About Two Weeks after X2 and Jean’s “Death”
“Kid?” Logan asked from the doorway of Marie’s room.
She was lying on her bed, face down in her pillow, and if Logan’s nose was correct (which it always is) he could smell her tears. “Don’t say it Logan. I’m so sick of hearing the same question asked by everyone to everyone.”
Logan shut the door and walked over to her desk chair. He wasn’t sure what to do actually he wasn’t sure if she would even let him talk to her, but him being here in her room at this moment felt right to him. They hadn’t talked since the attack and all that followed. He had wanted to, but the entire school was a mess and well if he faced facts he was a mess. When Marie went flying out of the Jet, he thought he had lost her, and when Kurt saved her he was overjoyed. But then his past was thrown in his face, and he did not know what to believe, or if he was even the type of man that should be around a bunch of kids let alone a young women. Then Jean died, she was the first person that he actually cared about that he could remember dying. Truthfully he did not love her, it was more about getting the prize and all that male ego stuff, but he did care. She took the time to care for him physical and mentally, and helped him out with looking for his past. Jean was part of the mansion that he considered as a home or at least the closest thing he ever had to call home. Her death hit him hard, and then he was still in an environment where he had to put his lose aside to help the younger ones deal with theirs, was hard for him to handle. He did not purposely ignore Marie, but she had Bobby and the other older students there for her, while he was busy with the younger ones, since Scott went MIA to deal with his pain. But now Marie was at the front of him mind, and seeking her out was the only way to make sure she was doing okay with everything that has happened in such a short time.
“What question Marie?”
“How are you doing?” Marie said with resentment, while sitting up and staring at Logan with her blood shot and puffy red eyes. “Everyone asks that, the teachers, the professor, the students, even the younger kids have start asking the same question. How is anyone suppose to answer a question like that when everyone is dealing with the same pain, and struggling to go on with life when we are not willing to deal with our own emotions. Everyone is hurting, everyone is confused, and no one knows what to do or say except to give sympathetic looks and asked the same stupid question to everyone else.” Marie was venting, she knew that and Logan knew that, but that didn’t stop Marie’s eyes from shedding more tears and for Logan to get up, sit down beside her on her bed, and take her into his arms and then he chuckled.
Marie did not respond to his laugh, she was just happy to have his comforting arms holding her. “You’re right darlin’. You are so right.” He was being careful not to touch any of her exposed skin, but between the two of them they had very little skin exposed. Marie was always dressed from head to toe, and Logan knowing that he was coming to visit her so he put on a long sleeve shirt and a pair of gloves.
“I’m glad you recognize that fact now, just be sure to remember it in the future k?” Marie was smiling slightly but was still emotionally drained.
Logan let her relax a little before bring up the true reason why he came to her room now instead of waiting for her to come to him. “Are you going to tell me about Iceman now?” Marie looked up at his sudden change of subject, then separated he self from him, and moved from her bed to her window seat, to sit and stare at the grey sky and the rain that started to fall.
“What have you heard?”
“This place may be huge, but news travels fast.” She didn’t answer him she wanted to know how he found out, and what he actually knew of the incident.
“The girls were talking in the kitchen, I was walking with Storm, and she filled in the blanks.” Marie still waited. Logan sighed, he wasn’t much of talker, but she was being unusually silent. “You two broke up, over the attack and all the emotions and what not it brought out from each of you.”
“That’s putting it lightly.” Marie sighed and turned back to him, as he sat facing her on the bed now. “The attack wasn’t bad, as a mutant you sort of expect something like that to happen. Even in a safe place like this school. And it’s not like I haven’t been through it before. But Bobby just couldn’t get over his parent’s and Ronny’s ‘betrayal’. I tried comforting him and telling him how lucky he was to have their support this long, and that the school and Professor would always be there for him. But he just wouldn’t listen. He just wasn’t understanding how this school is a family.” She took a breath, but continued before Logan could comment. “I know that he needed adjustment time and whatever, but we are still in crisis mode around here, with everyone trying to recover, and he was taking to much personal time. It’s not like his parents are dead, goodness they will probably get over their shock and invite him home for breaks, but Jean is dead. And as an older student he was needed to take some responsibility.” Marie stopped to gather her thoughts.
“Not everyone has gone through what we have Marie.” Logan said simply.
“I know that.” Marie said sharply, but then she regretted her tone and gave him a sheepish smile. “I know that, Logan, and I even understand and deal with that fact. But these two weeks have showed me how different Bobby and myself really are. He isn’t even my type, to preppy for a southern belle like myself. Momma always says that belles need strong husbands that were still able to allow their wives to be independent and strong themselves. He’s a smart man, but he needs to learn for himself how to be strong. I have, and I’m sure he will too.”
“So the whole pity me was just the ice breaker?” Logan asked.
“He wanted me to be listening ear, and when he wasn’t listening to my comforting words, I lost it.” Marie said simply. “I think I might have growled at him before I completely lost my temper.”
