”We could have stayed in the city.”
“We could have. But I prefer this.”
“No need to get antsy, Logan. I’m just saying that after few hours in this piece of crap you call a truck it would be nice to have a decent shower and…”
“I got you a room with a bathtub.”
“Oh… Sorry.”
“Yeah. They do know what personal hygiene means… Even out here in the wilderness.”
“I said I was sorry already!”
“What ever. It has been a shit ass day for both of us… Come on, let’s go settle in.”

She stepped down from the truck, scorching hot sun attacking her mercilessly. Logan followed her shortly, carrying their bags. She reached for hers, feeling a pang of guilt. This trip had been her idea. Logan wasn’t supposed to even be here. He should have gone home with Scott as soon as the gig in San Antonio was over. Logan could have used a proper shut-eye after the beating he took, but no. Certain little-miss-oh-I’m-so-cute-Rogue wanted to see the rodeo. She was regretting her proposal already.

It had taken them little over three hours all in all to get to Nuevo Laredo, and drive through the traffic in the city to reach a small motel at the outskirts. Now that she thought of it, the whole time she had done nothing much but complained. The weather was too hot. Sun was too bright. There was nothing good on the radio. She had been bored. She had been immature. She had been childish.

She had stopped to ponder, and she had to hurry after Logan.
“I’m sorry. I really am. This whole trip was my idea and I have done nothing but complain all the time. I promise to lighten up a bit,” she huffed, wiping off the droplets of sweat that had gathered on her forehead.

Logan stopped at the front porch of the small motel and turned to look at her.
“Were all entitled to complain from time to time. Just don’t make a career out of it and we’re good,” he said, stepping in to the office to retrieve their keys from an old lady who was smiling widely regardless of the huge gaps in her mouth. Either somebody had knocked some sense in to her, or teeth had plain rot away at some point of her life. Logan didn’t seem to get frazzled. Instead he reached over the desk separating him from the woman and grasped her shoulders surprisingly gently, kissing her forehead.

She could hear them whisper to each other. It was wrong to listen, and she tried her best not to, but the small cracked radio blaring 80’s pop at the corner of the desk did nothing in hiding Logan’s conversation with the woman.

Her Spanish was at best rusty, but she could comprehend a word from there, another from here. Had Logan actually referred the old lady as his mother? And why was the granny grinning from ear to ear, throwing glances at her and Logan and pinching Logan’s cheeks?
“Well, it has been a long day. We better go and get some rest,” Logan finally ended the conversation, straightened his back and picked up the keys from the desk.
“You remember to show her the rodeo, you hear me boy?” The old woman said sternly, shaking her index finger in emphasis, her eyes practically drilling holes to Logan who nodded.

“So, that was your mother? When I get to meet the rest of your family?” She asked, wondering if perhaps the sun had fried what little there was left of her brain. It probably wasn’t a good idea to joke about family with Logan.
“As close to a mother than it gets. I was going through some rough times. Liked the booze too much, and mescal even better. She took me in one night to sober up some. Gave me a room and for exchange I kept this place up and running. Fixed things and helped with… unwanted guests,” Logan spoke slowly, twining his words together with steps he took on the dusty ground until they reached their rooms.
“She told me to clean up my act or she’d whoop my ass, and I guess that makes her eligible for the title of mom,” he said. There was a smile on his face, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“And the next time I come here, it’ll be her funeral…”

She turned to look at the old lady who was now standing at the porch of the office. She looked as dry and brittle as the bristles of the broom she was holding.
“It’s her heart. Last spring doc gave her two months. She’s running on fumes already…” Logan whispered.
“But what the heck, life’s a bitch and then you die. Shoo, go and get cleaned up. We’re going out tonight,” he said handing the key to her room.
“Where are we going? What should I wear?” She asked. She had packed lightly, since this little impromptu trip abroad hadn’t been in the original travel plan.
“We’re going to see that goddamned rodeo. Wear something comfortable.”

She wasn’t sure if jeans from the tighter side of Sears and sleeveless top revealing her lower abdomen were what Logan had meant. They sure were comfortable for her; the air was too hot even this late at night to wear anything else. Logan was wearing jeans as well, and a black shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, few buttons from the shirt undone. She could feel his eyes on her when they walked side by side to his truck.

“See something you like?” She asked. Logan harrumphed.
“Just be careful when we get there,” he said.
“I can control it. I have been controlling it for the better part of the year already, in case you haven’t noticed,” she said. Logan nodded.
“You’re getting better with it every day. But all it takes is some prankster scaring you and there you are, practically naked in the drunken crowd, your ‘gift’ on full power.”
“But you’re there to make sure that no prankster can get their hands on me, my very own knight in shining… With a shiny belt buckle!” She said giggling, poking the gleaming buckle lightly with her index finger.
“Seriously, do you polish that thing every night or does it stay that way on itself?” She asked. Logan pinched his eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly.
“Why do I get the feeling that I’ll be regretting this night eventually…” He huffed, yanking open the door of the truck. She scooted in first, earning a slap on the ass in the process.
“Ow! What was that for?” She asked when Logan sat behind the wheel and slammed the door shut.
“You get one for each smart-ass remark you make from now on.”

She wasn’t sure of what to make of the look he threw at her. Partly amused, partly serious, and there was something she hadn’t seen on him never before. A hint of pure appreciation and… Lust? She shook her head. Now it was official. The sun had obviously gotten the better of her. Logan lusting after her? Sure. As soon as she grew a rack fit for a playboy model, got few more years and some experience under her belt, then maybe.

