After the final guest has left Marie immediately sought out her mother, finding her huddled in her study, grim-faced with Logan and Emma. They seem to have just concluded a discussion. Logan is the first to sense Marie, his eyes glance at the door, it's a subtle movement, but quickly picked up by Emma.
“Marie?” Logan calls out, his rough voice seemingly gentle. Marie steps out to the doorway and slowly walks towards him. He casually takes hold of her arm and escorts her to the conference table, then returning to close the door behind them. Marie is ever so thankful that Logan is here with her during this stressful part of her life..
Irene walks slowly around the table stopping halfway way, and hesitates. Sensing their distress Logan quickly removes his jacket and drapes it over her bare shoulders, then stepping away.
“Momma?” Marie’s voice comes out in a whisper.
Irene closes the remaining distance between them and draws her into an embrace, sniffing slightly. “Marie… My darling child, I just don’t know what to say.” Irene pulls back slightly hands still on her shoulders.
Marie smiles back. “It’s okay, Momma.”
“Excuse me, Senator Adler; Professor Xavier's has just contacted me, he would be happy to enroll Marie in his school.” Emma stands to the side, a manicured finger on her temple, perfectly poised, but her eyes shine with empathy.
“What school, Momma?” Marie asks although she has a faint idea from her memories, an image of a large Victorian mansion flashes in her mind, children, some obviously mutants playing on grounds.
“Professor Charles Xavier is a friend of mine who has been assisting me in the fight for equal rights for mutants. He has a school for gifted children in Westchester, New York. I think it might be best if we transferred you there to finish your education.” Irene is clearly reluctant.
Marie squeezes her hand. “I understand Momma is would be nice to be around others like me. And besides, I'll be closer to you when you're at work.” Irene draws Marie close again, hugging her tight.
Marie packs her belongings in a daze, she knew her powers would manifest eventually, but she always thought she would have more time, now the simplest touch is denied to her. It was the sheerest coincidence that Logan happened to be her bodyguard when it happened, and just like her Logan, he noticed before things could have taken a disastrous turn. But rumors could already be spreading, and it's certainly possible that the doctors will detect something unusual in Cody.
She rushes downstairs, her large pack bobbing and weaving as she runs out the front door, clad in her green coat, and covered from head to toe. A state of dress that was alarmingly familiar, even though this is the first time she has ever dressed this way. She finds Logan in the driveway leaning against a black SUV, waiting. Her mother is anxiously giving him directions, in hushed whispers. Logan’s eyes find her and Marie fight back a sense of thrill when he visibly gives her a once over.
Irene and Emma both noticed her then and they gave her an encouraging smile. Marie dives into Irene’s arms and hugs her tight. After a long few seconds, she pulls back, and Irene wipes some tears from her eyes. Emma takes the opportunity to approach and taps Marie lightly on the shoulders, a large package held in her hands.
“Inside are all your new identification papers and ID card, when you're at the school, you will go by the name Marie D'Ancanto.” Marie receives the package with undisguised shock “Change my name? Why?”
“It’s for your safety, dear. I have many enemies who hate mutants with a passion, if they found out about you…” Irene clenches her fist in frustration.
“Don’t worry, I got her” Logan steps pats Irene on the shoulder, then he take Marie’s bags out of her hands, and loads them into the back of the black SUV.
“Mr. Howlett? Umm, May I ask you to look after my daughter, I know we agreed you only take payments up front if you would-”
Irene was cut off rather gruffly by Logan “It's fine, I got some business with Chuck anyway.”
“Th-Thank you Mr. Howlett.” Irene hugs Marie one more time and lets Marie go. “Please be careful dear.”
Marie leans out the window waving, even after her Mother and Emma are out of sight. Finally, she rests head on her seat and lets out a sob. She feels Logan's hand reach over and rub her head affectionately.
“You’ll be alright kid.”
Together, in a hotel room with Marie, this was the start of many fantasies for Logan. Those fantasies are the reason he initially asked for separate rooms, for propriety’s sake he told her, but Marie had objected. She trusts him and feels safer if he is close by, so here they are two queen beds side by side, in a luxurious suite, all expenses paid by Irene.
Last time Marie found him at night, he was still mired in nightmares, when she woke him, he ran his claws straight through her. Thankfully she had her powers, and those nightmares have long since disappeared into his past. That incident left her with some deep scars, though, ones he never even knew about, till Marie admitted to him after he rescued her from the lab. He thought his presence in her brought them closer together, gave her comfort, but that was not true. She told him she was confused, probably very disturbed by his mental presence, that it wanted her to do things, no wonder she turned him down when he ask her to leave with him.
The sound of the shower stopping snaps Logan back to the present. Hindsight is twenty-twenty; years spent training in Kun-Lun allowed him a measure of defense against her powers, and Logan is resolved to not repeat that mistake. This time, she can still benefit from his powers, but his mind is staying in his head.
The bathroom door opens; the first thing to flood the room was her scent, so clean, so unique. Marie emerges from the steam filled bathroom in just a towel, looking both innocent and tempting; she seems more out of reach than ever. Looking at her humming to herself as she towels off her hair, Logan makes his decision, he will stay with her, help her with her powers, when she is grown, and ready to soar, he will be there to see her off.
“I’m done, you can use it now,” Marie, already on the bed, calls out to him.
