The beams of her headlights reflected through the windows of the small diner Rogue and Logan shared as a meeting place. Tonight Rogue was alone since Logan had been sent out on a mission with the rest of the team. He wasn’t due back for a couple more days and it bothered her no end that he wasn’t there to talk to.
Pushing through the doors Rogue nodded at the waitress even as she headed for the booth she shared with Logan. Sinking into the cracked and faded leather, Rogue glanced out the window and sighed softly.
“You alone tonight hon?” the warm, familiar voice drew a soft smile from Rogue.
“Yeah, he had to work so I’m alone,” Rogue replied looking up into the kind face of Holly herself, “How you doing?”
“Good,” Holly replied setting a cup of hot coffee down in front of the girl, “Anything else for you tonight?”
“Burger and fries,” Rogue said softly before glancing back out the window, “Thanks Holly.”
“No problem,” Holly retreated to drop off the order. With a quick, efficient nod Holly headed for the kitchen. Pour another coffee for a regular trucker that passed through she glanced at the girl known only as Rogue and sighed. Beautiful, alluring, yet distant, aloof even she’d never seen her without the layers of clothes, the scarves, the gloves, yet she sensed that the layers weren’t just a style.
Often she met the gruff, harsh spoken man who put the light in her eyes in that booth. Most nights they sat leaning on each other, coffee cups wrapped in hands, tired looks on their faces. Sometimes they’d talk softly; sometimes they’d just sit and watch the sun come up, his hands tangled in her hair. With the dawn they always slipped away in separate vehicles but there was never any distance between them really.
Settling the pot on the burner she hung the order slip up and moved to refill the sugar containers on the bar. She knew the girl would sit there all night, just waiting for him to show up. Knew that the girl welcomed the solitude but she wasn’t lonely.
Letting the heat from her coffee cup soak into her hands Rogue stared out at the darkness. Without Logan at home she hadn’t even attempted to sleep; the nightmares always preyed upon her mind when she was alone and she couldn’t deal with the all by herself. No she’d wait for Logan to come home before she let sleep claim her mind and body.
The passing headlights of a truck reflected off the tail end of her truck and she smiled softly into her hand. She remembered the night Logan had brought the hunk of junk back to the mansion.
A week before her senior finals she’d been studying like crazy only to give up and go to bed a little before one. Sliding into the bed she’d fallen asleep rather quickly only to be rudely awakened by a rough hand grabbing her arm.
Staring sleepily at Logan who’d stood in the sliver of moonlight coming through the window she’d blinked, yawned and rolled over to make room for him before going back to sleep.
“Later kid, right now I got something for you.”
“If it requires me to get out of bed I’m not interested.”
“Yes you are,” Logan had chuckled and swatted her rump before jerking off the covers and carrying her bodily down to the garage. The truck had been sitting there in a rusty heap and he’d grinned at her and nodded, “It’s yours.”
“Does it run?” she’d whispered fearfully.
“Right now it doesn’t, but a little work and she’ll be purring like a kitten,” Logan had promised with his characteristic smirk firmly in place.
”I don’t know anything about engines.”
“No worries, I do,” Logan replied seriously, “It’s gonna be our pet project that is if you think you can stand me that long.”
“Oh I think I’ll manage,” Rogue remembered laughing at the mangled heap; it had been a gift of untold treasures. They’d spent hours, days, weeks, even months working on the truck and had developed an even closer relationship than before.
Working on that mangled heap of rust they’d talked out their pain, their doubts, their fears, and she’d fallen even deeper in love with a man who most had written off long before they’d even known him.
For her the truck hadn’t been a project, it had been a symbol of what Logan was willing to do for her. The rusted out body, the broken windows, all were in desperate need of some fixing up, and in that gesture Rogue had found the hope that he’d stick around longer than it took to scratch an itch.
He had, he’d put aside his past, his desire to have revenge on those who’d destroyed his mind, and raped his body. Now he focused on helping her, protecting her from the demons that plagued her, that haunted her and she knew she could never hope to repay him his kindness.
Catching the waitress’s eye she smiled her gratitude when she set her order down on the table and walked away. Picking up French fries she munched on them even as her gaze scanned the parking lot, searching for the single beam of a motorcycle even when she knew he wasn’t going to be there.
“Nothing like a fool’s hope,” she muttered under her breath and picked up the thick, juicy burger. Ignoring those around her she ate silently, her gaze rarely moving past the window.
Long after the plate had been whisked away, and her coffee topped up she sat silently, her chin on her fist as she waited, watched, and prayed. Exhaustion pulled at her even as she watched the rising sun coming up and knew beyond a doubt that Logan hadn’t made it back. Rising she tossed a bill on the table and headed for the doors.
“See you later Holly,” she waved at the waitress as she slipped out into the cool, crisp morning air and climbed into her truck unaware of the stares that followed her, of the regulars that watched for her, watched for him.
“He didn’t come,” the robust figure hunched over the counter looked at Holly, his green eyes filled with sadness. “She waited all night and he never showed.”
“He was workin’,” Holly replied as she tucked the bill into a glass under the counter. Solitary lookouts were few and far between, and it was usually him that sat in the corner booth and brooded. Thus those nights were on the house, even if the couple didn’t know it just yet.
“Figure he’ll show tonight?”
“Depends on where he’s working,” Holly replied wiping down the counter, “Somehow I don’t think he’s a regular nine to fiver.”
“No,” the man grunted and tipped his coffee cup, “Seems to me he’s a lot more dangerous than that. One of the reasons she’s so safe. You can see it in his eyes; he’d kill for her, or die.”
Holly chuckled, “Figured you’d pick up on that considerin’ you’ve got the same look ‘bout Laurie.”
“Woman’s my other half. Course I would,” the big man chuckled, “You got enough java to fill a thermos? Better get back on the road.”
“Coming up,” Holly declared glancing out the window as the truck disappeared into the growing light. The girl would be back tonight; that much she was certain of, with the setting sun and the rising moon came the girl and the man who worshiped her and that was just fine with Holly.
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