Logan laughed at this statement. But as he looked over at Marie he saw that though she was dealing with everything in stride, she was still putting a lot on her shoulders to help the other students.
“I think this place is started to get back to a since of normal.” Marie grunted at this statement. “You can stop that.” Logan said seriously, Marie responded with one of her ‘sweet who me?’ looks. “They can hold their own if we should go away for a few days.”
“Are you running again?”
“No, we are going to go down the road a ways, and check out some mutant hot spots the professor as discovered.” Logan said seriously. “You can help, and stay clear of the Iceman for a few days.”
“Okay, when do we leave?” Marie said while started to move towards her dresser.
“As soon as you are packed.” Logan said as he walked out the door to pack his own things. “Meet me in the garage.”
As soon as he left her room, and she noticed he was a safe distance away to hear her she left out a soft squeal of delight. She wanted nothing more than to run away again.
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Present Day:
“Wolvie?”
Logan looked up from the student file he was writing notes in to see Ella standing in her bedroom doorway. She was dressed in her Barbie nightgown, hair all tousled, and she was clinging to her teddy bear.
“Good morning Sunshine.” Logan had picked up the nickname from Marie, and thus far Ella didn’t mind him using it. Ella walked over to him, dropped her teddy bear and climbed into his lap, giving him a big hug.
“Can I see mamma?” She said with puppy dog look.
“She’s not awake yet, but I talked to Doctor Jean, and she said that it is a possibility. But not until this afternoon, so we have the entire morning to do whatever you want.” Logan stood up and put Ella down on the couch. “Why don’t we start with some of those cartoons you have been talking about?”
“Will you watch them with me?” Ella said while rubbing her still sleepy eyes.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Logan said while turning on the television.
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“Storm, get over here and tell me if my eyes are deceiving me.” Jubilee was walking by one of the upstairs windows, when the movement from outside made her take a double look at the scene. She thought she was seeing the tuff, untouchable, bad-ass Wolverine, outside playing TV tag with a bunch of small children. “Hurry up Strom you can’t miss this.”
Storm walked over to the window and smiled at the seen. “It seems that Logan is enjoying his time here.” She said calmly and turning to continue on her way.
Jubilee grabbed Storm’s arm and drew her back to the window. “Does he look as happy to you as he does to me?” she asked the older and wiser women.
Storm looked back at the window and really looked at Logan playing the children, who were at this moment all sitting down laughing while Logan was ‘it’ and waiting for the first child to stand up and resume playing the game. “He looks very happy.” She said truthfully.
“Do you think he will stay?”
“I can’t answer that Jubilee.”
“It’s an opinion question, Ms. Munroe, surely you have an opinion.” The younger women looked at her former teacher with a serious look in her eyes.
“It’s not our place to say. I believe that the two have been at a stalemate. Marie did not want to ask Logan to give up his past, and Logan wanted her to ask for his future. But it does seem like the tide is changing doesn’t?” Storm looked at Jubilee, as she nodded in understanding to her answer. “Everything will turn out as it should, Jubilee, just let them figure it out on their own.” Storm walked away then, leaving the yellow queen to her own thoughts.
“But will they ever figure out what is right in front of them?” Jubilee whispered to herself. She then gave herself a huge body shake, placed a smile on her face, and continued on her original path that she was on before passing by the window.
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“Okay, Ella remember everything that I told you?”
“Yes, no screaming, crying, yelling, talking in loud voices, arguing, or upsetting mommy.” Ella said as she looked Logan in the eye. They had just stepped off the elevator, and were about to head into hospital wing, to visit with Rogue.
“And mommy will be tired, so we have to understand if she is not up to talking and that she might fall asleep.”
“Yes, Wolvie.” Ella said impatiently. Logan stood up from where he was kneeling in front of the child, and took her hand, giving is a slight squeeze before they started walking. “Will she be happy to see me?”
“She will be extremely happy. She has missed you so much.” Logan lead Ella into a small room that was set up for their visits. There was a couch, a couple chairs, a coffee table, and a few games and puzzles in the corner. It was a carpeted room, with walls that were painted a soft yellow color. Rogue wanted such a room to visit with her daughter in, since the regular hospital rooms where all chromo and steal looking. Making the place very bleak and not a place that Rogue wanted her daughter to have to see her in. Today she was there to meet them already sitting on the couch, with a few monitors discretely hidden from Ella’s few.
“Mamma!” Ella dropped Logan’s hand and ran over to her mother. She stopped a few steps short, caught herself before she tripped over her own feet, and walked the last few steps to give her mother a kiss and hug. Marie was so happy to have her daughter in her overly covered arms. She had her control back in check for the visit, but did not want to chance anything.
“Sunshine, you are so pretty. Have you been playing out in the sun?” Marie said while lightly touching Ella’s nose that was turning a bit pink from sun exposure.
