A/N: First off, I'm so sorry I missed last week's update! I was so sick I just stayed in bed and didn't even watch Netflix. That's how fucking miserable I was. And if Logan seemed a little loopy and accidentally uploaded the wrong author's note, well...I'm sure you'll all forgive him.

Also, this chapter talks about emancipation. There is a lawyer character, and she does give Logan legal advice. THIS LEGAL ADVICE IS NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN AS ACTUAL LEGAL ADVICE. I did enough research that it's not just total bullshit, but don't take my word for it. I was so strung out on Dayquil when I wrote this, I'm not really all that sure of what I actually wrote.

So be kind and be warned!

STILL NOVERMBER

I watched Marie read the computer letter and get progressively angrier. I didn't want her having anything to do with her parents, ever again. They'd lost their chance to have her, and now she was mine. The Wolverine growled in agreement in my mind, and I pulled Marie against me.

"What does it say?"

Her eyes never left the screen. "Mama has cancer, and she wants to see meh."

I let out my own growl and rested my chin on her shoulder. Marie didn't eve seem to notice. I wrestled with whether or not I should read over her shoulder. She had told me what was going on, and I should give her privacy. But I wanted to know exactly what her mother said to her, and just how long she wanted Marie to stay. They couldn't have her back. I'd already claimed her. She was mine. Mine, mine, mine. I felt my claws start to push between my knuckles, and I forced myself to calm down.

"What do you wanna do?" I asked.

She put her laptop away and let me scoot her over into my lap. I wrapped my arms back around her waist and cradled her while she thought about it. She shuddered at one point, and I growled into her ear to reassure her that I was still here. She offered me her neck, and I nuzzled against it, checking her scent. It hand't gotten any better, but she had stopped getting more upset when she put away the computer.

Finally, she mumbled, "See her."

I tightened my grip. "Do you want me there?"

"Yes—Gawd yes!" She gasped, gripping my arm back.

"I can get your paperwork taken care of if you want." I said with a quick kiss to her temple.

She twisted a bit to look up at me. "Paperwork?"

"Birth certificate and social security card." I answered. "You need those to get your license and passport."

"Oh."

"...I could get you emancipated too, if you want." I offered. Then no one would ever be able to take her away from me but herself, and she had promised to stay.

She nodded. "Ah repeat, Gawd yes."

"How long do you want to stay?"

Mine!

"How long will the paperwork take?"

I relaxed a bit at her answer. "We can stop by a lawyer's office and get all the paperwork together, so we'll only have to stay long enough to have them sign the papers and give me your stuff."

"Can yah take care of that with..." She stumbled over the word. "—mah dad while Ah talk to Mama?"

"Yeah."

"Thank yah."

She turned completely around and straddled my lap, laying her head on my shoulder. I held her and rubbed her back while she calmed down. Her scent began to return to normal, and her breathing evened slowly.

"Love yah, sugah."

"Love you too, darling."

I expected that to be the end of it, but she didn't lay back down to sleep.

"Can Ah speak to Wolvie, too?" She asked.

The Wolverine had been pushing at the walls of my mind ever since he heard the threat of our mate leaving, and when she asked for him, he broke free.

"Yeah, kitling." I growled. "I'm here."

She looked surprised. "That was fast."

"You're upset." I shrugged. Of course I would want to come out and comfort my mate.

"Yah'll be there too, rah-ght?" She asked with big eyes.

"Hell yes."

"Promise yah won't hurt them." She demanded.

"But they hurt ya."

"Ah know. But Ah jus' wanna see mah Mama an' get out with as little drama as possible..." She gave me the eyes again. "Please, Wolvie?"

I huffed. "...fine."

Damn her looks! She smiled at me next and kissed me as a distraction. I wanted to talk more, to make sure she knew she was mine, so I kept my lips still. Then she sucked on my lower one, the slight tugging pressure making me growl. She moved back, and I had to fight down a whine at the loss. I captured her mouth, urging her to do that again. Her tongue lapped at my lips to leave her taste and scent there. I growled in approval that my mate had taken it upon herself to mark me and licked her back.

She pulled away and started giggling. I cocked my head and studied her. There wasn't any malice in her scent, and even the SMAD was giving way to happiness. Sometimes the thing I did would make her smile or laugh out of happiness at odd moments, but this was unusual, even for her.

She patted my head. "Not quite, but A plus for enthusiasm."

"Ya licked me." I pointed out.

"Yeah, like this." She kissed me and licked my lip more slowly, then pulled back the slightest bit. "Now yah try."

I immediately kissed her back and tried to mark her more gently like she wanted. She didn't stop this time and even returned my kisses. But I wanted a proper taste of her.

