McCoy Residence
Washington, D.C.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
10:30 A.M.

Ororo was finally in her kitchen with a pad of paper and Marie’s book, on the phone with the Disney Wedding Event Manager, Tabitha Green. Her nickname was Tabby. She liked it because it reminded her of tabby cat kittens and she was a bit catlike in her mannerisms. She was so busy with things at the school or she would have called the same day like she told Marie she would.

“So is it all right that I entered them without their knowledge,” Ororo asked after telling her the ‘entire’ Logan and Marie story.

On the other end of the line Tabby dabbed a tissue in the corner of her eyes from the tears threatening to fall.

“Well as a matter of policy we don’t allow this kind of thing, but after that story, I think your friends damn well deserve a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding on us. Sorry, I didn’t mean to cuss. I’m getting better at not doing it. I’ll talk it over with my supervisor and get back to you.”

“That would be so wonderful. I would really like to surprise them. They have no idea. They both gave me permission to plan the ceremony and reception, and since I am the part of the wedding party, I have to do this up right.”

“I completely understand. What a great friend you are.”

“Ok, I’ll be expecting your call then. I’ll be home all day.”


Two hours later Ororo was back on the phone with Tabby.

“I told my supervisor Margaret. She called the-powers-that-be’s secretary and told her their story. Then Capri went, took the case to them, and they agreed. We are going to give them a custom lavish wedding and honeymoon. The only stipulation is that the wedding party will have to pay for their stay at the hotel of their choice. We will provide all transportation for the event. Oh and the Monorail is really cool.”

“Oh that is so wonderful, I am just beaming, can you tell?”

“Believe it or not, but yes I can.”

“Ok then, what do you need to get us started?”

“Well, to start, I need the complete guest list and an accurate address list so that we can send the announcements when the time comes. Then we can put together block of rooms for their guests. Oh and the date of the event.”

“Block? Is that like renting a whole floor? April 18th, 2012.”

“Something like that. We try to keep the wedding guests and party together so that everything is organized from the start and none of them have to come from six different hotels.”

“That’s a great idea. I’ll fax you the list right now. I’ve been working this morning on who should sleep where.”

“Great, which will help this process, go by faster. I’ll hold on.”


Ororo went to the counter next to the refrigerator and faxed the list to Tabby. She also faxed over the sleeping arrangements list.

“Ok, I sent them. There are twenty-six people listed.”

“Oop, my machine’s picking it up now. So, I will set aside a block of, according to this thirteen rooms. Eleven doubles, with two Queens, and a sofa, and one Honeymoon suite with one King. The last room on the block is mine. I’ve got my daughter coming to stay for spring break from school and she’s my helper. So you just worry about having the twelve rooms paid for.”

“Oh, how old is your daughter?”

“She’s eleven going on twenty one.”

“I’ve got a young one and he’s going on driving me nuts.”

“Well, I’m sure they’re both going to have fun at the parks.”

“What should I do if they decide to move the wedding date?”

“Just give me a call A.S.A.P. and I will fix everything. Once you return to me the Letter of Agreement, the date cannot be changed.”

“Oh I see.”

“Now I am assuming that you received the planning kit.”

“Yes and I’m delicately trying to get things from Marie to you to start planning. They’ve decided on the colors for the wedding. I need to take pictures of the swatches and email them to you. Oh hang on, I have another call.”


Ororo hit her flash button, as Hank came in looking for coffee.

“Hello?”

“’Ro, we need a favor.”

“Oh hi Marie. I’m on the other line with the wedding planner. What can I do for you?”

“Change the wedding date to April 14th. We still want 2012 though.”

“Why are you changing it to two days earlier? Are you sure?”

“Yeah, we are. It’s a… I heard it was good luck to get married on a Saturday. And this way we can send in our last separate tax returns before goin’ on our honeymoon.”

“I’ll update the rest of the guests and let the planner know.”

“Thanks ‘Ro, you are the best.”


She hit flash again and went back to Tabby.

“Tabby, that was Marie. She wants to change the wedding date. Just leave the April 18th, 2012. I am not about to change the date. I know Marie, she’ll want to change it back.”

“Now the guest accommodations, you have to guarantee a minimum number of room nights. We start with four nights for guests. The wedding guests pay for their own rooms at the Walt Disney World Resort Hotel at a discounted rate. I will be sending a sign-up sheet for any guests that want dual parks tickets for Epcot and Walt Disney World. They will be delivered to their rooms at the hotel. Childcare is available and in-room baby-sitting as well.”

“I think that will be great.”

“I will send out a photographer and videographer package for the couple to look at. I won’t have the Disney name on it so we can keep it a secret.

“Good, great. Oh dear, another call. Hang on,” flash button over.

“Hey ‘Ro, Logan here. I wanted to let you know we’re gonna have another small ceremony after the wedding, but before the reception.”

“Oh, what kind of ceremony?”

“Wedding of the colors, I think. It’s somethin’ Marie suggested and I like the idea. I think it’s about family traditions or somethin’. Anyway, I’m sure Marie will get back to you on that. I just wanted to call and give you a heads up for the planner.”

“Ok, I’ll see what we can do.”

“Thanks ‘Ro, you’re the best.”

“You’re welcome Logan,” flash over to Tabby...


“Sorry about that. That was Logan. He said they want to have a small ceremony after the wedding before the reception.”

“What kind of ceremony?”

“He said something about a wedding of colors… I have no idea what that means. Marie hasn’t told me what that is.”

“Fortunately, I do. It’s an old custom of marrying the families together. The wedding ceremony is for God, family, and friends. The wedding of the colors is the binding of the families.”

“Whoo, I’m glad you knew about it. Logan said Marie will probably get back to me on that.”

“Just for now we’ll host that at our wedding pavilion.”

“Where will the wedding be?”

“That my dear is up to the Fairy Godmother,” Tabby laughed, “Just kidding. I’ll have to see what is available and get back to you.”

“All right. I have to go start lunch. I’ll get back to you as soon as I have more news. Oh, when you send the invitations, make sure to put on it to keep the location a secret.”

“Sure, we don’t want anyone spoiling this. I’ll be waiting for your call. It was nice talking to you, Mrs. McCoy.”

“You too, Tabby.”


Boat House
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
11:00 A.M.

Logan decided to tackle the next portion of the movie about his life. He hoped that he could make it through at least two chapters. He and Marie were together on the couch. This time however, she wasn’t curled up next to him. He didn’t look at her to acknowledge that he could sense her doubt filled feelings. He assumed it would only make her feel worse. She sat in the far corner with her feet tucked in under her, with a cream colored fleece throw over her legs. He was on the other end with the remotes, one in each hand. He started the film where he left off, at the shot of the Canadian Rockies. He could almost hear the wind blowing past his sensitive ears. What did go by his sensitive ears was the spike in Marie’s heartbeat. He sensed her fear, wasn’t sure why. Was she afraid of what was coming next in the movie or was she afraid of how he would react to what was coming next? As he watched the next scene, he thought that the Logan onscreen looked like he hadn’t slept well the night before so he’d gotten up early that morning. The Logan on the couch understood his need to be alone when he needed to think. He cherished his time alone and always found his way back to Marie.

The man on the wall above the fireplace took the time to watch the sun rise over the rocky peaks. Then there was a woman, she’d asked him why he was up early. Logan figured he didn’t have the heart to tell her that he’d probably had nightmares. He had to admit she was beautiful, but he had no clue of the identity of the woman. The animal gave his approval that she was wearing one of his shirts. He watched himself kiss her good morning and wrap her in his arms. He suddenly smelled anger, spike in adrenaline, and he heard a heart rate jump. He didn’t think it was him. Logan looked over and knew Marie was oddly jealous of something. Could she be jealous of the woman on the screen? She had started that habit of hers when she was jealous, of twirling a lock of her hair three times around her finger and her eyes were narrowed. He paused it.

“What is it, darlin’?”

“Ah can’t tell ya.”

“Why not?”

“You’ve gotta discovah it for yourself, sugah. Ah cain’t tell ya that she did something very, very bad.”

“Okay, Marie. I can read between the lines,” his face a mask of irritation with the eyebrow arched.

Logan hit play and watched as he went to work at what looked like a logging site. He watched as the man tried to shrug the mysterious woman off and get to work. She called him back and kissed him harder than it looked like he’d expected. He took the ribbing as the truck took off to head up to the top of the mountain. Then the scene changed to Springfield, Ohio. He didn’t understand why that place held any significance in his life. Victor came onscreen again and the animal was angry again… So, it was Victor that killed the one called, Bradley. Logan was able to control the animal better this time, but he was still royally pissed at Victor. Then man turned animal roared to life as the scene changed and he woke up from a definite nightmare. Then he realized that he’d skewered the bed again. The unknown woman asked him if it was the wars and he answered with a quick nod. She asked which one and it clicked for Logan on the couch that she’d been talking about the scenes at the beginning of the movie. He’d been through four wars. Not to mention the two battles with the X-Men, Liberty Island and Alcatraz Island…


Post-nightmare Logan became conscious of the reality of the danger of his nightmares. The woman had an injury on her arm that he’d caused, almost further proof why the real Logan insisted on being cautious when it came to Marie and when the animal escaped control. And like Marie, both women shrugged off any injuries as if they were nothing. Neither one really understood that he couldn’t take the smell of blood on their bodies. He felt bad because he couldn’t heal either one, Marie more so because she wouldn’t let him heal her.

Logan watched the scene change back to the jobsite where he was apparently at one time, a lumberjack. The man on screen’s sensitive hearing picked up the signatures of the old Army jeep. Didn’t take him long to sniff out that Stryker had come for him. No real surprise to Logan that Stryker’s lackey, Agent Zero was with him. Stryker had come to give him a job, which he had turned down right away.

‘Not proud about how things ended between us! What a load of bullshit. So the mysterious woman was a school teacher, hmm. Hell, if I wanna live the simple life, leave me the hell alone, damn it,’ Logan thought as if he was talking back at the television.

Just by what Stryker said about Little House on the Prairie, Logan had a feeling that Stryker already had inside information about the location of his home, maybe even where to find the school teacher.

‘Well no shit, Sherlock. Of course someone’s hunting down the old team. I should give ‘em a metal for getting rid of that Wade guy. And for Bradley, his flying skills sucked. Your country needs you? Not that fuckin’ line again. Ain’t falling for it. Damn straight, I’m Canadian. Could that mean I was once American?’ Logan wondered.

‘Miss Kayla is it? Beautiful name, I’ll give her that. She has a pretty smile. Though not as gorgeous as my girl’s,’ Logan thought.

That little comment on the end earned him a slap on the shoulder. So, she was listening to his thoughts again… He wondered why her thoughts weren’t coming to him like his were to her. He turned his attention back to the screen as he watched as a father picked up his son and he watched himself in the car. He could tell by the look on the actor’s face playing him that he was considering fatherhood. He realized that he didn’t look too ready in his past. Maybe he was now?

‘Bye, Miss Silverfox is it? The mysterious woman is Kayla Silverfox. I don’t know her, do I? I’m the best at what I do, but what I do best isn’t very nice. I like it,’ Logan thought and the animal began to growl.

As the movie changed to the woman straddling his lap, Logan heard Marie’s heartbeat jump again and he thought he also heard her start growling. When the woman said Kuekuatsu meant, The Wolverine, Logan froze. So, the Wolverine got screwed huh?’ He let the claws slide out. ‘Yeah, I’d say so.’


Marie suddenly stood and went into the bathroom in the bedroom. She couldn’t take it anymore. Watching that woman all over her Logan and the way the man on the screen looked back at her. True, they were his memories and she’d seen the movie before, but now, with Logan in the room… She just couldn’t take it. But she had to find the strength somewhere, because soon Logan would see Kayla’s death and how he fell into Stryker’s trap. She had to find the strength to be there when he needed support. It would be the roughest part of the movie to get through she thought anyway, except for maybe when his memory was taken away and he had no clue as to who she was near the end of the film.


Logan was caught off guard when Marie left. He paused the film and went after her after a couple minutes or so. He didn’t want to rush to her, just to allow her some personal time to collect herself. Truth be told, he needed a few minutes to collect himself after what he’d just seen. He knew he would have to see Chuck later for more information about Kayla. He hoped Marie was alright. She hadn’t projected any of her thoughts as she listened to his so he had very little clues as to what was happening with his girl. He just assumed it was her way of being jealous of someone from his past. As he neared the door, he heard the shower running, but he smelled salt water as well. God, he hated it when he made her cry.

“Marie, darlin’, you okay?”

He heard the flow of water cease and the sound of Kleenex leaving the box on the back of the toilet. A sniffle or two, a nose blow, and another before she finally opened the door. Her eyes had gotten a little red and puffy.

“Yeah, ah’m fahn.”

“You’re not fine Marie. What is it?”

“Ah can’t tell you. You have to see for yourself,” he felt a little irritated by her non-answer.

“Well, could you come back in the room and sit with me?”

“Ah can’t.”

“Please, for me?” Logan turned on the charm and Marie caved to his wish.

He sat back down on the couch. Marie sat next to him and he covered her lap back up with the blanket.


Marie was glad for the blanket. Her sleeping shorts just didn’t keep her warm enough. The blanket barely helped to cut some of the chills that ran through her body, even sitting next to Mr. Radiator Logan just wasn’t helping. For a second, she wondered if she should turn on Logan’s healing, just to make sure she wasn’t coming down with something. Marie knew that if she had been alive back then, she would have kicked Kayla’s ass for hurting her man.


Logan hit play again and the fake version of him came on the screen as he was chain sawing a tree down. Off came the limbs and then Victor Creed came on the screen… The animal flared to life inside the real man. He held onto control as he tried to watch what was coming. The animal inside the Logan on the screen sensed something was wrong. Blood, animal, close. He went to track it down and found Victor’s message on a tree. Then suddenly he was running down the mountainside. Logan on the couch realized the danger that this Kayla Silverfox was in. She was his girl… He had a claim on her and if Victor got to her… Both Logan’s witnessed her death for the first time. Then his control snapped and Logan found himself crying out his pain with the man on the screen. His head hurt a great deal… The film stopped. The animal in control looked over at his mate. She had tears in her eyes…

The animal inside the man realized that Marie had been keeping this information from him and the animal began to get angry. He didn’t understand why she would keep such important history from him, her soon-to-be-official mate.

“So, that’s what you all have been hidin’ from me after all this time?" He angrily asked her.

He smelled her fear, but he didn’t care, he was the animal.

“Logan, it was for your own good.”

“Is there more?”

“Yes,” he growled at her response.

He hit play and watched as he fought with Victor. He realized that Kayla died for nothing. That bastard had killed her for nothing…


Marie grabbed the remote and stopped the movie again. No more for that day. This time she really angered the animal. Suddenly, he pounced on her. He growled at her with such intensity, she thought he might do some real damage to her. He leaned in close to her face, eyes black as obsidian marbles, nostrils flared, and teeth bared.

“How could you keep her from me? What else are you keepin’ from me?” He yelled at her. “Maybe someone should teach you a lesson, you don’t keep secrets from me, get it?”

She was frightened and she began to fight. She didn’t want to turn on her skin and hurt him. She didn’t want his negative feelings to invade her mind. Abruptly, Marie found herself getting pulled up and yanked into the bedroom. He threw her at the bed. Then he climbed on top of her. The animal had her pinned on her stomach with her arms behind her in his hand. With the other he ripped her shorts to shreds. His thoughts were wild and erratic, but she knew one thing from them, he was going to fuck her and it was going to be painful… He used his thighs and opened up her legs. Without time to say, ‘Magneto is a pansy-ass mother-fucker,’ the Wolverine was inside her. She cried out as he tore her inside. She turned on Logan’s mutation and healed it right away before the animal could smell blood. She didn’t want to dare think of what would happen if he smelled blood.

Even though Marie was all healed, the pain still tore through her heart. Tears began to flood her eyes. Someday, he would realize that she only had his best interests at heart by keeping his past a secret. Right then as the animal assaulted her, his thoughts were only of punishing her for keeping Kayla Silverfox from him. He questioned himself as if he thought Marie wasn’t his true mate… What if Kayla had been his true life-long mate and he got her killed. Killed because he didn’t want to go back to Stryker… Killed for nothing… Marie knew deep down inside that she was his true life-mate, but right then with Logan lost to the animal, there was no way that she would be able to get the Wolverine to listen until Logan fought his way back to the surface.

She went very still and waited for him to finish. Once he finished, he fell over and collapsed on the bed because she turned on her skin finally. Marie took energy so that he would sleep and she turned on a little of the Professor’s mutation to steal his memories of what he had just done to her out of his mind. She knew he would be horrified that he assaulted her the way he had. When she thought it was safe to, Marie moved and got off the bed. She covered up Logan in their bed, tears still slowly trickling down from her eyes. So much pain… More so emotionally than physically. She quietly got dressed, left her man sleeping, went up to the school, and to her room.


Marie's Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
1:00 P.M.

Marie collapsed on her bed and began to cry. She curled up into a ball as she wept into her pillow. She was unaware that she had been projecting her feelings to Charles. Soon, there was a knock on her door. She ignored it hoping that the person would go away. The door opened a crack and the Professor’s head popped in.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that Marie. I am here to see you. You were projecting your pain rather loudly in my head.”

“Ah’m sorry,” she sniffled.

“What is it, my dear?”


Charles walked in and closed the door behind him. He crossed the floor and sat down on the edge of the bed by the bend in her legs. Marie didn’t really move to engage him. She didn’t immediately open up to him, but he knew it was about Logan so he didn’t have to guess.

“What happened with Logan?”

“We were watching the movie and he made it through to Kayla Silverfox’s death. Ah had to stop it because ah felt that the animal was too close to the surface. And then he…”

“Take your time, Marie.”

“No, ah can’t tell you because you’ll lock him up and ah don’t want that.”

“Marie… What can I do then to make you feel better?”

“Ah don’t know. Ah thought we were doing the right thing by keepin’ his past from him, but now… Ah don’t know if ah can watch the movie with him anymore. Ah have seen him become increasingly more violent since we started watchin’ the film. Ah am worried how he’s going to take fallin’ into Stryker’s trap and losin’ his memory bah an adamantium bullet.”

“I can’t tell him everything at once. That could have far worse consequences and as you said, he’s becoming increasingly more violent… I can’t risk my life more than I have this time around. If I lose this body, that’s it. Perhaps, I should come out to the boat house and watch the film with you both.”

“How would that help?”

“I could enter his mind with his permission and help to create a way to store his newly recovered memories.”

“No… You maht be onto somethin’. He should come see you in your office and you could do it there. Ah listened to his thoughts and he wants to see you soon to discuss Kayla with you. Ah think he wants more details on her.”

“I will do as you wish, but I cannot give him any more details until he has seen the whole film. Maybe, I can distract him with helping him process what he’s learned. There is so much more there to tell him, but we can’t until the powers that be release the second Wolverine film.”


“Is there anything you can share with meh about that?”

“I know that you are not prepared to accept more of his history at this junction.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Could possibly be worse than you imagine.”

“Just tell meh. Ah know ah don’t think ah could feel any worse than ah do now,” Marie pouted as she lay on her side.

“Logan spent some time in Japan after Kayla was killed. He married a woman named Itsu and had a child with her, Daken. His wife was killed and he thought his son was as well, so he left Japan. His son survived. He hates his father and has sworn to kill him some day. We can only hope that the two never meet. I have eyes and ears at all times around Daken to make sure they don’t cross paths.”

‘Oh mah gawd. What happened to that surveillance when he died?’ She thought.

‘It has been reinstated,’ Charles answered her.

“Where is he now?”

“Still in Japan.”

“Oh mah gawd, how will we keep this from Logan? He’s gonna sense somethin’. The film maht trigger more episodes lahk he had at Disneyland. What do we do then?”

“Ultimately we cannot withhold information from him. I will do what I can to minimalize the negative effects.”

“Is there any way Daken could change his mind towards Logan?”

“I don’t know. Daken has been brainwashed by a powerful mutant. It will take some time to get through to him. I am concerned that Logan will try to rescue Daken and in the process get them both killed. Somehow, when we are all prepared, I want to capture Daken and bring him back here, so that I might be able to reverse his mind,” Charles looked worried and when he looked worried Marie knew that what he said was seriously true.

“Ah won’t allow Logan to go lookin’ for Daken. He is not to know he has a son just yet. Ah know that once he knows he’ll try to leave.”

“Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”


There was an uncomfortable pause and then Marie finally sat up to face the Professor.

“Now, tell me of your plans for the wedding. Scuttlebutt around the students is that you’re going to have your cat Tigger as your ring bearer,” Charles said hoping that he could make her smile.

“Yeah, ah found this website that has costumes for pets. Ah bought this cat tuxedo for him. The trick will be to get it on him since he’s such a busybee. He gets antsy when ya try to dress him. You saw what happened to those cute Christmas booties ah put on him two years ago.”

“I see. Yes, I did. I think Kitty still has the video somewhere.”

“Logan and ah are having two ceremonies on our wedding day.”

“Interesting.”

“Yeah, there’s the gettin’ hitched one and then we’re doin’ a crossin’ the colors ceremony. Maybe you could dress up as lahk King Richard the Lion Heart or somethin’. It’s supposed to be an old tradition.”

“Yes, I have heard of it. I suppose I could get my old chain mail out of the attic from my school days. I’ll have you know, I was once Hamlet’s father in an undergraduate production in college aside from my other studies.”

“Ah bet you were great,” Marie smiled.

“I must admit, the reviews were as the students would say, seriously awesome.”

She giggled. Then Charles took her hands into his.

“Everything will work out for the best, Marie. Just remember that you both love one another very much. You both have promised to join together in holy matrimony. And right now you’re going through a bit of temporary tribulations. The little black cloud hanging over you now will pass, my dear.”

“If it doesn’t, maybe we could have Storm move it for us?”

“In deed,” Charles smiled.

He gave her a quick hug before he felt satisfied enough to go to a late lunch with Moira in the dining hall.

Boat House
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
2:00 P.M.

Logan soundly slept on his back after the attack of the animal. He dreamt but once again, they weren’t dreams but his memories broken free. This time they came in not in flashes, but scenes, staying for extended periods like individual movies. Certain scenes stayed longer than others; he couldn’t grasp why. He began to remember little details; like the vehicle he drove belonged to Kayla and she let him drive it. He had no idea that she liked to let him drive it to feed his primal need to be in control of his environment. It really only fed his ego. He worked for DCLC, Drummond Canadian Lumber Company. Logan recalled how he loved kissing the mysterious school teacher he now knew as, Kayla Silverfox; he just hated to do it in front of the guys at the job. He remembered they were always buying new sheets and mattresses but not how many times they had. If it wasn’t for the rough sex, it was for the nights of nightmares and the bed getting shredded. The memory flashed to when he was standing there stacking wood for another ordered shipment. Logan recalled the scene where he turned down Stryker. He remembered that government types smelled, but the two that he smelled, smelled like Lysol and ammonia, basically like shit. He remembered that he felt like he didn’t want to tell Kayla about Stryker being in the neighborhood, but he couldn’t resist telling her anything. She was in danger if Stryker was around. He tried to sooth her fears by telling her that he turned him down.

Then he saw red as his memory went to moments before Kayla’s death and he couldn’t get beyond the color. The memory film continued to play tinted red… He remembered that Kayla would be on the road coming to pick him up… Saw the panic in his eyes and then the marks Victor scratched on the hood. He saw himself as he held her, dead in his arms, and before he could roar his pain again, suddenly, he woke up. He’d startled himself awake, sat up, unable to believe he’d just startled himself awake, but he had. Hadn’t done so in a very long time. When the fogginess of his mind cleared, Logan wondered where Marie disappeared to. Her side of the bed had been made up to look like he’d slept alone. He searched his mind, but the last thought of her he had, was of watching the movie of his past with her. He remembered seeing the death of his one-time lover and then his fight with Victor. When he tried to go beyond the fight, his memory went to black. He tried to sniff the air in the room and didn’t like what he smelled. Salt water, sweat, and semen lingered in the air. Sex, had they done it before he fell asleep? Logan wasn’t sure. Next, a shower. Then he’d go find Marie, and food, maybe in that order. It depended on which he found first. He got up, hit the shower, and cleaned up. He toweled his hair and wrapped a towel low around his hips.

When Logan came out of the bathroom something cornflower blue under her side of the bed caught his attention. He bent down and picked up the item to discover a ripped pair of Marie’s sleeping shorts. They were violently torn down one side and the crotch was ripped as well. He didn’t like the look of them. He usually didn’t rip Marie’s clothing unless he asked because he knew better than to rip her expensive clothing. Whatever they’d done, it had been rough and then his memory flashed back to the first time they had started watching the film. He’d attacked her then too, but this time he didn’t smell blood like he had before. Something wasn’t right… He could feel it, but he had no memory of what happened and Marie was missing. He ripped off the towel around his waist and went naked to his dresser for a clean pair of jeans. Then to the closet for an Army Green undershirt before he put his socks and boots on. He dressed so fast that he didn’t notice that Marie had left his dog tags on top of his dresser…


The Stables
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
1:45 P.M.

Marie rested a half an hour after she saw Charles. When she woke, her stomach growled. She felt emotionally and physically drained even though she’d had a little nap. So, she went down to the kitchen and made a quick peanut butter and strawberry preserves sandwich. Wrapped it up in a paper towel and stuck it in the pocket of the cardigan sweater she’d slipped on. Then she grabbed a small bottle of milk from the refrigerator and a few apples from the bowl on the counter for her pocket. She went from there to the stables to visit Gandalf. She jokingly thought of him as her therapist. The stable doors were closed and locked up so, she went in the side door and through the office. The stables were kept locked so that the students couldn’t go inside without adult supervision. She walked to the other end of the stables and Gandalf had his backside to the door. He was looking out the window on the other side. The large dark gray horse flicked his white tail at a fly and continued to look out the window.

“Heya sugah,” Marie called in a low soothing voice.

Gandalf immediately backed his head out of the window and turned his head to look behind him. When he saw that it was Marie at the gate eating an apple, he turned and ambled to her. He brought his nose over the gate. She gently stroked his nose as he began sniffing around her to find where she had her treats hidden.

“Heya old man, ah bet you wanna have one of these,” she teased and took another bite of her apple.

He nodded his head up and down; his white mane flitted in the air.

“You do huh. Okay, here ya go big guy.”

Marie pulled one of the apples out of her pocket and held it out to him in her palm. His big lips went over it and it tickled before his teeth took it from her hand. He made a quick few chomps of it before it was gone. She took a seat on a couple of stacked hay bales outside of his gate and ate her lunch. When she finished, she wrapped up the apple core for the composter bin just outside Ororo’s greenhouse and grabbed the soft brush out of the tack room.


“How about a brush down?” She asked the powerful, gentle creature.

Gandalf nodded his head again. So she opened the gate, slipped inside, made sure she closed it, and he brought his head down to the pocket of her cardigan. He obviously smelled more apples. She hugged his neck and then moved to his side. He wouldn’t let her start until she’d given him another apple because he would keep tugging on her sweater.

“Okay silly, you can have the last one,” she said and held up another apple.

That pocket was now empty, but he smelled apple… But what he smelled was her apple core wrapped up in her other pocket. He wouldn’t stop picking at her sweater pocket.

“What, what is it? Ah’m all out of apples, sugah. He turned towards her and on the opposite side of her he began to pick at her other pocket.

“You want mah apple core?”

Gandalf nodded yes with his massive head. She gave him the apple core and he snapped it right up. Marie could tell he was satisfied with the core. She supposed he was happy now that he had divested her of all the apples on her person. Bringing a bag of apples next time seemed to be a good idea if she was going to have another therapy session with the overly large horse. She began to brush his back with the soft brush and something about the large sweeping motions on the hide just made her open up.

“Oh sugah, ah’m glad ah can talk to you. Ah just don’t know what to do. You know Logan right?” He nodded and she continued. “Well, Logan and ah are gonna be getting married in a couple years and ah don’t know if we’re gonna make it that far.”

He shook his head low as if he were sad. Then he went bent his head down to his bucket of oats and started eating.


“Ah know, big guy. Ah thought that watchin’ the movie about his past would be good for us, but so far, it’s drivin’ us apart and he don’t know it. Well, it’s the animal side of him that’s drivin’ us apart, ah think. Ah know ah love both sides of him and ah wanna support him, but it ain’t easy gettin’ attacked every time we watch more of the film, ya know?”

Gandalf lifted his head from the bucket, nodded yes, and gave a nose clearing snort to the hay below him. She slowly stroked him until she finished one side and moved to his front. She went around under his head and started to brush his other side, because you never walk behind a horse. You could end up getting kicked or worse. Marie found a steady rhythm in her movements that seemed to please them both.

“Ah wish ah could tell him everything, ya know?” He nodded yes. “But Charles told meh it would be bad to do that.”

She finished brushing him and an idea hit her.

“How would you like to go for a slow ride?”

Gandalf looked over his shoulder and back at her. He nodded and whinnied.

“You would, would you? Well, let me go find you a saddle and we’ll go, okay big guy?”

He nodded yes and then went to the wall outside his stall, picked up his bridle, and bit from the wall. Gandalf brought it to her.

“Okay, well, that’s one item down, sugah.”

She put the bit in his mouth and he put his head down for her. She slipped the reins and top of the bridle over his head. Then Marie left the stall to put the brush back, got the saddle, and blanket out of the tack room. Before she went back to Gandalf, she unlocked and opened the stable door on one side. Once she had him saddled, she walked him out of the stall and led him next to giant stacks of hay. She held the reins as she climbed up on top of some of the bales. They were stacked high enough that she was able to mount Gandalf’s back. With her feet in the stirrups, she slowly walked him outside. Then she turned back and pushed the stable door closed. No one would notice right away that it was undone because most people came in from the opposite side where the office was. After all that work, she slowly walked him off into the woods. Once there, she walked him off the path into the trees.


Headmaster’s Office
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
3:00 P.M.

By three o’clock Logan hadn’t found Marie yet and it began to worry him. He thought that maybe she was purposefully going out of her way to avoid him. He didn’t blame her, if the tattered sleeping shorts were any indication of what happened, he’d run too if he were her. He asked around and no one had seen her directly; he smelled the truth in their answers. So, where was she? He finally caved and decided to go see Charles in his office. Logan didn’t have to knock because he’d telepathically told him to enter. He hated it when he did that.

“Logan, come in. What can I do for you on this cheerful Spring Saturday?”

“Cut the crap, Chuck, where’s Marie?” He inquired as he sat in the chair directly across the desk from Charles.

“I have no idea where she is.”

“I can smell her on you… Have you seen her?”

“Yes, I have,” Charles put away the papers he had been reading back in the file they came from.

“When?”

“Oh, some time ago, around one, this afternoon.”


Charles could see that something was troubling the man seated across the desk from him.

“I have an hour or so free if you need to talk,” he offered.

“How did she seem?”

“She was upset but I brought her around. I counseled her as best I could and gave her a hug before I left to join Moira for a late lunch,” Charles had seen Logan flinch when he told him that Marie had been upset.

“Did she say what she was upset about?”

“I can’t tell you that Logan. You’ll have to talk to her. I cannot betray her confidence.”

“Bullshit!” Logan yelled as he jumped up out of the chair and began to pace.

“Logan, language!” Charles yelled back.

“Sorry. Look, somethin’ happened this mornin’ while we were watchin’ the film and I can’t remember what happened right before I ended up asleep in bed. I gotta know what happened so I can make it right.”

He hated to do what he was about to do, but he thought it was best for the couple, at least for a couple days.

“Logan, Marie requires some time alone to think. Like you went off that night you found out about your family and left her behind. She needs time to process what’s happening between you.”

“What the hell? What did I do to her,” he asked with a concerned horrified look on his face.

“Just like you need time to process what you have seen and unleashed in your mind. You must allow her this time or risk losing everything that you both have built together.”


Logan took a few minutes and tried to process what Charles was saying. He hadn’t prohibited him from seeing her, but she needed time apart from him. Okay, fine, he’d give her space for a while. Then he remembered the other reason he came to see Charles.

“What can you tell me about Kayla Silverfox?” He asked as he returned to the seat in front of Xavier’s desk.

“I cannot tell you what you wish to know. You must continue on with the footage and unlock the information for yourself, Logan.”

“What is this BS again? I thought I told you not to keep anything from me?”

“I cannot begin to tell you how unbelievably close you are to unleashing the rest of your history. I will say this, when you watch the motion picture again, the animal inside you will be testing the thresholds of your control.”

“I know that, Chuck.”

“No Logan, you don’t. He will test you beyond what you thought you could handle. You might even lose total control.”

“I see. You don’t want me to watch the flick with Marie anymore…”

“I’m not saying that. You need her support. However, what I am suggesting is this… I propose that I come to the boat house and help you get through it.”

“How?”

“I can help you gain control of the animal if your control weakens. I would also propose to you that today, if you wish, we can work on instituting a foundation to build upon inside your mind. Maybe even help you process and sort your memories, compartmentalize them, clear out of the cobwebs, so to speak.”

“Yeah, I suppose I could use a little spring cleaning up there. I would like to find Marie first, but you said she needed time. So, let’s get it over with and then I can go find her.”

“Deal, we should be finished before the students get requested to come for dinner.”

Logan stood and went to the long couch in Xavier’s office and made himself comfortable. Charles followed a few seconds after. He took the seat that Logan had vacated and moved it close to the head of the couch. He sat and leaned forward to Logan’s rested head.

“Now, just relax, my friend.”

Logan closed his eyes and there in the darkness he found Charles there. He held a candelabrum with 4 white candles lit. Together the two men walked to what looked like two doors made of adamantium ethereally illuminated. The task they were about to engage seemed impossible. Behind the adamantium door they stood in front of held all the recently gained memories, and in the other, the animal…


Marie's Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
7:00 P.M.

After Logan spent some time working with the Professor, he went to Marie’s room against the advice Charles gave him. He wanted to see if she’d at least consent to having dinner with him. He needed to see Marie and apologize for hurting her. He tried to open her door and found it locked. Not to be ignored, he knocked; his fist heavy on the door. Still, no answer. He scented the air and found salt water. She had been crying but the scent had faded greatly. Logan couldn’t hear her heart beat so he left her room. Where was she? He asked around once more and the general consensus of the persons inside was that no one had seen her. In fact, the only person to have seen her all day besides him was Charles. He’d checked inside and his search came up fruitless so he decided to tackle the outdoors. The Wolverine growled in approval. He wanted the chance to have a good hunt. It would be dark in less than an hour and if she was injured, she could go into shock in the cold night air. He picked up her scent not too far away. So, he followed it down the pathway to the stables. When he arrived, the building was locked. Through the office he went and through to the stalls. He called out her name, but no reply. He went down to the other end, checking every stall until he came to Gandalf’s pen. It was empty… Where would a giant Shire horse like him go? The gate wasn’t busted, so he hadn’t escaped…

When Logan left the stables he let the animal fully take over. He pulled off his shirt and there standing in his jeans, he snarled as he scented the air, caught the aroma of Marie, and the behemoth of a horse. They went into the woods. So, Wolverine began to run into the darkening forest, his nose lead the way… About a half an hour after the light faded, he found her scent strongest about one football field away, in a clearing, staring up into the night sky, the moon just a sliver in the heavens. Soon the new moon would be coming.


Mansion Forest Grounds
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
8:30 P.M.

Marie was slowly ambling along on Gandalf’s back, when out of the blue; the bottom of her right foot began to itch. She spent a good amount of time out in the trees and hardly noticed that it was getting dark. When it got dark, she looked up at the stars and tried to find her favorite constellations. She never heard the Wolverine sneak up on her… Suddenly, behind her she heard a great howl in the night air and panic set in. Gandalf went on full alert and wildly began turning his ears trying to hear the nearing foe. Marie tried to keep calm for the horse, because she didn’t want to fall from his great height. Her heart began to pound, what if Victor had broken into the school property? What if wolves had come from the surrounding area? The school was surrounded by forests so it wasn’t a stretch for a wild animal to enter the school grounds. Marie turned on her cell phone’s flashlight to the strongest beam to search the tree line but didn’t see a soul.

“Who’s there? Ah have a weapon, sugah… Ah ain’t afraid to use it… Come out.”

Then suddenly she found herself falling backwards off the horse, someone had a grip on her. So, she began to fight.

“Put meh down now, don’t make meh use mah weapon,” she screamed.

A warm breath blew on the back of her neck. It sent chills down her spine…

“I’d like to see you try,” the stranger growled before he brought his mouth down on her neck.

Instantly, she knew it was Logan so she relaxed some… When he roughly cupped her breast in his large palm from behind, she knew… It wasn’t Logan but the Wolverine that had a hold on her. She turned on Logan’s healing and fixed the mark the animal put on her neck before she turned and caught him by surprise in the dark. Her cell phone’s brightness timed out and went into sleep mode. They were in almost total darkness but for the small sliver of moonlight. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard, tried to become the dominant one. Then she put a leg between his and curled it as she pushed his torso backwards. Marie had him distracted enough that she took him off balance and abruptly they fell to the grass below their feet. When he regained his air, he growled at her and she continued kissing him senseless.


