Pain >Knock! Knock!<  Logan stood by the large oak doors and waited for a response. Bobby opened the door and let him pass, saying nothing. Jean saw him walk in and rose to greet him. She hugged him and signaled for the others to leave. "I’ll call you if anything happens." She telepathically ‘said’ into their minds. Charles was in his bed, sleeping. Hank did a final check on his pulse and then followed the other three men out of the room. Logan pulled away and looked at Jean Grey. Her eyes, like his own, were blood-shot. Tears had streaked her gentle, beautiful face and her body trembled. "Jeannie, you’re shaking." He said, with a slight crack in his voice. "I can feel everyone’s pain as if it were my own. But, most of all, I can feel the dying pains of a man who was more of a father to me than my true father. He took me in when I was nine years old, Logan. We’ve been linked by a bond stronger than the one I have with my own husband!" She exclaimed. "And now it’s fading!" "Shhh. Don’t get yerself upset anymore than need be." Logan soothed. Then he saw Charles move from the corner of his eye. "Logan?" He called out. "Hey, Chuck." Logan smirked. He walked from Jean and sat next to Xavier on the bed. She took a deep breath and then left the room in silence. "I thought I heard.... your words of experience..." He said weakly. Logan nodded and held his friend’s hand. Charles Xavier had taken in Logan, even when everyone else didn’t want him to, and had helped Logan get things straight in his head. He had given Logan a reason to get up in the morning and a place where he was always welcome. In short, Charles Xavier had given him a home.  It was an unpayable debt but Logan always thought he’d be able to at least try to repay the man who laid there, now nothing but a ghost of who he used to be. "I take it Jean was.... being dramatic..." "That’s in her nature." Logan said, smiling.  "Logan, promise me something...." "Anything, Charles." He said as he felt Professor Xavier tighten his grip on the older man’s hand. "Never change.... and don’t call me.... Charles..." He smiled. "That’s Chuck to you...." "You got it, Chuck." Wolverine chuckled. "You’re the boss." "Got that right..." He smirked. "Don’t worry about me...I’ll be stronger.... in a few hours.... remember that I studied.... tons of cases...." Logan nodded and waited for him to go on. "...It’s like AIDS...you have good days..." "And bad ones." Logan completed. "Lay back, Chuck, and get some rest. Yer tired." "Yes, I am..." He agreed, closing his eyes and falling into slumber yet again.  Logan placed Charles’ hand on his chest and then stood. Another tear fell from his eye. Instead of leaving the room, he walked to the window and watched as the skies clashed and rumbled. His hands were, as always, in his jean pockets but, soon, his right palm was wiping tears from his face.    *  *  *  *  * "Ah have such a hangovah..." Rogue mumbled, sitting in the kitchen with a mug of coffee in her hands. "Aye." Sean agreed, also sipping his morning brew. "Well, I don’t!" Jubilee announced as she hopped into the kitchen. Her statement was met with mumbles and groans. "Rassum...frassum..." She grumbled. Sean and Rogue sat next to each other at the counter as Kitty cooked breakfast. Warren walked in, looked around, and then left. Jubilee commented but no one heard her.  It was Saturday morning. Normally, the X-Men would have been running through a Danger Room session, but, considering the circumstances, no one had the intention of reporting for 'class'. After Hank had announced Charles’ condition to the entire household yesterday morning, no one had said a word about it. Jean had immediately gone to find the Professor. Scott stood in silence and disbelief. Bobby had left the house, as did Warren. Ororo dialed the Massachusetts Academy to contact Sean and Emma. The others either stayed in the living room or went to their own. Wolverine walked silently into the dull and melancholy room. He glanced at Jubilee, who only knew he was there since she was facing the door. Then she smiled at him as she tried to hide her fear and sadness, and he nodded back in acknowledgment of her presence. He wasn’t in the mood for trying to smile or act happy when, clearly, he was hurt and very, very pissed off. Jubilee stepped back slightly at the cold response but didn’t say anything. "Hello, Logan." Kitty said without turning around. "Coffee?" "Thanks, Kitten." He said gruffly, taking the cup she held out. "How’s Ororo?" She asked, still not facing him. "Suffering from morning sickness." He answered. Both Jubilee and Shadowcat grimaced but Sean and Rogue showed no signs of life let alone sympathy. Logan sighed and walked out of the door. He headed for the loft when he passed by a passed-out, drunken Kurt Wagner. The German teleporter was lying across his bed and stunk of alcohol. Again, Wolverine let out a long breath and walked into his friend’s room. Instead of waking him up and making the younger man throw up what alcohol was left in his stomach, he rolled Kurt over, covered him with a blanket and picked up the beer bottles. He shook his head, slightly amused at the snoring he heard as he shut the door behind him. As he walked into the loft, he grimaced slightly at the sound of his wife being sick. He placed the coffee cup on a shelf filled with plants and slowly opened the bathroom door. "Are you alright?" Logan asked softly. "No. But I will be." She replied honestly.  Ororo Munroe was a vision of beauty to Logan’s eyes (and a lot of other men’s eyes) even if she was tired, pale, and rinsing her mouth out of last night’s dinner. Her chocolate skin, crystal blue eyes, slender figure, and white hair made her a very attractive and one of a kind woman. Wolverine smiled. "And what’s with that smile?" She asked, walking past him to take his coffee. "You." He answered. "I was just thinkin’ of you, darlin’." "You’re sweet but there’s trouble behind your eyes." She said, leading him towards the windows. "You didn’t sleep at all last night." "Neither did you." He said, holding her in his arms.  "Charles’ condition has caused such stress and pain in the house." She sighed. "I know." He said very softy. He let her go and walked away, leaning against a small table filled with pictures. Wolverine picked one up of Professor Xavier. "Logan, please don’t shut me out."  