Logan forces his eyes away from Marie and her surprisingly thin nightgown. “Okay, try to sleep soon; we have an early start tomorrow.”
Magneto slumps against the west wall, blood pooling beneath him. All contact is lost with the team on the perimeter. Calling upon Magneto’s powers, Marie can sense it, through the metal barricade left by him, half a dozen sentinels surrounding them, already peeling away at the barricade.
Looking between the Professor, still calm and assured, to Kitty whose sole focus is in anchoring Sabretooth in the past, despite the blood running down her sides, and the still form to Logan lay there on the cold stone floor. Marie reaches deep into herself and rips away the shield holding back all the other personalities in her head. She draws upon them, their agony, pain, anguish, hope flows within her, Rogue rises above the mass of confusing thoughts, alone and determined.
The first sentinel digs his way through the metal door Magneto has erected, his arms bursting out like a parasite tearing at the breach. Magneto, already critically wounded, struggles to lift his head, he looks deep into Rogue's eyes, an understanding passes between them, she is their only hope now, she turns to the professor.
“I got this Professor, please look after Kitty.” With one last longing look at Logan, she pulls off her gloves and turns to face the sentinels.
The breach is now wide enough, and she sees then a grotesque head emerge from it. With a casual gesture of her hand, the metal warps to trap the leading sentinel, it struggles, its face splitting open ominous yellow glow shining from behind the fissure. The sentinel is sent flying with a flick of Rogue’s wrist, the metal forming into a tight noose as the sentinel sails out of sight.
Two more sentinels storms the breach, Rogue meets the leading one with a blast of ruby light, plowing into the sentinel dead center, the force cracks its scaly chest and throws it back from the doorway. The other sentinel sheaths himself in spikes, bum rushing Rogue before she can recover. A massive spiked fist catches Rogue in her stomach, the bony spines pierce her flesh before the force of the impact sends her slamming into a stone wall.
Rogue silently thanks, Logan as her wound immediately begins mending itself. The sentinel follows with a combo of punches; Rogue’s telekinetic shield barely holds back the relentless attack. Rogue places both hands flat on the ground, and eerie glow immediately appears on the ground beneath them, reversing the telekinetic shield, Rogue rolls off to the side and the ground erupts in a massive explosion. She weakens the top of the field and the force of the blast is channeled upward, blowing straight through the roof and destroying the sentinel.
With a simple glance, Rogue covers the hole in the floor with pieces of metal formed into plates. Three remaining sentinels charge her all at once, Rogue’s eyes cloud over till only the white of her eyes remain, dark clouds descend from the sky, and she rises off the ground. Gale force winds sweep through the ruins of the temple, picking up pieces of jagged metal, driving them through the sentinels, and lifting them along.
A tornado centers on Rogue as she ascends higher, metal debris and the sentinels rising with her. High in the air, the storm intensifies, lighting strikes rapidly into the swirl of metal and stone, electrify everything. Exhausted Rogue releases her control and falls, the cyclone of fire, stone, and metal disappear into the sky, leaving three charred remains of the sentinels and Rogue slumped in the center.
“Wow, Marie, that was incredible!” Kitty glances at her with astonishment, before Sabretooth jerks in front of her. Furrowing her brow in concentration, Kitty turns her focus back on him and he relaxes.
“Yeah, those bastard scientists weren't the only ones who learned something about me.” Marie pushes herself to her knees and looks apologetically at Wolverine’s catatonic body, having been flung into a column during the battle. She struggles over to him and lays him down on his back, and brushes her hand through his hair, his wounds are already healing.
“He’ll be back; you couldn't kill him even if you wanted to.” Despite the strain, Kitty still tries to comfort her.
Marie gave her a tired smile in return; her head is throbbing with pain, almost as if it will split open any second. Sitting down, she pulls Logan's head into her lap. “I’m sorry, that took a lot out of me, I'm just going to rest my eyes a sec.”
“Don't worry Marie, when you wake up, everything will be fine.” Marie barely hears Kitty's reply before slipping into unconsciousness.
Marie wakes with a scream, her nightgown soak in sweat, her heart pounding in her chest, threatening to burst. The sentinels have returned and overran the temple, they were just about to kill Kitty, ending their last hope of victory.
“Ya alright?” Logan’s voice cuts through her panic. She searches the room and finds Logan leaning against the wall next to a window. Try as she might, she can't get his name out of her mouth.
“Nightmare?” His low baritone soothes her frayed nerves.
“Yeah, just a nightmare,” she relaxes into her bed, taking a paper towel from the nightstand and wiping away some of her sweat. “I’m much better now, thank you”
“Being forced from your home because of who you are can be traumatizing.” He bites off the end of a cigar and lights it with a match. He seems so calm and confident right now, images flashes through her mind, of Logan standing over the wrecked remains of the sentinels, grinning, looking no less for the wear. His very presence seem wrap her in a sense of safety and she takes a deep breath.
“Yeah, it can be.” But that wasn’t what she screamed about. For a brief terrifying moment, she thought she lost it all, her Logan, her friends, and family, the future they sacrificed so much for. Everything was lost.
“We’ll be in Westchester tomorrow, yer gonna be safe there.” He cracks the room’s window; his presence and the scent of the cigar slowly fill her mind. Still looking at his silhouette through sleepy eyes she is glad, even if he is not exactly her Logan, that he is here, now. And that they have a future now, and hopefully they could have a future together.