Marvel owns the X-men, no profit is to be made by this work.
Waking to an unwelcome chill and a dampness to the sheets, she realized she was alone as she looked for Logan to find the bed empty aside from herself. With the blankets they shared now drenched in cold sweat, she looked about but found the bedroom empty with the door to the den still open showing the hallway beyond. Dressed in only her negligee, Marie found her jeans and hastily pulled them on and tore down the hall still drawing her shirt down her head.
Thinking to the night before she ran to the kitchen to find it empty, instead a crack of light beckoning her to the entrance to the garage as she eased the door open. Sitting at his desk with a bottle of some aspirin open and a jug of juice half empty, he sat hunched over with his head in his hands.
"Logan?" Marie asked, her heart aching as no answer came.
"Logan?" Marie asked again louder with the distance between them closed.
Snapping his head up he looked to her in complete incomprehension for too many painful beats of her heart until he became awash in regret. Rubbing his eyes, he slumped in his chair and ran his hands through his sweat slick hair. Taking those final steps she sat at the edge of his desk and waited, taking up the bottle of aspirin to toy with in her idle hands.
"Headache?" Marie asked, Logan just nodding in answer.
"We're getting Moira to check ya out, now." Marie stated, setting the aspirin down on the desk.
"S'three in the morning." Logan slurred, hissing in pain as he cracked an eye to look on her.
"It's four...thirty seven." Marie said, looking to the clock ticking away on the wall behind the desk.
"It can wait till mornin'." Logan argued, reaching for the jug of juice to pound back the last of it.
"If I have to wake up Pete...to carry yer stubborn butt down there so that Moira can check you out..." Marie ground out with her lips drawn tight.
"Ya wouldn't dare..." Logan challenged.
Picking up the receiver to the phone on the desk with a finger hovering ready to dial the in house line, Marie showed how serious she was. Sighing all the more like a growl, Logan pushed his chair back and stumbled from behind his desk. Dialling away, he looked to Marie with a retort on his lips to be silenced as she held a finger up demanding silence.
"Sorry ta wake ya up Moira, no I'm fine...yes I got a stubborn arse that ain't. Thank you, we'll see ya down there." Marie said, resting the receiver back down before slipping off the edge of the desk.
Wrapping an arm about his waist and drawing one of his over her shoulders, Marie could feel the tremble as he walked through on through the kitchen down to the elevator that lead to the lower levels. He felt cold yet his skin was slick in sweat, his breath sounding a raspy whisper this close as she held him near. Light feet echoed from upstairs, Moira sliding down the banister almost juvenile to rush to them still tying her robe.
"Logan, start tellin' me how ya feel." Moira asked, helping ease the man in to the elevator as it came.
"Like shit." Logan offered, finding the strength to chuckle as Moira glared at him.
"Symptoms man, ye've done better for the kiddies ya bring down when they have a belly ache." Moira swore, forcing open his eyes for a look.
"Feels like my minds tryin' ta force its way outta my ears and eyes." Logan said, his breathing coming in a gasp as the lift delved deep down to the sub-basement.
"Anything else?" Moira asked, leading them off to the medical bay as the doors finally opened.
"Thirsty." Logan offered, reaching a hand to push the door open as he kept Marie close.
"Alright love, go get yuir man here some gatorade from the fridge. Ye just sit here now." Moira said as she helped him onto a stool before rushing around looking for her instruments.
Finding one of the many bottles stocked in the fridge, Marie saw all kinds of freezies sitting beyond the frosted glass of the freezer door above. Fetching one as well, she rushed to Logan and handed him his drink while ripping open a blue icy treat. Making short work of his bottle of gatorade, he stared at the freezie in question but took it just the same to suck on.
"Alright now, when did this business start?" Moira asked, taking a listen to his heart.
"Headache? Other night." Logan said, forcing up a bit of the sugared ice to chomp away at.
"Sweats?" Moira asked.
"Back at the cabin." Logan relented.