The animal got the upper hand and flipped her under him. He licked her neck where he’d bit her, still slightly sensitive after the healing and she moaned. He began to tug up on her shirt as he tried to distract her with his kisses. They were hungry and demanding, barely bruised her lips. She healed the evidence quickly. She helped him and took off her top; her white bra looked ethereal in the faint moonlight. He began to lick her body again, from her neck and beyond. A sensual tongue bath; the sandpaper feel of his tongue stroking her flesh made her feel like her blood was on fire as it flooded to womanly areas below the belly button. Marie moaned again and brought her fingers to stroke his scalp. He began to purr… Then her pants were open and she felt his tongue lap her skin below her belly button. She knew what was coming next… But something was different about the Wolverine this time; he was being gentler with her now than when he attacked her that morning on their bed. Just to check what was going on with him, she opened the telepathic mutation from Charles and listened to the thoughts coming from the animal. Very simple thoughts…

‘Marie soft. Marie mate. Marie not omega,’ she heard him repeat like a mantra in his mind.

At first Marie didn’t understand the omega comment, but then she remembered a few things Hank taught her about wolves in his college level biology class. The ‘omegas’ were the low ranking member of the pack that bore the brunt of the pack’s aggression. Now she understood the animal’s attacks. Somehow, the Wolverine saw her lower than an alpha or beta mate because she’d kept him from finding out his past. So, when he attacked her, he was unleashing his aggression. And now, the animal was trying to make up for the mistake. She considered trying to talk with him but, right then all she could probably get out of him was caveman speak, grunts and growls.


The Wolverine gripped her jeans and began to tug them down quickly as he placed butterfly kisses and licked upon her flesh, from her loins to her ankles. He got rid of the offending barrier of her combat boots, and jeans. He couldn’t see her white panties matched the bra and he brought his mouth back to her chilled but inflamed skin. He licked and butterfly kissed just under the elastic band of her underwear. Then the animal hooked the sides with a couple fingers and helped her free of them. Wolverine growled in approval when he smelled the sweetness coming from the apex between her thighs. She arched her back after he brought that warm sandpaper feel of his tongue to her folds. He couldn’t see that she sucked in and bit her lip as it felt like her body flew ten ways at once. He pulled the cups of her bra down, brought that rough warm tongue to her nipples, and quickly stroked them a few times before he went back to the tasty warm spot.

“Ohhh, sugah… Ah need you,” she pleadingly moaned.

The animal seemed to sense what she wanted. He grunted and acquiesced to her request.


Marie suddenly felt the weight of Logan’s body covering hers. She felt his heat, nakedness, and she threw her legs over his widely spread thighs. Then he surged inside her and she cried out in pleasure; the animal began to rut as she groaned and sucked on her lower lip. Oddly enough, they didn’t kiss much, as if there wasn’t a need for it. They were both into how they felt in their bodies. Her bare feet on the grass, her toes began to curl, as her hips met his at each flow of power and relaxed at every ebb.

“Oh gawd, sugah. Ah love you,” she cried out as he quickened the pace of his thrusts.

She was so careful not to mention Logan’s name to the animal because she didn’t want to upset him. She curled her arms around his back and held on as hard as she could. As Marie felt her coil tightening, she used her nails on his back and bit his shoulder. Abruptly, the Wolverine suddenly roared and they came together, both panting hard for air. She felt his warm salty essence fill her womanly haven as he gave her his last thrusts. He collapsed on top of her shortly after, his arms cradled her. Marie had never felt so cared for and loved. And thoroughly fucked… After the attack earlier in the day, she was plucked. She wasn’t sure she could make it back to the stables.

‘Marie alpha. Marie mate. Marie safe. Marie happy. Marie loved,’ she heard from the animal’s thoughts.

And as she looked up at the stars that night she wondered if she spoke simply on a more primal level when he was the animal, would it help them through the attacks and rough patches while watching the movie? As her breaths adjusted to his breathing rate, she wondered where Gandalf was. The giant species of horse was about twenty feet away, munching on some grass. When she heard soft snoring in her ear, she knew Logan was asleep and so she decided to catch some zees with him softening, still buried inside her. Marie knew that when Logan woke up, he’d make sure they made it to a warm bed somewhere after he’d seen to Gandalf’s care.


Caldicott-Howlett Apartment
Thornwood, NY.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
6:30 A.M.

Logan was on his back on the bed with Marie on his chest, her head over his heart. Finally, spring break had come to the school. Now almost over since they had made it to Hump Day, only two more days off from working with students. Remy and Jubilee, with Chloe had taken a large group with them to New Orleans on a spring break educational trip. The couple were taking them around town and sharing the history all around them. They were due back on Saturday to give the students time to unwind and unpack before school started back up on Monday. After that night out in the forest with the Wolverine, Marie had agreed to take a recess from watching the film of Logan’s past for a short while. So they focused on more wedding related things instead.

“Hey sugah, just think. Ah two years from today we’ll be goin’ on our honeymoon…”

“Yeah, speaking of honeymoon… Where do ya wanna go? Just a few hints.”

“Hmmm. Ah’ll get back to ya later on that.”

“Kurt’s on board. He just needs details from Ororo.”

“Ah can’t believe she’s got us a place and already got the deposit in. She says it looks great and it’s not going to cost us a thing. But she said she and the planner don’t want us to know where it is yet.”

“That’s our ‘Ro.”

“What do we have left to get to her? Ah’ve forgotten.”

“Flowers? No, I think we’re good. I mean she’s handled everything so far. We’ve done our colors, flowers, got the minister, the place for the weddin’, and party. I guess all we have to do is plan our honeymoon.”

“What about your tuxedo? Ah’ve noticed ‘Ro goin’ around with a clip board lately. She’s been takin’ money and checks. You don’t think there’s another pool goin’, do ya,” asked Marie as she got up and put her robe on to go make breakfast.

“I don’t know. Have you asked around?”

“Ah asked Hank and he wouldn’t tell me. Or at least he didn’t know all the details of what she was up to.”

“I cornered Hank and got the same answer. He said that Ororo might rip off his legs tornado style if he told me.”


“Ah don’t know, but ah do know that ah don’t like it. Ah mean, shouldn’t we know where we’re gettin’ married? Ah don’t know if ah just wanna be one of those brides that just shows up to the weddin’. Ah forgot. Did ah pick mah weddin’ party? Ah know Ororo is Head Bridesmaid. Ah know it’s supposed to be Bride’s Matron because she’s married, but Jubes is Matron of Honor. Ah didn’t want to bet them crossed. Just remembered, you have to choose your Best Man and Groomsmen,” she said as he watched her put her silly Snoopy slippers on her feet.

“I know; I just have to choose. I mean between Hank, Bobby, Peter, Chuck, Remy… How can I pick a Best Man? It rightfully belongs to Victor, but I can’t take the risk of invitin’ him to the wedding.”

“Easy… Your Best Man is Hank,” Logan looked at Marie. “How’d you arrive at that idea?”

“Well, think sugah, you hate Remy and Bobby’s guts. Pete has a hard time layin’ off the vodka, and Charles is already… Well okay, maybe it wasn’t so easy. But you and Hank are both feral. How many do-yah think we should have in the party?”

“How many do you want,” Logan asked dialing up Hank and Ororo’s room at the school.

“How ‘bout four a piece? So far ah’ve got Ororo as Head Bridesmaid, Kitty is a Bridesmaid, Chloe, and Jubes are mah Maid and Matron of Honor.”


“Hello,” he heard on the other line before he could catch Marie’s answer as she left their bedroom for food.

“Hank, it’s Logan.”

“Good Morning, my friend. What can I do for you?”

“Would you, um… Would you be my best man?”

“Logan, I’d be honored.”

“Good, great. By the way, Marie’s moved the date to the fourteenth.”

“Oh, does my other half know?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“I am honored that you asked me and I accept. I have to go now, the offspring is calling. Oh and Logan one more thing, give our Marie a good morning greeting, for me.”

“I will. Bye.”


“Well, what did he say?”

“He accepted and said to give you this…”

Logan pulled Marie up from her seat at his feet. He cupped her face with his hands and gave her a kiss on each cheek and a big hug. Immediately, the kisses grew and the hug pulled her back into bed for the rest of the morning. The breakfast Marie made, sat neglected on the dresser.


Westview Mall
Westchester, NY.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
12:00 P.M.

“Thank you Jubes, for meetin’ meh for lunch.”

“Sure chica. What can I do for you? How’s it comin’ with the venue for the wedding?”

“Ah still don’t know where but, it’ll be April fourteenth.”

“You moved the date? Does Ororo know? You don’t know where your wedding is? Isn’t that a little strange? I mean I know Ororo was organizing it, but shouldn’t you know by now?”

“You’re raht, but ah’ve been so busy with the students, dealing with Logan, and the Wolverine. Ah’ll have to ask later.”

“You do that… Now, feed me chica, we’re starving.”

The Foyer
First Floor
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
7:20 A.M.

Marie came back to the school a little earlier than she’d planned, but she was still ahead of Logan. She put her coat up in the coat closet there under the staircase and got down to business. She spotted Ororo crossing the hall, putting fresh cut flowers from her greenhouse in the vases along the hall.

“Mornin’ ‘Ro. Ah was wonderin’, where exactly is the weddin’ bein’ held?”

“Somewhere really nice, you’re gonna love it… I can’t tell you because it’s a surprise,” she said without missing a beat.

“Ororo, ah need to know bah the end of the day where the weddin’ is.”

“Yes Ma'am,” she kidded.

Marie pulled one of the newly cut red roses out of the vase Ororo had been filling and went to her room. Once there she put the rose in the small bud vase by the lamp on the nightstand.


‘Only if I had more time,” Ororo thought as she pulled out the Letter of Agreement outlining their space, hotel rooms, policies, and procedures relating to the Caldicott-Howlett wedding. The event of the century, if she could pull it off. She flattened it out and stuck it in a bunch of papers she needed Marie and Logan to sign. She hoped they would just quickly sign everything and not read anything.


Communications Office
First Floor
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
2:00 P.M.

Ororo caught Marie in the communications office picking up her messages and Logan’s.

‘Well here goes nothing,’ she thought.

“Marie. These need to be signed right away.”

She handed her one and Marie sat down in a chair next to a desk. She signed the bills for the cake and her dress. She signed all but one.

“Wait. What’s this? A contract…”

“Marie, just please sign it. It’s nothing to worry about. It’s just from the planner.”

“’Ro, you know ah gotta read this.”

“Just trust me Marie. Please.”

“That trust is wearin’ thin, sugah. Just don’t make meh regret this,” Marie voiced as she signed it anyway.

“Thank you Marie. I know this is going to make you and Logan very happy.”

“Ah hope so. Oh, don’t let Logan read it either. Just tell him ah said to sign it. If he tries to read it tell him he won’t get mah special dessert tonight if he does.”

Ororo giggled, “Okay.”

Then she parted ways with Marie and went to check the garage for Logan.

‘One down one to go,’ Ororo thought as she headed through the front door.


The Garage
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
2:15 P.M.

Logan was busy working on changing the oil on his bike when he heard footsteps on the concrete driveway coming closer. He sniffed the air to find the smell of Kenyan coffee, and maple and brown sugar. Which was exactly what, Ororo had for breakfast just about every morning, maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal and a cup of Kenyan coffee. Then he heard a soft knock on the open door of the garage.

“Heya ‘Ro, whatcha need?”

“Afternoon, Logan.”

“What can I do for ya?”

He heard her heart rate quicken, indicating fear. What could she possibly be afraid of? He knew she wasn’t afraid of him.

“Marie wants you sign this and if you don’t read it, you’ll get her special dessert tonight.”

Logan coughed, smiled as the eyebrow went up in curiosity and interest.

“Fine,” he offered as he signed it, “By the way, I want extra seats in available for the two ceremonies and the reception. Just in case. I have a feelin’ Victor Creed might be makin’ an unwanted appearance.”

“Are you sure, he might? Regardless, I’ll care of security for the ceremonies and the reception, just in case.”

“I’m not certain, but with Victor, you can’t be sure of anything. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I will bring you the security plans once I have them for your approval. Then if changes need to be made, we’ll close all the gaps.”

“Right.”

“Later,” she spoke, but he was lost in thought over what Marie called her ‘special dessert.’


Ororo smiled as she left him alone in the garage. She sealed the agreement, the reservation forms, the advance ticket order forms, and a money order for all the tickets in a large manila envelope. She addressed it to Tabitha Green and had Kurt bamf it to the 24 hour post office down the road a piece.


Headmaster’s Office
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Friday, May 14, 2010
6:00 P.M.

Charles Xavier was tired at the end of a long day of paperwork and teaching young students to become upstanding mutants in a human world. But you couldn’t say that he didn’t love every minute of it. He cleaned up the last of the paperwork into files that went into the small filing drawer he had in his desk. Then he picked up his mail and began to tackle his correspondence. A big white envelope caught his eye near the bottom of the pile. A flip over and with the flick of his wrist he had opened it with his claymore shaped letter opener. He opened the card and moved the tissue paper.

“You and a guest are cordially invited to the wedding celebration of Anna Marie Caldicott to James Logan Howlett on April on the eighteenth day of our Lord, two-thousand and twelve. Ceremony to start promptly at 11:00 o’clock in the morning inside the Magic Kingdom,” he read.

When Ororo had come to him about tickets to Walt Disney World, he thought she was half kidding, but now he wondered how Logan and Marie could afford such a wedding. Ororo had kept her plans from him as well. He dialed up Ororo’s number on the school’s room-to-room phone system.

“Ororo… What have you done,” he asked as Ororo answered.

“What do you mean?”

“How exactly are Logan and Marie going to afford a Disney Wedding?”

“They aren’t. We won them a wedding package through a contest Jubilee and I signed them up for when we went to California.”

“You mean to tell me they are receiving a free wedding, from Disney? Disney doesn’t do free, Ororo.”

“Yes sir, they are. I shared their story with their wedding planner. She took it up to upper management and they agreed. I think they might have agreed so they get a huge publicity benefit out of this. She said something about the Beauty and the Beast angle. Only it’s the Beauty and the Wolverine; or simply just Rogue and Wolverine… And we need it kept a secret from them. I’m on the other line with Logan’s relatives. We’re arranging to get us all to Orlando.”

“It’s going to be one hell of a surprise. Well done, if you can pull it off.”

“Yes, but they deserve it. We deserve it after all we’ve put up with those two.”

“Amen. I have to agree with you there. I want you to gather as many of the wedding party as you possibly can. I want to have a meeting before Logan and Marie come back to teach next Friday, the twenty-first.”

“Right. I’m assuming all the invitations will be just about delivered by then, especially since you just received yours. The save the date announcements have already gone out. Marie wanted to change the date to the fourteenth but I kept it on the eighteenth. We both know she’ll want to change it back anyway, last minute.”

“True. I hope they won’t be too upset when we have to lower the boom so to speak.”

“I might have Kurt bamf Jubilee and I out of the room if I have to,” Ororo joked.

“Let’s hope that won’t be necessary. Now, go on back to your other call.”


Headmaster’s Office
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Friday, May 21, 2010
6:30 A.M.

“All right, I do apologize for calling all of you in so early this morning, but here’s the lay of the land. We need to stop any scuttlebutt about Logan and Marie’s wedding if there be any. Do not mention going to Walt Disney World or that you’re going to Florida. It’s supposed to be a surprise. If I find out someone has leaked the information that they are receiving a Disney wedding, there will be serious consequences. Now, Ororo has some things to share with us.”

Ororo stood, “Now that the Professor has cleared the air… What he says is true, as you all know they are going to have a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding. Frank Wyle, from California, has graciously arranged for us to have transportation to Orlando. The Disney people will pick us up from the airport. And I would pack for warm and humid weather. We know this is still several months away, but we have to nip this in the bud before they find out. Marie’s patience is wearing thin and wants to know where the venue for their wedding is. I’m doing my best to put them both off. Maybe if we can keep them busy they won’t think about it as often. Anyway, thank you all.”

“Let’s get to work, dismissed.”


The Foyer
First Floor
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
7:30 A.M.

Logan and Marie walked into the foyer and Logan noticed it was a bit too quiet. It was like a dead zone. No one was around. Usually the Professor mentally went into the student’s minds to gently wake them up in the morning. They almost decided to go looking when their fellow instructors began to file out of Xavier’s office.

“Well that was strange. I wonder what’s goin’ on.”

“Ah wonder, did we have uh meetin’ this mornin?”

“I’m gonna do some recon and meet you in the small kitchen for coffee,” Logan said before he followed Hank to his biology classroom.


“Heya Blue, what’s goin’ on? Did we miss a meeting this mornin?”

“No, it wasn’t anything important,” Logan could smell the lie in Hank’s statement.

Something was up because Hank didn’t look him in the eye as he answered the question; in fact, his back was to him. He wasn’t turning around as he pretended to look busy setting up the classrooms for the day’s lesson.

“Come on, Blue. You can tell me… Was it about the wedding? Is Xavier planning something?

“No, yes, and NO, Logan.” Logan showed the famous curious eyebrow.

“Ah-ha. We’re gettin’ somewhere…”

“Logan, I don’t have time for this now, my friend. Can we talk this weekend?”

“Sure. If by chance Victor Creed shows up at the weddin’, would you mind steppin’ down as my Best Man and bein’ a Groom’s Man instead?”

“I will be whatever you need, my friend.”

“Thanks, Hank. See ya.”


Small Kitchen
First Floor
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
12:30 P.M.

Marie followed Hank into the small kitchen to make her and Logan some lunch. He was spending extra time teaching a student about how to rebuild a motorcycle engine in the garage. So, she offered to deliver lunch to him. She went to the refrigerator for the bread and strawberry preserves before she went around Hank to get the bulk size jar of crunchy peanut butter out of the cabinet.

“Hank, what is goin’ on, sugah?” She asked, poured on the sweetness a little thicker than usual.

“I can’t say, Marie.”

“Why not? Is it somethin’ bad?”

“No, actually.”

“Okay, somethin’ good?”

“Yes.”

“Is the staff plannin’ somethin’?”

“No.”

“If ya tell meh, ah can make sure Logan will take you on his next cigar run to Cuba…”

She knew that would really tempt him because of his love of good cigars, and Logan had the best.

“Marie, I can’t tell you because we’ve been instructed not to say anything, and I so very much, don’t want to tick Charles, and my wife off.”

“But sugah, that’s unfair. It’s our weddin’. He can’t do that.”

“You want to face him? I sure as hell don’t want to be exiled to Antarctica without my state-of-the-art lab.”

“Okay Hank. Ah’ll leave it alone. Say, ah’ve been meanin’ to ask you. Mah right foot suddenly itched lahk crazy a while back and ah was wonderin’ if you think ah should have Moira look at it?”

“Hmm, did this itch reoccur?”

“No.”

“Any redness in the area?”

“Nope.”

“Well, I don’t see a reason to have it checked. The area is not inflamed or still itching. However, I am reminded of an old wives’ tale, that if your right foot suddenly itches, you will go on a trip.

“Really, you believe in that stuff?”

“I do.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t believe there were mutants on Earth, now look. Some of what is passed on from generation to generation is true, my dear. Like peppermint will help heal stomach upset.”

“Hmm, well. Ah’ll have to tell Logan about this trip… See ya.”


The Garage
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
12:50 P.M.

Marie left the kitchen with two classic peanut butter and strawberry preserves sandwiches like she made the day she went out with Gandalf, and milk. She headed to the garage and Logan was washing up for lunch.

“So, what of your recon?”

“Well, ah found out from Hank that the Professor instructed everybody in that meetin’ not to tell us about what happened in this mornin’.”

“Hank told me it was about the weddin’. They weren’t planning our stag and hen nights. Somethin’s goin’ on that’s for sure. Maybe it’s better we don’t know what’s goin’ on?”

“Oh gawd, you don’t think they’ve got a circus of a weddin’ planned, do ya?

“No way to tell baby, I don’t think it’s as out of control as you think. I don’t think Ororo would let it get that out of control. She knows us. She knows we’re simple and quiet, and we don’t want a big weddin’.”

“Ah hope you’re raht.”


Caldicott-Howlett Apartment
Thornwood, NY.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
6:00 P.M.

Marie and Logan came home and parked in the two car driveway. She got out of her car, secured it for the night, and was happy, ready to enjoy her evening with Logan. Logan came up to her and trapped her against her ‘Vette door. He took her face in his hands and gave her a kiss full of passion, promise. Then when she could breathe again she wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked toward their front door. She looked up at their front door when Logan stopped and stiffened.

“What is it,” she queried and dreaded the answer.

“Victor’s been here.”


Logan passionately kissed his girl when he arrived because he missed her all day. All those screaming and running kids just built his annoyance and anticipation of a quiet night at home with Marie. As they started up the aisle to their front door he saw a yellow gift-wrapped box with a big red bow on it. He stilled and sniffed the air. The stench of Victor Creed was fading in the air. He could be watching them. So much for a quiet evening…

They both cautiously stepped up to the box.

“It says it’s for me,” she said.

Logan smelled blood. It wasn’t human… It smelled like rotten flesh.

“I’ll open it. Get inside.” She did as he requested.

He let a claw out and cut off the top of the box. Inside, tissue paper and the stench of bloody, rotted flesh hit his nose. He whipped back the paper.

‘Oh shit!’ He thought as he looked inside the box.

He was so into what was inside the box he didn’t hear Marie sneak up on him after she opened the door and flipped on the doorstep light.

“Oh mah gawd! Noooo!” She screamed.


For inside the box was her precious, bloody, gutted, and very dead cat, Tigger. There was no mistaking that it wasn’t him, the bastard left the collar and tags on. Logan jumped up and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She cried and wailed her pain into his chest. He held her as waves of emotion washed over her.

“I’ve got ya darlin’. I’m here. Shhhh,” he softly cooed.

He held her as he gently backed her into their home. Nothing seemed out of place. He didn’t smell Victor inside their sanctuary. He stood still and held her with one arm and with the other, he put his palm flat on her back, circled her back in large sweeping movements.

“Shhh, baby. It’s gonna ge okay, I promise,” he tried to soothe her.


Marie was devastated, Tigger was gone! The pain was almost unbearable. Logan’s tender care was just what she needed. She calmed down faster as the transition from pain to anger took over.

“Why Logan, why? How did he get close enough to grab him? Ah don’t understand.”

“I don’t either, baby.” Security was tight at the school. “You feelin’ better now?”

“Ah won’t lie, it still hurts, but now ah’m mad.”

And heaven look out for a mad Rogue.

“I’ll call Chuck.”

“You do that, sugah. Ah need a drink.”

Marie went to the walnut stained credenza that held their liquor stash and poured her three fingers of Mr. Daniels.


Logan whipped the portable phone off the stand and hit the pre-set speed button direct to Charles Xavier’s personal cell phone.

“Charles Xavier,” he said with mirth in his voice because Moira had told him a dirty joke just a second before the phone had rang.

“This ain’t no time for laughin’, Chuck.”

“Sorry, what is it Logan?”

“We have a situation.”

“What can I do?”

“Assemble the team. Sabertooth has just become a headache we don’t need.”

“What’s happened?”

“We will be on our way as soon as I have Marie calmed down.”

“I will ready the senior team quickly.”

“Thanks Chuck.”


Logan was angry himself as he drove the school’s SUV back. He held Marie’s hand as a new wave of tears came to her eyes.

“He was gonna be our ring bearer. Ah was gonna get him this cute kitty tux and have Chloe walk him up the aisle in his harness,” Marie softly said before she dabbed her eyes with tissues.

“I’m gonna make him pay Marie, I promise.”

“Ah know you will, sugah. Ah’m countin’ on it.”


Situation Room
Level 3 Underground
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
7:30 P.M.

Soon they pulled up the driveway to the garage door. Then down to the lower levels. When the doors slid open, the couple spotted the McCoys, the Drakes, the Le Beaus, Nightcrawler, Colossus, the Professor, and Dr. Moira.

“What is this all about, my friends,” Beast spoke first.

“Sabretooth killed Tigger,” Rogue let out and she began to cry again.

Instantly, everyone’s heartstrings tugged for her pain. No one liked losing a beloved pet, well maybe except Sabretooth. Wolverine wrapped her up in his care again.

“Yeah, seems he somehow nabbed Rogue’s cat and left a present on our doorstep at Thornwood. The cat had been murdered and gutted. He even left the damn tags on.” Their friends and teammates felt Rogue’s pain.

“What can we do Wolvie,” Jubilee asked.

“Be on alert for anything suspicious around the grounds,” the Wolverine replied.

“Ah want ya to find that bastard and annihilate him,” Rogue cried angrily.

“Shhh, darlin’,” he said as he held her. “I wanna know how that mangy cat got Rogue’s cat to begin with.”

“Security of the school is a priority,” Charles spoke up.

“I think it’s a warning Logan,” Storm uttered. “At the very least, a sign. And after Rogue told me about your last fight I believe the cat could be exacting his revenge. Maybe goading you into a rematch?”

“Right,” Shadowcat and Jubilee agreed.

“Check the security tapes Shadowcat and I will work with Wolverine and Rogue to form a definite strategy. We can’t afford another attack on the school.”

“True,” they all agreed.

“Just be on the look-out,” Logan reminded them.

“Stick to the evacuation procedures we have in place. Let us hope it doesn’t come to that,” Charles said as he turned the holographic table off. “Dismissed.”

Logan could see the relief in their faces that they wouldn’t have to suit up, but also their fear, and their empathy for Rogue.


Charles stayed behind while Moira took over care of Marie. Logan let her go to the infirmary to get something that might help her sleep once the alcohol wore off. He walked out with Charles and into Cerebro down the hall.

“I don’t know how the hell he got her cat. Security is the best I’ve got in place.”



What Marie had forgotten was that after lunch a few days ago, she had opened the window in her room to allow the nice spring breeze to come in. She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Tigger had been carefully watching her. He waited for the opportune moment to escape. He caught sight of a bird and he was out the window. Marie never saw him leave. Victor had waited outside the 7 foot high and 12 inch wide concrete wall with a huge bag of cat nip. No cat could resist the lure. Tigger chased the bird to a tree near the edge of Ororo’s flower and vegetable garden. Behind the tree was the concrete wall where Victor stood in wait. He climbed up the concrete wall using his cat like fingernails like ice picks and threw a leg over. He straddled the wall and sprinkled some of the cat nip to the ground below. Tigger was curious and found the cat nip on the earth. Then Victor lowered a slipknot noose to the ground while the cat clawed at the grassy patch to get at the scent that drove his senses crazy. Once he got close enough, Victor yanked the chord of the noose and trapped Tigger around the neck. He pulled up the chord with the struggling cat on the other end. Tigger fought his capturer. He hissed and made noises. After Victor had him in hand, he broke its neck and stopped any future movement. Because Sabretooth never set foot on the ground inside the school grounds, he was under the radar. So, that was how they grievously discovered that none of the security footage showed the intruder on the school grounds. Logan learned something new that day and vowed that he would never allow another enemy to sneak onto school grounds again.

Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
8:00 A.M.

Logan was worried… Marie hadn’t really cheered up in spite of his best efforts to do so. His feeling toward animals leaned more to the utilitarian view; if it didn’t have a useful purpose, why have a pet? Even though he felt that Tigger was just a dumb cat, he realized the cat was much more than that to his girl. He was a friend, confidante, snuggle pal when the badass Wolverine was away on missions, etc. And losing a pet like she had, had not been easy. At first after Dr. Moira took care of her needs, Logan carried her, curled up in his arms, upstairs to his bed and tucked her in with him. There was no way he’d let her sleep with him in her bedroom. Too many memories of the deceased cat lived in the shadows. So they’d ended up in his safe cave. She cried herself to sleep as the medication she’d taken down below finally kicked in as he held her. He wished he knew what he could do for her. Logan hated to see her so upset. Every time she cried and he heard her, another piece of his heart broke and in place of those pieces, hate for Victor filled the void.

With the sheets pulled up to his stomach, Logan wracked his brain for ideas on what to do… He knew he needed to get her out of town and soon. Victor had been to their second home and for now it was unsafe. So he would have to get Marie out of town quietly as possible, but where to go? She’s been to Alaska and that’s too cold now. California is full of sun. Yeah that would be good… So, Logan decided to take Marie to California for the rest of Memorial Day weekend. Then he formed a list of things he needed to do. He was sure that a visit with Lara and Frank and some extra sun might help. Yeah he was going to make her run away from the memories and the pain for a while. Maybe by the time they got back, Marie could face things stronger. Soon Logan fell back asleep with Marie sleeping in his arms. Food could wait…


Headmaster’s Office
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
10:00 A.M.

Logan woke up to an empty bed. God he hated waking up alone. Marie left him a note on her pillow. She’d gone to help Ororo pick strawberries from the greenhouse garden for canning. She left a little smiley face and a kiss with her sexy red lipstick. He sat up, rolled his shoulders before he stood, and threw on a clean shirt and jeans. A little hair gel, a little combing, and he was Mr. Badass again. A quick stop for socks and boots before locked up the domain he shared with Marie. He went down to meet with Charles in his office. This time Charles actually allowed him to knock, which surprised him a little.

“You got a minute, Chuck?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Please take a seat.”

“Nah, this won’t take long. I need to take Marie out of town for a while.”

“I see, has she not improved?”

“No, not really. I’ve tried everything I know to do, short of shaking it out of her. I had an idea of goin’ out to California to go see Lara and Frank Wyle.”

“I don’t see a problem. I’m sure we can rearrange the staff for the students that cannot go home for the summer. Was there anything else?”

“Yeah actually. I’m also planning to take her to see her parents and get that meet and greet over with. She’s been avoiding going to see them. I’ve been showerin’ them with stuff on Marie’s behalf. As you know, they haven’t met me yet. I would like it to go well, but…”

“You are apprehensive.”

“Yeah. I want it all to go perfect, but this world ain’t perfect. I just don’t want it to all go to hell in a hand basket.”

“I understand. Take the Suburban. I believe it has a full tank. I think getting Marie out of here will be beneficial for you both. Take two weeks or a month if you like. If you need it, take the summer and explore. I will ask a favor, if you do decide to take long excursion, I need you to stop in New Orleans and check in with Remy Le Beau. The child Jubilee is carrying is due in August and Marie could help keep her calm while you can take the father-to-be out for a few hours.”

“I thought I heard Jubilee wanted to be here to deliver with Hank and all.”

“Remy will also have information he doesn’t want Jubilee to know about. There’s word of a new breeding underground lab. We don’t have a definitive location yet to shut it down.”


Logan started to think about what Charles said and his mind began to reel.

“You think that could be the reason Victor’s back in town, collectin’ samples for testing, to the highest bidder?”

“That could very well be a possibility, Logan. But we cannot jump to conclusions and go in… With claws blazing. We must be precise.” Logan’s eyebrow peaked as he smirked.

“That’s never stopped me before and you know it. At this point, I just wanna keep everyone safe. We fixed the problems with the security sensors and cameras. No one’s settin’ foot in here without us knowing about it. There’s even an adjustment for shape shifters like Mystique.”

“At this point, just get out of here and take Marie with you. Have a good time, send postcards if you like, I’m sure myself or one of the other instructors would be glad to read them to the students.”

“I’ll have Marie send some when we stop. Okay, we’re out of here for a while.”

“Call if you need any assistance.”

“Sure thing and thanks.”

“No problem.”

Logan headed out to Ororo’s greenhouse garden to see if they were still harvesting strawberries. Now all he had to do was kidnap his girl and hit the road.

Ororo’s Greenhouse Garden
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
11:00 A.M.

Marie had a small wicker basket filled with paper towels at her feet. Then her arms went up to a cylindrical white tube containing hydroponically grown strawberries. She had her arms up with a pair of gardening scissors in one hand and a giant strawberry in her other hand. They were exactly the same size as the ones Logan had purchased from that Disney store in California. The basket was filled with paper towels to keep the basket from bruising the fruit. She hadn’t noticed Logan was even there until she heard Ororo say his name. He came up to her with a wicked look on his face and she blushed. She could tell what was on his mind without reading it… They were both reminded of the night she and he shared the strawberries from California and where all the chocolate melted to. The eyebrow peaked and he smiled as he realized she was reliving the same memory. Marie put the strawberry she had in her hand into the basket and tucked the gardening scissors into the pocket of her shorts.

“What brings you out here, sugah?”

“Get that skimpy little thing you call a swimsuit on and pack a bag. We’re hittin’ the road in fifteen minutes,” he spoke, volume high enough for Ororo to hear.

“Why? Where we goin’?”

“Thirteen minutes…” Logan teased and turned to leave. “’Ro, if you need us for any weddin’ items that need handling just call my cell.” Marie left the basket she had filled on the planting table on her way out.


Poor Ororo looked like she was going to have a coronary. What was she going to tell Tabitha Green? They still had other things to take care of… None of which she could pinpoint. She took a deep breath and calmly replied that she would call if she needed anything.


The Garage
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
11:30 A.M.

Marie’s heart was racing as she made it to the garage just in time. The door was open and Logan was already in the all black Suburban behind the wheel, with the engine running. She opened the door and jumped up into the seat. She put her belt on and as Logan drove to the main entrance gate to the school. She calmed her breathing and settled into her seat. She pulled up one leg and tucked it under her right leg.

“So, where we goin’?”

“Surprise. With any luck we’ll be there by Memorial Day.”

“Why Memorial Day?”

“Don’t know, just picked that day.”

“Don’t know or don’t wanna talk about where we’re heading?”

“Pick one.”


7-Eleven
Columbus, OH.
9:40 P.M.

Logan pulled into the parking lot of the convenience store and killed the engine. Marie was sound asleep next to him. They had stopped an hour after hitting the road to fill up on Marie’s travel necessities, which were more like luxuries to him. She had to have her Twinkies, chocolate hockey pucks otherwise known as Ding-Dongs, Sprite, and trail mix with the M & M’s, Fritos, Doritos. Of course he couldn’t forget her beef jerky with the mild teriyaki flavor. All he’d ever needed on the road was a few cigars, a box of extra-large condoms, and a case of Molson. Not to be drank of course while driving. Now dinner was winding down into fourth meal which was the late night after fighting meal he’d go out for at a diner if he could find one nearby. Marie had been sleeping for several miles. He hated to disturb her because she seemed to need the rest. He picked up some of their trash from lunch and very quietly got out of the vehicle. He decided to just pick them up something to nosh on and hit the road.

Once the trash was in the bin, he pulled open the door and that damn bell went off when he crossed the sensor’s beam of invisible light. The sound irritated his ears. He went down to the middle of the first aisle and picked out Marie’s brand of tampons. He’d smelled the shift in her scent. It dawned to him that maybe that was why she’d been so much more emotional over the cat than he thought she should have been. And a quick pick up of that special female medicine for special needs during that time of the month. Then he went over to the chips section and got a big bag of those Baked Lays he liked with a sandwich. He decided on the bigger bag because the bags were usually filed halfway with air and Marie liked to steal chips. A quick trip to the refrigerator with the cold sodas, grabbed Marie a couple Sprite refills, and a fresh bag of ice for the cooler behind his seat on the floor. It was put down there so Marie would have easy reach access. After that he grabbed a couple submarine sandwiches filled with lots of Italian meats and cheeses. He put all the food on the counter and decided to go back and make him a large coffee to go.

The guy behind the counter had stared at Logan all the while he’d gathered the food. It wasn’t like Logan hadn’t noticed; he could hear the man’s racing heartbeat. He kept his eyes low as he rung up the items for him. He didn’t really even tell him how much the amount was when it totaled on the register. Logan happened to see it and threw down a couple twenties on the counter. The man gave him change and then when Logan had the bag in his hand he scared the clerk.

“BOO,” Logan yelled at the man before he smiled and left the store.


When he opened the door, Marie was sleepy but awake. She’d put a light jacket over her lap before she’d gone to sleep and it was now folded across her lap. Logan handed her the plastic bag of food and climbed back into the Suburban.

“What’s this, sugah? Where are we?”

“Dinner… Or a snack if you want to eat later, I’ll stop. I didn’t realize we hadn’t stopped for food for a while. You were sleepin’ for most of the drive here. We’re in Columbus, Ohio.”

“Wow, didn’t realize ah was that tired. Dinner is fahn.”

“Good darlin’ cuz, I’m starvin’.”

“Ah saw what you did to that poor man in there… Did he piss his pants?”

“Why do you think I smiled before I left.”

Marie smiled a true smile. The kind Logan really loved about her that he hadn’t seen in days. Logan buckled in and started up the engine.


“You want meh to make up your sandwich?” She asked as she popped open the plastic wrap on the foot long submarine sandwich.

“Yeah if you want, dinner’s to go tonight.”

Out of the plastic she plucked the chilled mayonnaise and mustard packets. She opened them with her teeth and squirted them on the top and bottom portions of bread. She spread them with the little white plastic knife that had been inside the plastic wrap with the mayonnaise and mustard.

“How would you lahk it? In sections or all at once.”

“Pick one,” he gave her the non-answer as he concentrated on the road.

Marie knew what he really wanted anyway while he was driving. When he was driving he usually liked the longer sandwiches in half and the smaller square sandwiches cut in half in a diagonal cut. At least he was a crust eater… She opened the bag of Baked Lays and put a few inside his sandwich. Never, before he met Marie did he consider putting chips inside his sandwich. Now whenever he had a sandwich, he couldn’t eat the two separate. There was something about the flavor of the chips that gave it a better taste. She carefully cut the submarine on her lap and handed him half with a napkin from the glove compartment to hold it all together. Then she wrapped up the other half in the left over plastic wrap and put it inside a Ziploc bag before it went inside the cooler to keep it cold. After that she attacked her sandwich and made hers just like his.


Big Bubba’s Bad 24 Hour Barbecue
St. Louis, MO.
10:00 P.M.

“We have to stop for ribs, sugah. It’s important,” Marie almost whined.

“All right, don’t have a cow darlin’. We’ll stop for ribs as soon as I find a good place to park.”

“Yeay,” she cheered like a giddy 5 year old.

