Marie cautiously ventured out of the room for a snack. She had been starving, but was trying to wait until everyone else had gotten finished with their dinner so that she wouldn't be subjected to sad looks of sympathy and pity.

Storm was the worst.

After grabbing a bottle of soda and some left over pizza, Marie tried to rush out of the kitchen, but nearly slammed into Storm in the doorway.

Shit. Marie recovered and mumbled before trying to make her getaway, "Hey...just grabbing some food."

Storm stopped her, "Marie...I was hoping to run into you. Are you absolutely sure you don't need any help?"

Marie nodded and forced a polite, but pained smile, "I'm sure. Thanks."

Storm eyed her with curiosity and pity, "Are you feeling alright? You can go see Hank-"

Marie cut her off, "I'm a hundred percent, physically fine."

With that, she rushed from the room. Both of them had realized that she felt the need to add the word "physically" to her sentence. It went without saying that her emotions were still raw.

Marie rushed into her room and closed the door behind her. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a few deep breaths. Having to talk to people about her emotional state was stifling. It made her feel like she was suffocating.

After she finished eating, she stood and looked around the room. Onto the next chapter.

She picked up the joint compound and spreader and walked over to the wall that was opposite the bed. This was going to be a difficult one to fix...

*******************2 and a half years ago***************

It was amazing that something so small and so trivial was enough to send Marie into such a dark place.

She'd found the necklace on the floor of their bedroom while looking for her shoes under the endless pile of Logan's clothes.

Marie figured it was Jubilee's since the firecracker was the only girl who had been in their room recently.

She picked up the trinket and examined it. It was gorgeous. A white gold with the pendant of a bird with sapphire eyes adorned the chain. She couldn't remember Jubes ever wearing this particular bauble, but thought nothing of it as she tucked it in her pocket and walked out of the room.

She met Jubilee and Storm in the foyer for their late afternoon shopping trip, "Ready to go ladies?"

Jubilee nodded, "Yup!"

"Oh, before I forget..." Marie pulled the necklace out of her pocket, "Jubes, I think this is yours."

Jubilee took the necklace and raised a brow, "Uh...this ain't mine, chica."

Storm got a funny look on her face and took the necklace from Jubilee, "Rogue, where'd you get this?"

"I dunno...on the floor underneath all of Logan's crap."

"Um...this used to be Jean's necklace. The professor gave it to her when she first arrived at the mansion. See?" Storm held up the pendant, "This is a phoenix."

Marie could feel the heat in her face rising, but she tried to play it off, "Oh...well, I dunno how that got there...ready to go ladies?"

She was good at hiding her pain and anger during the better part of the afternoon, but her request to go to a bar after their errands were done did raise eyebrows.

Upon their arrival at the bar, Marie promptly ordered a round of shots. Storm declined the drink, but Jubilee hung with her friend...until round three. After four, five and six, Storm and Jubilee attempted to reel her in, but she refused by playfully yelling, "No! Come on! Let's part-ay!"

As they sat at the bar, her phone rang repeatedly. Logan's name flashed across the screen as Jubilee asked, "You gonna get that chica?"

She glanced at the phone as he called for the fourth time and turned off the ringer before shoving it in her bag.

Marie's loud antics was beginning to attract the attention of a fairly handsome stranger who was sitting at the bar. She went over to the jukebox, started a song and began dancing around the bar, flirting with random men along the way.

She walked over to the guy at the bar and draped her arm over his shoulders as Storm pulled out her cell phone, "Logan...yeah...she's here...we're at a bar...we're gonna need your help..."

Storm watched as Jubilee tried to pull Marie away from the strange man, but Marie snatched away and continued to flirt with him.

A defeated Jubilee returned to Storm's side, "I dunno what's wrong with her..."

"I just called Logan. He's on his way."

During the next twenty minutes, Storm and Jubilee tried to keep a good eye on Marie, but, when the crowd blocked their vision from where Marie stood just for a moment, she disappeared from view...so had strange man. They began exploring the upper and lower levels of the bar to find her.

Marie and strange guy clumsily stumbled into the bathroom while in the middle of a full blown make out session. He pushed her up against the wall and moved his lips to her neck, giving her the chance to take a look at herself in the mirror.

She slowly shook her head and pushed him away, "I can't."

Strange guy darkened a bit, "Oh no little lady...you're gonna finish what you started."

He began forcefully licking at her neck as he reached a hand beneath her skirt. Marie struggled against strange guy a little but they were both surprised by the sound of the door slamming open.