Biting down on her anger, Marie longed to slap him but settled for glaring at him. She'd known about the nightmares but that he'd been suffering so in silence had her furious. That he had kept this from her left her hurt, looking up from her fuming to see the silent apology he offered as he met her gaze.
"I'm gonna take some blood now, Marie ye can play nurse for me and get a throat swab. They're in the drawer over there." Moira said, walking off to fetch her needles and the rest.
Finding the swab just where she was told, she tore open the package and unscrewed the top. Logan sat ready with his mouth open wide, his tongue stained blue such an absurd sight to her usual image from him she couldn't fight the giggles that came. A throaty chuckle joined her, Logan obliging her with an 'awww' as she swabbed about the back. Snapping it back into the tube, a bit of his smarmy self greeted her.
"Wanna play Doctor?" Logan teased.
Lightly smacking him, she instead made room for Moira who set to work drawing blood from the man. Wandering off to place the sample just where she had been told, she found doctor and patient bickering as the vials were taken.
"Leave some for me Doc." Logan grumbled.
"Ach ye big baby, I dunnae know what I'm lookin' for so I may as well take me enough unless ye want me comin' back for more later." Moira teased, setting the three vials down neatly on the nearby tray.
Swabbing his arm with a puff of cotton, Moira looked curiously to the pierced skin before swabbing it again. Marie felt her stomach clench tight watching the spectacle, waiting and watching as Moira gave it one final swab with blood still rising from the wound.
"What bandaid do ye want?" Moira asked, holding up two in offer with cuddly lions on one and baseballs on the other.
"What?" Logan asked.
"Logan, you're, you're still bleeding." Marie revealed, seeing him press a thumb to the wound to smear the blood in wonder.
Running the still damp blood between his thumb and finger, Logan clenched a fist and stared as he flexed until the very tips of his claws pierced between his knuckles. Drawing them home, he looked to the blood that ran freely down his fingers to drip from the very tips, a gasp rising from both sitting frozen in horrid awe watching.
"Ye stupid man! Marie, get me the alcohol and some gauze! Second drawer by the sink!" Moira yelled.
Cleaning and wrapping his wounded flesh, any thought of sleep was cast off with the revelation. Between questions of probing depth being asked Moira took blood pressure and checked his eyes and looked to the pallor of his skin. Helping with every task given, Marie saw the fight die in Logan's eyes as he dutifully answered and obeyed all the poking and prodding. Yet as Marie found him looking on her, she could only feel his worry meant for her instead of himself.
The morning was announced with the ringing of he first bell, mugs of coffee cast off around the med bay with diagnostics and tests running about. Swallowing the last bitter dregs of a stale cup and not knowing where in the line it had fallen, Moira looked to her patient and playacting nurse.
"Bed rest and fluids for ye, and no more stunts now. I'll be up later to check on ye, I have some calls to make. I dunnae care, ye call me if anything amiss happens, right down to if ya think yuir piss looks off or yuir turds should nae look that colour." Moira ordered, handing off a bottle of pills.
"Ye take one with yuir lunch, and one with yuir dinner and call me if yuir headache gets any worse." Moira explained.
"Sure thing doc." Logan said softly, turning the bottle of pills over in his hand and marvelling at finding his name on a little print out.
The familiar 'Bamf' outside announced company, the lingering wafting scent of sulfur and brimstone filling the lab. Wrinkling their noses at it, Kurt joined in with a tray of food in hand with a fresh cup of coffee that he placed down on a work station for the good Doctor.
"Now Mister Wagner here will take ye to yuir bed and I'm sure Miss Marie here can tuck ye in." Moira said finally, turning her back to tackle her breakfast with an eye on the nearby computer.
"Herr Logan." Kurt greeted, worried though he might be still able to find a smile as he looked to his friend.
"Elf." Logan greeted, gripping the tri fingered hand in a firm shake.
