Story Notes:
I can't escape this hell
So many times I've tried
But I'm still caged inside
Somebody get me through this nightmare
I can't control myself


Jean and Scott stood on the back patio, searching the tree line for any sign of Logan. It was well past midnight, the darkness blanketing them like a shroud.

"This isn't good, Jean."

"I know."

Her voice was strained and Scott knew she was worried. Very worried.

"I've never seen him like this. He's been gone for two days. It's like he's…he's…"

Jean's words took up where Scott left off. "He's an animal."

So what if you can see the darkest side of me
No one will ever change this animal I have become
Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal
This animal, this animal


He ran, claws extended, blood pumping through his ears. Logan was gone now and the Wolverine was in control. Rage and anger were all he could comprehend. Voices clouded his mind and drove him forward; slashing his way through the thick brush.

"She's down!"

"Rogue's been hit!"


Images raced through his mind. Marie bleeding. Gasping for breath. Not being able to help her. Heal her.

Save her.

The roar that erupted from his throat reverberated through the inky blackness, startling the surrounding creatures from their nocturnal slumber.

I can't escape myself
So many times I've lied
But there's still rage inside
Somebody get me through this nightmare
I can't control myself


As Marie walked on to the patio, Logan's anguished cry filled her ears. She stumbled slightly, clutching her stomach, reeling from the shock of pain radiating through her body.

Scott turned to see her emerge from the house and rushed to her side.

"What the hell, Rogue? You are in no condition to be out of the med lab."

She grasped his arm and looked into his visor.

"Scott, he's going to be lost if I don't help him. He needs me. I need him."

Jean stepped forward and put her arm on top of Scott's. She smiled at her husband and then turned her attention to Rogue.

"I've known for some time that you and Logan had feelings for each other. You're his lifeline. He's lost to the Wolverine now; consumed by his fury at not being able to help you."

"It wasn't his fault, Jean. I took the cure. I was the one to choose to walk into the middle of a mutant riot in Salem Center. Wrong place. Wrong fucking time."

"You're the only one who can help him, Rogue."

Marie was both elated and terrified at the idea. For the last five years, she'd avoided dealing with her feelings for Logan. The cure made her normal and she tried so hard to live the life she thought she should have. Marie had gone to college and lived on her own, trying in vain to move past what she believed to be an unrequited crush. But she'd found out the hard way, there was no life without Logan.

And to her great surprise, apparently Logan felt the same way.

"Call to him Jean."

So what if you can see the darkest side of me
No one will ever change this animal I have become
Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become


The Wolverine felt a tingle in his mind before he heard the redhead's voice as clearly as if she were standing in front of him.

"Marie needs you. Come back to the house, Logan."

He stopped. Wolverine could feel Logan's desperate fight to regain control. Wolverine didn't like it one fucking bit. He enjoyed being free. Being in charge. Being an animal.

Wolverine growled, knowing that Logan wanted to come back. But Wolverine wasn't ready. He wanted to see the woman. Marie. The one who smelled musky and sweet. He began to make his way back to the house.

Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal


Marie gasped as Logan appeared before them, stealthily jumping the brick wall before landing on the patio. She watched as Logan paced back and forth, sniffing the air and craning his neck in Scott's direction, then Jean's…the finally, hers. Logan stopped and approached her, growling at Scott who reluctantly removed his arm from Marie's.

"Rogue…"

Marie held up her hand. "Scott, it's alright."

Logan stood no more than a foot away from her and she shivered as he brought his head closer to her and inhaled.

"Logan, can you hear me?"

Logan's head reared back and his eyes narrowed.

"I know you're there, Logan. You need to come back, okay? I'm alright. I'll be fine."

Logan's chest rumbled again as he put his hand over her stomach, directly over her wound.

"Yes, it still hurts like a bitch. I'll be okay, but I…I need you Logan."

His head came up and Logan met her eyes. His gaze was feral and dark. She'd seen Logan like this only a handful of times and only after extreme circumstances. He would allow the Wolverine to take over as a way to tap into his rage and grief. But she'd never seen him go this long without coming back. She prayed that her stupidity hadn't lost him forever.

Marie brought her hand to his face and stroked her thumb over his stubble covered cheek.

