Muttering curses under his breath, Scott pretended to ignore Logan speeding in the garage on the stolen motorcycle.
"Scott!" Logan shouted, throwing the helmet across the room. Raising his head in surprise, Scott frowned, wiping his greasy hands on a towel.
"What?" he muttered, carefully inspecting his baby for any evidence of misuse.
"Do I look like I'm going crazy?"
"What?!" His eyes shot up to Logan's, noticing his hazel eyes were bloodshot, and his face pale. Woa. He had never seen the Wolverine so shaken.
Logan ran his trembling hands through his hair and growled at him, throwing his leg over the motorcycle. "Never mind," he grunted, leaping off the bike and marching from the door.
Shuddering, Scott frowned and riveted his attention the bike, worrying.
Rogue sighed, running her gloved hands through her long hair. Magneto hadn't been lying. Judging by Logan's face, everyone thought she was dead. Seeing Logan had been a shock to her system. Sure, she had actually gone out looking for X-Men, gradually making her way back to Westchester since she escaped from that hell, but she hadn't expected to see him so suddenly, engaging himself in a random brawl.
'So this is what he's been doing all the time I've been dead,' she thought bitterly, tugging anxiously on her gloves. She could touch now, she knew that. But, wearing gloves had become a habit, and the way she had been given the ablility to suppress her powers gave her no pleasure. 'He's been going to bars, drinking, flirting with women, and then fighting men too weak to stand up'. Her eyes flashed in jealousy as she remembered seeing him waltz into the place, his eyes instantly fixing themselves on a busty brunette smoking a cigarette by the bar. She knew part of it was his nature, but she also didn't expect him to take the closest bimbo he found.
But, as he'd been leaving, Rogue had almost kicked herself for hanging back and not talking to him, and had immediately resolved to follow him to wherever he was going, when he'd just turned around and stared her straight in the eyes. Her heart had just about stopped moving when he did that, when his deep hazel eyes gazed into hers, and the color drained from his face. The love she'd felt for him had been rekindled, the fire blazing in her heart as she just sat there, looking into his wonderful face. Then, he'd tried to come to her, and she'd become afraid. Why, she didn't know. But, when that fighter had come looking for Logan and stepped in his way, she'd taken it as an opportune moment to run. Yes, it was cowardly, but she'd panicked.
Tightening her hands on the wheel, Rogue guided the car along the secluded road that led to Xavier's Scool for the Gifted. As she neared the familiar mansion, her body began to tremble, and she ended up stopping the car halfway up the driveway. Tears sprang to her eyes unwillingly, as she choked back a sob. One year and one month. The date on the newspaper had sent her into a paralysis. Leaning her head against the dashboard, Rogue let herself cry for a moment, wiping the tears away as they fell. She had no idea how they would react, how she would react. The time weighed on her shoulders like a heavy burden. So much must have changed. She must have changed. Logan.. he had definitely seemed to change.
A loud slam reached her ears, making her jump in her seat. Peering into the darkness, she noticed by the light of a garage, Logan striding toward the mansion, his claws unsheathed.
Struck with a need to see him, Marie hurriedly opened the car door and slammed it shut behind her. Her breath came in short as Logan stopped at the sound, slowly turning on his heel. Their eyes met across the terrace, and somehow Marie found the willpower to keep her legs moving toward him.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
It was the smell. Her smell. Oh god, how could this be happening? Logan swallowed a dry lump forming in his throat, paralyzed. She was walking toward him, tears slipping down her cheeks. Oh, god. She looked so.. haunted, so much like a ghost. If he was going crazy, he wouldn't mind that much if he could have her scent all the time. After all, hadn't he been crazy this past year anyway? Might as well be crazy and happy.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Marie stopped two feet short of him, her legs feeling as if they would give way any moment. "Logan," she croaked, feeling the world tilt dangerously. No, she'd been wrong. She couldn't handle this. Lifting her hands to her head, Rogue tried to refocus, but Logan's image blurred in her eyes, becoming nothing more than a meshing of dark shadows.
"Oh my god!" Ororo screamed, as Logan charged into the house, Marie draped over his shoulders. For a moment, Ororo was fully convinced that Logan had finally gone insane, that he'd gone back to the cemetery and dug her up, planning to hide her in his room until he died. She stood speechless, stepping backward from him, her heart racing. "Jean!" She cried, turning around to run, "Professor!"
Logan sniffed the air as she fled from him, searching for anyone else who might be in his way. No one. Now, on to more important things. For one, he wasn't completely insane. Ororo must have seen Marie laid on his shoulder, or else she wouldn't have run from him. Clutching Marie's warm -oh my god, she was warm!- hand in his own, he raced up the stairs of the mansion, skipping steps easily, and raced down the hall to his room. Kicking the door open with his foot, he walked to the bed and gently slid Marie's unconcious body onto his bed.
Gulping hard, Logan kneeled on the bed and pressed his shaking fingers to her neck. Oh, god. She had a pulse! His eyes roamed over her body, his insides dancing in glee and horror at the sight of her chest moving rhymically. There was no doubt about it: she was alive. But, he had seen her die! He'd seen her breathe her last and fall cold in his arms! Goddammit, he'd seen her being lowered into the ground! This couldn't be real!
Logan pressed his fingers to her skin, tentatively, testing for her mutation. Nothing. Then again, she didn't have her mutation when she died either. Oh, god.. Logan backed away from her as she came to, her eyes fluttering open, arms outstretched, then lowering.
She looked up at him with wide eyes, a small hint of smile played out about her face. "Logan," she whispered, easing off of the bed, coming closer to him. "Logan, I missed you so much." Tears rolled down her cheeks, soaking the carpet beneath them.
Logan stared at her, trying to keep from passing out. "Marie," he croaked, speaking for the first time. Oh, god.. Oh, god. Oh, god. "How? What -?" he stopped, raising his hands to his head, and backed away into a corner, burying his head into his hands, crouching down to the ground. This was too much, too much. He'd watched her die, thrown roses on her coffin as she was lowered into the earth, spent more than a year ruining his life, indulging in every painful or cheap thrill that allowed him to numb the pain for a while. And now she was alive, breathing, beautiful face alight with color and life. Oh, god! He wanted Marie.. but this was so.. so.. confusing.
Footsteps thundered along the hall, and a terrified Jean, a greasy Scott, and a horror stricken Ororo burst into the room, followed by Xavier, solemnly wheeling himself in. All of them stopped midstep, their mouths falling at the sight of Marie breathing, standing, hovering over Logan. Ororo had told them what she'd seen, and they'd been prepared for the sight of a dead corpse on the bed. Not.. Not..
"Oh, God!" Jean screamed, backing away.
"Marie?!" Scott asked, stepping forward, wondering what he had just walked into.
Xavier sighed deeply, noting Marie's exhausted features gaze at all of them wide-eyed, her gloved hands wringing together. "I-I-" she stuttered, her voice making them all flinch in surprise and wonder. "I wasn't dead," she murmured, her chin trembling. "Magneto took me," she whispered, the exhaustion sweeping over her. All those faces were horrified of her. None of them seemed happy to see her again. Glancing down at Logan, still crouched in the corner, his bloodshot eyes now riveted to her face, Rogue decided she had gone about this the wrong way. She should've been more subtle.. it was stupid to just appear like she did. They must think they're going insane... "Mystique, she-. she-" she muttered, attempting to explain again, and failing. Instead, her feet slipped out of under her, and only Logan was fast enough to catch her in his arms.