“Have your feelings toward Logan changed?” Charles asked to gauge where her feelings leaned.
“Ah don’t know. Ah guess. Ah can’t be angry at him when he’s hurt lahk this. Ah was when he touched meh before and ended up in here. Then ah knew he’d be okay ‘cause he heals right away during those tahms. But this tahm, he’s not healin’ and it scares meh.”
“It will be okay, Marie. I’m doing my best.”
Marie knew that he was doing as he said he would. She wouldn’t expect anything less from him. If anyone, he was their best shot at bringing Logan back. Her trust was hard won, but once you had it, it was permanent unless you did something to make her doubt you. She trusted Charles, Hank, and Moira to do their best to heal Logan. Her stomach growled and she figured it was best to go on upstairs and do as the Professor wanted.
Charles moved to the head of the hospital bed once Marie left and placed his hands on Logan’s head. He closed his eyes and felt the rush of air as he entered Logan’s mind. Suddenly he stood in a forest of trees on a sunny day though much of the sun was blocked by the canopy overhead. There were fallen dead trees, decaying under moss and shade. This was a peaceful place, where he would meet his friend.
“Logan?” He called out. “Logan, I’ve come to talk.”
There was a soft breeze blowing making the growth of the trees rustle and a few birds making some noise. No sign of Logan anywhere. He looked up into the canopy and took a deep breath to center himself. He began to walk around and admire the view. Then Charles spotted Logan leaning up against a tree about 50 yards ahead of him. He was sitting on the forest floor with his legs crossed and out in front of him. He looked pensive.
“Good morning, Logan.”
“How do you know what kind of fucking day it is,” Logan asked as he snapped.
‘Ah, the Wolverine is awake,’ Charles thought.
“You’re right, Wolverine… I don’t know what kind of day it is. I have hopes that it will turn out for good.”
That earned him a snort. Logan seemed satisfied with that answer.
“As much as I would like to stay here and chat with you, I need to speak with Logan, the man.”
“He’s too damaged; a weakling. Marie tore his heart out calling off the weddin’ and then we discovered the truth of how we got to be this way. I ain’t sorry I killed Stryker, ya know. Fuckin’ bastard deserved what he got. Although, I felt he should have suffered more at the end of my claws, but that wasn’t possible,” he growled.
“I know; that is why I have come. I am here to help him find his way back.”
“Marie doesn’t want us… We were only trying to do something good for her.”
“That is precisely the reason why I need to see Logan. Marie has changed her views towards Logan. She is worried about the man because he hasn’t healed.”
The Wolverine seemed to take in this information and began to process it. Was it safe to let the man forward? Had she finally gotten past her grief? The animal decided that it was worth a shot. He suddenly ran off into the forest and was soon a memory… But then from behind Xavier, Logan appeared.
“Chuck…”
“Logan. It’s good to see you.”
“What did you wanna talk about?”
“Marie…”
“What’s wrong?” Charles sensed the man was abruptly suspicious.
“There is nothing wrong, with her health, per se. She’s come back to the mansion. Jubilee brought her back yesterday. She seems to have changed her position on how she feels about you.”
“Really?”
“She doesn’t want me. I’m no good for her. I did this to myself…” He spoke as he popped the claws in frustration.
“Logan, as I spoke to you yesterday, Marie isn’t ignorant… She knows what happened to you. She knows that it really wasn’t your fault. The trap had been set; there was no way out, Logan. She has seen the film and she is okay with your past. It’s time you should move beyond it, as well.”
“Chuck, it ain’t that easy. I should have smelled the lies. I should have walked away. I should have listened to my instincts…”
“I’m going to break a confidence here because I believe it is necessary. Marie doesn’t look at it the same way you do. She feels that with all that you’ve been through, it only brought you one step closer to her. You may think that you’re a total screw up and think you’re going three steps backward, but she thinks you’re making more steps towards her.”
“Yeah? When did she say that?”
“When she first saw the film, Logan. It wasn’t easy for her to deal with the news at first, but then she grew beyond it and grew to love you more.”
