One, two, three, four, five.

One, two, three, four, five.

One, two, three…

"Four….five."

The light flashed and she watched again as the sequence repeated itself, the orange light pulsating through the motel's window blinds. Despite the fact that this was a backwater town in the bowels of Canada, the only room the manager said was available was the one directly across from the obnoxiously lit sign. When he'd pointed to the room, she'd stared silently at the unkempt, scrawny man and made him squirm but stopped short of calling him on his bullshit. It had been a long drive and she was too tired to give the asshole a well-deserved verbal beat down. She knew the sole reason he'd put her in this room was so he could watch her from his office window. Pervert.

Turning away from the pulsating light, she closed her eyes again and tried to focus on her breathing, the rattle of the air conditioner, anything to force her to relax.

It wasn't working.

Marie D'Ancanto sat up in bed and looked at the digital clock atop the nightstand; it read 9:34p.m. In just over an hour, she would be in a seedy bar, preparing to to end someone's life. Another stranger. Another existence cut short because some rich, selfish bastard got his tighty whities in a wad.

She pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger and sighed as if the weight of the Western world hung on her shoulders. Once upon a time, she was a bright-eyed, hopeful teenager with dreams of becoming a veterinarian. Now, she was the perfect assassin; beautiful, smart, strong and capable of killing anyone with a single touch.

Marie looked at her bare hands. So slender yet so powerful. Erik once told her that their delicate appearance was the perfect distraction.

"Men would do anything for the chance to have those lean, nimble fingers wrapped around them in pleasure. Lust is the best weapon in your arsenal, my dear. Get close enough to make them greedy. It only takes a few moments and their desire will overtake all rational thought. Then…voila…the job is done."

Erik Lensherr had a flair for the dramatic and a definite knack for understatement. Her fingers entwined themselves with each other and her mind wandered back to that crisp fall night when her life irrevocably shifted course for the third time in less than a year.

~Ten years ago~

Marie shivered against the outside wall of the corner drugstore and pulled her jacket tighter to her body. So much for the desert being hot, she thought to herself. The neon lights of Las Vegas were a few miles away from the hotbed of scum, criminals and whores that populated this neighborhood. As she tried to distract herself from the cold wind caressing her bare legs, the memory of another night almost a year ago flashed through her head. The booming voice of her father echoed in her ears as clearly as it had the year before.

"Get outta my house! There ain't no place here for a freak like you!"

She'd stood in the driveway, watching as her father threw her clothes and a worn backpack out of the door where they landed, strewn across the grass. Her mother had stayed inside, not that she'd ever been someone to come to Marie's defense before. The hate and vitriol spewed from her father as freely as the alcohol he poured down his throat. Three days earlier, Marie had kissed her boyfriend, Cody, and put him in a coma. The doctors couldn't say whether or not he would make it.

So she'd watched as her parents ejected her from their lives because of an accident caused by what she was; a mutant. Something she couldn't control but that her parents would never accept. Sure, it would have been great if they'd been Ward and June Cleaver with reassuring hugs and a cup of hot chocolate to go along with words of love and support in this fantastically shitty time, but she knew that this was who they were. The core of Owen and Priscilla D'Ancanto was comprised of self-loathing, greed and selfishness and there was no way they would ever come close to the level of understanding she needed. Never had been. Never would be.

Marie had gathered her meager belongings into the backpack, turned around and never looked back.

The trip back down memory lane was interrupted when a black stretch limo pulled up to the curb. In one fluid motion, Marie stepped away from the wall and opened up her jacket, putting her hands on her slender hips.

The tinted window slid down and she heard a man's voice call to her.

"Miss, would you like to have some dinner and conversation this evening?"

Dinner and conversation…now that was a new euphemism for it.

"Sure, sugar."

Marie sidled up to the car and slipped inside, the warmth of the leather giving her goose pimples. The car was dark and it wasn't until they pulled up to the hotel that she saw that the man was in his seventies at the earliest. Creepers came in all shapes, sizes and ages.

She was good at reading people and knew despite his invitation that he was in no mood for pleasant conversation. So Marie had kept her mouth shut and her eyes and ears open. Only a few minutes after arriving in his extravagant suite, the man had directed her toward the bedroom and gestured for her to sit on the bed. She complied and watched as he moved toward her, his long, elegant fingers reaching toward her face as his slick tongue moistened his lips. The cat was preparing to devour the helpless bird.

Except Marie was far from helpless. As if flipping a switch in her mind, her skin became alive and she felt the tingle of her power surge through her body. When his fingertips connected with her cheek, she brought her own hand up to cover his. The man's initial smirk of lust quickly turned to a scowl as the pull of her mutation became stronger. He tried to step back but she was already draining his consciousness and he would be on the floor in less than five seconds.

His body hit the expensive carpet with a dull thump and Marie sat back on the bed, rubbing her temples as she pushed his perverse thoughts to the inner recesses of her mind. The man was unconscious and would most likely be in that state for another several days. She concentrated again and, in an instant, she felt her mutation recede.

Marie stood up and began to survey the room. Her 'date' had hung his coat jacket in the closet and there she found his well-stocked wallet. She left the leather case inside but took the cash and two credit cards – platinum, of course – for her to buy some new clothes and supplies. They would shut down the cards soon enough, but because his pin codes and account numbers were now in her head, convincing the right people she was his 'niece' for a few days would get her some nice traveling cash.

Finished with her task, she set about undressing the unfortunate man with the thousand dollar suit and arranged him in the bed as if he was simply enjoying his post coital slumber. A shiver ran up her spine at the thought of him touching her.

Marie adjusted her clothes and began to head for the door when she saw the handle begin to turn. Her instinct was to run, but diving out the window of a 36th floor penthouse was not the smartest of ideas. She couldn't fly…yet.

She kept walking, intent on telling his bodyguard that he was asleep and she was done for the night when a large man with close cropped blonde hair and a beautiful brunette walked into the room. Security? Guards? Employees? Whatever the case, she planned to stick with her original story and get the flock out of Egypt. She smiled, playing coy.

"Hey, dude's asleep. Got a little more than he bargained for, you know? So, I gotta get back to work."

As she passed by the pair, she felt the pressure of the man's large hand on her arm. "Ain't goin' anywhere just yet, frail."

The woman ignored Marie's greeting and walked further into the suite, disappearing into the bedroom.

"Victor…get in here."

He pulled Marie with him and stopped beside the woman at the end of the bed. The man's voice was deep and rough.

"He's not dead. Out cold. Breathin' is shallow."

Did he just sniff the air?

"Doesn't smell like they had sex, though." His dark eyes found Marie's. "But she could sure use a shower."

Well, that was insulting.

"Fuck you, creep. I'm not exactly living in high style like Daddy Warbucks here. I don't give two shits what you do with him, but I'm outta here."

"Wait."

Marie was only a few seconds away from turning on her skin and bolting from the room when she saw the woman physically change in front of her eyes. Her tall, dark haired form shifted and in a matter of seconds, Marie was face to face with…herself.

"What the hell?"

The woman shifted back into the form Marie had met just a few minutes ago. She smiled and stepped closer.

"Victor, let her go." The man complied and the pressure on Marie's arm was gone. "My name is Raven. I'm a mutant. This is Victor and he also has special gifts." Another step closer. "I assume that you have a rare talent as well."

Marie crossed her arms and eyed both of them warily. "Yeah. So, what do you care?"

"I think we can help you….?" Raven's tone lilted upward with the question.

"Marie. And I don't need any help. As you can see, I was just on my way out."

"And then what? You'll use his credit cards and cash, get yourself a shower and new combat boots and then…what? Steal more? Live in a motel?"

"It's worked for me so far."

"Not from what I smell, kid."

"Fuck you, Sasquatch."

His growl made her stomach clench and, instinctively, she flipped the mental switch and turned on her skin.

Raven's hands rose up in front of her chest. "Okay, let's just talk a minute. Look, Marie, I know you did something to this guy. We have a…community. Other people like us. We come together and use our talents for profit. With what you can do, you could make some good money."

She stepped closer to Marie again. "I assume you've been on your own awhile. I was too. This has been the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm rich, I do what I want and wear designer shoes. Plus, I have a family now."

Family. That was Marie's Achilles heel. If there was one thing that she craved more than anything, it was to belong somewhere. Know that there were people who had her back and wouldn't just throw her out onto the street when things got tough.

"What's the catch?"

Raven shook her head and smiled. "Smart young lady. Obviously, we have to do something to earn the money we do. Well, we take contracts and eliminate threats, help persuade people to make decisions and, sometimes, we must carefully handle delicate situations."

"You're hit men."

This time both Victor and Raven laughed. "Not entirely. It is a part of what our company does, but individual mutants can pick and choose their assignments."

If Marie had wanted to leave her old life behind, this could be her opportunity. "I'm only sixteen."

"A sixteen year old who I see can take care of herself. Now, if you wouldn't mind telling me...what is it you can do?"

She looked from Raven to Victor and back again. They may not be her best buddies yet, but she could tell they didn't intend to hurt her and they were the first people she'd met that were mutants. She would roll the dice.

"I can turn a switch on in my skin and when I touch people, I take their energy, their memories and their powers, I guess." She gestured her head to the side towards the unconscious man on the bed. "He'll be out for around four days. If I'd held on any longer I would have killed him."

"And you have his memories. That's how you steal. You know where his money is."

Marie nodded her head.

Raven smiled and moved her hands to Marie's shoulders.

"Oh, Marie. There is so much in store for you."

~ Present Day ~

Marie slung her legs over the side of the bed and spied the folder that contained the details of her assignment. Assignment. Made it sound like some innocuous school project. Marie had quickly realized after leaving that night with Victor and Raven that while her new life did, indeed, afford her luxuries, it also saddled her with the realization that her 'gift' was nothing more than a weapon to be used against other people.

Some mutants could fly. Others could heal. Even Raven's abilities could be used for great things despite the fact she used them to kill people. But not Marie's mutation. Its only purpose was to suck the life out of another human being. As Marie grew older and realized there was nothing else she could do, no other job that could afford her the independence and wealth that The Company provided, she'd accepted her fate and become the best weapon anyone had ever seen.

That made Erik Lensherr insanely happy.

Erik was the President, CEO, Master, Commander and Pied Piper of The Company. He took in any stray mutant he could find. It didn't matter if they had an amazing power or one that was less 'flashy', they all became a part of the organization in one way or another. But Marie was Erik's prize. He'd always supported her, allowed her time off when she couldn't face the idea of listening to another person's pain, gave her a shoulder to cry on and, more often lately, ended up on the receiving end of her finger as it poked into his chest.

The first time she'd killed was in self-defense. The second time was to ensure her escape. The third time was because she wanted to know what it would feel like to freeze something. After that, the mental switch she threw in order to shut off the emotion of taking another life was much like the switch she flipped to activate her power. Take out the target and don't think about who they were. Do it to live. Do it to be a part of something. Do it because it's all you're good for.

It was who she was. Marie. The Loner. The Rogue. The Assassin.

She opened the folder and looked down at the eyes that stared lifelessly back up at her; so brown and so intense.

Marie scanned the pertinent details again.

Healing factor.

Adamantium skeleton.

Feral senses.

Age unknown.

Real name; James Logan Howlett.

Fights under the alias Wolverine. Also known as Patch and Weapon X.

She knew exactly why Erik wanted her to take this assignment. Others had tried to kill Logan but failed miserably. He was practically indestructible and one mean son of a bitch to boot. The only way to eliminate him was to drain his life completely. He might be able to heal from a bullet or a stab wound, but he wouldn't be able to heal from the touch of death herself.

Marie changed her clothes, took one more look into the mirror and winked at her reflection. She looked like the perfect bait for a Wolverine.

"Showtime, sugar."

The crunch of breaking bones assaulted Logan's ears as his fists pounded into his opponent's battered face. The man was experienced and had put on a good fight but Logan was tired and wanted to get the hell out of the ring and down a beer.

"Sorry, bub."

Logan muttered under his breath and landed a right hook on the big man's jaw, making him hit the mat like a stone. The crowd cheered and whooped as Logan raised his hand in a semi-appreciative wave of acknowledgement. He made his way through the cage door, jumping off the platform instead of walking down the few steps to the floor.

The usual pats on the back and comments like 'great fuckin' fight, man' followed him as he walked toward the bar where his precious Molson awaited him. Logan's forearms hit the worn wooden surface and he took a long enough swig of the amber liquid that he had to catch his breath when he was done.

"Good show, Logan."

Logan may have owned the bar but Jack Gardien was the man behind its success. He was a large, burly former Canadian wrestler whose unpleasant physical appearance was belied by the heart of a poet and the brains of a Ph.D. Jack had taken Logan's meager little backwater saloon with the very original name of 'The Bar' and turned it into the largest and most successful cage fighting and mixed martial arts arena in Canada and probably the United States. Fighters came from all over to compete in the tournaments and the championships they received from The Bar were a genuine boon to their careers.

Logan found solace in this place after a much too long career that included everything from mercenary for hire to businessman. He was shrewd with his money and had saved up enough over his excruciatingly long lifetime to not have to worry about his income another day as long as he lived. So he'd come back to Canada and opened this place with the hope that he could stay here in peace, avoiding the ghosts of his past.

He fought for the fun of it and to keep himself sharp. But he also knew that the chance to kick his ass drew guys here by the hundreds. So he put himself in the ring as the ultimate 'undefeated' prize. One or two had come perilously close to beating him but, in the end, it was Logan walking upright out of that cage. Today, however, he didn't want to be upright much longer. He wanted a beer and his bed.

