickly, topping out at over six feet tall each, superbly strong and powerfully built, almost like a pair of bears. The twins, undoubtedly the sweetest pair of souls, preferred to avoid trouble, but eventually followed their brothers' footsteps as they graduated and went out to rid the world of evil.

After Colin and Conner came another set of twins, David and John, whose copper red hair and clever streak easily pegged them as fox ferals. The pair relished in playing pranks, and eventually worked their way through Canada before joining Alpha Flight.

A few years after the birth of David and John, Sean, Kevin, and Jacob were born. The trio were sweet and clever, but mostly kept to themselves. Like their older brothers, they worked in a pack mind, but their smaller, slimmer stature earned them the label "The Coyotes". The Coyotes grew to handsome young men, and decided to stay on with the X-Men when they came of age.

After a while, the heat periods began to fade away. Logan and Selene began to believe that they had seen their last pregnancy, but one surprise was left in store for the pair. Long after her brothers had entered their teenage years, Rose was born, much to the surprise of her extensive family (who believed that Selene could only carry boys). Rose inherited her father's eyes, as well as his temper, and she quickly had daddy wrapped around her little finger. She grew into the beautiful heroine, Lynx, and broke as many heroes' hearts as she broke villain's bones.

In the end, James became more like his father than Logan would have liked. As he grew into adulthood he remained aloof, a loner to any who had not earned his trust, and even then his was a hard shell to crack. He left the mansion eventually, and entered the world almost as a second Wolverine, a fierce fighter, a passionate lover, an eternal loner, and protector of the weak. The difference between the two, however, was that James knew he had a safe haven and loving family to return to, and he could always be relied on for his many siblings' birthdays, graduations, and weddings, as well as the occasional mission with the X-Men.

Logan and Selene watched their twelve children grow and go off to save the world, some even began bringing wives and grandchildren back to the mansion. Sinister and his experiments, the tortures and facilities, all the running and fighting that had plagued their lives, had actually turned out for the best. Eventually, Beast discovered that Sinister's experiments had significantly extended Selene's lifespan, and, the two realized, the dark, cold cell with its screeching door had not only united them in the first place, but it had given them their family.

Together, Selene and Logan had been able to return from the darkness, and they and their descendents lived very happily for many years.

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AN: Whoa, I can't believe it's finished. First of all, thank you all so much for reading, I'm just pleased as punch that people have stuck with me as long as y'all have! This epilogue will be the last chapter of the story, HOWEVER, I will update an Author's Note in a few days to address any remaining questions that may come up in the reviews. I will continue to update that AN page as often as new questions arise, but, other than that, we have officially seen the end of Return from Darkness. I do not expect to write a sequel, because the story just seems to be complete in my head, but who knows, maybe a bug will bite me someday and I'll dig around with it some more. At present, I have some other story ideas that are rustling around in my brain, so keep an eye out for me! :)

X XRoweenaJAugustineX x, Blackbeautystealer13, Beautifulmess2005, freeprincess, Blueangel, Carlypso, Deal, and xXMelloxRebekahXx: Thanks, as ever, for your fantastic reviews. Y'all set the bar high, and I hope the story concluded to your standards.

Lamminator: Loved your comment, made me giggle. To clarify, this epilogue will be the last chapter. I've answered some questions, but I've purposely left some loose ends open for interpretation. Hope you enjoyed it. :)

Chandraleila: The idea of a James-centric sequel has struck me before, but I don't think I'll be pursuing it at this time. I think it's safe to assume that James operates much like Logan does (but a lot less angsty :P ), and I'm sure that James has been on many exciting adventures, I'm just not privy to any of them at the moment. :P For now, I'd say it probably won't happen, but you never know.