…13 YEARS LATER.
Becky had finished washing her hair, but stayed under the spray of the shower anyway, letting the heat wake her up so she was ready for class. She had been up till really late helping her roommate decorating their new bedroom. When she had been thirteen, she had moaned that she wanted to be like all the other kids at the mansion and live in the dorms and reluctantly her parents had agreed. Now, the beginning of the new term had signalled a reshuffle and yesterday, two days before her 18th birthday, she had moved from a four-bunk room into a two-bed room with her best friend.
She really was looking forward to her birthday tomorrow. She was convinced that her dad had bought her a car.
The bang on the bathroom door made her jump and broke up her thoughts. “Becky, get out of the bathroom already. I have class in 20 minutes.”
“Bite me!” She rolled her eyes and turned off the water.
Walking out of one of the communal bathrooms dressed and with a towel around her hair, he was still standing there waiting for her.
“You’re not the only one that has to shower you know Becky!” He growled his words at her.
“Grow up, Jimmy!”
“My name is JAMES!” He pushed past her into the bathroom and slammed the door in her face. Once she heard the shower turn on and the door shut, she opened the bathroom door, walked over to the toilet, and flushed it. Her brother shrieked like a girl when the water turned icy and hit his skin.
She was still laughing when she arrived for Geography class with Miss Munroe. She sat next to her best friend and now roommate, Rachael, and quietly told her about freezing her brother out this morning.
Second period of the day was a free one; she spent it alone in the library. She was trying to study but got distracted by the view out of the window.
On the grass was her phys-ed instructor, shirtless and putting one of the younger classes through their paces. She watched a couple of the girls giggle as he spoke to them. They all had a crush on him, and he knew it. He played on it. His class had the highest success rate in the whole school, and his shirtless, sweaty appearance was the only reason. Even her mother still got breathless around him, but then, her parents’ sex life was notorious.
His class ran off to complete laps as he dug out a cigar and lit it, watching them with a smirk. That smirk turned into a genuine smile as her brother approached him. She looked at them as they stood side-by-side talking. From a distance, they could be brothers, even though James was only 13. As for Logan, he never looked a day over 35. James was only slightly shorter than Logan but just as well-built and with the same dark hair, but James let it grow so it flapped around his face.
Watching her father and brother interact, she smiled. James always thought that he had upper hand as far as their dad was concerned because he was a guy, but she knew better. Logan had made it perfectly clear when James was born. She remembered it like it was yesterday.
Her mum had been in the med lab all day. She wasn’t allowed down there. Her dad had told her to stay with Jubes and Pete. After supper, he had found her watching TV with Jubes. She had left when her dad came in and sat next to her on the couch.
He pulled her onto his lap and gave her a really tight hug. “You’re a big sister now.”
She pulled back from him, a bright smile on her face. “Was it a girl? Have I got a sister?”
Logan smiled at her. “Nah, kid, you got a brother instead.”
“Really! Can I see?” She clapped her hands together and bounced in his lap.
“In a sec. I wanted to talk to you first.” She bit her lip, and her eyes widened.
“I didn’t eat all of it myself, honestly. It was Jubes’ idea to steal the ice cream. She said that with everyone waiting for the baby to come, no one would notice and…” He put his fingers to her mouth and chuckled.
“I don’t care about the ice cream, kid.” She nodded at him, smiling again. “You remember when I first told you about us having a baby?” Another nod. “Well I wanted to just make sure you’re ok with this. There’s going to be a lot of people fussing over him, making daft girlie noises at him, and giving him stuff. So I wanted to let ya know a few things.”
“Will I get stuff, too?”
“Yeah. All I want you to remember is, you’re the oldest now. You’re in charge.” He noticed that her eyes lit up. “No matter how much attention he gets or if sometimes I ask you to be quiet or just play on your own for a while, it’s only because you’re old enough, and he can’t do anything for himself yet. So he needs me and your mum a little more.”
“Can’t he do anything?” She looked truly shocked that someone could be that helpless.
“Not a thing. You can do lots of things, so you’re going to have to teach him, how to eat, get dressed, use the can.”