"Thanks, Jack." Another long drink. "Good night?"

"Yeah. Tourney's completely booked. We've been in the black for six months straight and that exhibition fight you're doin' next week is oversold."

"What would I do without you?"

"The same thing you're doin' now. Drinkin', fightin' and fuckin'."

Logan smiled, reached over and clapped his hand on Jack's massive shoulder.

"You should do more of the last one, old man."

"I'm doin' just fine, thanks Logan."

"One of these days, you're gonna find the right man, Jack."

"Oh, I can find the right man, just not the right gay man."

Logan laughed.

"You'd think with all the fresh meat jamming this place all the time, you could find someone that operated on your frequency."

His friend leaned over the bar and sighed. "Well, if I looked like you, I could have my pick of the litter, boss. But the only ones that seem to hone in on my gaydar are bears and freaks. You'll have to excuse me for not screwing anyone that shakes his ass in my face."

Jack reciprocated Logan's earlier pat on the shoulder. "Unlike you, of course."

Logan chuffed. "I do not screw anyone, Jack."

"I'll bet you a case of Molson that the next woman who walks through that door will be in the back room with her panties around her ankles within an hour."

"I have self-control."

As Logan spoke, Jack watched the front door swing open. The woman who sashayed into the bar was equal parts sultry and stunningly beautiful. She was dressed simply in jeans and a close fitting sweater that seemed to have been knitted by the wool gods to show off every spectacular curve of her body.

"Correction, boss. Make that twenty minutes."

Logan noticed that Jack was no longer looking in his direction. He followed Jack's gaze and turned around to observe one of the most striking women he'd ever seen enter his bar. For the first time in a long while, Logan was rendered speechless.

"Close your mouth, Logan, you're gonna attract flies."

He wanted to reply, but before he could utter the smart ass comeback, the woman turned her head and caught Logan's eye. The side of her exquisite mouth rose in a sly smile. She turned her body toward him and walked directly toward the bar. The crowd parted like the Red Sea. As she approached, Logan tried his best to remain nonchalant and in control. Her scent wafted to his nose and he took it deep into his lungs. It was earthy and natural with a hint of sweetness. So fucking good.

Control, goddammit. He did not want to lose another bet to Jack.

She leaned against the bar and he watched from the corner of his eye as she smiled at the burly bartender.

"Whiskey, please."

"That's a pretty strong drink for a young lady."

"Well, sir, it would seem I'm neither that young nor that much of a lady, so I think I'm okay."

Jack's deep laughter made Logan's chest rumble. He kept his stare focused on the cage. She turned around and joined Logan's position with her back against the bar.

"So, this the good action in town?"

Logan nodded his head.

"You a fighter or a bystander?"

"I fight sometimes."

"Yeah, you look like you could do some damage."

Pause.

"Name's Marie."

"Logan."

They stood for a few more minutes watching the fight unfold. All eyes were on Marie and Logan could see several of the men screwing up their courage to walk over and talk to her. Say something, idiot.

"You, uh, new in town?"

She tilted the shotglass and he watched as she downed the whiskey effortlessly. Oh, to be that glass.

"Just traveling through on some business. I'm here for a few days and thought I'd check out the local scene."

"Ain't much of a scene, I'm afraid."

Her chuckle wasn't girlish but deep, rich and throaty.

"Yeah, I gathered that. My options are either here or the Quickie Mart where I can watch the teenage boys bum cash off of people."

"Don't knock it until you've tried it."

Marie let out another laugh. Fine, Jack could win the bet.

"I don't see you as the Quickie Mart kind of guy."

"Appearances can be deceiving."

"I can agree with that."

Logan was about to ask about her business when he heard his name being shouted over the loudspeaker.

"Wolverine! You've been challenged!"

The crowd erupted in applause.

He shook his head and muttered not so quietly. "Ah fuck."

"I'll take care of it, boss." Just as Jack raised his hand to give the emcee a signal to knock it off, Logan interrupted with a wave of his own hand.

"Forget it, Jack. They come here to kick my ass. Might as well get their money's worth."

Logan turned to Marie and paused, allowing himself to drink in the depth of her eyes.

"Been a pleasure, Marie. Hope to see you back in before you leave town."

She nodded and watched as Logan finished off the last of his beer and put it back on the counter. Logan sighed and turned around, walking slowly to the cage as he twisted his neck back and forth, working out the kinks.

Marie spent the next several minutes observing Logan in the ring. It was obvious to her he was holding back. She began to wonder what it would be like to spar with him. Fight someone with his abilities, his knowledge…his passion. When she spotted him at the bar, it took her a second to find her composure. James Logan Howlett was much more striking in person even from twenty feet across a crowded room; the picture in his dossier didn't do him justice. His eyes were dark and piercing and his face reflected a man with a very long and detailed past. Logan wasn't exceptionally tall but he was solid and well built. He wasn't just the mindless animal that Erik portrayed him to be. He was witty, savvy enough to run a successful bar and his familial interaction with the bartender told her that Logan was trusted and respected.

She watched as Logan dodged his opponent, allowing the man to get in a few good shots now and then. Logan could have pounded the man into oblivion but he didn't. He was letting the poor guy get his money and bragging rights worth. That wasn't the trait of a soulless killer or someone who was out for their own glory. Something told her that there was much more to this assignment than she was being told.

She turned to face Jack. "Little girls' room?"

The big man pointed to his right and there she saw a door with a sign that read, 'Beauties'.

"Just watch yourself, miss. This crowd can get a might handsy."

"Duly noted."

Marie downed another shot of whiskey and walked to the bathroom, weaving her way between men of all shapes, sizes and odors. One or two managed to cop a feel as she went by but she restrained herself from kneeing them in the balls. She entered the small, dimly lit bathroom and paced quickly back and forth in the cramped space.

In the last ten years of these assignments, she'd been a machine. Get the details, observe the mark, find the best way to complete the job and, within no more than a day or two, she'd be on her way home. It was business and Marie had never allowed herself to complicate things by empathizing or getting to know her target more than necessary to achieve her objective.

But here she stood in a tiny ladies' room in a bumfuck Canadian bar wanting to get the hell out because she actually found herself attracted to the man she'd been sent to kill. It had never happened before and the sensations and emotions that surged through her were as foreign as absorbing a power for the first time. It's not like she'd been a nun. She'd been with men before and she'd certainly been able to conduct her business even when the mark was some handsome stud. So why the hell was she struggling so much with this assignment and what was it about this guy that was getting her all hot and bothered? Why was the way he spoke to her, his mannerisms and willingness to get his ass kicked by strangers getting to her?

She spun around and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Focus, Rogue."

Marie often referred to herself by her codename to get in the right mindset. She hated the name with a passion, especially because Erik and Victor said it with such reverance; as if she was the otherworldly being that deserved worship. It reminded her that she was a weapon. Something to be used and feared. Something deadly.

"Focus. You don't know this guy. He's a mark. A target. Get over the fact that he's got a body made for a serious fuck. That's not what you're here for."

Marie stepped back and closed her eyes, setting herself back on course for the task at hand; killing Logan.

xxXXxx

Logan had watched as Marie made her way to the bathroom and almost jumped out of the cage when he saw a few of the assholes touch her behind. He was getting protective over a woman – a complete stranger - he'd just talked to for a few minutes? Get a grip Howlett. Maybe Jack was right and he just needed to get laid.

He ducked another punch just in time to see Marie emerge from the ladies room and come face to face with a large patron. Logan twisted to the side, effortlessly dodging his opponent and saw the man close in on her quickly. If the crowd wasn't so deafening, he could have heard what the asshole was saying but he did see Marie's jaw set and knew whatever the man was doing, it wasn't good.

Logan turned back, landed a solid blow on his challenger's cheek and the man fell flat on his back. Before the guy hit the floor, Logan had already rushed out of the cage and was pushing his way through the congratulatory pats on the back to get to Marie's side. Halfway there, he saw her grab the man's arm, twist it behind his back and slam him into the wall. The man was at least two feet bigger than her but she managed to hold him firmly and when he pushed back against her, she pushed his arm up higher and slammed her foot into the back of his knee. When Logan came on the scene, the unfortunate soul was writhing in pain on the ground and on the verge of tears.

A lady who could take down someone that size in less than two minutes was no ordinary businesswoman. It couldn't be a coincidence that a woman with her fighting skills just happened to walk into his bar.

Marie's eyes rose up to meet Logan's piercing gaze.

"I guess I don't need to ask if you're okay."

She smirked. "Got it taken care of, thanks."

"Yeah, you did."

"So, you win the fight?"

"Yep."

"Great." Marie started walking back toward the bar. "Well, I should probably get going…"

Logan interrupted. "You want to get something to eat?"

She stared at him for a moment. "I didn't think there was even a restaurant in this town."

"There is but it ain't open until morning. I got some leftover steaks and plenty of beer at my place though."

She paused and then smiled. Jesus, even her teeth were beautiful.

"Sure."

"I live just up the road, we can walk it."

"Lead the way…Wolverine."

It was his turn to smile and she felt her chest constrict at how it lit up his face. Stop it Rogue. Focus on the job.

"Later, Jack."

Jack nodded and watched as the two of them walked out the back door. He laughed softly to himself.

"Gonna have to remind Logan to pick me up a case of Molson."

"Nice place."

"Sarcastic much?"

Marie turned and watched as Logan came through the door. He was looking at her with that smirk she'd seen earlier in the bar. The one that cracked her resolve and made her wish that James Howlett would not be dead by morning. She had to suck it up and get on with what she was made to do. Smile, dammit.

"No, I'm serious. I love cabins. I mean, I would prefer that they had running water, electricity and some cable tv, but I like being in the woods. It's calming."

Marie meant every word. She grew up in a small town and often found solace in the outdoors. The soothing sounds and smells of nature helped her escape from the chaos of her home. There were times when she would take some food and spend the day by herself, wishing that she could stay there forever.

Logan heard the change in Marie's heartbeat. Despite her anxiousness she was telling the truth. There was something about this small, two room cabin that stirred her.

"Thanks. It ain't much but it's got what I need."

He walked over to the kitchen area and began to pull steaks and a container of vegetables out of the refrigerator.

"You need any help?"

"Nah, I got it." He motioned toward the small refrigerator in the corner of the room. "You can get the beer, though."

Marie laughed and her throaty and rich voice filled the small space. "You live in a two room cabin in the middle of nowhere and you have a beer fridge?"

"A man's gotta make sure he has the necessities. Brew, food and a plasma tv with satellite and I'm set for life."

"I guess guys are just universal."

Logan grunted in agreement and set about arranging the food on the counter. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Marie looked around the room, taking interest in some of the items he had displayed here and there around his place. Typical male that he was, Logan didn't decorate. But he did keep things that were important to him. Some were reminders of good times and others were visible as a warning not to become someone he'd been not so long ago.

Marie surveyed the space, taking into account the size of the room, exits and how best to escape, if need be. Logan was an incredible fighter and she didn't want to take any chances. She only needed one good hold on him for her power to begin and...

"I'm gonna get the grill fired up outside."

His voice almost made her jump. Marie needed to be calm and collected. This was one man that would be able to read her tension and anticipation like it was a neon road sign.

"Sounds good. You need some help?"

"Nope. It doesn't take long." He stepped toward the front door and motioned to the cabinets above the counter. "If you want to get out the plates and silverware that would be great."

Smile. You're okay. You're good.

"You got it."

Logan gave her one last parting smile as he walked outside with the steaks and vegetables. As soon as the door shut, Marie stepped to the kitchen counter and, as she did just a little earlier in The Bar's ladies room, gripped the laminate surface and attempted to calm her breathing. Now she was getting angry. Marie D'Ancanto trained hours every day to be an expert fighter, knew ten different languages and was a master strategist. When she became The Rogue, she was merciless and efficient. While the money she earned made her wealthy beyond her wildest dreams, it was not what drove her. Marie's incentive was the simple knowledge that she was the best at what she did. At fifteen, she was convinced that she was a freak, unable to find her place in a world that was already fearful and distrusting of mutants.

But Erik Lensherr changed all that. He accepted Marie for who she was. Not only took her in but reveled in her ability, giving Marie a special place in The Company. Each job that he sent her on was specifically suited for her and every time she returned victorious, Erik welcomed her with champagne and a smile that was the closest thing to a father's love she'd ever had.

Here she stood in the home of the man she was sent to kill, struggling with who she was and what she'd been sent to do. There should be no question. But while she knew in her head that following through on her assignment was the goal, her heart wanted more. The Marie D'Ancanto that had been formed into the perfect weapon wanted not only to belong, but to be loved. Occasional tension relieving sex with Victor wasn't exactly romance and her profession didn't lend itself to finding Mr. Right. For the first time, she'd met someone who she sensed had the kind of strength that could match her own. It both intrigued and terrified her.

Marie sighed. This wasn't the time for her emotions to turn her into a fifteen year old girl. She was an adult and no longer had time to indulge her teenage fantasies. Her loyalty to Erik was paramount and there was no way she would return to him with anything other than another 'COMPLETED' note on the file.

With one final shake of her head to clear away the doubt, Marie set about putting the dishes and silverware on the table. Just as she set the last fork down, Logan opened the door and stepped back inside.

"Mmmm…that smells fantastic."

