Marie sat in her darkened cell, rocking back and forth as she held her head in her hands. For days she sat and fought between her own self and the girl who’s life she took. The girl’s being was so strong within her, stronger than Eric’s, stronger that Logan’s. Marie felt that at any moment, she would break all together. Her strength was waning and she was having a hard time remembering what was her own dreams and what was the girl’s. The girl, Taylor, had not forged herself with Marie. It was as if Marie had another personality all together. She could hear the thoughts of everyone around her and it was scaring her.

“Shut up!” she whispered frantically to all of the people in her head.

The thought’s from the mutants, in the cells, around her were coming without end. Marie grabbed her head, pulling her hair to make the voices stop. She was slowly drowning in their words and their sorrow.

“My name is Marie!” she whispered “My name is M…Marie.”

She repeated her name over and over, as if she were praying. So scared to forget who she was, Marie kept reminding herself of who she was and where she came from. “My name…,:” she could not finish.

Tears streamed down her face as the voices became louder. What was to become of her now? Would she forever be lost within herself and within the voices. She needed Xavier right now. He would help her to build the walls needed to shut the voices out. He would help her to know how to deal with her new personality.

“My…name…is,” she started but could not finish. A scream ripped from her mouth as she was drowned by the screams and the cries of the ones around her. Marie felt herself losing the battle with her mind and soon she would be just another voice amongst the numerous voices in her head.

“Fight Marie, you can do it,” Like a beacon in the night, Logan’s voice sounded above the rest. His strength and love battled through the other’s to pull Marie back from the black abyss. In her mind, he held her close to him, flowing his love through her.

Marie felt herself coming back. Logan was helping her to find her way back to the forefront. With his help, she started to forge her walls. Brick by brick she built them around Taylor and her telepathy. It would not hold her for long, but it would hold her for now.

She lay her head down on the cold floor. What luxuries could be found in the cell had long since been taken from her. Stryker and his followers would show her no kindness until she gave them what they wanted. It scared her to know they had not come for her in days. The longer they waited to get her, the worse it usually was.

Stryker had been monstrous to her last time she had seen him. What would he have planned for her this time? He was bound to realize that she would not break. Was there something he had planned that would make her break? The thought of giving up Logan’s location to that monster scared Marie more than anything. She would rather die in this rat infested cell than to do that to Logan.

“That won’t happen darlin’,” Marie gave a soft smile to the Logan in her head. Always the optimistic one. How long had it been since she had seen the real Logan? How long had it been since she had felt his arms around her?

She did not have time to ponder those questions before she heard footsteps approaching her cell. Marie did not have the strength to hide in a dark corner. Her mind was only on building those wall so she could think clearly. Already the voices around her were dying down. They were not gone completely, but at least she could think clearly.

“On your feet mutant.”

The guard was none to nice with his words. His voice reeked of hatred and disgust. It was the moment Marie had been waiting for. The guard would lead her back to that white room that she had come to hate so much.

She did not try to fight him. Slowly, she got to her feet. Marie had to steady herself for a second as the dizziness took hold of her. The guard came towards her, watching her every move. She could hear in his head. He was looking for her to try something, anything to escape. Where would she go if she did that? How would she get out of here?

The guard, with his covered hands, grabbed Marie by the arms and slammed her against the cell bars. She felt the breath being knocked out of her as he handcuffed her hands. Grabbing her roughly, he shoved her out into the hall, the whole time his mind was screaming of things he would love to do to her. Marie slammed her eyes shut against the assault of his mind. The walls were almost built but his voice carried to her like a whisper.

He shoved her into the white room and strapped her to the table that she had come to know so well. As he walked out, Marie noticed that she was alone. This was the first time that she had been alone in the white room. Looking around, she searched for anything that would help her get out but knew it was of no use. They would never allow anything to be left to help her escape.

The door behind her opened and closed softly. Marie waited for the person to show themselves. The minutes went by and still they did not come around for her to see them. She knew someone was back there, she could hear their mind whispering. The hatred for mutants showed through the haze of Marie’s mind and she knew instantly who it was.

“Stryker,” she whispered.

She heard him snort behind her and clap his hands, as if he were impressed. It made her angry. She wanted, not for the first time, to climb off of the table and strike out at him any way she could. Marie was beginning to hate Stryker with every fiber of her being, not only for what he did to Logan but for what he was doing to her.

“Your gifts are pretty amazing mutant. They are almost as amazing as the trash you are protecting.”

His voice was the same low, monotone. It was as if he were discussing the weather with her. Stryker always started out like this, but their conversations would soon take a turn for the worse. Marie was waiting on that to happen.

