The Return

 

This is my take on what might have happened in conclusion, or at least, the next step with a story called “Alien Wilderness” where Remy and Logan get sucked into a different world and are stuck there with Logan’s mental state deteriorating.  This is an unofficial continuation.

 

Disclaimer:  None of this is my stuff. 

 

            The world they used to know shifted back into focus and this time the transfer wasn’t near as painful… just as jarring, but there was no damage associated with walking into a new world.  It was Hank’s office, but it was different than they had left the mansion.  At least, that’s what Remy remembered the lab layout looking like.  It had been two years since he and his following companion had seen it.  Or anything else on this planet.

            At last.  They were home¼ or were they?  Logan and Remy had come to call their cave on Cria home.  They had only a few tattered remains of the clothing they had with them on their unexpected jump to Cria.  The rest they had but declined to take with them were over clothes made of furs from small animals and big alike, since Blue Deer had become more plentiful since they first got there.  They had their season, and now they knew when to find it.  But that knowledge was no longer useful.

            There was light in an enclosed place and Remy knew that it was electricity, but Logan was uncomfortable being in a bright place that by all laws of nature should be dark.  He growled low in his chest and looked for the source hoping to find bio-luminescence, but there was none.  Only a strange circle in the roof of this light cave.

            Logan had grown steadily less attached to his human self needing less and less of the advantages it brought.  Remy had tried to keep him human, but it had only lasted so long.  That was what lead Remy to search for a way home.  He wanted Logan back.  Wolverine was nice company and still his lover, but he missed Logan more than he wanted Wolverine around constantly. 

            It had been three months since Logan had said anything to him, and Logan was the only one of the personalities who spoke at all.  He communicated with Wolverine mostly by gestures and the reading of expressions and scents.

            “It’s okay, Logan,” he soothed.  He only called him Logan, trying each time to bring him more back to his man self, though he acknowledged the difference between the two egos.  Wolverine looked up at his mate disconcerted.  “We’re in my territory, now.”

Slightly comforted by the sounds his mate often made, he started to take a look around curiously.  He went to a monitor and almost pawed at it, to the chair and sniffed at it and to a lamp that was on in the corner of Hank’s desk and sniffed at that as well.  He could leave Wolverine alone in there for hours and he’d smell everything in there before he’d touch anything.

            Remy wasn’t about to leave him alone though.  He walked up to him, making plenty of noise so he could track his movement and laid a hand on his shoulder.  He grunted, looking up at Remy.  “C’mon,” he said gesturing toward the door with his head and started over that way.  Logan followed.

            They walked out the door and down into the hall, Remy looking for anything, and hopefully a person that was familiar.  The place was quiet for the most part and when they got up to the foyer, it was all dark.  Hank must have left the Lab light on.  That wasn’t so odd for the mad scientist as he tended to be forgetful and visit the lab often enough that when catching a few hours sleep it was more expensive to turn the light out than keep it running.  Wolverine was behind him, sniffing at everything they passed by.  Finally, they reached a place he thought he might find Hank, and sure enough, there he was.  It was a face he hadn’t seen in years, but he was gladder than he’d ever been to see it.

            “Hank!” he barked.

            Dr. Henry McCoy was sneaking into the kitchen for what seemed like a mid-night snack, probably just to take down to his lab.  The unexpected sound made him drop everything he’d been carrying smashing a bottle of pickles and several other condiment that were going to go on his sandwich of brain-food.  Hank stared at them both in the doorway amazed.

            “Gambit!  Logan!  How is it you two are here?  Where did you come from?  How did you get back?  Where did you go?  Are you both all right?”

            “Calm down, Hank.  You’re makin’ Logan nervous,” he said as he touched Logan in a comforting gesture.

            “I’m sorry, my friends, but it’s good to see you¼did you say I was making Logan¼nervous?”

            “Uh¼yeah.  It’s a long story, Hank and I hope I can get it all out.  But right now, I’d move real slow if I was you.”

            “I see.”

            “Oh, an’ don’t come too close right away.  He ain’t had strangers around for a long time.”

            “But¼ I’m not a stranger.”

            “You are to Wolverine when he’s gone feral.”

            “Feral¼?  Has he?”

            “Mostly.  Dere’s still bits of Logan left.  He still recognizes his name.  He knows me, but dat’s because I been with him for de past two years.”

            “I see.  If you think it’s wise, I’ll wake the others.”