“Mum says you’re not allowed to say can. You have to say bathroom.”
“This is you and me, kid, so I can say can if I want!” She giggled at him and snuggled into his chest. He stroked her hair; it was silky just like her mother’s. “You’re the first, kid. Don’t ever forget that.”
Becky jumped when a book landed in her lap. She hadn’t heard her mother walk in. “You left that upstairs. Figured you might need it for Math later. Daydreaming?”
“I was trying to study.” Marie sat down next to her daughter and held her hand with a bright smile on her face. As much as Logan and James could be brothers, Marie and Becky could be sisters; she looked 29 instead of 39. It was all thanks to an accident not long after James was born. Marie had fallen from a ladder while hanging Christmas decorations. Logan had panicked and made her turn her skin on. She had drained him again, getting a fresh dose of healing and youth.
“Of course you were. Listen, I wanted to ask you what you wanted to do tomorrow. It is Saturday, and it just happens to be your birthday.”
“I don’t know. Hang out with, Rach I guess. Would you mind if we went to the mall?”
“No, I don’t mind. I was planning on going myself. I can drop the two of you off, and you can catch the bus back. I just wanted to see what you were up to.” She smiled. She knew that Becky would be driving herself tomorrow. She got up, kissed the top of her daughter’s head, and headed for the door. She turned as she thought of something else. “Scott wanted me to make sure you weren’t late for your DR session later. He says you’re doing well with it, so be there, ok?”
“Yeah, don’t worry, mum. I’ll be there.” Marie turned back to her daughter for a second time.
“Oh and stop tormenting your brother! He’s had enough to deal with lately.” Becky rolled her eyes at her mother as she left; she knew what she meant. He had manifested a month ago. He had been arguing with another student in the cafeteria, his anger had risen, and his senses had kicked in. He smelled the other boy’s fear as well as the lies coming out of his mouth. The argument had been about his sister, although he hadn’t told anyone that.
‘Ro and Hank had tried to intervene, but James had shocked them all by producing perfect bone claws, two from each hand. Then he had shocked them a second time when the wounds in between his knuckles had healed over instantly.
Hank had performed a series of tests on him and confirmed that James had almost an identical mutation to Logan’s, having two claws on each hand instead of three, being the only difference. Becky and Marie had joined them happily in the med lab, while Hank announced his findings.
After another glance out of the window at her dad and brother, she got back to her books.
After lunch Logan was stood in the observation room that overlooked the danger room. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the simulation below. It was a standard rescue-and-exit, but Logan watched nervously as his daughter easily made the rescue with Scott and was attempting escape.
It did annoy Logan slightly that it was Scott she trained with, but she had insisted on it, saying that training with her dad would be too weird. She then clinched the decision by telling him that she probably would have no respect for his authority or any order that he gave her and therefore would get herself killed. He shook his head. She was just like her mother, and she knew exactly what to say to get her own way.
As he watched her, he smiled as she easily used her mutation to fool her enemy, creating a copy of herself, Scott and the ‘victim’ running in the opposite direction, giving them cover and time to escape to the jet. She had manifested almost immediately when they had stopped giving her the suppressant. She had quickly learned to control it, but it had taken the last four years to perfect it.
Now she could create anything that was relatively the same size as her. Once she had created a small car, but she hadn’t been able to keep it up for long. She could also make a small shield in front of her; they had tested it against an array of different weapons and guns with enormous success. Her mutation was linked to her emotions, so if she was upset or annoyed, it tended to be a little unpredictable.
The current simulation he was watching had been used in training several times. It was hard and had tripped up a couple of members of the senior team on occasion. Becky however seemed to cope really well, taking it all in her stride. Logan felt briefly guilty wishing that she would screw up; at least then she wouldn’t get on the team. But he knew she wanted it, and he could never deny her anything.
The sliding door whooshed open as Marie swiped herself in. He turned towards her, smirked knowingly, and raised an eyebrow. “Well, well, fancy seeing you here.”
“How is she doing?”
“I thought you said we should respect her privacy and not watch.”
She looked him up and down, then gestured to him with both hands. “And you’re here because…?”