"Well, I ain't exactly Julia Child, but between the microwave and the grill, I do pretty good." Logan motioned to the table. "Go ahead, sit. I'll just put everything there and we can help ourselves."

Marie took one of the steaks and some vegetables and started to eat. She barely swallowed before speaking.

"Oh my God. This is the best steak I've ever had. What did you do?"

Logan smiled and shrugged. "I kill my own game up here. Plus, I've been around the block awhile and been taught a few tricks about how to cook a good piece of meat."

"You start serving this in your bar and you'll have people flocking to the place."

"Eh, it's already busy enough. I don't need any foodie snobs ruining my classy atmosphere."

She looked up, met his gaze and burst out laughing. Logan was the master of subtle sarcasm.

"So, this something you've always done? Own a bar, fight, pick up strange women?"

"The second and last one…yeah. The first one is pretty new."

His body language and facial expression told her there was something he didn't want to share. His eyes went back to his plate where he continued eating.

"Well, it looks like you're pretty good at it. The place was packed."

"It's more because of Jack than anything I do. That guy may look like a beat up prizefighter but he's a literal fucking genius."

She nodded her head. "Seems like a really good guy."

"Yeah, he's great."

There was the inevitable pause in the conversation and just as Marie had decided on her next course of conversation, Logan spoke.

"So, Marie, who do you work for?"

"Oh, well, I do survey work for the government. I go around to small towns and…"

Logan interrupted. His face was blank as he asked the question again.

"Marie…who do you work for?"

She stopped and stared into his eyes. They'd changed color from a deep, rich brown to an almost black. It reminded her of the photo in his dossier. She needed to try and get this back on course. And fast.

Marie shook her head and knitted her brown in confusion. "I don't understand. I just told you. It's a little branch of the government and we…"

His voice was calm and low, sending a shiver along her spine with its raw power.

"Don't bullshit me Marie. If that's your name. A woman who looks and fights like you doesn't just walk into the bar of a man with my past and my connections by accident. I can smell the indecision and conflict coming off you as if it were cheap perfume. You were sent by someone. I just don't know by whom and for what."

He put down his silverware and crossed his large arms over his chest.

"Was it to get information? Or are you here to kill me?"

Her jaw tensed and the words were out of her mouth in an instant.

"I'm here to kill you, Howlett."

The side of his mouth rose in that same smirk she'd seen earlier. Only this time, rather than his face shining with flirty amusement, his eyes were predatory and calculating. No wonder Erik said he was one mean son of a bitch, that look alone would make a lesser woman soil her trousers.

"You're here to kill me." He chuckled. "Sweetheart, I could take you apart in less than five minutes. You were obviously paid for this so I assume that your pimp gave you the rundown on me."

She didn't rise to his bait about being a second class hooker and watched as Logan leaned back and silver claws extended from the backs of his hands.

"I've been alive longer than you can imagine and I've survived much worse than you."

"You don't know the first thing about me, Wolverine. Or should I call you Patch. Or maybe Weapon X. You've been quite the busy little bee during your miserable lifetime. That's why my employer has paid to have you eliminated from the face of the Earth."

"Really? I don't suppose you'll enlighten me on just why I deserve to die?"

"I'm not paid to sit in judgment over my assignments, Mr. Howlett. I know you have a less than reputable past and that past has finally caught up with you."

She pushed her chair back from the table and watched Logan carefully, her body tense, anticipating his next move. The blades retracted and, once again, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I want to know the name of the person who wants me dead. I think I deserve that much."

She had never uttered Erik's name to a mark and she wasn't about to give him up now.

"I will not betray my employer."

His eyebrow rose and he smiled a big, broad grin that only served to make her angrier.

"Oh, aren't you the dedicated assassin. Okay, how about we play it this way. I'll run down a list of the people who probably want my head on a platter. Your heartbeat will tell me all I need to know."

Marie stood up, not wanting to be taunted any longer and knowing that the inevitable conclusion to this meeting was fast approaching. Logan still had no idea about her ability and she could use that to her advantage. He mirrored her movement and stood on the other side of the table, still smiling.

"Brent Jackson."

She moved to the left, watching him, waiting.

"Yelena Belova."

No response.

"Sebastian Shaw."

Shift to the other foot.

"Kia."

Watching.

"Erik Lensherr."

Marie's heart raced. Logan's grin spread from ear to ear. Why would he think Erik sent her? She felt herself needing to take a breath to stave off the confusion roiling in her mind.

"So…Erik wants me dead."

She took a step forward and stopped, looking into those deep black eyes again.

"No, he doesn't….."

Shut the fuck up, Marie. Don't fall into his trap. Stay focused on the job. Get him off balance, don't let him do it to you.

"He didn't give you the whole story, did he, Marie? Slapped down a file with my picture and a few choice phrases like 'killer' and 'animal', told you I needed to pay for my past and here you are. Ready to be a good little doggy and do what your master tells you."

"Fuck you, Howlett. Erik isn't my master. He's done more for me than I'm sure you've ever done for anyone in your sorry ass life. He doesn't want you dead, it's just a job for him."

"Oh, you can live in your little world of denial, darlin', but before either you or I bite it, you should know that he sent you here because he wants me dead. It's not some anonymous client."

The scent of her fury and confusion washed through his nostrils. She really had no idea why the fuck she was standing in the ass end of Canada about to try and kill him. Lensherr really did a hell of a job brainwashing this one. He wasn't going to delude himself, she still excited him as much as when she walked through that door, but if he had to kill the woman standing in front of him to send Lensherr a message, he was going to do it.

Marie's voice sounded far less authoritative than she wanted it to be.

"I…I'm here to do a job and it's getting done despite your lame attempts to throw me off guard."

"If I really wanted to throw you off guard, I'd tell you why Lensherr wants me dead. I'd give you all the details about how, almost 20 years ago, he and his little boy toy, Charles Xavier, tried to have me killed because I wouldn't go along with their little mutant supremacy project. If I wanted to screw with you even more, I'd tell you about when they attacked a little village in Asia because they wanted to capture a friend of mine. But in order to do that they slaughtered innocent people…including my pregnant wife. And if I wanted to drive the point home of how much Lensherr hates me, I'd tell you that after I watched Lensherr skewer Mariko with her own sword, I reciprocated by decapitating good ol' Chuck. An eye for a fucking eye."

Her voice was a coarse whisper.

"You're a goddamn liar."

"Am I? You think I'm sitting here cowering in my boots because you're here to off me? Lady, you're not the first and you're sure as hell not going to be the last to try. But I'll be damned if I'm gonna let Erik fucking Lensherr send a girl to do the job he's not man enough to face himself."

She was stunned silent. Men and women had begged for her to spare their lives before. Marie had listened to them spout bribe offers, cry and beg. But never in the last ten years had she had been confronted by the possibility that Erik Lensherr might have been lying to her. Using her.

Logan watched as Marie's hands clenched and unclenched as if she was literally wrestling with herself over what to do next. The aroma of her rage was dissipating and being replaced with worry and anxiousness. Lensherr was the most selfish bastard he'd ever known…and he'd known some fucking selfish bastards in his time. He'd taken this girl, trained her and sent her out as an assassin all the while making her believe she was doing the world a favor by eliminating 'threats'. He knew she was good, she'd proven a capable fighter back in the bar. She may even believe killing people is the only thing she's good at, but the fact that she was even having this conversation with him right now proved that she was as much of a natural murderer as he was a gardener. Being taught to become something was entirely different than being meant to do something. And this woman was not meant to be Erik Lensherr's hired gun.

He watched as she stepped backwards, still alert but avoiding his eyes. Her heartbeat was rapid and the scent of her sweat was overwhelming the room. He could tell that she'd made the decision to retreat but he needed some answers before she left. Logan toned down his voice to be less aggressive. She was acting like a paranoid rabbit about to bolt out the door.

"Look, Marie. I'm sorry if what I told you was a shock, but it's true. You're right, I have a past and I've ton a shitload of crappy and stupid things. But Erik Lensherr is feeding you a line of complete bullshit. He wants me dead. Fine. But he's going to have to do it himself."

Logan took a few slow steps toward Marie and tried again to get her to say something.

"If you don't want to tell me why he sent you here, that's okay. But I need to see Lensherr. I…"

A mask of anger contorted Marie's exquisite features and her voice was the complete opposite of the sultry tone she'd used on him earlier.

"You think I'm that fucking stupid to give up the only man who's ever given a rat's ass about me? Erik Lensherr might not be an angel, but he's proven himself to be more loyal to me than anyone in my goddamn life. If he wants you dead, it's for a good reason. You can spout all the stories you want, but I trust Erik and you are simply the next in a long line of jobs."

Now it was Marie's turn to step forward and Logan didn't flinch. He watched her carefully, waiting for her to pull a weapon because there was no way she was going to overpower him with a punch. Logan called her bluff and closed the distance between them.

"Now what, kid? You try to knock out a guy with a metal skeleton? I'm not going down as easy as the asshole in the bar, you know."

"Trust me, Mr. Howlett, I pack more of a punch than your adamantium."

Logan smiled and watched as she brought her right hand up and reached toward his face. She hadn't shown any signs of being a mutant, but if she worked for Lensherr, it was a good bet there was some kind of power simmering underneath those spectacular curves. He clutched her bare wrist in his large hand. This was not how he'd planned to touch that creamy white skin for the first time. Despite the fact that she planned on killing him, it didn't lessen his desire for her. He'd screwed enemies before, made for pretty awesome sex.

"How about we stick with the original plan and you and I just fuck each other to death."

There was a small but very distinct spike in her pheromones and, for a moment, Logan thought her wry smile held the faintest glimmer of sadness. The sultry voice was back as Marie spoke.

"You'll get fucked, Howlett, but not the way you want."

Logan's smile was wiped from his face as he felt all his strength being pulled from his body. He tried to back away, tried to call out, but it was as if he was frozen in place, watching as the darkness crept from the sides of his vision until there was nothing left but blackness. Her voice echoed in his ears as if she were speaking to him from the bottom of a well.

"Goodbye Wolverine."

Erik Lensherr stood looking out the window of The Company's Westchester compound. Once the home of his late partner and lover, Charler Xavier, it housed not only the operations offices but also served as the command center, living quarters, laboratory and medical facilities. Charles and Erik had built The Company together, sharing grand dreams of what it could become for all mutantkind. Charles, of course, was more of an optimist and looked forward to a utopia that Erik knew in his heart would never materialize. After Erik recovered from the devastation of Charles' death, he'd dedicated himself to furthering his own cause; the complete domination of homo superior.

Marie D'Ancanto was the key to making his plans come to fruition. He turned from the glass and looked again at his computer screen. Normally, Marie would email or call after she'd had a chance to survey the target. In some cases, Marie was efficient enough to complete the job in a matter of one day. That was rare as she was a woman that liked to take her time to ensure the assignment went completely well. But not having heard from her was making him anxious and it wasn't because he was necessarily concerned for her safety.

Lately Erik had begun to suspect that Marie was not fully invested in her work. She'd begun to argue with him more, hesitate when he asked to meet with her, not answer her phone. They were little signs but ones that added up over the course of time. He'd begun to doubt that sending her to kill James Howlett without more preparation was the best course of action. She would obviously be able to access Logan's memories and would be confused when the job was over. But there was no way to prepare her for the encounter without divulging more information than he was willing to at this time. Marie was strong and he believed she was loyal to him, but she was still a young woman with ideas of her own. No, it was best to make sure she was kept at arm's length until it was the right time. Then she would be ready. Then everything would be perfect.

The door to Erik's office flew open and Victor Creed stormed in, looking more angry than usual.

"Where the hell is she Erik?"

The elder man let out a small 'tsk, tsk, tsk' and sat down in his plush chair. "Victor, one of these days that temper of yours is going to get you in real trouble."

Victor continued to the large desk and slammed his hands on the wooden surface.

"She should have contacted us by now and you know it."

Erik both heard and felt the growl emanating from the large man's body.

"You should have let me go with her."

"And what would you have done, Victor? You know Marie had to be the one to do it or else we would not have what we need to move forward."

Victor stepped back and began to pace the floor slowly.

"You mean you wouldn't have what you need. Marie wasn't ready for Howlett, Erik. She's good but she's not ready for him."

"Stop acting like a jealous boyfriend, Victor. Marie has been training for this for ten years. She's more than capable of handling herself in any situation."

Erik's eyes drifted to the framed picture of Charles on his desk.

"Besides, I'm finished waiting. Fate denied me my revenge for too long. It's time."

"You're a fucking bastard, Erik. If she dies, you know Raven is going to eat you alive. And I'll be there with a knife and fork, ready to dig in, old man."

The soft ringing of Erik's private phone line interrupted the argument. He looked up at Victor and smiled.

"See now, that must be Marie."

His long finger pressed the speaker button and both men heard the light hum of the phone line.

"Hello?"

Silence. Victor and Erik caught each other's eyes and waited a moment.

"Marie? Is that you? We were worried, my child. Did everything go as planned?"

Victor's enhanced hearing picked up the faintest sound of her breathing. She was there alright.

"Fuck Marie, talk to us, girl."

One more beat passed and then her voice came over the phone line. Her tone was hushed and as much of a growl as Victor's had been earlier.

"You lied to me Erik."

He'd been expecting a severe reaction, time to spin the web a little tighter.

"No, my dear. I didn't lie to you. I knew that the information you would discover from Logan's memories would be disturbing and I didn't want you to feel confused about the assignment. Come home and I'll explain everything."

