Wally caught up to Emma easily, but she didn't want to talk to him.

Wally, losing patience with her stony silence, decided to switch tactics.

"I don't like the way you just talked to Shine," he said instead.

Emma finally turned to regard him coolly.

"But it was true," she said.

"It wasn't true," Wally said. "I know you're upset, but you remember that we told you we were going to wait. That's what we did. Scott being here changes things, that's all. If it was just one person, waiting made sense, not rushing into danger. But if it keeps happening, then we can't afford to wait. We didn't hold out on you. Circumstances just changed, that's all. It's a weird day for us all, but you cannot blame it on the people who have been trying to help."

Emma stared at him.

"Basically, I don't want you to talk to her like that again." Wally frowned. "You have no idea how much what you said hurt her feelings, even if she won't admit it. You have to be one of the most ungrateful people I've met. But that's fine...just don't be so out there about it. You want to be a sourpuss in your head, go right ahead."

"I don't need this right now," Emma said.

"What do you need now, Frost?" Wally asked. "I don't think walking off is going to get whatever it is. You need to deal with this, with the rest of us, not just ditching as soon as you get overwhelmed. That's not helping anyone."

"You don't understand anything," Frost said.

"I probably understand more than you think, believe it or not," Wally said meaningfully. "And this isn't going to help. I understand that."

Emma bit her lip... For a second her icy exterior kind of cracked.

"Frankly, Mr. West...this is...a little more than I think I'm qualified for," she said. "I don't know what to do from this point."

"Okay," Wally said, a little more nicely. "I never know what to do next, anyway, until I do it, so welcome to the human race. But you can try to solve it with friends, or you can on your own, I know that much. You're out of ideas. So don't run from the people who want to help."

"Can I really become friends with them? I don't think there's mutual trust there," Emma said.

"Well, trust is a two way street," Wally said, and she balked kind of.

[For those who don't know, those are words she once said to Wolverine, in order to get him to let her in on more.]

"And you didn't tell us a lot of things," Wally finished. "So of course they don't trust you. But for whatever it's worth, Shine and I don't think you're a bad person, really. Just a confused one. So...you should work with us. Even if you can't read our minds, the great thing is, both of us just say what we think, so you don't have to."

"And why would you care about helping me? If you're well aware of all this?" Emma said strangely.

"That's what we do." Wally shrugged. "We help people. I think most people can be pretty okay, if you just cut them some slack and get to know them a little and what they care about. Some people are just bad, but you can just punch them, that's my outlook. Shine? She can read you like a book, and, get this, she still tries to help, because that's what she believes in. We're pretty nutty, aren't we? But that works out for you, Frosty."

"Frosty? No, you're not calling me that," Emma said.

"Well, whatever." Wally shrugged. "Emma, then. Look...isn't this a little bit better than just storming off alone?"

Emma smiled thinly. "It might be... All right...I'll give it another shot. But I need a minute...or several..."

"And you will apologize to Shine," Wally said.

"Or what?" Emma said.

"I don't know, I dump you into the pond?" Wally offered.

"I will apologize to her," Emma said quickly. "Later. Please."

"As long as you do it, I don't care when--I mean some time today, that is," Wally said. "Fine, take a minute, or an hour, but just...don't go too far. We're gonna be brainstorming this."

He ran away.

Emma sat in one of the chairs after she got tired of pacing and tried to calm herself down.

Wally had helped, slightly, with being somewhat sane about all this...but alone again, she still was almost on the verge of panicking.

She ruled herself just barely. But it was harder than it ever had been to not just lose it.

Emma would have preferred to just run and never look back, had she had that option, but she knew she couldn't escape this problem, no matter how far around the earth she was... It would come for her.

She shivered and hugged her sides. 

She wished whoever it was had just come already. Anything would be better than not knowing what was behind this. Even torture would have seemed better at this moment. However irrational that thought was.

Emma liked to know things just as much as every other telepath, or even every other intelligent person, did. She could plan then. But this...was almost enough to drive her mad with worry.

And it could get worse.

She was so absorbed in this she didn't notice anyone else come outside till Scott came into her line of sight.

Then she jumped.

"Sorry..." Scott backed up. "I didn't mean to scare you... Just wanted to make sure you're okay... This whole thing has given me a migraine, but I'm guessing it's not any better for you."

Emma calmed her nerves.

"Oh, it's not as bad," she said, lying of course. "I've been here for weeks."