"Open."

She obeyed, and I swept my tongue into her mouth. Her taste was so good, my sweet Marie-mate. And the human must have taught her a bit more about kissing because she led the kiss. I never thought I would allow anyone to have control, but I let my mate get away with it. I'd take control back when she was ready to be fully claimed, and I had a lot to teach her there, but I would let her practice and build her confidence until then. I had to stop our kiss to breathe though, and my Marie-mate looked a little breathless too.

"Breathe through yeh nose."

I shook my head. "Can't. If I do, I'll smell ya."

"Oh." She brushed prettily. "Sorry."

"Not yer—" I cleared my throat. "Not your fault, kit. That's just what happens to women when they're around me."

She grinned. "Cocky, much?"

I rocked my hips and pulled her sweet ass closer. "Yeah."

Her grin widened, and she opened her mouth, but the human ambushed me and took over.

"Alright, say goodnight Marie." I ordered, trying to sound responsible despite my erection.

"Aww, Logaaaaan!" She whined.

"Or no goodnight at all?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at her.

She sighed and waited like a good girl, so I let the Wolverine back out.

I snarled as I came back and clutched my mate a little tighter. "Fuckin' hate it when he does that."

She petted my hair, stroking through it softly to calm me. "Poor Wolvie."

"Goodnight, kitling." I rasped.

I didn't want to leave her, but the human had gotten a lot better at giving me my time with our mate. And she had specifically asked for me to be with her when she saw her parents. I contented myself with that when she said goodnight back. Before I left though, she tugged on my hair to get my attention.

"Wait!" She said. "Aren't yah gonna give meh a goodnight kiss? That's how humans say goodnight."

I gave her a look, the cock-teasing little kitling. She looked back at me all eager and innocent. I gave in and kissed her, but as soon as things started getting good, the human took over again.

I came back in the middle of the kiss and quickly took the lead. Sharing Marie's time had been annoying, but sharing her like this was a little weird, even for us. But she didn't seem to mind, and I didn't know whether to be grateful or worried about that. She made a soft noise, and I pushed those thoughts aside in favor of cupping the back of her head to hold her still while I delved further into her mouth.

I may not have done any real relationships, but I had seduced a few women before. Sometimes I liked the chase, and kissing was a large part of seduction. But that had always been a part of the hunt, something I did to get to the good part. I could kiss Marie for hours though. She was so responsive, without being aggressive. Fucking perfect.

She fake pouted at me when we separated. "It's rude to interrupt, sugah."

Damn that cock-sucking pout! I shifted us around so she was laying back down and could go to sleep before I decided to "comfort" her some more. I laid down beside her and kept my arm wrapped around her waist.

"Goodnight, Marie."

She yawned cutely in the middle of the goodnight she mumbled back and held my hand. I watched her fall asleep before I finally nodded off myself.

We made good time getting to Mississippi, even with the slight problem of smuggling Marie over the border again. She'd opted to stay in the truck while I got her emancipation paperwork together before we headed to her parents' house. She had enough stress to deal with already about her mother dying, so I walked into the small office alone. The secretary gave me a cursory glance, then blinked and looked back up.

"Hello! May I help you?" She asked with a bright smile.

It made my skin itch. Most women acted like that around me, and I'd always enjoyed and even taken it for granted. But now that I had Marie—really had her as my girlfriend—that kind of reaction had started to be really uncomfortable.

I kept it simple. "I need legal information."

"Okay, I believe Ms. Sullivan will have time to advice you with whatever you need." She said, standing up. "I'll just let her know you're here, Mr...?"

"Howlett." I provided.

She nodded, still smiling widely. I moved back when she walked out from behind the desk and stepped into the office. She shut the door behind her, but I could still easily hear their conversation.

"There's a potential client here to see you."

"I'm already swamped, Tessa. Tell them—"

"No, no, no. You're going to want to see him, trust me."

"Oh?"

"Oh, yeah."

The second voice made an embarrassed shushing sound, and then they both came out. The receptionist shot me a wink before she took her place back at the desk. Ms. Sullivan held out her hand, and I shook it briefly. I hated shaking hands.

"Sullivan."

"Howlett."

She waited like she expected some other sort of nicety, but I didn't say anything. Eventually, she gave me a gracious smile and stepped back.

"Please, come in."

I followed her into her office, automatically scanning the room for threats and exits. The Wolverine wasn't picking up anything suspicious either, and even though I hated to admit it, he had better instincts for that than me.

"Have a seat." Sullivan offered.