Of course there had been a time when she would have done anything to gain his attention. She actually once pondered what would happen if she traipsed in to his room buck naked. But there were certain perks when you got on to Logan’s good side and ended up being his friend. Few women he had had in his life during the time Rogue had known him had been nothing more than good fucks. After long and grueling day it wasn’t their company Logan sought. He either went out, or Rogue got to spend an evening with him watching hockey and slugging back Molson’s’.

“You’re going to have to buy me a hat, then,” she said.
“A hat?” Logan asked.
“A cowgirl needs a hat. And you’re going to buy one for yourself as well,” she said. Logan shook his head.
“I’ll get you the damn hat. But can’t wear one myself,” he started, combing fingers through his unruly hairdo.
“Used to wear one back when I still lived in here. Had long hair and it wasn’t sticking up like this.”
“Long hair? How long? You had a ponytail or something?” She asked. Logan threw a glance at her, one she knew very well.
“No need to slap my ass, I’m serious!” She quickly squeaked.
“Yeah. I had a ponytail. And there was this chick who liked to braid it occasionally.”
“Braid?... Uh…”
“Well, I wasn’t getting any if I didn’t let her braid my hair first. I’d say that it was a small price to pay,” Logan smirked. She closed her eyes and waved her hand.
“More information than I bargained for, bub…”
“Well, you asked. You hungry?” Logan asked. She scrunched her forehead. Earlier the day when she had been sitting in the Blackbird she had been hungry. She had been about to ask from Scott if they could go and grab a bite after landing, but things had gone sour at the airport, resulting Scott taking off and leaving her alone with Logan, promising to catch them up as soon as he found a suitable place to stash the jet. From there it had only gone worse and she really hadn’t had the time to think about eating while staving off wave of attackers who thought that it was only suitable to slaughter each and every mutant at sight. Luckily they had gotten their target, young boy who was able to control the growth of certain flowers with his mind out of harm’s way.
Now that she thought about it…

“Yeah. I could eat…” She ventured, trying to assure her stomach that was still cramped from the earlier excitement.
“Good. They make some mean burritos in here,” Logan said, steering the truck to a parking lot of a small diner.

“Oh, God… I feel sick…” She huffed, then belched loudly, earning a smack on her ass from Logan who was walking a step behind her.
“Manners, kid… Did yours run screaming from the sight of all those burritos you inhaled?” He grunted. She rubbed her rear, trying her best to form a credible scowl. When it wasn’t working she settled for sticking her tongue out.
“I’m born and bred southern belle, you’re just some redneck from Bumfuck…”
“Sure, sure… Just try to tone down that infamous southern charm a bit. Can’t have these people talking how I’ve lost my taste and touch with women.”
“Oh, puh-leeze… Aren’t you the guy who once told me that as long as it has two legs and it’s breathing it’s fair game?” She drawled, climbing in to the truck, fully expecting Logan to slap her for the remark. He let it slip, and she noted surprised that it sparked a disappointment at some level.
Sunstroke. Had to be.

“HHH, kid,” Logan grunted, settled behind the steering wheel and lit a cigar.
“HHH? What does it mean?”
“High, Horny and Hallucinating. When I said that I’d settle anything with two legs as long as it was breathing I was high, horny and hallucinating.”
“Shit. You really were, weren’t you? It was just that one joint you confiscated from Bobby and you were high as a kite.”
“The whole five minutes it took to wear off. Afterwards I was just plain horny…” Logan muttered, weaving through the traffic.
“Are you now?” She asked.
“What? High? Hell, no.”
“I meant horny. We seem to talk awful lot about your sex life,” she clarified.
“Well, when you can’t have some, the next best thing is to talk about it,” Logan said, turning the truck to a narrow alley. They were now driving away from the city.
She was still mulling over his surprising confession when the last buildings disappeared from the rearview mirror. Logan. Not getting laid? Was it even possible? And why the hell did it even matter to her?

It had to be the emotional trauma from the fight earlier, combined with the unbearable heat of the sun.

“You’re shitting me. There’s no way you’re going without,” she blurted when first rickety buildings of the rodeo arena appeared from the darkness. Logan threw the stump of his cigar from the window and shook his head.
“It’s the god-honest truth. But heck… As long as I have healthy pair of hands it’s not so bad.”
She closed her eyes, hoping against hope that the blush she could feel creeping over her cheeks wasn’t too obvious. At one point when she was still head over heels for Logan, not too long after he had saved her life at the Statue of Liberty a persistent dream had been haunting her, turning her nights in to strange mix of heaven and hell. Logan, lying naked on a bed, moonlight illuminating his body, sweat glistening on his skin as he was stroking his cock slowly.

She still wasn’t sure if it had been one of his memories surfacing through the muddled mix of their joined minds, or something her brain had cooked up just to torment her some more. And she wasn’t going to ask. Or was she?

No. No matter how nice it would have been to have some kind of disclosure, that dream still popped up every now and then, she really wasn’t going to ask him about it.

Right?

Right?

“Umm… I want to ask you something…” She whispered quickly before she lost her courage when Logan stopped the car in front of something that looked like the front gates of the rodeo.
“Okay…?” Logan took the key from the ignition, pocketed it and turned to look at her, one arm hanging carelessly over the backrest of the seat, the other braced against the steering wheel.