"If you feel up to it, I can have us at the end of the hall. I left a window open too, to air it out." Kurt offered, taking Marie's hand in his own with a gentle touch.
"Might obliged." Logan said, giving his nod a moment before they vanished in a lingering cloud of tenuous indigo smoke.
Left alone in the lab, Moira finally let her composure fall apart and let out a string of cursing that would have had her patient blush. Slamming a fist into a cabinet and screaming, she slumped to the floor and fought against the fears that gnawed away at her belly. With her phone rumbling away in the pocket of her lab coat, she found it was the one man she longed to speak with having emailed him earlier.
"Moira?" Hank's worried voice asked.
"Henry." Moira greeted, glad he couldn't see her just then.
"I should be there within the hour, the privileges one receives with being a U.N. Ambassador." Hank said though his laugh was hollow.
"Try and nae create too much a spectacle, I dunnae want to go frightening anyone until I have ye look over the results." Moira said, looking up from her call as the doors to the med bay opened.
"Stars and Garters, and here I thought I might ask about a fighter jet escort." Hank teased.
"Prat." Moira swore, offering her bruised hand to the man who nestled down with her.
"You manky Scotch git." Hank said in his best Monty Python.
"Thank you Henry." Moira said softly.
"As always Moira, you are most welcome. Now if you'll forgive me, I must pack. Do try and keep our cantankerous Canadian placated until I get there. Goodbye." Henry said, hanging up the phone after they bid another off.
Looking up to her love who sat with her, Sean gently stroked her tender hand as he knelt in front of her. Leaning in for a kiss and whispered words meant to ease the worry and fear of another, he helped her to her feet and lead her off to the freezer to fetch an ice pack.
"Ye should leave the boxing to me lass, or at least wear gloves the next time." Sean said in jest.
"It got what it deserved." Moira grumbled, glaring off at the dented cabinet door.
"Did ye want me to call Ororo for ye?" Sean asked.
"Maybe just dial and hold tha phone to my ear." Moira replied.
"Only if ye promise to let me get a proper punching bag in here." Sean teased, finding her phone in her pocket.
Reluctantly nodding her ascent to the demand, she waited as the phone rang for the Headmaster to answer that she could have a moment of her time.
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The news had travelled around the school fast, unbelievable to some and painful to many more. Those that had seen him wandered the halls with haunted eyes, the man having grown to be a constant in their lives. Even more painful was watching their friend sit at his beside, holding his wounded hand through the hours. The lies that Hank had told as he landed out on the front lawn in a helicopter didn't fool any, immediately vanishing into the sub-basement not to be seen again until the setting of the sun.
The meeting had been called as the first medical equipment had been wheeled into his room, the latest addition to the Staff sorrily missed though all their thoughts were with her. Sitting at the head of the table, Ororo looked to them all and imagined her predecessor in her place with his ever reassuring smile. It wasn't a smile she could find herself capable of, instead taking a sip of her water to wet her lips that had gone dry.
"I'll start by clarifying the rumours that are no doubt circulating. What we know is this, that Logan's enhanced healing has failed him, why we do not know and it is only part of the problem he faces. The metal alloy, Adamantium, that is bound to his skeleton...is poisonous." Ororo started, waiting for the revelation to sink in as she took another sip of water.
"His blood is being poisoned, Moira and Henry have already started treatment for this. When we have more news I will be sure to pass it on. As soon as they are ready, Moira tells me she'll be allowing visitations again, for now the only ones to see him are his treating physicians and Marie." Ororo finished, looking around the table to the gathered staff and friends.
Of those joined around the table many had been students before and had held Logan as an example both good and bad, and Marie as a friend. Some had stood with him in battles, trusted him to have their backs as he did them to have his. Of the rest that had come to repay debts owed to those who had been lost, like Ororo herself she had come to appreciate his ways and manners as he taught the students and earned their trust. Looking to them all now Ororo swore she was to repay that trust he had earned in all the kids.