            “I don’t think dat’s such a good idea, Hank.  Least ways, not all at once.  One at a time maybe, but dis is all new for him and I don’ want him attackin’ nobody because he feels threatened.  Maybe Jeanie could help him?”

            “I should hope so.  Although, he may just have to adjust back to the new things around him in order to allow his human personality to surface.  We won’t know until Jean takes a look at him.”

            “All right.  Oh, an’, Hank?” he said as Hank shifted his weight to move.  Hank paused looking up at him.  “Watch de glass.  De pickle jar be all over de floor.”

            “Ah.  Thank you.  I shall avoid it,” he said taking a large step over the glass area and toward them.  Remy stilled Logan by a firm hand on his shoulder.  Logan clearly didn’t understand why he was asking him to stop.  He looked up at his mate with a perplexed expression. 

            “Beast, come ‘ere slowly an’ let him smell you.  Hope he remembers you.”  Hank scooted toward Logan gently, and still calm.  It was more of an artificial caution than one taken out of fear.  At least Wolverine would understand that.  With a  caution of his own, Wolverine leaned in to smell Hank and snorted.

            “That doesn’t sound promising,” commented Beast.

            Wolverine rubbed his nose and glared up and Hank.  “Well, could be worse.”

            “Indeed, I agree.  Let me go and call Jean.  I’m sure she’ll be right over.”

 

            The communicator beeped and both Scott and Jean groaned in dismay.   “Uggh.  Whose is it?”

            “Yours,” spoke a groggy Scott Summers from under his pillow.  Jean  reached over to the night stand and activated her communicator.

            “Jean—“ she identified.  “What is it?”

            “Sorry to disturb you Jean, but there are two guests here that I’m sure you’ll want to meet.”

            “You got me up to meet people?  It’s¼ three o’clock in the morning, Hank!”

            “Jean, it’s Logan and Remy.  They’re back.”

            “What?!”  Jean jumped out of bed literally and threw on her robe over her night gown.  She was out the door without her shoes and flew over to the mansion using her TK.  “Logan?” she ran in after touching down calling out Logan’s name.

            When she came upon him, she didn’t expect to see him crouching at Gambit’s feet looking around warily at everything.  When she came in though, he paused, as did Gambit.

            “Woman, you be a sight for soar eyes.”  It was Gambit who spoke.  Logan simply looked at her, transfixed.  She reached out to his mind and found that his feral personality, the one that felt the most foreign to her was most present.  Only small vestiges were left of Logan.  Looking into Jean’s eyes, Remy knew that she saw what Remy had witnessed over the years.

            “Can you help him, Jeanie?”

            “I¼ I¼don’t know, Remy.  I can try, but he’s buried deep in there.”

            “I know.”

             Jean walked over to him and squatted to his level.  He sniffed at her and mumbled,       “¼Jean¼”

            “He recognizes you!” Hank exclaimed.

            “That’s a good sign.  Maybe we can get him to recognize other things.  Does he recognize you?”

            “It’s been a real long time since he’s said my name, but he knows me.  Probably doesn’t associate a name wit’ me ‘cause I was with him when dis happened.  It was real gradual.”

            “I see.  Let’s see if he—“  At that moment Scott Summers chose to follow his wife in and was greeted by a loud growl from Wolverine.

            “Well, he remembers Scott,” Remy chuckled.  Jean smiled, but Scott didn’t enjoy the comment.

            “Gambit, we thought you and Logan were dead.”

            “Understandable.  De explosion nearly killed us, and if it weren’t for Wolverine, I would have died.  An’ Wolverine here would be lost to you all forever.  He would have never found his way outta dat place in a feral state.”

            “Place?”

            “I’ll explain later.  I’d like to try and get Logan back to his old self, if y’ don’ mind.”

            “I agree.  Why don’t you go rest, Remy.  We’ll—“

            “Non.  I can’t be away from him in dis strange place.  He’ll go all de way feral an’ dere won’t be any hope for him.  I’m stayin’.”

            “All right then¼.” They didn’t understand.  He wasn’t sure if he wanted them to understand the bond that had been forged between him and Logan.  What if things changed now that they were in the place they used to call home?  A place before they forged that bond.  Once he was conscious again, he might have a different view of the things they had done, both when he was and wasn’t feral.  Their relationship as it was when there was only the two of them might be totally dissolved.

            But if that’s what it took to get Logan to be himself again, then that’s what Remy would try to do.  He was sure Logan would want him to do that for him.

