Note: Written in response to Khaki's opening line challenge on DDFH - not as good as most other contributions, but I had to give it a try... Since I'm no good at foof, this one is angsty.
They died instantly. That was Marie's only consolation - at least they had not sufferered. But she still felt as if her hear was ripped out of her chest - how could someone do this? They were only babies, for god's sake!
The sad truth was that, although Marie was barely 18, there were few things left that could shock her. She had seen too much, suffered too much from other people's hands to still have illusions left. She was no naive teenager - but this was too much, even for her. Why did she have to be the one to find them?
The two babies had been left outside the mansion - probably as some kind of warning what could happen to mutants unable to defend themselves. Marie dry heaved as she averted her eyes from the sight.
The two little girls had been killed shortly after birth, probably by their own parents. And everything because they were furry, with tails and yellow eyes - they looked a bit like kittens, absolutely adorable when one ignored the fact that they were dead. Doomed to die because they were mutants - a fate they hadn't chosen.
Marie knew that she had to take them inside or at least get someone to take care of them, but at the moment she felt unable to do anything except kneel beside the two little corpses. She couldn't even cry - it seemed to her as if this was too horrible for tears.
She felt her legs go numb as she continued to keep watch over the two lost souls who had never known a caring touch, a loving smile, a friendly word.
That was the way Logan found her as he returned from a bar long after midnight. He saw her still form in the dark and caught the smell of death with his enhanced senses.
For one terrifying moment he was afraid that something had happened to the girl he had come to love as he didn't remember loving anyone else. But then he picked up the slow beating of her heart and let out a relieved sigh.
Relief quickly turned to ashes as he realized why Marie was in such a state. Logan felt the strong urge to kill something as he saw the two little bodies - but he knew that Marie needed him to be in his right mind, not in some kind of vengeful frenzy.
He approached her carefully, kneeling down beside her. She didn't react, which scared him more than he wanted to admit. Marie *always* reacted to his presence!
After a moment's hesitation he said tenderly: "Marie... Darlin', please talk to me..." He reached out to touch her, but she moved away as if she didn't even realize that she was doing it.
Now Logan grew downright terrified. This was the worst he had ever seen Marie - she had not reacted like this even after absorbing Carol Danvers, which had been a difficult battle to fight.
He knew only one thing that could cause her to come back from wherever she had gone to. Slowly, so as not to startle her, Logan leaned closer to her, until they had as much physical contact as was possible in their position. He bent over, his gloved hands caressing her face as his lips closed the distance between them.
Tenderly he placed a kiss on her cold lips, waiting for the pull to start. He concentrated on all the love he felt for Marie, on everything good and warm he could think of.
The pull set in and relieved Logan heard Marie gasp as her mind was flooded by all the positive images Logan was projecting. She broke free from his touch, looking at him with wide eyes. "Logan..." She began hoarsely but couldn't continue because sobs began to wrack her slim body as her legs gave way and she fell against Logan's chest.
Logan wrapped his arms around her and held her close, whispering endearments and reassurements in her ear as she clung to him. He looked over her shoulder at the two still forms on the ground and vowed that he would find whoever had done this and make them pay.
But the time for revenge would come later - at the moment all that counted was to be Marie's lifeline.