“I… I keep seeing this dream, and… And I was just wondering… What do you think are the odds that after this long I still see your actual memories, and not something… Something my mind made up, or…” She tried, but as soon as she opened her mouth she couldn’t force out the right words. And Logan seemed to misunderstand her stuttering. Worried frown settled over his features.

“Are you still having my nightmares? I thought you took care of it with professor already…” He said, reaching over and brushing a stray strand of white hair from her forehead.
“No. It’s nothing. It’s kind of stupid. Just something that came in to my mind while we were talking. Nothing important…” She said, turning her head so that he couldn’t see her face. She knew Logan could tell from her scent alone that she was lying, but she really wasn’t going to ask if he was left or right handed.

“Can we just go? I would really like to see everything now that we are here!” She asked, forcing excited tone to her voice.
“Everything, huh? You don’t ask for much, kid…” Logan grunted, but for her relief let her off the hook.

“I don’t know… They don’t look scary to me…” She ventured, fingering the brim of the hat Logan had bought her from the front gate. They were at the barracks where the bulls were kept before they were carted to the arena. She was staring one of them eye to eye, huge beast whose mere head and horns probably outweighed her with several pounds.
“Actually, it looks a lot like you at morning when you haven’t gotten your first cup of coffee yet,” she giggled. Logan harrumphed, tilting his head.

“I think I know this ugly bastard…” He suddenly muttered, leaning closer to the bull that promptly backed away as far as the narrow enclosure let it. Wide grin spread to Logan’s face.
“Yeah. Rode it last year. And looks like it remembers me as well…” He said, straightening his back.
“We better leave it alone,” Rogue said, tugging his hand. Logan seemed reluctant to follow. He just stared at the animal that looked about ready to escape through the narrow slits between the boards of the enclosure.
“You and me, fucker…” Logan grunted pointing at the bull.
“We have a score to settle. I’ll see you at the arena in few hours.”

Finally she managed to lure Logan out.
“Are you really going to ride a bull?” She asked. Logan nodded.
“As soon as I find the guy who’s running the show tonight.”
“What’s with you and that bull?” She asked.
“That’s between me and that ugly bastard. And I’m going to settle it once and for all. Damn beast won’t know what hit it once I’m through with it…” Logan practically growled.

Now she knew for sure that there was something wrong with her. Thought about Logan, riding a bull, then returning as a winner, just right amount of accumulated muck and dirt on him, still high from the thrill of victory wasn’t making her swoon. Thought of Logan riding a bull and possibly getting trampled made her only worried. She clung to his arm as he started pushing through the crowd, his head swiveling around, looking for the man who ultimately decided who was fit for the arena.

“Logan, couldn’t you do this at some other time? Like… I don’t know, like tomorrow?” She tried.
“No.”
“Come on, you got your guts torn out just this morning. Are you sure that you’re in good enough shape to…”
“Yes.”

It seemed to be an impossible task to turn his head. He had some sort of grudge going on, and Rogue knew full well that Logan dealt with grudges swiftly and efficiently. And this one had been boiling little over a year already. She felt sorry for the bull. And she was very worried over Logan. He was tired, and still not completely healed from the beating he took earlier; he had been rubbing his sides and stomach a lot when he thought that she wasn’t looking. She decided to bring out the big guns.

She dug her heels in to the sand and held on, forcing Logan either to stop or make her trip over. Logan being Logan chose the first option, then tried to pry off her fingers from around his bicep. She let go, but before he could move she wound her arms around his waist and turned her face upwards, widening her eyes just the right amount.

Logan was already looking less determined; his eyes flickering between her face and the announcer’s booth little further down the path.

“Marie… I…” He stuttered. She let her chin quiver, just a tiniest bit.
“Fuck. Fine. I’ll wait until tomorrow. That okay with you?” He huffed. She rose on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Very okay. Can we go and get some popcorn and soda?”
“Jesus. Do you have hollow bones or something? There’s no fucking way you’re hungry again!”
“If I was hungry I’d be asking you to get me some more burritos.”
“I don’t think they sell popcorn. Or soda for that matter. I could get us some beer…”
“Nah. Can we just go and see the rodeo now?” She asked, congratulating herself silently. Under normal circumstances Logan wasn’t the easiest person to distract. If all it took was to bat her lashes and ask some munchies to get him forget his vendetta against the bull he clearly wasn’t in shape to ride it yet.

“Are you absolutely-positively sure that it was a rat you saw?” Logan asked. He was kneeling by Rogue’s bedside. Rogue was currently standing on the bed, her eyes huge from genuine fear.

“I know what I saw, Logan! It was a rat!” She said. Logan shrugged his shoulders and stood up.
“Well, it’s gone now, whatever it was. Can I go and get some sleep now?” He asked. Rogue’s scream had brought him to her from the neighboring room, all senses on full alert, and now that there was no immediate threat the exhaustion really dug in.
“Yeah. Just wait for a sec, I’m coming with you,” she said. She wasn’t going to spend a single night in the room Logan had booked for her. Not when there was every possibility that the rat could return. There weren’t many things she was afraid of, but for some reason she had at some point of her life developed a real phobia towards all kinds of small, hairy critters.

She gathered her belongings and followed Logan who looked slightly miffed. She didn’t let it bother her. If he couldn’t flush out the rat it was only humane to let her crash in his room, right?

