“Logan lied to meh and made meh go see mah parents when ah was perfectly happy without them. He went behind mah back and contacted them. Then he forced meh to go see them.”
“I don’t understand… What could be so bad about Logan taking you to see your parents again? Was it because you were doin’ the, ‘Outta sight outta mind’ thing?”
“Ah didn’t wanna go and he had to get his way. You know how Logan gets. Ah had an argument with mah daddy. The last tahm we spoke. Both of them were against meh hitchin’ up with Logan. They wanted meh ta find some good lookin’ non-mutant boy and get married. Mah mama started to come around when ah shared with her some of our past together. She actually gave meh her blessin’ before we left. Ah-course we had-ta leave in a hurry because Logan had words with mah daddy. Ah think he hit him…”
“Okay, yeah ah do, but I still don’t see a reason to call off the wedding. So Logan wanted your parents’ blessing… You can’t blame him. He’s probably going on some repressed to his subconscious, old fashioned notion of courtship. Sounds to me like he wanted to do something special and do it right for you. After all you’re only getting married once. So what if he lied to you. We all lie from time to time. I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“But… What if he keeps lyin’ to meh about bigger things? Or starts lyin’ to meh because he doesn’t want meh to know things? Ah don’t want to keep secrets… It always ends badly…”
As Marie was sharing with her, Jubilee got a call from the Professor on the Brain Phone.
‘Where are you Jubilee?’
‘Here with Marie… Why? What’s up?’
‘Logan has taken ill. Do not alarm Marie, but you need to return to the mansion as soon as possible.’
‘We’ll be there with bells on. Give me a few minutes to pack Rogue up.’
“Roguey, sometimes it is better that you don’t know some things. Knowing the truth sometimes doesn’t make things any better.”
Jubilee went for her third piece of pizza as she figured out how to get her back to the mansion.
“Chica, there are times when I have to lie to you to protect you, but now is not one of those times. The Professor called me, just a minute ago. I don’t want to alarm you however; I am going to tell you the truth. Logan has taken ill and the Professor needs you to return to the mansion as soon as I can get us there.
“What?” Marie voiced as if she didn’t believe her.
“We have to go for a drive,” Jubilee simplified.
“What’s wrong with Logan?”
“I don’t know, the Professor said he’d taken ill.”
“But Logan doesn’t just get sick. Ah’ll put the food away and meet you at your car.”
“I know. I’ll drive,” Jubilee stood and took her third piece of pizza with her. No sense in leaving it behind.
She waddled out the front door and got into her tiny smart car to wait for Marie. She was along in a few minutes and soon they were flying back to the mansion.
Infirmary
Level 3 Underground
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
5:30 P.M.
Jubilee walked with Marie down the hall from the elevator to the infirmary. She made her wait there in the hall while she went in to the first infirmary Bay to check on how things were.
“I got Marie here,” she told Hank who was looking over Logan’s latest vitals at his desk. “What’s up, Doc?”
“Logan has experienced what we call a nervous breakdown, or as close as he can get to one with his kind of healing factor. Charles is working with him now to try and bring him back.”
“What triggered it?”
“I don’t have any idea, but when Charles is done, I am sure he is going to need to see Marie and get some rest.”
“Well I found out that Marie tried to call off the wedding of the universe.”
“She WHAT?” He spoke a little too loudly. Fortunately, Xavier was across the hall in infirmary bay 2.
“SHHH! Use your inside voice, Furby,”Jubilee loudly whispered. “Anyway, yeah, I was working on Marie to change her mind when the Professor called me on the Brain Phone.”
“You must get her to change her mind. We have all worked too hard to let this all fall apart now.”
“I know. Can Marie see Logan?”
“I don’t see why not. Try not to let her get him too excited. He needs to rest. Charles is doing his best, but the mind needs time to heal.”
Marie stood out in the hall, just shivering. She didn’t know if it was from the coldness of the air in the hallway or if she was frightened of what Jubilee found out. She began to pace the floor… She just couldn’t wait for Jubilee. The silence in the hall became so quiet to the point that she could only hear her heart beating in her chest. She went into the second infirmary bay and got a shock that made her gasp. Logan was laid out, his chest bare and hooked up to various monitors. The Professor was sitting in a chair at his head. He had his hands at Logan’s temples and he seemed to be in meditation with him. She pulled up another chair at her lover’s feet. She felt like it was inappropriate to be so intimate and sit beside him. She just wasn’t ready for that.
