A/N: I own nothing, I am nothing, please don't sue me *sniff* I might
have to cry....
PART ONE Marie stole out onto the balcony, into the cool night air, to escape the press of people at the celebratory party. Although she had become a lot less isolationist since Scott and 'Ro had brought her "home" two years ago, she still feared for her loved ones at parties like this, when the pure number of bodies could cause someone to accidentally touch her. She sighed. Not that most people came that close to her anyways, but it could still happen.
Marie smiled faintly when her sensitive nose caught the distinctive whiff of cigar smoke. Without turning, she addressed the animal-like man concealed in the shadows on the far end of the balcony. "Couldn't stand the adoring fan girls anymore? They too much for your poor masculine sensibilities to handle, Logan?"
Marie felt his slight chuckle resonant through her body. "I could ask you the same question, darlin'," he drawled, the lit cigar hanging rakishly from his mouth. "Too many droolin' males who bemoan the fact that you are untouchable, not just because me and Scooter would kill them for the thought?"
At the slight mention of her mutation, the slender young woman stiffened. Though almost everyone believed she had come to accept her inability to ever have human contact again, Logan was the only one she allowed to tease her about it, mainly because he never put the emphasis on her difference, but rather on the protective attitudes he and Scott had developed towards her.
*outside I'm masquerading*
Even though Marie showed no visible signs of it, there was still a part of her that was the Rogue, isolated from everyone. She still cried to herself when the dark bleakness of the night became too much for her and the loneliness overwhelmed her. She still kept herself apart from most of the kids at school, though most people believed that it was because she was just shy. In reality, Marie would never be able to be truly close to anyone again, not as long as her skin stayed "poisonous" to a touch.
*inside, my hope is fading*
"Kid, you ok?" Logan came over to stand beside her.
"I'm fine, Logan. I just needed to get away from the crowd inside. It gets a little tiring trying to make sure no one touches you." Marie was aware of the slight bitterness that managed to creep out of her mouth, but didn't think Logan had noticed.
* Take a good look at my face, you'll see my smile looks out of place,
If you look closer it's easy to trace the tracks of my tears*
PART TWO However, Logan had noticed. Sleeping in the room next to Marie's let him understand more about this precious girl than most of the people around the school. Of course, the fact that he had almost died twice to save her, and that he loved her with all his heart helped too. "Marie, look at me."
Marie was instantly unsettled by his tone. Although she had turned 20 this year, and because of the people she had absorbed, felt older than anyone, except possibly Professor Xavier, Logan always called her "kid." Always, that is, unless he had something serious to say. She slowly turned, her heart pounding in her chest.
Logan looked into the eyes of his beautiful girl, struggling not to be drawn into her soul, for fear he would never find his way out. Marie had such a depth to her, such a resounding ocean of love and feelings and beauty that it hurt him to look into her eyes. But this time, he needed to. He understood her pain. He understood how she felt, because, until he met her, he felt that he would never again know the beauty of another's loving touch.
In the years that he had known Marie, however, he realized that the most permanent loving touch was not physical. He began to understand that, although Marie's physical touch could kill him, she touched him every day in ways that would never leave him. Even if she died tomorrow, he would still have her touch imprinted on his brain. Every time she looked at him, every time she talked to him, every smile she gave him, they were far more permanent and damaging touches than the ones that almost killed him.
"Marie," he said, holding her hands. "I know that you still don't feel like you will ever belong, because you have lost the ability to touch people."
Marie looked at Logan, dumbfounded.
*how can you see into my eyes like open doors,
leading you down into my core,
where I've become so numb.
Without a soul, my spirit sleeping somewhere cold.*
"How did you know that is what I was thinking, Logan? How did you know
that at all? I didn't think anyone knew that." Marie's voice came out
choked, a tiny tear sliding down her cheek, the only visible evidence of
her pain.
Logan lifted his hand and brushed her cheek, wiping the tear away, feeling her power begin to rise, trying to take his life, not realizing that Marie already held it. "How could I not know, Marie? I hear you crying at night. I see the pain that you try to hide when the other kids unconsciously flinch when they accidentally touch you."
*Frozen inside without your touch, darling
Only you are the life, among the dead*
"What you don't see, darlin'," Logan said raggedly, as he was slowly pulled into the great green depths of her soul, "Is that you touch everyone of us, everyday, but especially me. You have touched me in more permanent ways than any physical touch could ever manage. Your overwhelming love, the way you selflessly give of yourself and take nothing in return, the way you always try to take the pain of others, and give them back their joy, in those and many more ways you have touched us all." Logan glanced down at their clasped hands, and brought her palm up to rest against his. "I may never get to touch your skin, Miss Marie, but I will never be able to forget your touch, because I love you. And I will never stop loving you, not even the day I give up my last breath to the heavens." With this, Logan looked back up into her eyes, shocked to see tears running down her cheeks.
* Wake me up inside
Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark.
Bid my blood to run,
Before I come undone,
Save me from the nothing I've become*
"Oh, Logan, you have no idea...I have loved you since the day you came after me on the train, even though you thought Magneto was after you. I thought...I thought you would never be able to love me back, because we can never...you know..." A rosy colored tinge brightened her cheeks at that.
"Ah, darlin', I didn't realize it when we first met, but in two years it has become plainly obvious to me. To truly love someone, you don't use your body, you use your soul." At that, Logan's beautiful girl looked into his eyes, and smiled, and Logan saw her soul come to life again.