Slowly, he walked passed her and grabbed a chair, sitting it in front of her. Stryker stared at her without speaking. Marie tried to stare back but his gaze frightened her and she looked away. His mind was screaming every hateful thing he thought of her. Even though she hated him, his words still cut her like a knife.

“You can hear what I am thinking?” he asked softly.

She did not answer him. “Doctor Langford told me what happened. I would like to say that I was enraged, but I found it to be quite funny.”

Marie looked at him this time. Her face was a mask of disgust and fury. How could this man sit here and think it was funny that she killed another person? How could he think so little of mutants, no matter what his son had done.

“You still think I care about you and your pathetic race mutant?” His voice was cold.

Again, she did not answer him. They stared at one another for what seemed like eternity to Marie. She desperately tried to figure out what he had planned, but he was not giving anything away. His mind closed off from her gifts and it scared her. What was he hiding and why?

“Where is he?”

That question and become rooted into their daily meetings. He always and forever would ask her where Logan was, as if she would ever tell him. “Go to hell,” she whispered.

Stryker just smiled his same insane smile. “You know mutant, there are worse things than death. I’ve been asking myself, a lot lately, why you would hide someone like Logan. Everything has crossed my mind. For you to have had those tags means that you are something special to him. Logan would not give those away lightly. So, I’ve been wondering how to break you from that hold Logan has on you.”

He went quiet, as if still thinking about it. For a brief moment, Marie saw his face relax. The lines in his forehead leveled out and he looked younger than he normally did.

“The truth is that I will never break you from Logan’s hold over you, will I?”

It was a rhetorical question and Marie did not bother to answer. Stryker knew the answer already. “So, I will break you from yourself. I will break you down until there is nothing left of who you are. Once that happens, you will care for nothing and no one.”

His words stole the breath from Marie. Yes, she knew there were worse things than death and what Stryker was saying was scaring her. For one moment, their eyes met. His was filled with a void of darkness so deep. Marie could find no semblance of a human being left in them.

Stryker stood up and walked to the wall, pushing a button. “Doctor Langford, we are ready for you now.”

The door to the white room opened and Marie could hear several footsteps enter the room. Doctor Langford walked in front of Stryker and handed him a box. Stryker looked at it for a long time. Marie’s heart began to pound furiously. What had they planned this time?

Stryker opened the box and Marie looked nervously at the contents. She saw what looked to be a black collar of some sort. There was nothing fancy about it at all. It confused her at first, but then she saw the smile on Stryker’s face.

“Do you know what this is mutant?” he asked low.

His eyes looked up at her, waiting for her to answer. Marie could not find the words so she shook her head no. She had never seen it before. Stryker’s smile grew as his eyes danced behind his glasses.

Without warning, Stryker jumped from his chair and approached her. Marie recoiled back but could not go anywhere. She was strapped to the bed, her feet and hands protesting the restraints. Stryker brought the collar to her neck, as the Logan in her head screamed in rage.

She felt her skin grow alarmingly still. The voices in her head were all silenced. Desperately, she searched her mind for Logan but he was gone completely. Her eyes darted around the room frantically looking for an explanation of what was happening. Stryker leaned in to her, only inches from her ear.

“He will not want you after this mutant,” he whispered.

Marie’s eyes went wide. He would not want her after what? Stryker was so close to her skin. Without thinking, Marie turned her cheek to touch his. She counted the seconds till her skin started to do it’s thing but nothing happened. All that Marie felt was warm skin touching her own. Stryker, not moving an inch laughed in her ear. The sound piercing her very soul. Marie realized that the collar had done something to her mutation.

“How does it feel to know that your prayers have been answered by me mutant? How does it feel to know you are touching someone skin to skin?”

Marie should have felt elated. She had been waiting for this day since the moment her mutation kicked in, but something told her that this situation was far more dangerous than it appeared. Her instincts were telling her to fight and run from the room, though it was impossible for her to do so.

“Jennings, Carpenter, Morgan…she is all yours,” Stryker said as he slowly stepped away from her. His eyes were still burning with humorless insanity.

Three of the guards walked in front of her and broke her stare with Stryker. They were looking at her, as ravaging animals look at their prey. “I’m first,” one of the guards said as he came close to her.

It hit Marie, right between the eyes, what was about to happen. She started to fight harder against the restraints but they would not budge. “Go ahead and fight mutant. I like that,” the guard purred.

Marie was desperate. Her hands started to bleed from where the straps were digging into her skin. “Stryker, please don’t do this!” she screamed in terror. Stryker threw his hands up for the guards to stop their advances.

“Tell me where he is and I can make this all go away,” he said so softly.

