“Could you be any more vulgar, Creed?” Mystique drawled as soon as she saw Marie’s attire. “Are you really such an animal that you didn’t consider putting her clothes back on her? Now go get her a sweat suit from the closet over there.”
Marie was dropped rather unceremoniously on the ground then, barely able to cover her nakedness as she landed on her back. Scrambling into a seated position, Marie kept an arm over her breasts to give her at least some measure of modesty. It was a meager covering, though, and offered Marie little protection from the eyes of the other people in the room.
Keeping that protective hand on her chest, Marie slid backwards across the ground towards Logan’s prison. She wanted to be as close to Logan as possible. Close enough to hear his panicked screams and feel the reverberations as he slashed at the metal with his claws and pounded it with his fists.
“Sorry, Logan. Ah’m so very sorry. Ah never wanted ya t’ get hurt,” Marie sobbed, repeating variations of those phrases over and over as she sat with her back pressed up against the cold metal.
“Will you quit your whining, you no good whelp. No daughter of mine would whine so much,” Mystique growled, stalking over to Creed and grabbing the sweat suit from his massive hands. She tossed it at Marie, an exasperated expression on her face. “Now get dressed. It’s time for you to meet your big brother.”
Holding the clothes over her naked chest, Marie swiveled around so that she was facing the metal wall she had been leaning against before. Only when she had her back to them did Marie lower her arm. She quickly changed into the sweat shirt, relieved to feel the warm cloth covering her. Glancing over her shoulder, Marie stood up quickly and pulled on the matching sweat pants.
Only when she was fully covered did Marie turn back around.
And come face to face with Creed who was standing only inches away from her.
“NO!” Marie shrieked, backing away from him until her back collided with metal. She could feel the wall moving behind her as Logan pounded away on it, his screams barely reaching her ears.
“Quit resisting, little girl. You know it’s gonna happen sooner or later,” Creed informed her as he ran his long nail along her cheek. “You know you’ll enjoy it when it happens.”
Instinctually, Marie lashed out, smacking Creed hard across the face. Both of them were equally shocked by what Marie had done. And both of them for the very seem reason. That Marie had actually slapped him.
“You’re gonna pay for that, you little cunt,” Creed hissed, latching onto her arms painfully.
“Creed, let her go. You may have her later, but right now is a time for family,” Erik said, interrupting Creed before he could do anything else to her.
With a lewd wink, Creed spun around and stomped across the room where Toad was standing.
Marie remained exactly where she was. She wanted to stay as close to Logan as possible. Marie hoped that he would be able to sense her and perhaps take comfort from that. More than anything, Marie wanted Logan to know that she was there. She hoped that he could somehow sense her presence even through the thick wall.
Chewing nervously on her bottom lip, Marie watched the other people in the room. Erik was sitting in a large overstuffed chair, watching the door for the arrival of the two mutants. One of which Marie had been told was Erik’s son. And that the other one was her brother. Mystique was pacing back and forth, her eyes never straying far from the door which pretty much confirmed Marie’s belief that her brother was one of the new arrivals. Toad merely looked bored with the whole thing and Creed....
Creed didn’t take his eyes off her. He was staring at her, his dark eyes trailing over every inch of her body, making Marie feel naked even though she was completely covered.
“Can ya please open the door so Ah can see Logan?” Marie pleaded, turning her tear-filled eyes on Erik and Mystique. “Ah just want t’ make sure that he’s all right.”
“Then come here, my child, and you shall see your lover,” Mystique said, holding an arm out towards Marie.
Casting one final glance at the structure behind her, Marie slowly made her way towards Mystique and Erik. She ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to put it back into some semblance of order after the way Creed had manhandled her. Marie couldn’t keep from wincing as she encountered various knots that were spread throughout her long hair.
“Here is your lover,” Mystique said, pointing to the image on a screen just above the keyboard.
Marie couldn’t stop the pained whimper that escaped her lips when she saw the muted, black and white image on the screen. It was Logan, sure enough, but it was Logan in a way that she had never seen him before. It was Logan screaming and clawing at the metallic wall, creating a shower of sparks rather than damaging the metal. There was blood on his knuckles from the countless times he had punched at the wall and some more smeared on his cheeks from when he had rubbed the back of his hand against his cheeks and forehead. His eyes, though, were what frightened Marie the most. There was a wild, animalistic glint to them that caught Marie completely off guard. She was completely unprepared for the raw emotion that she saw in Logan’s hazel eyes.