He coughed and straightened his back, puffing out his chest. “Monitors needed re-tuning.”
She laughed. “Bullshit!”
“Oh shut up, woman!” They both laughed. “She’s doing really well, better than you did on this program. If I remember rightly, you fell off the edge of the building.”
“I was pushed! Hang on a minute…you weren’t there. You watched my training sessions?”
He smirked at her, getting close to her ear before he spoke. “’Cause I watched. You in skin tight leather. I’m not stupid enough to miss that.”
She couldn’t help but blush and then laughed at him. Her attention was pulled back to the DR as the simulation finished and faded back to the blue metal walls. Scott was smiling and obviously telling her that she did well.
“You know he’s going to put her on the senior team, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I know.” He sighed heavily as he spoke. “Why can’t they just stay little and not grow up and answer back?” It wasn’t a real question, and he smiled at the thought of his kids staying young forever. They would drive him nuts.
“Come on. Let’s go get some dinner.” She walked to the door and was about to push the button to open it when he stopped her. He wound his arms around her waist and started to kiss her neck, pressing her against the door. “Logan, what are you doing?”
He reached out and turned off the light so the room looked as though it was empty. “You know exactly what I’m doing, darlin’.”
“Logan, I’m not getting caught having sex in here again!”
“Well, we’ll just have to keep *you* quiet this time.” His hands rubbed up her sides and pulled her shirt over her head. He turned her around and began to kiss her deeply. She was pressed against the door with Logan’s hard, unforgiving body securing her in position.
Their kissing turned needy, and they began to divest each other of their clothes. Logan’s shirt was first. She slid the shirt off his shoulders and pushed it down his muscular arms. Then she practically ripped his wife beater away, so that the pesky material wasn’t spoiling her view of his glorious chest anymore.
Then she unhooked his belt buckle as he tore her bra away from her breasts, kneading the globes once they were free. They had gotten a little bigger since she had the children, and he loved the feel of them. Once his jeans were open, she freed his cock.
Their kisses didn’t stop as he pushed her jeans down, and she stepped out of them. He immediately grabbed the backs of her thighs to lift her up, getting impatient to be inside her, wanting to sheath himself instantly in her musky heat. He tore her panties away and thrust into her.
She was about to cry out at the pleasure of him sunk to the hilt in her, but he clamped his hand over her mouth, remembering that they could easily be heard from the DR if they got out of hand. His thrusts were hard and fast, making her moan into his hand. He began to growl at her as he got closer to his own orgasm. She took one of her hands away from his shoulder and put it over his mouth. He could feel her lips turn into a smile behind his hand.
Their eyes were locked as he drove into her, pressing her back hard against the obs-room door. Even as their joined climaxes took them into silent ecstasy, their eyes stayed locked on each other. When Logan took his hand away he kissed her passionately, lowering her legs back down.
She was about to say something when he clamped his hand over her mouth again. She could hear Scott and Becky’s voices in the corridor as they passed by. Her eyes widened as she looked at Logan. She kept repeating the same sentence over and over in her head. ‘Please don’t let them come in here!’ She was trying really hard not to giggle behind his hand. He glared at her and shook his head, which only made it worse.
“So, welcome to the senior team. I’ll, um, let you have the honour of telling your dad.” He didn’t want to tell him, because he knew Logan didn’t really want her on he team. He didn’t blame the man, Scott had thought on several occasions that if he and Jean had had children, he wouldn’t of liked it either.
“No, Scott, you’re the team leader so you should tell him. Really, I don’t mind!”
“Becky, it’s fine. I don’t mind, honestly. You tell him.”
Scott and Becky’s voices were muffled thorough the door, but Logan smiled at what Scott had said. As their faded away, Logan took his hand away from her mouth. Marie instantly fell into a fit of hysterics and giggled her way through the rest of the day.
Logan was first out of bed in the morning. He looked around his and Marie’s room. They had moved into a large bedroom with an en suite, giving up their two bedroom one to the ever-increasing number of students. Both Becky and James wanted to live in dorms like the other kids, so he and Marie had a room to themselves again.