Marie, wide eyes and terrified stared at Stryker. Tears fell from her eyes, rolling down her dirty face. Her body began to shake with the knowledge of what was to come. There was no stopping it unless she told Stryker what he wanted to know.

Marie swallowed the sob in her throat and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she laid her head back, staring up to the bright light above her head. She heard Stryker sigh loudly.

“Proceed gentlemen,” he said in a somewhat sad voice.

The voices were gone and Marie was left to face the assault upon her body. She could not hide behind Logan or anyone while they raped her. She tried to find a safe place to take herself, but in the end, she felt every push and blow they dealt her. Before unconsciousness took over she heard Stryker’s voice float to her ears, “Is he worth this mutant? Is he really worth all of this?”

“Yes!” was the final thing she whispered before she knew no more.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

It had been three weeks since Logan came to Magneto for help. Three weeks of utter hell, surrounded by the people that Logan despised. They were his last line of help though. There was no other place for Logan to turn to.

Magneto had looked at him in surprised when Logan told him the reason he was there. At first, he seemed skeptical as if he thought it was trick. Slowly, his face began to change and he welcomed Logan to the Brotherhood, telling him he would do anything and everything to find Rogue if he kept his end of the bargain. With malice in his very being, Logan shook hands with the one man on earth he wanted to destroy. He had sold his soul to the devil to find the girl that he loved.

Now, three weeks later, he found himself standing outside smoking his cigar. He had to get away from the inhabitants of the cave slash hideout. His blood boiled over everyday as one of them had the nerve to approach him, taunting him with their words of venom. His adamatium claws would beg to be released and feel the blood pool between them. Logan found the strength to reign in his emotions for Marie’s sake.

He heard someone walking up behind him but did not flinch. He could smell her from a mile away and his hands balled into fists.

“I never understood you and the girl’s relationship. Even now, I see what lengths you would go to for her and I still can’t understand it.” Mystique’s voice was silky smooth as she purred into his ear.

“I don’t give a fuck what you don’t understand,” Logan said dangerously.

Mystique just laughed and stood in front of him. Her yellow eyes glowed in the darkness that surrounded them. He could feel the lust falling from her in waves. “What is it about her that has you so caged Wolverine?”

She was trying to bait him, Logan realized that quickly. She wanted a fight or something worse. Mystique got off on that. He would not give her the satisfaction.

“If you don’t leave me the fuck alone, I’ll show you just how caged the Wolverine really is. I left you for dead once. This time, I‘ll make sure the deed is done,” he hissed. Her smile grew and the lust become too much for Logan. He turned and stormed away from her, leaving her to stare at his retreating back.

Logan’s anger boiled over and he released the adamantium claws, digging them into the nearest tree. He swallowed down his furious scream as the pain rocketed his body. It was a release he had needed since he came to this hell.

He pulled out his claws and stared at his bloodied hands. Before he could get a good look at the damage, it began to heal itself. Not even now, when he needed it the most, was he afforded to feel anything but the pain in his heart. It had been too long since Marie was taken from him and the chances of her being alright were slim to none.

Looking around the wooded area, it reminded him of the day he escaped from the lab. How long had it taken him to find himself through the insanity? How long was he lost in the madness of his own mind? What kind of person would he find if he found Marie at all?

Logan shook his head, as if he could shake those questions from his mind. He could not think of that right now. He was too far deep into this to give up now, and as long as she was out there, he would continue looking for her.

He did not know how long he stood out in the dark by himself. Logan felt, rather than seen, Magneto walking towards him. Logan blew out an unsteady breath as the older man stood beside him. They did not speak at first. The darkness and silence of the night blanketed them.

“Xavier has contacted me. He wishes to meet with us on neutral ground,” Magneto said breaking the silence.

Logan had wondered how long it would take Xavier and the others to find out about him siding with Magneto. It was not a meeting that Logan was looking forward to. Through Marie, Xavier and the rest of the X-geeks had become somewhat of a family to him. They had taken him and Marie both in without question when both of them needed someone.

“What did you say,” Logan asked without looking at Magneto.

“I told him that was fine.”

Logan was somewhat surprised by this. He did not expect Magneto to except him going anywhere near Xavier. Magneto saw the surprise in Logan’s face and chuckled.

“I do not think that you will betray me Logan. You have too much to lose.”

Yes, Logan knew he had everything to lose. He remembered telling Magneto why he came to him for help. When he shared that Marie had been taken by government soldiers, and probably taken to a lab, Logan could have sworn he saw something like rage cross the man’s face. It was if Magneto cared about what happened to Marie, or maybe it was just his loathing of humans.

“We leave in fifteen minutes,” he said as he walked away from Logan. This was going to be a long night.