“Glad to have you back Marie,” Charles softly spoke to her.
“What happened? Why is he like this?” Her voice low, just above a whisper.
“We must talk but not in here. Let’s go somewhere private,” he said as he came to her and gently took her arm into his.
“There you are Roguey! I thought you had second thoughts and bolted,” Jubilee declared when they came out of the room.
“Jubilee, would you please go upstairs and go make some tea,” Charles asked.
“Yeah sure, just make sure she don’t run again. These pregnant legs can’t keep up.”
Xavier smirked. “I will be glad to make sure that she doesn’t.”
Marie was glad when she left. They stood in the hall with her arms wrapped around her body and he told her everything he knew. Logan had come to him about calling off the wedding and what he went through as he watched the rest of the movie. She couldn’t believe the betrayal of Logan going behind her back. Despite the problems they’d had while watching what they’d seen of the movie, Marie had decided that she was going to give Logan another shot at watching the rest of it. Even though it might have meant more physical harm came to her. She wondered if she would have welcomed the pain if it would have helped her in the grieving process. It might have even helped to take some of her pain away. With what Charles told her, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to strangle Logan or kiss him silly.
Logan had watched the rest of the movie to not only get back at her but to also protect her from more pain. He finally got over the hurdle of not knowing how he became who he was. He had done this to himself. But she saw that he had been lead into a trap that she wasn’t so sure he would have gotten out of without some kind of injury. Logan had issues with what happened after the last time they had watched the movie. He had a gut feeling that he’d attacked Marie even though she had tried to erase the memories from his mind, he just knew… So he tried to protect her. Charles told her that in the session he’d just had with the Wolverine; he was concerned that history was going to repeat itself. That the Trickster (Victor) would try to keep him from the Moon Lover (Marie) and that he would never get to see her again. He worried that he’d never get to see her again because she couldn’t deal with what he’d done in his past. That she’d think he was a monster.
Charles told Marie that he’d helped him to realize that Marie had already seen the movie and she was alright with it. She still was hung up on the fact that he’d done it without her and that she was right, it had been dangerous for him. It caused his brain to go all haywire and now he was not healing right.
“Ah can’t deal with this… It’s too much. Ah need time to put mah lahf back together before ah can deal with this.”
“Marie, I know this is a difficult situation. I know you never expected to lose your parents, to have a nervous breakdown, or to see Logan like this. He did something so imbecilic by watching the rest of that movie alone. We both agree whole-heartedly on that… I warned him not to do something hastily until you were feeling better.”
“We both know Logan does what he wants…”
“Sadly very true, however, you have to be the bigger person here Marie. I know he lied to you and kept things hidden from you. If I were you, I wouldn’t foster this grudge you have against him. It will only breed more contempt, further driving a wedge between you. You both have been through too much to throw it all away now.”
Charles was giving her sound advice and she seemed to take it in, but there was still disconnection between her ‘give a damn’ button and her feelings button. The more she thought about her decision to run away to Thornwood; turned out it wasn’t such a good idea. Staying in bed would have only bred more depression and grief. She needed to be with her friends. They could keep her so busy that she wouldn’t have to feel the loss. After all, wasn’t that what most people did, they threw themselves into their work or activities to avoid the pain. Misdirection was the key…
“Alraht, ah’ll stay. And ah want to take up mah full schedule again.”
“Are you sure, Marie? Take your time…”
“No, ah realize now ah need to go back to teachin’. Ah need to get mah mahnd back on the kids. Ah can continue grievin’ later. Ah need something to distract meh so ah can take one day at a tahm.”
“How about we do this slowly? I will give you back one class a week, unless you let me know you need more. I may your help getting through to Logan. He is resting now and I should as well. Tomorrow, I will come down and have another session with him.”
“Ah can’t promise much. Ah am still hurt here.”
“But that’s a selfish choice, Marie. You could choose to forgive him and move on, or continue on the path of anger. Continue lashing out at him or try to find room in your heart that you shut him out of; and filled with pain and anger. Love is the greatest gift, Marie,” Xavier spoke and then gave her a hug. “It is good to have you back.”
“Thanks. Ah’m gonna stay down here a while with him before ah go to bed.”
“Don’t tax yourself too much. You must keep your strength up… I can’t afford to have you and Logan out of commission. My brain is only so big,” he joked.