“He really is no better than Creed,” Mystique said absently. “I really don’t see why you’d prefer one over the other.”
“Ah love Logan ‘cause he has a heart. ‘Cause he’s loyal an’ honest an’ ‘cause Ah know he’d never do anythin’ t’ hurt me,” Marie declared, turning her head to glare at the older woman. “Ah chose Logan ‘cause he’s Logan. No other reason than that.”
“Then you are a sentimental fool,” Erik said with a loud sigh. At the sound of the main door opening, he clapped his hands and rose from his chair, a wide grin on his face. “Ah, Pedro. You have returned!”
Marie spun around in order to see the two men that they’d been waiting upon. The first was a slim man with a shock of pure white hair, not much unlike Erik’s. If the white hair wasn’t enough to give away the family resemblance, the dark, deep set eyes were a sure giveaway. Behind Pedro stood the other man, his features hidden by the hooded cloak that he wore.
“Father, I have missed you,” Pedro said, flashing a wide grin that matched his father’s. “But I have returned with the mutant you were searching for.”
“Kurt,” Mystique gasped, just loud enough for Marie to hear.
So her brother had a name. Now all that he needed was a face. From within the deep folds of his hood, Marie could barely make out his eyes. They seemed to glow with a yellowish tint. The shade wasn’t quite as bright as Mystique’s, though. Kurt’s eyes were more of an amber colour and therefore much more beautiful than the shocking yellow of their mother’s eyes.
“You need not hide yourself here, Nightcrawler. We are all brothers,” Erik said, stepping towards the pair. He met Pedro first, embracing the younger man, before moving onto Kurt. He placed his hands on Kurt’s shoulders and peered into the depths of the hood. “You will not be hunted here.”
Very slowly, Kurt brought his hands up to the hood, grasping the edges tightly. Right away, Marie was caught off guard by the three fingers that Kurt had on each of his blue hands. In fact, when he removed his hood, Marie could clearly see that his entire face was blue.
His face revealed, Kurt ducked his head so that his dark black hair fell over his face. “I am grateful for you bringing me here,” Kurt said quietly as he pulled his hands back into the sleeves of his cloak.
“Your mother has been most anxious to see you,” Erik said, turning back to look at Mystique. There was a strange expression on his face, one that Marie couldn’t quite read.
“My mother’s here?” Kurt demanded, his head shooting back up.
Erik looked back at the boy, confirming what he had said. “Your mother is here. As is your sister. They have both missed you in your absence.”
For the first time, Kurt turned his gaze onto Marie. Their eyes met instantly and Marie saw within them something that she instantly recognized. Something that she hadn’t even known had been missing in her life.
“Marie?” Kurt questioned, cautiously stepping towards her. Mystique was completely forgotten. Something which clearly annoyed the older woman who shot a death glare at Marie.
“Ah’m Marie. Ah wish Ah could say that Ah remember ya, but Ah was too young t’ remember ya the last time we met,” Marie said softly, never taking her eyes off of her brother. “Ah remember yer eyes, though. At least, Ah think Ah do.”
“I remember yours,” Kurt told her, reaching a hand out and running a finger along her cheek. “I remember that I used to think that they were too big for your face.”
Marie laughed slightly at that, turning her head away from him. “Well Ah think that they still are. Ah hope Ah’ll grow inta them one day.”
The muffled sounds of a scream brought Marie back to reality. As wonderful as her reunion with her brother was, she and Logan were still in danger. Spinning around to stare at the monitor behind her, Marie came face to face with the image of a broken Logan. He was on his knees, clawing at a wall that he knew he’d never be able to cut through. His entire body was shaking with tremors as he sobbed into the metal.
“Logan....” Marie moaned, reaching a hand out to trace along the curve of Logan’s back. Marie whirled around almost instantly to glare at Erik. “Let Logan outta there! Yer killin’ him! Please, Ah’m beggin’ ya t’ let Logan go. Ah already said that Ah’d help ya now please let Logan go.”
Erik shook his head. “I’m sorry, my dear, but that’s not an option at this point. The Wolverine is a valuable asset and I’m not about to part with him just yet. Besides that, he is the only thing I have ensuring that you keep your promise. When you do what I need you to, I will relinquish the Wolverine into your care.... What’s left of him anyway.”
Marie once again turned her eyes to the screen, watching as Logan collapsed onto his back. Besides the blood, there were also tears streaked across his cheeks.