"Weeks?" Scott said. "How is that possible?"

"How is any of it possible? I don't know." Emma stood up. "But it's not that it's really such a shock to me, anymore, the idea of it... I just don't know what's causing it, and it's...been quite frustrating not to know that."

"Yeah..." Scott clearly agreed after just two hours. "But there has to be a way to find out... I can't be stuck here forever... I feel like I have responsibilities...even if I don't remember them very well. Not to mention, the other version of me...which is still hard to grasp...must be stuck in our dimension... I'd feel sorry for him. He could get killed."

In fact, that was probably likely, Emma thought. The Scott from here was not ready for the MRD and other disasters awaiting in their dimension. He was probably arrested already, if he had been in one piece at all when he got there.

Assuming he was there... How did they really know?

But she didn't say this aloud.

"So...how did you...you know..." Scott was always one to just bring up something uncomfortable instead of being tactful about it. "...die?"

Emma was dreading that question.

"It's a long story," she said.

And I have no intention of telling you, she thought to herself. You'll remember soon enough. Why make it worse for myself before then?

She literally couldn't stand it, the thought of this hanging over her head, though. But she liked the idea of explaining it even less.

"I want to know," Scott said. "I can't take this not knowing everything... Shouldn't I remember it? If I was there, I should remember it, right? It might be important."

"It's not important, not to this," Emma said. "That DJ woman and I have been over that already. If there was a connection, it's not one we can find."

"What if I knew it, and I just don't remember?" Scott said, frustrated. "It's not right."

"And it's not your fault," Emma said. "It is just how it is. You will remember--they said so."

"Yes...it could take days. We might not have days..." Scott frowned. "If you'd just tell me...maybe it would come back."

Emma grabbed her clothes in her hand nervously.

"It's not the easiest thing for me to talk about." She hoped playing that card would end the conversation.

It at least gave it a pause.

"I'm sorry," Scott said. "Of course...but it could be important..."

Emma knew if she didn't say something, he wouldn't let it drop, and he was going to get suspicious on top of that.

She thought.

Lying would do no good if the memory came back...and the others could set the record straight.

Maybe just part of the truth.

"There's this...thing called the Phoenix Force," she said carefully. "It possesses telepaths..."

Apparently that name didn't ring any bells for Scott.

It was just a vague thing to everyone outside The Inner Circle; Emma wasn't that surprised. No one really understood it that well. Why would it be cemented in their memory?

"In an attempt to stop it, I absorbed it briefly," she said.

Even talking about it was still unpleasant, despite Shine's help in the matter.

She shuddered at the memory. "And it killed me...or it almost killed me. That part is unclear. That's what happened. The X-men were there...but they couldn't stop it either. The truth is, I have no idea what happened after that. But since you're alive...I take it it must have been subdued. That is all I know."

"I wish I knew, then," Scott said. "But I...still don't... How could you have survived that?"

"Apparently...my diamond form is more durable than I ever thought," Emma said.

Though it still didn't make a whole lot of sense. How on earth could someone have meticulously put all those pieces together enough for her to reform? They would have to have superhuman intelligence or some kind of magical trick to it.

Or months and months of time, probably. If not longer...

But she was out of her own time, so who knew? Who knew how long it could have been?

Just talking about all this again was making her feel sick.

"It's good, at least, that you survived," Scott said, with this look of someone desperate to find a bright side. "And it seems like so did the...X-men. So that's something...not a lot...at the moment, but something. Maybe they'll try to figure out what happened on their end."

And what good would it do them? Emma thought. Unless they had a dimensional gateways.

That was a new idea... Could they have one?

No...they wouldn't send people alone like this. It couldn't be them.

Her head pounded just trying to put it all together now.

It reminded her of when she first got her powers and didn't realize what was happening. The same kind of overloaded feeling.

Without warning, the feeling suddenly turned into the same searing pain as before when she'd blanked in the alley way.

Emma grabbed her head again.

"Ah..." she gasped.

"Emma?" Scott stepped closer. "What is it?"

"Stop it!" Emma said. "Get away from me!"

She didn't even know if she was talking to him or the feeling itself.

Another second, and her brain was going to shatter into a thousand pieces again--

Then it stopped, just like before, and instead her mind went blank.

"What...?" She looked around, confused again.

"Emma?" Scott tried to get her attention. "Do you remember? What's going on?"