Marie's voice remained low but the anger was clear. "Explain what, Erik? Explain how you never told me that Howlett had worked with you in the past? That when he disagreed with what you were doing, he left but you tracked him down like an animal? Would you like to explain killing innocent people and murdering Logan's wife and unborn child?"

Erik summoned his most calm and authoritative voice. Marie responded well to firm direction and she'd never disobeyed him before.

"Marie. I know Logan's memories are intense. But the man has been through experimentation and other things that have altered his mind. You can't trust what you see in your head but you can trust me. Now that the job is finished, come back to the mansion."

Another pause.

"Marie?"

"I'm not coming back."

Victor stopped pacing and stared at the phone.

Erik sat forward in his chair. In the ten years since Marie D'Ancanto had come to The Company, she had always been compliant and willing to do whatever Erik had asked of her. Yes, she was stubborn and, from time to time, Erik had been on the receiving end of Marie's anger. But she'd never displayed any indication that she would be disloyal. If she didn't return, it would be the end of his plans.

"Now, child, I understand you need to take a few days. This was a difficult assignment and you must be exhausted. But you have to return, Marie. We need to help you and there are other missions to be completed."

"It's not about other missions, is it Erik? You want me back because of what I know. That isn't going to happen."

Victor had never heard Marie so forceful before. It would be a turn on if he wasn't so fucking pissed.

"Marie…girl…you get your ass back here. This is where you belong. You know it and I know it. Whatever bullshit Howlett shoved into your head, we can get it fixed."

"No, Victor. Tell Raven goodbye for me."

"Marie…please, child, let us…"

The click and subsequent dial tone reverberated through the room.

Erik clutched the armrests of his chair.

Victor roared. "This is all your goddamn fault, you son of a bitch!"

"Shut up, Victor."

"You knew this could happen and you didn't let me have her back!"

"Victor, you will find her. You will bring her back and everything will be fine. All will proceed according to plan."

"I'm gonna to find her but it's sure as hell not for you, Lensherr."

Erik watched as the large man marched out of the office, leaving him alone. He sat back in his chair and rubbed his hands over his face. This was simply a small bump in the road. She would return; either willingly or not, she would return.

xxXXxx

Marie looked at the prepaid cell phone in her hand and sighed. She put it on the ground, picked up a rock and used it to smash the device into pieces. Gathering the shattered plastic into her hands, she deposited it into the bag it came in and threw it back into her car and shut the door. It was six in the morning and The Bar's parking lot was deserted. The fighters, hangers-on and wannabes had all cleared out in the early hours of the morning. Marie had watched as Jack locked up and left only an hour ago.

She leaned against her car and looked up the road where the warm glow emanating from the windows belied what lay inside. Standing for a moment before she began to walk up the road, Marie inhaled deeply and was rewarded with the rich scent of the pine trees mixed with the aroma of moist earth. Logan's enhanced senses were still in overdrive and she was reveling in being able to see motion in the woods that would have previously spooked her. The sounds of the animals and the rush of the wind in the leaves were as loud as if she were listening to them through headphones. It must take some adjustment to not be completely overwhelmed by one's own senses on a constant basis.

As she traveled the narrow path to Logan's cabin, Marie was also adjusting to the onslaught of Logan's memories. There had been so much she hadn't expected to learn about the person she'd been sent to assassinate.

Marie had been lead to believe that James Logan Howlett was a man of singular purpose; someone who loved a good fight and was solely out for himself in all matters. Erik had told her that their client had wanted Logan dead because of what Logan had done to his family and his business and that the information she would recover would be valuable to The Company.

But when Logan's memories began to flood her mind, she saw the opposite of what Erik had described. Logan was a man who had led a complicated life filled with more passion, pain and regret than she could ever imagine. While Logan had plenty of selfish tendencies, he was not a narcissistic individual. He'd had plenty of opportunities to profit materially in his life, but he'd chosen paths that allowed his friends and loved ones to benefit or to be protected. Logan's desire to safeguard the people he cared about was what set this entire chain of events into motion. Ironically, the only person Marie had ever protected was herself. That was about to change.

Marie approached the door to the small cabin and took a long breath, preparing to deal with the aftermath of what she'd done. She opened the door and, at the same time her mind was registering that Logan's body was gone, Marie felt the impact of Logan's larger frame slamming into her chest. The two of them flew backwards out the front door and landed on the ground with a resounding thump. Logan hovered over Marie with his claws extended and positioned only a fraction of an inch from her throat.

His voice was thick with rage.

"I should fucking kill you right now."

She didn't back down and met his dark eyes with no fear or hesitation.

"Yes, you should."

Marie could smell Logan's scent shifting from anger to confusion. His eyebrow raised slightly and his head cocked to the side.

"This ain't a game, girl. Lensherr sent you to kill me. Give me one reason why I shouldn't take your head off."

"You have to take my head off. Because if you don't, your friends won't be safe anymore."

Logan shifted slightly but kept the silver blades pointed at Marie's throat. He could smell that she was dead serious.

"Now you're threatening my friends? You should have killed me, lady, because I ain't in the mood for Lensherr's shit."

"Let me up."

"No."

"Logan, let me up and I'll tell you why you need to end me. I'm not going to fight you."

He stared at her again and sat back on his heels, keeping his claws extended and pointed in her direction.

Marie sighed and ran her hands through her hair.

"My mutation is that when I touch people – human or mutant – I can activate my skin so that I absorb their life force, if you will. I take their memories and, in the case of mutants, their powers. If I kill that person, the memories and abilities become permanent. If I only disable the person, whatever I absorb dissipates over time. The problem is, you…" She tapped the side of her head. "…aren't fading. Everything I took from you is still as vivid as the minute I touched you and that's just never happened. So now I'm stuck with your fucking nobility and hero complex. "

Logan was listening intently. "You've got my powers…and my memories?"

She shook her head. "Yes. I was going to hide, expecting everything to go away, but it's not. Erik said he was sending me here for two reasons. First, you're obviously a pain in the ass to kill. You heal and that indestructible skeleton doesn't exactly help matters. Second, he said you had some information from your past that could help The Company."

Marie could see the dots connect themselves in Logan's mind. "Fuck. He wants…"

"Jean Grey and Carol Danvers, yes."

"But, I don't get it. If he wants them, there are other people who know where they are. Not many, but he could have gone around me to get to them if he really wanted to."

Marie shrugged. Logan was repeating what she'd been rerunning in her head all night. She didn't quite understand why Erik would lie to her about killing Logan knowing she would get his memories and why he was so insistent Marie be the one to carry out the assignment. He even refused to let Victor or Raven come along as her back up.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Logan. All I know is what I'm getting from your memories. Jean was instrumental in some kind of psychic project so I get why he wants her back. But Carol was just your partner and teammate. With her abilities, it's highly unlikely that he'd be able to get her to return so why go through the trouble to get me to kill you for the information?"

Logan was sitting on the ground now, his claws retracted and his arms resting on his thighs. "He's up to something but I'll be damned if I know what it is."

"I wish I could have more time to find out."

Marie sat up straight and reached forward slowly, taking Logan's hand in hers. She closed his fist and brought it up to her chest.

"You need to kill me now."

"Look, Marie, I was really fucking angry. Lensherr used you, I don't want to…"

"Logan, this isn't an option. He couldn't send a telepath to get this information because telepathy doesn't work on you. But it does on me. If he gets ahold of me, and Victor Creed won't stop until he gets me back, he'll use a telepath to extract that knowledge and your friends will be found. I can't guarantee that your memories will fade at all and I don't want to take the chance. I haven't lived the noblest life the past ten years but it's time I get my head out of my ass and stand up for something other than myself. I guess I can thank your personality traits for that. I was pretty content being a selfish asshole my entire life."

He removed his hand and stood up, pacing back and forth, his scent shifting between anger and frustration. Less than twelve hours ago this woman tried to kill him and, yet, when he looked at her he knew she wasn't a heartless murderer. She was as much of a victim of her circumstances as he'd been.

"I'm not gonna kill you, Marie. We're not exactly best buddies here, but I'm not going to eliminate you because it's convenient. There's got to be another way."

"I was afraid you'd say that." She stood up and brushed the dirt off the back of her pants and sweater.

"It's going to be a bit tough since I have this healing factor now, but I'm sure I can find someone who can do it. Sorry to have caused you all this trouble, Logan. Take care."

Marie began the walk down to the parking area, going through the people in her head who she could pay to kill her. It would have to be a beheading to make sure she wouldn't heal. She only hoped that she wouldn't heal and end up some kind of bizarre headless and bodiless monster. That would not be a fun way to live life. She chuckled and heard Logan's footsteps coming up behind her.

"Look, kid."

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not a kid, Howlett."

His paced quickened and she felt his hand on her upper arm, urging her stop.

"I know you're not a kid, Marie. And call me Logan, for chrissakes. I appreciate you being willing to protect my friends but there's got to be another way for you to do it. You go with me, we'll hole up and try and figure this out."

"I tried to kill you."

"Yeah, well, I got better."

Marie laughed and shook her head. She saw Logan's mouth rise up in a gentle smile and that small kindness made her want to cry. Marie may have had a lifetime of training in being a cast iron bitch, but she knew that the man standing in front of her might be her only chance at redemption. She shook off her melancholy and smiled back.

"Great. Let's take a road trip."

"Yeah, gonna be one for the record books. Let me get some stuff and we'll get going."

"I can go back to my hotel and meet you back here in about thirty minutes."

Logan had begun to walk back up the road, but stopped in his tracks and turned around abruptly.

"The hell you are. From now on, Marie, you don't leave my sight, got it?"

His reaction made her hackles raise, it was too reminiscent of Victor and his possessiveness. She felt her anger rising.

"I'm not going to give up your friends, Logan. You don't have to keep me under guard 24/7 like a prisoner. I'm not going to bolt."

Logan took only a few steps and he was back standing right in front of her, his fists clenching at his side.

"It's not about you bolting, it's about being able to protect you." The aroma of his tension wafted to her nose. "If I'm going to help you, you've got to trust me."

She sighed.

"Right. Sorry. I guess I'm just not used to someone wanting to help me without expecting something in return."

"I ain't Lensherr, darlin'. And I sure as hell ain't Creed."

He stepped backward and motioned for her to follow.

"C'mon."

Marie walked beside Logan in silence to the cabin, wondering if this is what it felt like to have a friend.

Marie and Logan managed to leave Logan's place within the hour. They knew it wasn't an option to take a car that could be easily traced so they left her rental car in a ditch on the side of the road. To avoid the possibility of Marie's creepy front desk admirer spotting Logan's vehicle, he'd parked down the road and followed Marie as she broke into her room from the outside. She'd tried to convince him to wait for her, knowing that Victor would be able to smell his scent even if was days old, but the only compromise she could get was his agreement to stay outside in the treeline as she gathered her things.

After that, they'd taken to the road and made good time as they traveled. Two hours had passed with only brief stretches of conversation between the two of them. Both could sense each other's tension and Marie continued to sort through Logan's memories in the hope of unraveling Erik's motivations behind sending her on this assignment. It wasn't working.

"So…which one of your hidey holes will we be crashing, Howlett?"

The annoyance was evident in his voice as he spoke.

"Do you know how frustrating it is that you have all of my memories and I don't know the first goddamn thing about you? Except that you get paid to kill people and apparently like beef jerky."

She stopped chewing on the strip of leathery beef and glared at Logan.

"I didn't before I absorbed you, Howlett. Thanks to you now I have a previously unheard of love of cigars, dried meat and slightly warm beer."

Logan didn't hide his smirk. "Don't say I never gave you anything."

The silence descended upon them again. After a few minutes, Logan was the one to initiate the conversation.

"So since you know everything about me, how's about giving me a little rundown on you. Only fair, I think. Let's start with your name."

Marie sighed, knowing that offering up her life story was probably the least she could do for trying to kill the guy.

"My name is Marie. Last name D'Ancanto. I've been working for Erik since I was sixteen. Victor and Raven found me when I was depriving some rich guy of his extra cash."

"Ballsy."

"Yeah, well I had to grow some or I'd be cowering under a bridge somewhere. My mom and dad were sort of the anti-parents. Everything they should have done to raise a good kid took a back seat to drinking, drugs and pulling cons. When my mutation surfaced, I ended up putting my boyfriend into a coma. They freaked out and threw me out on my ass."

Marie could sense Logan's anger rising. It smelled different than the rage he'd exhibited earlier; it was tinged with sorrow. She stole a glance at his face and saw his jaw tense.

"So when I saw the chance to make some money and be with people that were like me, that cared about me, I took it."

"You think Lensherr cares about you? That guy is one of the most selfish sons of bitches I've ever come across. And that's sayin' something."

"Yeah, well, he always had my back. Always. I was his golden child. He gave me plum assignments, sent Victor and Raven with me as back up, and pretty much spoiled me rotten. Part of me knew he was doing it because I was valuable to The Company, but I so much wanted to believe that he actually cared for me that I didn't let myself see the truth until it was too fucking late."

She could feel the stinging in the corners of her eyes and the tension in her chest as her tears threatened to come. She wouldn't cry. Marie hadn't allowed herself the luxury of crying since she was a young girl and she wasn't going to start now. She shoved the emotion back down, encasing it as tightly as the memories and voices of the others she had absorbed.

