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Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I'm just borrowing things for a while and I promise I'll put everything back exactly how I found it when I've finished. Well, almost exactly how I found it. ;)
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"I bet he'll last half an hour."
"Ten minutes."
"Five."
"You're kidding, right? He won't even agree to it!"
"How will you know if you don't ask?"
The younger X-Men all froze in horror and slowly turned at the voice of Professor Charles Xavier. The older X-Men just smiled.
"We were just, er…," Bobby stuttered.
But Charles just smiled. "Discussing how you could get Logan to join in with a social activity. I applaud your effort; I think it's wonderful that you want to involve him in what you're all doing."
"Do you think he'll watch a film with us, Professor?" Rogue asked.
"That depends on the film," Charles replied.
Everyone looked at each. "It came down to a vote," Scott explained. "We're watching Titanic."
Charles nodded. "I see." He paused. "Would you like me to ask Logan if he would care to join us?"
"Us?" Bobby repeated.
"Am I invited as well?"
"Of course you are," Jean replied, smiling.
"We need at least one grown up there," Ororo added quietly.
Charles smiled. "Very well. If you set everything up, I'll see if Logan wishes to join us."
"I still say he won't," Scott muttered.
Jean looked at him sideways. "We'll see."
Charles heard their banter and his smile grew. Just before he disappeared around the corner, he turned and shouted back, "I bet Logan will join us and that he'll watch the film until the last hour."
Ororo sighed and shook her head. "What was I saying about a grown up being present?"
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Charles found Logan in the garage, working on Scott's bike. "I thought I'd find you here," the telepath said.
"More like you knew," Logan replied without looking up.
"The students, young and old, are watching a film together. I think it's their idea of a bonding session."
"Good fer them."
"And they have invited the both of us."
Logan finally glanced at the Professor. "Yer goin'."
"I thought I would," Charles replied.
"I ain't."
"They're taking bets on whether you'll join us or not, and if you do, how long you'll last," Charles told him.
Logan grunted. "Why'd they bother? Tell Scott he's won; I ain't showin'."
Charles looked amused. "How do you know Scott placed that bet?"
Logan rolled his eyes. "Sorta obvious." Then he frowned. "Why'd you come all th' way down here t' tell me all this anyway?"
"They're watching *Titanic."*
"Did you make a bet?" Logan asked after a lengthy pause.
"What do you think?" Charles replied.
"I think you did an' if I decide to sit an' watch th' stupid film, yet gonna give me half th' winnin's. An' be th' smuggest bastard on th' plant fer a while."
Charles just looked innocent and spread his hands. "Is there a problem with that?"
Logan grinned and shook his head. "Nope. But you owe me for this."
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Scott glowered when Logan and Charles entered the large living room, and he put the money he had bet on the table.
After five minutes, Peter sighed and put his bet on top of Scott's.
Ten minutes later, Bobby added his share.
Half an hour into the film, Rogue put her money on the pile.
"It's a conspiracy," Ororo muttered when she and Jean had lost their bets.
There was silence in the room as the *Titanic* began sinking, and the girls all gasped when Jack was handcuffed to the pipe.
"He'll get out," Scott told them, and was hit on the arm in reply. "Ow!"
All eyes were glued to the television as Rose entered the room, brandishing an axe, intent on rescuing the love of her life.
"That's it, I've had enough o' this crap," Logan grumbled, standing and leaving the room.
Charles looked around at the faces of his students. "Does that mean I win?"
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"I see you found the beer," Charles said when he entered the kitchen.
Logan turned. "Looks like it."
"Don't let the students know it's there, please."
"Don't worry, I won't." He held his hand out and Charles gave him half of the winnings. "Thanks."
The telepath looked at Logan. "Why don't you just tell them?"
