The Wolverine was many things; some would describe him as an asshole, others would call him a hero and a good friend. However, there was one thing that everyone would agree on when it came to Logan; when that man put his mind to something, there was no stopping him. Right now his main focus was on finding Marie, HIS Marie, and there wasn't a damn thing in heaven or hell that would stop him.

Logan maneuvered the bike through traffic with practiced ease, as he made his way towards the behemoth that was New York City. Cringing inwardly as the first mingled scents of garbage and pollution that hung on all large cities assaulted his nose, he thought again about why he preferred the wilderness. The air was clean and pure, and there was no hustle and bustle. No never ending stream of traffic and no large sea of people to drown in. He wondered again why he stayed, and again the answer was obvious. The wilderness wasn't where Marie was. She was here, and that is where he would stay. 'Though, soon as I get that girl, I'm never letting her out of my sight again,' he thought.

Focusing on the task at hand, he began making a mental list of the things he knew.

Remy had said he'd dropped her at Grand Central Station, and Logan grimaced. She wasn't making this easy, but at least he had some advantages.

Once he singled out her scent from the cluster it would be easy enough to follow. She hadn't had time to grab a purse or cash, so that meant no cabs. No cabs meant he had a chance; no cabs meant she would be on foot, and that bought him time.

He didn't know where the hell she'd be heading, but judging by the sterile smell that had come off of her, it certainly narrowed down the list of places to start. Weaving between the cluster of cabs and assorted cars, he tried to think of everything she'd ever told him. Anything that could provide a clue as to what the fuck was going on with her would definitely be a good thing at the moment. Most important rule when it came to hunting: know ones prey. Being prepared made the hunt that much easier. Only with Rogue, there were other personalities that occupied her mind; outside influences that reared up seemingly out of the blue.

Even with the difficulties that presented, it also gave him another advantage. After all, she'd touched him more than anyone else. She'd also confided to him that while the others' voices had dimmed, his had remained strong. His voice had guided her, comforted her, and supported her. Logan only hoped she listened to that voice, and whatever warnings it must be giving off, now.

Images of her flit across his mind and he closed his eyes tightly, as the last words she'd said to him replayed inside his head. Under any other circumstance he would have basked in the after glow of her whispered "I love you", and more than likely would have shown her just how much he loved her back. The way she'd said the words however, and the look on her face when she had… It had been too much like goodbye.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to focus instead on what he had to do now. If he kept seeing her face and hearing those words, he'd never find her. He'd go mad before he ever got close. His subconscious had other ideas, and continued to torture him by sending up flashes of when he'd first met her.

From the moment she'd climbed into the cab of his truck and asked for food to her smart assed commentary; there had just been something about her. She had been the first person to show legitimate interest in him as a human being, beyond some quick fuck in a cheap motel room. No one had ever asked if the claws had hurt, they'd either been too scared to find out, or never bothered to think about it.

But she had.

He had watched her grow from a scared child, to a strong and determined woman; he'd be damned if he allowed anything to take her from him now. He'd lost too much already, and she was very much HIS. Everything else may have been taken from him, but he wasn't about to add Marie's name to that list.

Pulling up alongside the curb, Logan dismounted from the bike. Making his way up the steps of Grand Central he sniffed for any signs of Marie. Finding the bench she had sat down on while she waited for Remy to get far enough away was all the encouragement Logan needed. He followed the scent back through the entrance doors and away from the building. Between the time it had taken for him to get there and the amount of people that had passed through since, the scent was faint. Occasionally however, it would grow stronger in just the right places. Places she had bumped into or touched - those small mistakes kept him headed in the right direction. He had to wonder if the part of him inside of her had subconsciously sabotaged her plans. The scents left behind were like olfactory breadcrumbs, and he knew she wasn't that careless; after all, he had trained her.

He had taken all of the junior X-Men into the woods for a flight before fight exercise; he figured they needed to know everything if it would mean the difference between a couple of bruises and death. It was the first time Marie had told him that his voice inside her head had whispered to her what to do. She'd avoided making unnecessary contact with anything in her path, and had instructed the others following her to do the same. He almost hadn't caught her team, until Jubilee felt the need to pick the 'Wicked Cool flower'. It had, of course, been yellow. In the end, that had been the thing that led him right to them. After lecturing Jubilee on the importance of the exercise, he'd pulled Marie off to the side. He remembered her smile at his compliments and the faint blush when he'd put his arm around her waist as they walked back to join the others.

Logan looked up when the trail started leading up a flight of ornate marble steps. Glancing at the building, his stomach dropped. He was standing outside of The Institute of Genetic Fundamentals. It was a known distribution center for the "cure", and also the latest lab that Cyke had gotten information on. They'd been planning a raid on it since they'd gotten back, and it seemed that more reports about strange occurrences and missing mutants came in about the place daily. If this was where Marie had gone, things were much worse than he'd feared.

