So I'm going back and cleaning up some of my stories. This is one of them.

The Wolverine was curious, now keep in mind, the Wolverine was never curious. Angry, hungry, annoyed, violent and in heat but never ever curious, it was simple really, he just couldn't be bothered.

It wasn't a survival instinct of a predator; it was a prey instinct, so it being curious was odd. And yet it was, curious that is. It all started when the Wolverine had awoken a few hours earlier and not felt her presence in the mansion. Having shared her mind at several points in his life, he was acutely aware of her at all times.

She not being around could mean danger to her, which was not an option for him.

Now Logan knew that Marie was not his, the Wolverine made no such distinction. In Logan's mind it was wrong because of her age and their past, regardless of the fact that she hadn't been a teenager in a long time and she no longer saw him as a father figure.

In fact Logan couldn't get past the, 'Eww, she's a kid and I'm practically her old man stage,' at least not awake he couldn't. Wolverine, who was his subconscious, got to enjoy Logan's suppressed thoughts and naturally made her his mate in everything but action.

Wolverine loved Marie and since he had claimed her, he was never curious about her, she just was. Now Jean had been such a shallow infatuation that it never made it to the Wolverine and after Marie had been in his mind and he in hers, the Wolverine decided he wanted more of her.

So he went to a lot of trouble to be around his Marie when Logan was unconscious. It was how he kept her safe and he made sure that Logan was unaware of his activities. That changed the moment he realized she was gone, which was why Wolverine had thrown caution to the wind and taken control of his shared body to go look for her.

Tonight his enhanced senses located her scent outside the mansion which was why he'd become curious in the first place.

Out on the grounds, he saw no sign of Marie so he followed her scent which led to the steps of the on campus University that Storm had established for Xavier's older students. With the world such a dangerous place now that the so called "cure" was available, many of the younger students wouldn't risk being outside the grounds and Storm had done everything to accommodate the ones that remained.

The university library loomed in front of Wolverine as he continued tracking Marie and he groaned at the prospect of searching it. Sure it would probably be empty at this time of night but this library was also bigger than the one in the mansion and that one was bigger than most state libraries.

Luckily once inside he easily regained her scent; unfortunately, he also encountered another similar smell. The Popsicle, the Wolverine growled in anger. How he hated that scent, that scent belonged to the man responsible for breaking her heart and leaving her depressed for months.

Now normally hurting his Marie would have seen Popsicle boy broken into icicles but she had intervened.

Saying in that southern accent that became more pronounced the more upset she was, "Logan, suga', it makes no never mind to me. Our relationship was endin' anyway." She then had hung onto him and sobbed. Logan had been considerably freaked especially since he'd been surprised himself by how happy over the breakup he had been and the Wolverine had stepped in and comforted her instead.

Wolverine shook the memory off violently, like a dog in the rain and listened to the conversation just out of his sight. "Bobby, I told you it is ok. What happened had to happen and I don't want to be anything but friends with you," she said clearly annoyed.

"Let me make it up to you, don't end it like this, Marie." Bobby pleaded.

"Don't call me that, you have no right," she said her accent becoming clearer.

"Why, because he's the only one that can, Rogue?" he asked emphasizing her X-Men name.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about," she replied tears creeping into her voice.

"You may be blind, but I'm not. Nobody is, not even Logan," he yelled back at her.

At this point, said Wolverine had moved closer and was trying to control unsheathing his claws and digging him into the stupid icicle until he was nothing but ice shavings.

"Why you gotta bring him up every time we have a fight?" She asked.

"Because you'd give him possession of you if he but asked, while he's just embarrassed by your schoolgirl crush," he snarled.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh ricocheted around the room bringing a stinging silence to the heated argument. "Don't you ever bring up Logan or my relationship with him!"

"I didn't mean-"

Marie cut him off mid sentence, "don't make me stop being friends with you."

"Mar..Rogue. Give me a chance. I can love you the way he never will." Bobby pleaded. "I just want a chance." At this statement Wolverine snorted.

"What was that?" Marie asked quietly.

"I didn't hear anything." Bobby replied.

Wolverine quickly hid and they went back to their conversation. "Bobby, I don't love you and you don't love me. You just want to beat Wolverine. I know he doesn't care about me like that but that doesn't change my feelings for him, let it go," she said, her voice cracking completely.

"He'll hurt you again, you know it. First it was the leaving and then Dr. Grey." Wolverine snarled at this comment. "There will always be something to keep away. He'll never be yours."

"Just stop. I don't want to hear this," she said turning away from him and unconsciously scooting closer to Wolverine's side. Her scent was anguished and the Wolverine almost whined in despair.

"You have to," he paused. "I care too much about you to see you hanging out here forever in the hope that one day he'll notice you."

"Just…go" she said, the words broken up by her sobs.

"I do love you…Marie" he said, defeat in his voice

He walked out of the alcove they were in and ran right into-

"Hey Bub," Wolverine said pushing off the bookcase he had been leaning against.

"Wolverine!" Bobby's voice cracked at an unnatural pitch.

"Next time, you talk to Marie and make her cry…they'll find you in cubes," he growled.

"I said nothing that wasn't true." Bobby said standing his full height and for once not showing fear.

"So what did you say that was true?" Wolverine snarled as he shoved Bobby hard against a bookcase.

"The truth, Logan, you don't care about her."

"She's mine," he said placing on lone claw against his jugular while lifting the struggling boy just high enough to keep him from being impaled upon it.

"Then show her," Bobby gasped pulling at Wolverine's hands.

Wolverine dropped him hard on the floor. Bobby stared at him then bailed. Logan angry was one thing, Wolverine angry had only happened when the mansion had been invaded and Bobby was not going to stick around for that.

"Logan?" Wolverine retracted his claws as he turned and looked at his Marie. She was bathed in the glowing light of the lamp behind her and he sniffed the air, noting with satisfaction that she no longer smelled of anxiety. "What are you doin' here?" she asked.

"Nothing, just got curious where you were."

"Logan, were you eavesdroppin?" she yelled at him.

"No. Just curious where you were." he repeated looking anywhere but at her angry heart-shaped face.

"You heard everything, didn't you?"

He nodded slowly, only Marie could reduce the dangerous and powerful Wolverine to a cub.