"Jubilation?" Ororo asked, mindful of the way Pete held her hand as they stood off together.
"Shop class?" Jubilee asked, looking up working her usual bravado though tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"Auto and Woodworking, if it's not too much to ask." Ororo said softly.
"He always hated Exams, knew he'd try to find some way ta weasel outta it sometime. No problemo." Jubilee joked, a quiet chuckle and laugh passing through those gathered.
"Thank you, Theresa?" Ororo asked, looking to the Irish lass.
"Intro History and Phys Ed?" Theresa asked.
"I think your father has vouched for the latter, but if you feel up to it could you also help Marie with her office?" Ororo asked.
"Yes, I'll keep her seat warm for her and her door open." Theresa promised.
"Thank you. Kitty?" Ororo said, turning from one former student to another.
"Tell me you didn't have the blind leading the blind in something I'm good at?" Kitty asked, looking up from her laptop that held all the class schedules.
"No, this would be more...extracurricular as it were. Do you think you would be up to managing his place as a field leader temporarily?" Ororo asked, Kitty looking up in astonishment.
"You...really?" Kitty asked with Ororo giving a slight nod.
"You'd be working with Kurt and Sean both, handling the Juniors. Bobby...there is a place for you too." Ororo said, looking to the pair.
"I'm already used to taking orders from Kitty, so why not." Bobby said, looking to his friend with a wink.
"Thank you both. If you could all see me in your own time, I will help you with your duties and assignments. As far as the students are to know, we will tell them the truth...that Logan is ill and that we have some of the best doctors treating him. That this is only temporary, and before they will know it he will be out barking for extra laps and keeping the troublemakers in line." Ororo said, looking to those gathered in silent thanks that was met with their support and trust.
Waiting as they all filed out, friends, families and lovers, Ororo sat at the head of the table until she was at last alone after bidding off the few that lingered who she shared her trust with. Kurt walked out with Betsy at his back, two of her closest friends outside of the man who laid in bed even now. Climbing from her place at the head of the table, she imagined a time when another wold have sat there with others at his side. Needing their strength, she left quietly to make her way out to the gardens she tended to find the memorials to her missed mentor and friends.
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"Knock, knock?" Kitty said, cracking the door open.
"Who's there?" Marie asked, holding Logan's hand in her own.
"Not T-bone." Jubilee called out holding a tray.
"Not T-bone who?" Logan weakly rasped.
"Moira said Marie's not T-bone ya." Theresa answered, blushing as she looked between her friends who had put her up to the punchline.
Allowing themselves in, they set the tray down on the on his lap as he sat propped up with many pillows at his back. Marie sat in a high backed chair that had been stolen from the study, something she could easily curl up in for a nap as Kitty had thought having ghosted it through the house without a care to the walls as she trudged along. It had been well into the afternoon when the news had finally been passed along, now on into the evening with everyone coming to terms.
"Pete's bringing the tube from our room down for ya, it's...bigger than yours so...ya know, ya shouldn't have to strain watching it." Jubilee remarked, a glance to the old boob tube sitting on his dresser.
"The kids are gathering up some movies they think you'd both like." Theresa added.
"Thanks." Logan said, running a thumb over Marie's knuckles as he looked to her.
"We weren't lying either, beef consomme is the closest your getting to a T-bone tonight." Kitty said as she raised a spoon of the soup to his lips.
"Shoulda just put it in a mug." Logan said, slurping nosily.
"Well, I'm not the one supposed to be babying you." Kitty said, passing off the spoon to Marie for the next serving.
Taking up another spoonful, Marie looked to Logan who looked to the offending soup and grudgingly partook of another mouthful. In companionable quiet he finished the bowl though a rumbling from his belly belied his hunger. Looking between them, the trio came to silent agreement as Kitty rushed to shut the door.
"Compliments of Kitty, she says she took an elective in Japanese cuisine." Jubilee announced as a small box was taken out.
