Too many late nights. Too many early mornings. That look in her eyes. Every goddamned time. She keeps telling me that it doesn’t matter. That she understands. But her eyes… They’re telling completely different story. Christ. I wish I could tell her. Tell her everything. Give her a reason for all those lonely nights. But I can’t. I don’t give a flying fuck about Xavier and that little deal of ours, but telling her what I have been doing while she has been lying awake in our bed, waiting for me to come home… I just can’t. Shit. I have already fucked up so many things in my life. Can’t let this fall apart, too.

“Wolverine.” Asshole.
“I trust everything went as planned.” You fucking know that already. You were there.
“I sensed some… Reluctance?” Like every goddamned time before.
“I expect full briefing first thing in the morning.” Fuck you, ass-wipe. It’s fucking six in the morning already. Six.
“Fine. I’ll come to see you at nine.” And now… Get the fuck off from my head!

“Logan?”
“It’s just me, darling… Go back to sleep. I’ll take quick shower…”
“Okay… You’re going to sleep in later?”
“Could you wake me before nine? I have a meeting with prof.”
“Okay…”

She doesn’t even ask anymore. At first I thought it was difficult when she kept pestering me with questions. Where had I been? With whom. What had I done? Now I’d prefer that she asked instead of just rolling over and falling back to sleep.

“Logan?”
“Logan?” Wha…
”What time is it?”
“Half past eight. I was going to let you sleep a little longer, but Scott asked if I would like to go with him to town to get some parts for his mechanics class…” Summers? Can’t he find some bolts and screws by himself?
“It’s okay, darling… I can take a nap later. Thanks for waking me…” Half an hour. Just enough time…
“Come over here…” Fuck. She left already. Might as well get up before other parts of me decide to get up.

Summers? She left with Summers? They have been gone for freaking three hours already. Enough time for me to chat with Xavier, scare half of the students and get bored, then scared, and now I’m starting to get paranoid. Not a good feeling. But they have been away for three hours. Marie. With Summers. Together in town. For three fucking hours.

“It was nice.” Marie’s voice. I don’t think I have heard her that relaxed in months.
“I thought you might like it.” Summers. So fucking smug. Too pleased.
“Yeah… It gets a bit lonely sometimes…” Oh, fuck. This isn’t happening.
“You should talk to him.” No fuck, Summers? Like I don’t know already…
“I don’t know. It’s almost as if I don’t even know him anymore. I don’t even see him most of the times. He comes home, sleeps for couple of hours, goes to see Professor Xavier and leaves. And I don’t have a clue about what’s going on!” I’m sorry about that, darling. I really am.
“Hey… Come here… I’m sure he has a reasonable explanation. Just ask him about it.” Get your fucking paws off from my girl, Summers!
“I have already tried! He won’t talk to me about it!”
“Come on. Let’s go and grab something to eat. Okay?” Going past the car. Heading towards kitchen. Good.

“Wolverine.”
“Not tonight, Xavier.”
“I’m sorry. Were you under the impression that you have a choice over the matter? Because you don’t. We have a deal.”
“We may have a deal. But I have a life, too. And that life is going down the drain, straight to hell if you don’t give me some time-off every now and then.”
“Have you already forgotten who gave you that life?”
“Fuck you, old man. The deal’s off. I’m leaving. And I’m taking her with me.”
“Crudeness won’t get you out of this. A deal is a deal. You knew full well what you were signing in…”
“Just… Can’t you give me a week? One lousy week? I don’t want to loose her.”
“Far greater matters are at stake right now. I can’t afford to let you go. Not now…”
“One night? That can’t be too much considering… Fuck! Get out of my head!”
“Stop fighting. I will take over completely if I have to.”

Sloppy. Awfully sloppy and messy. Didn’t really have the time to finesse. This’ll have to do. Because I’m going home. I’m going home to my wife, take her with me, and we’re leaving. Xavier can find someone else to do his bidding. I won’t do this again. Not anymore. I’ll go and get my wife. That is of course if I still have one. Haven’t spent a single night with her during six months we have been married. Our wedding night she slept alone while I went out to kill a man.

“Marie? Kid? Wake up, honey…”
“Logan?”
“It’s me. You have to wake up now.”
“What is it? Has something happened?” Worried. So fucking worried.
“Not yet. Get up and get dressed. We’ll have to go.”
“Go? Now? In the middle of the night?” Jesus! Move that pretty ass of yours!
“Right now.” Before Xavier finds out what’s happening. I’m quite sure he’ll have to be in close proximity to scramble my brain.
“What is going on… Logan! Let go of me!”
“Move! We have to go! Now!” I can already feel his tentacles prickling in the back of my mind. Fucker must have guessed something.
“Where are we going?” Now she’s asking questions?
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes.” Thank God there’s no hesitation. I still have her.
“Get dressed. I’ll tell you everything later.” If there is such thing as later. Have to keep my head together. Can’t let Xavier through now. Can’t let him ruin everything.

“Logan, your nose!” What the fuck?
“What… about my… Nose…”
“It’s… You’re bleeding!” No wonder it feels like somebody’s trying to stuff my brain out through my sinuses…
“Here… Take the keys… You have to drive…” Because I can’t fucking see anymore. Xavier. Don’t know what he’s doing, but can’t be anything good…
“Where do I go?” How the fuck should I know?
“Just drive… He’s not tracking you down…” He definitely isn’t. I got his full attention. Can only hope there’s no permanent damage.
“Drive already!” Fucking-Christ-On-Crutches! If you don’t get us out of here soon…

Little better. Still feels like somebody replaced inside of my skull with sanding paper, and I’m coughing up clotted blood, but for once something went as I planned. As soon as we passed Salem I could feel Xavier giving up, retreating. Now it’s just Marie and me. And this awful calm and peace. She’s waiting for an explanation. There are no more questions. It’s time to answer.

“Honey… How much do you want to know?” I’m not sure how much I want to tell, but I will tell her everything she wants to know. I owe her that much.
“Tell me everything.” Oh, shit…