“There’s only one bed. We can share it, but start hogging the covers and you end up sleeping on the floor. Understood?” Logan laid out his terms. She nodded, hoping for the dear life of her that this wasn’t one of the nights when her dream about Logan masturbating decided to make a re-run. She wasn’t sure of how she could cope lying next to real one, hot and bothered after the dream version finally let her wake up.
“And I’m not going to wear pajamas just because you’re scared of some non-existent rodents,” Logan added as an afterthought, locked the door and started undressing. She huffed and clunked down her backpack.
“Well, if you’re sleeping naked, so am I,” she said and shrugged off her jeans.
“The hell you are,” Logan grunted and threw her an oversized T-shirt from his bag. She discarded it.
“It’s hot as in oven in here. I’m not going to fry my brain just because you’re scared of my bare skin,” she quipped, quite pleased that she had managed to counter Logan’s argument quite effectively. Logan snorted.
“I’m not worried over your skin, squirt…”
“Then what is it?” She asked, getting rid of her bra and panties and diving under the covers, the last feeble attempt at modesty from her side.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I’m too fucking tired for this shit…” Logan murmured and crawled between the covers, hugging the pillow and trying to get comfortable.

It wasn’t working very well. He kept tossing and turning, beating up his pillow and cussing a blue streak until she sat up, rubbing her face tiredly. When he stood up she sat up, clutching the covers over her nude chest.
“Where are you going?”
“To your room. I’ll sleep over there and keep an eye on that rat of yours…” Logan grunted, reaching for his jeans he had carelessly thrown to the floor earlier. Rogue shrieked. She had the T-shirt Logan had given her earlier and she was pulling it on frantically, all the while trying to crawl as close to him as possible.

The rat was sitting on the floor, front paws raised and beady little eyes fixed to Logan who was staring at it.

“If you’re going to my room, I’m coming with you. I’m not going to stay here with that… That thing!” Rogue said. Logan crouched and picked up the rat, then walked to the window, opened it and tossed the hairy vermin out.

“Change of plan. It’s gone now. You can go back to your room and leave me alone,” he said.
“You’re throwing me out?” She asked. Logan shrugged his shoulders.
“If I have to. Look… It’s been a fucking retarded day, and I really, really need to get some sleep. Would you please leave?”

It took her less than a minute to put on some clothes and scramble back to her room. When Logan started acting all polite and patient he was just this side of homicidal, most likely pondering the best way to gut the person disturbing him.

Next morning found her from a small diner, waiting for Logan to finally wake up. The old woman from the motel had flashed her surprisingly radiant smile and winked at her, then turned her gaze towards the door of Logan’s room. Rogue had politely smiled back and shaken her head when the woman had suggested that she should go and wake up her friend.

She was halfway through her second burrito when Logan sauntered in. He didn’t bother to call the waitress; he didn’t have to. He just walked up to where Rogue sat and waitress followed him, carrying a steaming pot of hot coffee. He waited until the woman left, then took a careful sip from the coffee.

“Slept well?” She asked. Logan shrugged his shoulders, took another sip. Rogue had long ago gotten accustomed to this. Quiet mornings with Logan, just sitting with him and waiting for him to ingest enough caffeine to dull his sour mood and crankiness.

“Slept well as soon as you let me…” He grunted, reaching for a discarded newspaper at the next table.
“Look. I’m sorry about last night. Hell, I’m sorry about yesterday. Period. I was a bit…” She started to apologize. Logan shook his head.
“You have nothing to apologize. We were both quite frazzled up and tired. Just behave today and we’re all good.”

She attacked the remains of the hapless burrito on her plate, suddenly unsure of what to think. What to say. How to behave. Why the hell had she asked Logan to come with her? Why had he agreed instead of being the sensible adult… At that point she had to stifle a sudden burst of giggles. Sensible adult? Logan? And the man in question was now staring at her over the brim of the newspaper, puzzled frown glued over his features.

“What?” He asked. She bit her lip.
“It’s nothing. Just a private joke… Uhm… So. What are we going to do today?” She asked quickly, trying to change the subject. Again Logan just shrugged his shoulders.
“I have an appointment with that fucking bull today. Don’t have any other plans. It’s your party after that, kid.”
“O-okay…”
“You got a problem with that?” Logan asked. She poked and prodded the burrito for a good while, then sighed.
“I’m just worried.”
“For what? It’s not like it can hurt me or anything…”
“But it can! It can throw you down and step on you, or… And those horns were so big and sharp and…” She stuttered, feeling the crimson blush flashing all over her skin. Suddenly greasy patterns drawn with fork on to her plate started to look quite fascinating. She couldn’t look at Logan. She couldn’t make her head turn. He’d think of her as a silly little girl. Certainly after that outburst. He’d laugh. It really was stupid to worry over him. He’d heal no matter what. But…

“Hey, kid…” Strong hand under her jaw, forcing her to raise her head.
“You really are scared, aren’t you… Shit. I don’t have to ride that goddamned animal if you don’t want me to,” Logan huffed. She could see conflicting emotions running wild in his eyes. Something old, feral and stubborn trying to claw its way to surface. Logan, just Logan throwing it back in to darkness.
“It’s stupid, anyway. It’s really not worth the trouble. I rode it last year and got trampled pretty good. Wanted to put down that beast for that. But what the hell, we can skip it…” He said, then turned his head and hailed the waitress to bring another dose of caffeine.

“You want to get going already?” He asked when she huffed.
“I don’t know where to go. You’re the one who’s lived here before. Shouldn’t you give me a grand tour?” She asked. Logan smirked.
“Grand tour… Hmm… I guess I could try. But I have to warn you. There’s nothing grand in places I used to visit.”