Strange guy jerked away and glared at the intruder, "You got business here, dick head?"

Logan's fists were clenched and his chest was heaving. He took a few menacing steps toward strange guy, "Get away from her."

"Why don't you mind your damned business?"

Logan's lack of self control won out as he snatched the guy by the neck and slammed him against the opposite wall. He squeezed a bit for emphasis before throwing strange guy out of the bathroom.

He wordlessly snatched Marie up and threw her over his shoulder. She hit at him and showered him with curse words and insults from the moment he picked her up, to the time he tossed her into the car, to the second he kicked open the door to their room and threw her onto the bed.

Logan tried to help her pull her shoes off, but she kicked him away, "Get away from me ya asshole!"

She slowly got up and stumbled toward the door, but Logan grabbed her arm and yanked her back into the room. She stumbled backwards and came to a rest against the wall behind her.

Marie leaned there for balance, giggling drunkenly, "What's a matter Logan? I can't have a little fun?"

He charged forward looked down at her, "So now you're out making out with strangers? Does all that crap you were spewing about commitment mean nothing when it's applied to you? What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you know what woulda happened if I hadn't gotten to you?"

She laughed and yelled, "I woulda fucked him!"

Marie knew it wasn't true...she just wanted to get a good dig in.

Logan suddenly punched the wall directly beside her head, which caused her to jump and immediately quiet her laughter. His adamantium plated fist left a pretty sizeable hole that she wouldn't see til morning...all she remembered was the frighteningly loud sound it made.

Logan took a few deep breaths to calm himself and slowly put his finger in her face, "You were in real danger tonight...he could have hurt you..."

She suddenly pushed at him with all of her might and screamed, "Like you fuckin' care! Fuckin' asshole!"

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What the hell is wrong with you? I got a call this evening from Storm tellin' me that you're gettin' drunk off your ass and you were refusing to leave...and I find you in a damn bathroom about to fuck some sleaze ball...when you and I are supposed to be together!"

Marie slurred, "I know about the little Jean Grey charm you kept, Logan..."

He tensed a little at that. Which one? He had kept one of Jean's necklaces and a couple of pictures...shit. It was probably the necklace. He thought he had been so careful.

She put her head back against the wall and laughed as tears formed in her eyes. Her laughter soon began breaking as sobs tried to force their way into her throat, "I am so stupid...I am so fuckin' stupid to think you'd just let go of her and love what's right in front of you..."

Marie covered her face for a brief moment, then pushed herself off of the wall and tried to walk by him, but he stuck an arm out and wrapped it around her waist, yanking her body to his.

She shook her head feverishly and fought against him as she cried and beat against his chest, "Why Logan? Why can't you just love ME!" Her other words were too slurred and too marred by sobs for him to understand anymore.

He simply held her tight and allowed her to exhaust her anger, which was soon fully overtaken by her sadness and tears. She weakened against him and put her forehead against his chest as she continued sobbing.

Logan closed his eyes and held the back of her head. He should have just broken it off then and there. He knew they would continue to hurt each other like this if they stayed together...but she was the only salvation he had left to hold onto. He knew it was selfish, but he needed her too badly to let her go. Whether he could admit it or not, he survived off of the love she gave him.

Logan looked down at her and whispered, "I love you, Marie...I do..."

She sniffled and looked up at him, "How do we know that's enough?"

He panicked internally. It sounded like she was trying to back out of the relationship. He did the one thing he knew would help take her mind off of leaving him. He backed them up to the bed and laid her down onto it before climbing between her legs and grinding purposefully into her as he snarled, "I'll make it enough."

She moaned and closed her eyes, turning her head to the side as he opened his pants and kissed her neck. It didn't take long before he smelled her arousal.

Logan hiked up her skirt before pushing her panties to the side and entering her, causing her to moan loudly and shudder. She wrapped her arms around him as he fucked her with deep, slow strokes.

After a few moments of intense love making, she gripped onto his shirt tightly as they came together.

Logan panted in her ear as she stared up at the ceiling. Just before she closed her eyes to fall into a deep, drunken sleep, she whispered, "This is scarin' me..."

*************End Flashback************

Marie opened the window and stuck her head out to allow the shockingly cold night air to assault her senses. The cold wind helped dry the potential tears and suppress the sobs that lie in wait within her chest.

She couldn't handle anymore...she was done for the day.

She pulled the plastic cover off of the bed and curled up on top of the comforter, falling asleep fully clothed.

This story is lonely without reviews people, so bring it on! I need feedback!