Marie wouldn’t be all that upset if she never had to move again. Small as the bed was, Logan was still lying there with her which made it the most comfortable place imaginable. The fact that she had Logan lying half on top of her made it that much better. Marie liked having Logan there with her. After spending the last three days apart, Marie knew that she needed this just as much as Logan did.
“How are ya holdin’ up, sugah?” Marie murmured, smoothing her fingers through his thick hair.
Logan’s answer came out as little more than unintelligible gibberish.
Grinning broadly, Marie brushed a kiss against his forehead. “Just rest now, sugah. Ah’m not goin’ anywhere. Ah’m gonna stay right here with ya.”
Logan hugged her tightly, borrowing his face against her breasts. He was making deep, rumbling noises in the back of his throat. Something that sounded a lot like purring to Marie. Whatever the noise was, Marie could see a slight smile curving Logan’s lips and knew that he was content. How long that would last, Marie did not know, but she hoped that it would last a while. Forever, even. She didn’t want Logan slipping back into that unresponsive state. She wanted him to fight. To be strong.
Sighing deeply, Marie relaxed against the pillows. She shut her eyes and just relished the feel of Logan lying in her arms. Even though she knew that Kurt could come back at any moment, Marie hoped that it would be a long time before he returned. Since she didn’t know how long it would take, Marie planned on enjoying every moment of it.
Shifting slightly, Marie pressed herself more intimately against Logan, burrowing her face against his shoulder. She was comfortable and content and had no intentions of moving for a very long time.
Pfft!!
“It’s time to go, Marie. Now.”
Marie didn’t get a chance to respond before she felt Kurt’s hand on her arm. There was the brilliant flash of light again and when it faded, Marie found herself lying on the cold ground.
“Marie, what’s--”
Logan’s question was cut off as Kurt pulled her away from him and zapped them into another area of the compound.
As soon as she got herself oriented, Marie scrambled to her feet, her eyes darting around frantically. “We have t’ go back there, Kurt! That happened way too fast! Logan’s gonna be freakin’ out!”
“There was no other way,” Kurt insisted, placing his hands on her shoulders, forcing Marie to meet his eyes. “They were almost at the door. I had to act quickly. So I did. There was no time for explanations.”
Marie moaned and lowered herself onto the floor. “Logan’s probably gonna snap now. One second Ah was there, the next Ah was gone. It’s gotta be messin’ with his head.”
“Don’t worry. As soon as they’re gone, I’ll zap you back there right away,” Kurt assured her.
“Thanks, Kurt,” Marie murmured, flashing his brother a ghost of a smile.
Kurt returned her smile. “It’s no trouble. I can see how much he needs you.”
“Y’ don’t even know the half o’ it,” Marie sighed, leaning her head back against the wall. “Has anyone told ya what happened t’ me an’ Logan?”
Sitting down next to her, Kurt shook his head. “The only thing I have been told is that you are my sister. Nothing else.”
“Well, up till ‘bout a week ago, Logan an’ Ah were bein’ experimented on by the government,” Marie said bluntly, too emotionally exhausted to skirt around the truth. “They did all sorts o terrible things to us, Logan mostly. Logan managed t’ get free somehow an’ came fer me. We went through a whole bunch o’ other shit then ended up here an’ this is the last place either o’ us wants t’ be. Ah mean, Logan has a metal skeleton. D’ ya have any idea how vulnerable that makes him t’ Erik? Anyway, Ah know fer a fact that Logan hates bein’ in small places just ‘bout as much as he hates bein’ apart from me. Which is why Ah hafta get back t’ him soon as Ah can.”
Kurt reached over and looped an arm around Marie’s shoulders. “Don’t worry. I promise that I will take you back to Logan as soon as possible. I mean it.”
“Thank you,” Marie whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder.
The two of them sat in silence the entire time. Marie wasn’t sure how long they sat in the darkened corridor, but to her it felt like a small eternity. She could feel quiet rumblings in her mind and was pretty sure that they were coming for Logan. The fact that she could do nothing about them only made her feel worse. Marie wanted Logan to be safe and hated that he was all alone and in danger while she was safe.
