His animal had known her before he did.

To him, she was just a scared kid hanging around a low-life bar and far too eager to eat the piece of crap burger he tossed at her to just be "looking for trouble." But he and the Wolverine didn't do relationships of any sort and that was the way he liked it. He fought, he smoked and he picked up women afterwards. Kept his boots on when he bedded 'em and was headed for the next city by morning if he bothered waiting that long.

Only this time, the Wolverine wanted to bed her and keep her. He was pretty good at shovin' him down but the kid was already a step ahead of them both and had stowed away in the back of his truck. What he should have done was dropped her skinny little ass in the next town over and kept moving. What he actually did was snapped and snarled at her before brooding over how best to get some meat on her bones. And before he could even pretend he hadn't thought that, she was fixing those big browns on him and asking the question that would keep them together.

"Does it hurt?"

Nobody cared about his claws, they were weapons and people either stayed out of the way or tried to profit from them. That was the first time he scented her. And just like an addict he was hooked.

"Every time."

And that was that. He compromised with his animal, they could keep her as a pet of sorts. Feed her, clothe her, let her share the bed. No more no less. The Wolverine gave him a migraine that lasted a week for that one. She was theirs now and she'd get treated like it. On one thing they both agreed, she wasn't yet of age to be claimed. Well, the wolverine argued she was fertile and therefore of age but Logan shut that down reminding him if they took her too soon she could be hurt. And that promptly shut him up.

Still, in the few years that followed since he brought her to Chuck's school it had taken a mountain of will-power and an almost laughable amount of cold showers to keep Logan's hands from wandering and Marie's virginity firmly in tact. The Wolverine of course paced in his mind howling for his mate and they had a few close encounters before he could reign him in. For the time being he just tried to play the good best friend, keep his hands to himself and not get caught inhaling her scent like the pervy feral he actually was.

It was her scent that first tipped him off. He could track Marie's scent through just about anything and it was as much a part of him as the sound of her laugh was. She was honey and sunshine with a taste warm spice of the south braiding through that got his blood running hot every time he set within a few miles or so of her.

But this time around... his Marie was muddled. Honey and sunshine and spice and- another quick inhale had him tracking and confused. The sunshine was deeper. Colder like fresh earth and evergreen. That spice and honey was giving way to-

Cuban cigars?

He'd hardly turned off the bike before he was up and following his nose into the mansion, claws popped and ready to bury 'em in whoever was messing around with his Marie. His animal was demanding to be let out, get them to her faster.

"Logan!"

He didn't give a damn what the boy scout had to say, Marie was in trouble-

"Logan stop!"

She was three floors, two hallways down. The labs. They had the kid in the goddamn labs. Jumping the stairs and running full out now, he could just see her trademark stripe of white hair against the glass of a floor to ceiling window before Storm used a heavy gust of wind to throw him back. Struggling to continue, he felt the presence of another mind in his head before everyone froze and time came to a stop.

"Hello Logan. I assure you this is not what it appears to be." The professor said calmly, wheeling up to him in his head.

"Why is she in a tank Chuck?" He snarled back.

"For both the safety of others and of rogue as well."

"You and I both know she's got no issue coverin' up she ain't-"

"It is not her skin mutation to which I refer. There is much we need to discuss."

"I'm not hearing anything until you take her outta there."

"At this time, that's impossible."

"Look I joined up with your leather do-gooders again on the understanding you were actually going to help the kid. I'm gone for a couple weeks on an assignment YOU sent me on and suddenly she's locked up like a lab rat!"

"Logan-"

"It's been 5 and a half years chuck, when-"

"Perhaps... it would be best. If you were to speak with her."

Ignoring his continued rant, the older man wheeled down the hallway to outside the lab door and looked over his shoulder expectantly.

"Wolverine... remember please. She's still very young. She doesn't understand any of this."

The switch from his daily name to his mutant one was not lost on

Logan. With a glare he went into the lab.

"I will allow you two some privacy. She... does not take kindly to most visitors." Xavier mentally informed him, swishing the doors shut.

Through a cloud of smoke he could make out her hazy shape, the smell of one of his best cigars hanging on the air in the room. She took a long drag, letting it out with a whisper of a sigh that made him think of other things she could be doing to make that noise around him...

Mentally shoving the Wolverine down he took a step towards her when suddenly she looked up and made eye contact.

"Logan."

"Hey kid."

Bolting up she launched herself at him, nearly impaling her body on his still battle ready claws. He wasn't too concerned though, he was used to her enthusiastic greetings by now. With an agility he didn't realize she had she wrapped her legs around his waist and used her arms to hang onto his neck.

"Logan." She breathed out.

