Chapter 128 - Prompt 1

Title: Wolverine:Pain and Redemption

Type: Marvel/DC Crossover

Synopsis:

There is no worse pain than that which is self inflicted and this time James Logan Howlett knows it won't go away, it won't pass by like all the rest in his long life. It eats at him from the inside, haunts his dreams and sends nightmares to him every waking second. He wanted to die, he thought he had...But redemption comes for even those at their lowest, even when then don't want it.

The question is...Will he accept it?

Date Written: November 2019

Date Edited: January 2020

Plan for prompt: This is one of the prompts that I was planning to pick up and start after I finished Spider-Man: Duty and Loss. I think this can be seen in the same type of naming sense, and when I do finish Spider-man, this is still one of the highest on the list to possible continue.

Inspiration: 'The Feral Mutant' over on Fanfic, sadly it is an incomplete novel.

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Prologue: Last Hurrah

Logan Froze. He froze as the smile of victory started to crumble. If he had been concentrating on the area around him he would have noticed the last body fall to the ground behind him, as well as the red stained fishbowl that clattered to the ground.

Standing over the now dead body, the blue form of Mystique looked on in sorrow as she took in the mansion she stood in. With red splattered on the walls and corpses littering the ground, it would make any weaker person vomit.

She said nothing as she watched the man she had come to love slowly lose himself. Even if she were to say something, Logan wouldn't be able to hear her. At that moment he was staring at the person across from him, the one he had currently skewered.

What was once a smirk of victory as he took out his last enemy, Omega Red, turned to one of dread and pain, as the grey and scarred face turned into that of a barely 21 year old girl. The brown and white hair shook for a second as Rogue let out a cough of blood.

Small drops of blood traveled down Logan's face as it splashed on him and he took in a shuddering breath. As if finally noticing that he wasn't being controlled anymore, Rogue spoke as blood filled her lungs. "Logan...you're finally back."

She gave a weak smile as the strength in her arms started to fail her. As her body started to go limp, Logan's claws retracted as he gripped her body. His head moved around slowly, as he looked at the dying and dead enemies he had defeated….the members of his new family.

After everything that had happened to him over the years, losing his wife, son, memories, finally getting them back, finding a place that he belonged at....he had destroyed it, with his own hands. He gripped Rogue tighter as he started to call her name, hoping that it wasn't too late but knowing that he had pierced her heart. He had gone for the kill.

"Rogue." His voice came out in a quiver, something that hadn't happened in a long time. Her eyes had closed as her breathing became weak. He shook her as Mystique walked up behind him. Deep down she was starting to feel the pain as she watched her daughter slowly die.

After catching wind of what was going to happen from Magneto, it had taken her a while to slip away and make her way here. But in the end she was too late. Tears started to prick at her eyes as a short sob let out, but Logan was too out of it to notice.

"Rogue, Rogue, ROGUE, please…please leave me something god, anything, something please. Don't take them all." Logan's body shook like a wounded animal as he watched the life continue to leave her. His mind was in shambles as he clutched her tight; burying his head in her hair.

Finally having broken contact with her eyes he caught the true sight of his destruction. Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Gambit, Jubilee, the younger students, Storm, the bodies continued on an on as his head swiveled around the room, the guilt threatening to crush him.

He finally couldn't take it anymore as he screw shut his eyes and let out his tears, he had only cried a few times in his life, he honestly could count the amount of times on his hand. But this one hurt deeper than all the rest, this one he knew he would never get past…and as he cried he changed his fate forever. The shaking of his body caused a slight shift in Rogues' still in his arms. Her pale face shifted to the side as he clutched onto her and the side of her cheek slowly touched Logan's skin.

He wasn't sure what it was for a second as he felt the suction force that slowly started to invade him, it had been a long time since he had felt it. But after a few seconds his crying stopped as he pulled back in surprise.

The slightly warmer tint in Rogue's cheeks was all he needed to know to make a final decision. He wasn't sure how it was happening, Rogue had gained full control of her powers over 2 years ago and since then had never accidentally absorbed another person's life force.

But now, at this time, it was a god send. Logan's eyes hardened as he finally noticed the person next to him. Turning to look at Mystique, no words were spoken as his eyes conveyed all that had to be said. She felt her body go weak as she knew the person she loved, the person she had known for so many years, would finally die.

A small content smile seemed to final break over his face as he looked up at her. "Hey Rae…" Mystique…Raven Darkholme held in a sob at the nick name. "I know we haven't always seen eye to eye. But promise me…" He stopped as he reached down and gently caressed Rogues cheek.

She had been like a daughter to him, one of the first he connected with before the others, with his amnesia at the time and gruff personality none really got close to him back then. 'Just like Jubilee'. A shudder of pain went down his spine once more as more life force was sucked from him, more of his healing factor. But he wouldn't stop, he wouldn't let her down...not now.

He had lived long enough…he had done more than enough. He knew he was going to hell, if he were being honest, he thought it would be a nice vacation, a nice way to repent for….for this. Looking back up from Rogue as she started to regain color…regain life, he starred right into Mystique's eyes.

"Promise me you'll protect her." Mystique didn't say a word as she slowly got down on her knees next to her daughter and the one she loved. She looked between them for a second before finally placing a hand on his shoulder.

His body started to become weak as he slowly laid Rogue down on the ground making sure not to break contact. His healing factor was working double time to make sure Rogue lived. Staring up at the roof of the mansion Logan slowly began to think of the good times...the bad…the insane.

'It had been a good ride hadn't it? Well hectic, and the end was a complete bitch.' *Gasp* Rogue took in her first breath of air in minutes but didn't fully wake. The sound only reaffirmed Logan's determination, maybe he could have let go then, but he held on. He was giving his all, he wouldn't be walking away like all those other times, not if he had anything to say about it.