Logan heard Marie's attempts to control her breathing and smelled her perspiration. Despite the fact that the woman had just attempted to murder him less than a day ago, he couldn't help but be drawn to her. There was a strength about Marie D'Ancanto that he'd seen when she walked into his bar. He could see that she knew how to use that strength to her advantage and take care of herself. But it was also obvious that just underneath her toughness was a vulnerability that he recognized in himself.

"It's okay to feel something, darlin'. You trusted the guy, he betrayed you."

"Emotions just get in the way. When you trust people, you open yourself up for getting screwed. And I'd prefer to get fucked on my own terms."

"Sweetheart, one of these days you're gonna find out that it's better to let people in rather than keeping them out."

She shook her head, too tired to try and radiate the tough girl aura any longer. She was exhausted; and it wasn't just from the stress of the last twenty four hours. Her entire life had been a fight for survival; a battle to keep herself both sane and safe. First she had to tiptoe through the landmines of her parents' insane life, and then she had to manipulate her way through The Company. While Erik saw her as a prize, the others viewed her as a threat. Marie constantly had to supplant other mutants who wanted to usurp her position as Erik's favorite. Sometimes it was a physical altercation, other times it was psychological. But her guard never went down.

And then there were Victor and Raven. Raven attempted as much as she could to be a confidant for Marie but Marie's instincts were too attuned. Marie knew that anything she might reveal to Raven would be reported directly back to Erik. Victor was no better. Although the man was as much of a pit bull for Erik as Raven was, Victor had taken to Marie as if she was his personal pet. When she was young, he watched her with an intensity that made her both shudder and bristle with excitement. After she turned eighteen, Victor began his dogged pursuit. He would stalk her in the hallways, find her when she was vulnerable – whether it was in the locker room just before a shower or upon returning from a mission. He was too smart to try and rape her; he knew Marie would kill him in a heartbeat. But he wore down her resistance and appealed to her physical needs. Victor was damn good at satisfying those.

But a good fuck did not a relationship make. They were using each other and she knew it. She couldn't really play the victim, Marie chose to close herself off to other people. Sure, it was difficult not having anyone to confide in; to share her troubles, her dreams or her joys, but after so many years, it would feel strange to trust anyone so intimately.

Marie glanced over again and looked at the man driving the sleek black pickup truck. He could have easily complied with her request to kill her. After all, she could compromise his friends and jeopardize everything he'd fought for. But he didn't. He'd chosen to trust Marie enough to help her.

"You can afford to let people in, Logan. They trust you and you're a friend. You fight for what you believe in. The only thing I'm good for is sucking the life out of people. I'm nothing more than a weapon."

Weapon.

The word hit Logan as hard as any punch. The government had turned him into a weapon for their own purposes. He'd killed for other people, for the mafia, for himself. At one time, he thought that was the only thing he was good for. It had taken the faith of his friends and the women in his life to help him understand that he was better than that. Marie was better than that.

"You're much more than a weapon, Marie. Fucking Lensherr just let you believe that's all you were meant to do because it helped serve his purposes. Don't buy into his bullshit."

"Yeah, got it."

"I mean it."

"It's kind of hard to look at what I do as a 'gift'. I destroy people, Logan. Take their souls, their memories, everything. I'm the Grim fucking Reaper."

"If you were, you'd enjoy doing it. And you don't."

She put her head back on the leather headrest and closed her eyes.

"I thought I did. I thought I finally found my niche. I'm good at what I do. But it doesn't mean watching someone die in front of me while listening to their last panicked thoughts helps me sleep well at night."

"You've got my memories, kid. You know the shit I've done. It eats me alive some nights knowing what a cruel bastard I've been in my life. But you can leave it behind and start over. I did."

"I don't think Erik will let me."

"Fuck him."

Marie's gentle laughter filled the small compartment.

"I'm not his type."

"I ain't kidding here. You don't have to be his puppet anymore. I won't let him use you as his personal killing machine."

She turned her head and saw him glance her way just long enough to catch her eyes. He meant it. It was evident on his face. Marie looked again out the front windshield of the truck and watched as the canopy of green sped past them. She was unprepared for the realization that rushed through her head. Marie sat up straight and grabbed the dashboard as if it would anchor her spinning thoughts.

"Oh fuck."

Logan was so surprised at the change in Marie's demeanor that he almost slammed on his brakes. He sensed her rapid heart rate and breathing. Marie was panicking.

"Marie, what is it?"

"Personal killing machine. He sent me to you because you knew where Jean and Carol were."

Logan didn't say a word. He was concentrating on her train of thought.

"I kill you, get their locations and then I've got your healing factor and senses. After that I go after Jean and absorb her telepathy to finish this project he's got, which is why you hid her in the first place."

"Okay. Then what the hell does Carol have to do with it? She was my teammate and helped Jean escape, but that's it."

"She's practically invulnerable and can manipulate energy…there's got to be something he wants with that."

Logan was seeing it now. "He sent you on other missions too…and they weren't just mutants were they?"

She nodded her head. "A few scientists and an engineer."

"Goddamnit, Marie. Erik wanted you to be his weapon. Whatever Jeannie was working on with him, he wants to finish. And you're the way he's going to get it done."

Marie didn't know whether she wanted to throw up or jump out of the truck. She'd killed people for Erik. Believed that it was the only thing she could do. She'd justified her life in every way possible and because she was too fucking naïve and stubborn, Erik had managed to play her like a Stradivarius.

The Logan inside of her wanted to rage; find Erik and tear him apart.

The Anna Marie inside of her wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.

Her hands fell back to her sides and she closed her eyes. Her voice was a whisper.

"You should have killed me."

"No. You don't deserve to die because Lensherr wants to use your powers for himself. I was given a second chance and you get one too."

Marie felt Logan's hand cover her own. It enveloped hers with a strength and gentleness that gave Marie a sense of security and peace that she'd truly never known. Her trust in him wasn't simply because she'd absorbed James Logan Howlett's deepest memories and emotions. From the instant she'd spoken with him in the bar, Marie had felt a connection with him. Despite her instinct to close herself off and withdraw her emotions, she dared to hope that Logan would be the one person in her life that would come through for her.

She turned her palm over and gripped his hand, feeling more vulnerable than she had on that night over ten years ago when she'd stood outside her home and watched as her life was flipped upside down. But now she had someone who had her back.

Marie prayed that would be enough.

The darkness was complete. Marie strained her eyes to make out anything familiar but the more she pushed, the more the darkness consumed her.

You are my conduit, Anna Marie.

The tendrils of Erik's smooth voice wound their way around her; echoing from all directions. She turned to her left and to her right, hands outstretched, hoping against hope that she would find her way out.

Embrace it, child.

As if he'd spoken a command, Marie felt her body grow warm. It was then she noticed the light. Dim at first, then growing brighter and more intense. She looked outward for the source and then caught sight of her hands – they glowed more luminously than the sun and yet the warmth was not uncomfortable. Marie looked up and saw that there were people gathered around her. Some she knew – Raven, Victor, Domino – others were strangers.

Their blank stares brought a chill up her back. This was wrong. It was all wrong.

Marie turned her head to the left and saw Logan making his way toward her. Suddenly, she was gripped with panic.

Logan, no.

The words wouldn't come forth from her mouth. Her hands outstretched in front of her, telling Logan with her actions what she couldn't say with words. He had to go. Get back. Run.

The light began to pulsate and grow brighter. Her audience moved a few steps closer.

Please, no. Please Logan.

Marie caught the face of Erik Lensherr in the back of the crowd, grinning, laughing and beaming with almost maniacal joy.

The luminescence flowed over everyone in the room, looking like something that would beam down from the heavenly gates. But that angelic light turned into something from the bowels of hell. The people in front of her began to disintegrate as the brightness intensified and burst forth from Marie's body.

Logan's eyebrows knitted together in a combination of confusion and worry. And then he was gone.

Marie screamed.

She awoke to the feel of Logan's strong hands rubbing her back and the soothing tone of his deep voice close in her ear.

"Darlin', wake up. Marie, you're safe."

Marie turned on her back and looked up to see Logan's face dimly outlined in the soft light of morning. She was alright, Logan was alright. It was all a dream. She hadn't had one in years – maybe it was part of her ability to shut out her victims' thoughts and memories that suppressed any nightmares. But this seemed almost like a scene of things to come. That thought made her shudder.

She pressed her hands to her eyes and felt Logan's hand move to stroke her hair. They'd been driving for two days and she was still very attuned to every change in Logan's emotions. Right now, his heartbeat, perspiration and breathing told her that he was immensely concerned for her…even protective.

Marie normally brushed aside her feelings with a smart ass or bitchy comment but, in this moment, it just wasn't in her to try and gloss over what had happened. She knew that Logan wouldn't buy it anyway.

"That fucking sucked."

Honesty, ain't it grand.

"Was it one of my memories?"

"No, this was a Marie specific mind fuck."

She put her hands back down and looked up at Logan's face. Even in the semi-darkness, she could see his striking features. His scent assaulted her. Logan had insisted on sharing one motel room and they'd managed to secure the last one with two double beds. When they'd gone to bed the previous night, Logan was lying on top of the covers fully clothed but now, he was next to her clad only in boxers. It was difficult enough to tune out the smell of him when he was a few feet away. With him practically on top of her, the desire she felt for him overwhelmed her and she was in no mood to play coy any longer.

Marie brought her hand up and caressed his face. Logan's stubble was thick after days without shaving. She ran her hand down his neck and across his arm, his skin surprisingly soft for a man with such a violent past and habit of skewering his enemies.

He growled low in his chest and she felt him tense as her fingers trailed across his chest, feeling the soft hair on his taught body. Logan's breath hitched as Marie paused, caressing one of his nipples. Turning her head, she found that her lips met easily with the crook of his neck and when she snaked her tongue out to taste his flesh, Logan shuddered.

"Marie, I'm trying real hard to hang on to the last shred of that hero and nobility complex you talked about. But if you keep touchin' me, it's gonna disappear real fast."

"Logan, we both want each other so could you shut up and fuck me already?"

The speed at which he moved across her body was amazing. Before she knew what happened, Logan shifted himself and covered her with his torso, his legs scissored between her thighs. His lips hovered so close above hers that she could almost taste him.

"This ain't just a fuck to me, Marie."

It wasn't roses and poetry, but it was what she wanted to hear. By way of an answer, she pushed her neck forward and pressed her lips to his, gently but firmly delving her tongue into his mouth, seeking, exploring and tasting.

Logan wanted to rush it, to unsheathe his claws and cut her clothes from her body so he could take her every which way from Sunday. But her response to him since the encounter in his cabin had been reserved and wary. He knew her world had been shifted on its axis and he hadn't wanted to complicate things by saying something stupid like how in only two days, he'd found that he'd grown to care deeply about her. That she was amazing and strong and…oh goddamn her hands were moving under his boxers and grabbing his ass.

He broke the kiss and the words rumbled in his chest.

"Shirt. Off."

Yeah, he sounded like a neanderthal but so the fuck what. He balanced himself on his wrists and watched as her arms moved down and grasped the end of her shirt. Slowly, Marie moved the fabric over her head and Logan grabbed it from her and threw it across the room. The morning light was brighter now and it streamed through the curtain and illuminated her skin. He caressed her nipples and watched as they puckered with his touch. The smell of her arousal flooded his nose. Logan trailed his tongue down the valley in between her breasts before stopping just below her belly button. Marie gasped when she felt him lick the area just above her panties.

His fingers pulled on the edges of the rich cotton and pulled them down her legs as his tongue resumed its work on her inner thighs. Marie spread her legs wide to grant him access and he at once accepted her invitation. She lost herself in the rhythmic massaging of her clit. He knew just how and where to move his tongue to bring her complete and utter ecstasy. She was so close to the edge that when she felt his finger enter her, the orgasm rushed over her more explosively than she'd ever felt before.

Logan wanted to let Marie revel in the afterglow but there was no way he could hold off any longer. He kissed his way back up her torso and when he aligned with her entrance, he thrust inside, growling with the way she enveloped him completely. He started slowly moving back and forth, listening to Marie's appreciative moans. She felt so fucking amazing.

He watched her face as he increased his pace and began pounding her more aggressively. Marie's eyes flew open and she locked her eyes onto his. In that moment, Logan had a familiar realization…she was his; and he was hers. He brought his face to Marie's and kissed her deeply. The taste of her tongue, the feel of her body and the completeness of the moment made him come so hard he stopped breathing for a full minute.

Logan collapsed on top of her, bringing his face into the crook of her neck, smelling her sweat and arousal. Marie. They lie together for several minutes before Logan shifted to the side and gathered her into his arms.

Marie nuzzled against his chest, feeling for the first time in her life that she was safe and secure. This wasn't just sex. It wasn't just a fuck. It was Logan and Marie solidifying their connection. And with both of them fully content and sated, they fell asleep in each other's' arms.

xxXXxx

Marie slipped out of the room a few hours later. Logan was still asleep and she was damn hungry as she was sure he would when he woke up. Their early morning activity was fairly strenuous and they both needed some well-deserved sustenance before they got back on the road. She looked both ways across the lonely two-lane highway and ran across the street to the small diner. Just under fifteen minutes later, Marie emerged with a bag containing more food than both she and Logan could probably eat in two days.

Once again, she looked down the road and prepared to run across when she felt a sting in her back. No. Oh no. Panicking, she ran forward and felt the effects of the tranquilizer make its way quickly through her system. Logan's healing factor would help slow it down but even he wasn't immune to drugs.