"I don't remember anything," Emma said strangely. "What...? Who...? Hey, don't touch me."

She moved away in a hurry.

"Emma, don't," Scott said. "Something's wrong. Don't run--we need to get help."

"Why should I listen to you?" Emma said, turning to run for it.

But at that moment the blank feeling passed, and she remembered, and instead of running, she just collapsed, overcome from that experience happening twice.

"Emma?" Scott came closer. 

"It happened again." Emma's tone was unmistakably knowing now, so he knew she meant the spell. "Why does...? It never happened before today. Something changed."

"What if it's because of me?" Scott worried. "Something changed..."

"It's not your fault," Emma mumbled. "Something else...something very wrong."

"Come on." Scott took her arm. "We'd better go ask those other people. They seem to be the only ones who know anything about this. You need help."

Emma was too scared to even argue or pull away. She could have dealt with any threat except one inside her own head with more forbearance. But this? She couldn't.

* * *

Shine came out of her room after a while, seeming refreshed and composed, as she usually did after praying.

Kurt had been praying nonstop also, and he told her he believed Gott would answer them in the right time.

"The right time is the key to all of this, isn't it?" Shine said.

"I prayed for Gott to bestow His grace on you," Kurt added.

"Thank you." Shine hugged him. "Did Emma ever come back?"

"I don't think so..." Kurt said.

"She just did." Rogue flew up to them. "And Scott...but somethin' happened. Ya'd better hurry, if you're ready, Sugar."

"More ready now than I was," Shine said resolutely.

"Wally too, but he's just snackin'," Rogue said. "I know his speed runs on that, but how he can eat at a time like this is still beyond me."

"He can eat anytime," Shine said. "Good thing...this is not the time to be getting faint."

"Y'all are perfect for each other," Rogue muttered.

They rejoined the others downstairs.

"I'mma try to get a hold of Storm again..." Rogue said, not ready to deal with this any more right now.

"Xavier is trying to find them again," Morph supplied. "The other two, I mean... We all know they're not here...but I guess it's all he can do."

Mystique had reentered, sitting in one of the chairs, not saying anything.

Emma was on the sofa, looking pale.

She looked up.

"Ah..." She glanced at Wally first, then, "I suppose I owe you an apology...Miss Shine."

"Don't worry about it," Shine said. "What happened now?"

"The same thing as before," Scott explained. "She was okay, and then she acted like someone was hurting her, and then she forgot again...then she remembered. What's going on?"

"This happened before?" Shine said.

"Didn't we explain that?" Scott realized they hadn't.

So he did.

"Vhat could have caused that?" Kurt wondered. "It sounds like more than just shock."

"If it was shock, it should have happened when she arrived, not now." Shine studied Emma closely. "And we had no sign of this before, when I helped you... If it was just reacting to psionic force, I think what I did would have triggered it also. That was pretty intense...so it seems like it only just started happening."

"So...another new problem?" Emma said. "What is it? In your array of experience you must have some idea."

"Only thing that it's sounding like is an attack of some sort," Shine said. "But from what? No, Scott, it's not because you're here...that just might have set it off. Trust me, the problem must have been in her mind already."

Scott hadn't even said anything, and he seemed startled that Shine had read his thoughts so easily.

"Maybe it's because she can't turn into diamond," Mystique said dryly.

"Will you shut up about that for once?!" Emma snapped at her.

"No...wait, I think Raven has a real point, actually." Shine sat up more. "Think about it...your diamond form protects you from telepathic attacks, doesn't it? You can't access it right now. We talked about it like it's broken... Maybe...maybe whoever put you back together, they didn't finish it right. Easy enough, they probably weren't working with something they understood very well. They could have made a mistake, and since your diamond form affects your mind, it's showing up there. We could theorize that, if you could assume your diamond shape, we'd see some flaw in it that would confirm this...but because you can't, we have to work with what's inside."

"You're on fire today," Morph told Mystique humorously.

"Shut it," she muttered.

"Are you saying I will be stuck this way?" Emma's tone was the verge of panic.

"No," Shine said quickly. "No...the body is an amazing thing, and so is the mind. It does heal. But not always on its own... I think if you found the root of the problem, and worked on that, these symptoms would go away. From the sound of it, it seems like there this is pressure in your mind, and the memory loss is like your mind just can't handle it."

"But I'm a telepath--my mind can handle immensely more than the average person's," Emma said.