"Might not be T-bone but it's meat." Kitty said, opening it up to reveal a stately row of Sushi.
"Don't worry, we all had a piece to make sure it was safe." Theresa teased.
"Personal poison tasters at your service, I made sure she kept the wasabi away but we got ya some soy sauce." Jubilee chuckled.
Laughing at the generosity and care, then coughing as he clutched at his chest, he endured the way they cut it down into bite-sized morsels for Marie to feed him. Feeling the hole in his stomach filled, he rested against the pillows and favoured them all with his gratitude and a smirk.
"Ya got my promise o' a steak dinner soon as I'm back on my feet." Logan said, looking each in their eyes.
"Just make sure you're up and about to be standing next to Pete when he needs you." Jubilee countered.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, first time I can think of someone's asked me ta be their Best Man." Logan promised.
"You got a garter to catch too mister, might even let ya go poppin' yer claws now..." Jubilee added, looking from him to Marie.
Looking to the lady who hadn't left his side since being ushered off to bed, Logan gave her hand a squeeze and raised it to his lips for a kiss. Raising his own hand to her lips she kissed his and let it rest on the bed when the knocking at the door announced more visitors. With Bobby rushing in to push offending articles of furniture out of the way and hastily unhooking the old television, Pete set the flat screen down in it's stead as they both got back to powering it up and passing off the all important remote.
"What's playin'?" Logan asked, turning it on.
"Whatever DVDs and Bluray's we could dig up, though I think I'll get around to running a line up to get you some streaming. No one runs cable like me." Kitty chirped, having long since discovered the ease of ghosting wires through walls.
Leaping to her feet, Jubilee pulled a disc from the back of her pants that had been hidden under her shirt, grinning off to Marie as she popped it into the player. Rushing over to sit down at the feet of her friend, she snatched the remote from Logan to get it playing.
"Ladies, Gentlemen. I'd like to introduce our captive audience to his first Brad Pitt movie." Jubilee giggled, the boys and Logan alike groaning while the girls laughed.
"Oh you didn't?" Marie asked, ruffling her friends hair.
"I'm sure it's one we can all enjoy." Jubilee smiled, following Pete as he wandered about the bed to settle down with her.
"My name is Turkish." The narration started.
"Funny name for an Englishman I know..." Marie, Jubilee and Bobby all chorused.
Looking between them all, Logan settled in to watch as the lights were dimmed to darkness. All that mattered to him was the smile on his loves lips and the enjoyment of time spent with friends. As much as he wanted a beer, he settled for the club soda that came with the last to join the impromptu get together. A fight to find space by that point, Ororo found a place near the window as Kurt sat nestled down between Kitty and Theresa.
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Sitting in the den outside his door with it open a crack, Marie sat in the company of both Moira and Hank over tea, a folder that bore her name sitting ominously on the coffee table. It almost seemed archaic in this day and age she mused, curled up with a blanket and her neglected book off on the end table. Leaving Logan to his rest, having fallen asleep after the movie, she had retreated to try and wind her mind down with a bit of reading until a light knocking had come at the door.
"How is our patient?" Hank broached.
"Sleeping." Marie replied softly.
"Just how did he handle his soup and sushi?" Moira asked innocently, her face a mask of perfect composure as she sipped her tea.
Coughing on her own, Marie managed to quiet herself and listened to see if she had roused her love, not a sound aside from the borrowed fan droning on as it kept him cool. Looking sheepishly to the woman across from her, Moira reassured her with a pat on the knee.
"Theresa is a good lass but she cannae lie to save her life, I'll have a list of dos and don'ts for him by the morrows lunch. Cranky as he'll be, keep him away from his morning cup." Moira promised, easing the tension.
"Decafe?" Marie asked, trying to find a middle ground.
"Water. I'll leave ye with this little cup for him to fill. Heavy Metal poisoning is nea a pretty thing and most colleges o' mine think I've been having a bit o' the spirits in my mug when I go asking about Adamantium." Moira explained, taking a sample cup from her lab coat to rest on the table.