“Wolvie, played tag with me and the other kids this morning, but he kept loosing because we said that sport games did not count as TV shows.” Marie laughed and looked up at Logan who was standing in the door way, watching his girls talk.
“I tried telling him that once, but he kept making me watch sports for hours.” Logan grunted at this, and Marie winked at him playfully.
“He watched cartons with me, and he was laughing. He liked the same ones that you do mommy. And I played chopsticks, and soccer is great, and Aunt Kitty got me new crayons so I can draw you more pictures. And uncle Scooter..” Marie looked sharply at Logan, but he just smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “And the Professor said I could call him Grandpa Chuck, as long as the other children aren’t around. Mommy you would be so happy to see the flowers we planted are growing really big, and…”
“Baby you got to breath.” Marie said out of concern from her child that seemed to not be taking a moment to catch her breath.
“But Wolvie, said that he didn’t know how you would be feeling and how long you would be awake, so I want to tell you everything incase you get tired before I finish telling you everything. And the hotdogs, he lets me eat hotdogs when ever I want.”
“Ella, calm down. There is plenty of time to tell me everything. Why don’t you let Wolvie talk a few minutes?” Marie said in attempt to get Ella to settle down some.
Logan smiled at her and walked the rest of the way into the room. With him in the room, it seemed even smaller, but Marie didn’t mind because he was comfort to have around.
“She’s more trouble than you ever were, Marie.” He said with a smirk while he settled into a chair across from her and Ella.
“I am not, momma, I’ve been a good girl, just like you told me too. I promise.” Ella said with a frowning puppy dog look to convince her mother to be on her side.
“I’m sure he is just joking, sunshine. Aren’t you Logan?”
“Yeah, I’m just joking, she’s a perfect little angel.” Logan sat back and relaxed as Marie and Ella continued talking. They interacted with each other as if they had not been apart for a week, talking about everything and anything. Logan just listened, which was weird because usually when he listen to girls talk he would get a headache from the speed and volume that they would converse in, but with his two girls he knew that he could listen to them for hours. As the time went on Logan noticed that Marie was getting worn out, even though she was trying to hide it from both him and Ella.
“Ella, we have to be going soon.” Logan said as a signal to Marie that he knew that she was getting tired.
“No not yet.” Ella said with a whine and moving to hug her mother.
“Remember that you are going to stay with Aiden tonight, and that he invited you over to have supper with him as well.” Logan was trying to be subtle with his attempt to get Marie back into bed, and she appreciated his attempts. She knew that if they stayed down to much longer that she would be falling asleep on them.
“A slumber party with Aiden, that sounds like fun Sunshine. Are you going to get him to play pretty pretty princess this time?” Marie said hugging her daughter.
“No, he said that he would never play that game with me again. We wants to play Chutes and Ladders, and Candy Land. Have you ever played Candy Land mommy?”
“Not in a very long time, sunshine. Now you better go along and get ready for your party.” Marie said while hugging her daughter and kissing her forehead. “Be a good girl for Logan.”
Ella hugged her mother back and kissed her cheek. “I will momma. Love you.”
“I Love you Ella.”
Logan watched the exchange between mother and daughter and saw the tears in his Marie’s eyes, and made a silent vow to figure out what was wrong with her. He didn’t know how he would solve her health problems, but not knowing, never stopped him before.
“Ella why don’t you wait for me at the elevator?” Logan said to the small child as he got out of his chair and took the few steps over to Marie.
“Mommy, I’ll come visit you again soon, and I’ll send more pictures down with Wolvie.” Ella hugged her mother one more time before walking backwards out the door.
“Hank said that he would bring me back to my room.” Marie said as Logan sat down beside her.
“Good I don’t want you walking.” Logan kissed away her tears. “We will figure this out Marie, Ella will not be growing up without her mother.” Marie smiled at the man beside her and kissed his lips gently.
“I love you so much.”
“Not as much as I love you.” Marie smiled savoring the words that she knew were difficult for him to say. He kissed her one last time, and then stood to leave. “I’ll be back down tomorrow, before Ella moves back in.”
“Okay I’ll be waiting.”
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With Ella away with Scott, Logan finally had some time to review the tapes of Rogue’s last mission. The mission went rather smoothly, a typical sneak around to make sure the location is secure, walk in gather a few mutants, and leave. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. The building that the mutants were in was an old warehouse, nothing experimental lying; only a few tables throughout the big empty space and a few cells along one wall. The reports showed that, from what the Professor could figure out the warehouse was just a place to store the mutants, and these few were left behind for some reason. No patrols or camera were set up to watch the mutants left in the building. They were in cells, and basically left there to die from starvation. Logan watched the tape of Rogue walking into the building, exploring, releasing Ella while Shadow-cat got the other two mutants out of their cell, and then the five of them walking out.
He continued to view the tape, over, and over, until he fell asleep watching Rogue pause before opening the door.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
It's Long and it hints sort of leaves you hanging! (Insert Evil Laugh) Yeah, I'll update as soon as I get the next chapter thought of and typed!