"Well...there's that thing," Shine said.

"I already told him," Emma said. "Just that part." With a meaningful glance at Shine.

"The Phoenix is not something even a telepath can just handle," Shine went on more easily. "I'm sorry, Emma. That you survived it at all is only because you're a powerful telepath. But it left a scar... That's the best theory for now. But why it suddenly got worse...I think there's something else. I don't know what. Something that you're responding to, whether it was the disturbance in the dimensional field, or whether it's something else. I felt it also, but you're the one with the crack, as it were. You must just not be able to shut it out. That's the best guess I have."

"And this is only a guess?" Emma said.

"Unless I witnessed it first hand, I might not know," Shine said. "For the time being...we can try to strengthen you. We might be able to do that, keep this from happening often...but stop it completely? It won't be the work of a day, I'm fairly certain. I know it's not what you want to hear...but this is sort of what I told you before. I'm sorry you didn't listen then. We should have been working on this for the past several weeks."

Emma grabbed the edge of her seat.

"Funny how that worked out," Mystique muttered.

"So...is she going to be okay?" Scott hadn't followed most of that.

"Depends," Shine said.

"I don't like that answer," Scott said.

"I don't like the problem," Shine said. "What does liking have to do with it?"

"Well, you certainly seem back to normal," Morph said.

"Prayer vorks," Kurt said wisely.

"And that brings us to our next item," Shine said. "I discussed it with God...and it seems we can most likely send you, Morph, to your...what exactly is it that you go to?"

"I guess it's like a pocket dimension," Morph said. "You know what that is, right?"

"Of course," Shine said.

"Yeah, totally," Wally said. Kind of, is what he meant.

"We can help you get there," Shine said. "But you will have to get out. We can't connect to it, so once you're gone...we can't find you."

"If you get me there, I think I can get back," Morph said.

"You think?" Mystique repeated.

"Yeah, that should restore everything again," Morph said. "I just don't know why Mimic hasn't contacted me. That's what's bothering me, but I really should look for him, then."

"Isn't it possible that you'd end up stuck there though?" Wally said.

"I'm sure the Time Broker will know what to do," Morph said. "For all I know, Mimic is just in another timeline now... You never know when this stuff will pop up."

"Given that you don't really know what happened to him, maybe you shouldn't go alone," Shine said. "If it's a trap, they'll expect you, but they might not expect anyone else."

"Expectations work tricky with time travelers," Morph said. "But, still... But I don't want anyone else to risk it."

"And we don't want ya to disappear again," Rogue said, reentering. "Storm still didn't answer, by the way... But ya can't go, Morph, and never come back. Logan couldn't take it."

"I'm sure I'd make it back eventually..." Morph said uneasily.

"But the more X-men who disappear," Emma said, "the worse this will be. Bad enough someone's taking them... Just handing it to whoever it is? I don't think that idea is smart."

"Maybe I should go with you," Scott said to Morph. "I don't belong here anyway. I'd like to help."

"Oh, no you don't," Shine said. "Emma is right. That's a terrible idea. Any of us going is a risky idea, but you and Emma are our only hint to what is going on here, and if you get stuck in time, we have nothing. Once you remember more, Scott, who knows if you might have answers for us? I'm sorry, you can't go."

Scott had no argument for that.

Mystique was shaking her head. Then she said, "Maybe I should go."

Everyone looked at her oddly.

"Do ya...understand how dangerous that is?" Rogue asked.

"I think so," Mystique said. "But, I'm not an X-man... Technically there's very little risk about it. I don't like the idea of waiting around here to get caught up in this without my consent...so I might as well just choose when it happens. And I already know all about this, more than most of the X-men do."

"Y'do?" Rogue said.

Mystique didn't answer her.

"Now wait," Morph said. "That's not a good idea."

"Yes, who would trust her to handle it?" Emma said.

"That's not what I meant," Morph said. "Shine? Wally?"

They looked at him uncertainly.

"Well..." Shine said, "I don't like it. Not for that reason...just because I would worry about both of you...but...I hate to say it--she's not wrong. It makes the most sense. We can't go, or I'd say we'd make the most sense, but we're not allowed."

"Are you sure about this, Misty?" Wally asked her. "Maybe you could avoid all this, if you stay out of it... We're talking really dangerous stuff now..."

"I'm not exactly unused to this kind of thing," Mystique said. "If the world is in danger, I will still be affected, won't I? I prefer to be doing something rather than nothing if that's the case."