Thirty minutes later, Logan stood beside Magneto. Mystique stood on the other side of her love, as the three watched Xavier approach him. They had agreed to meet in a local park. It was midnight and no one was in sight.

Xavier was accompanied by Scott, Storm and Jean. Their eyes fell on his face and it took everything not to turn away from their betrayed filled stares. The only one that did not look betrayed was Xavier.

The X-men stopped a safe distance away. No one spoke for what seemed like eternity. They all stood there, sizing up the other. Xavier broke the silence with a sigh. “I would like to speak to Logan alone,” he said tiredly. Magneto looked to Logan and smiled. He shook his head yes and he and Mystique walked away.

“Please excuse us,” Xavier said turning to Scott, Storm and Jean. The three X-men looked from Xavier to Logan, as if they expected Logan to attack. Logan wanted to laugh at how easily their alliance had turned. When he had their backs, they trusted him completely. Now, that he was with the Brotherhood, none of them could understand his desperation. He was just another enemy to them.

The three X-men turned and walked away, leaving him and Xavier alone. The professor sat there, staring at Logan with pity in his eyes. “You did not have to do this,” he whispered.

Logan could not look him in the eyes. Instead, he looked at the wheel of Xavier’s chair. Not many times in his life had he felt ashamed, but standing here, under the watchful eye of Xavier, Logan felt ashamed.

“Yes, I did,” Logan said.

“I would have found her eventually Logan. I was searching night and day for her, you know that!”

Logan could hear the anguish in his voice. Xavier felt a failure for not being able to find Marie. Logan knew it and he respected the man all the more for it. His failure showed that he cared for Marie.

“I am a desperate man Xavier. Magneto has connections to the underground mutants, places that you can’t reach. If he can not find her then no one can,” Logan said low.

“What will you do when you find her Logan? You can not possibly think she will go with you. Do you really want her under Magneto’s charge?”

Logan had thought of that very thing over and over. He knew what would happen if they found her. No matter what, he would never allow Marie to be anywhere near Magneto. No, she would go back to the one place that she belongs. She would go back to Xavier’s. He could survive that. Just the knowledge that she was safe and sound would be enough for him he hoped.

“If..if we find her,” Logan hesitated. The thought of being separated from her if she was found was too much, but it was the only way. “If we find her…she will go back with you Xavier,” Logan said defeated. They would forever be separated, fighting on two different sides. Logan would never allow Magneto to get his hands on Marie again. It was the price to pay for saving her.

“And if you never find her, Logan, what will you do then?”

It was a question that he could not even begin to ask himself. Not finding her was not an option. “I will,” he said in a low voice.

“Logan, you are one of us, this is crazy.” Xavier threw his hands up in frustration.

Logan shook his head no, “I have never belonged to you Xavier, nor do I belong to Magneto. I belong to Marie and as long as she is out there, I will do whatever I have to do to find her. If that means selling my soul then so be it. She is the one thing I have done right in my life and I damn well won’t give up on her now. Not when she needs me to be strong. Go back to your home Xavier. Go back and wait for my call to let you know to come get my girl.”

Logan’s emotions were coming to the surface. His vision was going blurry as he tried to focus on Xavier. The men were silent, letting the words soak in. “If I find her first, I will let you know Logan. I care for her too you know.”

“I know you do,” Logan agreed.

Xavier held his hand out for Logan to shake. He hesitated a moment, surprised that that was the end of their meeting. He expected Xavier to give him some ultimatum about coming back to the group, but the man did not. Xavier saw his surprise and gave him a small smile.

“You love her Logan, I realize that now. A man in love will not be able to be stopped until he gets what is his back. Just remember, you will always have a place at my home. I pray that you will be able to find her, but I will be there searching right along with you.”

Logan reached out and grabbed Xavier’s hand. With that, Xavier turned and wheeled back to the X-men. It gave him some comfort to know that Xavier would not stop looking for Marie. They were bound to find her sooner or later with both Magneto’s and Xavier’s knowledge and friends. He felt, for just a moment, that their chances of getting Marie back were starting to look better.

He turned and made his way back to Magneto and Mystique. They were quietly talking when he walked up to them. Magneto looked to him and then to the X-men. “Well I’d say that went pretty smoothly.”

Logan just nodded his head. He began walking back when Magneto’s next words stopped him in his tracks.

“But, what makes you think that I would ever send Rogue back to Xavier if I find her?”

Before Logan could stop himself, he grabbed Magneto around the throat, squeezing. He did not get a good hold before he felt the man’s power over him bare down on his head. Logan hit the ground, as if a great weight was upon him.

“You will never have her!” Logan seethed.

Magneto smiled and shrugged his shoulders, “We will have to see about that my friend.”