“Thanks a lot.”
“If I don’t see you later, good night and sweet dreams, Marie.”
“Good night, Professor,” she spoke just above a whisper.
Headmaster’s Office
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
6:30 P.M.
Xavier called a meeting just before the staff was to head in to dinner in the dining hall. There were some important issues to be addressed.
“It has come to my attention that Marie has called off the wedding. We will not allow her to do this. We will all keep up our efforts to pull this wedding off. I am sure we will all try to get her to reconsider her grievous error. This is my final word on that subject. Now, Logan is still on the injured list and could quite be for some time. I have already begun to work with him to restore his mind.”
“What happened?” Ororo asked as she took up a seat on a padded chair near his desk.
“It appears that Logan suffered a nervous breakdown. I know it seems impossible for someone like Logan to have one, but it is possible. As a result, he is not healing as fast as he should be.”
“What triggered it?” Jubilee queried as she sat across from Ororo in the other padded chair.
“It would appear that he watched the rest of the movie he and Marie had been slowly watching together. I believe it triggered the memory center of his brain.”
“Don’t forget the emotional part of his brain as well, Charles,” Hank spoke up. Moira had stayed below to monitor Logan’s condition.
“Yes. I have started sessions with him, but I am not one-hundred percent certain how he will react when he awakens.”
“Should the X-Men be on alert,” Bobby inquired.
“I don’t believe that will be necessary at this junction. We must still be cautious until I have worked more with him. I need someone who isn’t Jubilee to volunteer to take Marie something to eat for dinner. She must keep her strength up.”
“Hey, wait a minute…” Jubilee protested and Ororo volunteered.
“As for Marie, she has agreed to come back to teaching; however I have her on a limited schedule for this next week. If she decides she is ready to come back full term, then I will have to discuss it with her.”
“It sounds like she is over the worst of the grieving process,” Kitty spoke.
“Oh no, she could very well relapse into another level she has come through,” Hank interjected from the medical perspective.
“He is right, I don’t want to treat her with kid gloves, but I would advise not to bring up the loss of her parents or her grieving methods. I want this time to transition as smoothly as possible. I wouldn’t even mention the cancellation of the wedding. I want her to change her mind on her own… You hear me, Jubilee?”
“Yes, sir.”
“She wants to busy herself to keep her mind on the children instead of her pain. I am not so sure that is a good plan, but I will support Marie any way I can. Now, let’s go eat.”
“I second and third the notion since I’m eating for two,” Jubilee joked.
Infirmary
Level 3 Underground
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
8:30 P.M.
Ororo brought down a tray of food for her and checked on her. She offered a hug which Marie gratefully accepted. Neither female spoke of the wedding or the tragedies that had befallen the love birds. Hank set her up a bed next to Logan in case he woke during the night. It felt so surreal that she was there with him when not so long ago she didn’t want anything to do with Logan. Marie had let the sandwich sit for a bit before she decided she was hungry enough. It wasn’t much, just peanut butter and strawberry preserves on white bread. Ororo hadn’t forgotten the milk. It was one of Marie’s favorite meals ever. She ate and then curled up in the bed Hank left for her; shoes on the floor by the wheels. She covered up with a white thermal blanket. Marie fell asleep with her hand tucked in under her head and her elbow tucked closer to her frame. She’d been through so much and she was exhausted.
Infirmary
Level 3 Underground
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
6:30 A.M.
Marie slowly opened her eyes to the sound of the blood pressure cuff filling again. She hoped that the nightmare that she’d gone to sleep in wasn’t really true. However when she sat up and looked over at the other bed… Nope, she was still in the nightmare. Logan was still unconscious on the bed next to her. She could see his breath slightly fogging up the plastic cup of the oxygen mask and wondered how much longer it would take for him to heal. Marie threw her legs over the side and her feet hit the cold floor. She quickly slipped on her ballet flats to warm her feet back up. Out of the blue, the doors opened and the Professor walked in and to Marie.
“Good morning, Marie.”
“Ah was hopin’ it would be… Ah was hopin’ ah would wake up and he’d be awake watchin’ meh sleep over here.”
“Have faith. I came to have another session before breakfast. I want you to go on up, freshen up, and eat some. Then we can trade off.”
“Ah don’t wanna leave him,” she protested.
He looked at her oddly like she’d grown a second head…
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Marie comes around...
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Chapter End Notes:
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