Logan took the stairs slowly, he could hear the voices behind the office door, the tone of Jean wheelding as usual. Scott defending her and the quiet calm voice of Hank trying to reason with everyone present.
So when he just sauntered inside the whole room went quiet and every head turned toward him. Logan just stood there defiant, looking at everyone there, they all thought they had a right to tell him and her what to do. How to act, how to dress, how to be, how to love, how to think.
Xavier was quiet, it was Scott who tried to defend what his wife had done to Marie. "She needed to be herself Logan, Jean was only trying to help her. Surely you couldn't deny her that surely?"
Logan just looked straight at Xavier, his head half lowered and his eyes locked onto his own calm grey. "Scott, please be quiet, I think the only reason Logan hasn't hurt Jean or you is that he wants to build a life here with Rogue. And if he does what he wants to to you, I wouldn't allow him back inside the grounds never mind the house."
That had the room suddenly focussed on Logan, he cleared his throat and watched as everyone in front of him gave a slight shudder.
"Right, from now on Marie stays with me on the guest floor." Jean's throat took an inward breath and Xavier's hand came up.
"It's not what you think Jean..."
Logan turned his death stare to Jean and she felt herself shrink backward into her husband.
"Get your head out of the fuckin' gutter Jean! I don't fuck kids and Marie is still gonna be one ta me when she's sixty!"
Hank relaxed into his seat and his gentle tone rolled over the office, "What was wrong with her Logan? We've all noticed the way she's been a little withdrawn lately." Logan turned into the large blue doctor's face, "Jean here was stripping me out of Marie's skull, but the more she removed of me, the more it left of Wolverine, of the shit I've forgotten or hidden from myself."
That had Hank's face dropping into concern, "Really? Jean surely you had some idea of what would happen to her psyche if you did that?"
Jean had the affront to turn her gaze to Hank and try to defend her actions but Logan beat her to it, the long slow slide of his claws drawing down made everyone stop dead. Jean just closed her mouth again and Scott looked apopleptic as Logan still kept his weaponry on display.
"Right, Rogue needs extra trainin' because you've not given her a damn piece of help. She needs touch Hank, I want ya to help her overcome her basic fears Hank. Your fur should give ya some protection from her skin, been thinkin' about it a lot lately. Who she should be able to touch and who she can learn from."
Xavier was calm and quiet now, flicking a look toward Jean and seeing them both talking Logan just growled out. "Fuckin' words CHARLES! Use em or lose the fuckin' head, your choice!!"
Charles coughed and flushed a little, "I was saying to Jean that there was no need to carry on her study of Rogue if you want Hank to help her."
"Then say it, don't think it...."
Jean finally spoke to the whole room, "I wanted to know if Charles wanted me to keep the database I've got on her abilities."
Logan turned to face Jean fully now and brought up his fist to her face, the threat obvious. "No, you're going to give it to Hank and me and we're goin' to look after her from now on. I don't want ya anywhere near her or even look her way. She's ours from now on, we'll train her, teach her, help her."
He looked between the pair of them and saw something that didn't sit well with him, they had already judged her, marked her as useless. As a hanger on, a second stringer but Marie was nothing of the sort and the more they told her she was useless the more she'd withdrawn. Jean had been in her head and destroyed his presence inside her, she'd needed him to balance her out. She'd kept more of him than he'd wanted to admit to but now she had a new version of himself in there to bolster her up.
That version saw her as she was, strong, capable, different to every other person he knew. He loved her, not in the sick cheap way these two thought about it and it told him more about them than it did him. No, he'd love her his way, help her grow into the woman she was inside, the one he'd known about when he'd stopped for her back on that snowy road.
"Rogue is with me, she's goin' to do fine as long as you leave us the hell alone! She's got her friends, she's got us and she don't need you tellin' her how awful she is and how she should cover up all the damn time. But if she's gonna learn to control it she needs to be able to trust herself. Me and Hank are the right people ta help her, not lookin' down our noses at her every fuckin' minute."
Jean was about to speak when Logan held up his hand and put it to Scott's neck. "Red! Don't! Ya told me enough earlier when I saw ya, an if I even scent ya near me again I'll cut it off for him and shove it so far up ya you'll need more than Hank ta get it back down!!"
That had Scott holding Jean to his side, "I'll work with ya, do what needs ta be done but when it comes ta her...Keep ya goddamn nose out of our lives!"
Logan then let his blades retreat, the air in the office calmed further as Hank got up and put his hand on Logan's shoulder. "I'll see you both soon Logan. I'll read the data Jean has and I'll see you both tomorrow." Hank left the room and Xavier wheeled himself out of the office too. "Logan, a pleasure, as always...."
He was left with Scott and Jean who were both looking a little afraid of him, Scott tried to be brave but failed miserably. "Scott, I don't want Jean, never did, it's all her Scott. She could be laid stark naked with a bow wrapped around her, holding a years worth of the worlds fuckin' best saki. An I'd still say NO!" Logan just looked through her as if she were a street hooker and a cheap one at that.
"Don't touch what's mine Jean, you hurt her again...." Logan just let an inch of claw out and slashed the air just in front of Jean's cheek. "You touch her, just once and I'll make your face look like a fuckin' nightmare that even Boy Scout here can't stand!"
With that he left them to it, while he went to check on Marie who was still sleeping upstairs. He had a room to move over later and a new life to build, with help from Hank they might actually make it worthwhile.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Logan lays the law down.
Chapter End Notes:
I added it after all the years, hope you like it!