“Nothing ‘grand’? Really?” She asked, staring at one of the women who was currently shaking her humungous breasts in hopes of milking every last peso out of a trucker who was slobbering at her feet.

Striptease bar. Sleazy as hell. Old women. Young women. Skinny women. Fat women. Blonde women. Brunettes, redheads… It really shouldn’t have come to her as a surprise, but she was frankly quite amazed that Logan had brought her here. For the past day they had been visiting his old haunts, some of them exactly what she had expected, some of them something quite unexpected, like that one miniscule library hidden behind a modest tavern.

“I knew this was a bad idea…” Logan frowned when she dug out her purse and slipped few pesos to a woman who was dancing on a table next to her. The woman smiled and winked at her.
“Bad idea? Why? I’m having fun!” Rogue laughed. Logan grasped her arm and started steering her out.
“I didn’t bring you here to explore your sexual preferences…” Logan grunted.

She practically had to run to keep up with his long strides as they crossed the parking lot. Their transport, beaten up sorry excuse of a truck was waiting in a dimly lit corner. Logan didn’t even wait for her to get in before he started the engine. She buckled her seatbelt hastily, expecting him to speed off immediately. Instead of stepping the gas he just sat there, engine running, his hands clasped loosely over the steering wheel.

After long moment of silence she started to feel really uncomfortable. Usually being quiet with Logan was easy. They could spend hours with each other, not talking, just exchanging one-syllable words if communication of sorts was absolutely needed. Now the silence felt somehow wrong. Somehow made up. Forced. She cleared her throat.

“Uh… Why did you bring me here?” She finally asked.
“You asked me to. You asked me to come with you to see the rodeo.” Logan spoke silently, his voice low and hushed. And somehow even that sounded wrong and forced. She turned to look at him. He wasn’t looking at her. He was still holding the steering wheel, his gaze roaming over the dashboard and squashed bugs on the windshield.
“Is that the only reason?”

Logan turned to look at her, just stared at her for a long moment, then swallowed.
“Pretty much…” He grasped the gear stick, clearly trying to end their conversation right then and there. She swatted his hand away, wondering silently from where exactly she had suddenly gotten an extra dose of courage and some stupidity to go with that. Nobody swatted the Wolverine. Nobody.

Except that every rule there has to be an exception. Instead of flashing the claws Logan just grimaced, then grasped the stick harder. She slapped the back of his hand harder, making him hiss and let go of the stick.
“Christ! What’s the matter with you, kid?” He asked.
“We’re not moving until I get an answer to my question.”
“Fuck! I told you already, I came with you because you asked me to come along!”
“You don’t do anything without a good reason. You wouldn’t have taken a trip across the border just because this little twit of a girl suddenly had an urge to see cowboys and stuff down some burritos.”

Logan turned off the engine. He patted down his pockets until he found a cigar and a lighter. Then he leaned back, not lighting the cigar, just holding them and closed his eyes. And that extra boost of bravery that Rogue had been riding on vanished completely. Suddenly she felt very small and insecure.

“I came here to hang out with you,” Logan said.
“But… We hang out every day at home,” she piped, suddenly at loss with words. Logan chuckled mirthlessly, then turned to look at her, completely serious.
“We ‘hang out’ because we have to. Two muties at mutant haven, both brave and heroic X-men. With our history it’s fucking mandatory to ‘hang out’ with each other.”
“Umm… What?” Now she was getting the distinct feeling that she wasn’t going to like very much of what Logan was about to say next. When the word mandatory came in to play there hardly was nothing nice following at its wake.

“When people look at us they see the first night we spent at Xavier’s. They see the Statue of Liberty. They see my dog tag.” Her hand went instinctively at her throat, where the item in question had been hanging for quite some time, all those months that Logan spent on the road after the Liberty incident. Her fingers met only warm skin. Tags she had returned to Logan for long ago.
“They see all those things. It kind of forces us to act certain way. To speak certain way. To react certain way. And I’m so fucking tired of it. So… How about we forget the whole deal? Forget Xavier’s. Forget the X-men. Forget Wolverine. Forget Rogue.”

Logan lit the cigar and jammed it to the corner of his mouth, then cranked the window partially open. Turned on the engine.
“Just forget everything and just hang out. That okay with you, Marie?”

They drove back to the motel. Logan was puffing his cigar, Rogue mulling over his words. Was it really like that? Did Logan feel like he was forced to spend time with her at home? And if he felt like that, why had he volunteered when she had asked him to spend even more time with her? And what did he mean when he said that they had to act certain way with each other?

“I… I want to ask you something…” She ventured when Logan parked the car in front of the motel.
“Go ahead.”
“There’s something I don’t understand… If you feel like you have to spend time with me… Doesn’t that mean that you don’t want to do that?” She asked, already fearing the worst. And when Logan didn’t answer immediately she started to have second thoughts. Would she really like to hear his answer?

“No. Shit. That is… No. I do want to spend time with you, I do. Just not the way everybody thinks we should,” he finally said. Then seemed to think about it for few minutes.

“When they look at us, they see you. They have gotten an idea that you have some sort of fucking crush on me. And they see me. Like some sort of guardian for you. I think…”

Her cheeks started reddening. People weren’t necessarily wrong in their assessment of the situation. Was Logan really that oblivious?

“I think both parts may be true. Up to some point. But there has got to be more than that. And I want to find out what it is, because the way the things are developing back home… We can’t have any kind of life of our own if we settle in to those roles.”

