NOTES: What can I say? The musing just kept bugging me. I tell them to shut up, but they are so rebellious.

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He felt the accusing stares of his teammate boring into him and he couldn't help but feel like he was being judged and chastised. A bug being scrutinized under a microscope: every flaw being magnified. It was without a doubt a unanimous jury. They were all sentencing him to the gas chamber.

Logan couldn't make eye contact with any of them, knowing the disapproval and disappointment he would find. Deep down he knew that they didn't know. Neither he nor Marie had told anyone about his infidelity. Yet his own guilty conscious was playing tricks on him, making him believe that everyone knew his unforgivable sin. So, instead, he kept his focus on his precious boots, but was excruciatingly sensitive to Marie's presence. He could sense her every subtle move. Every breath, every blink, and every twitch of her nervous fingers were an anguished reminder of what he had lost.

Stealing a discrete glance her way, Logan's eye caught on a sparkle. He gaped at her left hand, stunned to see her still wearing her rings. Was she even aware? Or was it simply out of habit? He knew she had to have removed them. She never wore them in the shower. So when she climbed out of the tub, dripping wet as she wrapped a terrycloth towel around her slender body, did she instinctively grab for her rings?

Logan twisted his own wedding band around his finger, acutely aware of the platinum silver and everything it represented. Last night, laying on the couch in the game room, he had held his ring, contemplating its lack of power. He had always assumed the little trinket would be like an invisible shield, guarding him from crawling into another's bed. God he had been so wrong.

The meeting broke up, but Logan remained motionless. The others filed out of the room. Marie was the last to vanish out into the hallway, only briefly – impulsively – glancing back at him. Logan closed his eyes, wrangling back the image of her grief-stricken face. After she filtered out, Logan opened his eyes; the amber hazel orbs glistening with tears.

Xavier wheeled himself over. He remained silent, waiting for Logan to gather himself.

"Professor…I need to go," Logan muttered.

Xavier nodded. It had been what he had expected. Out of respect, he never entered the minds of his X-men without their permission (unless they were in danger), but the emotions raging inside Logan and Marie had kept him up last night. Their forces were so intense and he'd intuited what had transpired. He was completely distressed by Logan's treachery…and felt Marie's heartache so fiercely is was as though it were his own.

"I know, Logan. But don't forget that you can always come home."

Logan shook his head, shifting his weight. "No. I can't. This isn't home anymore."

The battered X-man staggered out of the room. As though he were nothing more than a ghost, he wandered up to the bedroom he had once shared for three years with his wife. Quietly, swiftly, he packed a few of his things into his worn military bag. He took a picture of them off the nightstand. It was a photo of them at their wedding, all smiles and so happy. He delicately placed it between a couple of his shirts, hoping they would protect it from shattering. He then went to take off his ring, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He needed his ring. It would be a constant, solid remembrance of his failure.

Trekking down the stairs, he bumped into Marie. She glanced down at his duffle bag and took a shuddering breath. She raised her eyes up to his, holding his gaze, memorizing every swirl of color…every line and shape. Then she stepped aside, looking away as he faded away from her life.

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AnimeChick: Yep, he's a total bastard. Affairs are one of the worst things a spouse can do to the other. Grrr…Glad I was able to quench the little curious beast.

Nikki: No, no…we don't know who Logan screwed. It's ok. You didn't miss anything. Anyway, I have no clue who Lauri from The Rasmus is. So, I couldn't tell you about the album. Sorry.

DarkRoses: Thanks for the good wishes. And no, I won't disappear forever. I'll be back next June. However, I may get a few chances to post things here and there. I do get a Christmas and Spring Break. Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you, what does 'l83r' mean?

TpolTucker: I hope so, too. I'll probably be able to post every once in a blue moon, but I can't make promises.

Blix: You can keep pretending. It may keep you from going crazy.

Gimpy: Chp1: You always have such profound and aspiring reviews. I appreciate them very much. Anyway, I'm glad you like my angst writing. I've done a bit of it before, but never this deeply. Thanks for the vote in confidence! Chp2: Well, you're wish (this time) is my command. Haha. I was honestly intending this to be only a one-shot, but I'm starting to get carried with it.

Jackia: I know he is a tough-ass, but I think any man that remorseful would cry. So, I'm glad you approve! Thanks for the review!