Logan sat in the comfortable chair, a beer in one hand and a cigar in the other, and thought of Marie. He often did this, with a small smile pasted on his lips, but then felt a little guilty when the woman in front said something and he snapped back to reality.
This time, the woman's name was Patricia. She was a very nice person, strong and independent. And no, she was not a mutant and was not frightened though she knew that her lover had claws. In these days, most people were more relaxed when it came to mutants. Of course, quite a large minority still fought against them, but it was not as bad as a hundred years ago when the infamous Magneto tried to mutate the entire state of New York. Yes, a lot of time had passed but the Wolverine was still as fierce as ever. He had changed little since he became a member of the X-Men. Sure, he looked a couple of years older, but his healing factor was still there, preventing the normal aging process.
So here he was, in a small 2-room flat in downtown New York. He could have had better, but he liked it just as it was. He was never one for fancy living even though he had to admit that it was not bad taking up residence at Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Ah, those were the days, he thought to himself. He remembered his old colleagues, Jean Grey, Ororo Munroe, Scott Summers... And Rogue. It had been a long time but she was still clear as ever in the beautiful memories he had of her. Her big, pleading eyes, long brown hair with those white streaks, that pale, flawless skin. Untouchable, yes, but perfect nonetheless.
"Baby?" the brunette on the bed in front of him said.
He looked up to her, lying on one side, naked, with the sheet somewhat covering her. "Hm?"
"What are you thinking about?" she asked as she twisted a lock of hair around her finger. Some sight, he thought.
"Oh, You know... Stuff. Nothin' important."
"You sure?"
He put the beer down on the small table on his side, and put the cigar out. Just before he kissed her, he muttered "Yeah."
Two hours later as he was lying in the bed, Patricia sound asleep beside him, his mind once again wandered back to the past. Sometimes, when he closed his eyes, he would pretend that it was Marie lying by his side. He knew it was wrong, but he could not help it. He missed her terribly.
On Marie's twentieth birthday, he had surprised her by asking her out. It was not really his style, but he wanted to make it special for her. He knew how she felt about him and finally, after months of denying his feelings, he though, `to hell with it', and made his move. He had never seen her as happy the moment she realized what he was asking and immediately said yes. They never really went out though, they just started hung out and came clean about everything. Two weeks later, they shared their first kiss. He remembered it as though it was yesterday; he had asked her to meet him under the old oak in the garden. She was a little puzzled when she first came, but was soon happy enough when he placed the sheer white scarf over he mouth and gave her a passionate kiss.
Marie never learned to control her powers. It put a long of strain on their relationship in their early years, mostly because of her insecurities. How would they ever be intimate with her skin? Fortunately, Logan taught her a few tricks and soon enough they had a somewhat normal sex-life. Soon they were just as a beloved couple as Jean and Scott. Heh, Logan chuckled when he thought of old One-Eye's response when he found out about their mutual love. Let's just say that he was not really fond of neither Logan nor their relationship. Marie or Logan did not pay any attention to him, though, because they were in love and nothing was going to break them apart. Or so they thought.
As the years went by, it began to dawn on them that time would be what would eventually tear them apart. Each day, Marie would look at her reflection in the mirror and see herself getting older while her husband (yes, they got married on a beautiful summer day. Marie wore white and looked stunning, and Logan was in a suit (first and only time)) looked young as ever. She tried to ignore at first, but once she hit her forties, and was no longer able to pass of as one on Logan's age, she realized what was going to happen. In the beginning, she had only been 20 years old. A lot of people, including Scott, though that she was too young for Logan. Then, as time passed by, and she became 30, her and Logan looked like any normal couple. However, time caught up on her and she finally admitted to herself that this would not last forever. She cried so many times and Logan could do no more than simply hold her and telling the lie; "It's going to be all right."
Wolverine mostly liked to think of their early years together, the times were they were free and careless and could simply just enjoy each other's company without worrying too much about the future. Of course, all the years with Marie were great and golden and he would not trade them for anything else in the world. But even he knew that their relationship was not as relaxed in those ten final years leading up to their break-up. They still stayed married though and they were still in love but Marie could not go on, she told him. It was the worst day of his life, the day that she told him: "Logan, love, you know what we must do. I do not wish to do this, but is inevitable. I am growing old, too old, and I believe it would be for the better if we put our love aside."
He cried. He cried, for the first time but not for the last. He understood that she was right in doing this. She was then 52 years old and it was becoming more or less awkward for them to be affectionate. And so ended their years as a couple. Logan moved back to the mansion, leaving Marie in the small house they had been given by Charles (also on the same ground as the mansion but a bit away from all the noise). They saw each other everyday and had lots of fun. Sometimes, they forgot about everything and shared a kiss but that was all.
Marie lived to be 92 years old. She quietly passed away in her husband's arms as he held her. With her last breath, she murmured, "I love you." She was buried besides her friends, on the small cemetery of the Xavier Mansion.
After that, Logan was never the same. In the first stages after her death, he was suicidal to say the least. He retreated from everyone and everything. He could not believe that 72 years of love had just ended. Yes, he loved her, but he could no longer hold her, nor talk to her nor do any of the things he needed to do. Marie was his reason for living, without her he was just an animal, a monster. Little after little, however, he came to grips with reality. Marie was gone but his memories were not. In their years together they had made new friends and it were those that helped him get out of the deep depression he had fallen into. He learned to live again, knowing that that was what Marie would have wanted him to. It took him years, still, to learn how to love another woman again. Sure, he would never love anyone as Marie, but he got reacquainted with the basics of a relationship and whenever he got into one he did not hesitate to let his partner know about Marie. And they were not offended, because it was a rare thing to meet men whom were willing to share something that personal.
And so Logan fell asleep as well, without feeling guilty, and had sweet dreams of the love of his life, Marie.
sometimes things break
and hearts ache
and things fall down
like towers and
my own heart now
some things fall
does that mean i'm not worth
hanging on for
cuz we pick ourselves right up again
we pick ourselves up
waiting on my friends to be there sometimes
my turn
i'm here for you, now..
Sometimes Things Break - Tori Amos
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