Logan rolled his eyes and smiled. It was good to see her happy. He pulled into the next driveway to his left that he could find. Marie was gone after opened his door. She had disappeared into the restaurant before he could get around the SUV to open her door for her. So, he locked up their belongings and he went inside. The smell that hit his nostrils sent the Wolverine into instant mouth-watering mode… A bouquet of brown sugar, ketchup, and various spices combined with the smell of cooked beef, pork, and chicken wafted past his nose from the kitchen made Logan’s mouth salivate even more.

Marie was sitting at a table towards the middle of the restaurant. She was ogling the menu looking for something to fill her stomach. Then Logan sat down next to her in the small booth. A perky blond young waitress with breasts bigger than her brain came over to take their order.

“Heya honey, what would you like,” the waitress saccharinely aimed at Logan, which pissed Marie off.

Without missing a beat, Logan didn’t look up at her at all as he continued to stare at the menu.

“I don’t know; ask my fiancée, I’m still looking.” Marie turned on her telepathic ear…

‘Like I give a shit about what she wants. Maybe I’ll spit in her food. I bet I could blow his mind real good,’ the waitress thought as her nose bent out of joint but she turned to Marie anyway.

“And for you?” The sweetness all dried up.

“We’ll have two plates of the all you can eat ribs, with beans, cornbread, and coleslaw. We’ll have two root beers and for desert we’ll have the apple pie with whipped cream. And if I find spit on mah food ah’ll make sure you get fired, sugah,” Marie spoke in a bitchy Roguey kind of voice.

The waitress held her tongue. She turned and stomped off to the kitchen. Other patrons stopped eating and stared at the little scene.


“So what was all that about?”

“Ah hope you don’t mahnd ah ordered for us. She was fixin’ to spit in mah food and ah won’t stand for it.”

“Nah, do what you want. I couldn’t decide anyway.”


Sometime later, they still hadn’t gotten their meal. The bus boy had brought their drinks. The Wolverine began to growl inside Logan. The smells were driving him crazy. Finally, the waitress came out with their plates of food. Everything looked okay, hell, it looked delicious. Once they started chowing down, they realized looks could be deceiving. The ribs were over cooked and too fatty, the coleslaw had no sauce on it, and the beans were cold. The cornbread was too dry and cold. They didn’t receive drink refills which were included in the price of the soda. No one brought them more ribs for the all you can eat portion of the meal. The Wolverine wasn’t happy and neither was his mate. So, at his request, Marie went to the little cowgirl’s room and Logan went for his own pit stop. Then Marie went out the ladies’ restroom window. And when Logan decided it was time, he went to the counter where he filled out a comment card. Food unsatisfactory he crossed out and wrote in, food quality sucked. Where it said service quality, he wrote service sucked. And at the bottom of the card he wrote, not paying for meal. He walked out before the waitress caught on that they’d skipped out on her and didn’t leave her a tip. Marie was waiting inside the Suburban for him because he’d slipped her the keys. Soon they were back on the road. He pulled into a MacDonald’s and they ordered something to fill the rest of their appetites.


The Chain Gang
Canadian, TX.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
11:00 A.M.

Logan held the steering wheel between his middle and index fingers while the other arm was busy draped over Marie’s shoulder. It was late and his girl was sound asleep. They were headed to The Chain Gang, a restaurant with a bar in the back in Canadian, TX. He was going to take her to see some old friends that happened to be on the underground fight circuit, Vern and Alice Turner. He remembered them from that session that he’d had with Xavier a while back. They were the ones that helped him get the truck, the one that got him back to Canada after leaving Stryker and later again after he lost his memory. Somehow, he had ended up back in Canadian and they helped him get the truck, camper, and trailer with his bike that he had when he met Rogue in Laughlin City. The truck was an old one of Vern’s that Logan rebuilt the engine on. Said Logan could have it for $500, as is, if he rebuilt the engine. And Alice’s cooking wasn’t to be missed. The kind of cookin’ you’d drive across the country for because you had a craving for a certain item. Vern and Alice had one son, Denton. He was all grown up now. Logan had seen him as a baby. He was named after the city where his mother went into labor while on vacation with his father.

The black Suburban with tinted windows pulled into the parking lot of The Chain Gang. The place looked deserted, which was odd for a restaurant during the day. There was one old white, beat up Chevy truck parked in front of a sign that read, ‘Warden Only.’ He parked in the slot next to it. He remembered The Warden and The Missus, because of Marie and Chuck. He wondered if they still owned the place. Logan killed the engine and looked down at a sleeping Marie. She’d fallen asleep somewhere between Springfield, Missouri and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

“Come on, wake up,” he softly spoke.

“Huh? Where are we?”

“Hey sleepyhead, we’re in Canadian, Texas.”

“Ah slept through a whole state?”

“A few actually, but who’s counting? I want you to stay here. I’m gonna go check this place out. Something doesn’t feel right.”

“Ah’m hungry. Ah’m gonna make a sandwich with what we’ve got left in the cooler, you want one?”

“Sure. Keep the doors locked.”

“Will do,” Marie voiced before she pulled her legs up under her and then climbed up through over the seats into the back of the SUV.

Logan got out of the truck and locked his door before he slammed it closed. He put the leather jacket on that Marie had been holding in her lap, just to look a little more dangerous. He walked around the corner to the front of the building, to the front door. The restaurant looked pretty empty. Only a few truckers sat at the counter on rotating seats, having coffee and discussing routes. Once inside, he went to the right towards the bar. The door to the bar was open to his surprise. People used to pack the place and it was standing room only, Logan recalled. Now it looked like the whole establishment barely had enough patronage to keep open. He walked up to the bar and took a seat. A man in his thirties came out from the stock room to the right of the bar area. His scent was faintly familiar. He did look very much like what he assumed Vern looked like in his thirties.


“What can I getcha?” the man said as he eyed Logan.

“What happened to this place? Used to be packed around here,” the man continued to polish stout glasses from the dishwasher under the counter.

“Word got around that we were serving mutants alcohol,” Logan’s eyebrow went up.

“Nuff said.”

“You’re not from around here…” The beer was quickly gone and the processing began.

“Just passin’ through. Listen, are the Warden and the Missus around? I gotta see them, it’s important.”

Logan could tell that the man wasn’t happy. His adrenaline began to spike and his nostrils began to flair. His hands began to itch between the knuckles; the animal ready to teach the man a lesson. The man looked away and sighed.

“The original Warden is in the hospital. He had a heart attack last week. He’s okay, but the Missus is with him. He retired ten years ago. I am the Warden now. Name’s Denton Turner.”

The animal relaxed and went back behind the adamantium door. Logan was taken aback, but not too surprised by time. The baby boy he remembered in Alice’s arms was now a man.

“Name’s Logan. I was once called The Wolverine. Your parents are old friends of mine.”

“Wait, dad mentioned someone that the patrons used to call The Warden’s Guard Dog.”

Logan growled at him, unhappy at the comment.

“Sorry, probably was said when you weren’t here to hear it.”

“Listen, I’m just passin’ through. I wancha to have Alice call me at this number. Any time, day or night. I have somethin’ important I need to discuss with her. Tell your dad to get well, because I said so.”

“Sure. I will when I see them tomorrow during visiting hours,” Denton spoke as he popped the small napkin Logan wrote on in his pocket.

“Thanks and thanks for the beer,” Logan said as he tossed a U.S. one hundred dollar bill on the bar. “Keep the change.”


Then Logan went back to the Suburban and Marie was missing. She’d locked up the vehicle which was good but she forgot to tell him where she’d run off to. Just as he was about to go check out the restaurant, Marie came into view with a bag and a couple of hot something in Styrofoam cups. He hit the automatic door lock to open her door.

“Everything okay, sugah?”

“Where you been, Marie?”

“Now don’t be mad. Ah changed mah mahnd. Ah thought it was gettin’ close to lunch. Ah ran around into the restaurant and got us somethin’ to eat. Ah needed to stretch mah legs.”

“Just let me know next time,” he did sound a little upset by the tone he heard in his voice. “Still got that food?”

“Yup, raht here,” she voiced as she bent forward, retrieved the bag she had under the blanket and between her legs. “And coffee too. Leaded, black for you and sweet tea for meh.”

“Okey dokey.”

Logan killed the warm sandwich and took a few minutes to process what Denton had told him. Vern had a heart attack. He wondered if he should try to sneak into the hospital to see him and Alice before they hit the road again to California. Then he looked at Marie and decided that he should continue on to the Golden State and hope that Alice would call. They could stop in and see them on the way home.


Albuquerque, NM.
4:30 P.M

Marie was getting a little bored so she reached to the back seat and grabbed her backpack off the leather covered seat. She had grabbed a c.d. she’d transferred music onto from a couple of old mix tapes she’d left home with. She’d grown up with the music being played around the house from time to time and she’d sung along as a kid. She slid the c.d. in and as the music came on she felt the flood of memories attached to the songs come back. Her mood shifted to something darker and the tears began to form. Marie hit the eject button before they could fall. She quickly put the c.d. away in her bag and tossed it back to the back seat.

“What was that all about, you okay, darlin’?” Logan’s concerned voice called out to her as she was staring out into the early evening on the other side of her window pane.

“Yeah, ah’m fahn.”

“No, you’re not. C’mere.”

Marie went to him over the center console. He wrapped his arm around her and held her tightly. She tried to get comfortable on his shoulder. Logan began to hum something and the vibration in his chest made her sleepy again. She couldn’t form a thought as to what he hummed, but it was pretty. She had no idea that he was humming the last half of Surrey with the Fringe on the Top, from Oklahoma.


Pilot Travel Center
Flagstaff, AZ.
10:30 P.M.

The animal was happy he was back on the road after such a long time away. Now all he needed was Molson, a woman, and a damn good fight; not necessarily in that order. He had the Molson in the back and Marie asleep on his shoulder… Where was he going to find a fight to let out some pent up energy in the near middle of Arizona? He didn’t really know the area and he didn’t want to stir up the anti-mutant brigade. He pulled into the parking lot of a well-lit Pilot Travel Center. Trucks were parked off to the left like horizontally stacked Lincoln Logs and fuel pumps to the right. The main building, alive with fast food kiosks and half-awake truckers and travelers heading to destinations unknown on the left. A half dozen aisles filled the center of the main building, stocked full of tourist trap kind of stuff. You could get yourself a teddy bear keychain and a shot class with the state of Arizona screen printed on it. T-shirts and DVD’s were against another wall. In the back behind the aisles were the refrigerators with drinks and snacks of all kinds. Off to the right held the hall to the showers, pay-as-you-go internet service, and the television room.

Logan decided to go in and take a leak while Marie slept. He leaned her against her window and covered her up with a throw from the back seat. He locked her inside the vehicle and went inside. There, he grabbed a basket and started hunting for anything they needed. He grabbed a few of those touristy things for Jubilee and Kitty because he knew they collected items like them at the school. It would save time of having Marie get them something and he’d let her give them away as if she picked them out. Because he was the Wolverine and he had a badass reputation to uphold. He wouldn’t be caught dead with kitschy things like Jack Skellington bobble head dolls, stuffed animals, and pansy movies like 27 Dresses. He grabbed some food for dinner and paid for everything before he went off to shake hands with the mayor. While in one of the stalls, two men came in the men’s room and they happened to be talking about the underground mutant fighting circuit. Not the one Logan remembered but, a better organized one. Well hidden from the authorities. There was going to be a fight after midnight in Kingman, Arizona. That was at least two and a half hours away. Funds were getting tight, but they had enough for one last gas fill up and a room for the night. Logan decided he could use a night of rest in a bed with Marie. She’d done some driving, but he’d done the majority of the driving.

He liked it that way because then Marie could keep him fed and happy. When he did sleep, it wasn’t restful. He would startle himself awake but he made sure the claws didn’t pop and scare Marie. They could end up in a ditch somewhere. Like they almost did back two hours before they reached Flagstaff. Marie decided to slide down that little zipper on the front of his jeans and make him a very happy man. Even the animal inside his mind behind the strong door sat back in a leather covered chair and propped up his feet with a great cigar stub to smoke. Logan hurried up and finished in the stall before he washed his hands on the way out. Then he went back to Marie sitting patiently in her seat with a light throw blanket over her lap and the seat belt over that. She hit the open switch before he could get the key in the door. He climbed in and closed the door.

“Ah missed you, sugah,” she leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a hungry kiss.

Logan was surprised but quickly warmed to her passion and kissed her back. She tasted good. Then he remembered the fight and he began to put the brakes on the great kiss that would end up with her nude, wrapped around him in the back seat in the middle of the Pilot parking lot.

“Darlin’… Mmmff… Darlin’ we’ve got… Mmmff… To stop…”

“Why?”

“Cause… Um… There’s an underground fight in Kingman, Arizona after midnight and we need funds to keep going on this road trip,” Logan spoke as the animal mentally kicked him in the head for turning Marie’s advance down.

“Oh, how bad are we?” He started the engine after buckling in.

“We’ve got enough to get us there and a room for the night but that’s pretty much it.”

Soon they were back on the road and Marie went digging through the bags to see what Logan bought. She found the food he’d bought and opened one juicy burger for Logan. Then she rewrapped it so that he was able eat it while holding the wheel. She then tore into hers with one burger to spare for Logan.

El Diablo Cantina and Grill
Kingman, AZ.
Monday, May 31, 2010
12:40 A.M.

They arrived a little late and with a plan. Against his better judgment, Logan agreed to take Marie into the bar that night. She had argued that they could make double the winnings if he fought and she hustled men out of their money with her southern charm. She agreed to flip her switch if the men got a little too frisky. But what Marie didn’t say was that she was in the mood to play with some of the stupid drunk men to make Logan jealous. And they agreed to come in separately so that she could work the room first. So when Logan came in The Rogue had made her way over to the gaming area. They had video game machines, a couple poker tables, and a billiards table. He tried to distract himself by heading to the fighting area hidden from the public in the back of the place that he’d heard about in the men’s room. It was actually in a cave inside a nearby mountain. No one would know it was there because of a secret door hiding it. He paid the man in charge and downed one beer as he waited for his name to be called. Two and a half beers later, the opportunity presented itself.

Logan killed the last of his bottle and thumped it on the bar before he headed toward the chain link fenced arena he was about to go to battle in. The Wolverine was alive. He pulled everything off above the waist and with his sensitive hearing he heard the entire collective of bar flies gasp while the men hurled threats at him. He went up to the octagon shaped cage and climbed the steps. He rolled his shoulders as he took on a snarl with his face. The announcer introduced The Wolverine to the crowd and the noise level went higher. A dark haired, thirty something UFC wannabe stepped up to challenge the animal. Logan smirked, easy pickings. This upstart would be his warm up. The announcer introduced the crowd to Ray Hubbard and the rules. The man entered the battle ground and the animal met him in the center with a couple fist bumps to engage in combat. Once they fist bumped, the younger man took the first shot to Logan’s right shoulder. And he let, ‘Junior’, think he was winning. He let him take cheap shot after cheap shot. When he swung to hit him, he deliberately slowed so the boy could get in another punch.

Then when he figured about half an hour passed and he was down on the mat, the animal took over. He got up before the count of ten and sort of faked injury pretending to barely stand. Then he went head first into the challenger and pinned him to the metal cage. He began to punch the man in the gut. Ray tried to defend himself by pushing Logan back. And when there was enough of a gap, Logan brought up a left cross right to the man’s jaw. He fell and used his legs to trip the adamantium laced frame of The Wolverine. Then Ray was on top of Logan and punching his face as much as he could. The fight would not last much longer; the animal would not allow it. He grabbed Ray’s hands and rolled him under him. Then with a clean right cross he put the man down. The hit didn’t have the full weight behind it or he could have killed the man. The crowd roared and the animal just ate it up. A couple burly men came in and pulled poor Ray Hubbard out of the cage. Just after they washed the battlefield of Ray, Logan went through couple more fights.


Meanwhile, Marie was having a ball. She’d already made $100 and was working on another $200 when she heard the bell ding for the end of the fight. She smiled as Chris Garvin was making his shot. She happened to lean down on one arm on the edge of the table and the man got an awesome view of her breasts as he hit the ball… Of course he missed. She stood and gave him the, ‘Aww, I’m sorry,’ look.

“Mah turn sugah,” she dripped on a bit thick.

She came forward and gave Chris a consolation kiss on the cheek before she took her place to make her shot. The cue hit the red striped ball and it sank the green solid one into the right third pocket. So far, Marie was winning by two balls more than Chris had. He didn’t seem to mind. She let him feel her up a little and she let him kiss her but not on the lips when she pretended not to know how to play and he had to give her a few pointers. She considered it foreplay to the main event with her man. She knew that it drove the animal crazy when he smelled other men on his girl. So, when they got that hotel room later, not much sleeping would be happening. Marie pretended to miss the next shot so that Chris could feel closer to winning. He sank her yellow and blue striped balls to even up the score. He was headed for the green one when she was leaning again, this time with a lolly pop she had in her pocket from the Suburban. She was cunningly swirling her tongue around it and popping it in and out of her very red lips. Chris tried to refocus, but he was no match for this southern girl.

Then Marie unbuttoned her blouse a little more… Just enough to give the poor man a little peak at the side of her breast in the underwire cup. Then Chris missed the shot…

“Is it gettin’ hot in heah or is it just meh, sugah?”

“Oh darlin’ it’s all you.”

“Whell now. Maybe ah should just take this little thing off.”

“Hey, not here baby, let’s go somewhere and I’ll give you a private lesson on how to sink balls into deep pockets.”

Marie put her head down and rolled her eyes. All she had to do was go on outside and then she could knock him out and put him inside his vehicle. Or turn on her skin and put him into a sleep long enough to finish the night and head on out with Logan. Nah, she wouldn’t kill him. Just give him a little nap and be back before Logan noticed her missing.


Oh but in that plan, she was wrong. Logan did notice her absence. He couldn’t smell her scent. When he looked he couldn’t see her by the pool tables. He tried to remain calm. Maybe she was in the little girl’s room… He decided to give her some time to come back before he panicked. She did have her skin and she knew how to kick ass. She was his girl and he taught her well. He turned his back to the fight at hand. There was a shorter, but bulky man, trying to fight Logan. Elmer Atkins was this joker’s name. The animal thought the fight was pitiful. Elmer kept his head down and swung his arms like a pendulum in hopes that he would hit The Wolverine. Logan laughed as he put a hand on the man’s head and the shorter man was still swinging his arms. It was almost a shame to hit him. So instead of hitting him as the crowd roared, Logan let the man tire himself out. And when he did, the animal just broke the man’s nose. Just to give the crowd more blood.

When the fight was over, the announcer called a break to sign up more challengers, and Logan went in search of his girl. He grabbed his clothing he’d pulled off and dropped near the door of the cage. The place was packed and he had a rough time making it through the crowd of patrons. He got several slaps on the back in congratulations. No one dared to put him down for beating the opponent they lost money over. They were slowing him down so much that he roared and they finally moved out of his way like Moses parting the red sea. He was headed for the front door when he caught a trace amount of her scent off to the right. He spotted the restrooms and went to wait for her in the long hallway that went to the restrooms. He leaned his back against the wall as he let his guard down and relaxed to continue healing his wounds. Logan tried not to inhale too hard so that the stench of the restrooms would invade his senses. However, he caught the signature notes of Marie’s scent, fresh and strong. Then there she was.

She came up to him and the animal could smell the other men on her and he growled. It drove him crazily jealous. He reached out, captured her arm, and pulled her to his frame; then pinned her to the wall. He brought his nose a breath away from her neck and began smelling her flesh. The animal growled inside his head as he growled in her ear.

“You smell like them,” gruffly spoke.

His girl smelled like Magnolia and vanilla blossoms but then it was screwed up with scents from the men she was hustling. Sandalwood, musk, beer, orange, cigarettes, hard lemonade, Old Spice, annoying men’s aftershave, and a bunch of others that didn’t belong on his girl.

“So? You’re who ah’m goin’ home with, sugah.”

“Where were you?”

“Miss meh, sugah?”

Logan growled as he pinned his body tighter to hers, “You’re mine.”


Marie knew what was coming… When the animal inside Logan smelled other men mixed with her scent it made Logan extremely amorous. She lifted her right thigh and wrapped it around his, her high heel resting between his legs. Suddenly, his lips were crushing hers, hungry and demanding entry into her mouth. She let him in and locked her arms around his neck. Then she was airborne as he lifted her and she wrapped her other leg around him. He began to grind his loin into hers with force and his zipper rubbed against her panties.

“Oh gawd, Logan…” she moaned as Logan grunted and growled.

She wasn’t scared and embarrassed when people went around them. She had to stop him though… The announcer was calling back the contestants and challengers back to the cage. However, it felt so good feeling her man’s attention. He moved his mouth to her neck with kisses and small love bites. A few minutes more and she knew she would have to rinse out her panties and dry them with the hand air dryer in the restroom.

“Sugah, you gotta stop. Logan, they’re callin’ ya.”

He grunted and stopped with a scowl on his face.

“Ah’ll take a rain check. Go, win one for meh.”

“I promise, we’ll continue this later.”

He went to pull away from her and she pulled him back for another quick kiss. When the question showed on his face…

“For luck,” and he smiled before he turned and left.


Logan roared again and he went back to the cage in record time. He shed his clothing again and left it next to the cage door. He rolled his shoulders before he put his left hand up to hold his weight and waited for the next challenger. The announcer went to work and started trash talking the audience into being opponents to this animal of the cage. Logan almost felt home again; a natural fighter. Then someone finally stood up. The big, last fight of the night was going to be huge. The name rival was Theodore Crosby, otherwise known as The Bear. Huge in that area, celebrity to those in the western underground mutant fighting circuit. The man was taller than Logan, bulky like a bear, had a big nose, and he was built like Hank, only black fur instead of blue. He was a shape shifter, but he didn’t fully become a bear for the fight. The man entered the cage and the animal growled. Finally, an opponent worthy of his fighting ability. They danced around each other as the crowd roared for someone to throw the first punch. The Bear threw the first blow, but Logan was quicker and it missed his jaw. His punch hit his opponent right in that space between his stomach and his lower rib cage. It knocked the wind out of the man’s pipes and he went down as Logan kept his fists up. He allowed him time to recover. Then he allowed the man to stand and defend himself. He then threw a hit at the man’s shoulder and gave the opponent an opening. Logan felt the hit as the guy punched him with a right cross. His head whipped to the right but it didn’t take him down. Instead, he went on the attack and began beating every inch of The Bear’s exposed fur.

The mutant had chosen unwisely… The Wolverine unleashed his fury on the overly large man with black fur. Perhaps he was letting out some of the anger he had towards Victor for some things and for killing his girl’s cat. A few more hits and the big man wavered on two legs. Logan threw a right upper cut, a left cross, and the man was no longer standing. Fortunately, still breathing but very bloody. The crowd went wild. The announcer, called the animal still standing, ‘The King of the Cage,’ and Logan had a moment of déjà vu. And he suddenly missed Marie again. The fighting was over and he was ready to get his pay, a Molson, his girl, and leave the joint. By his account, he’d made a little over $10,000 American buckaroos. That was more than enough for the rest of their trip and maybe he could sock a little away for their honeymoon. He grabbed his clothing and slipped the white undershirt over his head. Then he cradled his jacket under one arm as he went in search of Marie. The bar flies tried to get his attention by offering to blow his mind or a quick fuck in the men’s room. He turned them down easily with his mind focused on one girl.


Marie happened to be bent over a table getting ready to make a shot. Some guy behind her and his hands on her hips, watching her take her shot. She held her concentration well and sank two of the man’s solid colored balls in the last corner pockets on the left and right. She heard a guttural growl behind her and knew the shit was hitting the fan. She stayed bent over as Logan grabbed the man by the golf shirt. His hands left Marie’s hips. Logan growled at the man once more.

“Whatcha think you’re doin’ with my girl?”

“Whaddya mean, your girl?” The poor man looked like he was going to piss himself.

“Ya see sugah, this is mah fiancé and he don’t lahk to share meh. Honey, this here’s Parker. He was just keepin’ meh company, weren’t ya?”

Logan gave another growl; his upper lip began to curl and showed teeth.

“Um… Yeah. Just playing a game. I’m going, I’m going. Just don’t kill me. Take the money…”


Marie wondered if Logan would pop his claws just for effect but he didn’t. There was no use in creating a larger scene than they already had. The man left and she grabbed the pile of money they had put down for the bet. She stuffed it in her clutch purse and took Logan’s arm as they headed out of the bar.


Kibbyland Motor Lodge
Kingman, AZ.
5:00 A.M.

Marie went in and rented them a room with a single queen bed for the rest of the night. It was only going to be about two hours until sunrise. Fortunately, check out was 11:30 in the morning. Logan followed her with the Suburban to the room so he could park close by. She opened the door to 107 and flipped on the light switch. The place looked more like a suite. There was a queen bed in the middle of the room with a comforter that had a cobalt blue and white paisley pattern. The bathroom was small but it had carpeting and the sinks were outside the bathroom on the counter next door with a large mirror. She could see the bed behind her through the square archway.

‘Oh yeah, Logan’s gonna love that…’ she thought. ‘Speak of the devil.’


Logan came in the door with the cooler and their bags hung off of each shoulder. He set everything down on the small round table by the window and secured the door. Marie went over and pulled the curtains to give them privacy and blockage from the direct sunlight that would hit their window soon. She started pulling off clothing as she reached the bed. She turned on the light on Logan’s side of the bed. Then Logan turned off the main light and began stripping of his clothing on his way to the bed. Marie was waiting for him there on her back in the middle of the bed. He stalked her from the end of the bed, slowly moving up her body, walking on his hands and knees. Now she smelled less like the other men and more like his girl. She opened her legs and he found himself getting pulled down hard. His body flattened out on top of hers. He hugged her close to him and brought his lips gently to hers. The animal was put away behind his door for the night so he could sit back and watch the show; Logan was in control. Once they had their first kiss of reconnection, he felt Marie’s kisses become harder, more passionately demanding, and he acquiesced to her request. He guided himself to her warmth and he waited for a sign from her. Marie brought her thighs up and she locked her ankles over his rear.

When she tried to rub her flesh against his, he knew she was ready. Logan surged inside her and thought he was going to lose his mind. Not only was she somewhat still tight but she was so wet that he just glided right to head of the line. He began to pick up the pace of his thrusts and she yelled at him to go faster, harder. He let a little of the animal out and he gave her the roughness she wanted. Her breasts bounced in front of his mouth; he leaned his head down and lightly bit down along the curves of her flesh. She tasted good. Then he sucked on the peaks of those breasts and she arched her back as she moaned his name. Logan rolled them and let her take some control from him. She’d earned it. Marie kissed his face before she pinned his arms with her hands. She began to really ride him and Logan felt like such a rock star. It was like she needed one hundred percent of his penis, with no interruptions allowed. His pride surged as well when he looked in the mirror, because she was claiming him over those pansy asses at the bar she played with.


Marie stopped while he was still inside, gripped onto him as she turned her body around, and faced the mirror. She looked at herself and Logan in bed and it was such a turn on. Then as she rode him, she reached behind, grabbed his right hand, and guided him to her clit. She used his fingers to rub her little pearl and it brought her so much pleasure that it didn’t take long before she came screaming his name. Then she fell back against him. Marie felt Logan continue to thrust inside her and she clamped down on him. He growled and then cried out her name into her ear before he tilted his head upward and bit the space between her neck and shoulder. Soon after, she rolled off of him and curled into his side. She fell asleep rather quickly.

Logan happily pulled up the covers around them and soon he was asleep as well. He hoped to have a good nap before they headed on into California. So far, his plan was working. Marie’s mood had definitely changed since they left Westchester. He just wished he could keep that good feeling running through her.


Kibbyland Motor Lodge
Kingman, AZ.
9:00 A.M.

Logan was sound asleep after play time with Marie. She was still asleep on his left shoulder. Then suddenly his sensitive hearing picked up this incessant ringing. He ignored it, hoped that the caller would go right to voicemail. He knew that if it rang once more, it was important. The ringing stopped and he closed his eyes again to try to relax. Then the ringing went off again and this time he growled.

‘It better be damn important,’ he thought as he gently rolled Marie over to her own pillow and got up to find the damn phone in his jacket.

“What?”


McCarran International Airport
Las Vegas, NV.
9:00 A.M.

Lara was sitting on a sofa on the private plane with Frank. Lily had called last minute and changed her mind. She decided it would be better to move everyone to Montana instead of having everyone out to California. Only problem was that no one had informed Logan and Marie of this before they left New York.

“Good morning, Logan,” Lara softly said into the phone, her voice aged as it was when he met her.

She had a feeling Logan might be too grumpy since she was calling early. Well, early for Logan. It was still 9 o’clock in the morning. He needed to be told about the change in plans.

“What?” Logan growled into the phone.

“So sorry to wake you, honey. The plans have changed.”

“Lara? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, my dear. Just a little change in venue. Frank and I are going to my cabin in Montana for the rest of Memorial Day and this next week. There’s someone we want you to meet and she couldn’t make it to California in time for your arrival and our leaving, so we decided to move the party up to Montana.”

“Who’s comin’?”

“I can’t tell you that sweetie, it’s a surprise.”

“Well, we’re in Kingman, Arizona right now. Should only take a few days more of drivin’.”

“Oh no, honey. We’ll pick you up. Let’s meet up in Las Vegas and then we can all fly together.”

“Darlin’, I don’t fly. Ever.”

“Logan, don’t be difficult. I know you flew out here to California to meet me, you can handle a flight to Montana.”

“Ah’ll get him on the plane, sugah,” Marie interjected into the conversation. She’d been listening in from Logan’s chest when his cell phone rang.

“You’re not helping,” Logan protested.

“Yeah, that’s my girl,” Lara cheered into his ear.

“You’re not helping either.”

“Look, you won’t have to fly commercial. We have a private jet, fully stocked, and the time will just fly by, pun intended.”

“Fine, Vegas it is. I won’t be responsible for the clean up on the plane if anything happens.”

“You got a deal. See you both soon. We’re at McCarran inside the jet. Just come and park next to the Singer Airlines hanger.”

“We’ll be on the road as soon as we can.”


Singer Airlines
Las Vegas, NV.
11:30 A.M.

Logan wasn’t too happy about the change, but Marie wanted to go. She had them all ready to go in ten minutes while he loaded the cooler back into the Suburban. He tossed their luggage in the back and climbed in while Marie locked up the room. He drove her to the main office and she checked them out. Breakfast was all but out of the question. He just figured they would eat on the plane, which was until Marie informed him otherwise. She argued that they should stop so that his food could start digesting before they got on the flight, that he might be able to keep it down. And she was starving… So he found a quick McDonalds to drive thru. There was that My-tummy-is-full-and-Ah’m-happy-look on Marie’s face and all was right with the world. They drove a little over two hours to get to the airport. Logan didn’t exactly know how to get to the Singer Airlines hanger, but his guessing wasn’t bad either. He parked the Suburban and began helping Marie grab their luggage. They both took a handle on the cooler and carried it right onto the plane. The door was already open.

“Good morning you two,” Lara said as she got up like an older woman from her seat to greet them.

Lara was covered under the make-up she wore in California one more time. She had to keep up the aged pretense for a little longer. Just until Lily arrived and then she could take it all off. She pulled Marie into a hug, while Logan dumped their stuff on one of the leather covered seats. Then Logan went to hug his cousin.

“Let’s not make callin’ me early in the mornin’ a habit,” he spoke at Lara and nodded at Frank. “Mornin’ Frank.”

“Morning, Logan.”

“I’m sorry about that. I had no choice. We weren’t home and I would have hated for to waste all that gas and energy getting to San Diego.”

“It’s awlraht Lara, he’s just grumpy because he didn’t get the rest of his Wolvie beauty sleep,” Marie teased.

“That’s enough from the peanut gallery,” Logan aimed at his girl as he took his seat and buckled in.


Marie went over Logan’s lap and rubbed her denim covered ass on his loin as she crossed over, which earned her a groan. He still had a morning wood she hadn’t taken care of. She took the window seat whenever they flew so he wouldn’t get too panicked about being so high in the air. She buckled in and took his left hand into both of hers and rested them in her lap. In an effort to calm him, she began to stroke his hand between the knuckles as her other hand held him securely. He groaned at first, but then he began to purr as he closed his eyes and rested his head back against the leather covered rest. She hoped that he was dreaming about her when she saw the smile appear on his features.


Missoula International Airport
Missoula, MT.
4:00 P.M.

Marie made sure they all had lunch before they got off the plane. Frank had a hired black Suburban waiting for them when they arrived. He and Logan unloaded the plane and grabbed the luggage, while the women went on chatting about the wedding plans so far and the loss of Marie’s cat. She realized that the loss didn’t hurt as bad now, but she still missed him. Once they were all set to go, Lara took the driver’s position while Frank rode shotgun. She was really the only one of the group that knew how to get there. Marie and Logan took the back seat all to themselves. At times, Lara looked back at them in the mirror when they weren’t looking forward, and wondered if this was going to be such a good idea. She took a deep breath and told herself that it was the right choice.


Logan picked up a trace amount of fear from somewhere. It wasn’t Marie, after inspection, no, it was Lara. But what was she afraid of. Was she afraid of the person they were going to meet? He didn’t think she would sell them out to a government run lab. She seemed to genuinely care for him and his girl. She was coming to the freaking wedding. He couldn’t help the feeling that began to pick at his nerves with a pickaxe. Marie squeezed his hand and he looked at her. She had concern written on her face as if she sensed his apprehension too.

“What is it,” she whispered.

“Nothing,” and that was as far as he wanted to talk.


Triple R Ranch
Near Tooley Lake, MT.
8:00 P.M.

The sun would be gone in an hour and a half. Lara had called ahead and made reservations. When they pulled up, the place looked a bit dark. So, she rang the bell. Robert Rhodes came out of the stables when he heard the bell; he’d been feeding the horses.

“Can I help you ma’am?”

“Yeah, I am here to pick up the reservation for Wyle.”

“Oh sure, your three favorites are saddled and in the stables. And any others you need, I figured you could pick out since you have rented from us before.”

“Great. Frank, you and Logan go in the stables and load up the horses. Marie and I will pick out the others.”

“Just call if you need to extend the rental.”

“Thanks.”


Marie took Lara’s arm and walked her into the stables. She and Lara picked out a Shire stallion like Gandalf in size because they believed he could support Logan’s weight. Marie chose Beau and he was so alert around her. You could say he was starting to act like he was in love with her. Frank took Geyser and Lara rode Midnite, while Logan rode Chester. Chester was all black from head to tail. They were right; he easily was able to hold Logan’s weight. Once they all were mounted, Lara led the way with Midnite. They grabbed one more horse called Sundown. She had the most beautiful ruddy coat; her mane and tail the same color. They used her as a pack horse to carry their luggage and the cooler.


Lara Wyle’s Cabin
Between Tooley Lake and Kootenai National Forest, MT.
10:30 P.M.

They finally arrived at the cabin after watching a beautiful sunset together, the moon guided their way. They had eaten a dinner in the saddle which happened to be sandwiches from the plane they tossed into the cooler. The cabin was dark when they arrived. Lily wouldn’t be arriving until the next day. So Logan and Frank took care of housing the horses inside the barn for the night. Lara took Marie inside the cabin. Marie liked the really old fashioned feel to it. Logan’s cousin had the old kerosene lamps and really old antique furniture like she’d seen around the school. There wasn’t an overabundance of country checkered print for curtains but voluptuous velvet in a rich cobalt blue with white fringe trim. In fact, most of the furniture looked soft. The kitchen had a modernized pot belly stove and not a sign of hens and roosters on the wall. Nope, not Lara. No she had lovely rose wall paper. Then Lara took Marie to the room she and Logan would share during their stay.

“I’m so glad you two made it here. There is so much history here I want to share with you both tomorrow. I hope you both sleep well tonight.”

“Ah’m glad we came too. I hope you both sleep well too.”

“I want to take you both out for a ride tomorrow. Frank is going to stay here and watch the place. You never know when we might get a bear or raccoon through here.”

“Sure, sounds fun. Ah’ll pass it bah Logan, but ah’m sure he’ll wanna go.”

“Good. Good night Marie.”

“Naht,” Marie couldn’t help but think there was something Lara looked like she was holding back from her.


Logan came up a few minutes later with their two back packs. Marie had already stripped down and was sitting up in bed with the sheets pulled up over her chest. Her knees were pulled up under to her chest. Now something didn’t look right with Marie.

“What is it, darlin’?”

“Ah don’t know. Ah could swear Lara wanted to tell meh somethin’ when we came up here.”

“I smelt fear and her nervousness since we got on the plane. Something isn’t right and I don’t like the feelin’ that somethin’ bad is gonna happen soon.”

“Raht. She wants to take us out for a rahd tomorrow. Frank’s gonna stay here. Ah assume there’s somewhere special she wants to take us.”

“She said she wanted me to meet someone here but I ain’t got any clue as to who.”

“Meh either, sugah. Ah hope it ain’t Victor. Well, let’s git to bed. And sleep on it.”

“You owe me some morning refreshment after we were interrupted.”

“It ain’t morning yet, is it honey?”

“No,” Logan said as he began to strip down. Marie turned down the lamp and scooched under the sheets.

“Then let meh handle things in the mornin’.”


Lara went to the main suite of the cabin she was going to share with Frank. She felt so tired. Who could blame her after such a long ride and the miles they’d all traveled. Tomorrow was going to be the big day. The day James Logan Howlett was about to meet family he’d never met before. Definitely not the kind of family he was expecting… She pulled off her make-up and prosthetics, got into her light pajamas and climbed in to bed with her husband. She turned down the lamp.