I sat down in the chair in front of her desk while she shuffled some paperwork to look important. I didn't know how to explain the situation with Marie without looking like a pervert. She was old enough that she was technically legal, but still...

Fuck what anyone else thinks. Nothing wrong with claiming our mate.

Sullivan cut into my mental debate. "Why don't you start by explaining what sort of trouble you're in?"

I focused back on the lady-lawyer and gave her my usual smirk. "I ain't in any trouble."

As if I would ever leave behind forensic evidence of anything. Sullivan caught the message that it was more like nothing could be proved and swallowed noticeably, although she kept her game face on.

"Then what can I help you with?" She asked.

"I'm looking after a runaway kid, and she wants to get emancipated."

The silence hung heavy in the air while she blinked and processed that. After an awkward moment she nodded, all business again.

"And how old is she?"

"Sixteen."

"Do her parents consent to the emancipation."

They fucking will.

I shrugged. "They should. They're the ones who kicked her out."

She nodded again. "Then should I assume that's the reason she wants to be emancipated?"

"Yeah."

"Alright..." She stood up and began to search through her file cabinets. It took her a while, but eventually she turned back around and offered me a set of papers. "Sorry about that. Most kids wanting to be emancipated are just looking for a quick marriage."

I got up to take the papers from her. "Nothing like that."

She let go of them, and I kept up eye contact with her until she sat back down. Then I took my seat again, the desk putting some space between the two of us.

"Who all needs to sign this?" I asked.

"Just her parents. Then we can start the process."

I looked up. "Process?"

"Well...yes. Her parents can't just sign some paperwork to say she's emancipated." Sullivan explained. "That just says they consent, which makes everything a lot smoother."

"What else do I gotta do?"

"After her parents sign their consent, you can come back here. I'll contact the Circuit Court and have a petition for emancipation ready for you by...Thursday. Stop by then with the minor in question, and I can assist her in filling out the application." Sullivan said.

"That gonna cost anything?"

"I'll offer my services for free, along with the advice I'm giving you now, but the fee for filing the paperwork ranges from a hundred and fifty to two hundred."

I nodded. That wasn't so bad at all. "So that's it then?"

Sullivan gave me an apologetic smile. "...no. Once the paperwork is filing, the minor will have to attend a preliminary hearing, which the parents may also attend. After that is the court hearing, where she'll have to prove her parents consent or their neglect to care for her, that she can manage her financial and social affairs, and that she understands her rights."

"And is that it?"

"Yes." Sullivan answered. "If the court approves her emancipation, it will be kept on file under her twenty-fifth birthday. If the court doesn't approve, you can file an appeal with the Court of Appeals."

I stood up. "Is there a time you'd prefer for Thursday?"

"Anytime in the afternoon is fine." She replied.

"Alright."

I walked out of her office before she could get in another handshake and ignored the receptionist on my way out the building. I could see Marie waiting in my truck, and I half-jogged over to it. She turned off the radio when I got in and looked at the papers in my hands. I folded them up and tucked them into my jacket pocket.

"That it?" She asked.

"Those say your parents consent to you being emancipated. There's a whole lot more hoops we gotta jump through darling, but you won't have to see them again after this." I told her.

"Alrah-ght. Yah ready?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Yes, Logan."

I squeezed Marie's hand and rang the doorbell for her. She smelled nervous and afraid until the door opened. Then a sort of hatred washed into her scent that I didn't think my sweet darling would be capable of. I should have known better. She locked eyes with the middle aged man and straightened her back. I wanted to fucking cheer.

"I told you not to come back." He said.

I growled and considered just breaking his ribs. He noticed me next, and it pissed me off that he hadn't immediately identified me as a primary threat. Marie squeezed my hand to hold me back, and I stayed still. It wouldn't be good if one of the neighbors saw something and called the police. I could wait until we were inside.

"Mama invited meh." Marie said firmly.

He glowered at her and said nothing for a while before he stepped back. I walked inside first, invading his personal space as much as possible. Her father finally seemed to realize I was a threat and attempted to glare at me too.

"Who is he?" He switched his accusing glare to Marie, but she didn't flinch.

"None of yeh business." Marie replied. "Where is she?"

He glanced back at me again, then reluctantly turned and led us up the stairs. We walked down a hall, and Marie paused in front of a cracked door, taking a quick look inside. I could faintly pick up her scent from the room. It must have been hers, and her parents must have left it alone for her scent to still be there.

"I told her she should've turned it into a sewing room." He grumbled.

Marie only shrugged. "Do what yah want with it. Yah'll have the house to yehself soon anyway."