Marie made it halfway across the blacktop when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Victor emerge from the trees. A young boy with strange eyes and green colored skin followed close behind him. She began to call for Logan. Her voice sounded far away and weak. She wasn't quite sure if she was actually making any noise at all.

As she fell to her knees just before reaching the motel parking lot, she heard the roar of a plane's engines directly above her. Victor and the boy appeared at her side and, suddenly, she felt herself being taken by the fog.

The last thing she heard before slipping into unconsciousness was Logan's voice yelling her name.

xxXXxx

Logan awoke and turned on his side, expecting to wind his arm around Marie's very naked and very warm body. His eyes flew open when he realized she wasn't in bed. He inhaled deeply and found her scent. It was slightly faded. She was either in the bathroom or not in the room at all. Logan's stomach churned at the thought. He got out of bed and stood outside the bathroom door, praying she would be inside. But when he turned the knob and pushed the door inward, she was nowhere to be found.

He wanted to be pissed off at her but the emotion flooding him at the moment was terror. Pure terror at the thought that she'd gone out alone and she would never come back. Logan put on his jeans and as he reached for his shirt, the roar of plane engines echoed outside. Just as he made it to the door, he heard Marie's voice call his name. Logan's gut twisted at the pain in her voice. He threw the door open just in time to see Victor Creed pitch Marie over his shoulder like a rag doll.

"Marie!"

Victor's head turned slightly and Logan saw Creed's mouth rise up in a sadistic grin. A young kid followed Victor and the three of them approached a huge black jet hovering just above the ground.

Logan ran as fast as he could but he knew that even his advanced speed wouldn't get him to Marie in time. He watched helplessly as her lifeless form disappeared inside the massive jet. As the vehicle lifted off, Logan collapsed onto the ground and watched as it escaped into the clear blue sky.

She was gone.

Marie opened her eyes briefly, but the fog of medication forced her eyelids to close before she could make out where she was. She listened for a moment. It was quiet save for the soft rush of air through the vent. Forcing her eyelids back up, she observed a room no bigger than ten feet by ten feet. It wasn't necessarily a cell, but with the cement and rock walls, absence of windows and steel door, it was as much of a prison as it could be.

She moved back on the small bed slowly and leaned against the wall. Marie attempted to tap into Logan's healing factor in order to speed up her recovery from the tranquilizer, but she quickly came to the nauseating realization that she had no powers. The sensation of not being about to access her abilities was akin to suddenly losing a limb. Marie sat up and tried to calm her rapid, panicked breathing. As her hands came up to her forehead, she felt a slight pinch on her right wrist. Marie brought her hand out in front of her and observed what appeared to be a small metal bracelet attached to her arm. It was smooth save for a blinking red light on the underside. She saw no way to remove the device.

Power suppressor. Erik, you motherfucker.

Marie rubbed her forehead, trying to still the thoughts whirling through her head. She needed to find out her location, formulate a plan to escape and find….Logan.

"Logan I'm so goddamn sorry."

The words where whispered through clenched teeth, Marie's tone as angry as it was heartbroken. She knew that her stupid and impulsive decision may end up being one of the most costly mistakes she'd ever make. She'd just found some measure of happiness and now it was…no, she wasn't going to give in to self-pity. She would get out. Erik wasn't going to use her anymore.

She swung her feet over the side of the bed and planted them firmly on the floor. No sooner had her feet touched the ground than she heard the door opening.

Victor walked into the room and his face lit up with one of his trademark sneers when he saw her. It never failed to creep her out.

"Sleepin' beauty awakens."

"Too bad I'm stuck with you instead of a handsome prince."

He clucked his tongue at her as he crossed to the bed and sat down by Marie's side.

"Now, is that any way to talk to your man, babygirl?"

"You were never my man and I was sure as hell never your girl, Victor."

His large hand caressed the side of her face.

"You were and you know it. Now…" She heard him take a deep breath. "…you reek of him."

Victor's voice was laced with both hurt and anger. He'd always been possessive of Marie. At first it was because he enjoyed taunting her. She was strong and didn't ever back down from his attempts to intimidate. As she got older and evolved into an independent and focused woman, he realized that his pursuit was not just because he wanted a conquest; he wanted her. Victor wanted to believe that the sex was more than just stress release on her part but sitting next to Marie now, smelling the scent of James Logan Howlett all over her, made him realize that he'd never really had Marie at all. And that really pissed him off.

"Let's cut the bullshit, please." Marie swatted his hand away. "Erik better damn well know I'm not going along with whatever plan he's got."

Victor stood up and walked slowly to the door.

"You might want to rethink that cooperation thing, Marie. If you don't do what he wants willingly, he's going to bring in a telepath to read your mind….and then turn you into whoever he wants you to be."

"He wouldn't…"

He was back in front of her so damn fast it made her jerk backward. His face was directly in front of hers, his hands gripped her thighs.

"You better fucking believe he would, girl. The last ten years, he's been groomin' you. Don't try and entertain the thought that he's some good guy at heart. He's more of a selfish bastard than I am. Erik will do anything to make his plans happen, Marie. He doesn't want to kill you because he needs you but he'd do anything short of it to make sure you serve his purpose."

Victor paused and looked into Marie's eyes with a compassion she'd never seen before. As suddenly as he was upon her, Victor stepped back, his eyes never leaving hers. His face became drawn with sadness. Marie had seen many emotions cross Victor Creed's face but despondency had never been one of them. That was more terrifying than anything he could have said.

"Cooperate, girl. Just fuckin' cooperate."

Victor exited the door and left Marie alone in the room.

She sighed in a vain attempt to regain her composure. Marie couldn't help but chastise herself for ever trusting Erik Lensherr in the first place. Her naiveté and desire for a family had clouded her judgment so fully that she'd allowed herself to be utterly and completely blinded. If only she'd seen Erik for what he was, she wouldn't be sitting in a fucking dungeon waiting to be devoured by a dragon.

For a brief moment, she was a 12 year old girl, silently praying that her knight in shining armor would come to her rescue. Maybe Logan would come for her. Maybe she could have the happily ever after she'd always wanted.

And maybe Erik Lensherr wasn't a sociopathic dickhead.

Marie lay back on the bed and curled herself into a fetal position, her knees pressed tightly into her chest. For the first time in more than ten years, Marie cried.

xxXXxx

Logan stood in the clearing, pacing back and forth, his hands clenching and unclenching at his side. When he'd seen Victor disappear up the plane's ramp with Marie slung over his shoulder, it was all Logan could do not to come completely unglued. Logan had launched into berserker rages at much less instigation and seeing Marie's limp body made his vision cloud with rage. Even the memory of that moment made vision turn red with fury.

But allowing himself the luxury of mindless rampage wouldn't help Marie. And he needed to help her. Had to get her back. In less than a week, he'd met a woman that stirred him to his very core. Marie was strong but vulnerable. Witty yet thoughtful. Someone with whom he'd connected with more strongly than any woman in the last fifty years. He'd loved the women in his past. Mariko, Silver Fox, even Jean. But Marie was his present and his future and now she was gone.

A roar tore from Logan's throat and he turned sharply, running his claws into the trunk of a large tree. The impact made his body jolt and the pain shooting up his arms helped clear his head.

"I'm gonna find you, darlin'. If it takes the rest of my goddamned miserable life, I'm gonna find you. And I'm gonna kill Erik Lensherr."

The words were muttered as much to himself as to Marie. He had to believe he would find her and that, just maybe, they could have a life together. As he removed the metal blades from the wood, the echo of a helicopter began to rise in his hyper sensitive ears.

Logan turned and saw the large, black transport helicopter. After Marie's abduction, Logan had placed a call to an old friend. Someone who knew about Erik and who had the resources to find Marie.

The helicopter landed in the clearing and, after it settled, the side door opened and he saw the tall, lanky frame of his friend step out from the vehicle and walk toward him.

Logan nodded as the man stopped in front of him.

"Long time, LeBeau."

"Sure 'nough, homme."

"Nice ride."

The tall man's angular face lit up with a crooked smile.

"Oui. It pay to be rich, no?"

The last time Logan and Remy LeBeau regarded each other was in the aftermath of the battle with Erik Lensherr. Logan had entrusted Jean Grey and Carol Danvers to his infamous network where Logan knew they would be well hidden from Lensherr's well-connected reach. When the leader of the International Thieves Guild wanted someone to disappear, they did just that.

Logan had intended to give LeBeau the rundown on what had happened, but his instincts and the man's scent told him that his old compatriot already knew more than Logan did.

"Tell me what you know, Cajun."

LeBeau's red on black eyes narrowed and he looked away toward the trees. He sighed and that small gesture made Logan's heart clench in terror.

"Lensherr got himself a lab. He been usin' it for years to experiment on mutants. After Xavier killed, an' Carol and Jean go away, he seem not to use it no more. But in de last few years, activity gone back up. Seem he got a plan for your girl, mon ami."

"I know. He sent her to me to get Jean and Carol's locations but he didn't know that I'd arranged with you to have them moved every few years. He was gonna have her absorb them for some psychic project they were working on." He paused. "But it's worse than that, ain't it?"

Remy LeBeau was never one to mince words.

"Logan, Lensherr gonna use dis girl to wipe out every non mutant on de planet."

Logan was sure his heart stopped at that moment.

"Motherfuck."

"Far as I know, if he don' have Carol an' Jean, de plan won't work. But if he took her, he may have found another way."

"I should have killed the son of a bitch twenty years ago."

"I ain't gonna argue wit' you dere, mon ami."

Logan began moving toward the helicopter. "Where is this lab, LeBeau?"

Remy matched Logan's pace, knowing that nothing would stop Howlett once he was on a trail. They reached the copter and, before stepping up into the vehicle, Logan paused, knowing that LeBeau's silence meant problems. Logan's hand rested on the thick metal and he turned to his former teammate, yelling over the noise of the rotor blades.

"You're stallin', Cajun. Where's the lab?"

"Alkalai Lake."

For the thousandth time today, Logan wanted to roar with fury. Lensherr had taken Marie to a place that haunted Logan's memories. The place that had made him into a weapon and set him on a path that included destruction and death. Now, Marie was being held against her will and probably being subjected to experiments and tortures that he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

Logan launched himself into the helicopter and grabbed a seat on the side wall, opposite a complete stranger who stared at him with wide eyes. A man, aside from his blue skin, who looked as though he could have stepped out of the page of a book describing what a demon would look like. Despite his appearance, his scent indicated insecurity and wariness.

LeBeau made a brief introduction. "Logan, may I present Kurt Wagner. Kurt, dis is James Logan Howlett. He look scary but he really a puppy inside."

"Shut it, cajun." Logan regarded the stranger again. "So, what can you do, there, elf?"

In an instant, Kurt was gone and the acrid smell of sulfur filled the air. Before Logan could utter a word, the man reappeared next to him and smilled.

The blue skinned man nodded his head slightly and raised his right hand. "Gutten tag."

Logan grunted appreciatively.

"Teleporter. Nice."

"Danke Mr. Logan."

"So, I assume you have a plan, LeBeau?"

"Oui. Get in, get de girl, get out."

"Simple. Direct. My kind of plan. But you expect you, me and the elf to pull this off by ourselves?"

Before Remy could speak, a woman emerged from the cockpit and her scent washed over him.

"You won't be quite by yourselves."

"Holy shit. Jean?"

"Hello Logan."

"Jeannie, under normal circumstances, I'd be damn glad to see you. But Marie is sitting in a fucking lab because she was trying to protect you and now you're gonna waltz right in there and give Lensherr what he wants? What the fuck are you thinking?"

She walked forward as gracefully as he'd remembered. It always seemed as if gravity was Jean's best friend; she virtually floated everywhere she went.

"Logan, I've been in hiding for long enough. We thought that by taking me out of the equation, Erik would give up on his plans. But he obviously didn't. He's using this poor girl…"

He bristled at her using that term as if Marie was stupid or naïve. "Marie ain't a girl."

Jean sat down opposite of Logan and nodded. "Yes, of course. Logan, it's my fault that Marie is in danger. I should have dealt with the situation years ago instead of hiding like I did."

"There was nothin' wrong with getting away. Scott and Mariko were dead, we were exhausted…"

Jean leaned forward and put her delicate - were her hands always that pale? – fingers over his large hand. "I ran, Logan. Instead of face up to Erik, I allowed you and Remy to shield me from what I should have done."

She sat back again and Logan was struck by the fact that even though she was still strikingly beautiful, Jean looked older. Tired. Sad.

"I need to take responsibility for my part in Erik's plan. He took an innocent person and put her in the middle of a war. If he tries to use her as a conduit for this machine, it could kill her. He doesn't understand the level of my powers. They've grown, Logan. I'm a more powerful telepath than Charles Xavier ever was."

Remy and Logan stared at each other.

"Shit."

"You always had a knack for understatement Logan." Jean smiled and stood up again, moving back toward the cockpit. "Now, let's go get your girl."

Logan hoped that Remy's simple and direct plan wouldn't also be completely suicidal.

"Calvary's comin', Marie. Hang on baby. Just hang on."