“I have to do this Frank, but it’s driving me crazy because I’m unsure how he will react to what Lily and I have to tell him. Much less, how Marie will react?”

“You must relax. You’ll be no good to them if you’re exhausted.”

“I have worked so hard to build their trust and I am about to destroy all that.”

“I know my darling. It can’t be helped if you want him to know who his real family are.”

“Right. Just hold me then, until I fall asleep.”

“All right.”


Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
New Orleans
11:30 P.M.

Lily Hart was about to board a plane heading for Montana. A friend that worked at her restaurant dropped her off. It was going to be a long journey, but it would be worth it. She was finally going to get to meet James Logan Howlett and his betrothed. Lara was going to meet her at the Triple R Ranch tomorrow. They would ride back together and Lara could fill her in on the lay of the land before the official meeting. Lily could feel Lara’s apprehension but she didn’t feel the need to check up on things. It was only natural to be nervous about this meet and greet Lara had arranged. The worst that could happen was that James wanted nothing to do with either of them...

Guest Room
Lara Wyle’s Cabin
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
5:30 A.M.

Logan woke early, just before sunrise which was due in about 16 minutes. Marie was still soundly sleeping; her back spooned against his front. He rolled onto his back and began to worry over events that hadn’t happened yet. He went back over recent memories, trying to examine them for any possible clues to what was about to occur that day. He couldn’t find anything and that scared him. Then Marie rolled over and curled into his side, her head upon his chest over his heart, still beautifully asleep. She must have heard his heart beating faster because she softly opened her eyes and looked at his concerned face. She shocked the hell out of him when she threw a leg over and mounted his hips. He wasn’t hard yet but he quickly caught on. She rubbed her clam shell over his dick and he could feel the warmth awaiting him. Marie took him in her hand and while he was semi hard, guided him inside her. Logan rolled his eyes as he felt how slick she was as he slid home.

“Mornin’ sugah,” she spoke sleepily.

“Damn good mornin’, darlin’. Ohh baby, yeah just like that,” Logan groaned as she lifted up and sank back down, him deeper inside.

He grew hard inside her as she rode him. Marie brought her lips down to his hardening nibblets and sucked on them while her delicate fingers played with his chest hair. He brought his hands to her hips and held on as she picked up the pace. Then Logan pulled himself up to her and for a wake-me-up kiss, which left them both panting. She bounced up and down on his rod as he gripped her breasts with his mouth as he wrapped his strong arms around her. She moaned as his tongue flicked the tips of her nipples; he knew that motion would set her nerves on fire. Marie put her hands around his head, stroked them up the back of his head, and wove them into his hair. Flexing and releasing the tufts of hair in her grip; running her fingernails along his scalp. Logan growled and the animal inside was chomping at the bit to get released so that he could appease his feral needs. Marie slowed, turned around while he was still inside her and she missed another roll of his eyes as he fell back to the pillows. She had no idea how unbelievably great she made him feel. Suddenly, he felt her fingers tickling his balls as she picked up her pace again.

“Ohh fuck darlin’, he moaned.

Then out of the blue he felt one hand’s knuckles up against the area right behind his nut sacks. She was quickly shaking her fist and it sent powerful vibrations into his prostate, right into his G-spot!

“Damn, ohh god baby, fuck, that feels good,” he cried out.

Marie kept up that motion and he got so close to close to coming… And Logan wanted them to come together so he sat up and reached over her left thigh, stroked that pearl inside Marie’s clam shell.

“Fuck sugah, yess,” Marie cried out and she gripped his ankle tighter as her other hand continued to rattle his G-spot.

Soon they both lost control as Logan growled her name and Marie cried out his name.

“Oh gawd, Logan, you think they heard us?” She suddenly sounded embarrassed as he continued to shoot his essence inside her.

“Darlin’, I think the whole state heard us,” he smiled wolfishly at her.


Master Suite
Lara Wyle’s Cabin
6:00 A.M.

“Sounds like the love birds are up,” Frank said as he held Lara in his arms.

“Yeah,” she spoke somberly, “I should go start breakfast.”

“I wish we could wake up like them,” he voiced wistfully.

“I know baby, but you know what the doctor said. I couldn’t deal with myself if I killed you during sex Frank.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s just the ramblings of an old man. Now go make me some bacon, eggs, and toast. I’ll make the coffee.”

“You know better. It’s oatmeal and egg beaters for you, but I have to go get made up first. Go start the coffee. I’m definitely gonna need some, honey.”

Frank grunted, grumbled as he put on his robe, slippers from the closet, and headed to the kitchen. He started the coffee and grabbed his computer out of the backpack he had Lara leave on the couch for him last night. Then out of the same bag he pulled out his cell and turned on his network carrier’s hot spot access. Next he turned on the computer and hooked up to wireless internet. He needed to keep up with the outside world. Running a business wasn’t hard, but it required time every day.


Soon after Lara came into the kitchen all made up like an old lady. She hit the modern pot-bellied stove after checking on the eggs and bacon she had stored in the cooler bag she had tied on to Midnite. She had several ice packs inside the bag to keep the food cold overnight. She had instant oatmeal in the cabinet that she brought up on her last trip. The stuff kept for a long time. There was a small built in refrigerator in the wall that ran on a solar powered generator that usually kept food in it when she stayed there. There was a much larger one out in the barn for when she went hunting. The panels were on the roof of the barn. So she started cooking and it wasn’t long before their guests joined the party.


Dining Room
Lara Wyle’s Cabin
7:00 A.M.

When Logan arrived at the table with an arm around Marie, he wasn’t sure what was going on. There was such a spread. Lara had orange juice, bacon, scrambled eggs, biscuits with gravy, and coffee. He got a strange feeling like he was about to eat his last meal; like someone was about to share some grave news and they were buttering him up. Which was sort of the case, but he didn’t know it wasn’t bad news. He took the seat next to Frank and held it open for Marie to sit. He pushed it in a bit when she sat, now across from Lara. He took the seat across from Frank who was staring at the food and had a pained expression on his face.

“You okay there Frank? You look like you’re gonna have a coronary,” Logan said as he picked up the mug of coffee Marie had poured just after she took a seat.

“Yes on both counts,” Lara spoke up. “Doctor said he needs to cut his cholesterol down and I aim to make sure he does.”

“One strip of bacon ain’t gonna kill me, Lara.”

“You don’t know that and I don’t want to tempt fate. I’d like to keep you for a long time.”

Logan filled his plate and ate himself full, while he noticed Marie barely ate. Sure his appetite was stronger than any living human’s, but it worried the animal and man that she wasn’t eating much at all. He leaned closer to her.

“You all right, darlin’?” He asked lowly.

“Mah stomach is a little upset this mornin’, that’s all. Ah’m okay.”

He didn’t like her answer but he took her word for it. His stomach too was upset that morning, until she woke up and made his morning.


“After breakfast, I want to take you two out for a slow ride, somewhere special.”

“How far is it?” Marie asked.

“Just over the hill here and up on the other hill where those two giant white birch trees are.”

“What’s over there?” Logan wanted to know.

What he understood in what she said is that they would be alone and far from help. The animal was getting more nervous.

“Well, if I told you that, then it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”

“No ma’am,” he smirked just to keep up appearances.

“Frank’s going to stay here and relax.”

“Frank is going to go fishing for dinner,” her husband interrupted. “I have been stocking fish in when I get to come up here, just so I get to fish. I can’t play golf up here so…”

“Sounds great, my love. I’ll even clean your catch when I get back, if you wish.”

“I will be fine. You go and enjoy the scenery.”

Logan leaned to Marie, “You gonna eat that?”

“Go ahead, Porky, be my guest,” Marie snapped and put her head down.

He raised the eyebrow at her attempt at calling him a pig. Then as he reached for her plate, he snorted like a boar to try and make her laugh. Marie rolled her eyes and he smiled.


“Ah hope our kids ain’t gonna eat like you someday.”

“Well, let’s make ‘em first, then we’ll deal with eatin’ habits.”

“That would be wonderful if you had a couple kits. I would love to babysit,” Lara entered into the conversation.

“Ah maht take you up on that offah and come visit when this one is in the doghouse,” Marie and Lara smiled.

“Over my dead body, darlin’.”

“Ain’t hard to arrange, sugah,” she couldn’t believe she just said that, as she thought of her skin. “Just hurry up and eat will ya. If ya’ll will excuse meh, ah need some fresh air.”

“Sure, meet you in the barn,” Lara answered her request.

Marie stood and put the cloth napkin from her lap on the table. She went outside. She hadn’t meant to be so snappish with Logan. The comment Lara made her wonder if she indeed might be pregnant. But that couldn’t be true. She wasn’t late. Nope, nerves seemed like the right culprit. She set about getting Beau saddled when she felt a strong hand on her shoulder.


“Hey… You all right?” Logan asked softly and he felt all the fight go out of her strong shoulders.

Then she abruptly turned and buried her face in his chest. He smelled salt water…

“Hey, shhh, it’s okay,” he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. “Shhh.”

He felt her arms slowly wrap around his waist.

“Ah’m sorry, Logan. Ah didn’t mean what ah said back there. Ah’m so nervous… Probably for nothin’.”

He kept her pulled tight to him with one arm as he raised her face up to his with his other hand’s index finger. She did have a couple of tear streaks and so he let her go to cup her face in his hands. He used his thumbs to erase those salt water tracks.

“It’s okay, it’s my fault. I could tell you weren’t feelin’ well and I teased you a little too far. It’s okay. Come, give me a kiss and we’ll call a truce.”

She gave him a weepy, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Logan replied, pulled her cupped face to his, and touched his lips to hers while his arms went around her.

Her arms went around him and that’s how Lara found them still entranced in that kiss when she came to the barn ten minutes after making sure Frank was all set up to be alone.

“Hey you two, save that for when we get back. Horses can’t saddle themselves.”

“Yes ma’am,” Logan said as he broke from their kiss.


White Birches Cemetery
Property Around Lara Wyle’s Cabin
Between Tooley Lake and Kootenai National Forest, MT.
10:00 A.M.

Lara dismounted and tied Midnite’s reins to the 3 feet high fence and then Logan and Marie did the same. Both unsure why she would bring them to a cemetery. From what he could count, there were five sets of gravestones. Marie was curious so she began to look at the stones.

“Lucy and David Kent…” Marie aimlessly voiced and then it hit her where they were. “Logan this is where your relatives are buried.”

“Yes, Marie.”

Logan was very somber as he looked at the stones.

“Why are we here?” He asked.

“Give me your hand, my dear,” he did so and she continued on. “Logan, James, I am not the person you believe I am.”

“What?” Logan looked at her like she grew a third head.

“I know you can smell that I’m telling you the truth.”

Marie came to stand next to Logan with one arm around his waist and he put his other around her shoulders.

“I am not your cousin, James. I am your sister.”

He instantly knew she was telling the truth. He could feel it in her grip and by what his senses told him, but how could it be? She was an old woman. No, it wasn’t possible. The animal didn’t approve either.

“What the fuck is going on? Am I on candid camera or somethin’?” He began to growl.

“No James, no candid camera. I suppose you want proof.”

“Hell yes!” Logan began to yell.


Lara let go of his hand and stood in front of the couple. She first took off her nose right in front of them, then the prosthetic ears and fake teeth. Then she pulled off the rubbery face mask that had been glued to her face and lastly the wig. She could see the betrayal in their faces. These wounds would be tough to heal because any trust they had in her was now completely gone. The woman they had grown close to wasn’t real. What would happen in the next few moments would decide their fate for eternity…

“How,” was all Logan could growl as his nostrils flared.

“I was born in 1845, so that means I am 164. I’ll be turning ’65 sometime in the fall. My real name is Lucille Westley,” she said as she looked him square in the eye.

“Oh mah gawd,” Marie said.

“Holy fuck,” Logan said before his eyes rolled back and he fell to the ground, passed out.

“LOGAN!” Marie cried out and went to his side. “Come on, sugah. Wake up for meh.”

Lara leaned down and got her hands under his shoulders.

“Come on, help me sit him up.”

Marie pulled on his hands as Lara pushed and they got him leaned up against Franklin Shelby’s headstone.

“I’m so sorry, I had no idea he would take it this hard.”

“Well, what do ya think, sugah?” Marie snapped at her. “Ya just laid an atomic bomb on his brain.”

“I know, I would have told you both sooner, but I couldn’t. I’ve had the disguise so long for protection that it became like a security blanket. When I met you both, I decided to give it up when I knew I had finally found my brother.”

“Come on baby, wake up,” she called at Logan, still worried for his welfare.

Marie stopped to take a deep breath so she wouldn’t panic. Because if she was panicked, when Logan woke up she didn’t want him to react and pop the claws.

“I buried the old personas next to my husbands and over there on the right is where my children are buried,” Lara said as she began to weep quietly.

“Ah think ah understand, but we’ll tahlk about that later. We need to look after Logan.”

“I know, but you need to know, my twin sister is coming to the cabin today.”

“Oh mah gawd, we gotta get him back to the cabin. He’s gotta rest before ‘that’ meetin’.”

“I’m late picking her up. Give me a minute,” Lara said as she put a hand to her temple.

A few minutes later, she finished letting Lily know to come up to the cabin. She knew the way.

“Stay here, I will ride back and go get my hauling cart,” she spoke and then raced off, fast on Midnite.


Marie kept watching over Logan. Something wasn’t right. He should have woken up by now. She needed help and the only one she could think of was Charles Xavier. So, she put out a telepathic call she hoped would reach him.

‘Yes, I can hear you, I am in Cerebro.’

‘We need help. Ah need help, Logan is down. Ah can’t wake him up. Ah think he fainted.’

‘Calmly, my dear, tell me what happened.’

‘Lara told him that she was his sistah and showed us proof before she told us her real name. Then he passed out. And his other sistah is comin’ to the cabin, what do ah do?!’

‘Oh my word! First thing, don’t panic. Marie, my dear, get him back to where you are staying. I will do what I can from here. He has had a great mental shock. Make sure he is comfortable and make sure he gets rest.’

‘Will do mah best.’

‘And remember, he will be okay.’

‘Thanks.’


Soon, Lara returned with the motorized hauling cart. They lifted Logan and put him in the bed. Marie rode on her horse back to the cabin while she pulled the other two horses behind her. When they got back, Lara and Marie managed to get him into the guest room and into bed. Frank couldn’t help since he was off fishing. Marie stripped him down to his undershirt and managed to get a pair of sweatpants on him before she tucked him in under the covers. She slipped off her boots and stripped down to her bra and panties before she climbed into bed with him. There would be no leaving his side now. She rested her head over his heart. The sound was slow but strong in ejection and retraction of the blood from other parts of his heart. She knew that if she slept close by that he would smell her and be alright. If she was panicked, he might wake up ready for a fight and that was the last thing they needed to have happen. Marie went to sleep with her left arm wrapped around his chest.


Guest Room
Lara Wyle’s Cabin
11:00 A.M.

Logan felt like he was floating weightless in darkness until he saw a bright white light above him, kind of like a ghost ball. The light neared him and then when it floated next to him; suddenly the environment changed into a heavily tree filled forest and Charles Xavier was standing before him. He didn’t understand why he would be there or the choice of scenery. Charles knew that he didn’t like to have his mind read. But where was Marie? She had been right next to him a second ago.

‘Why are you here?’ He asked and started their telepathic conversation, ‘And what the hell’s all this?’

‘Marie. My friend, you have had a major trauma to your brain. You have blacked out and Marie was worried when you did not recover. I chose an environment that would relax you.’

‘Why did I black out? I don’t remember.’

‘Lara Wyle is your sister, Lucille Westley.’

‘Fuck, you’re shittin’ me, right?’

‘I’m afraid not, Logan. She is your sister. I have looked with her permission into her mind. She is your biological sister.’

‘How is that even possible?’

‘She inherited the same healing factor plus a few other gifts from your parents. Your real parents.’

‘No, this can’t be…’

‘Why not? Why can’t it be?’

‘Because then it means I’m gonna be a hundred and seventy-nine this year. Holy shit.’

‘Marie still loves you Logan, never doubt that. Think of it this way, Marie is an older woman if you count the ages of all the humans and mutants she’s absorbed.’

‘Not funny, Chuck.’

‘I think it’s time you woke up now, don’t you?’

‘Am I gonna be okay?’

‘I checked the walls and doors we put in place. They’re holding. Logan, there’s one more thing before you wake up…’

‘What’s that?’

‘Your other sister is coming to the cabin. You will be okay, just remember to breathe. I am monitoring Sabertooth’s whereabouts. For now, he is still here in New York.’

‘I have another sister?’

‘Yes. Louisa Westley. Remember our conversation in my office? You have twin sisters by the same mother. Victor is your half-brother by a different mother.’

‘Shit. I guess we’re like any other dysfunctional family.’

‘The only thing you need to worry about is protecting the twins and Marie from Sabretooth.’

‘With my life,’ Logan spoke soberly.

‘Welcome back, my friend.’

‘Thanks Chuck.’


Guest Room
Lara Wyle’s Cabin
6:00 P.M.

The first thing Logan could smell before he opened his eyes was Marie’s hair. He cracked open an eye and saw her crown on his chest and her arm wrapped around him. He opened his eyes fully to the darkened sky of the early evening. He looked over at the travel clock on the nightstand. He’d been asleep for quite some time; the sun would be down in about three hours. He lifted his left arm and began to stroke Marie’s hair with his index finger. Abruptly, her head lifted and with sleep still in her eyes, she looked at him.

“Hey…” came in a whisper.

“Hey,” he replied.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Ah was worried,” tears began to form in her eyes.

“I’m okay baby. There’s no need for tears, darlin’,” he said and pulled her close. Her head hit his chest and he felt better already.

“Ah was so worried the Professor couldn’t fix you.”

“No, he says I’m good to go.”

“Ah’m glad. Are ya hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Ah couldn’t eat either. A couldn’t leave your side so, ah slept with ya all this tahm.”

“Marie…,” he gave her a warning growl.


Marie rolled away from him and left the bed to come around. She helped him sit up and he held his head for a minute.

“You sure you’re alraht?” She looked at him, concerned at his state.

“Yeah, just a little light headed.”

“Well, stay here and ah’ll go make up a plate or somethin’,” she spoke before she got up to put a robe on.

“But I need to go meet my other sister.”

“Not unless ah say so, Mister. You need ta take it easy. Lemme feed ya so you can get back your strength. Ah don’t want you ta get up and fall down, so don’t move.”

“Let me lean on you, so I can go take a piss before you go. Bladder’s full.”

“Fine,” she said as she came back to the bed from the door.

It took teamwork, but she got him up off the bed and walked him into the bathroom. He sat down on the toilet and took over from there.

‘Thank god for indoor plumbing,’ she thought.


She left him behind to do his business and went to find Lara. The person she needed was sitting on a couch in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames, while Frank was over in the corner reading a book in a Queen Anne style chair. She took note that the temperature gauge by the door said it was below 50i0;.

“He’s awake,” Marie gently announced.

Lara’s prosthetic free and freshly remade up head whipped around, “Really, he’s okay?”

“Yeah,” she answered softly. “Ah have to feed him before ah can release him out to the public.”

“Oh, well do you think he’ll be up to having dinner in an hour?”

“No, ah need to feed him now. He’s still getting light headed.”

“Sure, come, we’ll go make him something hearty to build that strength back up.” Marie went with Lara.

When they got into the kitchen, Lara began to tinker around Marie as she leaned on one of the counters.

“Good news is that he wants to meet Louisa. Where is she?”

“Sleeping in the other guest room, jet lag.”

“Oh. Maybe later then we can all meet up.”

“That would be nice, I think. Do you think he’ll be okay when we talk later?”

“Ah hope so. All this, since we found you and him finding out about his past has been hard. There’s still more he hasn’t seen of his past.”

“What do you mean?”

“There was a movie made ‘bout his past and we’re carefully lettin’ him watch it. The Professor and ah are helpin’ him process it all. He’s physically attacked meh twice, but ah’m okay and ah forgave him because he wasn’t himself.”

“Oh my god, seriously? How did you heal?”

“Yeah, seriously. Ah have absorbed Logan’s mutation from tahm to tahm.”

“I wish you two the very best.”

“Thanks.”

A few minutes later Marie was carrying a tray of three bowls of beef stew. Two for Logan and one for her, plus left over breakfast biscuits and two bottled waters.

Guest Room
Lara Wyle’s Cabin
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
2:30 A.M.

Marie decided to keep Logan in bed for the rest of the night after she fed him a good meal. She thought it would be better that way so maybe he would feel at his optimal best in the morning. Logan tried his best to argue that he was fine enough to go meet Lily but, there was no arguing with Marie. They didn’t make love for dessert after dinner; she curled up to his side after he used the bathroom. So, Lara and Frank had a quiet dinner alone of fried chicken, mashed instant potatoes, and peas Lara made after Frank hadn’t caught any fish. Lily also slept through the meal. Marie’s idea was a good plan, until Logan decided he needed a beer and maybe a snack. He gently rolled Marie away and tucked her sleeping form into her side of the bed. He stayed a few minutes more to make sure she wouldn’t awake from his loss. He snuck out to the kitchen as quietly as possible. He grabbed a beer from the small fridge running from an outside generator. He popped the lid with the tip of one claw and started to drink as he stood at the sink in the dark. Suddenly, his sensitive hearing picked up footsteps on the hardwood floor, looming but a little hesitant as well as afraid; heartbeat racing. Didn’t smell like Marie coming to rat him out, but the scent was clearly feminine. She didn’t smell like Lara, like maple syrup and cinnamon. Nope, this female smelt of the south, like powdered sugar and honeysuckle. Definitely, a different southern from Marie’s magnolia blossoms and vanilla. There was only one other female it could be. He retracted the claw he had poised near the surface of his skin for protection.

“You must be James…” the female spoke in a soft voice so it wouldn’t wake the others.

Logan turned to look at her and received another shock. There was his other sister Louisa Westley as she held a battery operated Coleman camping lantern. He took a couple quick deep breaths so he wouldn’t pass out as he stared at her. It was almost like looking in a mirror. Her hair was dark like Lara’s, though cut short; it should have been more feminine, but it was whipped back and masculine like his. She had the same face as Lara as well as her height which was about six feet high. He guessed her to be in her early 30’s like her twin. She was dressed in a white terry cloth robe and reflecting the light of the lantern.

“Uh… Logan, call me Logan,” he couldn’t believe how nervous he sounded. “You must be Louisa.”

“You can call meh, Lily.”

“Okay, Lily,” Logan spoke a little more at ease.

“Hungry?”

“I could eat somethin’.”

“Good, ‘cause ah’m cookin’,” she said and set about finding the makings for a couple sandwiches.

Logan sat down at the dining room table just off the kitchen and watched her. He sensed something was wrong when she asked him a question.

“How do-yah feel ‘bout frahd chickin?”

“Fine, pass the bird.”

“Crispy or grilled?”

“Crispy.”

“Excellent choice.”


Lily carried over the platter of left over fried chicken that had been dinner for Lara and Frank. Frank had the grilled version. She set the platter down and went back for a beer for herself and a refill for Logan. She took a seat across from him as he dug into the pile of fried chicken. Lily grabbed a thigh for her as Logan opened her bottle by twisting off the cap. As she ate, she glanced over his features that she could see in the battery operated lantern’s light.

“Ah hope you don’t mahnd meh sayin’ this but, ah gotta. If ah wasn’t your sistah and you were single, ah’d be all over you lahk white on rice. Ah do declare, Marie’s got a damn fahn beau.”

Logan nearly gagged on the chicken and the eyebrow went up.

“Thanks, I think,” with an, I’m embarrassed smile. “So, what’s your story?”

“Well, ah was sixty-seven when ah found out our maternal grandparents had gone down with the RMS Tahtanic. Ah found out ah had a sister when the first family that adopted meh, were killed bah a hurricane. Ah was able to use mah gifts to fahnd her. We also share two of those twin bond thingies, emotional and physical.”

“Like she can feel when you’re hurt and vice versa?”

“Yeah and ah can tell when she’s stressed because then ah git moody,” she spoke before she tore into her piece of chicken. “Ah spent most of mah life in Nawlins and France a tahm or five. That’s New Orleans to the Yankees. Ah went through several rough patches. Ah was 16 when the civil war broke out. Ah did mah best to help slaves escape. Ah was shot a few tahms, but then ah would wake up and everyone was gone. Ah nevah had children or a husband for that mattah. Ah’ve had tons-ah lovers though.”

Logan thought it was ironic; she was like the feminine form of the Wolverine. He’d had tons of one night stands that he couldn’t remember half of by now.

“I don’t remember much but, I know I was in the civil war, fighting for the north,” he spoke soberly. Our half-brother, Victor, fought beside me in several wars.” He thought by keeping out Victor’s last name, that she wouldn’t go looking for trouble.

“What’s he lahk?”

“You don’t wanna know,” Logan snapped at her with a growl.

“Yes, ah do or ah wouldn’t have asked.”

“He kills for pleasure. Don’t get near him.”

“Don’t worry, ah won’t,” he could smell she was telling the truth.

“Mah adoptive parents were killed when their boat ran aground on some coral when ah was around 20. Ah can’t believe ah’m gonna be 165 here soon. Sometime in August ah think, maht be October. Ah forget. They say with old age, the first thing ta go is the mahnd.”

“Heh, I suppose. Only mine went on retirement early.”


Changing the subject as he reached for another piece of yummy chicken…

“So what are your ‘gifts’?”

“Ah have advanced senses and ah can heal fast, ah course. Ah have a few forms of ESP. Ah have nevah lost anything because ah can have flashbacks, visions, and premonitions, with where and when included. Ah got it from our birth mama’s sahd. Not sure where ah got the healin’ and the senses from though.”

“I’m guessing our birth father’s side. I have heightened senses and accelerated healing as well. And these,” Logan said as he popped three claws out of his left hand for a quick show and tell. “But these were given to me, courtesy of the United States Government.”

“Ah’m sorry,” she said as she cupped his other hand.

“Don’t be. Oddly enough, these lead me to finding Marie. Please go on.”

“Ah can feel when Lara gits sick, ‘cause ah git sick raht after ah find out she’s ill. Ah was sickly as a kid and ah think it may have been because of mah sistah, but ah can’t prove it. Ah have felt her tragedies and her trah-umfs. Ah have ridden through several hurricanes, and ah own mah own restaurant and catering business.”

“Sounds like you’ve had quite a life.”

“From what ah know ‘bout you, you’ve had a rough one.”

“Yeah, I uh… Don’t remember most of it.”

She reached over and cupped her hand over his, “Don’t worry ‘bout the past, Logan. Let’s focus on our futures instead.”

“Speakin’ of the future, I want you to come to the weddin’. I haven’t asked Marie, but I’m sure she’d want you there.”

“Ah don’t know…” Logan wasn’t sure why she hesitated.

“You could hitch a ride with Lara and Frank.”

“It’s not that, hon. Ah don’t know if ah will have the tahm off. When is it?”

“April fourteenth, twenty twelve.”

“That’s the first Satuhday aftah Easter, ain’t it?” She asked as she pulled her phone out of the pocket of her white robe.

“I don’t know, I think so, why.”

“Ah have the spring breakah’s comin’ in that week, sugah. It’s one of the busiest tahms of year for meh.”

“Damn, well, couldn’t you delegate or somethin’. You could put someone else in charge.”

Logan couldn’t believe his own voice. He began to sound desperate… The Wolverine don’t beg.

‘Well, maybe in front of Marie when she’s suckin’ my cock, but usually never when it came to others.’


“Look, ah will do what ah can when ah git back home. Ah will keep in contact with Lara and see what ah can work out.”

“Good, because if you can, I want you to cater the wedding for Marie and I.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I swear.”

“But… What about Marie, sugah? Does she already have plans?”

“Not that I know of. I can make a few calls and you can talk to our wedding co-coordinators.”

“Two? How big a shin-dig we tahlkin’ here?”

“I don’t really know. Maybe 50 people or less, I’m not certain. Marie’s friend that’s pregnant and obsessed with yellow wanted to plan the wedding, so, naturally I objected. I don’t want to be staring at various shades of yellow everywhere as I wait for Marie at the altar. Then our other friend at the school asked to step in. She’s helping to make sure it goes off well, without yellow…”

“Yeah, ah wouldn’t have picked you for a yellow kindah guy. Naw, you look more lahk an earthy brown, forest green, with big wide blue skah’s above, and black tux kindah guy.”

“Damn straight. We still have more people to ask. So, can ya do it?”

“Lahk ah said. Ah will do what ah can when ah git home. Theyah already goin’ berserk without meh there now, it’s ah kindah trial. If it works, ah maht take off more. Ah haven’t had a good long vacation since before Katrina.”

“Remind me before we leave and I will get you the number of the one in charge of the reception.”

“Deal, sugah,” she said as she shook his hand.

Out of the blue as she touched him she had a premonition so horrifying, that she whipped her hand out of his abruptly.


“Sorry,” she spoke and he instantly smelled her fear.

“What is it?” Logan quickly began testing his senses to see if he had missed something. No, they were alone.

“You remembah ah told you ah have flashbacks, visions, and premonitions, raht?”

“Yeah…” he voiced as he was unsure of where she was headed with his path.

“Ah just had a premonition vision just bah touchin’ your hand. That’s how mah gift works. Ah just have to touch someone, lahk that Dead Zone guy from the television.”

Logan wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what she saw… He had to know.

“Was it bad?”

“Quite, ah’m afraid. But there was a braht white light before ah let your hand free.”

“Tell me, I need to know,” the concern written all over his face.

“Ah can’t Logan.”

“Why not?” He sounded irritated to his own ears.

“Because ah don’t tell anyone if somethin’ bad is gonna happen. Because ah don’t wanna be responsible for what happens. What if ah told ya what ya wanna know? Then ya go and change it, but what if changin’ it is what lead to somethin’ fatal happenin’? Ah couldn’t live with that, sugah.”

Frustration began to build, but somewhere deep down he understood. He decided to come back at her a little calmer to try and coax her into giving him what he wanted to know. At least if he knew what was coming then he could plan how to protect Marie and his newly reconnected family.

“What can you tell me?”

“All ah can say is that this year and the next will be a rough road for ya’ll. Maybe even a year or two after the weddin.”

“That’s not anything to go on. I need meat. Give me something I can work with.”

“June or July will bring a tragedy for Marie. August will bring catastrophe to you. Your hearts will be adrift for some tahm. But, you will fahnd a way back to each othah with help from friends… That’s all ah can give you. Ah may be off bah a month or two, but ah’m usually pretty accurate.”

Logan felt more frustration that she couldn’t tell him more, but he’d take what she gave him; tragedy for Marie and catastrophe for him. How could he move on that? He had to know one more thing…

“Did you see death?”

Instantly, he smelled her fear and knew the answer but he waited for her response anyway.

“Yes, but I cannot tell…”

“I know, I know,” Logan cut her off.


“Well, we killed the plate, sugah,” she tried to lighten the mood.

“Heh, think they’ll mind?”

“Naw. Ah’ll clean up. You bettah git back to Marie.”

“Right. Thanks. You’ll like her. We’ll be leavin’ today, though, later, after breakfast.”

“Ah haftah leave around that tahm too. Lara and Frank are flyin’ meh home. Ah flew one way out here. Ah wish we all could stay for a long, long tahm, in a bubble.”

There was an awkward silence as they seriously gazed upon each other. Then Lily wrapped her arms around him in a tight bear hug. Logan could barely breathe but he hugged her back. She loosened up a little when she sensed he had trouble inhaling.

“Ah’m glad we finally met. Ah always wanted a brother and ah nevah got one until today.”

He didn’t know what to say, as he smelt salt water nearby. Problem was, were they hers or his? He felt tears form in his ducts.

“I don’t remember if I had any family in my past, but I’m glad that I found two sisters, I can call mine,” Logan spoke and then gave her a hug around her shoulders as she had her arms around his chest.

After a few moments they both let each other go and he cupped her head before he planted a kiss on her forehead.

“Night,” he softly uttered before he turned to go.

“Night,” she whispered back because she knew he could hear her.


Dining Room
Lara Wyle’s Cabin
7:00 A.M.

Lara went into the kitchen and to the generator operated refrigerator and noticed the bright pink Post-It on the empty plate of fried chicken she’d left in the fridge last night. ‘Sorry,’ it read. ‘Lily and Logan.’ She sighed; glad that they had met and no big event shattered her sleep. She set about fixing a hearty breakfast for the four of them and oatmeal with brown sugar plus a little maple syrup for Frank. This morning though, she slipped him a small pat of stick margarine to brighten his morning.

“Good morning, doll,” Frank softly spoke as he gave her a kiss on the back of her neck.

“Good morning, baby. Coffee’s almost ready. Go have a seat.”


Guest Room
Lara Wyle’s Cabin
7:30 A.M.

Marie had woken up in the middle of the night and rolled back to Logan’s heat when he got back into bed. She slept on his chest until she got a whiff of coffee scent coming in under the door. She picked up her head to find Logan still pretending to be asleep. She smelt fried chicken on his breath. Where’d he get fried chicken? They’d had stew for dinner. She reached across his chest and tweaked his right nipple in her thumb and index finger.

“Yeow, what the hell Marie!” Logan yelled as he went wide awake.

“Where’d you git frahd chicken, mister?”

“Good morning to you too, Marie.”

Marie leaned over, kissed it to make it better, and flicked her tongue over the injured nibblet, just for good measure.

“All bettah, sugah?”

“Oh, damn. The other one hurts. You know, sympathy pains…” he teased her.

“Really, well, we can’t have that now can we, sugah?”

She tilted her head back over to the one she’d been lying near and she bit down on that one before she flicked her tongue over the aching flesh.

“Oww, ohh fuck, Marie.”

She let him go, got away from him and the bed before he grabbed any part of her, and took her back to bed. She slipped on her jeans over her panties, grabbed a sweater, and t-shirt to go over her bra. She even took the time to put her hair up in a pony tail.

“Where are you goin’?”

“Well, you won’t ansah meh so ah was gonna go fahnd out and maybe git mahself some breakfast.”

“Come on, Marie. You’re gettin’ fussy over a plate of fried chicken I shared with Lily last night. I needed a beer and she showed up in the kitchen ‘cause she couldn’t sleep or wanted a snack, I forgot. Anyway, we talked.”

“Did it go alraht? No headaches?”

“Yeah, listen. I invited her to the wedding and…”

“And what?”

“I want her to cater the wedding. Apparently, she owns her own restaurant and catering business on the side. I thought it would be good to at least invite her.”

“Yeah, Logan, of course, she’s your family, and soon to be mah sistah-in-law.”

“She’s not sure she can come. She’s working during the week we’re getting hitched, something about Spring Break being her busiest time of the year.”

“Ah’m sure she’ll do her best to be there. Just give her tahm. Besahds, ah hafta call Ororo and let her know we want your sistah as our caterer.”

“We can do it from the plane. Look, we need to get back on the road today,” Logan said as he sat up and reached for his jeans on the floor at the food of the four poster bed made of polished cedar.

“You sure, sugah, don’t you wanna stay and git to know your sistah’s?”

“Lily has to go back home too. Lara has to fly her home. We’re all goin’ back to Vegas and then they’re goin’ on to Nawlins as she called it.”

“Okay, sugah. Ah’m gonna go score meh some coffee before it’s gone, you comin’?”

“Shortly,” he said before she found herself pulled to back to his lips for a great good morning kiss.


Dining Room
Lara Wyle’s Cabin
8:00 A.M.

Marie went down and took a seat after pouring two cups of coffee. She put one next to Logan’s plate next to her. Then she spotted a tall woman with practically the same face as Lara walking toward her. She had short hair… She wore a tank top under an unbuttoned flannel shirt. She looked like Logan! All she needed was the illegal Cuban cigar hanging out of one corner of her mouth. Funny enough, she somehow pictured Lily more elegant and refined in her mind’s eye. Poor Marie must have looked like she’d lost a few marbles. She wanted to laugh so bad, but she swallowed it before she introduced herself.

“You must be Logan’s Marie, ah’m Lily,” darn it, she beat her to the punch.

She shook her hand in reply.

“Yeah ah am. He’ll be here shortly, Ah notice you have an accent…”

“Ah’m from Nawlins. And you, darlin’?”

“Meridian, Mississippi.”

“Practically neighbors,” Lily smiled.

“Ah’m sorry if ah stare. You look so much lahk Logan…”

“Yeah, no worries, sugah. Ah normally wear a dress and an apron twenty-four, seven.”

“Logan mentioned that you own a restaurant and caterin’ business.”

“Yeah, ah do. They’ah probably pullin’ out hairs for mah expertise ‘bout now. Ah don’t take many vacations.”

“Ah hope you can come to the wedding and do the food. Ah would be honored to have you there for Logan and ah. If you can make it, ah course.”

“Lahk ah told him, ah’ll do mah best to git there.”

“That’s all this future sistah-in-law could ask for.”


Logan appeared sometime later after he’d freshened up. He and the others devoured every bit of breakfast. Lily set about saddling the horseflesh for the ride back to the Triple R. Marie and Logan went for a walk down by the water where Frank had been fishing the day before, just for some fresh air and took some time alone, took in the view with their senses. They didn’t get much of one while being at the school so much. True, they did have trees and forest like areas, but they rarely took time to stop and smell Ororo’s roses as it were. It’s like moving to the beach because you want to go and feel the sand between your toes, but you never go because you’re too busy. Marie sat on a large boulder and pulled Logan’s hand so that he would come and sit by her. He did so and wrapped her in his arms. They took in the view before they shared a few passionate kisses. Then when they heard Lara’s air horn, they headed back. Lara spent time cleaning up and packing up the left-over perishable food. Frank stopped the generator and packed up their bags. Lily came back into the cabin and helped Frank with the bags and loading the horses. Lara locked up after everyone made one last pit stop. Lara and Frank took the lead with Lily and Marie in the middle, and Logan brought up the rear with the pack horses.