He paused for a brief moment, and his scent flared with a jumbled mix of emotions. Marie missed it, but I watched him carefully. She had made the Wolverine promise not to hurt him, but I hadn't promised jackshit. I planned on breaking something important, maybe something permanent. But after Marie said that, I started to rethink it. He had thrown out his only child and now he was losing his wife. Living alone in an empty house sounded like some damn fine karma to me.

Her father opened a door leading into a bedroom, and I could smell the sickness immediately. He placed himself between me and the doorway, leaving only enough room for Marie to pass. At least he still had some protective instincts left, but that only pissed me off even more. Where the hell had all that been when Marie was practically assaulted by that Cody fucker?! Marie squeezed my hand to get my attention and gave me a look.

"Mind if Ah speak to Mama alone, sugah?"

The woman inside didn't smell healthy enough to be a threat, and I would hear it if either one of them raised their voices. I nodded but kissed the side of her head before I let go of her. I watched her walk inside, and then her father and I started back down the hall. I let him take the stairs first and imagined ripping into his back the entire way down. The house was large, but only for the suburbs. I could see a flatscreen television in the living room, and he was well dressed, but he smelled like sweat. Everything about him and his house looked slightly above average, and I would bet he had a mountain of credit card debt.

He tried to assume a dominant stance and glare me down as if he actually thought he could lecture me about having his daughter home by midnight. I stared back and blinked freely. The Wolverine growled and stalked in my mind. Why would I bother having a staring contest with him when I could rip out his throat before he had time to scream?

"Sign."

I took the papers out and slapped them down on the coffee table. He stared at them before he picked them up and slowly flipped through them. He looked up at me, and I glared back. For once, I wanted to let the Wolverine out. But that would break the promise to Marie, so we had decided I would handle her parents and he would comfort her after.

"What's your name?" Her father asked.

"Wolverine."

"...I need a pen."

I didn't stop him from walking into the kitchen. I could hear him open drawers, and I stayed alert to the smell of gun oil or the click of a tumbler in case he tried to get a gun. But he came back with just a pen, and he signed the papers without complaint. I took them back, checked his signature, and put them in my jacket pocket.

Then I punched him in the face.

I felt his nose crack with a satisfying crunch beneath my knuckles, and he fell to the floor, clutching his face. Blood poured out between his fingers, and I had to fight down a feral grin since I could already hear Marie coming down the stairs, and things looked bad enough as they were. But she took in the scene without much surprise.

"Dammit, sugah. Yah promised." She didn't smell or sound that angry though, so I just stepped back and waited. "Are the papers signed?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Ah'm done too."

Her father coughed and tried to sit up. "He—"

"Deal with it."

She walked around him and to my side without a backwards glance. I wrapped my arm around her waist and escorted her out of the house, back to my truck. She sat silently in her seat while I drove out of the suburbs. Once we were a good distance away, I pulled into a random parking lot and stopped the truck. I looked over at her, and she looked at her hands.

"Ah want to be emancipated, an' Ah really appreciate yah taking care of it, but..." She trailed off.

But her father hadn't put up anything even close to a fight, and from the bits of conversation I'd overheard, the reunion with her mother hadn't gone well either. I hadn't explained about the entire process yet because I wanted her parent thing out of the way before she started worrying about something else, but I figured we might as well talk about it now.

"We got an appointment with a lawyer on Thursday afternoon, and she's gonna help you fill out an application. That sound good?" I asked.

"Yeah..."

"You want to get something to eat?"

"No, Ah jus' wanna lay down." She said quietly.

"Alright."

I put the truck back in gear, but she lifted my arm up, ducked under it, and laid down with her head on my thigh. I knew she was tired and needed to be close to me, so I did my breathing exercises and tried to maintain some self-control. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, with her head in my lap. I was still pissed at her shit parents, and all I really wanted to do was lay down with her and hold her. But the Wolverine was convinced she needed comfort more physical than that. I ignored him on the drive back to the motel and carried Marie inside when we got there. I kicked the door shut and laid her down on the bed, then kneeled beside it.

"Sleep or talk to him?"

"Wolvie." She pleaded.

I closed my eyes and let him out, hoping he would behave himself and actually be good for her.

A/N: I know, kind of a cliffie ending, and not that much Wolverine in this chapter. But that's because he gets next chapter, and I promise it will make up for the lack of sexy times in this chapter! It will be uploaded next Monday like usual, and I'll even try to keep posting chapters through finals week. Wish me luck, and I might throw around some more smutty flower crowns!

PS: I was going to tack this chapter onto the end of Logan's author's note, but I figured things were confusing enough without you having to remember that, so I just went ahead and made a new chapter.