In only a few hours, the helicopter had landed just over a mile outside of the main facility at Alkalai Lake. As soon as Logan slid the vehicle's door open, the familiar odor of the place he associated with another level of hell assaulted his nose. Just underneath the soothing scent of pine and fresh rain lay the burning smell of chemicals and electricity. It made Logan's skin crawl to think of Marie sitting alone inside those dank, cement walls, undergoing God only knows what kind of torture at the hands of Erik Lensherr. He'd hated people in his life. Hated them enough to kill. But the animosity he felt for the leader of The Company was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. Logan wanted to slowly flay the skin from his body and watch the old man scream in agony the same way Logan had screamed as he'd been turned into a walking weapon.

He felt Jean come up from behind him and he forced his shoulders to relax.

"I may not be able to read your mind, but I know what you're thinking, Logan."

"I'm going to kill him, Jean. I'm going to kill him for Mariko. For Scott. And because he took her from me."

"Erik will reshape that metal skeleton of yours into a pretzel before you get close to him."

Logan turned to Jean and watched for a moment as her beautiful red hair blew gently in the breeze. His heart clenched at how badly he wanted the woman in front of him to be Marie. He wanted to watch Marie's brown hair reflect the sunlight and hear her laughter echo through the trees. Logan closed his eyes, pushing the emotion back down deep into his chest lest it cloud his judgment again.

"She's mine, Jean. I'll do anything to get her back."

Jean smiled and put her hand gently on his cheek.

"I know you will, Logan. But, this time, let your friends help you."

There was a time when he would have risked life and limb to feel Jean Grey's touch on his body. Now, the only emotion that rose to the surface was the affection of a close friend. It was Marie's hand he wanted against his skin. Marie's touch that drove him to the edge. Logan took Jean's hand in his, hoping the sensation of her skin would anchor him to reality and not allow him to lose himself to his rage.

"Then help me, Jean. I can't live without her."

"I will. We all will."

Remy LeBeau and Kurt Wagner emerged from the helicopter.

"Oui. We will all rescue votre fille and any other unfortunate soul from de madman, homme. We gonna finish dis."

"Let's go."

Jean gripped Logan's hand tightly as he began to move away from the group.

"Logan, wait."

She took a few steps forward and closed her eyes, concentrating on their surroundings. Logan could sense the hitch in her breathing; the scent of surprise and concern flowed out from her as strongly as the odor of pine in the air. This was bad.

"Jeannie. What's goin' on."

Jean Grey's face was ashen and drawn with worry.

"Marie is fighting with all the strength she has. But she's in pain."

Logan took two steps forward and looked in the direction of the lab as if he could see the woman he loved through the dense forest.

"So much pain."

With those words, Logan broke into a dead run, only vaguely aware of his friends following behind him.

xxXXxx

Marie didn't want to scream. She didn't want to show Erik Lensherr that she was frightened and angry and on the verge of losing her mind. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

But it was too much.

The woman had been introduced to her as Emma Frost. As Victor had warned, when Marie refused to give him any of the information she'd obtained from absorbing Logan, Erik had brought in a telepath to probe her mind. Marie had never encountered one before but she'd always heard that having someone in your mind wasn't very painful.

She was so fucking wrong.

Marie let out a cry of anguish that made even Victor Creed blanche. He'd watched as Marie had refused to give in to Erik's 'polite' request and he'd seen the anger in Erik Lensherr's face grow exponentially by the second as she'd dug in her heels and told him to go to hell. Victor was proud of her for that. But he was as close to his breaking point as Marie. He stood silently chastising himself for being Erik's whipped dog. He could have taken Marie somewhere else. Somewhere away from Howlett where she could build a new life with Victor. But he chose to do the devil's bidding and now Marie was paying the price.

"Tell her to knock it off, Erik."

The older man slowly turned to Victor, narrowing his eyes as if he were inspecting the help. It didn't matter if the person standing in front of him was a world leader, Erik Lensherr could make anyone feel like they were the scum of the Earth.

"I don't believe I asked for your help in this matter, Victor." He waved his hand toward the laboratory door. "You are dismissed."

Marie's screams drove Victor forward.

"I ain't leavin'. Call off your pretty little telepath or I'll snap her neck."

Erik had never been particularly afraid of Victor Creed. The man was on the verge of being insane but he'd always been loyal. It was only in the last few years that Erik had noticed Victor's initial interest in Marie had turned into more than just the affection of a big brother. Now was not a good time to have Victor Creed on his bad side. Erik turned to Emma.

"My dear, let's take a break for a while, shall we? It seems we underestimated our little Marie's ability to withstand a telepathic probe. Come."

Erik escorted Emma Frost out of the room. Victor watched them leave, disgusted by the scent of the Frost woman. She was beautiful and had a body any man would kill to bend over and fuck until the sun came up. Normally, Victor would do almost anything to have a woman like her. But watching the way she delighted in torturing Marie made him want to throw her off the tallest building he could find.

Victor moved to Marie's side and watched as the tears rolled down her cheeks. He'd never seen Marie cry before. The sight of the small rivulets of water trailing down her face only served to fuel his anger. Victor looked down at the suppression bracelet on her wrist, placed his massive hand over the device and pressed the 4 digit disarming code. He bent down next to Marie's ear and whispered softly.

"I'm sorry I did this to you, frail. Never realized that I could make the right choice. I'm doin' it now, though, Marie. We're gonna get you out of here."

Marie's eyes opened and, for a brief moment, he saw in them the trust and confidence that he'd waited to see for almost ten years.

Her voice quavered with remnants of pain. "Victor….thank you."

"Don't. All I've ever done is caused you hurt. Not anymore, baby."

Victor stepped back from Marie just as the Frost woman reentered the room.

"Now, then, did I interrupt something?"

The impassiveness in her voice surpassed even that of Erik Lensherr.

"Where'd the boss go, Frosty?"

Emma's eyes narrowed with annoyance. "You know better than to call me that, Victor. Erik is attending to some other business." She looked at Marie as if the woman were a tasty dessert. "Now, where were we, my love?"

"Jesus, Frosty, she ain't into chicks."

Emma turned up her nose at the large man as she walked by. "Do you have to be such a Neanderthal, Victor?"

"Why? You like it when you get your hair pulled, Frosty?"

The blonde woman's forhead wrinkled with revulsion. "You're disgusting."

Victor watched as Emma finished crossing the room and stood next to Marie. A little closer. He hoped that his distraction was enough that Emma wouldn't anticipate Marie's next move. Just as Victor was about to step forward, Marie's arm shot out and her hand wrapped around Emma's wrist. Gotcha.

He was prepared to hold Emma if needed but, apparently, Marie's powers had returned in full force. The increased strength she'd absorbed from Logan allowed her to maintain an iron grip on the telepath. Victor saw Emma attempt to shift into her diamond form, but Marie utilized Emma's powers to amplify her own. Emma crumpled to her knees, her whimpers slowly fading.

Victor could hear no trace of the woman's pulse. He crossed quickly to Marie's side and bent down, finding her eyes with his own. He knew better than to touch her in these moments.

"Marie. Marie. Stop now. She's gone, baby."

Marie's hand opened and Emma's arm landed on the floor beside her motionless corpse. Victor watched as Marie's body transformed into translucent diamond. She only needed to strain forward in order to break through the metal holding her to the examination table. As quickly as she had transformed, Marie returned to her normal form. The anger that radiated from her eyes frightened even him.

"I want Erik."

The smell of sulfur was like fire in Logan's nose and the teleporting made his senses feel as if they were sideways. Logan's stomach protested and his head spun.

"Goddamit, Elf, how the hell do you do that all the time."

Kurt shrugged. "I have never known anything different." His placed his three fingered, gloved hand on Logan's shoulder. "Claws come out of your hands. A little teleporting should not be a problem for you, mein Freund."

Logan shrugged.

"Good point."

Logan looked up and down the dark hallways and shuddered as the memories washed over him. The pain. The blood. So much screaming. He shook his head, willing himself to focus on the task at hand. His large hand pointed down the hallway to his right, in the direction of the main lab.

"She's this way."

"Logan, there are at least twenty more mutants here." Jean turned to Remy and Kurt. "They're down at the other end of the facility. You two need to get them out of here." Her eyes were cold and determined. "Logan and I need to deal with Erik."

"Be careful. De last time you faced Monsieur Lensherr, many people die. Let's try not to repeat dat, no?"

"Don't worry, swamp rat, the only person leaving here in a body bag is Erik Lensherr."

Remy and Kurt made their exit while Logan and Jean started in the direction Marie's scent. Jean's gasp from behind made Logan stop and whirl around in his tracks.

"What, Jean?"

Jean's face was pale and drawn, her eyes wide with shock. "She killed her."

Logan's chest tightened and he closed the gap between him and Jean in an instant. His large hands grasped her delicate shoulders.

"Marie? Is she...?" Not dead. Not dead.

"No. No…Marie's alright. But she's killed Emma Frost."

"The telepath?"

"Yes." Jean paused and looked directly into Logan's eyes.

"Marie is going to kill Erik."

xxXXxx

Marie and Victor wove their way through the prison like hallways. Her new telepathic powers were proving to be more of an adjustment than she was used to after absorbing someone. Normally, the assimilation happened within a few minutes and the power remained safely tucked away until she was ready to call it forth. But Emma Frost had been very powerful and, now, Marie struggled to push through the tangle of emotions and thoughts pouring out from everyone inside the walls of the facility.

Victor's thoughts were especially jarring.

Keep her safe.

Mine.

Punish Lensherr.

Love you, frail.

Marie always knew that Victor was more than the emotionless bastard he portrayed himself to be, but she never could have anticipated the strength of his feelings for her. She'd convinced herself that Victor just wanted a good fuck and that their association was simply a matter of convenience for him. Finding out that Victor Creed was capable of devotion, loyalty and love was almost as life changing as meeting Logan.

Logan. Marie just hoped that she would see his strong face again. But, if not, at least she'd known some semblance of love in her life. Right now, eliminating Erik Lensherr from the face of the Earth was her only priority.

Marie suddenly heard a woman's voice in her head.

Marie. It's Jean Grey. Logan is with me.

Logan? Is he alright?

Yes. We are coming to help you. He asks that you don't face Erik alone.

Jean, you know that Erik will rip Logan apart. This is my fight just as much as his.

Logan loves you, Marie. Please…please wait for us.

Marie stopped for a moment and considered her request.

Tell Logan I love him. That after I met him, my life changed completely. I need to finally make things right, Jean. Atone for my sins. Logan is proof that I could have been a good person. Take care of him for me.

Marie felt Jean try to communicate with her one last time, but Marie shut off the connection. She couldn't think about what she was about to lose. She just had to keep moving forward. In just a little while, everything would be over. One way or another.

xxXXxx

Logan watched as Jean Grey spoke telepathically with his Marie. It drove him crazy to see Jean's vacant stare and know that she was talking to the woman he so desperately wanted to see. Jean's eyes blinked, she shook her head and found Logan's eyes.

"What, Jeannie? What did she say?"

"That she loves you. But she needs to atone for her sins."

"Goddammit. Get her back. Tell her…"

"Logan, she shut me out."

"Fuck. Fuck. I can't lose her, Jean."

He felt the anger beginning to boil over once again. He needed to move. Find her. Save her. Jean put her hand on Logan's arm before he could move away.

"Logan. She's strong."

"Jean, physically she could kick even my ass. But inside she's terrified of what she is. She's angry, confused and desperate."

Logan stepped closer to Jean and stared deeply into her eyes.

"She's who I was 30 years ago and that scares the shit out of me."

xxXXxx

Marie trailed behind Victor, winding their way closer to the main laboratory. Jean's voice echoed in her head.

Logan loves you.

God, how she wished that she could have told Logan face to face how much she loved him. She wished that she'd heard those words spoken softly into her ear. Maybe it could still happen. Maybe she'd have the happily ever after that she'd dreamed of as a child.

Maybe she wouldn't be dead in fifteen minutes.

Victor's voice interrupted Marie's thoughts.

"The main control room is around this corner. Erik should be there."

Marie steeled herself for the confrontation.

The two of them reached the end of the hallway and turned the corner, entering the large, open room wherein stood Erik Lensherr, his back turned to them. He was wearing some kind of strange helmet that neither Victor nor Marie had ever seen before. Victor broke the silence.

"Lensherr."

Erik didn't turn around but kept focused on the console in front of him.

"Did Emma take care of everything, Victor? We need to move forward. There are some complications."

"Complications? Like maybe Emma being dead?"

Erik spun around, his face drawn with confusion and then…resolution.

"You just couldn't resist her, could you, Victor? You've been sniffing around Marie like a dog in heat for years now. You betray me for a chance at getting between her legs?"

Marie didn't really need to be a telepath to feel the anger and hate that exuded from Victor's being.

"Betray you, Lensherr? You've never thought of me as any more than a stupid lap dog. You've used and abused everyone around you. Now, it's time to put an end to it."

"An end? Yes, I should so."

Marie stepped forward but felt Victor stay close to her side. She tried to access his mind but it was as if there was some kind of wall built around his consciousness.

"Are you trying to get into my head, Marie?" Erik tapped the side of his helmet. "I had this designed to withstand pesky telepaths."

"Yeah, your pesky telepath gave me a bitch of a headache."

"Well, I'm terribly sorry about that, my dear. But it really couldn't be helped. That information is vital to the resolution of my project."

"You know I'm not going to go along with any of this shit."

"Now, Marie. This isn't difficult. You do as I say and the people you love won't have to be sacrificed."

"I don't give a rat's ass what you want to do to me, Lensherr." Marie heard what Victor wanted to do to Erik Lensherr and, despite the fact that she was an assassin, the level of his intended brutality surprised even her.