She was red as a beet already. And it looked like Logan wasn’t finished yet. At this rate she’d pop an artery soon.

“If you… If you like me that way… It’s okay. I’m fine with that. And I want you to know that I’ll always be there for you…”

Her heart was hammering so loud that she was dead on sure Logan would soon ask her to tune down the noise. She wasn’t sure of which was more embarrassing. Logan knowing about her crush on him, or him being ‘fine’ with it.

“I just want you to know something. This thing… What we have going on, I think it’s more than what people make it to be. I’m not going to go all mushy and stuff, I’m no good at that kind of things…”

Logan rambled on. Didn’t he see that she was already down? Did he have to kick her for good measure as well? She tried not to listen anymore. Perhaps she could forget this whole deal if she tried hard enough? Perhaps…

“I love you,” he suddenly blurted.

She fled from the truck. Out of all things to say he just had to choose those words. He just had to choose the shortest route, easiest way to placate a silly little girl who thought that she was in love with him. She ran through the night, tears streaming down her reddened cheeks, anger and fear warring over reign of her emotions. And of course she didn’t get far. Not far enough before Logan caught her and forced her to stop, forced her to look at him. And he seemed to be every bit as embarrassed as she.

“Say something! If you don’t like it, tell me to stop! Tell me to leave you alone if I’m wrong, if everybody’s wrong and you don’t love me after all; tell me to get the fuck out of your life!”

Of course he chose anger out of all the options on the emotional stray. He didn’t do fear. And that spurred on equal response from her. She could feel it simmering somewhere deep, surfacing fast.

“I can’t tell you to get the fuck away from me! I have loved you as far as I can remember!”

It came out all wrong. She hadn’t mean to shout it at his face like an insult, but it came out sounding like the worst kind there was. Like her love for him was something she hated with passion. Anger in his eyes rose tenfold, then slowly ebbed, giving way to resignation.

“Fine. We better go and get some sleep. We’ll be leaving early tomorrow,” he grunted, let go of her and turned around. Walked back to the motel, his whole posture screaming of disappointment.

Dreams kept evading her. She was tossing and turning restlessly, trying to come up a good way to avoid seeing Logan the next morning. After all, that was kind of mandatory. She wouldn’t be going home without him and the truck they had rented. Of course she could call to Scott. she could call anybody at Xavier’s and ask them to pick her up, but she didn’t feel like explaining the events that led to her dumping Logan in the middle of their supposed vacation.

Finally, after several hours of sweaty sheets and lumpy pillow she got up. Checked the room, and the adjoining bathroom. No rats. Perhaps shower would do her good? She often found it soothing during stressful times. Or perhaps she could take a bath?

Water was lukewarm, just barely above room temperature, but she didn’t mind. It dissolved the salt from her tears that cling to her skin. She could scrub off the sticky sweat and accumulated dirt. And it was quiet. So blessedly quiet that she could actually hear something small scooting around in the bedroom. Rattling behind the paper bin. Silent chirping and nibbling at her clothes, her nightly visitor was probably munching half-melted chocolate bar she had forgotten in to pocket of her jeans.

She thought about it for a moment, just sitting there, her hands frozen, one holding the messy bun of her hair, one grasping a bar of soap from a soap dish.

Then she screamed.

It really was irrational, but there was no way she could have stopped screaming, knowing that there were a rat, or even worse, several rats just waiting for her to get out of the bath tub.

The locked door of the bathroom that led to Logan’s room burst suddenly open, and there he stood on full alert, ready to take on heaven or hell, clad in jeans and his hair still tousled from sleep, yet his eyes scanning the room sharply before turning to her.

“A rat… In my room…” She stuttered, pointing at the open door of her room. Logan relaxed and snorted.
“Call the exterminator,” he grunted, then slammed the door shut, leaving her alone with the pesky intruder. She screamed again, and the door opened.
“And stop screaming, for fucks sake. People are trying to sleep.”
She shivered in the water under his gaze.
“I can’t… It’s a rat… They’re icky…” She really tried not to scream and squirm, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop if Logan closed the door again. Just having him standing there was better than being alone with a rat.
“Could you throw it out?” She asked. Logan huffed and scratched his neck.
“Well, since you’re playing Siryn as soon as I close this door I guess I’ll have to…” He grumbled, then to her absolute relief entered to her room. After a moment she could hear window opening and closing, and Logan returned to bathroom.

“Problem taken care of. Can we please go to sleep now?” He asked, sounding rather annoyed. He was already closing the door of his room when she called after him.
“Wait! I… Uh… Could I sleep in your room tonight?” She asked meekly. Logan just stared at her as if she had suddenly grown an extra head on her shoulders.
“I don’t know where that rat has been. I can’t go to bed knowing that it might have been in there…”
“You’re serious?”

She just stared at him. She had just faced something akin a mortal threat to her, and he was asking if she was serious?

“Fine. Take my room. I’ll sleep in yours…” Logan finally caved in. And she faced another dilemma.
“But what if there’s a rat in your room, too?” She asked, reaching for a towel, trying to find a way to get up from the bathtub without flashing her nude body to Logan whose whole attention she had garnered.
“Well, that one just has to wait until morning. I’m too fucking tired of kicking ass right now.”
“Logan!”
“What?”
“I’m not joking! I’m not trying to be difficult! I know this is absofuckinglutely stupid, but I can’t help it! I hate rats!”
“Want to know what I hate? I hate it when people lie to me and think that I won’t notice!”

