Setback
That night they camped out to where Ororo’s rose garden had once been. Marie had been silent and moody earlier, but she was getting back on track, making dinner and humming softly.
“I’m glad we came,” she said.
“Good.” He wasn’t. He had built a dam inside his mind and jammed that awful day behind it. Now that sturdy wall was starting to crack. Everything was coming back in brief gory flashes. Severed head there, torso ripped in half, unidentifiable body parts scattered everywhere.
“At first I missed Bobby. I cried for weeks. I missed our baby. I didn’t know if they had her, or what had happened.”
“Marie?”
“Yeah?” She turned her gaze from the soup she was stirring over the fire.
“Shut up. I don’t want to talk about it. I spent quite a few years forgetting.” Blunt, but it had to be said. For the sake of his sanity. Even now he kept seeing shiny metal, cutting through her, parting skin and muscle.
They ate in silence. She turned in early, blaming sudden headache.
It was still dark when she woke up. Logan hadn’t come to sleep. His sleeping bag lay empty next to hers. When she peaked her head out from the tent to look for him, rough hand clamped on her neck and pulled her out completely. She recognized the boots in front of her nose immediately. Logan. She rolled on her back. There was a glazed look in his eyes, and his breath came with labored bursts.
“Who the fuck you are?” He growled through clenched teeth. Something small and shiny tangled from his other fist. He shook it accusatory in front of her face.
“I gave this to her. Did a little digging. Found it from a corpse!” His dog tag.
”Answer me!” He dropped on his knee next to her and grabbed a firm hold from the lapels of her shirt. Nose only inches from hers, lips curled to teeth revealing snarl.
“I knew there was something. Something was wrong. Just couldn’t put my finger on it. Shows how smart I am…” He was ranting and marching back and forth in front of her tied figure.
“It clicked suddenly. You don’t heal. I had to heal you after Ug and Glug decided to take a bite from you. Still you look the same. You don’t age. You haven’t aged a day from when I last saw you, and that was twenty years ago!”
“Logan…”
“Shut up, bitch. You can call me Wolverine, like the rest of the crowd still alive and kicking. There were exactly two persons who had the right to use my name, and it looks like they are both dead. But I have to compliment you. I bought your act almost a year. They trained you well…”
“I don’t understand what you are talking about! You’re scaring me, Logan!” Tears streaked her face. He stopped and crouched next to her, brushing a platinum strand from her face and tucking it behind her ear. Flexing his fingers, making sure her eyes were locked to his knuckles. Claws started to ooze out with a soft hiss.
“Time to scream, darling…”
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