*Bring me to life*
PART ONE Marie stole out onto the balcony, into the cool night air, to escape the press of people at the celebratory party. Although she had become a lot less isolationist since Scott and 'Ro had brought her "home" two years ago, she still feared for her loved ones at parties like this, when the pure number of bodies could cause someone to accidentally touch her. She sighed. Not that most people came that close to her anyways, but it could still happen.
Marie smiled faintly when her sensitive nose caught the distinctive whiff of cigar smoke. Without turning, she addressed the animal-like man concealed in the shadows on the far end of the balcony. "Couldn't stand the adoring fan girls anymore? They too much for your poor masculine sensibilities to handle, Logan?"
Marie felt his slight chuckle resonant through her body. "I could ask you the same question, darlin'," he drawled, the lit cigar hanging rakishly from his mouth. "Too many droolin' males who bemoan the fact that you are untouchable, not just because me and Scooter would kill them for the thought?"
At the slight mention of her mutation, the slender young woman stiffened. Though almost everyone believed she had come to accept her inability to ever have human contact again, Logan was the only one she allowed to tease her about it, mainly because he never put the emphasis on her difference, but rather on the protective attitudes he and Scott had developed towards her.
*outside I'm masquerading*
Even though Marie showed no visible signs of it, there was still a part of her that was the Rogue, isolated from everyone. She still cried to herself when the dark bleakness of the night became too much for her and the loneliness overwhelmed her. She still kept herself apart from most of the kids at school, though most people believed that it was because she was just shy. In reality, Marie would never be able to be truly close to anyone again, not as long as her skin stayed "poisonous" to a touch.
*inside, my hope is fading*
"Kid, you ok?" Logan came over to stand beside her.
"I'm fine, Logan. I just needed to get away from the crowd inside. It gets a little tiring trying to make sure no one touches you." Marie was aware of the slight bitterness that managed to creep out of her mouth, but didn't think Logan had noticed.
* Take a good look at my face, you'll see my smile looks out of place,
If you look closer it's easy to trace the tracks of my tears*
PART TWO However, Logan had noticed. Sleeping in the room next to Marie's let him understand more about this precious girl than most of the people around the school. Of course, the fact that he had almost died twice to save her, and that he loved her with all his heart helped too. "Marie, look at me."
Marie was instantly unsettled by his tone. Although she had turned 20 this year, and because of the people she had absorbed, felt older than anyone, except possibly Professor Xavier, Logan always called her "kid." Always, that is, unless he had something serious to say. She slowly turned, her heart pounding in her chest.
Logan looked into the eyes of his beautiful girl, struggling not to be drawn into her soul, for fear he would never find his way out. Marie had such a depth to her, such a resounding ocean of love and feelings and beauty that it hurt him to look into her eyes. But this time, he needed to. He understood her pain. He understood how she felt, because, until he met her, he felt that he would never again know the beauty of another's loving touch.
In the years that he had known Marie, however, he realized that the most permanent loving touch was not physical. He began to understand that, although Marie's physical touch could kill him, she touched him every day in ways that would never leave him. Even if she died tomorrow, he would still have her touch imprinted on his brain. Every time she looked at him, every time she talked to him, every smile she gave him, they were far more permanent and damaging touches than the ones that almost killed him.
"Marie," he said, holding her hands. "I know that you still don't feel like you will ever belong, because you have lost the ability to touch people."
Marie looked at Logan, dumbfounded.
*how can you see into my eyes like open doors,
leading you down into my core,
where I've become so numb.
Without a soul, my spirit sleeping somewhere cold.*
"How did you know that is what I was thinking, Logan? How did you know
that at all? I didn't think anyone knew that." Marie's voice came out
choked, a tiny tear sliding down her cheek, the only visible evidence of
her pain.
Logan lifted his hand and brushed her cheek, wiping the tear away, feeling her power begin to rise, trying to take his life, not realizing that Marie already held it. "How could I not know, Marie? I hear you crying at night. I see the pain that you try to hide when the other kids unconsciously flinch when they accidentally touch you."
*Frozen inside without your touch, darling
Only you are the life, among the dead*
"What you don't see, darlin'," Logan said raggedly, as he was slowly pulled into the great green depths of her soul, "Is that you touch everyone of us, everyday, but especially me. You have touched me in more permanent ways than any physical touch could ever manage. Your overwhelming love, the way you selflessly give of yourself and take nothing in return, the way you always try to take the pain of others, and give them back their joy, in those and many more ways you have touched us all." Logan glanced down at their clasped hands, and brought her palm up to rest against his. "I may never get to touch your skin, Miss Marie, but I will never be able to forget your touch, because I love you. And I will never stop loving you, not even the day I give up my last breath to the heavens." With this, Logan looked back up into her eyes, shocked to see tears running down her cheeks.
* Wake me up inside
Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark.
Bid my blood to run,
Before I come undone,
Save me from the nothing I've become*
"Oh, Logan, you have no idea...I have loved you since the day you came after me on the train, even though you thought Magneto was after you. I thought...I thought you would never be able to love me back, because we can never...you know..." A rosy colored tinge brightened her cheeks at that.
"Ah, darlin', I didn't realize it when we first met, but in two years it has become plainly obvious to me. To truly love someone, you don't use your body, you use your soul." At that, Logan's beautiful girl looked into his eyes, and smiled, and Logan saw her soul come to life again.
*Bring me to life*