"Come back, Logan."

Somebody help me through this nightmare
I can't control myself
Somebody wake me from this nightmare
I can't escape this hell

This animal, this animal
This animal, this animal
This animal, this animal
This animal


Wolverine felt the warmth of her hand and he felt his anger receding. This woman was his. Theirs. Logan had wanted to claim her for so long but he'd waited. Stupid Logan. She belonged to them. He took her hand and brought it to his mouth.

She gasped.

Wolverine growled low in his chest and stepped forward, bringing his face flush with hers. His mouth met her neck and he inhaled her scent deep into his lungs. He could feel Logan protesting. Wanting to force Wolverine to back off. Logan was scared. Wolverine wasn't.

He brought his mouth to Marie's and claimed her for himself.

So what if you can see the darkest side of me
No one will ever change this animal I have become
Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become


Marie sank into the kiss. She didn't care if Jean, Scott or the entire damn household was watching. She knew that it was Wolverine kissing her but that didn't lessen the intensity. Marie had imagined this for so long that the reality was dizzying. Like one of those women in a romance novel, Marie felt her knees grow weak. Maybe it was from the kiss; maybe it was from her injury – either way she felt herself begin to slump toward the floor before Logan…no, the Wolverine's strong arms encircled her waist.

She reluctantly broke away from Logan and put her head on his chest. Had he always been this strong? Good God, the man was a brick wall. She felt his arm underneath her leg and, in an instant, she was being held in his arms, her cheek still resting against the crook of his neck.

The last thing she heard before succumbing to unconsciousness was Logan's deep voice calling her name with a gentleness she'd only ever imagined.

"Marie. I'm here, baby."

Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal
This animal I have become


Marie's eyelids opened slowly, adjusting to the bright lights of the med lab. She turned her head and was greeted by Logan's face only inches from hers. He smiled and she recognized immediately that it was Logan and not Wolverine who sat before her.

"Hi."

Her voice sounded raspy.

"Hey."

His voice sounded like heaven.

"So…you're…you."

"Yeah, darlin'. Thanks to you."

"You would have made it back on your own, Logan."

His eyes cast downward, fear clouding his strong face.

"I didn't want to. Not if you weren't going to be here with me."

She grasped his hand, finally putting aside her inhibitions and worry about what a declaration of her feelings might mean.

"I'm not going anywhere, sugar."

Logan took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, savoring the feel of her soft skin.

"Marie...what you saw last night. That's the real me. You deserve someone who isn't an animal."

"You're not an animal Logan. Wolverine is a part of you but he's not what defines you."

Logan chuckled. "My code name is Wolverine, darlin'."

She wanted to laugh but it hurt too much.

"Smart ass."

Logan's voice grew serious again.

"I've done so much bad shit, Marie. I'm not good enough..."

"Stop it. You're not the only one with a shady past Logan. So what if you get a little feral from time to time. That doesn't make you less of a man. Or unworthy of being loved."

"Bein' loved. You volunteerin'?"

"Maybe."

"Now who's bein' a smart ass."

She smiled. "Takes one to know one."

Logan moved his hand and caressed the side of her face.

"We make a good team, Marie. I'm sorry it took me so long to finally sack up and admit it."

"Well, let's make this our fresh start."

"Sounds like a plan."

They sat together in silence for a moment.

"I have to admit...Wolverine is a pretty damn good kisser." Marie's eyes sparkled.

Logan's lips slid upward in a knowing smirk. "He ain't got nothin' on me, darlin'."

"Yeah? Prove it."

Logan shifted forward. He stared into her eyes as his lips met hers. He reveled in the taste of her. His eyes closed as he brought his hands to rest on either side of her face. Marie was his.

Deep inside the recesses of Logan's mind, Wolverine growled his approval.
Author's Chapter Notes:
So, this is the first songfic I've ever done. I heard this song on a run one morning and it just stuck with me. I literally wrote this in about two hours so I apologize if it's not the best thing I've ever done. It's like I had to just get it out there or else it was going to bore its way into my brain. And, trust me, I need all the room in there I can get.

The lyrics are from The Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace. Go to YouTube and check it out. It's so very Logan. Right, so, on with it then.
Chapter End Notes:
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