As time went on, the growls continued to increase in volume. They kept getting louder and louder until it was all Marie could hear. They weren’t angry growls, but said pitiful ones that broke something inside of Marie. The thought of Logan being in pain, be it emotional or physical, was something that Marie couldn’t stand. Marie wanted to put an end to it and hated that she couldn’t hold him at that moment.
The growling stopped with a suddenness that frightened Marie.
“Somethin’ is wrong,” Marie mumbled, gazing up at Kurt. “Somethin’ happened t’ Logan.”
Kurt kept his eyes on Marie’s upturned face. “How can you be sure?”
Squeezing her eyes shut, Marie raked her fingers through her hair. “Ah can feel Logan in mah head. From when he touched me. One minute he was there then suddenly he was gone. It’s just real scary ‘cause Ah know somethin’ is wrong, but Ah can’t do anythin’.”
“Then I guess we’re going back,” Kurt announced suddenly, pulling Marie to her feet.
Again, Marie wasn’t given any time to react to what was happening before she was caught up in the flash of light. She was going to Logan, though, so she didn’t protest to his lack of warning.
A second later, Marie found herself standing in the centre of the large room that housed Logan’s cell. Erik and Mystique were inside, seemingly waiting for them. Both were standing in the centre of the room, staring towards the door where Marie and Kurt appeared. Marie’s eyes went instantly to the cell that she knew Logan was in, her heart stopping as soon as she set eyes on it.
The metal wall was up.
The cell was empty.
“What the fuck did ya do t’ Logan?” Marie demanded, glaring at the two adults. “Bring him back here right now!”
“Really, my dear, such language. I’m surprised that you’ve made it so far in life with such terrible manners,” Erik commented, an annoyed expression on her face.
Marie’s eyes darkened further. “Mah manners don’t mean shit right now. What matters is that ya bring Logan back up here. An’ Ah swear that if Creed so much as touches him Ah swear that Ah’ll kill ya both.”
Marie didn’t back down as Mystique stalked towards her. She continued to glare at her mother, wanting to see what the older woman would do. Mystique certainly disappoint. The blue-skinned woman slapped Marie hard across the face, causing her head to jerk to the side.
For several moments, Marie kept her head in that position, a sneer appearing on her features as she allowed her anger to wash over her. The memory of Logan’s catatonic state still fresh in her mind, Marie turned back to glare at her mother. Marie stepped forward so that she was toe to toe with her mother, shaking her hair back over her shoulders.
“Now that’s not very mother-like,” Marie growled, pursing her lips. “Ah don’t think yer gonna win any mother o’ the year awards fer that. Now tell me where the fuck ya took Logan. An’ Ah suggest ya tell me now ‘fore Ah get pissed.”
Raising a bare hand, Marie pressed against Mystique’s cheek. She couldn’t contain the grin when she felt the older woman flinch.
“What’s the matter, Mysti? Scared o’ little ol’ me?” Marie taunted, her fear of the situation taking a back seat to her anger.
Mystique grabbed hold of Marie’s wrist and, with a quick flicker of motion, Marie found herself with her arm twisted behind her back, Mystique leaning over her shoulder. “I’d be careful if I were you, little girl. You may be my daughter, but that doesn’t mean I feel anything for you.”
“Well the feelin’ is more than mutual, bitch,” Marie hissed back, turning her head to meet the other woman’s yellow eyes.
Erik chose this moment to interrupt. He walked over to the pair, clearly annoyed with what was going on. “Since I can’t keep you from your lover in this room, I had Creed take him to a place that you couldn’t get out of. This way you have no choice but to do what promised. After that, we’ll see whether I give him back to you or not.”
Turning around, Erik pointed the remote control he was holding at the large television screen, bringing it instantly to life. All of Marie’s bravado faded when the image appeared on the screen, leaving her in tears.
Logan was in a large steel room. He was barely conscious, his eyes only half open as the camera focused on his face. The thing that caught Marie the most off guard was the fact that Logan wasn’t lying on the ground. Rather, he was suspended in midair, his body spread eagle. Marie could see his muscles straining, but his body didn’t move an inch.
Then Creed walked into the room and went straight for an immobile Logan. He raked his claws along Logan’s chest, stopping just shy of the waistband of his sweats.
Turning to grin at the screen, he sneered, “Watch this, little girl.”