Triple R Ranch
Near Tooley Lake, MT.
1:00 P.M.

The horses were dropped off and Lara and Frank went with Lily while Logan drove the vehicle Lara had drove them up there with. They stopped for a quick picnic for lunch and began the drive back to the airport where the jet was waiting to take them to all points south.

“Do ya think people would mind pigs in a blanket and Chex mix for cocktail hour,” Marie asked Logan.

“I don’t know. I think I might want those little cream puff things Lily mentioned at lunch.”

“Ah wonder how her barbecue is?”


Missoula International Airport
Missoula, MT.
5:00 P.M.

It really didn’t feel like the four hour ride they took to get back to the Missoula airport. They scattered from their vehicles when they arrived, helped the small flight crew put their luggage inside the plane. Lara and Frank sat near the door. Lily had a seat on the right side of the plane across from Logan and Marie close to the window. Marie went to sleep with her head on Logan’s shoulder, her hand holding his. Logan was tense as he looked over and Lily was white knuckling it as well.

“Don’t like to fly, darlin’?”

“Hate it, bro. Ah wish there was an easier way of gettin’ around.”

“Here, take my other hand,” Logan spoke as he reached across the small aisle.

Lily reached out and gripped on to his hand. The strength in his grip seemed to calm her a bit.

“Do ya flah much?”

“Unfortunately, yes. It never gets any easier, I’m afraid. Feels better when I’ve got Marie with me though. She’s got ways of distractin’ me and it works pretty well, until the bottom drops out under us for the nose to come down for landin’.”

“Yeah, give meh a bike any day,” Logan’s eyebrow went up, curious.

“You ride?”

“Yeah, sugah. Got a forty six Indian back home in mah garage.”

Logan about near flipped out of his seat. Maybe she was his twin and not Lara’s? There’s no way that it was just coincidence that they happened to share so many things… Was there?

“Owned a bike fresh off the line once. No clue where it is now. Now, I’ve got a bike I, ‘inherited,’ from a late colleague.”

“Maybe sometahm ah could come up and visit so ah can see it?” Lily did the same eyebrow move as Logan and he began to feel a bit creepy.

“That would be nice,” he smiled anyway.


McCarran International Airport
Las Vegas, NV.
10:30 P.M.

When the plane landed, Logan and Lily smiled at each other. They had made it safely. Lara and Frank had made calls during the flight to get them a hotel room in New Orleans and ground transportation. Logan waited until it was safe to move before he undid his belt and turned on his cell to check for messages and missed calls. He gave Lily the phone numbers she needed to reach him or Marie at the school plus the number for Ororo. He hoped she wouldn’t need the number for Jubilee, because he didn’t want yellow colored food either unless it was beer, preferably the good stuff, Molson. Okay, or maybe champagne.


Singer Airlines
Las Vegas, NV.
11:00 P.M.

Logan loaded up the Suburban as Marie climbed into the front seat. He closed up the back and climbed in behind the wheel. They both sat there still and calmly breathed, took in the moment after they’d spoken their good byes. They watched as the jet taxied and took off for New Orleans.

“Whew, what a trip that was,” Marie said as she buckled in. “Where to next, sugah?”

“Yeah,” Logan uttered somberly.

“You wanna head home?”

“Nah, gotta go see some old friends before we go back.”

“Where are they?”

“Texas.”


Kibbyland Motor Lodge
Kingman, AZ.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
1:30 A.M.

“Baby, we’re back where we came from,” Logan softly said to wake Marie up. She’d fallen asleep an hour into the ride there. “I’m gonna get us a room for the night.”

“Good, need more sleep,” Marie voiced dazedly.

He went to the late night window and rented the same room they had before they’d left for Las Vegas. He came back and Marie had nodded off again. He opened the door and came back to the SUV. Logan opened her door and she fell into him. He caught her and creatively unbuckled her seatbelt while holding her. Then he scooped her up into his arms and carried her over the threshold. A flip of the light switch with his shoulder and then to her side of the bed where he gently placed her on the coverlet. He closed the door and secured it leaving everything in the vehicle. He pulled off her cute little chocolate brown cowboy boots and put them by the end table on her side of the room. Carefully, Logan managed to pull the covers out from under her and then over her sleeping form as he tucked her in. Then he gently sat down on his side of the bed and pulled his boots off before he curled in under the same sheets with his girl. He set his head to the pillow; Marie sought out his heat under the covers, and her head found his chest.


Headmaster’s Office
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
6:00 A.M.

Charles called an emergency meeting of the X-Men together, junior and senior teams. Sabertooth had officially left the vicinity of the school. Problem was that he had no clear idea where Victor was headed, but the intelligence he did have, suggested he was working as a mercenary for government labs again. He had tried to get through other’s minds around him and hadn’t had much luck. He had tried to break into Sabertooth’s mind directly but it had been too taxing on his energy. He needed Logan and Marie back at the school. He brought the idea forth that maybe it was time to move Logan’s family to the mansion for safety. The teams agreed that having their team mates out in the open and possibly Logan’s family might all be in danger. Charles agreed to contact Logan when it was later that morning on the west coast.


Everett Labs
Underground
40 Miles South Of Uluru, Northern Territory, AU.
Near Fregon, South Australia, AU.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
8:00 A.M.

The X-Men had no idea that Victor had been captured by three Black Ops teams with enough tranquilizers to drown a whale. It was just that Charles had found out that his signature was no longer in the state and someone was making it damn difficult to trace him. At that that ungodly early hour, Victor had been strapped down to a hard metal slab and totally immobilized. He had no idea that he was about to go through a procedure that would change his life forever. See, Everett Labs was secretly contracted to complete a job that should have been done decades ago… To totally wipe his mind that he had ever worked for other bosses. So, while Victor was definitely asleep they hooked him up to all kinds of machines and started the procedure. All the negative memories he had were erased and newly created memories were implanted into his mind. Meaning the memory of the night that Logan had stabbed his real father was erased and replaced by memories of playing out in the woods a boy that could have been his brother. Memories that he had a nice childhood and that he did all the things normal people did for the time periods that he’d lived. They took out any trace of bloodlust but they put back in his mind his abilities as a mutant. There was no memory of Logan in his mind…

They left, at least, some memory of how to perform daily functions like grooming, evacuating wastes, eating, and walking. When Victor awoke, he found himself in a cell. His head hurt and his vision was a bit clouded but he’d managed to start to process the medication through his system. Around his neck they had placed a suppression collar to control his advanced healing capability. He roared in pain for a while until the pain became so great in his head that he passed out. Unbeknownst to him, a team had come in and drugged him again to get the collar off. They left him on the thin mattress pad on the cot chained to the wall. Then they cleared out. When he woke again a day later, the door to his cell was open. He looked down and took stock of his body. He felt better than great now, but where were his clothes? He had on nothing but one of those silly hospital gowns that was open in the back. Victor didn’t know what he was going to do get free, but he needed to get out. His fingernails began to elongate and he ripped off the gown, opting to go naked as he ran out of the cell by his hands and feet, like a big cat. The place seemed empty as he ran by certain areas. He didn’t want to stay… He finally reached the surface only to discover he was in the middle of a desert. He had no idea where he was or that he was close to the exact middle of nowhere, within the country of Australia.

Kibbyland Motor Lodge
Kingman, AZ.
9:30 A.M.

Logan slowly cranked open his eyelids. He’d forgotten to close the curtains and the sun as coming in like a beam of God’s flashlight. He was on his left side as he woke up. He could feel Marie’s frame curled up in a ball at his back, as if there had been four people sharing the bed. His tiredness lingered even though he’d just had a good long rest with his girl. A systems check revealed that his engine as in dire lack of fuel to run on. Breakfast was just the gas he needed to get that engine going. He didn’t really want to leave Marie to wake up alone, but food was now on the animal’s one track mind. So, Logan, the poor tired man, sat up and pulled his boots on. He rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck, and he felt slightly in better shape. He grabbed his keys out of his jacket and headed out. It seemed like a good day for a road trip. The sun was out and it was already climbing in heat. It was already 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the forecast for the day was to amount to 93 degrees. When he reached the Suburban he pulled off his flannel shirt and tossed it in to the back seat before he grabbed his back pack from the back. His tank top would do but he needed a lighter over shirt. He grabbed a frosty green Hawaiian shirt with little fruity drinks plus little umbrellas in the glasses and slipped it on. The keys in the engine and he was off in search of breakfast.


When Marie heard an engine start, she reached forward to wake Logan up with a good kiss, and found his side of the bed empty and cold. That woke her up quickly, like ice up her back. She popped up and scrambled to the window in time to see the back of the Suburban pulling up to the driveway entrance. Where was Logan headed? She stopped a moment and took a deep breath.

‘Nothin’s wrong, he’s probably gone out to get food,’ she thought as she calmed herself.

She decided to go make use of the hot water in the shower while he was gone. She turned on the hot water in the shower and then turned on the cold just a hair to temper the water so she wouldn’t burn her flesh when she finally stepped into the small tub. Marie stripped down and left a trail for Logan to follow. Next, she grabbed the freebie bath soap, the two-in-one shampoo and conditioner bottle, and headed back to the steamy shower. A leg over the tub and she brought the other one in before she slid the frosty glass shower door closed. The water was just right and she began to lather her body with suds. Suddenly, she heard her cell phone ringing with the ring tone she had specifically picked out for the Professor, La Vie En Rose by Louis Armstrong. She decided to let voice mail get it while she continued to scrub her legs. But then she felt a tickle at her brain’s front door. She stopped doing what she was doing and opened the door.

‘Yes?’

‘Sorry to disturb you this morning, my dear. I wouldn’t bother you otherwise, but this is immensely important, Rogue.’

‘What is it Professor? Wait, you’re callin’ meh Rogue… Do we have a mission?’

‘Not exactly. Sabretooth has officially left New York, but that isn’t what concerns me. He’s gone missing. Last intelligence I have said that he was working for secret government labs. I have no idea where he is or where he is headed. I wanted to warn you and Logan. I will take care of looking out for his family.’

‘Have ya tried Cerebro?’

‘Yes, but someone or something is blocking my efforts to reach his mind.’

‘Shit… And here ah thought we were havin’ fun… Ah’ll tell Logan when he gets back.’

‘Back?’

‘He went out for breakfast, ah think. And ah’m in the shower.’

‘Oh, forgive me. I will leave you now and keep you both up to date when I know more. I am checking through my contacts for any kind of lead. The X-Men are aware of the situation as well.’

‘Thanks. Talk to ya later.’


Kibbyland Motor Lodge
Kingman, AZ.
9:50 A.M.

Logan entered the room and Marie was missing. He heard the shower running… He set the bag of warm food from the diner up the street on the dresser; their backpacks on their unmade bed. Then he noticed the trail of clothing on the floor. The animal liked the train of the thought on his mate’s mind… So, the man stripped down and tried to sneak into the bathroom. It was so full of steam he could barely see. He slid the door back and ducked to step inside. Marie was bent towards the water source and rinsing the two-in-one shampoo and conditioner out of her hair. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her to his loins. He ground his body into hers and he knew she could unmistakably feel his burgeoning erection. He leaned over onto her back and began to purr in her ear. She stood up, whipped her head around, and sent her wet hair flying. He leaned back against the steamed yet cold tiles and pulled her to him. Marie brought her lips to his for a passionate good morning kiss. His right hand caressed down her back, over her left buttock cheek, and then he lifted her thigh to rest against his; her foot to rest in the corner of the tub.

“Good morning, sugah.”

“Mornin’, darlin’,” he purred as he looked very happy.

“Did ya go out to git breakfast?”

“My breakfast is right here,” he groaned as he ground himself into her loins.

“Ah see. Well feast away, honey.”


With her permission, Logan turned and placed her front against the slightly warmer tiles. He got down on his knees as she spread her legs wide enough for him to eat. The next thing she felt was his tongue. It swiped her flesh from her clit before it slid right between her lips and Marie thought she was going to go mad. The shorter hairs on his face added to her pleasure as they tickled a little.

“Ohhh yes, baby, raht there.”

“Like that do ya?”

“Mmmmm hmmm,” she whimpered when he did it again.

“Damn, you taste good, darlin’. Just what I wanted for breakfast.

Different ministrations in various patterns and soon Marie screamed out his name as she came hard, panted for air. It took her at least a minute or two to come down as he finished licking up his feast.

“My turn…” she informed him.

“Not this morning, there’s somebody else who wants to be fed…” Logan said as he stood up behind her.

“Who’s that, sugah?”

He guided himself to her slit and his head surged inside her quickly. She cried out in ecstasy as she felt his size as it filled her to her core.

“Don’t tell me you forgot my buddy,” He growled in her ear. “He gets hungry too…”

“Oh mah gawd, more. Ah need more,” she moaned.

The Wolverine answered her plea with a deep thrust and a growl in her ear.

“Fuck meh, sugah! OH! MAH! GAWD!” She cried out when he began to do exactly that.

The animal picked up the pace and with punishing speed continued to thrust deeply inside her warm and wet cavern. She moaned, groaned, and cried out his name repeatedly as he moved within and outside of her. His hands cupped her breasts and he teased her nipples as the animal took what he needed from his mate. Warm and soft lips found her trapezius muscle on her shoulder; suddenly he bit her there. Marie cried out in pain and pleasure as he had just marked her again. Logan took back control as he slowed and felt her squeezing and releasing his cock. That was just enough for him and he roared as he came. She came just after him. They stayed together for a bit, both regaining their air and whatever shreds of strength they had left.

“Wow… Damn… Darlin’, I musta been real hungry.”


“But now ah’m starvin’, sugah. Please let meh,” she requested from him as her small hand found his warm and defeated flesh.

Marie had an urge to bond with him more than she already had and she didn’t understand why the urgency. She didn’t usually beg to get him to let her get him off, because he regularly accommodated her wishes and whims. While she waited for his response she stroked his schlong back to attention, her eyes stared hard into his.


Logan had thrown his head back when her fingers wrapped around his God-Zilla. It felt so damn good to have her fingers where they were. Then he remembered that they needed to hit the road soon to make it to New Mexico at a decent hour and then later, Texas. He felt digits as they performed some of Marie’s special skills and he groaned before he looked down at her. Her eyes were fixed upward on his face. He looked back into her face. They both stared at each other for at least five minutes. Then he caught a glimmer of something there in her eyes, besides the love she portrayed, and he didn’t like what he saw. Marie was worried about something and she hadn’t come to him with it yet. Then he was reminded of Lily’s premonition…

‘June or July will bring tragedy for Marie. August will bring catastrophe for you. Our hearts will be lost for some time,’ he thought.

He hated to push her, but he needed to. Logan stopped her hands and took one in both of his. He brought her hand to his lips and softly placed a kiss on her fingers.

“Rain check, darlin’?”

“Um… Yeah. Okay,” she replied, the disappointment clearly in her voice.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

She turned her head away from his gaze and he could tell she was getting ready to bolt from their steamy cocoon.

“Hey, hey, what is it? You can tell me, anything, baby.”

“Ah tahlked to the Professor this mornin’.”

“And?”

“Victor has left New York, but that’s not the problem, ya see. He’s disappeared off the face of the planet.”

“What?” Logan said as if he wasn’t sure he’d just heard what he’d heard.

“Said he couldn’t get a hold on his signal. Checked with Cerebro and everythin’. Like someone’s blockin’ him from finding him. He has no idea where he was headed, but he said that last he heard he was workin’ for secret government labs.”


Somehow, it felt like Lily’s dark omen was coming true. He definitely couldn’t share that with Marie right then, if ever. An unhappy Marie set him on edge… What if Victor was coming after them? Oh God, what if he was headed for his newly found sisters?

“We have to warn Lara and Lily somehow.”

“No, sugah. He said he’s taken care of that. He’s told the teams of the situation. At the very least, Remy is in town, so is Jubes, ah thought. Either way, he’ll make sure they’re looked aftah. Both know that if they let anythin’ happen to them they’re dead men.”

“Damn right, which means we gotta hit the road sooner than I planned.”

“When were ya plannin’ to leave?”

“After we eat but, breakfast is gonna have to be roadside.”

“Ah don’t mahnd. That’s all part of a road trip, sugah.”

Logan pulled her close and lingeringly hugged her.

“I meant what I said, I’ll take a rain check later,” he spoke trying to lighten her mood, placed kisses on her forehead.

“Ah’m leavin’. You need ta git cleaned up. Ah’ll go git dried and get us some fresh clothes. It’s gonna be hot today, ah can feel it.”

“Right. As much as I want you to stay here with me…” He voiced and then gave her a quick passionate kiss before he let her go. “Bags are on the bed.”

“Thanks.”


Marie left the bathroom with one of the smaller towels from the bathroom. She draped it over her hair before she bent over to get into her backpack. She used some baby wipes to clean up the left overs of Logan’s morning feast. Then she decided to torture Logan a bit and she put on a solid dark forest green bikini. Then her low cut Daisy (Catherine Bach) Duke cut denim shorts. She took one of Logan’s white dress shirts and tied the ends up in a knot just under her breasts that were delicately hanging in the matching bikini bra.

‘Let him try and cash in that rain check sooner,’ she thought and smiled to herself.

She finished off patting the last of the immediate water drops off the ends of her hair. Her hair still wet at the crown, she pulled it up and put it back into a ponytail. Not drying it all the way would help keep her cooler. She stuffed her former clothing in an empty section of the backpack, separate from the clean ones. She loved her multi-sectional bag. It even had a compartment for make up! She picked up Logan’s left behind clothing and put it in his one compartment backpack. Ugh! Marie didn’t know how he could stand lobbing his wear in like that together. She supposed he could stand his own smells so it kind of canceled the need to separate them. Food began to call her name… Logan was still in the shower so she decided to load up on a few bites while in the Suburban. So, she carried her backpack and tossed it into the back seat before she climbed in the front with the bag of food.


Headmaster’s Office
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
12:00 P.M.

High noon struck on the grandfather clock in the left corner of his office and the phone suddenly rang. Charles had just about been on his way to take Moira to the dining hall for lunch. He picked up the receiver and almost wished he hadn’t…

“Charles, we have a major problem. Gather the team to your office as soon as possible,” Hank said into the phone as if he were running from his office.

“What is wrong, Henry?”

“I just received a disturbing phone call from one of my contacts out in the field. I fill you in when I reach your office.”

“Don’t knock. Just enter when you get here.”

Charles put two fingers to his right temple and began calling the X-Teams in from their lunch break. He told them not to cause alarm in the students, to quietly come one at a time, but to rush when they were out of view. Soon, Storm, Beast, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Iceman, Shadowcat, and Jubilee showed up, 7 months pregnant. She argued that just because she was a pregnant woman and an X-Woman, didn’t mean that she couldn’t stay at the school and help somehow. Reluctantly, Charles and the others agreed because they really didn’t want to mess with a very pregnant Jubilee. Remy was absent because he was taking care of Lily, Lara, and Frank in New Orleans. They never left his sight except to sleep and to use the bathroom.

“Henry, you have the floor,” Charles opened.

“I just received a rather disturbing phone call. What started out as rumors became true sooner than anyone expected. The Weapon X Program has been re-launched.”

There was a collective gasp around the room… That could mean all mutants were in danger.

“I am afraid there is more, my friends. Sabretooth was forced to become a member…”

“What proof do we have?” Storm asked.

“I have a trusted source. They have also told me that on June first, Sabretooth was captured and then his mind has been completely wiped of any memories of Wolverine or former members on the old Weapon X team.”

“Is there a location?” Charles queried as he stood next to the holographic strategy table.

“Word so far is a secret lab in Australia.”

“Vy zee Australia?” Nightcrawler wanted to know as he sat curled up in the corner.

“We’d all like to know that,” Jubilee added. “And why Sabretooth?”

“I would venture to say that the location is perfect. Australia has vast desert areas. If there was an escape…” Charles piped in.

“We’d die in the heat or get eaten, stung, or bit by what’s in that desert,” Shadowcat added.

“If they have Sabretooth, what’s to stop them from coming after Wolverine… Or Rogue?” Iceman spoke up, in a Cyclops manner.

“You make an interesting point, Iceman. And now that Wolverine has found family, which have almost all the same genetically-given gifts… They are at risk. I have taken precautions with Remy and he has them within his sights at all hours. I am hoping to have them move to the school permanently. I haven’t spoken to Lara’s sister yet, but Lara has told me that her sister can cook. We could use a full time chef. Not that the one we have isn’t great, but I am sure we get tired of the same menu, week after week.”

“True,” Colossus answered with one word.

“If they have a mutant that can sense other’s gifts, we will be in danger,” Beast said. “When Wolverine and Rogue return, we might have to consider having drills a few times a week to make sure the students know the emergency procedures.”


“I agree, I will let Wolverine and Rogue handle the drills,” Charles seconded the notion.

“Why Wolverine and Rogue? I can do drills,” Iceman questioned his decision.

“Because Wolvie has lots more years fighting training in his mind than you’ve got in your little finger, and my Chica Rogie has him in her head, that's why," Jubilee piped in to her friend's defense.

“Excellently put,” Charles voiced.

“So what do we do?” Storm asked.

“My contact is working on more information, like pictures and exact location.”

“Like Beast has suggested, we will hold drills when Wolverine and Rogue return. For now, Storm, Iceman, and Colossus will teach the children the escape routes. To give the students something to study,” Charles said as he looked at the whole country of Australia in a three dimensional map.

“Done,” Colossus agreed.

“Have you notified Rogue and Wolverine of this new information?” Shadowcat wanted to know.

“Not as yet, since I just called Charles.”

“I hate to tell them since I just talked to Rogue this morning, but I will handle the notification,” Charles said as he turned the holographic strategy table off.

“Wolvie is gonna be so pissed they reopened this program,” Jubilee said as she turned from the table and headed for the door.

“Yes, Jubilee. We all are. The rest of you, just help out where you can. Keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary,” Charles added. “Meeting adjourned.”


Kibbyland Motor Lodge
Kingman, AZ.
11:00 A.M.

Logan didn’t get himself off in the shower as he ordinarily would have done if they’d had the time. Hell, he would have let Marie finish what she’d started with her small hands. But they didn’t have time. He just used the last of the freebie two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, washed his hair. A quick toweling off of his body and he pulled on a pair of cleaner faded blue denim jeans before he grabbed a fresh pair of socks. He knew he was going to be damn uncomfortable wearing jeans in the heat, but he didn’t really have a choice; which was part of the reason he spent a lot of time in the north to stay cool. He noticed that Marie was gone, her bag and the bag from the diner was missing as well. Logan figured she was likely waiting for him in the Suburban. He slipped on his socks and boots before he grabbed a clean white undershirt from under his dirty clothing. He noticed she had picked up everything that they owned off the floor. His hand went back into the bag and noticed that his white dress shirt was missing. Oh well, he’d be content with the undershirt for a while. It was forecast to get up to 101 degrees so he would be fine with the air conditioning. The thought that Victor was missing crossed his mind and he hurried up and out to Marie. Logan didn’t want to risk leaving her alone too long. More than likely, he wouldn’t let her out of his sight until Xavier had a lock on Sabretooth’s whereabouts. A quick stop for gas and they hit the road. Logan set the speed control to 65 when they reached the edge of town.


McDonald’s
Flagstaff, AZ.
1:30 P.M.

Normally, Logan would have driven through straight on to Albuquerque, New Mexico, but Marie said she was hungry. Come to think of it, he could use a snack as well. So, he pulled into the drive through and ordered almost all of the Dollar Menu. He thought it would be good to get a few more dollar burgers since it was going to be at least another 5 hours until they reached Albuquerque, New Mexico and they weren’t too bad cold. She convinced him to pull into a parking spot on the lot, just for a half an hour. They ate and then she took off for a pit stop since it was going to be a long ride. He finally acquiesced to his own body’s call of nature and went in as well to use the restroom. Logan, of course, didn’t need as long as Marie, so he came back to the SUV and decided to check his phone for any messages. He almost wished he hadn’t…
There in his email inbox was a message from Xavier.

From: mindclass at XavierSchool.net
To: theotherartteacher at XavierSchool.net
Re: Sabretooth…

Logan, Hank has had some disturbing news come in. Weapon X Program re-launched. No, not joking. X-Men know the situation. Believe they have captured Sabretooth to begin experimentation. His mind erased of any memories of you or his life before. Possible underground location in Australia. You and Rogue may be in danger. Making arrangements to move Lara, Frank, and Lily here to the school, permanently. Drills to be taught by you and Rogue when you return. More intel to follow. X.


Marie came back into the Suburban and Logan looked white, almost green. Something was wrong. Then he turned a shade of red. She closed the door and he roared in pain anger and frustration as his claws popped. Fortunately, she was able to cover her ears and stay away from the blades. When he finished, she watched as he began to pant and control his breathing.

“What is it, honey?”

“The Weapon X Program has been reopened. Someone has picked up where Stryker left off. Xavier thinks they have Victor. Has intel that his mind… It’s gone. He thinks that they’ve possibly started testing research on him.”

“So, what do we do?”

“Chuck wants us to hold drills for the kids, which ain’t a bad idea. He said he thinks there’s an underground lab down under.”

“How terrible, sugah,” Marie said as she put on her belt.

“We may be in danger. What do you wanna do? Cut the trip short or finish up and head back?”

“Well, the Professor’s gonna need tahm to git more information. Ah say we keep goin’.”

“True. Chuck is moving Lara, Lily, and Frank to the mansion permanently. I don’t think that’s too bad of an idea actually. Lily and Lara can cook among other things. Xavier would get along with Frank.”


Gas Up. Stop. Go.
Amarillo, TX.
11:50 P.M.

Logan decided to drive on through Albuquerque, New Mexico and on to Amarillo, Texas since Marie had fallen asleep after he had done another drive through dinner at another McDonald’s. He pulled in to a place called Gas Up. Stop. Go. He needed to fill up and check a map. Marie woke up when he opened the door.

“Hey, ah’ll pump. You pay.”

“’Kay, you need anything?”

“Gimme a lemonade and a sub of some kind. Oh, ah’m out of Doritos too. Nacho cheese flavor. And get me a cheese and cherry Danish if they gottem.”

Logan rolled his eyes as he got out of the driver’s seat. Well, that’s one thing he couldn’t fault her for too much. She had an appetite just as voracious as his. He picked up her food and something for himself. He passed the man behind the counter a one hundred dollar bill.

“Fifty dollars on number 6 and all this.”

“Sure, anything else?”

“Nope.”

The man rang up the purchases and then Logan went out and yelled at Marie to start pumping. He climbed back into his seat and shut the door. Marie still had hers open so she popped her head in.

“Ah’m gettin’ rid of some trash. You got any?”


Logan looked over and his jeans suddenly became uncomfortably tight. In his line of sight, Marie’s breasts hung in his dress shirt and the bikini bra barely visible under them. She must have caught him staring because she jiggled them a little to get his attention.

“Yeah, baby, I’ve got plenty of trash, right here…” He poorly spoke, as if to suggest that she was turning him on.

“Hey you, up here,” she said in amusement.

“Sorry, what?”

“Nevah mahnd. Ah got it,” she voiced as she had already bagged up what she needed while he stared.

Soon, those 50 dollars was in the tank and Marie made a pit stop before they hit the road again.


The Chain Gang
Canadian, TX.
Friday, June 4, 2010
1:10 A.M.

Logan pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine. Sure, it was later than he’d planned but he’d just made it before last call. The lot seemed a bit fuller this time around. He wondered if this was the weekend crowd getting started early.

“I won’t be gone long. This time, if you wanna go for a walk, don’t go far. It’s late…”

“Okay. Ah’ll go for a walk down to that all naht grocery store we passed a couple blocks back. Ah need to get a few things.”

“Fine.”

They both got out and Marie locked up this time. He watched her walk away with her light jacket on. Then went inside the bar and there was a woman getting on in years behind the counter. She looked like the kind of woman that would give you hell if she were your mama and you forgot to call her on Sunday. Loaded with more spunk than a viper on a bad day. It had to be Alice Turner. He remembered he met her when she was in her 20’s in the 60’s. Logan walked up and took a seat at the bar. He waited for her to amble down to him. He realized that she was now in her early 70’s. Vern would be a little older and in his middle 70’s. She took a look at him and there was some recognition in her eyes like she knew him, but then her eyes narrowed. He assumed that she was trying to recall his name. The place wasn’t too busy, give or take 10 or 15 patrons in the bar slowly, quietly drinking their cares away or hooking up for the night. He remembered that he gave Denton his phone number but she hadn’t called. Now, seeing her again, he granted her some slack. She probably had been busy with Vern’s care.

“Don’t I know you?” She kindly asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Logan smiled back.

“For the life of me, I can’t remember how we met.”

“I was a fighter here, some time ago,” he spoke with an air of sadness.

“Oh. Well, what can I getcha?”

“Listen, I wanna tell ya that I was sorry to hear about Vern. Is he okay?”

“Yeah, he’s at home resting. I got us one-a those live-in nurses with him now.”

“That’s good. How come you’re in here today? Isn’t Denton supposed to be in?”

“Who, Denny? Denny’s off today. He’s runnin’ errands for me and the Warden.”

“Fine, fine. Hey, I stopped in to ask ya somethin’ pretty important.”

“Like what?” She asked as she began to polish the shot glasses.

“I’m gettin’ married and I would like to invite you, Vern, and Denny to come to the wedding.”


“Awww, really?”

“Yeah. You think the Warden’s got it in him to come?”

“I’ll make sure we’re there, don’t you worry. When is it?”

“April fourteenth or eighteenth, two thousand and twelve. I think.”

“Where will it be held?”

“No idea, yet. Friends of ours are planning the location of the venue.”

“That sounds like it could be a disaster or really beautiful.”

“Yeah, I’m not so sure myself. I’d like to catch up sometime, but I’m on the road with my girl. Gonna be takin’ her home to see her parents soon.”

“Well, all right then. Safe travels.”

“I’ll keep in touch. Give Vern my best,” Logan said as he turned to go.

Just before he got to the door he heard her as she called out to stop him.

“Hey stranger, what’s your name,” she asked.

He turned and in a James Bond stance, he said with a smile, “Logan. Name’s Logan.”

Logan left the bar before she could say more.


After the man left, Alice had to take a seat on a stool behind the bar. The reality hit her… That was Logan. The man that had fought in the bar and then worked for them on the weekends. But, that couldn’t be him. He should have been older with some gray hair at least. Why hadn’t he aged? An inner voice answered for her, because he was a mutant…


Dawson Foods
Canadian, TX.
1:30 A.M.

Marie went inside the store and headed for the feminine products aisle. Logan in his haste to get her ‘supplies’ got her the wrong Tampon size. He purchased the light ones and she needed the heavy ones for her first three days. Normally, she was due to start at the end of the month, but it hadn’t come like she’d expected last month. She still marked the time passage on the calendar on her cell phone to see if she might be pregnant. Marie considered that she had been under a good deal of stress lately with dealing with losing Tigger, Logan’s family suddenly revealing a huge secret, and the aftermath of that. She sighed as she reached for the blue box on the shelf. Then it hit her, what was she gonna do with Logan when she did get her period? He usually disappeared for a week because he couldn’t take the smell of blood on her. How was he going to deal with being stuffed up in the cab of the Suburban?

‘Hmmm, cotton balls,’ she thought. Marie wondered if he would mind stuffing his nose for a week… Or would he want to drive with the windows open all the way back to the mansion?

She could just imagine Logan with his nose stuffed up with cotton balls and driving in the heat. She smiled and decided to go get something to lighten the mood. Chocolate syrup did wonders for the Wolverine’s mood. She stopped off and picked up some Maple syrup as well. Marie was going to make that rain check well worth the wait.


Out in the parking lot, Logan pulled up into a spot closer so Marie wouldn’t have to walk all the way back. While he sat in his seat he decided to answer Xavier’s email.

From: theotherartteacher at XavierSchool.net
To: mindclass at XavierSchool.net
Re: Travel Plans…

Chuck, it doesn’t really surprise me that Victor is a part of something so nefariously bad. Marie and I are okay. I am taking her to see her parents soon. She doesn’t know that yet, but she wants to still continue the trip. We’re about to leave Texas. Will teach drills when we return. Is Thornwood location secure? L.

Logan sent the email and spotted Marie coming out of the exit. He honked to get her attention. She smiled as she caught sight of him through her rolled down tinted window.

“Need a lift, darlin’?” he teased her.

“You goin’ mah way, sugah?” Marie smiled and took a sexy stance, with her index finger in her mouth.

Logan’s wicked eyebrow went up, daring her to follow through.

“Darlin’, you’re goin’ everywhere I go… Come on, get in,” he smiled with the I’m-gonna-devour-you-look.

He waited for her to climb up into the seat and get her seatbelt on before he put the engine in gear.


Wichita Falls, TX.
4:30 A.M.

Logan being the non-sleeper that he was drove about 3 hours, decided to pull off to a public roadside stop for tourists, bikers, and truckers around 4:40 in the morning. He decided to take a nap since Marie was already asleep. He got out and made a bed from a sleeping bag in the back of the SUV. His pillow was his backpack. Then he decided to bring Marie back with him. He went up front, unbuckled her, and scooped her up in his arms. She instantly woke up startled…


“Logan! Logan!” She cried out suddenly scared...

“Hey, hey, hey, I’m right here. I’ve gotcha,” Logan spoke to her in a strong voice.

“Please, just put meh down, ah can walk,” she said a bit calmer.

“You wanna talk about it?” She felt the strength in his arm as it went around her.

“Not now,” she said and left his embrace to go get the grocery bag on the floor in the cab.

She came back to him and with a few steps more he had her in the back. She chose to be closer to the back seats of the SUV. The Logan in her head agreed with that because the real Logan could defend the rear door if an emergency broke out. What she hadn’t told the real Logan was that she had been in the middle of a dream of Sabretooth coming after her and taking her by force to a lab. He had her cradled in his arms and was carrying her into a bleach white walled operation theater. Trays of instruments and various large pieces of equipment lined the walls. Just as Sabretooth went to set her down on the elongated metal table she was startled awake as she felt someone trying to relocate her body. She blocked it out of her mind using something the Professor taught her and focused on the two delicious syrups in her grocery bag. He owed her a breakfast treat since he’d gotten to have his breakfast feast. Time had come to call in that rain check…


Logan locked up the cab and then came back to Marie. He climbed up inside the vehicle and shut the door. He hit the lock button on the remote and got comfortable on his back. Suddenly, he found himself getting attacked in the dark. He felt a set of hands reach for his belt. He tried to stop Marie’s hands but she was quick to swat them away.

“Rain check,” she whispered in the blackness and pulled down the zipper.

“Ohh damn, darlin’ not now. I’m tired…” Logan whined until she reached inside and took a hold of his hardening flesh. “Fuck, baby… I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

She gripped the edges of his jeans and pulled the denim down off of his hips to mid-thigh as he lifted up to help. Marie stroked and stretched his flesh until it was painfully hard. He couldn’t see what she was doing but he knew the moment he’d made it inside her mouth. He felt her tongue swirl around his head and go down his shaft a little.

“Ahhh shit, ohh darlin’… Ohmmm… Damn that feels good.”

Then he oddly felt something cold drizzling on his flesh. It smelled sweet… Smelled like pancakes… Smelled like… Oh shit… Maple syrup! The animal in his mind roared in delight. Logan suddenly found himself purring as she began to lick up everywhere drizzled syrup had fallen. The sensations she made him feel made him start panting. His hand moved to her hair and the silky tresses there added to the memory of the moment he would tuck away for later.

Ohh, Marie…” He couldn’t believe that was his voice as he moaned.


The hardest part would be to clean up the syrup in the curlies around the base and for that she had the baby wipes in her backpack. Marie had a blast as she felt him twitch as she teased with both sides of her tongue and lips; the topside of her tongue bumpy and the smooth slick bottom. She licked him like a banana up the shaft cleaning every inch of syrup on his hardened flesh and when she finally reached the top Logan was bucking his hips off the floor of the SUV. Then she began to swirl her tongue and tease his head as if it were a lolly pop. Suddenly, she felt a hand reaching into her shorts and through the bottom half of her bikini.

“Fuck, don’t stop…”

But she had and she quickly swatted his hand away from her shorts.

“You got yer turn back in Arizona. This one’s mahn. All mahn.”

Marie bent her head back down in the dark, tickled one of his sacks with her tongue, and flicked her tongue over it. Logan couldn’t help but start to buck again and cry out in pleasure. She cleaned up the dribbled syrup on his balls and then she put his head in her mouth, sucked on it hard for a few seconds before she flicked the tip of her tongue into the eye of the needle. Just before he could come, she turned up toward his face in the dark and kissed him. He hand trailed down and stroked his cock three times and he came. Marie captured his roar with her lips because she was sure there were others in their trucks listening in the humidity of the summer night to their activity. When Logan had calmed his breathing down and their kisses slowed, Marie broke a way and went over the seat partitions of the body of the Suburban to retrieve the baby wipes.

“Hey, where you goin?”

“Sssh, ah’ll be raht back.”


