Theme song is "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles: "You hold me without touch, you keep me without chains, I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your rain."
Logan grunted as he unloaded the last of the wood into the large log box in the basement. Reaching up, he wiped away the sweat that was dripping from his brow, wincing as the thick leather work gloves he had exchanged his warm, fur lined pair for popped a blister that had developed across his palm. It healed almost instantly as he gripped the index finger of one glove in his mouth, pulling it from his tired fingers, then doing the same with the other.
Taking up the axe that was propped in the corner, Logan reached for the pile of wood he had designated for the fire upstairs. The thick scent of cedar permeated the room as he split the logs, then piled them into the smaller, portable log box to haul them up the stairs. He hoped the sound of his chopping and stacking hadn't woken Marie. He deemed it unlikely, however, as the howl of the storm outside hadn't subsided in the slightest. It had been hell on earth to trek in the bleak weather, blinded by snow with hardly enough clothes on. He was sure in the hour it had taken him to reach the shed and return with his load of wood, his toes had frozen solid in his boots. He felt like Sisyphus, doomed to roll his boulder uphill for eternity; every time his body healed the damage from the cold, it gave him only momentary satisfaction before it ate away at his extremities once more.
Half-way back to the cabin, his twine had snagged around a thin tree. Growling, his claws popped out of his practically arthritic hands, the mind-numbing wind icing the adamantium protruding from his skin. The twine was demolished quickly. Luckily, he could see the faint glimmer of light from the cabin's windows some twenty yards ahead. The drastic change in temperature when he had staggered through the unbarred door made his eyes water. He hauled the sled across the distressed floors, deposited his load of wood, then returned the sled to the left of the door inside. If he had returned it to its original position, he was sure it would have been buried by dawn.
He barely thought of the note, trembling in the draft hissing through the cracked doorway as he stomped down the stairs to finish his job. Pushing the basement door open with his back, he turned and walked into the living room. Depositing the box of wood next to the fire, he unloaded several of the massive cedar logs, which popped merrily as the flames leapt higher. Inhaling deeply, he turned towards the stairs, rolling his neck from side to side in the process. Maybe he could convince Marie to give him a back massage before they slept off the rest of the storm.
A collideascope of color caught his eye as his foot settled upon the first step, and he glanced, alarmed at the pile of quilts deposited on the kitchen floor.
"Marie?" he asked, stepping forward. He jerked the quilts back, hoping to find her lying beneath them; she wasn't there. His crumpled note lay next to the quilts, Scrabble scores taunting him from the reverse side. Marie's coffee cup was upturned, the remnants of her evening hot chocolate spilled across the table. Logan, trying not to panic, flew up the stairs two-at-a-time. Marie was not in the bed, and the sheets were cold.
It sounded like the cabin was going to come down around his ears when the Wolverine vaulted over the retaining wall, landing with a thud in the great room below. He slammed open the closed bathroom door, jerking the shower curtain back from the tub.
It was empty.
He roared, angrily, inhaling deeply. It was difficult to discern Marie's freshest trail over the scent of the burning cedar. His claws slammed into the sofa, flipping it with ease. His muscles strained beneath his long shirt, sinews and veins popping out in his rage. The Wolverine's keen eyesight glanced at the peg board where their jackets were hung. His, still on his body, was missing.
So was Marie's.
Her gloves and jacket were gone as well. The beast inside of him roared in despair when her trail vanished into the smell of bitter winter outside. He flung the door open, snow blinding him.
"ROGUE!" he shouted, the rapid snowfall stinging his exposed hands. With her meager garments and lack of a healing ability, she couldn't have gotten far before succumbing to the elements. The Wolverine's keen eyesight scanned the white ground, the gray mist around him disorienting. He spun in a circle, losing sight of the cabin behind him. His voice was hoarse from yelling. His claws outstretched, he sliced clean through a massive pine tree, it slammed to the ground, the sound of the storm barely muffling its descent to earth.
The tree's fall disturbed the snow, the wind blowing away from a tiny, dark lump beneath a low hanging tree. Wolverine's heart thudded painfully loud in his ears as he ran towards the lump, the distance between he and that tiny, vulnerable thing stretching farther with every step. Suddenly, he was there. His feet tripped in a large snow drift, and he crawled on hands and knees, soaking wet, to the form below him.
It was Marie.
He brushed the snow back, Marie's frozen hair crackling. Her lips were blue. A howl of absolute despair tore from his throat. Jerking his coat off, he gathered her up in his arms, wrapping the quilted leather around her too still form. His eyes glanced, squinting for a sign of the cabin, lost in the distance. Following the line of the fallen tree, he used it as a landmark, staggering back towards the cabin, which radiated light, heat, and warmth.
He kicked the door open, slamming it shut as he hauled Marie into the upturned living room. Disregarding the Wolverine's screams of alarm that she wasn't breathing, Logan fumbled with the zipper on Marie's coat, removing the drenched garment. The Wolverine's impatience overrode Logan's sensibility, and brutally sharp adamantium claws sliced the flannel shirt and long johns from Marie's body. The Wolverine growled at the sight of Marie's bare skin. Jumping up, he grabbed a quilt from the pile in the kitchen, gently toweling Marie's body. He gulped, anxiously, as his hands grazed over her breasts.
She still wasn't breathing. Panicking, Logan shucked his clothes off, and hauled Marie into a skin-on-skin embrace.
"Oh God, Marie, please, breathe." he almost sobbed, rocking her gently by the fire. He wrapped them both in the quilt, holding her as tight as possible. Her skin was bitterly cold. His hands rubbed vigorously along her back and arms; her mutation didn't even pull against his skin. Gently, oh so gently, he leaned his forehead against Marie's cheek, his breath hot on her pale as snow skin and blue lips.
"Bub," he whispered, eyes glancing upwards, "I don't ever ask you for much, but please...God...help me." His lips gently touched Marie's lips. They were as soft as he imagined, He held her tightly, one hand nestled in her long, tousled chocolate hair. Her chest was smashed into his own, her legs tangled in his, every inch of their bodies touching in a most intimate fashion.
Suddenly, the breath caught in Logan's chest. Alarm shot through his system as what felt like a bolt of lightening rocked his system, his nerves felt like they were on fire. Marie's eyes shot open, wide and shocked. She tried to pull away, but Logan held on tightly, his desperate kiss evolving into something far more passionate. Unconsciousness loomed as her bare skin sucked him dry, causing his eyes to roll back into his head.
The solid thunk of his adamantium skull on the stone fireplace sounded in harmony with something far more precious, the sound of Marie's heart beat.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
A/N: Please note that due to MovieMom44's review, the time that it takes Marie to leave, as well as the final paragraph of Chapter 3 has been edited. :)
Theme song is "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles: "You hold me without touch, you keep me without chains, I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your rain."
Theme song is "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles: "You hold me without touch, you keep me without chains, I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your rain."