"Kid... what kinda trouble you been up to?" He replied trying to keep the wolverine at bay. And himself if he was going to be completely honest.

"Not a kid." She replied nuzzling him.

"Kid-"

"Marie. Or, if you'd like... Mate."

His eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and she gave a triumphant snarl in return.

"You'll accept meh then?"

"Listen ki-"

"Mate."

"Marie." He said firmly. I am the adult. I am the mature old enough enough to be her father adult. I am-

"Logaaaaan." She huffed, baring her neck and pulling him down onto the small couch she'd been stretched out on. The submissive pose and the feel of his weight settling onto her young body was enough to get the Wolverine moving. The last thing he remembered clearly before the animal took over was thinking Chuck may have been right to lock her up.

I blink into existence, stretched out over my alpha female who's impatiently waiting to be claimed. The human is slamming into my psyche, struggling to pull us away but I batt him back down every time he struggles up. Her eyes are hazel, I see myself reflected in the way the gold flecks glitter back at me.

"Pack... mate." I say slowly, getting used to actually being able to speak aloud. It's been awhile.

"Alpha's mate." She replies squirming under me.

I nip hard at her shoulder in warning. Immediately she relaxes, baring her neck at me. The human fights harder, with the excuse that she's not ours to claim. Ignoring him, I sniff at the crook of her neck. She doesn't smell like sickness. But her scent is mingled with our own, as though we are already mated.

"M'rie..."

"Wolverine, please?" She whines, tugging at our hair. Our mate already instinctively knows how to make us slow burn.

"M'rie mate. Mine."

"Yours. " she nods frantically, tugging harder.

Shaking off the humans protests, I bump my chin against the top of her head, letting her know I'll take care of her. Something is obviously different but we need to take her before another male can challenge us for her.

"My mate. My Wolverine. All yours." She continues, rubbing herself against us. I grind down once to stop her, then nudge aside her hair with my nose. She's got her skin turned "off", much to my disappointment. I wouldn't mind my mate having a piece of me inside her, heh.

Dammit she's a just a kid!

She's our mate and she needs us.

She's sick or something she doesn't need our dick she needs a doctor!

"Yours. I'm yours. " She whispers, rubbing herself under us again. Honey and sunshine and Wood spice. All ours...

"LOGAN!"

He came to with his teeth sunk deep into Marie's neck, already tasting the blood starting to trickle down his jaw. Underneath him Marie was whimpering and pulling his head down further, trying it seemed to mesh their bodies into one. Meanwhile Scott Summers had entered, followed closely by Jean, the professor and Storm.

With a start he sat up, trying to hide his rather large hard on and batt away a handsey Marie.

"Look, I-"

"The Rogue is a student here, and under our protection! You can't just waltz in here-"

"Stuffit scooter ah ain't in the mood fa ya bitchin'." Marie snapped, sitting up. This only seemed to egg the man on further.

"There you see, that's exactly what I mean! Look at what he's done to her!"

"He ain't done nothin. Not yet anyway. We were just gettin started, then you came flyin in with a stick up your ass, weren't we sugah?" She purred, nibbling at Logan's ear. He quickly pulled away.

"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?!" He demanded.

"It would seem Rogue has absorbed more of your mutation then we had originally believed." The professor replied, seemingly unperturbed by Marie's abrupt personality switch.

"What are you talking about? "

"The last mission sugah. When ya had to gimmie some healin' cause ah got hit by that shrapnel? My good mate took care of meh." She beamed and tilted her head to the side, an invitation to clean his fresh bite mark up.

"So wait, you mean-"

Our mate needs to be groomed.

What she needs is some anti bacterial crap and the weather witch to sew her up.

You want another male claiming her?

She's not a thing to claim! Nobody's doing any claiming!

Exactly so enough pansy crap, grow some balls and groom her!

Marie moved her hair back further, whining until he grudgingly began to lap away the blood. The Wolverine purred soothingly when she winced, nuzzling below her ear for good measure.

"Professor this is sick. He's screwed with her head and now-"

"That's quite enough Scott. For now I believe it would be in our best interests if we found a way to assist Miss D'Ancanto through this difficult time."

"Ah want Logan." Marie declared, picking up her forgotten cigar.

"I'm not sure that's wise my dear-"

"Look Chuck, ah have him in mah head. Who better than Logan to pull meh through?"

"He can be the primary if you wish. But we all will attempt to handle your new... identity as best as we are able. And I would ask you have daily visits with Storm and Dr. McCoy."

"Can do chuck. How about it Logan? You willin ta be mah primary?" She asked, arching an eyebrow. He glanced around at their teammates faces, varying from amusement to disgust.

"Alright kid I'm in."