Soon, she was back with the wipes and they felt somewhat cold until her hand warmed them on the other side. Logan lay there spent and her cleaning him up didn’t help matters. Her cleaning was making him hard all over again. She must have felt it because he suddenly felt a tight pressure around the head of his good buddy. She held on long enough with that squeeze, that he felt his flesh soften again. Whatever it was… Was a neat trick he’d have to ask her about later. Marie helped him get dressed and safely put away for the rest of the darkness of the early morning. She spooned up to his side and started to drift off. Logan reached for the small blanket she brought along on the trip that she’d brought back with the baby wipes and covered them both as best he could. Soon they were both asleep and secure. He had to stop because it would have been twelve hours straight towards New Orleans, if he’d kept going. A good long six hour nap later, he woke up with Marie facing him and curled into his side. He hit unlock on the remote and opened the tailgate the same way. With gentle care, he pulled away from her and got out to stretch his legs. He covered her back up and closed the door carefully without waking her. A quick pit stop in the public restrooms and when he came back she had already moved to the passenger seat. She’d even changed her clothes.

“You need to go while we’re here?” Logan said after he climbed in behind the steering wheel.

“Already been sugah. Ah went just after you left. Ah’m starvin’. Feed meh, please.”

“Comin’ up.” Then he hit the road again to go find food and hopefully catch up on missed driving time.


La Fontaine Bleu
Shreveport, LA.
5 P.M.

Marie wanted to stop and get a snack. They found this restaurant that happened to serve Monte Cristo sandwiches and mint juleps from scratch. She was practically bouncing off the walls happy as Logan bought one of each and they shared it because the portions were so large. He had never had one of these Monte Cristo sandwiches. When the plate arrived, Logan sat back and watched her eyes grow big as saucers. She was obviously having some kind of sacred moment with the warm sandwich. His eyebrow lifted as he formed a comment.

“You two wanna be alone?”

Marie dove into her half of the sandwich and the look on her face as she chewed looked as if she just had an orgasm in her seat. Then the eyebrow really went up as he half smiled.

“What’s in this? Looks good... The look on your face says it tastes just as good. How do I eat it?”

“Ohhh sugah. It’s sooo delicious. Melt in yer mouth. Well, it’s got ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese piled into this thing. Then they dipped it in egg batter and fried it like a French toast sandwich. Then there’s a little powdered sugar on top. Dip it in the grape jelly or the maple syrup, if ya lahk.”

Logan’s eyebrow went up again at her mention of the maple syrup. Marie blushed as she caught the same memory.

“Why call it a Monte Cristo? Looks like nothing more than a egg dipped fried ham, cheese, and turkey sandwich.”

“Maybe so they can charge more money, take a bite.”

Logan dipped the sandwich into the maple syrup and before it could dribble on the table he took a heaping bite. The first thing that hit his taste buds was the mixture of the warm temperature, saltiness of the meats and cheese, and sweetness of the maple syrup. Then he picked up on the other signature flavors such as the ham, turkey, and the unmistakable Swiss cheese. It all melted into this deliciously wicked sandwich. Then he had his own hallowed moment with the sandwich.

“Ya’ll need a moment,” he heard Marie laugh as she looked at him, tossing some of his own medicine back at him.

“Enough from the peanut gallery. Eat up. We’ve gotta be hittin’ the road soon.”

“Why?”

“I was figurin’ on checkin’ in with the Swamp Rat when we reach New Orleans.”

“Jubes is probably ready to pop ‘bout now.”

“Yeah. Listen, I meant to tell ya, I invited three more guests to the weddin.”

“The people you went to see in Texas?”

“Yes, that alright with you, darlin’?”

“Great. Can they come?”

“I’ll send them information when we get back, but yeah, I think they are.”

“Tell ‘Ro when we get back. She’s coordinating stuff, so she’ll make sure they know the when and where.”

“Make me some of these when we get married,” Logan said as he finished the last bite of his half of the sandwich.


Merlotte’s Bar And Grill
Bon Temps, LA.
9:30 P.M.

A few hours later of driving after they left Shreveport, Logan had taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in Bon Temps, Louisiana.

“Where are we?”

“Not sure, I think we’re almost to New Orleans.”

“Sugah, you tellin’ meh we’re lost?”

“No, I’m just not sure where here is,” she heard him comment.

“Just pull up somewhere and ask for directions, silly.”

“No, we’ll reach The Big Easy tonight.”

“Oh, ah know where we are, we’re almost to Merlotte’s.”

“Mer-who’s?”

“Nevahmahnd. Ah’v gotta use the little girl’s room anyway.”


Logan was ready to stop and stretch again. He got off the highway and onto a main road where he drove a couple miles on. He caught sight of a bright multi-colored neon sign on the roof of an establishment called Merlotte’s Bar and Grill after getting directions from Marie’s cell phone. He hated using the GPS in the vehicle. After he impaled the last one for making him drive in circles, he avoided them like the plague. He pulled up where ever he could find a parking spot in front of this bar. She suggested he get directions to New Orleans while she went to use the little girl’s room. It really wasn’t his fault. It had been some time since he’d driven anything into New Orleans, since that time Marie wanted to go visit Jubilee several years back. To him, even the sign screamed, ‘I’m a dive.’ He killed the engine and turned to Marie who was smiling like she knew something he didn’t. Then before he could ask she was already out of the vehicle, having declared that she had to pee right then. After securing the doors, he followed behind Marie. He couldn’t see her when he went inside the bar and assumed that she’d made it to the lavatory.

Suddenly, this perky blonde woman with a high ponytail came up to him, by the name of Sookie, on her name tag. She looked exactly like Marie, but she didn’t have the same scent signature as Marie. She looked him up and down like he was the dry desert of Australia and he was the wet come to quench her thirst. As it happened, Jace Everett’s, Bad Things happened to be playing on the jukebox…

“Heya sugah, welcome to Merlotte’s. Just seat yerself and ah’ll be raht back.”

Logan spotted an empty booth not too close to the restrooms, kind of private. But he felt at least 3 pairs of eyes on him. He guessed the busty blonde because he smelled the spike in her arousal aroma when he had walked in. Figured she must be checking out his ass or something girly like that. A man, who had sideburns just a little shorter than his, a little on the pallid side at the table diagonal from his, caught his eye and it was pissing him off. He was alone and had a dark brooding look on his face, more so a scowl. He was looking ready to fight and he stared just a bit longer than Logan would have liked. The animal was starting to get annoyed. What really set the animal off was this man at the bar staring at him, his nose obviously scenting the air. Out of the blue, the pale man suddenly appeared before him across from the table. Logan’s eyebrow went up. Possible mutant? Maybe… The scent of blood, death, and dead skin cells filled the air around the booth. Something wasn’t right with him. Possible threat? Maybe… He caught sight of his shiny, white, pointy teeth.

“You got a problem, bub?”

“As long as you stay away from mah girl suh, then no, ah don’t,” he said.

“You got no worries from me. My girl’s in the can.”

“Then ah bid you a good naht,” the stranger said and he disappeared into thin air from the seat across from Logan.

‘What the fuck was that?’ Logan thought. ‘Damn it, where’s Marie, we ain’t stayin’ here any longer than we have ta.’


“Okay sugah, what can ah getcha tonaht?” The blonde waitress reappeared.

“I’ll have a beer. Molson if ya got it. And get my fiancée the same.”

“Sure thing honey, be right back.”

“Wait a sec. Did you see that pale guy over there leave?”

“What did he look like sugah?”

“Brooding, dark hair, white pointy teeth, sickly?”

“Oh him? That’s mah ex Bill Compton. Totally harmless, unless ya piss him off. He’s still quite attached to meh at the hip, or fang if ya lahk. He hangs out around here a few nights a week to stare at me. Ah still find it a little creepy. He’s a vampire,” she whispered as she leaned in close so that only he’d hear.

“Yeah, he warned me off ya, darlin’. Not that I was interested anyway. My girl should be out of the can soon.”


Marie came out of the restroom and spotted Logan and the strange blonde bent over the end of the table looking like she was going to kiss her man.

‘Oh hell no,’ she thought as she began to get closer to the table.

The blonde about to get bitch slapped stood up and turned toward her. Marie nearly had a coronary…

“Oh Mah GAWD!” She exclaimed.


Sookie Stackhouse looked over at the woman that had the sudden exclamation.

“Sookie!” She cried out.

“Marie,” queried, unsure.

The dark haired woman with the platinum white streaks in her hair nodded in the affirmative. There was a loud squeal and abruptly they were in each other’s arms in a big hug. A few tears hit the soft flesh of their cheeks before they took a step back and took a look at each other’s bodies and gauged how healthy they were.

“It’s so good to see you again, sugah,” Sookie spoke first.

“Same her

Marie down in the booth across from Logan and his eyebrow was up in a curious expression because she chose not to sit next to him. She had some explaining to do… But there wasn’t time because Ms. Stackhouse came back with 3 beers, two Molson’s and one Heineken. She slid in next to Marie on the booth bench.

“Logan, this here is Sookie Stackhouse. The best cousin on the planet to have on your side.”

“Ah’ll drink to that,” she said.

“Sookie Stackhouse, this is Logan,” and Sookie held out her hand for him to shake.


Fortunately, Sookie had learned how to control her telepathic gift to the point where she could hear nothing unless she really wanted to. She was grateful for the control because it meant less headaches. For if Logan knew she could possibly read his mind, he wouldn’t be very happy.


Logan did so and they all relaxed. He took a gulp of his beer and nearly killed it. He felt like he was in one of those high school nerd boy fantasies of dating the hottest twins. Almost like one of his Marie fantasies come to life, only it was two different women, but of the same gene pool.

“Feels like I’m lookin’ at the Double Mint twins here.”

“Ah’m related on Marie’s mama’s sahd.”

“She helped meh get outta Meridian and on the road to Canada.”

“Oh, so you’re the one I should blame for letting my girl travel alone,” Logan’s eyebrow went up to go with the smirk on his face.

“Ah saved her lahf by gettin’ her out of town. Ah had Vampire-palooza goin’ on at mah house and she couldn’t stay with all that goin’ on. Ah gave her what ah could spare and sent her on.”

“Well, we won’t argue the semantics of savin’ mah lahf raht now. How are you and Bill doin’? It’s been awhile since we got caught up.”


“There is no more Bill and ah. Ah’m with Alcide Herveaux over there at the bar. The one that’s makin’ evil eyes at Logan here.”

“Since when?”

“Since ah couldn’t choose who ah wanted between Eric Northman and Bill Compton. Ah’m done with vampires for a while. Alcide is a full blooded werewolf. How ironic is it that we both fell for men with sideburns? At least you still have your man… Alcide’s burns just kinda grow all togethah.”

“So, there’s no hope for you and Bill then?”

“Well, maybe. But ah’m with Alcide now and ah wanna see that through it’s course.”

“Ah was gonna ask you and Bill to our weddin’, but you’re not with Bill now and…”

“You’re gettin’ hitched?!”

“Yup, to the Wolverine over there…” Marie smiled. Logan just took another sip of his beer.

“Oh Mah Gawd! You have ta let meh throw you a Hen’s Naht!”

“Hen’s Naht?”

“Yeah, you know… Bachelorette party.”

“Ah don’t know yet. We’re not gettin’ hitched until twenty twelve.”

“Well, then keep meh in mahnd when ya get closer to the date and all.”

“Ah will.”


“Ya’ll stayin’ a while or hittin’ the road?”

“The road, New Orleans, got some people we’ve gotta see,” Logan took the opportunity to step into the conversation.

“Yeah, what he said,” Marie replied.

“Well, ah wish ah could go with, but ah’ve gotta work. Ah’m still payin’ for the mess at mah place. Got a bitah storm damage.”

“What kinda damage?” Logan asked.

“Leakin’ roof and windows, oh and a little landscape fixin’.”

“Logan’s good with his hands,” Marie blurted out and then realized what she’d said. “Ah’m gonna shut up now.”

Logan’s eyebrow went up as he smirked and she blushed.

“Is there a number where we can reach you?” He questioned. “Not sure when but we might swing back this way. I could fix your roof and Marie’s got a green thumb.”

“Sure,” Sookie pulled out a cocktail napkin from the waitress toolkit around her waist.

She wrote her home, cell phone numbers on it, and passed it to Logan.

“You look lahk someone who doesn’t lose things,” her explanation.

Logan’s sensitive hearing picked up the growling that came from the bar when he put the napkin in his back pocket.

“Sounds like the animal at the bar needs another drink,” he suggested and tilted his head in the direction of Alcide.

“You’re probably raht. Break’s over. Ah gotta go. It was nice to meet ya, Logan. Good to see ya, Marie.”

They finished up their beers and Logan pulled out his wallet.

“Nice to meet you too. Here’s somethin’ for the bill and keep the change,” Logan gave her a $100 U.S. legal tender.

“You don’t hafta pay meh, it’s on the house.”

“You’ve gotta get repair supplies, don’t-cha?” She looked rather sheepish as she considered his offer.

“Well. Alraht, thanks. Take carah mah girl here,” Sookie told Logan as she gave Marie a hug.

“I’m doin’ my best.”


Lafitte Gas
Baton Rouge, LA.
11:10 P.M.

After they left Merlotte’s without starting a fight with the locals, Logan drove for a little over an hour and twenty minutes into Baton Rouge. He needed to take a leak, get gas, and it was right next door to the local Denny’s. True it was only another hour and a half to New Orleans, but he hated running out of gas at night, and with being in the south at night, dangerous creatures might be on the road… Losing a leg from an alligator because you’re walking to find the next gas station didn’t appeal to Logan, even though he could heal from such an injury… And he sure as hell was not going to leave Marie alone in the SUV while he walked. She’d be a sitting duck for the new Weapon X team and he wouldn’t allow her to be captured. He got out and was about to head over next door when Marie cornered him against his door.

“Sugah, you need some coffee? And not the gas station crappy stuff, but real coffee?”

“Whatcha got in mind?” He smiled.

“Gimme some money and find out…” she teased.

Logan pulled out two twenty U.S. dollar bills and handed them to her.

“Get a snack too. Somethin’ warm and almost mooin’.”

“Gotcha,” she said, quickly turned, and left.

He locked up the vehicle and headed inside the gas station. About ten minutes later, he came back and opened the tank to start filing it’s stomach with fuel. It would be easy for Marie to spot the Suburban because he parked on the outside where it would be easily visible. He watched her as she came back over with one bag and a compressed cardboard drink holder filled with four tall Styrofoam cups of coffee.

“Smells interesting,” Logan said as he picked up a strong scent of gasoline mixed with hazelnuts, French vanilla, Irish crème, and Kahlua.

“Vanilla one’s mahn. Ah got you three cause you’re drivin’.”

“Marie, darlin’, it’s only an hour and a half to New Orleans from here. I don’t need three,” he politely tried to turn down the offering from his mate.


But you see, the man wasn’t getting what she had in mind. Marie’s inner Wolverine told her to get the extra coffee for some fun times once they got into town. Things would be hopping, with music and people partying well into the night. No sense in sending the real Logan to bed once they got into The Big Easy… She only needed one tall cup of leaded coffee to keep her wired for the rest of the late night hours.

“Look, sugah, ah’m dumpin’ ya once we get into town. Ah plan to hang with Jubes and ah know ya wanna dump meh ta go hang with Remy. You’re gonna need the energy…”

“Why would I drop you for the Swamp Rat?”

“Poker… You love tryin’ to take his money.”

“True, darlin’, true.”

“And ah need to hang with mah girl for a while. Ah’m sure she misses meh.”

“Well, maybe you have a point. I can’t stand listening to her ramble on, almost makes my ears bleed.”

“And if ya leave meh with Remy long enough, he maht hit on meh.”

“Ain’t gonna happen, or he’s gonna lose an important appendage,” Logan said seriously and Marie wondered if it wasn’t the man but the Wolverine talking.

“Just gas up and your burgers will be waitin’ in the front seat.”

“Almost there, darlin’.”


New Orleans, LA.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
1:00 A.M.

Logan easily found Remy’s club near the heart of the city. The streets were still alive with tourists and ne’er-do-well cats looking to score drugs, sex, or steal money. He parked the Suburban in a dark alley right next to the club. Marie had called Jubilee early to have the back door opened. Once he killed the engine, Marie climbed out and retrieved her pack from the seat behind her front passenger seat. The back door was a heavy steel door that required heavy muscle to move it. It was disguised to look like an aged brick wall on the alley side. He could see that she was waiting for him as he locked, alarmed the vehicle, and she took his hand after he walked around the rear. Together they walked up to the door. There was no need to knock as there was a small pinhole camera hidden between two bricks, the grout hid it well. It was attached to a video monitor inside, which was monitored by the muscle about to open the door. All of a sudden, a big burly dude with a crew cut and black t-shirt on, STAFF emblazoned across his overly brawny chest, pushed open the heavy door.

And in a flash of yellow, Jubilee was in Marie’s arms. Logan immediately put his index fingers in his ears to block out the excited girly screaming. He could hear himself growl at the noise level as it threatened to seep in over his digits. Marie reached back for his hand and he figured it was safe to let go of his rescued inner ear drums. The two teammates Jubilee to an elevator as ‘Sven’ closed and secured the back door.

“It’s do good to have my Chica here. I am so excited!” Logan growled at the rise in tone/octave?

As the bottom of the floor began to feel like they were being jet propelled upward, soon they arrived at the third floor. Logan opened the wrought iron door for the two ladies.

“So, how long you two love birds stayin’ in town?”

“Depends on the talk Remy and I have.”


Marie was surprised at this… She thought they could at least say four or five days.

“Can’t we stay at least a couple days?”

Logan visibly softened a little.

“Let me have a couple hours and we’ll see.”

“Come on Chica, we’ll let the menfolk get drunk and be rowdy, while we’re up here talkin’ about our sex lives.”

“Whoa, Yellow, didn’t need that mental picture, thanks,” Logan growled, disgusted.

“Anytime Wolvie,” Jubilee winked at Logan. Marie giggled as he stayed on the elevator looking irritated.

“Close the door, will ya,” he snapped a little at her.

She started to close the door and just before she closed it, she popped her head around it.

“Miss meh,” she smiled wickedly at him.

That at least earned her a smile from him before he hit the down button to return downstairs to the action. She closed the door. Jubilee still had her arm around Marie’s waist as they started to walk to the living room of the Le Beau’s loft apartment. The living room had golden yellows, rich greens, and lush purples in carpets, curtains, and furniture. It was like living in Mardi Gras every day. Beads and candles were placed between family pictures and there were burgundy colored hard wood floors.

“Sooo…” Jubilee said as they made themselves comfortable on the three seat teal colored leather couch. “How goes it with you and Wolvie?”

“Jubes, it’s been a rollercoaster since we left New York. We met Logan’s twin sisters. You know Lara Wyle, Logan’s cousin? She wasn’t his cousin, but she is his sister!”

“Wow, you gotta be shittin’ me… How’d he take it?”

“He passed out. Ah had to call in the Professor to help fix him. We spent the day resting in bed, at mah insistence.”

“Now, did you actually sleep or did you get it on all day?”

“Jubes…” Marie mock yelled at her.

“Well, get to the good stuff.”

“Oh alraht. He had a gooood mornin’ the day aftah. Anyway, movin’ on. We got to meet Lily, the othah twin. She’s just as nice as Lara and she’s gonna try to cook for the weddin’. Logan actually asked her to cater the wedding for us.”

“Gonna try?”

“She has a place here in town and she has to check her schedule to see if she can make it.”

“Make sure you tell Ororo. Pretty soon, she’s gonna have to take over the whole wedding. I feel like I’m ready to pop and I still have two more months to go after this one.”

“Ah will. And we went to see mah cousin, Sookie. You know the one with the vampire boyfriend.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“She and Bill Compton split. And she and Eric Northman split.”

“But, there’s more…”

“Yeah, she’s goin’ with some guy, Alcide Herveaux. He’s a werewolf. He’s so hot… He could give Logan a run for his money.”

“Tell me, what does he look like?”

“He’s tall, dark, and growly. Ah had to make sure Logan didn’t smell any spike in mah scent, or we really wouldah had trouble.”

“Too bad I’m attached… And really preggers.”

“But you look happy, Jubes.”

“Really, ah am. Ah just feel like a whale. Remy’s been tryin’ hard to make me comfortable, but I smell those cheap hussies on him, and I don’t wanna believe he’s cheatin’ on me...” Jubilee began to go through an emotional swing and Rogue put her arm around her for support.

“Want meh to have Logan sort him out?” She spoke as she stroked Jubilee’s back.

“No, I need my husband. Logan would kill him.”

“You’re raht, he would.”

“Maybe you should…”

“But then Logan maht get jealous and he’s not likely to spend tahm with you. You know Logan…”

“Yeah, I do. He tolerates me for you.”

“Ah suppose ah could… But then ah maht kill him too.”

“I’m sorry, I’m okay, Chica. I just had one of those swings again.”

“No worries, Jubes. That’s what friends are for. Besahds, when ah get preggers, you’re gonna hafta do the same thing for meh, someday.”

“Any time, Chica, anywhere.”


Logan almost regretted going down to the bar where Remy was most likely bilking hard working tourists from their weekly paychecks. The noise coming from the establishment was almost as bad as Jubilee’s screeching. It would be hard to sniff out Remy in the crowd but, not impossible. So, he stopped in at the bar and bought a beer before he picked up Remy LeBeau’s stench. And by stench, the man didn’t know that you’re not supposed to take a bath in cologne. He walked up to the table and there were a few bar flies hanging around his awesomely carved dark cherry throne.

“Mind if I buy in?” He asked as he took an empty seat.

“Well, well, well, bah all means. Ladies, go and welcome the Wolverine back to mah town.”

“Gimme twenty. Listen, you and I have some business to discuss,” Logan said as he tossed a twenty dollar bill onto the green felted poker table.

“Pleasure first, mon homme,” Remy replied as he tossed Logan five poker chips equaling $20.

Both men knew it was going to be a short game. Otherwise, Logan would have bought more chips to keep him supplied through the night. Remy wasn’t too happy when Logan won the game with four kings to Remy’s two jacks and two nines. He collected his winnings in the pot and pocketed the chips. He picked up his almost empty beer and followed Remy to his office on the second floor. Remy went to a side table where he had Waterford crystal decanters filled with whiskey, bourbon, rum, vodka, and gin on a polished silver tray. He poured himself a single whiskey.

“You want a drink?”

“Not yet, thanks.”

“So, what is it you wish to discuss?”

“Weapon X. It’s been reopened.”

“Yeah, I heard about them grabbin’ da Sabretooth.”

“Thanks for takin’ my family, north.”

“No problem. So, what is it you want me to do?”

“Find what you can. I wanna stop these monsters from collection and harvesting of mutants. If they have reopened the program, you can bet they’ve got another secret network of labs to do their dirty work in.”

“Oui and we have to be quick.”

“If they have Victor, then they’ll come after me when they finish with him. If not, they’ll be after Rogue.”

“Par Dieu, je ne laisserai pas cela se produire,” (By God, I will not let this happen.) Remy spoke in French before he took a sip of more whiskey.

“I’ll need as much intel as you can gather and quickly. There isn’t time to waste here.”

“Oui, true dat. How is Marie?”

“We left New York to get away from Victor and that mess with her cat… And I have done a pretty good job of distracting her up until this point. She seems to be having a good time. I don’t know how she’ll react when she finds out we’re heading to her parents’ place when we leave here.”

“Then tell her… You know she will be mad at you if you keep secrets, mon homme.”

“Yeah, but then what kind of homme would I be if I didn’t get her mad at me so we could have make up sex later?” Logan peaked an eyebrow and gave a half smile. “How’s it with you and The Yellow One?”

“About as good as it can get. She’s been more hormonal as of late. I spend a bit more time down here in my club once I make sure she’s comfortable. It will be good for her and Marie to visit.”

“What’s it like man? You feel ready to be a dad yet?”

“No, but then what homme ever is? I’m takin’ one day at a time. Then laissez les bons temps rouler.” (Let the good times roll.)

“I’ve been wonderin’ here and there ‘bout what it’s gonna be like with Marie.”

“You’ll be fine. How long do you plan to stay in town?”

“I figure, until the ninth or so. Marie thinks we’re only staying a couple days. You and I can get things done while the girls bond.”

“Sounds like a plan, mon bon homme. Ya’ll can stay here with us. Our guest rooms are down the hall from my office.”


Small Kitchen
First Floor
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
6:00 A.M.

Lily couldn’t stand it. She had plenty to do for Xavier as far as cooking and planning meals but, she was homesick. She missed her professional kitchen back home in New Orleans. So, she got up and went to the kitchen where Lara was already up and pouring herself a cup of coffee. A couple of sugar cookies on a small white dessert plate awaited her at the small kitchen table by the window.

“Mornin’, sugah,” Lily spoke as she came into the kitchen.

“Don’t you try that sweet talk on me, Sister. I know something’s bothering you. Whatever it is, it’s kept me up most of the night,” she sighed. “So, spill.”

“Well damn, Sis. Ah didn’t mean to keep you up. Pour meh a cup.”

“Sure, you want cream?”

“Nah, ah need it black this mornin’.”

“So, what’s got you all worked up?”

“Ah think ah’m gettin’ homesick. Don’t get meh wrong, ah really appreciate Xavier for the job but, ah miss mah kitchen and staff.”

“I see.”

“And well, Logan’s not back yet and ah’m worried. What if he’s been taken?”

“I’m sure Xavier would inform us if someone captured him. But, there’s something else… I can feel it.”

“Ah… Ah can’t help but worry about what happened between Logan and ah when we were at the cabin. Ah saw somethin’… Ah touched his hand.”

“What did you see?”

“It was bad, Sis.”

“Can you share?”

“Ah can’t give details but ah saw death, catastrophe, and tragedy. Ah saw a lot of pain and Logan and Marie driftin’ apart. But then ah saw them gettin’ married.”

“Wow, you told Logan all this?”

“Yeah, sort of. Ah didn’t give him details because ah don’t know the people ah saw in the vision. And ah’m not gonna guess either. Ah just feel lahk they’re gettin’ close to the tragedy ah told Logan would come for Marie.”

“Would it help if we let Charles read your mind?”

“No, no, ah can’t let him in.”


“Let me into where, pray tell?” Charles Xavier asked as he came into the kitchen for some coffee.

“Nothin’,” Lily closed up the Pandora’s Box she’d opened. “Mornin’ Professor.”

“Morning, Professor,” Lara said as she watched Lily lock up her feelings.

“Good morning, ladies. I needed a pick me up this morning. I sometimes wonder if I could run the school without coffee.”

“Don’t risk it.” Lara laughed, “Professor, I think my sister here, has something to ask of you.”

Lara felt the kick to her shin below the table.

“Really? How may I be of service?”

“Ah need to go home. Ah’m gettin’ homesick.”

“I see. Well, if you were to leave the school you would be taking your life, and mine into your hands. Because if something happened to you, Logan would surely kill me.”

“Well, ah know that. Ah’ve been thinkin’ it over a lot.”

“So much so, she’s been keeping me up,” Lara added.

“Sorry, Sis. Ah was thinkin’, isn’t Mr. Le Beau down in Nawlins with his wahf, Jubilee?”

“Yes. What do you have in mind?”

“Ah was thinkin’… Let meh go back home until the Fourth of July. Ah promise to stay near Mr. Le Beau so ya’ll can keep tabs on meh. Then ah could come back on the fourth, in tahm for the party ah’m plannin’. Whaddya say?”

“I must discuss this with Mr. Le Beau and consult Logan.”

“Don’t do that, he’ll tell you not to let meh leave heah. But, do tahlk with your friend down south.”

“I must find out where Logan is. I can do so with Cerebro and return to you with a plan later this afternoon.”

“Sounds fine, ah’ll go pack,” Lily spoke, over eager to go.

“He hasn’t said you may go yet, Lily.”

“Ah know, ah know. Ah just wondered if it maht help meh calm down.”

“You’ll have to forgive her; she’s used to getting her way.”

“I quite understand. Just give me some time to make sure the coast is clear.”

“Tell you what, I’ll have Frank fly her down, when we get the go ahead from you of course,” Lara offered.

“I am away to my office. I will see you both later. I must take care of business,” Charles said as he grabbed a chocolate chip muffin to go on his way out of the small kitchen.


Headmaster’s Office
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
10:00 A.M.

Charles waited for the appropriate hour to text Remy on his cell phone. He sent a quick one off. Then he began to go over the requisition forms for Lily’s Fourth of July party for the school. Ten minutes later, his cell phone began to buzz on his desk. He picked it up and read the reply from Remy.

[No can do, mon bon homme. Wolverine in town with da Rogue until da 9th. Be happy to babysit after they leave. R.]

So, Logan was in town. Now he didn’t have to strain to use Cerebro to find the couple. He was glad to hear that the two couples were together. Charles wondered if Ms. Hart would wait for her brother to leave before he was able to sneak her in. Really, she would have to. There was no other choice.

‘Ms. Hart. Please come to my office as soon as you are available,’ Charles telepathically called to Lily.

About five minutes later there was a knock…

“Enter,” he called out.

Lily poked her head around the door.

“You rang?”

“Yes, please have a seat.”

“Sure thing. What’s up?”

“Logan and Marie are in New Orleans with Remy and Jubilee Le Beau.”

“Well slap mah grammaw. So, what do ah do now?”

“Remy has sent a reply with the rest of the announcement. He is more than willing to protect you when you go down south.”

“Ah can feel a but comin’ on…”

“However, you must wait until the ninth of June. They will be leaving town on that day.”

“Lahk ah said, ah’ll go finish packin’. Ah can wait…” Lily winked at him as she stood to go.

“I’ll notify Remy to expect a visitor in a few days,” he smiled. “Have a good rest of your day.”


Everett Labs
Underground
40 Miles South Of Uluru, Northern Territory, AU.
Near Fregon, South Australia, AU.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
10:00 A.M.

The alarm bells were going off in Victor’s mind. He was in the middle of a desert with no clothing on and a cold temperature of 65. It was warming to be in the sun after being on that cold metal table. However, too much sun exposure would be dangerous. But he didn’t know that since they had wiped his mind. He’d been wandering for about an hour with no sense of what time it was. He needed to find shelter, food, and a water source soon. He knew how to eat but not how to hunt… They took all his instincts away. The only thing he could remember was a few childhood memories. Memories of playing with a boy and a somewhat normal childhood but then something happened. A sudden headache happened and then a terrible scene came onto the projector of his mind of him murdering his brother Luther over a piece of pie. His father, Victor Creed senior, then dragged him off from the kitchen and chained him in the basement like an animal. He got drunk one night and systematically pulled out his son’s elongated feline teeth, and to a horrified Victor junior, they grew back almost instantly grew back. The poor boy begged for his mother to let him go, but she was afraid of what Victor would do to her if he found out his play toy was gone. He had a fierce and fiery temper… Especially when mixed with libation. So, she did not let him go.

Years passed while he was in the basement. They fed him very little. So one day, on a hunch, Victor gnawed off his own right hand and became free. He leaned against the wall as his hand regrew and he watched in awe. As the memory played on before his eyes, he watched as he murdered his parents. He had drawn and quartered them and buried them in the back yard. Heinous and bloody in nature, Victor couldn’t believe that he had done something so wickedly bad.


But you see… That was what Dr. Valerie Cooper wanted him to believe. That scene that Victor had just remembered was a tampered with memory to make him believe that he had always been prone to violence. They had wiped his mind of all his memories and mentally stored them deeply in his brain where they couldn’t be accessed by Victor. Only a mutant as powerful as Charles Xavier or Emma Frost could open the Pandora’s Box they created in his mind. When they created the walls to hold the memories, they put a kind of booby trap in place. If Victor ever tried to delve deeper into his memories, it would trigger a new kind of bloodlust to his conscious mind. Memories that had been tampered with to inform him that he had always been a monster. They wanted him to believe that evil was easy…

Back at Everett Labs, Valerie was watching a half-wall of television monitors hooked up to the above ground security system. Valerie had just been made Deputy Director of the O*N*E. She helped to establish the Office of National Emergency (O*N*E) after the Alcatraz Island attack. It became an official government branch dedicated to the preparation and defense against superhuman threats. Of course it was kept secret from Hank, the Ambassador of Mutant Affairs for the President. With getting the permission slips from the required sources, Valerie secretly reopened the Weapon X program in hopes that she could continue work on Project Wideawake. A project that had been stopped cold when Senator Kelly had been mysteriously killed in a helicopter crash. The NTSB could find no trace of a pilot’s body in the cockpit… The truth was that Mystique regained her mutation after the cure failed but, by then, Erik Lehnsherr was already dead. Even if he had been alive, she had nothing but hatred for him because he left her behind like used tissue on the day she’d helped him escape.

Project Wideawake was all about using Sentinel robots to capture or kill mutants. She was in the process of fine tuning them to only kill mutants that had useless mutations, or in other words, less valuable mutations that the government couldn’t use for lab research.

“Get him back here,” the bitchy blonde with a perky nose ordered. “We need to begin the preparations for the bonding process. And don’t waste my time!”

Victor stopped running like a cat when he suddenly felt a pinch on his left buttock. He reached back and pulled out the dart that had punctured his flesh. It was a strong sedative and soon his world went black again. When he woke up, he was back in the same drab concrete cell. He roared at his re-incarceration. Something was around his neck again. He growled and lay back down on the cot. Obviously they planned to do something to him or they wouldn’t have put the metal ring around his neck. He felt another pinch, this time in his neck. And soon he went back to sleep.


While he was down, a team of ten guards came in and physically carried him from his cell into this great room where a tank filled with warm water was below a flat metal bed. They placed him on the sheet metal with holes in it and secured him to the frame. Then they stood back and at guard. Their boss, Valerie went up to a sleeping Victor and slapped him awake.

“Wakey, wakey! It’s time for you to become our prize weapon, Sabretooth.”

She could see the confusion on his face. So, she decided to explain…

“You’re about to go through hell. If you survive it, I will own you. If you die, no skin off my nose,” she evilly laughed, “I’ll just get me another.”

A soldier came over and handed her a clipboard where she signed her name and handed it back. He watched as she pushed a button on a control box and he began to descend.


“Let me go!” Victor roared, but there was no hope as the frame continued to fall.

“Now why would I want to do that? Just relax and enjoy the ride…”


He tried to struggle but he couldn’t get free. Suddenly, Victor was underwater. Didn’t anyone know that cats are afraid of water? He still struggled as someone reached into the tank gave him something to breathe with. Once he could breathe he stopped panicking, until he saw the needles coming towards him. He felt the deep sting of the puncture wounds all over his body, deep into his bone…


New Orleans, LA.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
8:00 P.M.

The time of Logan and Marie’s visit was winding down. Marie and Jubilee had gone shopping at least 10 times since her and Logan had arrived. The two best friends had gone and done touristy things while Logan and Remy did guy things and worked with Xavier on forming a plan to retrieve Victor from Everett Labs in Australia. Marie’s plans to have some late night fun with Logan didn’t happen, because she spent most of her time with her second best friend. She even slept with her in another of the Le Beau guest rooms while Logan slept alone or was out on the town with Remy, having a good time. It seemed that the only thing that could calm Jubilee’s hormonal swings was her. And the men decided it was better that she stay with her anyway.

So, after their dinner, they all agreed to play with some cards. Since Jubilee was sick of playing poker, they decided on Crazy Eights. Marie was allowed to shuffle the deck because nobody trusted Remy to do it proper. She shuffled the deck and passed it back to Jubilee who began to deal 7 cards to every player. They all held up their cards and Jubilee pulled a card off the top of the deck. She flipped it over and laid it down; a 5 of clubs. She picked up her 7 cards and then lay down a five of hearts. Remy lay down a 3 of hearts. Then Marie swooped in and laid a 3 of spades upon the pile. Logan, going on memory of previous games with Marie laid a 3 of diamonds. Each player got down to one card and Jubilee laid her ace of hearts down on the pile. Suddenly, she proclaimed her victory and stood from her chair. Then she began her little celebratory dance. The others groaned and Logan growled. The objective of the game was to be the player with no cards left. When she finished, she’d tired herself out. So everyone moved from the card table and took up a seat on the couches in front of their fireplace. A fireplace filled with lit candles on a single antique candelabrum.

“I don’t want you to leave, Chica. I’ve really had a good time.”

“Ah have too, but we’ve gotta to get back to the school. And Logan’s gotta finish watchin’ the movie about his past. Ah want him to see it before the weddin’ so that if anything happens, we’ve got tahm to deal with it. Besahds, ah wanna bond with his sistahs when ah get back.”

“Darlin’, we’ll be going back to the school for the Fourth of July party.”

“What party on the fourth?” Apparently, Logan had forgotten.

“Your sister’s throwin’ a shindig at the mansion. With the Professor’s money, of course. We talked about it on the plane ride back to Vegas, honey,” Marie softly spoke.

“Sorry, my mind musta been on other things.”

“Well, now I won’t feel so sick to have you stay. You, Chloe, and I can hang out when we get to the school.”

“Deal,” Marie replied.

“Now, can I have my girl back?” Logan asked really wanting Marie back in his bed.

“Sure Wolvie, sorry about that. I’m doing good tonight. Really, really good tonight,” Jubilee said as she stood and took Remy’s hand. “And now I’m gonna go take my hubby to bed and show him just how good I’m feeling tonight.”

“Are you sure, mon doux? (My sweet.)

“Hell yeah, baby.”


Marie was laughing when Remy jumped up and followed his wife. Then she stood, sat down in Logan’s lap on the couch, and then leaned back. He cradled her in his arms as he sat there. She had such a smile on her face, so brilliant. Her eyes were filled with so much love that it almost made his heart want to burst from his chest and do a jig on the floor. He practically went limp from a long day and a significant amount of deep joy. Logan stared down into her eyes for a long time before he spoke what popped into his mind.

