Chapter Four

A/N: A great big "Thank You" to my beta Jenn. Not only does she look out for boo-boos, but she helped me over my writers block.

Second A/N: This isn't a real update, I just found a new way to add breaks to the story. (Stupid , first they do this, then they pull my story "X-Men – The Musical". Bha!

If you want to read it, check it out at the WRFA.

http :www. wolverineandrogue. com/ fic/ dbfiction.php?fictionid1185

Be sure to remove the spaces.)

SSSSSSSSSS

Logan stood in a small grove behind the house, smoking a cigar and trying to think of nothing. Puff... puff... puff... "Bastards!" The tree next to him now had three holes in it. "Don't think about it. Think about anything else. Like, Scott in pink bunny slippers, or the Professor singin' a 'N Sync song, or Marie singin' a lullaby. God Damn!" Three more holes.

"I don't think the tree likes that."

Logan looked up to see Ororo working at a flowerbed not far from him. Taking a glance at the tree, Logan countered, "It gets more air this way."

"Oh, I see. You are helping it." "Yeah." "Well, if you are done helping the tree, you can come and help me. This one weed is vary stubborn."

Logan let out a single claw and started to cut at the ground. As he pulled the weed out Ororo asked, "Would you get any others that look like that?"

After pulling out several of the tall green sticks, Logan asked, "Why do you do it?"

"Do what Logan?" Ororo looked up at him.

"This, with the plants." Logan picked up one of the weeds he had pulled and held it next to a flower. "I mean this green thing looks just like that green thing."

"Yes, I suppose it does. But if you come out here tomorrow these will have their blossoms." Ororo stood and gathered the pile of weeds Logan had pulled. "Flowers are like that. They all look alike at first. But put them in some heat and their true colors will show. Just like people I suppose." She put the weed in a bucket and started to walk away.

"Are you trying to tell me somethin'?" Logan yelled after her. "'Cus all this "lets talk in story" crap doesn't work for me."

Ororo walked back a few steps. Logan could feel a brisk breeze start. "In some ways she is older then any of us. Marie's lived through worse, she can handle this." At that, Ororo turned away. As she got further away the breeze died down.

"She's lived through worse then this. Yeah, like being forced to hitchhike, being stabbed through the chest, having a train car ripped to shreds around her, almost dying."

Logan started pacing, the desire to fight someone, something, growing. "God, I wish we could just do this week over. I'd be ... God I'd be back at that dinner eating soup and getting advice on Jean." With a bark of sarcastic laughter he clawed the tree again.

SSSSSSSSSS

Marie sat in the bed trying to eat. The events of the past 24 hours whirled madly through her mind. The desperate decision to end her life rather then provide the horrible doctors with what they wanted, the pain that coursed through her as the electric shock took its toll on her body, waking in the Blackbird, and, finally, being back at the mansion. Safe.

"But now what?"

Marie knew that soon she would have to share all the information she had, including the tattoo on the thigh. Jane had promised her that piece of news was all hers to share. "You have to tell him before anyone else, Marie."

And Jean was right. Marie knew that, but still...

"I thought I said no doing anything to hard." Jean walked into the room, "If you keep up all that thinking you'll give Xavier a run for the title 'hardest working brain'."

Marie gave a small smile. Jean was trying to make her feel better, but Marie still couldn't see a way through this without hurting... "Is Logan still here?"

"Still here?" Jean gave a small laugh. "I know that Logan doesn't stay in one spot for to long. But after all the worry he went through this last week there's no way he'd leave without even seeing you." Jean brought a pile of clothing over to the bed. "Why don't you get dressed and go talk to the Professor. Logan will still be here when you're done."

SSSSSSSSSS

Everything was the same. Same hallways, same lobby, same stairs, same door, same office. All the same as the last time. "The only thing that changed is me."

"Is change a bad thing?"

Same Professor.

"Oh Marie..." He wheeled over to the sofa where the crying girl had sat. "We'll take care of you, all of us. You'll never need feel that you're facing this by yourself."

"It's just... I have wanted children, but I never thought... I mean, I thought it would be..." Marie tried to put all the thoughts and feelings of the past week into words.

Xavier understood, "Why don't you start with facts. We can work our way from there." When Marie had brought her tears into check he asked, "What happened at the warehouse. Scott told us that he sent you to do a quick check."

This was something she could talk about. "I did that, on my way out I was tripped and blacked out. I was kept unconscious for almost five days. During that time I was taken to the lab where you found me. The doctors there did some testing and found an answer for my skin."