Erik laughed deeply.

"You, dear boy? No, you're not the one Marie wants to protect."

He took a step backwards and pressed a switch. In an instant, the monitors came to life. Erik pointed his finger at the center screen. The breath caught in her throat when she saw the grainy image of Logan and Jean moving through the hallways.

"You bastard."

"Oh, that has never been in question. But what is in question is whether you're willing to cooperate or if you are ready to see them die."

"Why, Erik? Why would you do this? None of it is going to bring Charles back to you."

His face flared with anger and he stepped away from the console, pointing his finger in Marie's direction.

"Don't you dare presume to know my motives. This isn't about Charles. This is about the safety of our kind. We began this project years ago and, now, I finally have the chance to complete our plans. And you will help me, child."

"I don't know why you thought I would ever help you to murder half the planet, Erik. I was your assassin, but I'm not going to annihilate millions of innocent people."

"Those so-called innocent people want us dead."

"Erik, you need to let go of this persecution complex."

Marie stepped forward.

"It's really not good for your health."

She knew what had to be done but she faltered at murdering the man who, despite his utter betrayal, had been like a father to her. Marie felt a strong hand on her arm and turned to see Victor looking down at her.

"No, frail. This ain't you. You do this and you won't be able to forgive yourself."

Victor moved in front of her, his eyes locked with Erik Lensherr. "I've spent too much time doing your dirty work, Lensherr. I've watched you hurt people and I didn't give a shit. But, now, you're going too far."

"Oh, my dear Victor. You give yourself too much credit. Do you really think I'd let you run wild without ensuring that I would be able to deal with you should you become unmanageable?"

"Shut the fuck u…"

Victor's hands went to his head and the large man screamed in agony. His pain stabbed through Marie's mind so strongly that it made her stumble backwards. She regained her composure and looked at Erik, whose hand remained outstretched towards Victor.

"Stop it!"

As suddenly as Victor had doubled over, he slumped to the floor, eerily quiet.

"Now, would you like to rethink your decision not to help me? Or would you care to see the metal chips I've implanted throughout his body continue to torture him? You remember that Victor has a healing factor. Therefore, this won't kill him, but it will put him through unimaginable agony."

Erik smiled.

The tears that she'd only recently become acquainted with sprung forth from her eyes again. For so many years she'd protected herself from emotions and walled her heart up against getting too close to anyone. In the past, she most likely would have let Erik torture Victor, but, now, she stood fearing for someone else more than herself.

Victor barely managed to speak through his pain. "Marie…no…"

She stroked the back of his head. "Victor, it's alright."

Trust me, Victor.

I don't care if he hurts me, Marie.

I care, Victor.

"Well, Marie. What is your decision? I would hate to activate yours. It would give you much more than that headache, I can assure you."

"You're gonna have a helluva lot more than a goddamn headache when I'm through with you, Lensherr."

Logan.

God he looked amazing. Logan stood on the opposite side of the large room. Just behind him was a striking redheaded woman who Marie instantly recognized as Jean Grey. Marie locked eyes with Logan and she could see relief, worry and anger flash across his face in only a matter of seconds. How she wanted to run to him and bury her face in his chest.

Erik turned sharply, smiled and brought his hand up, pointing it in Logan's direction.

"Ah, the mighty Wolverine and exquisite Jean Grey. What is it they say, 'the more the merrier'?"

Logan regarded Erik's outstretched arm.

"You know I'm not afraid of you."

Lensherr laughed. "No, Wolverine. I don't think you're concerned in the least about the fact I could easily strip that adamantium from your body in a matter of seconds."

He moved to the side a few steps, still keeping his arm pointed towards Logan. Marie's stomach lurched.

"And while that would be immensely enjoyable, I have other things to attend to right now."

Suddenly, he moved his hand in Marie's direction. As Victor had done only a few minutes earlier, Marie doubled over in excruciating pain. Her screams echoed through the room.

Logan watched as Marie's body crumpled to the ground. For a man so close to the edge of losing control, that was all it took to propel him forward towards the man he was determined to kill. Logan's claws unsheathed and he launched himself at Erik Lensherr with as much force as he could, knowing that he needed to make it fast, hoping that the man wouldn't have time to turn his powers on Logan.

He wasn't fast enough.

It was as if he'd slammed into a brick wall. Logan stopped in midair and watched as Erik grinned while Marie writhed in agony. The smell of her pain was driving him further into a beserker rage.

Smile now, asshole, because before this is over, you're going to be the one screaming.

But as suddenly as Marie's cries of pain started, they stopped. Before his eyes, Logan watched as Marie's body became translucent. It would have been beautiful if it wasn't so fucking terrifying.

Marie stood up and the self-confident smirk on Erik Lensherr's face disappeared.

"Let him go, Erik."

For a moment, Erik's composure was rocked to the core. He had underestimated Marie's abilities for the last time.

"Marie, if you choose to disobey me, your friend here will find himself a hair's breath away from death and writhing in agony as I strip him of that lovely metal skeleton."

Marie stepped forward.

Logan roared in pain.

The calm in Jean's voice was unsettling.

"Erik, you will release him now."

"My dear, Jean, you seem to forget that I cannot be affected by your or Marie's attempts to manipulate my mind."

"That's right. When I last saw you, I was a powerful telepath." A smile flickered in the corner of her mouth. "But my abilities have grown considerably since our last meeting."

Jean brought her hand in front of her body and, in an instant, the helmet on Erik's head began to slowly rise off his head.

Logan slammed to the ground.

Marie moved forward and looked up at the face of the man who had caused her so much pain.

"Now, Erik, let's talk about my resignation."

Marie watched as the man who had always been so calm and in control stood before her speechless, his thoughts fluctuating between panic and cold calculation. Erik's continued willingess to sacrifice her only inflamed Marie's anger. The fact that she'd trusted Erik and had been betrayed so completely took her back to that night when she stood in front of her home watching as her father threw her out of his life because of her mutation.

She stepped closer and Erik found himself pinned against the equipment.

"You turned me into a weapon, Erik. And the worst part is that I let you do it. I ignored my instincts because I wanted to belong. I wanted a family and I thought killing for you was the way I would get it."

Marie's fury was building. Jean recoiled at the anguish in Marie's thoughts. Logan and Victor smelled her rage.

"You think that because I've been with you for ten years that I won't hurt you. The problem is, I've been trained to kill people who've done horrible things. People who don't give a shit who they hurt as long as they get what they want. And that is you in a goddamn nutshell, isn't it?"

There was an audible gasp from the four people in the room when three claws slid from between the knuckles of Marie's hands.

"Holy shit."

Logan couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Marie had assumed that the only aspects of Logan's power that would be available to her were his senses and healing. But all it took was the idea of causing Erik pain to prompt her bone to lengthen and push through her skin. She ignored the agony, tapping into that dark place that helped her focus on what was to happen next.

"My child…"

"Don't. Just don't say another fucking word. I can hear your thoughts, Erik. You're trying to figure out how to convince me to do what you want. Appeal to my feelings for you. Threaten Logan again. Try and kill Victor. If there was some shred of remorse in your heart, maybe, just maybe I would have let you live…."

Logan and Victor were both on their feet now. Despite their history and mutual hatred of each other, their shared love of Marie made them desperate to act. Logan kept his voice low and calm.

"Marie, baby, don't."

"No Logan." Jean saw the tears flowing down the side of the young woman's face.

"This has to be over and you know it. He murdered your wife and child. He turned a teenager into a fucking weapon. If he had a chance right now, you'd all be dead and I'd be strapped into a machine that would annihilate half the world's population."

Logan moved toward her. The scent of her hurt and distress tore him up inside.

"I know, darlin'. But you don't want to do this. I'm the killer, Marie. I'll do it. You don't want to live with this."

"Listen to him, frail. You can just walk out and Logan and I will take care of him."

Victor hoped that both Logan and he could convince her not to do something for which she would never be able to forgive herself.

For a moment, the air stilled and it seemed as if all of them were holding their collective breath.

For a moment, Marie stood completely still in front of a man that had tormented all of them in different ways.

For a moment, Logan thought Marie might listen.

Then the moment was gone.

Jean, Logan and Victor watched as Marie impaled Erik Lensherr on her newly born claws.

The sounds of the man's death reverberated through the room. Logan watched as Erik slumped forward and whispered into Marie's ear. Her heart rate sped up and she jerked backward, allowing Erik's body to collapse on the floor.

Logan was at her side in an instant, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, trying to still her shaking frame. He didn't know what to say. Couldn't fathom what might be said that would soothe the kind of guilt she was feeling at this moment.

"He said…he forgave me."

"Baby…"

She turned, held up her hand and both of them stared as the claws slid back under her skin. Marie looked into Logan's eyes and saw there the kind of love and acceptance that she'd only imagined ever finding with another person. She took one step forward and buried her face into the crook of his neck while encircling his waist with her arms. His rich scent and the warmth of his body engulfed her.

"Let's go home, Marie."

xxXXxx

Jean, Victor, Logan and Marie approached the clearing where the helicopter had landed earlier. There, one helicopter stood ready to take off while a second was just lifting into the sky, the faces of the mutants that Remy and Kurt had rescued reflected like ghosts in the windows.

Remy LeBeau turned around to see the group approaching and a relieved smile crossed the tall man's face.

"Bonjour! I take it dis is de pretty one you so intent on finding?"

Logan's arm tightened around Marie's shoulder and he felt her relax into his side. His voice was thick with pride.

"Yeah, this is my Marie."

My Marie.

The bond between Logan and Marie was palpable. Remy realized that it was quite possible that should he take one more step towards the couple, he would find silver claws implanted into his chest. LeBeau smiled again.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mademoiselle. We ready to leave any time, homme. Just say de word."

"Will do. And, LeBeau…" Remy stopped his backwards retreat. "…thanks."

"Welcome."

Logan twisted to his side and pulled Marie to his chest, making sure one more time that she was really alright. He inhaled her scent, felt the warmth of her skin against his and heard her heartbeat slow and beat in a steady rhythm that mirrored his.

"I thought I'd lost you, darlin'."

"For a moment there, you did."

"I meant it when I said we were going home, you know." Tell her how you feel. Suck up the macho bullshit and tell her you'll do anything she wants for the rest of her life.

"Yeah. I know."

He was ready to spout all manner of romantic notions into Marie's ear when he smelled Victor Creed's scent closeby. Marie began to pull away from him but Logan held fast. Mine.

"I need to talk to him, Logan."

He watched as she moved away and it was all he could do not to rush forward and wrench her away from Creed. Marie was his now. His mate.

Logan felt Jean's hand on his shoulder.

"Logan, relax."

"I don't want him near her."

"You don't have anything to worry about. She's crazy about you."

"Yeah, well, the feeling's mutual."

Marie stood in front of Victor, knowing that Logan was staring intently at their encounter. She wanted nothing more than to be with Logan right now but in order to move forward with any sort of future with him, she had to close this chapter of her life. After all Victor had done for her, it was the least she could do.

"Sorry, Marie."

"No, Victor. I brought this all on myself."

"Bullshit. Lensherr did this to you and I never had the balls to stop him. I should have just left you alone and dealt with the old man's crap." Victor closed the distance between them and took her hand in his. Marie swore she heard Logan's growl behind them.

"But I wanted you for myself. I thought I had a chance with you. I love you, girl. If you told me right now that you wanted me, I'd put you on that helicopter and take you somewhere we could be happy."

"Victor…"

"You don't have to say it. I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry. As fucked up as it was, I just wanted you to be happy. I know you will be with him. Even though he's an asshole."

Her gentle laughter tore at his heart, knowing that he would most likely never hear it again. When she embraced him, the temptation to grab her and run was overwhelming.

"Thank you."

Marie stepped backwards and met Victor's eyes as she moved. Goodbye.

She no sooner turned around when she felt Logan's arms encircling her once again. Logan was home. She could be anywhere as long as it was with him. They stood again for a long moment before they heard the whir of the rotor blades.

"Time to go, baby."

"What's going to happen, Logan?"

"Like I said, we're going home."

"No, Logan. To The Company."

"Jean. Jean is going to go back with Remy and get the place fixed."

"I can help, Logan. I…"

His voice was firm. "No. You are never going back there."

"Alright."

Logan took his hands and framed her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. He stared intensely into her eyes.

"I love you, Marie. When Creed took you, I thought I would lose my fucking mind. The only thing I knew is that I had to get you back. Yeah, I know you could kick my ass six ways from Sunday and you can take care of yourself, but…aw fuck…I'm going to sound like a Neanderthal here…you're mine, Marie. And that means I'm never going to let anyone hurt you again."

"I'm probably supposed to give you my 'I am woman hear me roar' bit, but I'm too fucking tired." She smiled and gently placed her palms over Logan's hands. "I love you too, Neanderthal."

He kissed her softly, wanting to revel in the smell and taste of her. There would be time for passion later. Now, it was about telling her how he felt. Helping her understand that he would be the one man in her life that could be trusted and that would love her no matter what.

They broke contact slowly and rested in each other's arms, Marie's head nestled against his chest. Logan saw Remy wave his arms to indicate that it was time to leave. Jean and Victor moved toward the craft.

"Is this where we fly off into the sunset?"

"Yeah, darlin'."

"Happy ending and everything?"

"Yeah, darlin'."

"About damn time."

"Fuckin' A, darlin'."