“I ain’t heard any of this from her…”
“Logan, sense me. You know I wouldn’t lie to you unless it was necessary, and you know I am telling you the absolute truth now.”
He had to hand it to the old man, younger than him of course. He couldn’t sense a lie coming from him. The man knew how dangerous it was to lie to him. Something inside him still made him feel like there was more history that was hidden. Maybe this wasn’t the only movie he would have to watch…? Maybe there would be more that he would have to face…? Could he trust Xavier and Marie with his future? They had lied to him and kept this film from him for how long? What else could they be keeping from him? He had never stopped loving Marie through this whole disaster… But now his trust faltered just a few notches.
“What do I have to do?”
“For once, you must listen to me. Don’t push her on the wedding or her grieving process. She wants to return to work… I know it is just to bury her feelings by working. It is a good distraction; however, don’t be too disturbed if she cries herself to sleep at night when the day is over. She will feel alone, lonely, but not as depressed as she was before.”
“I want to just take it all away if I could. I don’t deserve her, Chuck.”
“That is a choice, Logan. Don’t selfishly choose to put yourself down. She is on the upward turn in the grieving process and Marie will need you more. She is starting to adjust to this new life without her parents. She will try to make her life calmer and more organized by teaching here at the school for the children, some of which have no parents. Her physical symptoms will lessen and the depression will begin to lift slightly as she moves on.”
“She won’t let me be there for her…” He protested his hands in the back pockets of his jeans; his down and pensive.
“Logan, sometimes being there means staying in the shadows waiting for her to lean on you. Just tell her you love her and that you are available if she needs you.”
“How long have I been like this?”
“Too long if you ask me. Hank is baffled why you haven’t recovered as quickly assumed you would. You usually recover in a few hours… He has been running several tests. Marie spent the night next to you. I sent her up to get changed and to eat.”
“Good. I couldn’t get her to eat when I went home,” he had hoped again that Marie was recovering.
Charles stood and dusted off his light gray suit. It was time to bring Logan back. He put his hand on Logan’s shoulder.
“You must concentrate and put the memories of your past away. Not to be totally forgotten; somewhere you can reach them; so that you might be able to preserve your future. Your future is in Marie…” Then he let his shoulder go. “You know how to do what you have to. I will be waiting for you when you have finished.”
Then Xavier disappeared but not totally out of Logan’s mind…
Communications Office
First Floor
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
8:00 A.M.
Jubilee had grabbed a cup of coffee and was starting to feel peckish when Marie appeared with a tray filled with two plates of breakfast. One piled high with food the other not so much. She waved her in as the phone rang. She hit the answer button on her headset.
“Xavier’s School for Gifted Students, how may I direct your call?”
“Hello, ah’m callin’ from the Davis Family Mortuary for an Anna Marie Caldicott. Is she available?”
“Please hold,” Jubilee spoke before she pushed the hold button. “Marie, it’s for you. It’s a mortuary. Want me to take a message?”
“No, Jubes. I have to do this…” Marie said and held out her hand for the headset. “You go eat.”
“’Kay, chica, but I will be here if you need me.”
“Thanks,” she put on the headset and took it off hold. “This is Marie Caldicott.”
“Yes, Miss Caldicott, this is the Davis Family Mortuary of Meridian, Mississippi. We are calling to inform you that your dearly departed parents have been released to us from the Coroner’s Office, since the case has been closed. They claimed that there was no one to call. We got your name from a Miss Sophie Brown. We couldn’t release them to her ‘cause she isn’t family, you understand.”
“Oh. Um… What is it that ya’ll want?”
“Well, do you have any arrangements in mind for your dearly departed parents?”
“No, ah don’t. Ah hadn’t thought about it yet.”
“Did your parents pre-make any arrangements?”
“Ah have no idea about that. Ah have been estranged from mah parents for years.”
“Ah’m sorry to hear that. Well please call us and ask for Jackie if you change your mahnd.”