"It's that rare?" Marie asked, Hank and Moira sharing a look.
"Through security clearances and favours I've obtained a sample for Moira to work with, roughly the size of a dime and as I understand it the monetary value would leave you able to buy a nice apartment in New York." Hank remarked, pulling a dime from his pocket to flip and snatch.
"It's a group of alloys that are all remarkable and pay for that in many ways. Henry found me a government spook report on another, Carbonadium. It was so heavily censored as to be gibberish." Moira explained, taking her glasses off to rub her weary eyes.
Hiding her face in her hands and sighing wearily, Marie hoped the news would be better than this as it left her feeling as though she were falling deeper into the fit of depression that clawed at her belly. Feeling the creak and shift of the sofa and gentle hands taking her, she eased into the embrace and let herself be hugged dearly.
"We'll figure this out Marie dear, I have good news for ye...in a sense." Moira kindly said as she curled up with her.
"While the cure was temporary, the genetic splicing it employed has...an effect on the X Factor gene. Of Moira's patients we've found all showing a similar anomaly with the inhibition. Though her patients have yet to report symptoms such as yours, I've been able to track down others reporting quite the same as you." Hank explained, taking the file out and showing the comparisons of her own X-Factor to others.
"What, I'm sorry Hank. What does that all mean?" Marie asked, looking up from her curled up place upon the sofa.
"Here there be Dragons. Uncharted territory. But I have a gift for you out of the Younger Worthington's big black box." Henry said, taking something that looked rather much like a diabetes testing kit out of his pocket.
"Big black box?" Marie asked.
"With a repentant father and a courageous and insightful son, Worthington Labs has been on the forefront of mutant research though many wouldn't know it publically. Through fronts and shell corporations he's been funding the better part of most research that lead to the cure, trying to keep the genie in the bottle." Henry remarked, taking out three of the little test strips and pricking his own finger before passing off the other two.
Pricking her finger and handing it off to him, she watched as the lcd screen scrolled a lot of unreadable nonsense though the red screen flare around held all the more meaning as Moira's own strip was placed in the little handheld device. As Henry placed his own strip in, more text flowed across though this time the screen flared green.
"In the intent of the person who pioneered it, this was a beneficial device meant to allow people to know of their inherited or recently mutated X-factor. Of course it could easily have been used in the Mutant Registration Act to screen the populous." Hank explained, handing it off to her.
"But...I, my dreams?" Marie sputtered in incomprehension.
"Mutation is a part of life, the general public might be rather alarmed to find out there are recessive X-factor Genes among them. Your current mostly inhibited X-factor acts as a recessive and if we see no change in it, it may simply be so. Our entire history have we not had stories of remarkable people, people with insight or unmatched strength? Were these fables and embellished tales, or were these...?" Henry remarked as he left the end open.
"Mutation?" Marie asked.
"Was not Samson's strength tied to his hair?" Henry posed, a toothy grin never more fierce if not for the kindness in his eyes and the eloquence of his speech.
"This is just for ye peace o' mine and if anything sudden happens, ye can test yuirself daily and know quickly. But I still want ye for a visit to I can check the progress, tell me anything that worries ye. Between ye and me, I cannae wait until yuir X-men find that twat Erik so I can have a few pints o' his blood for a peek, him and that horrid doppelganger." Moira remarked as she hugged Marie tight once again.
"Thank you both, for everything." Marie said as she looked off to the cracked door and thought of the man laying there.
"Now get some rest, the both of ye." Moira finished, taking the time to ease her down on the sofa and tuck her in with the blankets and pillows set off on a chair.
Cast into darkness with the lights clicked off and the door shut, she found sleep somewhere in between the steady breathing of the man only a door away and the fatigued that had dogged her all day as she sought to remain strong. The dreams that came to her were shadowed by her fears, but the faces of her friends helped her find her way to the new morrow without fitful waking's.
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