A star clad sky surrounded me like a comforting blanket with bright, embroidered lights on it. Never ending, soothing greatness hugged me and made me feel so small and insignificant, yet it fulfilled me with its endless grandeur.

Smells of a dormant summer night protruded my nostrils and made me inhale its sweetness, freshness and eagerness. A symphony of summer night sounds soothed my ears, rocking me into a dreamy state of mind. Humming crickets, buzzing mosquitoes and scratching owls sang their songs, letting the world know of their presence and vigilance.

But there was something else in the air that night. An overwhelming sadness struck me to my core. It frightened me to no end. After all... I don't scare easily but the feeling hung heavy in the air, smothering me. I closed my eyes and relied solely on my other heightened senses.

I heard a rustle of clothes, followed by a soft wind that carried her scent to me.

Marie… My Marie was the source of this sadness… but why?

Determined to find out what was causing her such pain, I gradually made my way deeper into the woods. The rocks, twigs and leaves that were lying on the forest floor made it difficult for me to move. It was as if the earth beneath me was doing anything and everything it could to make my presence known to her.

So I fought it every step of the way. I moved slowly, avoiding every rock, every small twig that would snap at the smallest contact, every leave that would rustle and alert Marie of my presence. Even the moon wouldn't let me be. It shone its light on me, desperately trying to highlight my presence in the deep dark forest.

When I finally reached the clearing, I could see her. She was as naked as the day she was born and she looked mystical and unreal in the soft blue light of the moon. I couldn't look away from her as she slowly walked further into the dark, cold and cruel water of the lake.

I wanted to approach her, pull her back from the strong call that the lake seemed to have on her, but I couldn't… The wind gently ruffled my hair in a comforting manner, as if it was soothing me, trying to convince me to let her go… To allow her to feel the water surrounding her, touching her… Like the wind was doing to me.

Although the soothing touch from the wind had managed to take the edge of the panic that was rapidly growing in my chest, the panic itself wasn't gone. It only grew when I watched the lake absorb her. I held my breath as Marie seemed to become one with the lake.

The panic demanded action of my body when I had to gasp for air.

I hadn't taken a single breath since she went under… But now, I finally had to, and the lake still hadn't let her prisoner go. When the clouds slowly rolled in between the earth and the light of the moon, taking away my view of her body submerged in the dark water, my last restraint snapped.

"She's not coming back…"

Hearing myself say those words finally pushed the Wolverine to the surface. He let out a desperate, panicked howl and ran towards the lake.

The cold water chilled me to my bones. It was surrounding me, pulling me under…

For the first time in my life I was glad that someone had coated my bones with adamantium. I hated the heavy weight it added to my body, my mind and my heart, but because I had to carry it around every day, I was a lot stronger than most men.

Strong enough to reach down in the cold, cruel water of the lake, and rip Marie out of its arms.

The moment I pulled her out of the deadly embrace of the lake and into my strong, warm, alive arms, she struggled. Her breathing was desperate. It resonated in my ears and made me grateful that I had picked up on the cloud of sadness that had spread through the woods.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and was grateful when her head fell back onto my shoulder, finally hearing her breathing slow down to a slow steady rhythm. Her heart, pounding like a stirring jungle drum against my chest, finally decreased its upbeat tempo to a more relaxed cadence.

"Marie?"

The lack of response was starting to reboots my previous anxiety.

"Marie?!?"

I hated the way my voice took on a worried, almost desperate tone. It was gruff, probably due to the fact that in my entire life, or what I could remember of it, I had never felt such panic course trough my veins.

I knew that the cold air and the cold water were stealing all of the warmth out of her body. But even though that worried me, the fact that she still hadn't spoken or even reacted, clouded my mind. I wrapped my arms tighter around her naked, shivering frame, hoping to evoke some kind of reaction from her.

The moment I pressed her tightly against my body, I finally felt her stir. She started to kick the water that was still surrounding us up to our waist. When I realized that she wanted to get out of it her grip I picked her up and started to free us from her cold, demanding grasp.

When I first smelled the salt captured within her tears, I nuzzled my face into her neck and started to whisper soothing words into the wet tresses of hair, which clung possessively to her skin… still protecting her… from me…

When she turned away from the lake and faced me, I finally felt the knots in my gut unwinding a bit. She didn't want to be in there anymore… She wanted to be with me.

So I continued to walk back to shore, never ceasing the soothing sounds that were coming from deep within me, calming us both down.

When I finally freed us from the cold, vice like grip that had threatened her life and my sanity, I picked her up and gently laid her down on the grass.

Worried that she was uncomfortable, or even worse that she would get sick, I quickly took off my flannel shirt and wrapped it around her small, wet, shivering form.

Her response was stuttered in a silent whispering voice, but my sensitive ears picked up on it.

"Thank you."

I looked down at her in disbelief. Why would she thank me? Surely, she knew that I cared about her? That I would save her from every threat, whether it was a crazy mutant like Magneto or her own insecurities which had led her to the cold wet portals of pain and possibly even death…

Not knowing how to respond, I continued making soothing noises, trying to convince both of us that we would be okay.

When I saw that her beautiful lips were slowly turning blue, I lay down next to her and gathered her once again in my arms, trying to warm her up…

Trying to prove her that there was more in life than the coldness of being isolated…

Trying to make her feel the warmth of my feelings for her…

Trying to keep her alive…

She sighed softly and I watched her fall into an unconscious state.

When she was out of it, I got to my feet, her body carefully tucked into my own. I started to make my way back through the forest.

This time I didn't care how many rocks I moved, how many twigs snapped or how many leaves rustled. Each sound was both a warning and a promise.

A warning to the rest of the world to never try to take my mate again.

And a promise to that mate that I would always save her… No matter what danger she needed saving from…

Including herself…

If you want to read Rogue's point of view, go read One, by the amazing Ladydragon Guinevere!!!

R&R!!!

And since you've already read it, you can always review! :)

XXX

Wolvie's Wives