“Ah’m sure,” Marie said before she hung up; sighed.
As painful as the phone call was, she didn’t totally fall apart. She wondered if that was a sign that she was getting stronger; that life was moving on.
“Chica, you okay?”
“Yeah, Jubes. Ah’m gettin’ there.”
“What did she want anyways?”
“They have mah parents. She said the case was closed. Ah don’t even know who their lawyers were to find out about the wills and stuff.”
The universe must have been listening because the phone rang again…
“Xavier’s School for Gifted Students, how may I direct your call?”
“Yes, I am calling from Borden, Cross, and Sheppard. Mah name is Alexander Sheppard. Ah’m calling to locate a Miss Anna Marie Caldicott.”
“Oh…” Marie was surprised. “Yes, this is Marie.”
“Good morning, ah was the lawyer for your parents. Ah offer mah deepest condolences to you in your tahm of loss.”
“Ah assume you’re callin’ about the wills?”
“Yes. They are due to be read and executed tomorrow. Will you be available?”
“No, ah won’t. Ah live in New York. Ah can be there on Friday. Ah will have to fly down,” Marie figured that she was going to have to go on back home and wrap things up. Maybe the Professor would allow her to fly down in the Blackbird.
“Alraht. May ah pick you up at the airport?”
“No, no, ah will have a rental.”
“Good, good. Ah look forward to meeting you Miss Caldicott.”
“Yeah, bye.”
Infirmary
Level 3 Underground
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
7:45 A.M.
Charles waited for Logan on the outskirts of the man’s mind. Then the two men walked through a fog bank into Logan’s conscious mind. Xavier moved from Logan’s head and down to his side. He turned to face the man in the bed just in time before his eyes opened.
“Welcome back, Logan.”
“Thanks.”
“Hank is on his way,” Charles spoke after contacting the blue doctor through the Brain Phone.
“I’m good,” Logan said as he tried to sit up, leaned back on his elbows.
“No, Logan. Stay… For Marie.”
“Well, when you put it that way…” Shortly after, Hank came back into the room.
“Good to have you back, Logan. I’ll try to make this quick.”
“Thanks, Doc. I’m starvin’ and I could eat you for breakfast if you take too long,” Logan teased.
“I am inclined to believe you,” Hank smiled.
Hank released Logan in fifteen minutes. Of course, he couldn’t find anything wrong. It seemed to be just an anomaly; one they would surely mark down for posterity. All three men just agreed to call it ‘Over Stress.’ Logan went to the X-Men locker room, took his shower there, and changed his clothing before he went above to be fed. He grabbed some breakfast on the fly from the small kitchen and went off in search of Marie.
Beginning Art
First Floor Classrooms
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
8:30 A.M
Marie went into her classroom to get back to teaching. She had no clue what she was going to teach, but she knew how to wing it if necessary. Fortunately, her lesson book was on her desk. The students stared at her as she crossed the room.
“Welcome back, Miss Rogue,” Little Miss Julia Galleo spoke; she was almost 6 and could snap her fingers to clean her room with telekinesis also had a gift for drawing. She wasn’t as strong as Jean, but she practically practiced both gifts every day.
“Thank you Julia,” Marie sat down in her chair.
She flipped open her book and they were supposed to be studying how to draw still life. She so didn’t feel like teaching that today; not after getting those two phone calls.
“Hey everybody, ah know we’re supposed to be doin’ our still life drawings today but ah decided to do somethin’ different today. Today, ah want us to draw somethin’ that made or makes you sad now.”
The students began to pull out supplies from around the room and went to their easels to begin. Marie decided to join them and she began to sketch on the large pad sitting on her full size easel. She began to sketch what her pain looked like. As she stood there, she felt like two eyes were boring into her back. She dismissed it as the children behind her. She had no idea that it was Logan outside her classroom…
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Logan finds his way home and Marie returns to the fold...
Hope you like it!
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Chapter End Notes:
Oh my gosh! Only one more update today! Let me know whatcha thought of this one... Then go hit next!