He'd made good time, the roads further south had been clearer and the bike had kept him moving ahead of the worst of winter. Cold still ate at him though, pricking his skin and making him wince with its savage bite, and just because he could heal didn't mean he couldn't feel.
The tiny fire he had under the lee of two pines was just enough to keep him warm. The ground too wet to build on directly he'd pulled a stone fireplace together burning pine knots that would keep going even if the snow tried to put it out. The stones would retain the heat and warm the area as he slept for a while, the meagre rations he
had had been eaten and his stomach was complaining. Taking a look around him he saw the remnants of the undergrowth, a few pinecones were on the floor, still closed. Snatching them up he began to prise the tight cones open, the small sweet nuts inside enough to feed his
hunger for a while until he could get going again.
Picking the pieces apart his mind wandered to home, would she still be with the tall red headed mutant? Remy had been his name hadn't it?
She'd seemed happy enough the last time he'd seen her, her
scent had been filled with him and her skin didn't seem to be an issue with either of them. His calm easy air had been lost when she'd fought out of Remy's arms to hold him; the look Remy had given him was smug beyond words. Saying everything in his easy air and smile his scent
all over her telling him of his full ownership. Yet there had been something in her gaze, in her grip on him that hadn't allowed him to fully let go yet.
He'd been quiet and withdrawn all the time he'd been there, even when they'd spent time together, reading her as she spoke and walked beside him unaware of what she was telling him underneath all the words. Knowing she was just as unsure about Remy as he was of her, she'd grown so much, done so much in the years he'd been away.
He'd talked to the Professor nearly every month, just checking that things were fine with her and to tell the Professor how the leads were panning out for him. Keeping the news to the simple things, away from the news of her relationships, hoping to hear that she'd asked about him and being disappointed every time. Hope was something
he'd put to bed the last time he'd left, seeing her face watch him as he climbed on the bike and seeing her realise something was wrong. He was taking himself out of her life, removing himself until there was nothing but a memory of someone who'd cared for her along with many
others.
He hadn't meant the same to her as she had to him, the thought burning into his mind as he reached for the photograph lodged in the inside of his jacket. The dread seeping through him as he realised it was gone, just like she was. Eyes settling on the embers of his fire he knew he had to go home just once more, to check, to be sure he was right. Only then, would he kill the hope dead, leaving for the road again, changed but the same as the winter around him, cold and bitter.
Today was the day; the kids were playing in the snowfall out on the vast lawn even Kitty was out there in the thick of it phasing through well-aimed snowballs. She was in the kitchen watching them all like a mother hen watching her brood; she didn't even hear the electric
motor of the Professors wheelchair until he spoke. "There's a clear piece of weather coming this afternoon, I was thinking of taking some of the students out to Central Park to see the snow sculptures? Would
you like to join us Rogue?" Turning she caught his smile and saw the glint in his eye, her own posture changed slightly and he just nodded. "Of course, we'll see you later. I hope you don't mind being here alone, several people are going to get started on their Christmas shopping so we may be back late." His voice filled the
room and she'd never understood the inflections until she'd actually listened to every word with a quiet mind.
Now she knew he was giving her a clear house, no distractions, nothing to confuse her, no one to interrupt her when she was about to say the most important thing in
her life. Turning to see him leave she sent her emotions to him, her thanks, her heartfelt love for his understanding, listening to his rich voice answer her, "Your welcome Rogue."
A few minutes later, the whole grounds, which had been bustling with life, were empty, the garden showing the signs of play but no one around to say exactly what they had been doing. Turning away she went to wait in the hallway, he wouldn't be long she could feel him the
piece of him in her mind gaining strength the nearer he got. Picking up her book, she settled in for the duration, a calm peaceful smile on her face.
The sun was nearly down when he approached the gates; they opened for him with a bare whisper, his face and hands frozen from the wind.
Going straight to the garage he didn't notice the silence until the engine was off, straining his ears to listen for movement, for the sound of laughter or crying. Finding nothing, he just walked into the main building, the corridors empty of life, the scent of children
everywhere but not one to be seen. Turning the corner he caught sight of someone seated in a chair opposite the front doors, their head turned away from him. Walking down the corridor he knew they heard him because they began to turn, he almost stopped dead when he recognised whom it was, Marie.
Just watching as her head turned to see him, a smile on her lips and a light in her eye just for him. Slowly she put the book she'd been reading down, folding it carefully so she didn't lose her place. Every movement was relaxed, precise almost; her entire focus was on
him. Remembering to move he walked down toward her, the cold still radiating off his body as he neared her. His mind reading her every movement, sensing what she was trying to say without words.
She'd heard the bike move around to the garage, she'd wait
bide her time and wait for him to find her. She kept her mind focussed, the efforts almost second nature now, and the trick of control to relax and let it flow as you do. When she'd caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye she'd almost lost it and stood but he deserved more
than that. Turning her gaze toward him slowly she folded the page back in her book and closed it, seeing him falter in his stride as he realised she was giving him all her attention, every part of it. She could feel the cold running off him as she stood slowly, placing the
book down behind her. Hands relaxed and bare as she stood in front of him, a smile on her face as she slid her hands under the cold leather. Wrapping herself into his warmth, her grip resting on the denim underneath protected from her skin. Stepping into him, one foot
between his the other to the side so her body was flat against his.
Her grip light but strong, every movement of her fingers being read by his body and mind as she moved them across his back and gripped him under his shoulder blades. Letting herself sigh into his shirts and feeling him wrap around her, the purr rumbling through her body like thunder. His head lost in her hair as he breathed her in, the smile on her face the one and the same of the Wolverine in her head.
When she'd put the book down he'd expected her to speak to
him, to say something but she hadn't. He'd only noticed her hands were bare when he'd seen her raise them and slide them under the cold leather, feeling her move into him. Pressing all of her against him, showing him who she was, what she was in these simple movements, the changes
of her body, her full hips and thighs. Her breasts that were pressed against his chest, the scent of her mixed with his own, realising on some level she must have been in his room. Yet the scent was ingrained in her, meaning she'd been in there for some time and it had been a regular occurrence. When her hands had slid up to press
against his shoulder blades, he had to hold her, the grip telling her his status in her mind. The grip of a lover, with her pressed against him, her body resting calm and steady in his grip as he wrapped himself around her. A deep rumble of possession coming from his chest as he held her, dropping his head into her hair and breathing her into himself. Scenting no one or nothing but him on her, feeling her smile and the grip on his back change as she realised he'd understood her. She wanted him, needed him and it was all he'd ever hoped for, moving a little he looked into her face and saw her calm gaze, she knew now and he understood that when he left in spring she'd be
going with him.
Moving his head slightly to the side his question crossing his face without being spoken, her hand lightly touching his cheek and a small quirky smile telling him things would work out the way they wanted them to. There was no need to worry about tomorrow or next year just
yet; they had enough catching up to do. Taking his arm she led him away, taking him home where the words that were spoken would only confirm what had already been said. Sometimes things are best left unspoken, love has to be shown to be understood and she'd finally learned it by listening to the one person who said the most but never
spoke of it.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
We get to the end and see if Marie has learned enough.