James Logan had seen some amazing things in his lifetime, but the fact that he couldn't remember all of them wasn't really a concern. Since he had been born in 1903, he had witnessed the birth of almost every modern technological wonder, and his stint in the army had made him privy to the highest technology the world had to offer at the time. He still had an uncanny knowledge of all things technical, but again, the why didn't really matter. He thought it would take a lot to get the better of him, to make him stop in awe and wonder, to shock him. To change his life forever.
Of course, because he couldn't remember most of his life, he thought that regaining his memories would be what floored him. But instead, it was the harbinger of those memories; a tiny, blonde wildcat who knocked his socks off with one kiss, and then haltingly introduced herself as his wife.
After those few simple words that Nikkola whispered, Logan just stared at her, his head spinning. His wife? She was his wife? It had shaken him when he heard that she could tell him his history, but to learn that she was irrevocably part of that life, that she was the biggest part of that life, that was the defining moment that stopped his heart and changed everything.
The two mutants stared at each other from across the room, one reeling from the shock and trying to adjust, the other watching him with big blue eyes, her gaze solemn. It took a minute for Logan to find his voice, but when he did, he didn't know where to start.
"Are...are you serious?" Nikkola blinked once, then crossed the room to where her backpack was. Digging for just a moment, she pulled out an old envelope and then a paper from that envelope. Without a word, she handed it to Logan, who scanned it quickly. It was a marriage license, between one James William Logan and one Nikkola Anastasia Creed, dated nearly seventy years previous. When Logan looked up again, Nikkola had her palm outstretched towards him, with a chain pooled on it. Attached to the chain were a pair of dog tags, and a pair of gold wedding rings.
Logan looked at the rings for a long moment without speaking, without moving. Then finally, he slowly reached out his hand and picked the larger ring up, his fingers brushing Nicole's palm. Without looking, he knew that engraved inside the band were the words 'Love always, Nikka,' just as he knew that inside the smaller band were the words 'Love always, Logan.' With quick, precise movements, he unhooked the ring from the chain and gave the necklace back to Nikkola, who folded her hands in front of her calmly, and watched Logan's eyes.
The man in front of her studied the ring with an intense gaze, although he already knew exactly what it looked like, having examined it every day for nearly fifty years. Finally he looked back at Nikkola and swallowed hard. Before he could speak, she spoke for him.
"You need to think," she said, and then nodded. He nodded in return, and looked back at the ring. After a brief moment, he held it out to her.
"Do you want this back?" Nikkola shook her head slightly.
"It belongs to you, Logan." He nodded absently, and pocketed the band after a moment and turned towards the door. Before walking out into the hall, however, he turned back to Nikkola and started to apologize. She shook her head and held up a hand.
"No, Logan. I understand. I will be here when you are ready to talk." He nodded once and walked into the dark hallway. Before he had gotten very far, he heard Nikkola's voice calling his name. He stopped and turned towards her partially, waiting. Her voice was so quiet even he could barely hear it.
"That day by the lake was the first day of our honeymoon. And...it is still true, James." A heartbeat, then he nodded and continued down the hallway to his room, while Nicole shut her door behind him.
Love always.