Marie ached all over. Unable to stop thinking about Logan, she had done the only thing she could think of to get her mind off of him. She had gone to the Danger Room and spent three hours going through some of the most difficult simulations. Scott had tried to talk her out of it, but Marie had merely shoved him aside and booted up the system.
After three hours, Marie was sufficiently battered and bruised. She was also walking with a slight limp.
“Damn, girl! What happened to you?” Jubilee cried as she saw Marie making her way slowly down the hallway.
“The Danger Room an’ Ah had an argument,” Marie grumbled, shoving her fingers through her sweaty and knotted hair.
The Asian woman’s eyes widened and she took a step back to get out of Marie’s way. “Who won?”
“Ah’m still walkin’, ain’t Ah?”
Ignoring the other woman, Marie continued on towards he suite that her family lived in. After Chase had fallen back asleep, Marie had taken Ororo up on her offer to stay with the boys. Only instead of going to the Professor Marie had gone to the Danger Room. It had been much more therapeutic than talking out her feelings with the older man.
Marie’s gamble had been correct because she felt much better after having taken her aggressions out on the simulated attackers. She felt calmer and more relaxed, the pain she felt from losing Logan dimmed for the moment.
Marie knew that it wouldn’t last long, but it was enough for the moment.
“I trust that you’re feeling better now,” Ororo said as Marie entered the main room of the suite.
Marie shrugged her shoulders absently as she pulled off her tank top, leaving her clad in a sports bra and spandex shorts. “Ah’m not too sure, ‘Ro. Ah feel all numb inside. The part o’ mah mind that Logan was always so strong in is suddenly real silent. For the first time in six years, Ah can’t sense Logan one bit an’ that scares me more than anythin’. Ah thought that even if he’d lost his memory that Ah’d still be able t’ sense him in mah head, y’ know?”
“I can sympathize with your situation. You and Logan share an incredible bond and I can’t even begin to imagine how painful this is for you,” Ororo said sadly. “It is almost as though you are a part of one another.”
Marie flopped down on one of the chairs in the main room. “Ah’m not even sure that it hurts anymore. Ah just don’t feel anythin’ right now.... Ah just feel empty.”
Ororo strode over to where Marie sat and knelt down gracefully in front of her. “Jean and the Professor are doing everything possible to locate Logan. As soon as they get a definite answer we will go and get him. Logan may not remember it, but he is one of us.”
“Thanks, ‘Ro. Ah really needed t’ hear that,” Marie murmured, fiddling with Logan’s wedding ring which she now wore on the same chain as his dog tags that he had given her so long ago.
“You should get some rest, Rogue,” Ororo suggested, standing back up. “Take a warm bath and relax. It may help you.”
Marie smiled wanly, nodding her head. “Ah think Ah may just do that.”
The two said their goodbyes then Ororo left. For several long minutes, Marie continued to sit in the over stuffed arm chair, absently fingering Logan’s wedding ring.
What do you think about, you know... getting married?”
Logan had looked very flustered when he had proposed to her. It had been early in the morning and Marie had woken up to find Logan staring at her. It wasn’t the first time she had woken up with Logan looking at her, but the intensity that she had seen in his eyes that morning had been a first.
”What’s wrong, sugah?” Marie murmured, rolling over onto her side.
Logan glanced down at his pillow before meeting her eyes. “I’ve been thinking about something.”
Immediately, red flags went up in Marie’s mind. Whenever a guy said that, it was a bad thing. It usually meant that he wanted to break up because he was sleeping with someone else.
“Ah’ what have ya been thinkin’ ‘bout?”
Logan shifted again, looking real nervous. “Well... we’ve been together for a while now. Hell, I think this is the longest I’ve been with someone. So I started thinking and... I just thought that....”
Marie couldn’t help but smile when she saw the lost look on Logan’s face. She was pretty convinced that it wasn’t a bad conversation. “Just spit it out, sugah. Ah’m not goin’ anywhere.”
A tiny grin appeared on Logan’s face. “What do you think about, you know... getting married?”
“Yer... yer askin’ me t’ marry ya?” Marie stammered, her eyes wide.
Logan looked suddenly worried. “Um, yeah. I am.”