            “Let’s go to a place he’d most recognize.  His room.”

            “You¼haven’t changed dem?” asked Remy.

            “Well, none of us could bear to move out Logan’s things and Jubilee practically threw a fit and locked the place up when a few of us tried.”

            “Jubilee.  Where is she now?”

            “Generation X.  She’ll be here as soon as we tell her that Logan is back though.”

            “Dat’s good.  He’ll be glad to see everyone again.”  There was a kind of deep melancholy in Gambit’s voice that Jean couldn’t quite place.  Why was he sad?  What reason was there?  They were home, after being in what had to be a god awful place.  And why didn’t he want to see Rogue?  Jean had thought she’d be the first person he’d ask to see, but there was still no mention of her.

            They got to Logan’s room and opened the door.  Gambit reached his arm around and turned on the light.  Logan definitely recognized it, but what associations there were Gambit couldn’t tell.  Jean had more of a hint and was able to pull out the right memories and bring them to the surface.  She felt a stirring of an older way of thinking in Logan’s mind and encouraged it.  He sat in the room for a long time, and then stared at objects that had meaning to him.  The Clan Yashida Sword that was given to him, Japanese paintings that had meaning for him, even his flannel blankets.

            He looked over to Remy and his expression changed to one Remy saw on his face the last time he was ‘conscious’.  He realized what was going on.  He knew where he was and above all, he knew who he was.  His name was Logan ‘Wolverine’ Patch and he was an X-Man.

            Jean smiled brightly at his realizations, but she couldn’t place the torment on his features.  His gaze was directed at Gambit and Remy wore an equally pained face.

            “Remy¼”

            “Can we be alone, Jeanie?” Gambit asked, trying to mask the quiver in his voice.

Jean looked for a moment more at the two of them.  She could feel the broadening sense of self that Logan was having, but she didn’t pry any further.  Gambit on the other hand, she couldn’t read at all and was left to wonder why he was hurting.  Perhaps they wanted to talk about it.  With a nod, Jean left the room.  The moment the door was closed, she heard a rushing of footsteps to where she associated Logan’s bed and faint whimpers.  They had most likely bonded and were releasing stress with the only people they felt comfortable with anymore.  She could understand that.  They had been together for two and a half years after all.

            Inside the room, Remy rushed to Logan and hugged him so fiercely that Logan felt it hard to breathe.  Of course, he didn’t care and knew that the Cajun was feeling the same way because he was squeezing just as hard.  They sobbed in each other’s ears, feeling overwhelming joy at the sight of the other.  They pulled away long enough to catch breath and look into each other’s eyes to see all the soul behind them.  “Logan,” Remy breathed.

            “Kid¼I¼I’m s—“

            “Non, none o’ dat.  You’re here now an’ I’m jus’ glad to see you.”  They hugged again.  Remy smiled, though there was a false quality to it.  “We’re back,” he offered.  Why he offered it was beyond him.  Maybe he felt they should have stayed in their new home on Cria.  But then Logan would be Wolverine, not Logan.

            “Yeah¼.”  Logan wanted to ask how they got back and what had happened since his last memory, but the look on Remy’s face made him ask a different question.  He would have plenty of time to ask how they got back, but few to ask this one again.         “What’s wrong, Remy?”

            “I just¼” want to know if you still love me¼ if you’ll kiss me ever again¼ if you’re ashamed of what we shared on Cria….  “Missed you so much,” he said instead.

It perplexed Logan because it sounded wrong.  Then he smelled Remy’s lie smell.  Being with him for two years he had the opportunity to catch him at lying and associate a smell with it.  He hadn’t told Remy about this smell, but it was possibly unique to Remy because no one else had it.

            “C’mon, kid, why’re you lyin’ ta me?”

            “You think I’d lie dat I missed you?”

            “I didn’t say that.  I just asked what was wrong an’ regardless o’ whether you missed me or not, that ain’t what’s botherin’ you.  So tell me.”  Remy was quiet.  “Remy, damnit, why won’t you talk to me?  What’s different now?”

            “I’m afraid I’ll¼ miss you here¼”

            “Cajun, I don’t understand.  What are you talkin’ about, ‘miss me here’?”

            “’Fraid you won’t¼it won’t be de same¼ like on Cria¼”

            “Gimme a clue here, Gumbo.  What are you talkin’ about?”