“Are you happy?”

“Ah’m content, ah think. Have you missed meh?”

“How could I not? Haven’t seen much of you in all the time we’ve been here, darlin’, except for meals. I’ve missed your body… I’ve missed the way it feels next to mine…” And with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, “I’ve missed the way it feels under mine…”

“LOGAN!” She cried out in mock surprise.

“Did you miss me?” Fair is fair after all…

“Yes. Ah dreamed about you while ah was sharin’ the bed with Jubes.”

“Mmmm, anything good?” He smirked.

“Nope.”

“Nope?” Logan pretended to be upset.

“It was deliciously bad… In ah good way.”

“Really?” His eyebrow went up. “Care to share, darlin’?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Because, sugah, ah’d rather show ya,” Marie smiled before she pulled his head down to hers.


Suddenly, Logan found himself swimming in Marie kisses; warm and passionate, hungry and lingering. They set his soul on fire. Every cell he had was filled with desire for his girl. Somehow, he carefully disengaged his lips from her and blew out all the candles in the fireplace. Then he scooped her up and whisked her away to the guest room he had spent many nights alone in. Once inside the room, he kicked the door closed with his right ankle and carried her right to his bed that had been turned down for him. The help had been through, tidied his room up while he’d been at dinner with Marie, and the others. Their scents were still in the room, but quickly fading now that Marie was there with him. They’d lit ivory colored candles around the room, just like the ones in the fireplace. Logan set her down gently on the turned down bed and backed away. Then sat down on the antique foot locker at the end of the bed and pulled off his boots. The shoes, his blue silk shirt with small pineapples in the design, and then his under shirt came off next. Topless, barefoot, and jean clad with a hungry look in his eyes he moved back toward Marie. She looked like heaven upon the elevated dark cherry wood framed bed. She lifted her long leg and pointed her elegantly dressed foot at him before he could reach her. She had on strappy red high heels that buckled at the ankle to go with a beautiful chiffon red dress. It had a sweetheart neckline and spaghetti shoulder straps.

No words were spoken as he took up her ankle in a single large hand while the other gently unlatched the tiny buckle with his long fingers. His thumb caressed her ankle as his hand pulled off her shoe. Then he brought his warm lips to the flesh over the bone and that earned him a moan from her lips. He kissed her inner ankle and she giggled. The eyebrow went up. So… Her inner ankles are ticklish… Logan locked that item of information away in his mental box of Marie. He took a step closer and straightened her leg, pointed her foot to the sky. Then his talented mouth came to the flesh of her knee pit. His tongue claimed a long strip of her flesh from her thigh to her upper calf and Marie cried his name out in desire. Logan felt her shudder. He placed butterfly kisses on the flesh of her inner thigh, moved ever closer to the spot where he knew she wanted him. The man wanted to tease her a while. He had been such a good man all the time they’d been there; ignoring all the women that hung all around him and Remy as they played poker into the wee hours of the morning. The animal wanted to claim the man’s reward, but he quickly tamped him down.


Marie wanted to scream as Logan had gotten so close to the panty-covered flesh of her core and then he smiled as he retreated. Then she watched as his thumb caressed her other ankle.

‘Ohh, that felt good,’ she thought.

She decided to have a little fun of her own. She brought her other knee up and used her non-occupied top of her foot to rub against his denim encased balls. That earned her a gasp and a groan. She watched his face steel and focused on his original path. He placed delicate kisses on her inner ankle as he slipped of the shoe and tossed it over his shoulder. It landed by the antique dark cherry wood armoire; five feet away from its mate. Then he bent her leg back and Logan did that knee pit thing again…

“Ohh damn, Logan! Yes!” Marie cried out.

Logan flashed his devilish smile and then bent down closer to her inner left thigh. She felt his beard tickle as it inched closer.

‘Oh no, oh yes, he’s almost there…’

Marie felt his warm breath caress her, only a few millimeters away. He hovered over the warm flesh of her thigh with his lips. Then he lightly pressed his soft lips to her skin when he felt like the time was right. No pattern, just random light contact. She tried to reach to grab his hair to keep him there, but he had her in such a J-e-ll-o state of being, that she couldn’t reach. She gripped the black satin sheets instead to keep her grounded because she felt like she was flying. He had her writhing on the bed and so very aroused.


Logan decided to be a tease again and brought his torso up. He leaned in over her frame, his chest suspended in mid-air by his toned, strong arms. His thighs trapped her legs from movement. He bent his head down at her chest where her sweetheart neckline stopped and her flesh began to show, and he placed a kiss right between her slightly pink orbs turned almost peach by the candle light. Marie instantly brought her hands up and tangled in his hair.

“More, sugah, please,” she moaned as it caressed his ear drum.

With her permission, he moved up and balanced his weight on one arm, before he laid a sweet kiss on her shoulder. The fingers of his left hand moved the spaghetti strap off her shoulder and he deposited another sugary kiss there. Logan then targeted the other shoulder and repeated the same process. He sat back on his heels as he pulled down the straps to reveal that she wasn’t wearing a strapless bra, as he’d thought about a good deal through dinner. Her breasts were bathed in candle light and she looked so beautiful.

“Hey lover… Ah lost ya there for a moment,” she spoke and then he realized she’d caught him staring.

“Sorry, I was just thinkin’, I’m gonna get to spend forever with these beautiful toys of mine.”

“Toys?”

“Yeah, don’t you remember? Your breasts and everything below your belly button are my toys. You claimed all my equipment as your toys. You know, back in California.”

“Oh, right. Play on, Logan, play on,” she moaned.

Logan brought his mouth to her hardened nipples. His facial hair teased her as he sucked on one and fondled the other between his index and middle fingers. And then he switched before Marie had any chance of crying, ‘Uncle.’ Then while his mouth was occupied, his hands began to wander. One hand caressed down to her thigh and pulled it up to wrap around him. The other cradled her under her hip.

“Ahh, yes… Logan. More, baby more.”


A sudden wave of tiredness overtook her smaller form as Logan’s kisses began to move lower and Marie wasn’t sure she’d be able to last through the darkness. She knew how intense Logan could be when he wanted to make love with her all night. After all, she’d spent the day with a pregnant Jubilee and that was tiring enough… So, she pulled him up to her and his hardness strained to get at her warmth through the denim of his jeans. Marie pulled her other leg up and locked him into place before she rolled their bodies.

“Hey,” Logan protested. “What gives?”

“Ah know you wanna pleasure meh all naht, but ah’m gettin’ tired after bein’ with Jubes all day. So, ah’m gonna give ya your reward for behavin’ while we’ve been here, and then we’re gonna cuddle until it’s tahm to leave.”

“Sounds goo… Oh damn, darlin’,” he moaned.


Marie didn’t give him the chance to respond as she bent her head and latched her lips around one of his small nipples. She playfully bit it and then flicked her tongue on the injured flesh before she grazed her lips across his chest to the twin. She sat up, pressed her panty-covered warmth between her thighs down into his zipper and Logan’s eyes rolled as he groaned. She reached down, pulled the bottom of the dress up, over her head, and tossed it to land over by the antique dry sink with the bowl and pitcher upon it. Marie brought his hands up and pinned them to the bed while her breasts hung over his face.

“No hands, sugah.”

She moved back before he could capture her nipples again. Her lips began to trace his treasure trail down past his belly button with light, delicate kisses. Of course his hands didn’t stay where they were supposed to, they gripped the satin sheets in preparation for what was to come as she flipped open the Indian Head belt buckle and pulled down the zipper carefully. There was no sense in opening the metal teeth fast and getting his curlies stuck in the fastener. As soon as the closure was open he sprung out of the material, full and very erect. Marie took him into her small hands and licked the underside all the way to the tip. Logan thrust up to her and moaned.

“Sweet Geeezus. Damn it darlin’, don’t stop.”

She licked him again from base to tip on both left and right sides before she took him full blast into her mouth. Her fingernails went to work stroking in and around his groin. Not taking skin off, but in a teasing pattern on the inner and outer parts of his thighs and loins.


Logan’s eyes rolled again as he felt her tongue go to work as she sucked on his flesh. His fingers tightened on the sheets and he prayed that his blades wouldn’t come out and ruin the fabric. He hated to be indebted to Remy for anything and he wasn’t about to make replacing satin sheets one of them. He about lost his mind when he felt Marie stop and lick the tender skin of his nut sack. She flicked her tongue and toyed with it before she moved over to its companion. She sucked on the sack and flicked her tongue there before she went back to sucking on his shaft. He put up his best efforts to remain sane but she was also doing her best to drive him absolutely off the deep end. Then he watched as Marie suddenly had her panties in her hand and she wrapped the satiny fabric around his shaft. She used it to stroke him with a few quick moves before she moved off the bed and took his jeans with her. They landed by the bathroom door a few feet away. Now both naked, she climbed up onto his saddle and right onto his horn. She sank down deep and they both moaned as they finally got to reconnect after such a long absence from each other’s bodies.

Marie brought her hands to rest on his pecs as his hands moved to her breasts. Logan cupped the tender flesh and his thumbs caressed her nipples.

“Well worth waiting for, sugah?”

“Hell yeah, baby,” Logan moaned as he began to move within his lover’s body.

Marie began to rock her body and she met his thrusts hard as she came down. His warm, thick flesh surged inside and she clamped down so that he felt her tightness. She bent down and shared a few passionate kisses with him. His hands wandered all over her frame, from her hips to her waist, up to her back, and down to her beautiful rear. They set such a rapid pace that Marie had to lean back and cup her own breasts just to keep her balance. Pants, moans, and groans from the couple increased to the point where Marie was dangerously close to coming. She wasn’t prepared to get tossed when Logan suddenly sat up and crossed his legs before he invited Marie to sit down facing him. He guided himself back to home and soon she was rocking up, down in his lap. His mouth sprinkling kisses on her heated flesh. She felt his hands rocking her hips as she bounced to give her more pleasure. Logan grunted as he came, shot straight up into her womb. She felt his warmth fly deep inside her and it triggered her climax. Breathless for a moment, Marie found air before she cried out his name so loud that for once she was glad they were on a different floor than Remy and Jubilee. He suddenly growled and she thought he gave her every last drop of his essence he had stored.


Soon after, Logan lost his energy and fell back to the black satin covered pillows a sweaty mess. He pulled up the top sheet to cover them. It was still too humid to pull up the coverlet. Marie collapsed to his left side as she tried to slow her breathing. She heard the lub-dub of his heart slowing down from its frenzied pace. A strange feeling that everything was right with the world came over both of them. However, reality said otherwise… Logan watched as she brought forth her index finger and began tracing silly patterns with her fingernail on his sternum. He took her hand in his and he laced their fingers together. He thought he might approach the subject of their plans while hovering in a post-coital bliss.

“Darlin’,” he began.

“Yeah, sugah?”

“Baby, we need to head back to New York.”

He couldn’t see into her face to know that she’d already closed her eyes and was almost asleep.

“Mmmm,” she non-answered him.

“I wanna take you to see your parents.”

“Mmmm.”

Logan heard her softer breathing and by her non-responsive answer, he figured that she was asleep. Maybe it was better to discuss it in the morning anyway? His body felt like J-e-ll-o, which was hard to do considering his skeleton was laced with adamantium. Mr. Sand Man finally found him a few minutes later.


New Orleans, LA.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
5:00 A.M.

Remy Le Beau found the strength to wake up after his wife had given him an evening he’d not soon forget. He sat up and left their bed. He didn’t have to worry about waking her because they had one of those fancy expensive dense foam mattresses that didn’t move much when your partner left the bed. He carefully dressed in the dark and left the bedroom quietly before he put his shoes on. Then a quick grab of his keys and cane, and he was off to the airport. As per the secret plan, Remy was up and off to the airport to pick up Logan’s sister before dawn. She would whisk her away to a hide-out he had in town until Logan and Marie left town. This secret location was outside of downtown New Orleans so that Logan wouldn’t be able to pick up her scent. Then later, he would move her into town to her home so that she could get back to what he loved about her most… Her cooking. Yes, that’s right. Remy Le Beau had been a huge fan of Lily Fleur De Lis’ cooking. She was right up there with the best chefs in the world. He had been enjoying her food for a few centuries. He’d even been one of her many lovers in the past, but Jubilee didn’t need to know that… Ever. God help him if she ever found out.


Lily arrived in New Orleans under the cover of the early morning darkness. The sun was due to be up in a little under an hour. A man with reddish brown shoulder length hair just slightly shorter than her six feet two stood there on the asphalt next to his hanger. She was glad to see Remy Le Beau. She came down the small staircase of her brother-in-law’s private jet and gave Frank a hug before he got back on the plane. As she walked toward Remy, the door closed and the plane began to roll away. She shook Remy’s hand.

“Glad to see ya, partnah.” Partner because Remy owned part of her restaurant.

“Welcome home, mon doux.” (My sweet.)

“Take meh home to mah kitchen and ah will whip you up a treat.”

“No can do, ah promised mah dear wahf ah would be hers all day, but ah will take you home. Ah will take a rain check for dinner tonaht if you’re up to it.”

“Perfect, sugah. Come tonaht then.”

“Our pleasure. Now, we have to hit the road before mah wahf wakes up or there will be hell to pay.”


Guest Bedroom
New Orleans, La.
8:00 A.M.

Logan woke up first and stretched as he lay in bed. Marie was asleep on her left side away from him. He got up and headed for the bathroom. A quick use of the toilet and sink were in order before he headed to his backpack. He quietly slipped on a clean white t-shirt and put his previously worn jeans on. They would need to hit the road soon if they were to reach her parent’s place by lunch. Once he dressed head to toe, Logan climbed up on top of Marie’s naked body and trapped her under the covers. Then he bent his head down and captured her lips for a very arousing wake up kiss.

“Ahhmmmpf,” Marie cried out in surprise as his warm lips engulfed hers.

She lifted up her arms and wrapped them around his neck. He brought his spine down to her frame as he stretched out against her. He let her feel his desire in his kiss before he let her go.

“Time to hit the road, darlin’.”

“Ohh, do we hafta? Ah wanna stay in bed with you like this.”

“We’ve got somewhere to be before lunch.”

“’Kay, where we headed?”

“Surprise. Get dressed and I’ll treat you to breakfast.”


Marie managed one leg loose and wrapped it up to his denim covered thigh, her ankle pushing his rear closer to her groin. That earned her a growl and a groan. She wanted to change his mind.

“Baby, you know I’d love to answer that request, but we must get goin’.”

“Oh rats. Ah’ll get dressed.”

She waited for him to get up and then she moved the covers back before she got up and walked to the bathroom naked to make Logan pay for not changing his mind. She used the toilet and discovered that she had started spotting. Marie had gotten her period sometime in the night.

“Shit!” She exclaimed.

It struck her that she was really early… Three weeks early in fact. She had been under such stress with Logan’s crud and planning the wedding. Then there was the loss of her beloved cat, Tigger, and then the announcement of the re-launch of the Weapon X Program, and then Jubilee’s hormonal swings… Damn. No more intercourse or oral for her until she was done.


“You okay, Marie?” Logan was concerned when he heard her cry out.

“Sugah, ah got some bad news.”

“What?”

“Ah got mah period this mornin’.”

Logan began to do the math in his head. She was off by his calculations.

“Hey, ain’t you a bit early?”

“Yeah, lahk three weeks early, damn it.”

“You need anything?”

“Just gimme mah pack. Ah’ll get dressed in here.”

“How come you’re so early?”

“Stress probably. Hank told meh that stress can make mah hormones change and go all wonky on meh.”

“Sure. You gonna be okay?”

“Yeah. Mah fun just ended until this is ovah though. Sorry you won’t be able to play with your toys until ah’m done.”

Logan had thought something was different about her scent when he kissed her inner thighs. It was a shame that he wouldn’t get to be intimate with her until she was finished, but maybe the timing was right… They were headed to see her parents after all. He didn’t think they would be too happy if he was sleeping with their daughter under the same roof.


Front Entrance
The Gambit’s Gauntlet Nightclub
New Orleans, LA.
9:00 A.M.

The humidity was already climbing even higher as Jubilee, Marie, and Logan stood out in front of the club getting ready to part ways. Remy was still in bed after his jaunt to the airport. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day for a drive. On orders from Jubilee, Sven pulled up the Suburban for Logan and parked it before he got out and tossed him the keys.

“It’s gassed up,” he spoke in his deep Swedish accent.

“Thanks,” Logan replied.

“Ah’m not gonna say good bah Jubes ‘cause we’re gonna see ya soon at the mansion for the party,” Marie said as she watched Jubilee tear up.

“Oh don’t mind me, Chica. I’m havin’ another swing,” she said as she hugged her best friend.

“Don’t swing too hard, Yellow. Wouldn’t want ya to get hurt or anything,” Logan teased to try to make her smile.

“Don’t swing that thing in your pants too hard, you just might break it,” Jubilee teased back.

“Jubes,” Marie exclaimed.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do…” Logan spoke as a parting shot.

“Logan! You’re no help either.

“Come on, we’ve gotta hit the road.”

“See ya Jubes, and tell Remy ah said see ya.”

“’Kay, Chica. Call me if Wolvie misbehaves,” she teased as Marie walked around the front of the SUV.

Marie waved as she climbed up into her passenger ‘Shotgun’ seat. Logan shifted the gear to drive and they were off. She put her seatbelt on, was pleased as she looked over at her lover, and he had his on as well.


Meridian, MS.
12:30 P.M.

Logan was contemplating when he should wake Marie up. She’d fallen asleep on his shoulder after breakfast in New Orleans. She’d wanted to stop for beignets, but Logan needed something with more substance. They compromised. He stopped at a diner and got both. She had her beignets and stole some of his scrambled eggs out of his box. He figured she’d gotten a sugar high and that’s what made her sleepy, but then he remembered their lovemaking. They had been up pretty late and she started that time of the month. So, he made a mental note to keep her supplied with salty and sweet snacks. Now they were parked four homes down from her parents’ home. Time had come to wake Marie up.

“Hey sweetheart, we’re here,” Logan softly called to her.

“Huh… We’re in New York already?”

“No, Marie. We’re actually down the street from your parents’ home.”

“What? What the hell are we doin’ here? Ah thought you said we had to get back to the mansion…”

“Okay so I lied. I asked for your hand in marriage from your parents and they said they had to think about it. I thought it was time they meet me.”

“Oh no, no, no. We ain’t doin’ this now. No Logan, ah cain’t do this.”

“Why not?”

“Because ah know they’ll say no. Ah might get a yes out of mah mama, but mah daddy’s gonna take one look at you and say, ‘No Way, Jose.’ Can’t we go get lunch first? Ah’m hungry? Please feed meh.”

“Marie, trust me, you’re doin’ this. I didn’t drive all the frickin’ way from New York, across the country, and back to Mississippi for you to back out now.”

His words came out a little harsher than he’d planned. Suddenly, he smelled salt water. Shit, he’d made her cry.

“Look darlin’, I know this ain’t gonna be a walk in the park. I have your back and you’ve got mine. If it all goes to hell then we’ll leave and you won’t have to let them into your life ever again, I promise.”


Marie had to seriously think about the situation… She could handle this couldn’t she? After all she’d survived being nearly killed by Magneto and a very long courtship with Logan to make it to this point. Maybe, just maybe, she could do this for Logan…

“That’s raht, we are X-Men. We can handle this, it’s nothin’ compared to savin’ the world from Magneto,” she said as she tried to soak in courage from somewhere deep inside.

Logan grinned at her with the eyebrow up.

“That’s right darlin’.”

“Ah just don’t know if ah can handle the emotional toll is all.”

“I can’t lie, I don’t know if I can either, but we are in this together. Now, let’s get this done so you and I can make out in your old bedroom,” he moved his eyebrow in a silly suggestive manor.

“Logan! Not in mah parents’ house. Ah’m sure they won’t even let us sleep in the same room. Not until we’re hitched with a ring on mah fingah.”

Logan gave her the eyebrow… “Try me.”

“Ah know ya wanna be with yer girl but, not in this house.”

“Don’t make me beg, baby.”

“Alraht, ah’ll come up with somethin’ aftah they git to bed. Besahds, ah’m on that tahm of the month, remember?”

“So? We don’t have to do, ‘it’, Marie. We can do other things.”

“Ah know, we’ll just hafta be really quiet. Mah room is right next to the master bedroom. The guest room is down stairs near the kitchen.”

“You could sneak out the window couldn’t-cha?”

“Maybe, depends.”

“Maybe, depends on what?”

“Whether you’re a good boy or not. Now, go pull into the driveway.”


Logan groaned as he started up the engine and shifted it into drive. He drove down past the four homes and pulled up to the front of Marie’s childhood home. When Logan killed the engine, got out of his side of the vehicle and went around to Marie with the bottle of wine he picked up on the way. He thought it might be a bit classier than just buying a boxed wine. He opened her door, just in case they had an audience. He knew he had to be on his best gentlemanly behavior. They quickly made their way to the front door where Marie rang the bell.


“Prissy, can ya get the door? Ah’m stuck here in the den,” he hollered.

He was busy working on a model that was supposed to be a replica of the pirate ship of Blackbeard.

“Sure hon,” Priscilla called out from the laundry room. “Be raht there.”

Priscilla D’Ancanto peeked through the peep hole on the door and got a shock. Marie was home! And with a tall, mean-looking stranger, who was smiling at her daughter. She quickly tried to fix her hair in the mirror next to the door to look presentable and then she opened the door. There were no screams, only tears, and uncomfortable pauses until Marie broke the threshold.

“Hey mama, ah’m home,” she said before Priscilla suddenly found herself in a hug.

“Anna Marie, oh baby. It’s good ta have ya home. You’re all grown up.”

“Mama, this is Logan. Logan, this is mah mama, Priscilla.”

“Hello. This is for you,” he said as he handed her the wine he’d picked up, with the little red bow.

‘Oh Mah Gawd,’ she thought as she accepted the bottle. ‘That’s Anna Marie’s Logan?’


Poor Logan couldn’t help but see the shock in her face and smell the spike in her fear. He held on to the thought that he was doing this all for Marie. He gave her a quick hug as well; with a chaste kiss on her cheek.

“Well come on in then. We’ll go into the parlor. Daddy’s in the den with his model. You know how he is with his collection. He just got Blackbeard’s ship last week.”

Logan let Marie take the lead as she led him into the living room, otherwise known as the parlor. She sat down in the corner of the two seat couch, while her mother took her seat across from Marie, on the three seat couch.

“So, what brings ya’ll to Meridian?”

“Mama, we’re gettin’ married and Logan asked for mah hand from you and daddy. You told meh you’d work on him. Has he given you an answer?”

Logan sensed the spike in Marie’s and her mother’s fear. He got a sense that this wasn’t going to go well at all by Priscilla’s hesitation.

“Ah’m sorry Anna Marie, he hasn’t said a word to meh.”

“It’s Marie now, mama.”

“Ah’ll go get him. It won’t take but a second,” she said before she quickly jumped up from her seat and left the room in a hurry.

“Gee, that went well. Get ready for round two,” Logan whispered to Marie.

“Bah the way, mah maiden name is D’Ancanto. Ah changed it to Caldicott while ah was on the road so they couldn’t find meh. Because ah wanted to leave mah family behind. Caldicott was mah daddy’s mama’s maiden name.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Marie shrugged her shoulders. “Ah duh-know nevah came up, ah guess.”


Priscilla went to the den and knocked on the door.

“What is it?” Her husband asked through the thin door.

“Owen, honey, its Marie and her man,” she said as she popped her head around the door.

Immediately, Owen D’Ancanto stopped working on gluing the mast to the hull.

“What’s he look lahk?”

“He’s a grown man, Owen. Ah don’t know if it’s gonna work.”

“A grown man? How old is he?”

“Ah have no clue, ah didn’t ask. Come on out heah and introduce yourself. She’s expecting an answer.”

“Ah know, ah know. I’m comin’. Go make our guests comfortable. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Priscilla went back to the parlor and reclaimed her seat. Then five seconds later she stood. She decided she wasn’t minding her southern manners and taking care of her guest’s needs. Her nervousness was written all over her body language but she didn’t know that.

“Logan, Marie, would you lahk somethin’ ta drink?”

“Mama, we’re fahn. Just come and sit.”

“So…” She spoke as she watched Marie hold hands with this strangely hairy man. “You can touch now?”

“Yeah mama, ah can. Ah went to a special school where ah found a way to control mah gift.”

“Good, good, ah’m glad. A guess you’re all grown up now so ah couldn’t ask ya when you’re comin’ back home.”

“Mama, ah’m over twenty-one,” Marie sweetly tried to turn her mother down.

‘What tha hell is takin’ Owen so long…?’ Prissy thought.


As if Owen was telepathic, he showed up at the entry to the parlor by the front door. He didn’t even take the time to look at his beautifully grown up daughter. Nope, his eyes set right on Logan. The shock was clearly evident on his face for an instant and then he covered it up as quickly as he possibly could. He decided he would hear the man out, what Marie had to say, and then he was gone. This man was not marrying his daughter…

“Owen, there ya are. Come and meet Marie’s man.”

Marie stood to make her introductions. Logan stood behind her.

“Daddy, this is Logan. Logan, this is mah daddy, Owen D’Ancanto.”

Logan stood and held out his hand in greeting.

“Sir,” he spoke.

Owen took his hand and shook it. He was quite surprised at the weight behind the grasp. He had no idea that Logan was lightly shaking his hand. If he had put his full weight behind the handshake, he would have broken Owen’s hand. Still, he did have a firm grip. He wondered how much it would take to get rid of Logan. Hell, what if it didn’t work and it backfired on him. They would run off and probably elope. Then nine months later he’d be getting introduced to his first mutie grandkid. No, no. He wanted pure blood grandchildren. If Marie married this man then they’d be pure mutie kids. If he could marry her off to someone else they stood a chance at getting pure children. At the very least, half breeds that the mutation could be bred out of. Owen moved to take his seat next to Prissy.

Logan thought Owen would want to hug his daughter, but when he didn’t, he waited for Marie to take her seat before he joined her. He laced his fingers with hers in support. It had to hurt that her father didn’t even want to try to touch her. At least her mother had been somewhat cool with Marie’s hug, although Marie didn’t really give her an explanation for the hug before she’d introduced him. He could feel her hand shaking within his. She sensed her fear spike when her father came into the room.

“Mama, daddy. Ah can touch now. Ah found a special school that helped meh learn ta control mah gift.”

Logan sensed confusion, anger, hurt coming from her parents. The animal wanted to growl but he kept him in check.

“So, does that mean you’re cured?” Her father asked. “Ah heard talk of that cure stuff ah while back.”

The animal roared back to life and a small growl escaped Logan’s mouth. Marie gripped his hand hard with one hand and with the other she drew a few lazy circles to calm him down… Fortunately, they weren’t arousing enough to create a different kind of problem.

“Excuse him, his tummy’s growlin’,” Marie covered for him.

Logan smirked and looked to her for guidance since he was allowing her to be the pack alpha female.

“No, daddy. Ah’m not cured. Ah don’t need ta be cured. Ah have complete control over mah gift. Ah can turn it on and off lahk a laht switch.”

“That means you’re still a mutant then,” he said with just a hint of sarcasm.

“Yes, daddy,” he saw that she was getting upset.

He gave her hand a little squeeze and began to make circles on her wrist to calm her down. The scent of her arousal was mixed with the metallic smell of blood.


Priscilla decided to step in before the situation became impossible.

“So, Logan tell us a little about yourself. Where do ya come from? How’d you meet our Anna Marie?”

“Canada.” And before he could answer the second query, Marie stepped in.

“Ah met him in Northern Alberta while ah was on mah way to Alaska.”

“Really? How’d ya get there?” Her father chimed in.

“Ah hitchhiked daddy, how’d ya think ah got there?” Marie snapped back.

“Marie, that’s no way to tahlk ta your daddy.”

“Sorry mama,” she apologized with her eyes downcast.

“How long have you been tagethah?” Prissy tried to move on.


“Five years, ain’t it babe?” Logan asked Marie because he wasn’t sure.

“Yeah, about five. Logan was givin’ meh a ride, keepin’ meh warm, and fed meh when we were attacked. Logan went to protect us and his truck caught on fire. There were people from the school ah went to that saved us. And then later on, a very bad mutant tried ta kill meh, and Logan saved mah life. Since that naht, mah lahf hasn’t been the same.”

Logan thought it was interesting how she left out so many details, but then he thought that they didn’t need to know everything. Like the fact that he stabbed her in the chest after she woke him from a nightmare.

“He nearly died. Ah stayed with him for days, until they made meh go eat and go to class,” Logan was surprised; he’d never heard that little morsel of information from her.

He held her hand again when he smelt a hint of salt water in the air.

“We’ve been datin’ for five years now. And we’re closer than evah.”

“Not that it’s any of mah bees wax but, ah take it you’re sleepin’ tagethah?”

“Yes, you’re raht mama, it’s non-ah your bees wax, but we’ve decided to abstain until aftah the weddin’ ta be moah traditional,” she gripped his hand hard as she could, a sign of strength and hopefully he got the necessary message to go along with her plan.

Logan wanted to ask for a beer and to go outside to go smoke a good cigar, but he didn’t dare with his every move being scrutinized. He needed to get away from the tension in the room before the animal exploded and he did something worse than growling in front of her parents.

“Have you folks eaten lunch yet?”

“No, not yet. Why?” Owen answered.

“Well, I was thinkin’ of goin’ to the store, pickin’ up lunch and somethin’ for dinner to go with that wine I brought you, my treat. Marie can catch up with you both while I’m gone. Whaddya say?”


Marie tried to hide her shock.

‘How could he think of abandoning her to her parents right now?’

“That would be lovely, Mister…” Her mother spoke, trying to get his last name.

“Just call me, Logan ma’am.”

“That would be lovely, Logan. Ah have ta finish hangin’ out the wash and ah don’t have tahm ta make lunch for us all.”

“Well fine, I will return shortly,” Logan stood to go.

“Ah’ll wahlk ya out, sugah,” Marie spoke up; she needed to clarify what the hell was in his head.

As soon as they were out the front door, Marie made him turn around to face her.

“What the hell, Logan? Why can’t ah go with you for a break too?”

“Because you’re not about to gut your parents for being insensitive racist bigots,” he said with a low growl. “I can see that there’s no way your ‘daddy’ is gonna give us permission to marry. But then, I don’t give a shit. I’ll marry you anyway.”

“True, but ah need you, here.”

“Marie, just give me twenty minutes to a half an hour. You can do this. Remember, you are an X-Woman. I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m doin’ all this for you,” he wrapped her in his arms.

“Ah know, ah know. Ah just thought that maybe they’d changed in the tahm ah’ve been gone.”

“Some people never change, Marie.”

Then Logan cupped her face and kissed her. It was a sweet kiss that lingered a bit before he broke it off.

“When I get back, we need to discuss this abstinence until the wedding idea…”

“Just go already. Then you’ll come back ta meh sooner.”


Marie turned and went back to the front door. She didn’t want to turn around and watch Logan leave. She repeated in her mind, ‘Ah’m an X-Woman. Ah can handle this,’ like a mantra as she opened the front door. When she went back to the parlor, her parents had disappeared. She figured that her daddy went to hide in his den and mama probably went to finish with the washing. Like an old hand, she went through the house and out to the backyard where her mother was hanging some of the wrung out clothing on the two rope lines strung across two T headed poles. Marie didn’t know how to open up the conversation until her mother opened it for her.

“Ah hope your Logan gets somethin’ good ‘cause ah’m starvin’.”

“Ah’m sure he will, mama. He’s been good at feedin’ meh when ah get hungry.”

“You’ll be sleepin’ in your old room. Ah haven’t changed a thing since ya left. Logan can sleep downstairs in the guest room.”

Marie wanted to object, but she knew better. It wouldn’t be so bad really. She was on her period anyway. Good thing she knew how to sneak out her window and down the lattice work on the back side of the house covered with night blooming jasmine.

“That’s fahn, mama. Ah couldn’t sneak around with Logan if ah wanted to anyway, ah am on mah tahm of the month.”

“You know your daddy’s not gonna approve.”

“Ah know, but ah wanna know what you think.”

“Truthfully Anna Marie, ah don’t know. We don’t know what he’s lahk. He’s obviously older than you. How old is he?”

“Ah don’t know. He doesn’t remember.”

“Well, there ya go. Why not?”

“Because someone from the government took his memories from him. The government has done some terrible things to him, all in the name of protecting humanity. As a matter of fact, the government has taken his half-brother and gawd only knows what they’ve done to him by now.”

“Baby, Logan is a dangerous man if he’s mixed up with the military. People tend ta end up dead when they associate with men lahk your Logan.”

‘If she only knew how raht she was…’ Marie thought.

“Look, mama. Ah found someone. Like you said would come along. Ah know he's a sight, so unlike any man ah've known. Ah was afraid to let him in when ah first met him. Because ah wasn’t the trustin’ kind, neither was he. Hitchhikin’ across country made meh a bit hard towards men. Ah’ve never told him that ya know. Ah know it wouldn’t kill him physically if ah told him, but ah don’t want him pullin’ away from meh.”

“Marie, ah don’t know what ta say.”

“He was afraid to let meh in too. Ah’m convinced that he's heaven sent and must be out of his mind to want meh.”

“But love don’t pay the bills, baby. Does he have a job? What does he do?” That was a loaded question…

“He’s an instructor at the school where ah learned to control mah gift. Ah teach there too.”

“What does he teach?”

“Lotsa things. Lahk self-defence, automotive repair, physical education. Ah teach art for young ones to the seniors. Ah pretty much help out where ah’m needed.”

“Ah’m gonna be honest, Anna Marie. You expect that from meh ‘cause ah’ve always trahd ta be honest with ya. He’s a mutant Marie. Your daddy’s not gonna approve, baby. It’s bad enough you’re livin’ in sin with him.”

“Mama, Logan’s crazy, crazy over meh. And in MY life is where he says he always wants to be. Ah wanna be in his life as well. Ah’ve never been so LOVED bah him. Mama, he beats all ah've ever seen and ah’m crazy over him.”

“Does it have to be a mutant? Now that you can touch and all, does it have to be a mutant?”

“Yes, mama.”

“Well, then does it have to be Logan? Isn’t there ah nice mutant boy your age, out there?” She asked as she put another clothes pin on her husband’s shirt over the line.

“Ah did, ah tried to date. You know ah put Cody in a coma, and the first boyfriend ah had at the school, cheated on meh with another classmate. Logan has had his faults but, he’s been there for meh. Mama, you've always said, ‘Better look before you leap,’ maybe so, but here ah’m gonna let mah heart lead meh,” Marie said as she sat on her childhood tire swing in the back yard.

“Fine then, what about his not rememberin’ his past? What if he was a serial killer or somethin’.”

“Mama, ah love him. True, he's had a few skeletons in his closet, but those are part of a past he doesn't remember. And with the help of our friends we are trying to slowly rebuild his memory. Mama, I wanna show him things... Watching him try something new is like watching a kid on Christmas mornin’. You should have seen his first experience with a Monte Cristo. We take so much for granted... I wanna be a part of every day he has for the rest of our lives. He deserves a new life, mama. A new life, with me, and someday, our children. Your ‘grandchildren.’

“Ah don’t know baby. Your daddy wouldn’t accept them.”

“Look at it this way, Mama. Ah have seen worse mutations that ah could have. Ah think ah’ve hit the lottery with Logan. His mutation is healing, mama. How dangerous is that? If our kids get his genes, ah’ll nevah hafta bandage ah scraped knee.”

“But what if they can’t touch lahk you?”

“Then ah will be able to show them how to control their gift,” Marie could tell her mother was softening to the idea of children. “Ah used to think mah skin was a curse. But then Logan touched meh and ah learned to live with mah skin. The beautiful thing’s that he healed when mah control slipped and we kept practicing until ah got control.”


“Ah bet he thinks you hung the moon and stars.”

“Ah think he's a livin' dream,” Marie spoke as she began to spin on the tire swing in the giant willow tree.

“Well, Marie baby, there are still other men out there.”

“But ones like him… Are few and far between.”

“Look, ah’ll tahlk to your daddy, and see what he has to say. Maybe put in a few good words for Logan.”

“Thanks mama,” Marie said as she got up and kissed her mother’s cheek.


D’Ancanto’s House
Meridian, MS.
1:30 P.M.

Logan managed to find a grocery store a few streets over from Marie’s parents’ home. He knew he would have to meet with her father alone and make him see reason. It was clear from their first meeting, that the man was a racist bigoted prick. Could he make it out of there with Marie without the whole visit going to hell in a hand basket? Maybe. Hopefully, Marie’s time with her mother went better. He was already dreading the coming night time alone. Would Marie be the perfect daughter and not sneak into his room, or would she be his girl, sneak down, and be with him for the rest of the darkness? Logan realized that he could make it through the visit if he could just hold her. He remembered she was on her period and wondered if he could make it through the visit with her altered scent. He usually took off when she smelled of blood… He hoped he could control the animal’s instincts better for Marie. He almost let it slip. Then he smiled at her brilliant cover. Logan parked the SUV in the driveway and grabbed the plastic bags from the seat where Marie sat. He hit the lock button on the remote on the keys and went back to the front door. He was about to ring it, when he heard Marie and her mother’s voices in the back yard. He went around to the side.

“Logan, you’re back,” Marie spoke as she saw his head appear over the white-washed fence. “That was quick.”

“Let me in. My hands are full.”