Tangible silence followed Logan’s sudden outburst. She just stared at him, her mouth gaping open, towel forgotten and sliding slowly in to now cold bathwater, revealing her nudity.

“What?” She asked when she finally was able to speak, and simultaneously tried to grasp the soaked towel to cover herself.
“This isn’t about fucking rats…” Logan said, his gaze darkening. He took a step to her direction. In the small bathroom he could have just turned around and be crowding her, now he was practically threatening her with his massive bulk, towering over her, seemingly only barely restraining his anger.

“This shit has got to stop before we’re really on each other’s throats,” he whispered, then grasped her. She had the time to realize his intentions, then he was already kissing her. Hot, hard lips devouring hers, his tongue seeking entrance, his hands preventing her from squirming.

She forgot the towel. She even forgot that she was standing in a bathtub filled with cold water. She forgot everything except the man kissing her. Logan was kissing her. Not just a friendly peck on the cheek or forehead like he had done dozens of times before, but a real kiss. The kind of which they wrote in cheesy harlequins, eyes closed, skin against skin, his strong hands clasping around her waist and raising her up, up against the tiled wall, anchoring her there, her fingers combing through his hair and raking down his neck.

Then it was over and he was just standing there, holding her against the wall, his eyes half hooded and his voice harsh whisper.
“We’re not going to sleep tonight.”

He carried her in to his room and lowered her on to his bed. She noted that his bed looked if possible, even more messed up than hers. He hadn’t been sleeping either. Logan prevented her further examination of the room by lowering his body carefully on top of hers and kissing her again, making her toes curl from the anticipation.

Buckle of his belt felt hard and cold against her abdomen, but it didn’t matter. Beneath that coldness she could feel something equally hard, but hot. As hot as her own suddenly feverish skin.

“If we do this now, there’s no going back… We’re not going to be just buddies from now on, no matter who’s watching…” Logan warned her. She shook her head.
“I don’t care…”

She found it increasingly frustrating not to be able to touch him everywhere. One last obstacle, his jeans were standing on her way. She grasped his belt and tried to tug it open, just like they did in movies. One, smooth yank and the belt went sailing through the air. Only now it wasn’t working, and she ended playing tug-of-war with Logan’s jeans, tight loops refusing to give up the belt.
“Bit of impatient, are we?” Logan muttered smiling, then tried to help her and lost his balance, falling on his back on to the floor.
“And clumsy…” She whispered hastily before fit of giggles prevented her from speaking.

“Clumsy?”

There was nothing clumsy in sight when Logan rose from the floor and crawled back on to the bed, his piercing eyes gleaming in the moonlight. He had discarded his jeans, and even though she wanted to look, had wanted to see what exactly he hid behind that enormous buckle, she couldn’t tear her gaze off from his. He moved carefully enough not to jostle the rickety bed, almost as if he was stalking her. Stalking his prey, every sense on alert, every muscle coiled, ready to jump.

He started from her feet, slow, sensual caress extending from her foot to knee, and she had to swallow her giggles. Something hot and hungry was slowly coiling at the pit of her stomach, and she wanted to alleviate the spreading heat somehow. When she tried to close her feet Logan grasped her ankles and stopped her, then slowly proceeded upwards, licking her inner thigh, raining small kisses and nibbles all over her skin.

He avoided the spots that were practically screaming for attention, leaving her throbbing cleft unattended and nuzzled her abdomen instead.
“Hush… We have all night…” He murmured when she let out a small whimper, trying to guide him where she wanted. He crawled on top of her once again, his lower body resting comfortably between her spread legs, his hands cradling her torso. She would feel his cock bumping against her cleft ever so lightly, featherlike caress that she had to wonder if she had actually felt it at all or if she had imagined it.

The whole situation felt somehow dreamlike. Soon she would wake up to face yet another boring day of life at Xavier’s. Except that the fingers now slowly travelling over her skin and spreading her lower lips felt surprisingly real. As felt the tip of a finger that started probing her clitoris, carefully but persistently, tormenting the small bundle of nerves until she was ready to scream.

And then she felt it. Thick and hard, sliding in to her, tearing through her last barrier, not hurting her because she was somehow expanding and rising higher, every nerve sparkling from the heat and sensations she hadn’t been aware even existed.

For a long while they just lay there, getting accustomed and just enjoying the closeness.

“You okay?” Logan asked, nuzzling her neck. She was unable to speak, everything felt far too good to be spoiled with words, but when Logan lifted his head and his worried gaze landed on her face, she nodded and kissed him on the tip of his nose.
“Right as a rain,” she whispered when Logan still looked at her, waiting for her confirmation.
“Good. We’re not done yet…” He murmured, moving slightly out of her, then pushing back in.

Earlier she had thought that nothing would ever feel better than her first orgasm with him, but now she started to suspect that her assessment had been wrong. His hard cock slowly sliding and rubbing against her tight core, his lips on hers and his fingers tangled in to her hair were slowly but surely dragging her towards even higher peak.

She grasped his shoulders and urged him to lean backwards. She wanted to see his face, lips drawn and eyes hooded, liquid heat in them pooling and shifting like a quicksilver, every quirk of his brows.
“Wait… Wait, darling…” He suddenly huffed and practically froze there, his eyes closing, every muscle coiled and ready, thin sheen of sweat gathering over his forehead. When she tried to move he stopped her.

