Title: Strangers in the Dark – "His name is Logan..."

Disclaimer: No, I do not own X-Men! Please don't hurt me!

Author's Notes: Yeah, sorry about the long wait, but I've been busy packing some of my belongings (you won't believe how much junk I have) and haven't had time with my real life and all...

Anyways, I really had writer's block on this one, but I wanted to write the next chapter and post it already for everyone who reviewed (thanks everyone)...

And, yes, I gave my LoganMuse some beer already (thanks to the suggestion of WantingDreams, lolz...) but he wouldn't come out of his dark corner since I didn't specifically have a Molsen (damn his picky hide)...

Well, anyways, here's to hoping this next chapter is alright...

---

I sniffed and caught that same whiff that I
caught back in that alley in Westchester.
I turned. Of course it would be her.
I've never been so fucking angry in my life.
- Wolverine

---

Marie could do nothing more than stare in shock at her captor. Her whole plan of avoiding the damn guy, then hitching a ride back to Westchester ruined because of uncontrollable hormones and some fighter with a fuck-able back.

Damn it all.

In the smoky bar, Marie had a better look at her captor. He wasn't prince charming, but he had this rough, bad boy attitude that was very appealing. Not to mention that yummy chest of his and his low riding jeans.

Marie had to pause and wonder what the fuck was wrong with her?

Her life at that very moment was probably over, that or in dangerous jeopardy, and here she was, salivating over the one guy that is the reason behind her life being over or in dangerous jeopardy.

Shit.

Think, Marie urged herself, her mind racing through possibilities at that moment. She looked around the bar and was surprised when she noticed the amount of people inside. People that she had failed to notice on her way to her stool.

But then again, her mind had been on fuck-able backs, hadn't it.

Shaking her head, Marie looked back up at her captor. With all the people around, she was bound to be able to get away. He wouldn't dare touch her now with all these people able to witness in actions he may make towards her.

Warmth spread within her.

The despair that she had felt at the sight of him was slowly dissipating, replaced by a feeling of joy and hope at the realisation that she could get away from him. She couldn't help smiling.

"What's so fucking funny?" Her former captor growled, taking a menacing step towards her.

"Do you wanna know what?" Marie drawled out, her Southern accent thickening. "I stand in front of the same guy that abducted me from Westchester after a harmless night of drinking, in a bar that's filled with people, who, if I might add, will call the police if you dare try and touch me."

Marie's smile widened. "Just think of how long they'll lock you up for."

Her former captor's eyes flared at her last sentence, and she couldn't help the smirk that covered her face. Didn't think about that, did you?

She turned away from him then and searched the bar for a potential person to hitch a ride from. Spotting a female truckie seated at the bar she made her way over, wanting to dance outrageously at her luck. Things were going to be okay.

The big trunk of an arm wrapped around her midsection told her otherwise. Things were not going to be okay.

Biting back her shout of surprise, she turned her face to see her captor, his face twisted into a sneering grin. Marie swallowed, a feeling of dread overwhelming her.

"Do you wanna know what I find funny?"

Marie shook her head at his question and had to fight to stop the rest of her body from shaking. The man smiled.

"I'll tell ya anyway."

He turned her around so that she was fully facing him and pulled her body flush against his, so that Marie could feel the hard strength of his physique. There was nothing soft about the man.

"This is somewhere I come regularly to fight. And when people see the latest bitch I have in my arms, they won't think any of it. You'd just be another one of those women that 'the wolverine' would take home after his match."

Marie's eyes widened at his words. She felt as if her stomach were sinking to the bottoms of her feet. The rollercoaster of hope that she had been riding on was taking a deep dip downwards, and there didn't seem to be an end to it.

Without thinking, Marie let herself be ushered outside and into the almost deserted car park, with Wolverine's arm still wrapped around her. She could feel him turning to the direction of the hotel, the place that she had just come from.

Something inside her snapped.

No way was she just going to be defeated now. Not while she still had a chance of getting away. Marie dug her heels into the ground, and tried to pry the huge arm that was wrapped around her, all the while kicking at his shins.

Wolverine grunted at her struggles and stopped walking. "Be still, damn it," he growled, trying to get a hold of her flailing arms.

"No!" Marie yelled, and increased the force of her movements, trying vainly to free herself. Her hand shot up and connected with his jaw, she could see his head snap backwards. At the slight loosening of his hold, Marie broke free and made a break for freedom, her sights locked onto the small gathering of men that were situated on the opposite side of the car park.

She didn't see the kick from behind.

One of her knees suddenly buckled and she fell to the ground, sliding across the rock-strewn cement. She could feel the stings of the scrapes along her left cheek, belly and knees, ignored them, and tried to rise back onto her feet.

Her body wouldn't co-operate.

Tears of frustration pooled in her eyes as she struggled to gain her feet. If she could just get close enough to yell for help, she'd be alright.

Two hard hands clamped onto her shoulders, wrenching her to her feet. She cried out in pain, his hold bruising on her shoulders.

Marie knew that this would probably be her final chance at a break for freedom. Lifting on of her gloved hands to her face, she used her teeth to hold onto the fingers and yanked her hand out of the confinement. Steadying her breathing, she concentrated, opening up the connection, just enough to knock Wolverine out.

Wolverine spun the woman around, his mouth full of curses he wanted to spit in her face, his anger now at boiling point. He didn't see the raised hand, nor did he see the moment that it connected to his exposed cheek.

An intense pain, like wildfire, ran through his body.

He looked down at the woman in front of him, faintly registering that her breaths came in and out in shallow puffs, that the veins of her face stuck out grossly, that she had to be like him. Mutant.

He wanted to die. The pain... it was unbearable. Giving a loud roar of anguish, he let the animal take over.

Its first instincts were to rid itself of the pain. Unsheathing its claws, he ran them through the known source of pain.

Then, it was dark.

---

Marie couldn't breathe.

She sank to the floor, her hands pressed to her head. Already, she could feel the memories and thoughts of the Wolverine overcrowd her mind, fighting for dominancy.

She fought him, but it hurt so much. Added to the pain in her head, she could feel the painful process of healing that her stomach was undertaking as the skin re-closed and her organ healed, courtesy of the Wolverine's mutation.

But as her brain was already on an overload, the healing was slow, and Marie desperately tried to pump much needed oxygen into her lungs to keep from blacking out.

Moments of desperate struggling passed before Marie was able to banish Logan, as she had recently learnt from his memories, to the back of her mind, mentally closing the door so that he couldn't break free and try to take over her mind again.

Breathing hard, Marie tried to force her body to rise and run, now that Logan lay unconscious on the floor. But she was so tired, her eyes already dropping. She gave one last try before she blacked out, her body falling lifelessly down onto Logan.

---

TBC...

Yeah, that'd be it for a while, until I get all my junk overseas... Anyways, dont forget to visit my site, (its on my profile page) and for all those that have gotten my message from "The Joys of Strip Wrestling," I apologise if you haven't recieved the rest of the story, but I did mention that you could find it on my web site if you didnt want to wait until I got my computer fixed from the virus inhabiting it.

That said, dont forget to review!!! Lolz... Oh, yeah, Nicca: when you edit/preview your fic, there's a button with a bold 'B' on it... I think that might be what you're talking about... Lolz... I have no idea... :)

codegal