It was early, too early for any of the other X-Men or students to be up. He had a bad feeling about today. He couldn’t think why, and he wasn’t really sure he wanted to know. Becky was 18; there was no getting away from it. She had grown up, and James wasn’t too far behind her.
He had already been downstairs and got himself some coffee, bringing it back up with him. He stood by the window, watching Marie sleep, sipping at his coffee, and enjoying the view. She was face down across the bed. Her hair piled onto the pillow leaving her neck, back, and ass exposed. He dragged his eyes up and down her creamy skin, smiling because every inch of it was his.
Finishing his coffee, he kissed her back and left her for the garage. They had bought Becky a small car for her birthday, and he wanted to make sure the engine started ok and maybe check the oil to make sure it was ready to give to her later that morning.
About an hour later, Marie came in with the whole X-troupe, Becky in the middle blindfolded. James went and stood by his dad, and Logan casually slung his arm around his son’s broad shoulders.
Marie pulled the blindfold away, and Becky gasped as she looked at her new car. It was a bright pink Suzuki Jeep, second hand, but in perfect running order thanks to her father and brother.
“It’s fantastic!” She hugged both her parents as everyone clapped. Logan reluctantly gave her the keys as she kissed him on the check. “Thanks, dad, you’re the best!” And she hugged him again. He beamed at her, and Marie could have sworn that he blushed.
Logan gave her a quick run-through of the controls and then stood with Marie, watching Becky and Rachael drive off to the mall for the day. Everyone slowly filtered back to the mansion.
Marie pulled away from him and gave him and James a quick kiss before heading for her own car, a green VW beetle. “What time will you be back?”
“About two, I think. I have a couple of things to pick up for the party tonight. Do you need anything?”
Logan walked over to the car, and, leaning in the window, he kissed her again. “Nah, just you.” James rolled his eyes in the background and stuck two fingers in his mouth as if he was making himself sick.
“You know, Scott’s right. You are turning into a big softy.”
“I’m going to ignore that. Scram!”
“Yes, sir!” She laughed as she drove off, leaving her husband and son to their own devices.
Logan watched her go with the same bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He put it down to the fact that Becky was 18, and that meant, as far as the male population of the mansion were concerned, all bets were off. There would be hell to pay if he caught anyone sniffing around is little girl.
He turned to James. “Fancy a DR session?” The boy’s face lit up.
James pointed in the direction his mother had gone. “She’ll kill you if she finds out.”
“You’ll just have to keep your mouth shut then, won’t ya?”
James smirked a familiar smirk. “I can live with that.” Logan smacked him affectionately on the back.
Both of them chuckled as they headed off out of the garage. They hadn’t gone very far when James stopped him. “Dad, can I ask you something?”
“Sure, what’s on your mind?” Logan figured it would be about his senses. James could probably smell almost every thing.
“The smell thing. I’m getting used to it, but…there are so many differences.”
“Like what?”
“I know that you smell different from mum, even though you still smell of each other. And I know that me and Becky smell similar, but different. First off, I figured it was because she’s a girl or because of her mutation, but there something I can’t put my finger on.”
Logan showed no reaction, kept his breathing and heart rate the same, wrestled his emotions down into the bottom of his stomach, and smiled a his son. “It’s because she a girl. They all smell weird. Their hormones and endorphins run riot all over their bodies and make them smell *off*. Haven’t you notice that your mum can smell like one thing one day and then smell completely different the next?”
“Yeah, I guess.” He shrugged his large shoulders.
“That’s just women for ya. They smell weird. Live with it.” He slung his arm around James’s shoulder again and began to walk towards the DR, chuckling along with his son, his thoughts in turmoil over what James was getting at. Becky smelled different because she wasn’t Logan’s daughter. He knew that; he had always known that. He had just never planned on mentioning it to anyone.
Coming out of the flower shop, Marie headed back to the underground parking lot where she had left her VW. She was a little annoyed the florist hadn’t had what she had ordered. They were getting it from another shop, then shipping it to the Mansion in time for Becky’s party.