"Usually for the wrong side," Emma muttered.

"Then you're lucky I happen to be here right now," Mystique shot back, "aren't you, Frost? I don't care which side, but sitting it out? What good does that do me? I can't control my own fate at all that way."

"You can't control your fate," Shine said. "But I do see your point. You're right... You're in trouble if the rest of us are. Who knows?" She looked around. "If this world is in danger, going out of the timeline could be the safest option. But Morph will have to agree, not us."

Everyone looked at Morph.

"If you all feel that way..." Morph said uneasily. "But I really could do this alone."

"No," Rogue said. "Logan will never forgive us... Oh, crap on a stick, he won't forgive us period."

"Morph," Shine said, "maybe we should wait till tomorrow... Sleep on it... Give Logan and Storm a chance to get back in touch. Given how bad it is, I think you should at least talk to them...all of us should."

"Yeah, okay," Morph said. "That's a good idea. Let's not rush this."

"And then we'll be more rested anyway," Shine added.

"I don't want to wait, though," Scott said.

"Yes...well, you do remind me of the Cyclops I know a little, now," Shine said. "But I'm not giving you a choice. I suggest you try to rest also. You'll heal faster that way. Stressing will only make it worse."

"Aye, Captain." Wally saluted her. 

It was after this that Rogue and Storm finally talked.

But Rogue didn't mention anything about Morph. It was selfish perhaps, but maybe she wanted to prolong it, not add more uncertainty to the hot mess that was brewing right now.

* * *

Still, the next day, Storm checked in with the mansion again, as planned, and Rogue told her then that they might need to hurry back after all.

"Logan has already gone looking for Howlett in a phone book..." Storm said. "I suppose like the Terminator looking for Sarah Conner... What is the trouble? Did someone else vanish?"

"Someone else might, Sugar," Rogue said. "Sorry, I know what I said before...but now I'm startin' to wonder if that was smart."

"I will tell him, but he won't come," Storm said.

She hung up.

But she was right.

"I just need a few more hours," Logan said. "I did find the name here."

"It could be anyone, Logan," Storm said. "Our friends need us. Are you really going to keep doing this? We can come back."

"Who knows if there'll be a chance?" Logan said.

"Logan!" Storm said sharply. "Enough. The past is gone already... They need us, now. I cannot believe you really would ignore that in favor of this. It may not even be real."

Logan looked at her sullenly, and then left the inn and headed down the street.

Storm followed. She wasn't letting this go.

"This is no time for selfish choices," she said. "Do you care about the X-men at all?"

Logan stopped.

Then he shook his head. "Of course."

"We have to go," Storm said. "Please, Logan." In a more pleading voice. "Don't make me do this alone."

She meant go back alone and have to tell them that.

Logan stared at the ground.

Then he sighed. "Yeah...all right, fine."

Storm let out a sigh of relief.

"I guess...it won't matter anyway," Logan said. "If the world ends...who's gonna remember this anyway?"

Storm came up and put a hand on his shoulder. "I know...it's.... Well, I don't know what to say, but...I think it matters more, what we do now."

Logan took her hand silently. There seemed nothing more to say.

Well...there might be one thing more to say.

Not letting go, he started leading her back to the car.

"Logan?" Storm said oddly.

"Yeah, we have to go," Logan said. "But before we do, there's been somethin' else. You've been askin' about it."

"And?" Storm was having a hard time keeping up...literally. He was walking really fast.

But then he stopped in front of the car and seemed to debate whether or not to continue.

"I guess I owe ya an apology for how weird I've been actin'," he said.

"It's all right," Storm said. "I understand better now, I think... This was important to you."

"The truth is that wasn't the only reason." Logan pulled out a cigar but didn't light it, just looked at it. "I just didn't want to deal with it. If I don't now, though, who knows what's waitin' back there...? Might never happen."

And he thought that would just be too cruel, again...

"All right?" Storm was puzzled. "What is it?"

"I'm gettin' to it." Logan swallowed.

Silence ensued.

It became unbearable.

"Well, there's only one way to say this," Logan finally said, "I've been avoidin' ya because I started to think there might be somethin' goin' on between us."

That was the last thing Storm was prepared to hear.

She just stared at him.

"Between us?" she finally said faintly.