His wife pleaded. "I feel your pain just as you feel mine. I don’t want to go through this alone." "You won’t. I just need time to think before talkin’."  "I know that. We all do. But, my love, how much time will you take?" Ororo said rhetorically. He raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond to her statement. He turned his back and put down the picture. "He means a lot to me, Storm." He said very softly, not turning. She was slightly surprised that he had suddenly opened up, but she didn’t show it. "I know he does, Logan. He means a lot to all of us." Storm walked closer and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I don’t know how to handle this at all." He said, softer. His voice cracked on the last word and Ororo wrapped her arms around her husband as he fell into her, crying.   *  *  *  *  * "Kitty, pay attention!" Logan snapped as the young girl’s mind drifted. They stood in the Danger Room, along with Jubilee, and Logan was trying to teach Jubilee basic and easy fighting moves while honing Kitty’s skills at the same time. Key word: trying. "Hum?" She turned, looking at him. "Sorry." She mumbled. Wolverine nodded and continued with the lesson. Jubilee was following everything he said and was very attentive. Katherine, however, was distracted. Her mind was racing with memories of Charles Xavier and she wasn’t in the mood to learn about odd little secret societies and their fighting styles. "....And the Coda pride themselves on knowing their opponents. They learn as much as possible about their enemies..." She heard Logan say but then her mind wandered off again. Shadowcat could remember staying up late with the Professor until she learned everything there was to know about the Blackbird. She remembered passing in a blank exam paper, claiming she didn’t need to know about botany. She also remembered failing biology that quarter. Kitty’s mind snapped back into reality as Logan, for the fourth time, scolded her for not paying attention. "Katherine." He said flatly. "Either pay attention or leave. I don’t need you in here if all you’re going to do is feel sorry for the Professor and reminisce about the past, got it?" He said coldly. "That’s not fair." She stated. "Yes, it is." Logan answered. "Listen, we’re all concerned for him, but we can’t stop everything just because Chuck is sick. You still have to learn how to fight better, no matter what happens to him." Again, no emotion was shown in his voice. Suddenly, Kitty’s body faded slightly and she turned away from him. Shadowcat, using her phasing power, walked through the wall of the Danger Room and didn’t look back. Instead of stopping outside of the training room, like she usually did, she kept going until she reached the front door. Again, Katherine Pryde did not stop but, instead, walked to one of the cars and dug into her sweat-pants’ pocket. Jingling keys came out and she drove away from the X-Mansion, fast.   *  *  *  *  * "Shoor. Whatever." Jubilee mumbled as Logan demonstrated a kicking move. "I thought you said this was supposed to be easy!"  "It is." He said, with a slight smirk. "Yeah. Shoor. I can see the ‘easy’ in that move." She groaned. He smiled and then she nodded, knowing that she had to at least try the some-what impossible move he had just shown her.  With a swift turn of her hips and a jump in the air, she lashed out her left leg and slammed into the humanoid figure. While still in the air, she kicked out with her right foot and slammed another figure to her right. At the same time, she punched down to her left and broke the jaw of another mannequin. It was complicated, but Jubilation had always been a fast learner. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a perfect learner and she landed on her butt, hard. "YowWw!" She yelped. "Good, Jubes!" Logan encouraged, picking her up. "You almost got it on the first try. Watch me again and concentrate on how I land, got it?" "Yeeaahhh..." She moaned, standing up and rubbing her side. The lesson continued for another two hours as Jubilee learned about five other kicking moves, two strange and rarely seen sweep moves, and three new tackling moves. Wolverine began to show her some punches when Jean Grey-Summers interrupted the 'class'. The door whisked open and she stood in the door’s light, silhouetted in her uniform. "You have been in here for nearly three hours now!" She exclaimed. "So?" Jubilee said, looking at the redheaded woman. "Aren’t either of you hungry yet?"  "No." They said in unison. "Listen, Red, unless you’ve got something to say, either join the lesson or leave." Logan said with a slight smirk. "I could always use a few lessons in the 'wonderful' fighting skills you know." She answered with a wry grin. He nodded and instructed both of his 'students' in a unique and fast fighting style used only in the Middle East.  "The bone from your wrist to your elbow don’t break easily and neither does the palm of yer hand. The skin between the thumb and pointer finger doesn’t tear too easily either...." He began.  Another hour passed as both ladies learned some dangerous moves and punches. Again, another X-Man stopped the lesson. "Class is over." Ororo stated, flatly. "You have been in this room for over four hours now and it is time for dinner. All three of you need to take a shower." She ordered lightly. "Good idea!" Jubilee agreed. Her hands were sore and her legs had bruises forming on them. Her sides were in serious pain and one of her wrists had just been twisted. Jubilation grunted as she left the room, but said nothing in complaint to the pain. ‘That’s my girl.’ Logan thought with a small smile. Jean, on the other hand, had no bumps or bruises and she left with a quick smile to her best friend. Logan walked over and kissed his wife before she shoved him off to the showers. "You smell, Logan." She commented as they walked towards the men’s locker room. "I know, but so don’t you." He said, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. After a quick breath, he flashed her a grin. "Yer covered in dirt and sweat." "I was in the garden outside all day, planting flowers and vegetables." She answered, following him into the large locker room. "That explains the leaves in yer hair, too.” He chuckeld. He pulled on her arms as he walked towards the shower room. “Let me help you wash off that God-awful dirt, darlin’..." And he closed the door.