Logan quickly formed a plan as he made his way to the back of the building. Find a door, bust in, find Marie, and get the hell out. It wasn't a very evolved plan, but it sounded pretty damn good to him at the moment. He'd already lost too much time waiting for Gumbo, and there was no telling what danger she could already be in.

Finding one of the employee exits, he released one of his adamantium blades with a SNIKT and sliced through the lock. Sliding through the door he made his way stealthily down the corridor, searching for any sign of Marie.

Rogue had entered the Institute with every instinct she possessed, screaming at her to turn back; to go back to Westchester, to go back to Logan - Logan's instincts that she still possessed screamed loudest of all. Under normal circumstances, she may have listened. Her drive for answers however, drove her more than her fear; in the end it was what gave her the strength to continue forward. She'd gone in, completely ignoring the secretary, and walked straight to the back.

When the woman began to protest and clamped a hand on her shoulder, Rogue spun. Popping the claws on her right fist in an imitation that would have done the Wolverine proud, she let out a low and menacing growl. "I need to see Dr. Agee and I'm gonna see him now. Got a problem with that, bub?"

Backing off, the horror written plainly on her face, the secretary stammered an unintelligible response. Retracting the bones safely into her fist, she watched as the wounds knit themselves together. Gritting her teeth, she pushed through the double doors in front of her. With a flick of her wrist, she sealed them shut with a magnetic pulse, before looking for the good doctor.

She sniffed the air experimentally, the way she'd seen Logan do it a million times over, and was rewarded with the scent she'd been looking for. Rounding the corner, she tried the door in front of her. Wiggling the handle and finding it locked, she summoned the stolen powers once more and ripped the door from its hinges.

The sight that greeted her as she strode through the ravaged door caused her to stumble backwards into the wall. She didn't come face to face with Dr. Agee; instead, directly in front of her stood the creature from her nightmares. He was leaning over a young boy with bright green hair and assorted scales, a vial of sickly yellow fluid in his hand.

Eyes wide and gasping for air, the whispered name fell from her lips.

"Sinister."

Turning to acknowledge her presence, the red eyes flashed and the black lips curled against the pointed teeth in an evil grin. Placing the vial on the metal surgical tray, he began to walk towards her. Reflexively, she unleashed the claws and backed herself further into the wall. The action seemed to amuse him and he let out a low chuckle.

"Don't come any closer," she warned, eyes glued to the thing in front of her.

"Is that anyway to thank the man responsible for your wonderful new gifts?"

Her eyes traveled once again to her hands and then back up to Sinister. She began to shake as the anger took over and as she narrowed her eyes, she hissed," What did you DO to me?"

He let out a full laugh that sent a shiver down her spine as he moved closer. Tilting his head to the side, his red eyes focused on her. "You should be thanking me Rogue," he paused as her eyes widened in shock, "Oh yes, I know who you are. Rogue, one of Xavier's precious X-Men." He sneered at the name as he continued to move closer to her.

"Stay AWAY from me." Her voice was shrill and her shaking visible. Instead of backing off, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into him. Raising her free arm, she brought the claws down in a forward arc, slicing through his skin easily. For a moment, she internally smiled, thinking she was free to flee. However, she watched in horror as the damage she'd caused knit itself together, almost as if it had never been there in the first place. Taking advantage of her shock, Sinister grabbed her free hand and pinned her arms behind her. Leaning forward, he kissed her full on the lips. Repulsed, she spit in his face, and his eyes narrowed.

"Dear girl, you are a fool." Pulling back his fist, he slammed it into the side of her face. She felt the darkness overwhelm her as her body slumped in his arms.

Rogue opened heavy lidded eyes, and for a moment thought that it had all been just another nightmare. She shut her eyes again when she realized that this time the nightmare was very real. Gingerly she tested the restraints keeping her arms down before grunting in frustration when they wouldn't budge. She felt the tears of anger and frustration well in her eyes and tried to fight them back; losing the battle, she began to sob bitterly on the medical bed.

'Now ain't the time to cry darlin', you gotta think of a way out of this.' Logan's voice resounding in her mind was soothing, even with the admonition.

'Focus on what you have to work with,' it continued, 'You can break down when you're outta there. Right now you need to concentrate.'

Taking in a shaky breathe, she steeled herself against the bitter panic that threatened to overwhelm her. Closing her eyes, Marie focused on what she knew, and started to formulate a plan.

When the honey brown eyes opened again, the scared girl that was Marie was nowhere to be found. Rogue was now in charge, and she was determined to live up to her chosen name.