            “I¼ don’t know if you remember me sayin’ dis to you or not but¼I¼.” How could he profess such feelings when he hadn’t a clue whether or not they’d be returned?  Everything was going to be different now.  And Logan wasn’t calling him by his name any more either.  That was his worst fear.  He’d never use his name again like he had when they were together at night in the cold autumns and winters on Cria.  After it had gotten to be a ritual, Logan had only used his name during those times.  It meant a lot to Remy.  There was the occasional Gambit or Cajun and any other number of names while they were up and working, but when they were serious, he always used Remy.  “Never mind.”  Remy got up and made for Logan’s door.

            “Now hold on a minute.  You got somethin’ ta say to me, you better say it, Gambit, ‘cause I ain’t lettin’ you leave this room without an answer,” he said gruffly.  Remy didn’t care if Logan hurt him in trying to restrain him or not.  If he did it would answer his question at least.  He walked past Logan without a fight.  He had his answer.

Logan was too shocked to call after him.  Remy had just left.  They were in the middle of a wonderful reunion and all of a sudden it went sour.  Remy couldn’t even talk to him.  What in blazes was going on?  What had he done to make him so angry at Logan?            Closing the door gently, Logan began to meditate in the middle of his room.

He didn’t go after Remy because he knew better.  After a few of the arguments they had on Cria, he had observed as well as been told by Remy that when he walked away from Logan, he needed time to cool off before he could talk about the situation.

The clarity he searched for wasn’t there.  It just wasn’t.  He was too bothered about Remy.  Maybe it would clear itself up in the morning and he could talk about it.  He just needed to give the kid time.  He went to take a shower only to find that Gambit was headed there too.  As soon as Remy saw Logan he started heading the way he’d come away from Logan and the shower.  Logan huffed and went in.

            The showers on Earth were a lot nicer than the ones on Cria he and Gambit caught every once and a while when the weather was warm enough.  It still felt lacking something¼ getting all clean needed¼Remy.  The plant they had found that served as soap root reminded him of Remy now.  Come to think of it, the soap here did have a similar element to it.  He missed Remy.  After his shower, he would walk over to Remy’s room and talk to him.

            He found Remy’s door and knocked, but Remy’s voice wasn’t the one to answer.  Through the door he heard the mumbling voice of Bobby Drake cursing Scott for his early training sessions and to go away.  Logan obliged him, but now was left with not knowing where Remy was staying.  Damnit!

            He’d have to find him in the morning.

            Sleep wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be and he knew why, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it; Remy was mad at him.

 

            The morning brought Jubilee joyously pouncing on him and shouting, “I knew you were still alive, Wolvie, I knew it!”  After the short exclamation of joy and victory, she crumbled into a little pile of sobbing tears.

            “I’m okay, Jubelee,” he comforted holding her tight.

            “You won’t go away ever again!”

            “Can’t promise that one, but I’ll sure as hell try.”  She hugged him hard.

They talked for a long time about how it all happened at what happened there.  Logan omitted the parts that involved his relationship with Remy beyond that of a tight friendship.  She wasn’t going to hear about it from him and if she heard about it from Gambit, he’d tear his hair out.

            Speaking of Gumbo, he wanted to find him, and speaking of gumbo, he was hungry.  Wolverine took his conversation with Jubilee downstairs to have some breakfast.  Remy was there eating as well, like a glutton, he added privately, but wait ‘til they all saw Wolverine’s appetite after being in the wilderness for two years.  Remy swallowed hard when he saw Logan and excused himself from the table.  He was on the way out when Logan caught his arm to restrain him.

            “What?” he asked resignedly, head bowed.

            “What’s wrong with you?  Talk to me, Remy,” he pleaded.

            “Remy?  Remy???  You¼” So far as I know you never want to call me dat again!  Remy exploded with a sound of rage, but it was directed at no one they could see.  He yanked out of Logan’s grip and stormed off.  Logan wasn’t about to let him get away this time.  They needed to talk this out before it became a serious wedge between them.

            “Gambit, come ‘ere an’ talk to me, god damnit!  What are you angry at me for?  What did I do?”

            “Wha—what did you do?  More like what you didn’t do!” he shouted exasperated.  No one followed them and let them figure it out privately.

            “What?”  Remy stormed over to him and grabbed his face in his hands and bent down, mashing his lips against Logan’s.  When the kiss was over, Logan was confused.  Then he remembered the only time he used Remy’s name consistently.  When they were serious¼ when they were together.  “You an’ me need to talk long and hard, bub,” he said pulling Remy after him up to his own room.

