Cyclones

Marie looked across at them, watching from the darkened doorway as he lay stretched out on the grass, eyes shut tightly and she’s smiling quietly as her red hair falls 'bout his chest. He’s got one hand draped over her shoulder and she’s all content snuggling in his arms.

Shame, had nothin’ against that girl, but she sure was gonna get herself burned. Her long hair might wrap him up, might just keep him flat out on that grass, she’s got hooks into him now, but it won’t last.

Thing is, she can see it, standing in the shadows pushing white bangs out of her face, she can see the way his hand holding onto that shoulder of hers buried deep in that red hair, well it ain’t holdin’ as tight as it could.

Yeah he’d chased her, talked filth to her, charmed her, let the pretty red fall head over heels for him. Shot the Academy to shit when they’d decided to make it public, torn the school in two, Team Logan vs Team Scott. Only with the shitty way they’d behaved it was more like Team Scott versus one very unapologetic Logan and one very sorry ass Jean-Gray.

She’d refused to be drawn in, remaining stoic, loyal only to herself. ‘Cause she knew, Logan hadn’t only betrayed Scooter, he’d betrayed himself, and ‘cause of it he was gonna end up betraying Jean.

She hadn’t bothered askin’ him for an explanation, only fixed him with a slow smile and shook her head, not ‘cause she didn’t approve, but ‘cause she knew, no way this little union was gonna last.

That had shook him up, figured she’d rip him a new one for behaving like such a dick, waited for it, expected it when they moved into a room together, pretty much had it all written out when he fucked his little red head so deep she probably woke up half the school with her screamin’.

Nothin’, not a word, guess that’s when he’d started gettin’ those doubts. She’d fix him with that stare and all the seeds planted would slowly start to take shape, the looks that said so much without a single word, and he knew what she meant by every single one of them.

It wasn’t gonna last, not when he moved in with her, not when he fucked her, not when he lay on the grass with her, the arm draped close but not tight enough.

But how long could he keep up the pretence, how long would his ego lead him to betray himself and her? How long would he let his pride stand just to prove them wrong?

It had been all about the chase, with Jean-Gray it could have been nothing else, she was the calm in amidst a storm. But him, he was a force that couldn’t be stopped, a force that couldn’t be boxed in, an energy that needed release beyond what the red head understood.

And that’s why Marie smiled, white bangs framing darkened features, she understood him better than anyone ever could. She may have been younger, inexperienced but she was aged in ways they could never understand. Yeah she may have been from a little town, sheltered as she was growin’ up but that was a lifetime ago. She’d long been more than that, from the time she’d been forced out to now, when she could read him better than any red or blonde haired girl.

She’d seen evil; she’d touched it, been betrayed by it, and almost lost her life to it. She didn’t believe in a lot of things but a force like Logan she understood, energy like his was a hurricane, a cyclone, an earth shattering experience that swept up all those unafraid of it, all those who welcomed it.

But Jean didn’t know, proud 'cause she’d thought she’d tamed him, it would have been kinder if she’d castrated him, ‘just cut of his balls gal and put them in a jar on a shelf ’, Marie had wanted to shout that at her so many times, ‘open your eyes, you can’t cage this beast.’

Marie remembered what he had been, what she’d seen in that bar, such raw energy, passion…intensity. And no matter how many ways he’d make Jean scream, in how many positions, it’d fade. He’d get tired, life would move achingly slowly for him, and he’d feel trapped, aching for release, itching to make a getaway before she could drive him insane.

It’d come slowly, things would start to annoy him about her, small things, ways he’s once found cute about her. Like the way she flicked that long red hair, the bright little laugh, the blue in those eyes, ‘til at last he wouldn’t be fucking her to make her scream, he’d just wish she’d shut those smiling eyes of hers and release him. Let me go.

He’d hate her and himself, ‘cause this should be enough, the love of a good woman, a home, a life that involved standing still. But he’d come to loathe it, silently scream at her, ‘LET ME GO’, until one God-forsaken day he’d end up clawing her, rippin’ her to pieces out of pure rage and anger, black destructive hate, before turning on himself.

He was a force, a power, raw energy and passion, this beast wasn’t meant to be caged. He wasn’t supposed to settle down; he was made to roll along, pushed and pulled in whichever direction the winds were blowing.

And he knew Marie was stood there, in the darkened doorways; white framed against black, the two shades of a darkened aspect, a contradiction, the pleasure and the pain. He knew she understood what he was, and he smiled, little Marie, the rage that cannot be trapped.

The vessel of so many lost souls, the unwilling claimer of so many lives and memories, the lightning that strikes without a sound, and the truth that aches for release.

He sat up and spoke low into Jean’s ear, she smiled and he felt the faintest pang of guilt, maybe it wouldn't be all bad, ol’ one-eye still had a thing for her, given a few years he might just take her back. They walked slowly up to their dorm.


Marie only started walking out of the Academy gates when she’d heard the red-head’s shrill voice cut through the cool summer air, until she heard the shattering of glass and saw what looked like a vase of flowers come flying out the window.

She walked along the sidewalk, head high, hands thrust deep into her jeans pockets, tugging now and again at the gloves she wore. She turned right, her steps heading naturally towards the main highway.

---

He found her sat on the tall summer grass, her jeans riding up a little as she sat, the pale skin of her ankles thankful for the healing sunlight. Still with that scarf around her neck and those gloved hands resting on the knees, she chewed a piece of grass; lazily and slowly, fully expecting him to roll up in that beat down truck of his.

She looked up as he stopped, squinting against the light, ‘Tell me she aimed at ya head…’

He smiled at the soft words that drift up at him, damn Southern accent of hers always soothed, made the day seem even lazier. He shrugged his shoulders and pushed open the passenger door for her, waited as she climbed in. ‘Wouldn’t have mattered, ain’t as if she was gonna leave a mark.’

She nodded, ‘they never do Logan.’ Nope they never left a mark; none of them could bruise deep enough for it to last. Except for her, she dug deep, had left a mark since the day he’d met her in the bar. Recognised instantly what he saw, and what she was, raw passion…intensity, unbridled and untapped energy.

The lightning that struck so hard and so fast, it burned relentlessly. White framed against black, night and day.

A cyclone he may have been, but damn if there was one force that could keep up, one force as reckoning as his, it was here, Marie.

---

‘Getaway Car’- Audioslave

The first time I saw you
You were chasing down
A cyclone
All alone in a field
With rail yards and clovers
I kept rolling on and never thought
You'd wind up chasing me

(chorus)
Well settle down I won't hesitate
To hit the highway
Before you lay me to waste
Settle up and I'll help you find
Something to drive
Before you drive me insane

You're tired of walking and you
Loathe the ground
The sidewalk will barely
Touch your feet and life moves
Too slowly to hold you down
With ringing hands
You take it out on me

(chorus)
Well settle down I won't hesitate
To hit the highway
Before you lay me to waste
Settle up and I'll help you find
Something to drive
Before you drive me insane