With a squeal, Marie flung herself at Logan. She pushed him onto his back and straddled his waist. Grabbing a sheer scarf that she had on the headboard for such emergencies, Marie draped it over Logan’s face and began peppering his forehead, cheeks and nose with kisses. Marie could hear him laughing slightly and grinned as well. Tilting her head, she captured his lips in an intense, powerful kiss. At the feel of Logan’s tongue brushing against her lips, Marie opened her mouth. She could clearly taste him through the sheer material of the scarf.
“I’ll take it that’s a yes,” Logan murmured when they came up for air.
Marie nodded her head and gave him another quick kiss. “Ya couldn’t make me say no if ya tried.”
“Not planning on it, darlin’.”
Letting out a deep, shuddering breath, Marie pushed herself from the chair and staggered in the direction of the bathroom. She just needed a good, long soak. Work all the aches and out of her muscles and hopefully forget about Logan for a few minutes.
As Marie waited for the tub to fill with water, she stared at herself in the mirror. Stared at herself long and hard, wondering what Logan’s first wife had been like. Whether she resembled her at all. Whether they were complete opposites. What had made Logan chose her? Had he loved his first wife like he loved her?
“Don’t think ‘bout that,” Marie chided herself. “Whoever she is, she could be dead for all ya know.”
Whimpering, Marie shoved all thoughts of Logan’s previous life from her mind. She turned away from the mirror and sat down on the closed seat of the toilet, idly trailing a finger in the water filling the tub. It felt exquisitely warm, scented lightly with al natural oils that usually left Marie smelling like she had spent a long time in a forest up north. Logan loved it for obvious reasons. Even though he hated going anywhere near the bathtub when it was filled with water, he made special exceptions when Marie added the oils to the water.
“Ah’m not gonna think o’ Logan,” Marie told herself as she stepped into the water. “Ah’m just gonna relax an’ not think at all. Not one bit.”
As soon as she was in the water, Marie sunk her head down below the surface. The stillness was welcomed. Calming, comforting....
Logan underwater. Screaming in agony as bubbles billowed from his lips.
“Logan!” Marie screamed, bolting into a seated position. Breathing heavily, she violently shoved her hair out of her face. Whatever calm she had felt earlier was completely gone after that.
Yanking the stopper out of the drain, Marie scrambled from the tub, unable to stand the water anymore. She dried off hurriedly and quickly ran a brush through her wet hair to work out the tangles. Marie was now filled with more nervous energy than she had been before. Wrapped in her terry cloth robe, Marie began pacing back and forth across the main room of the suite.
“Mommy, are you awake?” Hunter called softly from the other side of his bedroom door.
Spinning around, Marie rushed over to the door and pulled it open a crack. Almost immediately her eyes landed on Hunter who was standing halfway between his bed and the door. Her heart melted at the sight of Hunter standing there in his rumpled Spiderman pajamas and opened the door the rest of the way, holding her arms out toward him. Hunter ran into her arms right away.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Marie asked as she turned back around, closing the door after her. She walked over to the couch and sat down, situating Hunter on her lap.
Hunter scrubbed his cheeks with the back of his left hand. “I had a bad dream. Monsters came and took Daddy away. They wouldn’t let him come back.... Did monsters really take Daddy away?”
“Yeah, sweety, monsters took Daddy away,” Marie whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of Hunter’s head. “They did somethin’ real bad t’ Daddy an’ now he has t’ fight real hard t’ get back t’ us.”
“He’s coming back, though?” Hunter asked, raising his head up so that he could see her face.
“Ah hope so, sugah,” Marie sighed, giving Hunter a quick squeeze.
“Aren’t you gonna go save him?” Hunter demanded, staring up at his mother in shock.
“First thin’ in the mornin’,” Marie promised. “If yer Daddy doesn’t come home by himself by t’morrow we’re gonna go an’ rescue yer Daddy.”
The front door of the suite opened suddenly revealing Logan standing there, dressed in black from head to foot. Top tank, pants and combat boots. Both sets of claws were extended and he looked pissed as hell. Behind him stood a ravishing redhead who was likewise dressed in black. Her weapon of choice was a Glock 9 revolver.
“Daddy!” Hunter cried, squirming in Marie’s arms.
“Hey, buddy. Daddy’s here.”