Maria woke up slowly. She was warm, blessedly warm after so long trapped in a cold metal cage. She burrowed further into her nest of warmth, blankets and quilts heavy over her, praying to go back to sleep because she was just so tired.

But the scent was wrong, this wasn't her bed. It lacked the sweet licorice and spice scent that permeated her own small bed up in the loft. Instead it was the mixed scent of her parents. Mama's citrusy and tangy scent, an after-scent of her mutation Daddy had said once. And her fathers heavy male scent of cigar smoke, engine oil and alpha. Burrowing further into the blankets she was happy to be here instead of her own bed.

The sounds of whispered words from the kitchen made Maria peek her head from the best of the blankets, dark wild hair tangled in her face as she saw her parents. Logan had his strong arms wrapped tightly around Marie's hips from behind, large hands splayed over her stomach as he nuzzled into her neck, her long auburn and white streaked hair pushed over one shoulder. Marie was smiling, a little twitch of the corner of her lips. Her hands busy as she tried and failed to ignore him as she flipped pancakes on the griddle.

Seeing her parents always so happy made Maria beam. They were always like this, rarely ever without a smile or a laugh on their lips in her eyes. Even though most of the time her father looked a mean man, intimidating everyone with a look, he always smiled at her. She always felt so lucky and loved. Like the fairy tales mama always read to her at night, the princess and the prince. Or how daddy always put it, the beauty and the beast. But the smell of actual food was enough to make Maria's stomach gurgle loudly enough that Logan chuckled and tilted his head toward the moving nest of blankets in his bed.

"Come on darlin, your mama's got breakfast waitin on ya." With a grunt Maria untangled herself from the blankets and sheets, stumbling from the bed and stretching her arms above her head, mimicking her mother as she stretched. Her eyes closed as she yawned big, showing pearly white teeth and a curling tongue, that was from Logan and his animal side.

Marie flipped the last pancake onto the stack at the table and walked out of Logan's arms, picking up the little girl who wasn't so little anymore. "Ooof! You're gettin so big, I won' be able to pick you up if you keep growin." Maria wrapped her legs and arms around her mother tightly, breathing in a deep breath of her scent and purring out her happiness instead of speaking.

It annoyed Marie, well more like worried her, that instead of speaking Maria would instead use growls and snarls and purrs to show what she wanted. That was all fine and dandy and even downright adorable some days, but only Logan could know exactly what she wanted sometimes and Marie worried that her daughter would become more feral then "normal" mutant. Of course, Logan didn't speak a lot either. It could easily be her just taking after him again.

"Here honey, you eat okay?" Marie placed Maria down into the chair and put a plate of bacon and pancakes in front of her. Laughing softly as the girl went straight for the crispy slices of bacon before going after her stack of pancakes, dark hair tangled and long hanging around her shoulders and down her back.

Logan pulled Marie off her swelling feet and sat her into her own chair. Giving her a look as she tried to get back up to do the dishes. "Marie,". She huffed and stuck out her tongue at him, getting a grunt in response as Logan turned his broad back and went to the sink to do her chores himself. Rolling up plaid sleeves to his elbows.

"I'm pregnant, not incompetent." All she got was another grunt in response. Yep Maria definitely was just taking after her father in the language department. But she didn't complain, instead ate slowly as Maria devoured another plate of pancakes and downed a glass of milk between bites.

Sudden relief hitting Marie again at seeing her daughter home after weeks of her missing from their home. Making tears swell in her eyes and she quickly wiped at them before Logan scented them, but of course he had and was already kneeling beside her chair to wipe at her cheeks with the pad of his thumbs and murmuring softly to her that she was safe now.

"Mama?" Maria's soft voice cut through the bubble surrounding Logan and Marie and she opened her arms and the ten year old climbed into her lap and hugged her with small arms. Noting how much she had grown in the past year , like any mother does. Limbs were longer, gangly. Cheeks a bit more defined but still holding that baby fat in them that she loved so much. Her eyes were more pronounced and bright, hair much loner and fuller but still wild like Logan's. But she was still small for a ten yer old, it worried Marie and she knew it worried Logan deep inside. Worried that she wouldn't be as strong or ready for the life that she was born into. They were X-Men.

"I'm sorry I got caught..." Maria started but Logan stopped her with a sharp growl and a shake of his head.

"That ain't your fault. No one shoulda been anywhere near this place. It's my fault for not checkin the property line. For not watchin ya." His hand came up and cupped her small cheek, brushing away the stray tear that wanted to fall down her cheek.

"But daddy... I shouldn't have..." Again she was silenced by a reprimanding snarl.

"You're right you shouldn't 'ave gone off by yourself, but I shouldn't 'ave let you out of my sight either..." Her tears were falling now, streaking down her cheeks. "Com'ere baby." Logan opened his arms and pulled her from Marie's lap, against his chest as he stood and held his little girl close to him.

So many things flooding through his mind as he clutched her crying form to his. This was his daughter. His cub. And he'd let her get caught by people who hurt her. Who dared put a collar on her like she was a wild animal without a conscious or morals. She was just a little girl, a little mutant girl torn away from her den and the Wolverine was too slow to catch her in time. He held her tighter to him, arms wrapping completely around her still weak and thin frame, never again. He'd fight till his last breath to protect what was his.

Marie's hand on his arm brought him back to himself , her eyes wet with her own tears and he could feel the signs of tear tracks on his own cheeks. For the life of him, when did the great Wolverine become such a simpering lug? The answer was pretty clear in front of him. The day he realized he had someone to fight for.

"Don' worry about it anymore littl'n, nothing's gonna get cha again, wanna know why?" Logan leaned back slightly, letting Maria's head come up and sniffle at him, a little scrunching of her nose, another tiny thing she took from her mother.

This was something he always told her, and more often then not Marie would as well if he wasn't home. Whenever she got upset or scared, they would tell her what was going to protect her and every time she accepted the fact easily with a child's mind.

"The wolverine!" She gasped out softly, voice cracking a bit from her crying fit but the smile on her tear streaked face was better then any beautiful sunrise or starry night that either Logan nor Marie had witnessed.

"That's right baby, the Wolverines always gonna protect ya ,no matter what." Logan whispered as he clutched her to his broad chest again, making her a promise without saying it. He only hoped the winter up here would move slowly and the idiots running the government would bide their time until he could join the growing army of his brethren.