“This’ll be over all too soon if you don’t stop…” He explained, then lowered himself next to her on to the bed, urging her to climb on top of him.
“Well, go on…” he whispered when she just sat there.

It felt wrong. It wasn’t supposed to go like this. Perhaps she had been a virgin before they started this. Perhaps she didn’t know what she wanted or liked, but something she did know. She knew that she didn’t like this new position, not a slightest bit.

She shook her head, then lowered her gaze on to her hands that she had braced against his chest and tried to move. She could still feel him inside of her, she could feel how his cock was now finding new spots of pleasure, going deeper, or going as fast as she wanted, but… It just wasn’t working.

“Can we just… Turn around?” She asked, suddenly embarrassed.
“Yeah, we can. This is not good for you?” Logan asked, then flipped them over so fast that it left her gasping for breath. And now she was able to relax and enjoy again. Able to hold him and caress him, able to muffle her small cries against his shoulder. Able to feel his warmth and strength around her. Able to feel him completely.

Next morning she woke up alone. Previous night she had fallen asleep in Logan’s embrace, his steady heartbeat soothing her frazzled nerves and lulling her in to sense of security. And now she was alone. The room had been tidied up. Logan’s knapsack was gone. Her clothes lay neatly folded on a small chair next to bed.

She bolted up, more angry than sad, cursing her stupidity. She had foolishly believed that last night had meant something for Logan. That it had meant as much to him as it had for her. She started to put on her clothes.

She was fighting with her shirt, her earring had gotten caught in to the cloth and she was stumbling, trying desperately to pull it loose so she could get the shirt on when she realized that she was actually crying. Stupid little girl, bawling her eyes out, and for what? Over a man who was generally not well known for lasting relationships. What the hell had she even expected? Logan to settle down with her? He had probably fled the scene as soon as she fell asleep. She’d have to call to Scott after all.

She finally won the battle. The lock of the earring gave up and she was able to pull the shirt over her head. She had heard a soft pinging noise when the earring had fallen. She kneeled down to find it. For some reason it was important to her that she found it. It wasn’t particularly expensive. It wasn’t a precious memento. It was just a cheap silver ring, but it was important that she left nothing more of herself in to this room.

She found the ring soon enough. Lock was as good as gone, bent and broken. She pocketed the ring, then took a one last glance over the room before she grasped the doorknob, which suddenly started to turn under her palm at its own volition.

She could only stare at Logan, standing there. Jeans, black shirt and a smile. Honest smile on his face.

“You’re up already?” He asked.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” She asked. Logan grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck.
“Would have thought that after last night you’d sleep longer, that’s all…”
“Spoiled your great escape, did I?” She asked. Confusion settled over Logan’s features.
“Great escape? What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, clearly puzzled, and she realized that maybe, just maybe she might have been wrong after all.
“Nothing. Where did you go? It was quite a surprise to wake up alone… After last night,” She said.
“Woke up early. Helped Rosa to find an exterminator and then went to see an old friend of mine. Didn’t want to wake you up,” Logan said, wiping a suspicious looking smudge of dirt from his thigh. Red dirt. Same kind of red dirt as it had been at the rodeo, at the ring.
“That friend of yours… He wouldn’t happen to have four legs and sharp horns, now, would he?” She asked, narrowing her eyes. And Logan did have a good sense to look miserable. For a whole minute. Then he straightened his back and nodded.
“I don’t think that bull can be classified as ‘he’ anymore…” He said, wide wolfish grin spreading from ear to ear.

“But enough of that. Since I wasn’t expecting this sudden turn on this trip, I was… Kind of unprepared. I have been thinking before, but… Uh…” Now he was actually squirming. Scraping the dirt with the toes of his boots and all. She had to close her eyes to prevent that certain image of him engraving over her retinas. When the sound of the shuffling stopped she dared to open her eyes again. Logan was still standing there, holding out his palm. His hand was trembling lightly. His hands never trembled. When she laid her palm over his he let out a breath he had been holding. She could feel something round and small between their palms.
“I… I talked with Rosa. Now, there’s a smart woman. Told me that she had seen this happening from the moment we arrived. Well, I talked with her some more… I didn’t… Of course I didn’t tell her everything, but we talked and… And…”

She waited. Rambling and stuttering Logan was something she apparently had to learn to deal with.

“Shit. Just take the damn thing already, would you?” Logan huffed, practically forcing her to curl her fingers around the object they were holding. When she opened her palm, very thin silvery ring laid there, shimmering brightly in the sun. She turned to look at Logan who obviously had gotten reign over his nerves once again.

“You know me, kid. I’m not a kneeling type of guy. Are you going to wear that ring?” He asked rather bluntly. She smiled and slipped it on.
“Good. We better get going. It’s a long way home. Giddy up!” Logan smirked, slapping her rear when she started towards the truck that was already waiting nearby.
“Ow! And what was that for?” She asked, rubbing her abused buttocks.
“Being smart-ass.”
“I wasn’t being…”
“You were going to, anyway. Or you will say or do something while I drive. I know you, kid.”
“Would it hurt to call me something else for a change? Sounds kind of creepy after last night…”
“You don’t like it when I call you Marie around other people. I don’t like Rogue…”
“Darling sounded nice.”
“It did?”
“At least the way you said it last night, wouldn’t mind hearing it more often.”
“Wouldn’t mind saying it more often…” Logan said, pulling her against his side in the small cab of the truck and started the engine.

Long ride to home would stretch even longer now. He was going to choose scenic routes. The ones with a motel every few miles on them.