I'll weave you a blanket of dreams
I'll take your hand in mine...

Marie felt the familiar strains of a song echo through her. She felt the melody vibrating into her chest and tightening her throat, as her mind unravelled the words.

Can you hear the stars shatter?
Can you see the wind dancing?

She knew in some part of her that it wasn't a voice *she* knew... but someone Logan had known once. It was comforting, feeling the pure emotion of the song, knowing he had felt so much for the singer. Rogue reached out to feel it more but it ghosted away from her mind.

"Make it come back," she whispered, turning to the shadow by her.

"It doesn't work that way, Marie."

Marie was startled. His voice was so clear, clearer than it had been in so many years. Clearer than had she heard his gruff voice with her ears, in that tangible world out there.

"It's beautiful," she stated sadly. And it was, to her. She remembered humming the tune in the weeks after he'd left. It was strange that his mind had led her there when she was in pain, but she knew it was part of his pain too. It was comfort and warmth and family.

"How do I get it back?" she asked the shadow.

For a moment a face shuddered into view, roughly smiling before it melted away, "Tunes flow forward, Marie, never back."

She felt her body bristle… dreams trapped within dreams... she shook her disincarnate head. The layers of black surrounded her. It splintered with a red voice suddenly, ploughing her down. Ordering her to stay, to back away away from consciousness.

Marie felt Carol's fear reining her in and quickening the bonds. She was too weak now and too unpracticed. Carol's mind had ruled this body too long.

The red changed, flowing into violets, then dimming to black. Carol was strong, too strong for her to reclaim this body. But Marie could wait, she could gain her strength. If she could find a reason to, the young woman reminded herself.

It's so hard to be strong, trapped within yourself... alone.

Carol steeled her body against the punching bag as she flung her fist into it. A normal exercise bag would've flown apart, but at Xavier's school, everyone's `gifts' were taken into account. The titanium mesh grated along her fingers as the cloth covering once again wore through. Carol held her hand down and examined the damage. Served her right for forgetting punching gloves, she scolded herself.

Usually she didn't let details like that go unnoticed, but she'd been thrown by the events this morning. Okay... not exactly events, she admitted. Logan had yet to actually *do* anything to her. She hadn't even given him a chance to look at her askew. But she knew it was coming soon. John had told her enough to know this man wasn't one who cared easily. For whatever reason he'd chosen to glom onto Marie and save her life rather spectacularly. Consequently, Carol knew he'd be harder than the others to convince.

"You should wear gloves," a voice grunted.

Carol snapped around, shocked. She hadn't heard a thing. A shiver traveled down her body, but she suppressed it. Wiping a hand across her face, she removed the blonde strands from her eyes.

"Logan, right?"

He nodded slowly. He was standing in the middle of the gym room, just staring at her quietly. His body was hard, outlined by a haphazard mixture of rough and soft clothes. His eyes seemed harder as they penetrated her.

"Did you want something?" she challenged. Damn, this was happening too fast...

"Keep your elbow in," he stated.

Carol looked confused for a moment, before she realized he was giving her advice... on how to punch. Carol pulled at her training leotard edgily. His eyes shot to her hand, following her movement intensely. Heat shot to her face and Carol stepped back. She dismissed her reaction and walked to the side of the hall, trying on several gloves before she found a suitable set.

"Shouldn't you be at school, or college or something?" he finally asked.

"It's Saturday," Carol replied.

She walked back to the punching bag. He still hadn't moved and it was cutting into her nerves.

"Look, there're security cameras and..." she bit her lip, "Just don't try anything."

Logan chuckled suddenly, as though the suggestion was completely ludicrous and Carol realized she had no idea who she was dealing with. But then again, he didn't either. She was strong, stronger than anyone she knew. And she could fly. And she wasn't the girl he knew. Hell, he didn't know her at all. The realization gave her a burst of assurance.

"Keep your elbow in," was all he said after the pause grew awkward.

Carol punched into the bag again, keeping her elbow held well in. Logan was about to comment but was interrupted.

The door flipped open and Jubilee skipped in. Her exercise bag was slung over her shoulder and she was laughing as she talked to Kitty and Bobby, who followed close behind. They all stopped, looking suspiciously at the scene before them.

Logan looked at her sharply before turning and leaving, strutting past the others. Carol felt her knees go shaky and she turned back to the punching bag, flinging another punch into it, her elbow thrust wide out into the air as she followed through.

She felt odd, jangling with confusion, fear and anger.

Jubilee had caught up with her and placed a hand lightly onto her shoulder in a comforting gesture. As Jubilee's fingers brushed onto the bare skin of her arm, Carol felt herself immediately lurch away from it.

"Don't touch -" she snapped her mouth shut. Her voice had been frantic with fear for Jubilee.

No! This is mine now! Carol yelled inside herself. But something had changed in that moment.

One of the chains had snapped.

Logan couldn't help himself smiling at the camera as he walked past it. A thought occurred to him and he wondered how long they kept those tapes... Probably not for years, probably not even weeks, but he could wonder. Maybe Marie had practiced there often...

During one of his calls to Xavier, not too long after his departure, the professor had said she was learning how to fight. Of course, he'd said Scott was teaching her, so he couldn't blame her if her technique sucked.

For the moment, he had things to do, people to interrogate... And a careful front to maintain. If Scott suspected too much... No – Scott was already a lost cause. But if Xavier caught on to what he was planning... he'd be out on his hairy ass in a moment.

Logan walked up to his room, replaying the scene in the gym. It had been an impulse at the time and he'd tracked her scent there. The hair was all wrong, and the gestures foreign, but there was still so much of Marie there. The rhythm of her breath and heart, the smallest muscle twitches... all the little things that a body picks up on its own without the conscious mind controlling.

She'd been breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling shakily through lycra, as he stared her down. Sure she'd been caught unaware and next time it would be harder to intimidate her. Of course, next time, his tactics would be completely different. Keep her on her toes, he smirked.

Even so... he had a feeling that even that pale facade of courage would have evaporated, had she known the complete truth.

That moment was only just the beginning...

He was stalking her.