Mystique showed a gentle smile as she moved a bit of Logan's hair out of his face as he started to fade, old scars starting to resurface on his skin. This would be her last chance and she wasn't going to miss it. Slowly leaning down she gave her long-time friend/rival/lover/partner one final kiss and whispered in his ear.

"Don't worry Logan, I'll protect our Daughter." The smile on his face got that tad bit wider as he just had enough strength to give his trade mark smirk, the one that said everything was going to be fine. "Thanks Darling, share a nice cold one with her when she gets older for me…a good…Canadian…brew" Mystique gave a small chuckle as his breathing started to slow and voice started to fade.

Mystique watched over him as his body finally…after so many years, breathed it's last.

Reaching up to close his eyes it was not 5 seconds later that Rogue shot up and looked around the room in terror. Her body shook as it took in those around her, her hands patting up and down her body as she tried to figure out what happened.

It didn't take her long to find Mystique over Logan's body. Her eyes shook as she felt the aches in her body disappear. She knew what he had done, the words couldn't help but slip out in a tremble. "Logan…Dad". Her eyes turned red as a sense of loss rippled over her body, the person that had replaced her father, the one she considered herself closest to after her life had turned to shit, gone…forever.

The two stayed silent for a short while before Mystique finally got up. "We don't have a lot of time, others will be here to check what happened, we need to work fast." Rogue was too distraught to truly respond, but Mystique was having none of it.

"Rogue we don't have time for this!" Still no response. "Marie! We don't have time! You can mourn later!" That seemed to grab her attention as she finally looked at her long absent mother. Mystique didn't give her time to think as she grabbed her gloved hand and dragged her to her feet.

Dragging her over to a different body lying in the room, Mystique ripped of her other glove off and forced her hand onto Nightcrawlers cooling body. But even though it was cooling her powers still kicked in. Finally Rogue fully snapped out of it and understood what was happening, ripping her hand away from her friend.

"What the hell are you doing?" Mystique rounded on her even angrier. "Take his power!" Rogue was shocked, then appalled as she looked down at Nightcrawlers body in front of her. "No I won't!" Mystique just grabbed her shoulders and starred her dead in the eye. "You will! We can't help them anymore, it's too late, but we can still use their powers to get revenge!"

Rogue was prepared to beat the ever living hell out of one of her worst enemies, but she stopped at her words. "Revenge?" Pointing to Logan's body that rested peacefully in the middle of the room Mystique couldn't keep the anger from her voice.

"They took him from me! From us! They took all your Friends! Your Family! Your Home! By using their powers we can pay them back and truly make this world peaceful. They have gone too far this time. Super heroes all over the world are being killed as we speak. You can no longer play nice or hold yourself back!"

She stopped for a second to catch her breath as her face turned to one of sorrow, her eyes still locked on Logan's still form. "Do this for them. Do this for him." Rogue looked around the room at her words, seeing all her friends littered around the room. A new feeling of anger started to bubble up inside her as she gripped her fists.

She looked down at Nightcrawlers body for another second before finally, looking over to Logan. She stayed that way for nearly a full minute before finally nodding. Her eyes took on a new resolve as she knelled down and asked for a small prayer of forgiveness from her friend before closing his eyes.

Staying there for a few minutes to fully take his powers, she continued around the room, giving small prayers to all her long-time friends and other children of the mansion, as she took what was rightfully theirs, what had already been taken from them by others.

She was worried for a little while that her mind wouldn't be able to take in their psychic prints as she took their powers, something she had trouble with in the past with Mrs. Marvel. But as the quite of their mind didn't leave anything behind, it drove home the one unprecedented truth, they were all gone. Everyone she cared about, everyone she loved, there was nothing left but their small vestiges of life force that she would carry to take out their revenge.

Finally after half an hour, she could no longer feel her powers work on the bodies she passed by, there was not enough life force for her to use. Slowly slipping on the shades Scott used to use, to retain her new eyes sight she turned to Mystique, it would take her a long time to learn to control all her new powers and she needed somewhere safe she could train herself.

Not saying a word she let Mystique take her back through the mansion and outside.

They had to hide, prepare for what was to come, prepare for what they would do when they found those responsible. Rogue sent one last look at Logan's prone form, wanting so much to give him a proper burial like the rest, to give him one last hug, to feel his warmth before it was gone, but they didn't have time.

Rousing her powers that were a bit jumbled, Rogue quickly disappeared in a blue puff of smoke taking Mystique with her.

What they didn't see and what would become a question for old super heroes and Villains alike in later years, was Logan's body slowly start to turn into particles.

His body glimmered lightly as it slowly disappeared from the world…the universe, to places unknown, a small spark still inside his old body.

When Magneto came to inspect the mansion, when he came to gloat over the dead body of his long-time rival, he would find peace in seeing most of his enemies dead and gone, but he would not find the body of one of the most dangerous mutants that had ever lived, Logan, and in the back of his mind he would always wonder if said mutant would come knocking, years in the future, to take his dues.

But in the future it wouldn't be him that would come knocking. It would be his daughter…and she would be out for blood.

But that is another story all together.

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Yes this is an AU to old man Logan, with a few things changed around which I think makes a lot of difference. Now if a person does not go and read Feral Mutant for what happens next in general is basically Logan gets transported to the DC universe and I won't tell you more than that.

There wouldn't be a specific DC universe he went to but it would be like my Current Spider-Man Universe, taking and choosing what I want while at the same time shuffling stuff around, with a basis in the MCU to work with. While for DC I would build on Young Justice as that is a world that can easily be changed, with things and people added or moved around.