"Yeah," Logan said. "Told myself it was stupid, too, but those two busybodies wouldn't leave it alone. I wasn't goin' to talk about it. But...ya never know what might happen, so...I thought ya deserved to know the real reason."

Storm stared at him.

"I'm confused, Logan," she said. "Are you saying you think that I...or that you...? Which is it?"

"Oh, me," Logan said. "Not you."

"Uh huh..." Storm felt dizzy. "I think I need a moment to think about that."

She leaned on the car.

"Sorry about givin' ya the idea that ya did somethin' wrong." Logan didn't know what else to say. "I got in my head about it--"

"Be quiet, Logan," Storm said.

Logan went quiet.

"Let me understand this correctly," Storm said finally. "You like me? Is that what you're saying? I mean...in that way? Or did I completely just misunderstand what you said? I might have."

"No...that's about right," Logan said. "I know it doesn't make sense, but--"

"Doesn't make sense to who?" Storm said. "To you?"

"I mean that ya don't think of me that way," Logan said. "We're friends, and that's fine, so this doesn't get in the way of that--"

"Logan," Storm said oddly, giving him a strange look, "you're just assuming that? You didn't even ask me first."

The mood of the conversation shifted real fast.

"What?" Logan said.

"You're ridiculous." Storm finally smiled. "Answering something before you even ask the question."

"Are you sayin'...?" Logan paused.

"Why don't you actually ask and find out?" Storm was a little merciless about it.

"Fine." Logan swallowed again. "How do ya feel about it?"

"Well...that's not the most poetic way to ask," Storm said, "but I won't torment you any further.... This is unexpected, I admit. But...I haven't been against the idea of it. I just...you never seemed...so I thought..."

"Well, it took me by surprise--wait, did you just say...?" Logan noticed that hadn't been a negative.

"Yes." Storm nodded, smiling. "I feel the same way... I was never going to admit it though, because I knew how you felt about Jean...but...that changed?"

"Yeah..." Logan suddenly looked sober. "Must have changed ages ago, I just didn't realize it."

"I didn't either," Storm said. "But the truth is, if we're being honest, I liked you for years...but I valued our friendship too much to bring that between us if it wasn't mutual."

"Are you serious?" Logan said.

If so, chalk one up for Shine and Wally...those sneaky punks.

"I am." Storm nodded. "This entire thing was really about that? Why, you could have just told me. Even if I didn't like you, I would still have wanted to know... How silly."

Logan reddened. "Well...it sounds that way now. But at the time..."

Storm just started laughing lightly. "Oh, don't bother trying to make it sound better, Logan. I'm glad you finally told me what was wrong... I never thought it would be something I wanted to hear...after all that..."

Then they both got quiet. And looked at each other.

Logan didn't feel embarrassed anymore.

In fact...now that it came out, the entire thing just felt natural, like it should have been this way from the start.

Storm must have been thinking that also.

[And so am I, believe me.]

"Well...now what?--" she began.

Logan interrupted her by moving closer, and the next thing they knew they were both closing their eyes and kissing.

After a moment, they stepped back.

Storm blinked.

"Well...that seemed like it should have happened ages ago," she said.

"Yeah," Logan said. "What were we waitin' for?"

"I have no idea," Storm replied.

Then she glanced at the car.

"I think we were supposed to be somewhere..." she said.

"Yeah...right." Logan looked at the car. "We have to go bail out those idiots.... Well, knew they couldn't go two days without me there."

"I'm almost inclined to agree, considering..." Storm said. "We have to hurry..."

"Bad timin'," Logan muttered.

"We'll talk more, Logan," Storm said. "But on the road. Come on." She got behind the wheel.

https://youtu.be/PSP6_BrEzqs

[Suitcase-- Sia.

This isn't really a romantic song, but it just kind of fits for this.

Whew! Finally.

That had to be the most realistic confession I've ever written.

My sisters kept saying Storm and Logan are like watching an older couple, so the giddy, ushy-gushy feeling thing just doesn't seem to fit them.

And I'm inclined to agree.... A more mature take on all this seemed more appropriate.

I was actually inspired a little both from the actor Hugh Jackman (who played Wolverine, if you don't know) telling his story of how he confessed to his now wife, then friend, and also from the end of a movie unrelated to the X-men, called That Thing you Do which is a classy movie.

Some things just make sense.

As usual, I tend to forget that fanon is not the real canon, because it just makes so much more sense in my head. Wonder if y'all share that feeling?]