"Yeah, right," Logan replied, taking a swig of beer. "Can you imagine tryin' t' explain t' that lot that th' love story o' *Titanic* is actually pretty factual, that Rose was a real person an' was still alive when th' film came out? An' that it was me who freed Jack with these…." He popped his claws. "…Not Rose with th' axe."
"You don't want to tell them," Charles stated.
"What happened that night was somethin' I'd rather forget," Logan replied, his eyes distant.
The *Titanic* was sinking. He was travelling third class, under a false name, and he was trying to get into the water before the ship actually went down. But he heard someone crying for help, a woman, and despite his better judgement, Logan went to see what was wrong.
He followed Rose's scent to the room where Jack was being held, arriving just in time to see her hefting the axe, attempting to break Jack's handcuffs.
"Stop!" Logan had shouted. "Yer gonna kill 'im doin' that! Move out o' th' way an' I'll do it."
Rose had readily agreed, handing Logan the axe as though it was a snake. "Hurry," she said unnecessarily.
Logan nodded. "Move back an' cover yer eyes." He looked at Jack. "You too, kid."
Eyes shut, Logan popped his claws and sliced easily through the metal of the handcuffs, despite them being only bone, not a whiff of adamantium in sight.
"Let's get out o' here," he said. "Follow me."
Logan led Jack and Rose through the empty halls of *Titanic* and up onto the deck. When they reached the crowds, he allowed himself to get lost in the sea of people. He didn't think Rose or Jack would miss him.
Some time later, as he lay in the water, Logan wondered how long his healing factor would keep him alive. He was only a young man, but he knew he was different to everyone else. He wasn't special, he had never been special, just…different.
Then he heard shouting. A young officer was coming back with an empty lifeboat, but there was something else. Singing. Logan looked around, using his ears to pinpoint the survivor. And that was when he saw Rose on a door, Jack next to her in the water.
Carefully, Logan swam over to her. "Darlin', you gotta move," he said, rubbing Rose's arm. "They've come back fer us."
"Jack?" Rose murmured.
"No." Logan shivered. "I'm sorry, darlin'. He's gone. You gotta start movin'. I'm gonna go find th' guy with th' whistle."
As Logan turned and started swimming, he heard Rose trying to wake Jack and then finally saying goodbye to him. And for the first time he could remember, Logan started to cry.
"Logan?"
He looked up, startled. "Sorry, Charles."
The Professor smiled. "You were remembering."
Logan nodded. "No one knows I was one of the survivors from the *Titanic,* or that Rose an' I lived together fer a while. She was a remarkable woman. I remember after th' film came out, I went to see her."
Charles looked surprised. "Really?"
"I wanted t' see what she thought o' it. Turns out it was her idea." Logan shook her head. "Hollywood original story my ass. Anyway, she said she knew I'd visit eventually, an' she wasn't shocked that I'd hardly aged, compared t' her anyway."
"Yet she made no mention of you."
"I asked her not to," Logan replied. "One day I sliced my finger when Rose was in the room an' it healed up right in front of her. Scared th' hell outta her. She told me she never wanted to see me again an' I left. Few months later, I got a letter from her, apologisin'. But we couldn't go back to what things were before. We kept in touch, though, an' when I dropped off the planet thanks t' Weapon X, Rose was real worried 'bout me. I told her what happened when I got my head back together…well, what I could remember. She was supportive, helped me through. An' true to her word, she never told anyone about me."
"And no one knew Jack existed either," Charles said. "Apart from you."
"Sometimes it's best that way. Look, I'm takin' off fer a few days."
Charles nodded. "I understand, my friend. Safe journey."
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It was raining when Logan arrived at his destination, but it always seemed to rain when he visited her. Rose used to joke that it was to do with how they met, and the connection between rain and the ocean.
Logan knelt at Rose's grave and placed a fresh bunch of flowers on the ground. As he stood, he rested a hand on the tombstone. "I miss you," he said quietly, looking at the Titanic engraved in the stone. He always seemed to be losing people and he growing tired of it.
FIN