“Oh, sure,” she said and did so. “So, what’s on the menu?”

“Burgers and dogs, picnic style. I got ‘slaw, macaroni, and potato salad. The rest of this can go into the ‘fridge,’ ‘til dinner.”

“Awesome honey,” Marie said with a smile and gave him a quick peck in front of her mother.

“That is very generous, Mister… Logan. Ah’ll go get daddy ta fire up the grill.”

Something had changed in her mother’s scent. She wasn’t as fearful of him. That particular note had faded to the background. He still sensed her nervousness, but now she wasn’t as jumpy.


When her mother was out of ear shot, Marie wrapped her arms around his waist and brought her head to his chest.

“Thank you.”

“What for?” He said as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

“For bein’ great with mah parents. Ah know it ain’t easy. Maybe ah’ll come lahk a little tooth fairy and give you a reward in the middle of the night.”

“You ain’t the tooth fairy to me. You’re more of my own special Tinker Bell.”


Priscilla went to the den, otherwise known as ‘Owen’s Sanctuary.’ She knew he was hiding in there after their first meeting of Logan and reunion with Marie.

“Sugah, you need to come and eat with us.”

“No, just make me a sandwich. I’m not that hungry.”

“Owen, ah’m puttin’ mah foot down. That man bought us all lunch and dinner. He bought steak, the real good kind, and he got burgahs and dawgs for lunch. A full picnic lunch too. Ah told ‘em ah would come get you ta fire up the grill.”

“Ah’m not eatin’ mutie food.”

“Owen. Be reasonable. There’s no such thing as mutie food. It’s just burgahs, dawgs, ‘slaw, potato, and macaroni salad. Try, just a little for Marie. She really loves him honey.”

“How quickly you have fallen to the enemy,” Owen spoke with venom as he glued on a plastic modeled rope to the mast.

“Fahn, you wanna be a coward; well then hide in heah. Ah’m goin’ ta have meh a good tahm and enjoy the company. The free food’s a bonus. Gawd, we haven’t seen Marie since she left home all those years ago. If ya screw this up, we maht nevah see her again. Ah know they’re mutants, but aftah tahlkin’ with Marie, ah have a feelin’ they’ll work out. Ah approve of Logan’s marryin’ Marie if it means she’s happy. Ah’d lahk some grandkids ta spoil and send home. Mutant or not. Ah ain’t gettin’ any younger ya know.”

“Out of mah sight woman,” Owen said rather harshly, but not loud enough to be yelling.

Prissy was done pleading. She sighed and shook her head. She didn’t know why she still wanted to stay married to him. He’d become indignant a few months after Marie left home and had slowly slipped down that rabbit hole in the time that Marie had been gone. She felt another shift for the worse after his mother died. She went in her sleep a couple months after Marie’s, ‘supposed,’ running away. Priscilla missed getting to visit with his mother. She was one of the only friends she had in town. When your husband had alienated practically all the community, how was she supposed to make friends? Somehow she was going to have to find the strength to share with Marie about her passing.

“Then ya can feed yourself,” she turned, closed the door, and went back through the hall to the kitchen.


When Marie saw her mother again, she saw the sad expression on her face. She hadn’t been crying, but something had happened when she went to go get her father. Then she read through the lines so to speak, daddy wasn’t coming. She went over and gave her mother a hug.

“It’s alraht mama, just means there’s more food for the rest of us,” she said and knew that her mother had tried her best to get him to come share a meal.

Marie helped her mother set the table and put the food into bowls to serve for their lunch. She couldn’t help but look at Logan with so much love in her eyes.


Logan walked over to the grill built into the brick and mortar built counter. It didn’t look like it would be too difficult, but it didn’t look like the one they had at the school. Where was the tank of propane? If he could find the tank he might be able to get things off to a flaming start to a great meal. Suddenly, his future mother-in-law came over and showed him what was behind the little door to the left. Helped him by starting up the grill even. He grunted his thanks and began to load on the frozen burger patties, hot dogs onto the warming metal before him. Logan wondered if it would be a good idea to stay a few extra days with her parents… With her father’s attitude he had planned on only staying for a day and a half. He could see that Marie began to relax more around her mother.

‘Ah’ll be raht back. Ah forgot the knife to cut the watermelon,” Priscilla said.

“Don’t, I got it,” Logan spoke up.

He walked up to the table and popped a claw…

“Oh Mah Gawd,” his mother-in-law-to-be gasped in shock.


She couldn’t believe Marie was just calmly sitting there! This man just brought a long knife out of his hand! And she wants to marry him? Oh dear…

“Mama, it’s ok. He won’t hurt you,” Marie tried to calm her down. “That was what ah was tellin’ ya about when ah told ya about what the government did ta him.”

Logan just kindly smiled as he sliced up the watermelon.

“Ah know it hurts, but could you please show her more.”

He quietly nodded and the other five claws came out. Priscilla gasped again as the sun caught on the metal and made them shiny. She didn’t understand why he wasn’t bleeding when she remembered that Marie had told her that his mutation was healing.

“The metal that makes up those blades is grafted to his entire skeleton, mama.”

Logan put the blades away and went back to flipping burgers, rolling hot dogs before they got burned.

“Oh good lord. Why would someone want to do that to him?” She voiced to Marie with compassion in a low tone.

“The government was trying to build an ultimate weapon. He escaped and we’re together today. Really, that’s all that matters.”


Owen heard the voices outside around the outdoor dining area he’d built with his own hands when Marie was five. He watched them look like a normal family. Deep down, he was glad to see his daughter alive. As he watched from the window in the den he suddenly watched as one blade came out of Logan’s hand and then as the other five came out. Out of the blue, he felt this feeling of vindication come over him. There was no way that this man that claimed to be in love with his daughter was going to marry her. He was dangerous. So he went to his laptop in the den and began to search on the internet for any information he could find. He typed in his name, Logan, and mutant. Abruptly, hundreds of images and websites all about Logan and mutants popped up. He clicked on one that had a picture of the man outside with his daughter and wife. The title of the page was, ‘All About The Wolverine.’ Quickly, Owen read as much as he could about Logan’s supposed history that Owen didn’t know he couldn’t remember. He was involved in saving Alcatraz during the Brotherhood of Mutants’ attack. He was involved in saving the Statue of Liberty during the Ellis Island Celebration. Then there was something about a Weapon X…


Honeysuckle and night blooming Jasmine hung over their heads as they talked in the shade. It was humid but there were misters overhead raining down fine cool mist helping to keep the temperatures cool. The food was great and the company seemed to be warming up to each other. Then Priscilla made them tell her the real story of how they met.

“Now, ah wanna know the truth. How did you two really meet?”

“Ah picked him up in a bar, you maht say,” Marie smiled as she ate a bite of watermelon.

“Marie…” Her mother sounded disappointed.

“No, seriously… She did,” Logan added with a smirk.

“Ah came to a place called, Laughlin City. It’s up in Northern Alberta. Ah hitched a ride with a trucker. He kept his hands off meh because ah talked his ears off. But then and there a let him get a word in edgewise. He had a family of his own that he missed. Anyway, ah went inside this bar and ah was starvin’. Ah was down to mah last five dollars. Ah went through this angry, rowdy, drunk crowd. Suddenly, a bell signaled the end of some kind of fight, and there he was…” Marie paused dramatically and put her clasped hands to her heart, “Mah future husband, half-nekkid, and smokin’ a cigar. Rollin’ his shoulders lahk he owned the place. Ah was in love then. Ah knew he would save meh… He wasn’t on no white horse or anythin’ lahk that, but he had a white truck. That was good enough for meh.”

Logan’s eyebrow went up at this interesting story Marie had concocted for her mother. He smiled at her little theatrical telling of how they met.

“Go on…” He encouraged her.

“Well then, we were on the road, Logan fed meh, and ah was about to tell him he needed a seatbelt, when we crashed into somethin’ in the road.”

“Wait, wait, wait… You forgot about the trailer…” He teased.

“Okay, okay. We were in the bar and some guy was tryin’ to pick a fight with Logan. Ah saw the man pill out a knife and was about to stab him, when ah screamed for him to look out.”

“Then she proceeded to get me kicked out of the bar, so I didn’t get to finish the beer I paid for, and I left.”

“So ah snuck inta his motorcycle trailer and hid under the tarp. Ah thought if a huddled down ah could make it through the cold to the next town at least.”

“She had no idea that the next town was a five hour drive through untouched, wild, snow-covered wilderness.”

“Well, he stopped and made meh get out. He was gonna leave meh on the road after ah saved his life.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, ah did. Anyway, we found out much, much later that it was Logan’s half-brother that caused the accident and tried to attack Logan. Then our friends from the school came and rescued us.”

Logan could tell that Priscilla was into their story. He wondered if she was a romantic at heart.


Marie carefully skipped an important event because she didn’t want to turn off the good flow of compassion she sensed her mother was having for Logan by telling her that he’d stabbed her. That wouldn’t be good, at all.

“Then you know that man that attacked San Francisco, well he tried to use meh to power his machine at the Statue of Liberty. Logan and mah friends came and rescued meh. Ah nearly died, but Logan saved meh again. He nearly died himself if he’d held onto meh any longah. Ah was really scared then too.”

Marie took Logan’s hand under the table as she looked into his eyes.

“Ah know this may sound cheesy, but ah don’t know what ah would have done if ya hadn’t made it back.”

“It’s not cheesy, darlin’, it’s forgotten now, because I came back.”

“Is there more?” Her mother asked.

“Plenty,” she replied. “Ah won’t go into details cause it’s a bit painful for us.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, mama. Someday, we’ll share when we’re ready.”

“So, how’d you propose to mah daughtah?”

“I didn’t. She proposed to me… At that Disneyland in California for Christmas.”

“Yes, ya did, sugah. Mama, he swept meh offah mah feet. He proposed to meh in the White House Rose Garden in the middle of winter… On New Year’s Eve. There weren’t any roses in bloom, but there was a trail of rose petals leading to him. He gave meh a crystal rose. And, ah’m proud ta say he got down on one knee for meh.”


Logan could tell that her mother loved every minute of their story. He decided that he would have to tell Marie how grateful he was that she left out his killing Jean and the loss of their friends. She was right to say that it was painful as she nipped the trail of conversation in the bud.

“We should go visit my gramma down the street and go see mah quilt. She lives in that big plantation house at the end of the street.”

“Ah have to go… We need more napkins. Please excuse meh for a moment.” There were plenty on the table, Logan noticed… Something was wrong.

“Somethin’s not right Marie, I can sense fear.”

“Ya want meh ta go tahlk to her?”

“No, I think I’ll go. You go see what’s up with your dad.”

“Gee thanks.”

“Would you rather we switch and I end up guttin’ your father?”

“No, no, you’re raht. We can do this, we’re X-Men.”

“Right. Stick with that.”


The D’ Ancanto’s Kitchen
Meridian, MS.
3:00 P.M.

Marie got up and went to the kitchen and Logan followed her. Her mother wasn’t there so she made her father a sandwich like she used to as a girl before she manifested with her mutation. Logan gave her a kiss before he left her at the island countertop. She went to the refrigerator and began to build her father a sandwich with turkey, lettuce, and tomato. Her inner Logan made her consider spitting on it or putting some hot sauce in it to make his mouth burn for all those nasty intolerant things he said when they met up in the parlor. Marie took control of her mind and decided to save that plan for another day if he continued to be an a-hole. She carried the plate with the sandwich and a cold soda from the refrigerator from the kitchen to ‘Owen’s Sanctuary,’ otherwise known as the den. She knocked and waited for a command to enter. She didn’t get one so she opened the door just a crack as quietly as possible. On the computer screen was Logan’s picture on some website. Suddenly, he closed the window so she couldn’t see.

“What do you want?” He spoke rather sarcastically.

“Ah came ta bring you somethin’ ta eat since you chose not to join us for lunch. Ah thought ya maht be hungry.”

“Set it on the desk and get out,” he said rudely.

“Ah know you think that ah shouldn’t still love you, or tell you that. But if ah didn’t say it, well ah’d still have felt it. Where’s the sense in that? Ah know you don’t love meh ‘cause ah’m a mutant and that’s against your principles. Ah promise ah’m not trying to make your life harder or return to where we were.”

“Well, you’re doin’ a bang up job of that Marie. My life has been nothing but harder since you were conceived. We had trouble gettin’ pregnant and when we did ah wanted a boy… And then you were born.”

Marie knew that he was trying to break her spirit by slinging barbs at her heart. She had to remember that Logan loved her and her family at the school loved her as well. The Logan in her mind told her she shouldn’t care for him anymore and that it was a waste of her time, but she told him, good or bad, he was still her father and was the only one she’d ever have. Rogue told her that she didn’t need him either.

“I will go down with this ship and I won’t put my hands up and surrender, Daddy. Ah know ya don’t approve of Logan and ah gettin’ hitched. There will be no white flag above mah door… Ah’m in love and always will be.”

“You’re raht, ah don’t approve. Ah don’t want ya to marry him. Ah think you should find a decent human male to marry.”

“Ah know ah left too much mess and destruction to come back here again. Ah didn’t mean ta hurt that boy that day. And ah know ah caused nothin’ but trouble. That’s part of why ah left… Because ah thought it would be better for your ‘image’ in the community. Ah understand if ya can’t talk ta meh again and if ya live by the rules of ‘It’s over,’ then ah’m sure that that makes sense. Because when ah leave here, Logan and ah will be married, whether you and mama are there or not.”

Marie had her fists balled so tight that her fingernails nearly cut her palm, but fortunately for her, she’d bit them off a while ago to the quick and they hadn’t grown back yet. She could do this, she could be strong.

“Ah will go down with this ship and ah won’t put my hands up and surrender, Daddy. There will be no white flag above my door. Ah’m in love and always will be. You hear that? Ah love someone who loves meh for who ah am and who ah someday maht be.”

“You’re nothin’ but a Goddamned freak, Marie! Ah’m not even sure you came from mah loins,” he voiced low like a growl without the bite.

“And when we meet again which ah’m sure we will someday, all that was there will be there still. You’ll still hate meh for bein’ a mutant. And you’ll hate mah children ah will have with Logan. But ah’ll let it pass and hold mah tongue in front of mah kids. And you… You will think that ah’ve moved on…”

“Ah won’t accept your ‘mutie’ brats either. Don’t worry, you won’t be gettin’ nothin’ from meh. Ah’ve already disowned you anyway.”

“Fahn Daddy, ah don’t want anythin’ from you anyhow. Ah feel sorry for you. When mama dies, you’re gonna be a lonely, grumpy, racist old man who yells at people and animals to stay off his lawn.”

“But oh, there’s where you’ll be wrong, ah will be happy. Ah won’t have ta put up with your mama’s incessant nagging. Ah can smoke mah cigars wherever the hell ah want, and when ah want.”

“Ah’m gonna put this in terms you’ll understand. Ah will go down with this ship. Your stupid models mean more to you than ah do anyway, and ah won’t put mah hands up and surrender because ah love Logan and ah trust him with mah life. There will be no white flag above mah door, ‘cause ah’m too strong to stand up for what ah believe in. Ah’m in love and always will be.”

“So, do you lahk livin’ in sin with this man?” He was being sarcastic and she knew he was losing the battle.

“Ah believe we will be married someday and that God will forgive meh, ‘cause he said he would. Ah still believe he has a purpose for mah life. And raht now, ah think that purpose is to be in Logan’s life and ah’m gonna shine my little light and be there for him when he needs meh. Damn it, Daddy… He saved mah life three times when he didn’t have to. And ah love him for that. And ah realize now that you will go down with your ship. And you won’t put your hands up and surrender because you believe that you are raht in wanting non-mutant family members. A pure race, ain’t it, Daddy?”

“There will be no white flag above mah door.”

“You’re in love with yourself and always will be.”

“At least ah won’t be disappointed in mahself then.”

“Just remember this, Daddy. Ah will go down with this ship and ah don’t care if you or mama doesn’t approve. Ah will marry Logan and we will have a family someday. Ah won’t put mah hands up and surrender because ah am strong enough because God, and Logan are on mah side. There will be no white flag above mah door because ah’ll nevah give in to your intolerant ways and ah will be a better person for it. Ah’m in love with Logan and always will be.”

“Get out Marie, just get out.”

So Marie did, she’d spoken her piece to her father and it was clear that he’d never accept Logan or her as family. She’d had a feeling at lunch that they might be winning over her mother. Later on she decided that she’d find out how long Logan wanted to stay at her parents’ place. She decided to go up and see her old room. Maybe see if her mother had kept her room the way it was or redecorated as if she’d gone off to college in another state. Marie passed by the parlor and headed up to her old room.


The D’ Ancanto’s Parlor
Meridian, MS.
3:10 P.M.

Logan smelled the salt water out in the hall before he even entered the parlor. When he did, he silently moved in like a wolf does on its confused prey. He carefully sat down next to her on the two seat love seat. He didn’t push for information; he just sat there with an open ear. He knew it was only a matter of time before she opened up. That’s the way it was with most of the females he knew. Just give them time…

“Ah don’t know what to do, Mister… Um. Logan. Ah hafta share some terrible news with Marie and ah know she’s gonna be real upset,” she began.

“What is it,” Logan asked, knowing he wasn’t going to like what she had to say because it was going to wound his girl.

“Marie’s paternal grandmother passed away one week after we told her that Marie had gone to look at colleges out of state. But it was a lie; Marie had run away from home.”

Logan wondered if that was the tragedy that his sister Lily spoke of.

“How will that affect Marie?”

“They were close. Real close. She was one-hundred and five. Longest livin’ person in six counties. We had a huge service for her accordin’ ta her will. Mah husband went on a bender that weekend, so ah took over all the arrangements. He wouldn’t even go to her service because she had blacks in her employment. It was a very nice service. And ah just know it’s gonna break her heart.”

“Ah’ll tell her.”

“No, ah should. Ah guess ah need ta build up more courage first.”

“No, ma’am. I’ll tell her. I’m gonna hafta pick up the pieces when she falls. I’ll do it.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“So, how long are ya’ll stayin’?”

“Well, I’ll have to check with Marie, but maybe two days. Why?”

Logan could tell his mother-in-law-to-be was up to something and he wasn’t sure he was going to like it.

“Because Owen’s not gonna give up. He’s gonna keep tryin’ to split ya’ll up or at least make ya’ll so mad you’ll leave. Somewhere deep down, ah do think you’ll protect Marie and try ta provide the best for her. Ah don’t know, ah just wish there was more to know ‘bout you. Ah just have a feelin’ those that do are dead…”

“You could say that. I’m still puttin’ together the pieces of my past together. What is it you’d like to know?”

“Who’s your family and where did they come from?”

“My family name is Howlett. My half-brother has been captured by the government. They’ve re-opened the program that gave my skeleton a permanent upgrade. We’ll be rescuing him soon and trying to permanently shut down the program before they try to come after Marie and I.”

“Ah don’t get it… Why would they want you and Marie?”

“Because of my advanced skills and training. I can do much more than heal, slice and dice. Marie’s gift is absorption. If she touches a human she gets their memories, thoughts, and feelings. She can take on the gifts of other mutants for a while as her own. If she hangs on too long to both she can kill. From time to time I give her a hit of my ability. I don’t like it when Marie gets injured. They would use her skin to kill other mutants with the gifts they wanted to install into her… And with my healing, she’d be unstoppable.”


Priscilla gasped. What she was hearing didn’t seem possible but she believed it after what she saw come from Logan’s hands. She worried that Owen might call the authorities the longer they stayed and there might be trouble. Given time, the neighborhood watch will be suspicious of the foreign vehicle in their driveway and the two people that have come for a visit.

“She would become a very powerful mutant. And trust me, the government would be there wiping her mind of who she is to rebuild her as a cold and unflinching ultimate weapon.”

“They tried to do that to you, didn’t they? Would they try to do it to Marie?”

“Yes, ma’am. But I will never let that happen to her. I’m a hard man to kill.”

“But you escaped them before, raht?”

“I don’t remember how. They came after me a while back and some children from the school where Marie and I work. We managed to rescue them before the dam failed.”

“Ah read about the dam’s failure. Wasn’t that at Alkali Lake?”

“Yes.”

She sensed some pain there in his answer so she moved the conversation back to the original thread.

“What ‘bout your parents? Are they still livin’?”

“No. Not too long ago I found out that I was adopted. The family that I thought was mine wasn’t. I know that my birth mother was from England and she was a Lady.”

“Interesting, and is she alive?”

“No. Found out she died after giving birth to my twin sisters. Just recently reconnected with them.”

“Marie always wanted a sister to play with but ah couldn’t after she was born. She came out so fast that ah hemorrhaged. They almost lost meh and Owen said no more.”

“She’s got good friends back home I think she considers her sisters. They do a hell of a lot of shopping and talking, and they’ve been busy plannin’ our wedding.”

Priscilla took one of Logan’s hands in both of hers.

“Logan, Owen will be upset with meh, but ah only have one doughtah, and this is between us. Ah give you mah permission to marry her. Just please, make her happy. And give meh lots and lots of grandkids ah can be proud of, even if Owen won’t accept them.”

“I will, ma’am. I promise.”

“Now, let’s go find Marie and get ya’ll settled in. My advice, don’t stay longer than tomorrow. If ah know mah hubby, he’s gonna be up to no good the longer ya’ll stay. Ah know ah wish the situation was different, but it is the way it is.”

“I catch your drift. I was thinkin’ of leaving after breakfast tomorrow. I just wanted to do all this for Marie.”

“Thank you for at least puttin’ out the effort.”

Logan smelled Marie’s scent up the staircase as they came out of the parlor. He started to go up the steps and Priscilla followed.


Marie had been in her old room for a few minutes on her own. Nothing in the room was hers. It had been cleaned out and turned into a storage room for her father’s collection of boats. Even her former bed had been gotten rid of. The bed in the room was in the shape of a Captain’s bed. It had a blue comforter with nautical rope knots in the pattern.

“Ah’m sorry, Marie. Your daddy was so mad after everythin’ that happened with Cody that he was gonna destroy everythin’ in here. So ah saved it all in the attic for ya, ya’ll can take it home with ya when ya’ll head out.”

“Thanks mama.”

“Now, just for tonaht, Logan’s gonna be downstairs in the guest room. Otherwise, daddy’ll have a fit. You know how he gets, Marie.”

“It’s alraht mama, we couldn’t fool around anyway, ah’m on the red dot.”

“Oh, well. Ah’ll leave ya’ll ta tahlk.”


“Why did we have to tell them we were sleepin’ together, remind me.”

“Nobody goes to Hooters for the wings, Logan. They know we’re lovers. All they had to do was take one look at us to figure it out. Ah told ‘em that we wouldn’t be sleepin’ tagethah until after the weddin’. But I suppose there’s no reason why ah couldn’t slip in like a thief in the night and stay a while, is there?”

Logan growled low.

“Oh Logan… Ah’ll think of somethin’, ah promise.”

“Marie, before we head down to the guest room, there’s somethin’ I need to tell you…”

“What is it?”

“Baby, there’s no easy way to say this… Your grandmother passed away some time ago.”

Marie hadn’t just heard what she thought she’d heard had she?

“What?”

“Your mama told me she passed some time ago after you left home. They’d lied to her and said you went to go look at colleges out of the state.”

One look in Logan’s eyes told her he was truthful and sincere with his statement. Tears began to form in her eyes as she felt his arm wrap around her. She tried to keep the emotions inside because she didn’t want to give anyone listening in the satisfaction that they’d broken her and her grandmother’s hearts. It was obvious to her that her grandma had to have known they were lying to her when she didn’t come back after several weeks and months. Her grandmother had been a strong woman and must have given up hope of ever seeing her granddaughter again. Marie wondered if they’d told her she was a mutant…


Logan knew this was going to be hard on her. He put his arm around her and pulled her close before he knew she was going to fall apart. He knew she would try to put on a brave front and try to cut the emotions off. He stroked her head a couple of times before he cradled her head in his right hand while the other held her close to him. Then she crumbled and he steadfastly held her while her tears began to get his shirt wet. In some odd way, he wished he’d been able to have known the both sets of grandparents he’d forgotten and lost.

“Just let it out,” he softly whispered to her.

It was hard to take all the salt water that he smelt slowly invading the clean air space. He hated that he’d taken on the responsibility of telling her verses her mother. However, he’d done so because he didn’t think Marie’s mother would be willing to get this close to her because she was still a mutant. He knew she wouldn’t want to take the risk and with the way Marie was within his arms, on the other side of the coin, he was glad he’d been the one to tell her. Logan let her go and stood before he’d scooped her up into his arms. Then he’d picked out a deeper spot on the Captain’s bed where he could lean up against the wall. He did so and positioned Marie where she was cradled in his arms.


Marie curled up in a fetal position in his lap and he held her close. She let go and let the emotion flow from her body. She felt like she’d just lost the only real family she’d ever had. She didn’t count her parents because they were quite racially bigoted toward her and anyone else that didn’t fit in their circle. Originally, Irena Templeton Caldicott-D’Ancanto wasn’t raised in the south. She was a Yankee from the north her grandfather met and married. So, she wasn’t accustomed to the ways of the south. Her husband was the one who made her get black hired help. When her husband died, she let them all go with a bonus for their time and effort. Some stayed on anyway because they liked how she treated them kindly. As she got older they helped her to adjust to her later years. Marie knew that they helped her with the baking and cooking until she couldn’t anymore. They knew her, ‘recipes’. They weren’t really ‘recipes,’ really, but more of a little bit of this and a little of that. Her grandmother didn’t like cooking by a book; she did it from the hip. She hoped that some of her help wrote down some of what her grandma had taught them.


Marie’s Old Room-Owen’s Model Boat Dock
D’Ancanto’s House
Meridian, MS.
5:00 P.M.

Sometime later, woke up with an arm wrapped around Marie. She had cried herself to sleep in his arms and with a little creative maneuvering he was able to lay against the wall with her front cuddled into his chest. He hated to wake her but it was getting close to dinner. Then he reminded himself that there were steaks awaiting downstairs. Logan looked at her in the fading daylight. It would be night in three hours. He lent his head down to Marie’s crown and softly placed a kiss on her forehead. She slightly began to stir from her slumber.

“Darlin’, it’s time to wake up. I have to go down and get settled in before I go start grillin’ the steaks,” he softly spoke.

“Ah don’t wanna move, can ah just stay raht here?” Marie teased as she snuggled her forehead into his chest.

“I couldn’t dream of anythin’ more tempting baby, but you’ve gotta move. I need my arm so I can get up. Then you can stay up here all you want.

A few heartbeats later, things turned serious.

“How ya feelin’?”

“Ah cain’t believe she’s gone,” she spoke somberly. “And yet, somehow ah knew. Ah knew she was gone, deep down inside.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, baby,” Logan voiced softly as he tucked a white streak of hair behind her ear.

“It’s okay, ah’ll be okay.” He watched her face as he saw her putting up walls to keep her emotions in check.

“Don’t shut me out… If you need a shoulder for a good cry, you know where to find me.”

“You promise?” She said with a weak smile.

“Yeah, I promise.”

“Then let’s go get you settled into the guest room and then you can feed meh.”

“Yes, my Ninja Girl.”


Marie left his arms and she studied her reflected image for a moment as he got up, in an old oval shaped head to toe mirror that was in the corner near her window. She looked a bit weaker in her stance, but she knew she wouldn’t readily fall apart again. No, she would wait for him… For her rock, Logan. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, his head on her left shoulder. He held her around her shoulders and it was very comforting.

“See that girl in the mirror,” Logan whispered in her ear.

She nodded because she couldn’t find the words.

“She is strong. She is loved. And someday she’s going to be carrying our child…”

“From your mouth to God’s ears.”

“I love you, Marie.”

“I love you too, Logan.”


Guest Room
D’Ancanto’s House
Meridian, MS.
5:30 P.M

On the way down the steps, Logan’s boots hit every creak in the wood of the steps, while Marie hardly made a sound. He decided to ask her later how the hell she managed to sneak out of the house as a teenager. Marie led the way into the guest room where he was visually assaulted with yellow, pink, orange paisley patterned material all over the room. The one blessing was the hunter green bed skirt. It was Logan’s nightmare. He knew Jubilee would have conniption fit if she saw this material. He was glad Marie had never brought Jubilee to meet her parents. He felt the animal’s snarl and growl break free.

“Oh come on, it’s not that bad,” Marie tried to reassure him.

“How long did you wanna stay here again?”

“Ah was thinkin’ of leavin’ tomorrow. But ah wanna go see where mah grandmama’s buried before we head home.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

“So… You won’t have to stay in here very long.” Marie turned to him and captured his lips.

Logan wasn’t sure what she was up to but he liked where she was headed. She managed to back him into the door where she continued to passionately kiss him. When he felt her hands grip his ass, he thought he was going to lose his mind. Then she stopped him with a hand to the middle of his chest.

“Stay,” she firmly stated.

He couldn’t believe the whimper that came from his mouth. She left him and grabbed one of the throw pillows off the bed. She tossed it on the floor at his feet. At first he didn’t understand why she’d done that, but then he realized what she was up to. He groaned… Marie came up and kissed him hard once before she dragged her body down his, her fingernails in the wake, raking down his chest. Logan grabbed her hands and stilled them.

“What are you doin’? I thought you were starving?”

“Ah am starved, now be quiet,” was all the warning he got before she buried her nose to the side of his balls.

He gasped…


Marie had him just where she wanted him. He let her hands go and she gripped his ass as she nuzzled him, took in his scent. Then she stroked his thighs before she reached for his Indianhead belt buckle. She heard his growl as she opened the zipper and opened the top button on his jeans. She thought if maybe she could give him a little appetizer, maybe he’d be more relaxed for dinner. It was anyone’s guess if her father would join them for dinner or not. They were having steak and from what she remembered of her dad, he was never one to turn down a good steak. From the looks of things, Logan had bought some damn good cuts of meat. She released him from the confining denim and he was already at a quarter mast and rising. A quickie was on her mind and hoped her parents weren’t listening, or had the guest room bugged. Marie took him in her hand and she heard his groan.

“Oh darlin’…”

She licked his sensitive flesh and used her tongue to swirl around his head. She heard him whimper and she knew she was making him feel great. Marie used her hands, stroked his thighs up one side, and down the other. Her face nuzzled his flesh several times as she licked him like an ice cream. A lift of his flesh and then she brought her mouth to his full sacks, a tickle here, suckle there, and his breathing became more labored.


Logan thought he was going to lose his mind. She’d managed to just about take every fantasy he’d had of her and rolled them into one. He was so impossibly aroused and she was the cause. He dared look down. She suddenly took his head, whole shaft into her mouth, and proceeded to suck his brain out through his dick. He could feel her throat opening and closing around his shaft for his head was down her throat.

“Ohhh… Fuck yeah, baby,” he whispered so that her parents wouldn’t hear. “That’s it darlin’.”

Logan couldn’t help it when he wrapped his hand around her ponytail and then cradled her head in his hands. He didn’t want to force her up and down his flesh, so he was just second fiddle to her motions. When she began to do some of her special oral tricks on his cock, he thought his knees would buckle. He felt the tingle start and she had to stop…

“Oh god baby, you gotta stop…”

He was surprised when she did what he asked but then he wasn’t prepared for what she said next. She sounded like a regular hussy.

“Come on meh, sugah, come on meh…” She spoke before he watched her pull her top off over her head.

Her beautiful white lacy underwire bra bared and her breasts beautifully open to his view after she pulled down the cups sent him over the cliff, like Thelma and Louise. He took his flesh in his hand and began to stroke himself.

“Oh god, oh god, baby I’m comin’, I’m comin’,” he said as he had his flesh in his hand.

Logan squeezed his shaft and pumped until he suddenly felt the release. He was weightless for a moment as he came. He bit his fist to keep from crying out and alerting her parents to the naughty deed their daughter just completed. Her breasts and her throat were splashed with his essence.

‘God she looks hot, old man,’ the Wolverine told Logan in his mind.

He leaned back against the door for support. His knees almost gave out and he tried to quickly steady his breathing to a slower pace. Logan watched as Marie casually stood and went to the small bathroom. He watched as she cleaned up with a washcloth and then came back to clean him up. The washrag was cool and arousing but he tried to tamp the temptation down. He needed to pull himself together. After what they’d just done, he wondered if he should wear a smug look on his face like he’d just gotten laid, or not. When Marie finished she gently tucked him back inside his jeans, zipped him up carefully, and then fastened his belt buckle back into its rightful place. She actually looked smug with a hint of naughty girl… She came up to his ear and seductively whispered something which nearly made him hard instantly.

“That was just an appetizer, sugah.” Then Marie opened the door. “Ah’m gonna go get changed for dinner.”

All that Logan could do was watch her go… She was such a wonderful woman and he was glad that someday she would be all his… Legally, physically, and spiritually his for as long as they both shall live.


Lily Fleur De Lis’
New Orleans, LA.
8:00 P.M.

Jubilee took Remy’s arm as he led her into the kitchen so that she could meet the chef. The meal had been absolutely fabulous for the both of them. He was glad to have Lily back in town. He knew that his wife would be shocked when she saw who he was about to introduce her to.

“Chére Lily, you in heah, darlin’?”

“Yeah sugah, ah’m in the stock room,” a voice hollered back.

“Come on out heah. Ah’ve got someone ah want you to meet.”

“Sure thing, sugah. Ah’ll be raht there, soon as ah find the extra chili powdah ah had stowed in heah.”


She found the chili powder and came out from the stock room. Remy was stealing a taste of the base for the next day’s gumbo when Lily walked up to him.

“Git yer face outta mah pot, you know bettah, Remy Le Beau.”

“Forgive meh, darlin’. Chére, ah would lahk to introduce you to mah beautifully pregnant wahf, Jubilee.

“It’s mah pleasure,” Lily said as she shook Jubilee’s hand.


Jubilee had the oddest look on her face and she couldn’t help but stare. The woman almost looked exactly like the woman they knew to be Logan’s distant cousin in California. This woman looked younger but she looked more like Logan with her hair short to the shoulder, groomed back almost in a dove tail style. Literally, the feminine form of Logan’s trademark style and it totally blew her mind; at least her jaw wasn’t gaping open.

“You’re my friend’s cousin aren’t you? I thought you liked it in California. How’s Frank?”

“Darlin,’ this isn’t Lara Wyle. This is Lily Hartcourt, with the second tee silent.”

“Actually, it’s Lily Hart or Fleur De Lis. Ah think it means Bed Flowah so most people call meh Lil’.”

“Wow, Chica. So, are you related to…?”

“Yes, but it’s a long story, sugah, that needs ta remain a secret fer now.”

“Chére, Lily is under mah protection while she resahds in mah city, as a favor for Xavier. We are keeping her protected from Sabretooth.”

“You mean Wolvie has no idea what you’re doin’ for him?”

“Yeah, darlin’. Ah prefer ta think of it as doin’ it for Marie.”

“No one knows ah exist down here. Ah’ve been hidin’ out. Sometimes Remy’s personal chef and othah tahms ah’m subbing at mah restaurants. Since his club’s next dough-ah, he gets mah cookin’ a lot when he’s here.”

“Well then, I won’t worry that he’s starving then. Listen we better get back to the club. We said we wouldn’t be gone long.”

“True, chére.”

“But since I am here and eating for two, could you spot me a snack to take back home?” Jubilee asked as Remy stroked the inner part of her wrists and driving her mad.

“Mah pleasure. You two go on and ah’ll have it delivered to yer home.”

“Great, because my husband is about to get lucky and we’re gonna need something to eat after I blow his mind.”

Remy’s eyes feigned shock, but then he smiled and began to pull her away. Jubilee kept looking back as he kept moving her forward.

“It was nice ta meet ya and ah’ll see ya around, Le Beau.”

“See ya, darlin’ chére.”

********************************************************

Here are the songs used in this set of chapters...

Mama, He’s Crazy – The Judds


Mama, I found someone

Like you said would come along

He's a sight, so unlike

Any man I've known

I was afraid to let him in

'Cause I'm not the trustin kind

But now I'm convinced

That he's heaven sent

And must be out of his mind


(Chorus)

Mama, he's crazy

Crazy over me

And in MY life is where he says

He always wants to be

I've never been so LOVED

He beats all I've ever seen

Mama, he's crazy

He's crazy over me


And, Mama, you've always said,

"Better look before you leap"

Maybe so, but here I go

Lettin' my heart lead me.

He thinks I hung the moon and stars

I think he's a livin' dream

Well, there are men

But ones like him

Are few and far between


Mama, he's crazy

Crazy over me

And in MY life is where he says

He always wants to be

I've never been so LOVED

He beats all I've ever seen

Mama, he's crazy

He's crazy over me

Mama, he's crazy

He's crazy over me



************************************************

White Flag – Dido


I know you think that I shouldn’t still love you,

Or tell you that.

But if I didn’t say it, well I’d still have felt it

Where’s the sense in that?


I promise I’m not trying to make your life harder

Or return to where we were


I will go down with this ship

And I won’t put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I’m in love and always will be.


I know I left too much mess and

Destruction to come back again

And I caused nothing but trouble

I understand if you can’t talk to me again

And if you live by the rules of ‘it’s over”

Then I’m sure that that makes sense


I will go down with this ship

And I won’t put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I’m in love and always will be.


And when we meet

Which I’m sure we will

All that was there

Will be there still

I’ll let it pass

And hold my tongue

And you will think

That I’ve moved on…


I will go down with this ship

And I won’t put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I’m in love and always will be.


I will go down with this ship

And I won’t put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I’m in love and always will be.


I will go down with this ship

And I won’t put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I’m in love and always will be.