Cursing under her breath, she rummaged in her pockets for her keys. She never carried a handbag, too much of burden. She had a feeling it was something residual from Logan. He liked to travel light: only what you could fit in your pockets for a quick getaway, that kind of thing.
She came round the corner to where she had parked her car but was confronted by an altogether different sight. Flanking her car were two rather large men, dressed smartly with dark glasses covering their eyes. She noted quickly that they both had gloves on. In the centre, leaning casually on the hood of her car, was Ethan Palmer.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. He looked older and with that age had come a dangerous look in his eyes. She tried to hide her fear by crossing her arms over her chest, refusing to say anything first.
As she looked at him, his face, his body, images began to flash in her mind. Peeling white ceiling paint, him hovering above her calling her baby, a naked woman being harshly fucked, the scratch of a needle as it entered her skin, and the unforgettable feeling of complete euphoria.
It made her want to be sick, but most of all she wanted to run. His cold gaze slowly turned into a smile as he slid away from the car.
“Well, white stripes, long time no see. What’s it been? 17, 18 years?” He took out a cigarette from a expensive silver case and lit it.
“What do you want Ethan?” She instantly turned her skin on, feeling the inner hum as its power coursed through her body. Then as she looked at him, she turned it off again. She didn’t want to touch him; she never wanted him in her head. His memories might fill in the blanks, and she would simply rather not know.
He smiled again. “Me? Well, just the same things as always. Money, power, a nice-looking woman every now and again.” His gaze travelled up and down her frame, taking in every curve of her body. “And damn you are a nice-looking woman.” He shrugged. “But mostly money. What about you, Rogue? What do you want?”
“To be left alone.” The way he had looked at her made her briefly consider putting her skin back on, but then she decided she really didn’t want to touch *him*.
He pulled an over-exaggerated face, which basically meant no. “Sorry, no can do. You see, I’ve turned into a vengeful bastard. Must be all those years in *prison*. I know all about you now. Should have checked you out properly the first time, but hey, I was younger then and hindsight is a wonderful thing, don’t you think?”
She swallowed the growing lump in her throat. She didn’t say anything, so he kept on talking.
“Like I said, I’ve turned a tad vengeful, and today I feel like acting on it. I spent nearly five years in prison because of you. *Then* I spent a week in the hospital because your big hairy boyfriend shattered my jaw.” He tuned his face to the side and pointed to a small scar along his jaw-line. “Had to have it pinned to repair it.”
“He’s my husband, and I should have let him kill you when he had the chance!” She was starting to get angry.
He took a step towards her so he was inches from her face. She stood her ground, refusing to back away from him. “I know he’s your husband. I have been watching you for a while now, trying to, pick my moment, shall we say. I know everything about you, *Marie*.” He lowered his voice to a dangerous whisper. “That big and hairy is your hubby and that you have two little mutie freaks for kids. Had someone tail you for a while. Your girl’s kinda hot,” he trailed a finger down her cheek. “Might have to have a little fun with her.”
Marie’s anger flared, and she slapped him hard across he face, only to be instantly held back by one of the big men. She struggled but knew it was no use. The guy was as big as Logan. She couldn’t free herself unless he was stupid enough to give her an opportunity.
Ethan walked up to her as she was struggling in the big man’s hands and backhanded her across the face. She yelped as the skin on her cheek began to burn. “Nasty little temper you got there.”
“What do you want, you son of a bitch?”
“Like I said before, money. As it turns out you and your little family are quite well known in underground circles. I may hate muties, but I ain’t too proud to work for ‘em. You’ve made quite a few wealthy enemies over the last few years. Powerful, influential enemies, who...” he began to laugh, “are willing to pay me to kill you! Can you believe that? I mean, if they had asked I probably would have done it for nothing. But hey, if I get paid for enjoying it, I ain’t gonna complain.”
He moved in close to her face again, holding tightly onto her jaw so that she couldn’t move her face, and he slowly licked up her cheek where he had slapped her. “You never did complain, did ya, baby!”
******************END OF PART NINE
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Summary: He had a bad feeling about today. He couldn’t think why, and he wasn’t really sure he wanted to know. Becky was 18; there was no getting away from it.