            Once they got there, they sat down on the bed.  “First of all, why didn’t you tell me you wanted me to kiss you from the get-go?  You know I would have.”

            “No, Logan, I didn’t know dat.  Now dat we’re back on earth, for all I know, you want to go back to chasing femmes and are ashamed of Remy.”

            “Ashamed?  Ashamed?  Why didn’t you ask me?”

            Remy bent his head.  “I was afraid.  I couldn’t get de words to come out.  But¼you didn’t call me Remy an’¼”

            “That was the first word outta my mouth, if you didn’t notice.”

            “But, you never said it again.  An’… I thought dat was de last I’d see of mon amour¼ dat you’d be like before we¼ got trapped.”

            “Jus’ ta let you know, Remy, I was tryin’ ta lighten the mood.”  Remy nodded.              “Now, are you gonna kiss me again, or do I have ta do everything myself?”  Remy smiled and pounced onto Logan with fierce kisses.

 

            Jubilee was never the nosy type, but she was worried about Logan and she’d be damned if she let something happen to him because of an angry Cajun.  So far as she knew it was okay for people to call Gambit Remy and if he was pissed enough to forbid Logan even calling him by his first name then it must be bad.

            She snuck after them just to make sure they didn’t start fighting.  Their speech came out as mumbles through the door, then she couldn’t hear anything.  The bed squeaked once then there was a loud thump and a tumbling sound and a grunt.  They were fighting!

            Jubilee burst through the door to find exactly what she expected.  Gambit was on top of Wolverine.  They both looked up at her in surprise.  “Uh¼Jubilee¼ eh, we¼”

“You were fighting, weren’t you!”  It wasn’t a question.

            The excuse was handed to them on a silver platter with gold trim and caviar garnish!  Remy looked down at Logan asking with his eyes what to say.  “Yeah, Jubes, but it’s all right now.  He’s gonna calm down.  I let him get in a punch because I deserved it, but everything’s cool.  Right Cajun?”

            Remy puffed and played his role ‘til they figured out what to tell everybody.  “Yeah, whatever,”  he said getting up.  “You don’t ‘ave to worry, Jubilee,” he said to reassure her.  “I won’t hurt him.”  He was looking at Wolverine when he said that, giving Logan a double meaning.  A promise.

            “Why don’t I believe you?”                                                      

            “’Cause yer worried about me.  I can take care o’ myself, kiddo.  I survived just fine in an alien wilderness for years, I think I can take the Cajun.”  Jubilee reluctantly conceded the point and left the room.  When Gambit didn’t follow she looked at them strangely¼ almost hurt, then closed the door indignantly.

            They both sighed.  “Why don’t you call me ‘kiddo’?”

            “Cause you ain’t.”

            “Still¼ it does bring up a good question.  What do we tell everybody?  Do we keep it a secret?”

            “People’ll find out eventually, Remy… an’ I don’t sleep too well without ya.”

            “Yeah.  I don’ sleep good widout you, either.”

            “You wanna stay here tonight?”  Remy nodded.  “They’ll get the picture.  We don’t need to say nothin’.”

            “What about Jubilee?”

            “She’ll understand.”

            “You hope.”

            They looked at each other for a few moments, then Logan asked, “You wanna continue this later?”

            “No,” he practically pouted.  “But you should taste de food down stairs.  Mon dieu, it’s better dan blue deer!”

            “Really?” he asked raising an eyebrow.  Remy nodded emphatically.  “Well, I bet it does taste really good.  Do you remember the way food used to taste?”

            “Vaguely.  Dat’s probably why it tastes so good.”

            “I agree.  I haven’t had Earth food for too long.”

            Remy paused thoughtfully.  “Do you think we’ll ever miss de taste o’ blue deer?”

            “Yeah, there’ll be times.  There’ll be times when I miss bein’ the only person in the world besides you.”

            “Hope so.  Course, dis means we have to watch de decibles.”

            “Heh.  You think so, hunh?”  Remy got a funny look on his face that made Logan laugh.  “C’mon, let’s go eat.”

            They headed down stairs to eat.  The food was as good as Remy had said.  Both making pigs of themselves they made sure a shopping trip was needed that day and both begged to come along.  Scott was against it, but Storm made sure they went and got whatever their hearts desired.