“How much longer?” I asked, kicking my foot against the back of Scott’s seat like a little kid. You might say I was a touch impatient the whole ride there.
“Half an hour, I think,” Scott replied. “And quit it. I’m driving.”
Jean tapped her lips with a long finger. “That’s cutting it close.”
Scott frowned. “I don’t like this idea, Rogue. Why can’t you just do what normal people do and send him an email?”
“He’s not really the computer type.”
“Not to mention,” Jean added, “that dealing with relationship issues over email is wrong.”
I looked at her. “You say that like you have experience.”
When she glanced back at me, I could see she was in full big sister mode. “Do you know what you’re going to do when he arrives?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to correct that to, ‘if he arrives’ but I remembered MacGyver and Dwight. So instead, I said, “I’m going to tell him I love him and throw myself at his mercy. If that doesn’t work, I’m going to tie him up and give him oral sex until he breaks down and takes me back.”
Jean gasped and covered her ears. “I didn’t need to know that.”
Scott chuckled at her discomfort.
We pulled onto a gravel road so bumpy I had to anchor myself or be tossed up against the ceiling. Finally Scott’s shack came into view. Truthfully, it was more like multiple shacks smashed together to form a house. Of sorts.
“Here we are,” Scott grinned at the two of us.
“Nice chalet,” Jean said dryly as she hopped down.
“Thank you,” Scott replied modestly.
Inside, it was a completely different story. The wooden floors were polished, the walls were white with soft watercolors lining them, and the entire space was open and airy. Scott kept it sparsely furnished, but it was perfect for a getaway.
I hoped it’d be perfect for an intervention, too.
Rubbing the tip of my nose, I walked down a hall to the master bedroom. Fluffy down comforter on the bed, dozens of pillows in various shades of blue, and white curtains that billowed open to reveal glimpses of the outside landscape. I added a couple of candles from my bag on the night stand. “Perfect.”
“Wait.” Jean walked in, rummaging in her purse. She took out a box and set it next to the candles. “Now it’s perfect.”
“Jean! Where did you get that?” I flushed beet red when I saw the humongous box of condoms. I was optimistic, but that was plain physically impossible.
“I brought it with me from Washington. Just in case.” She shrugged. “You’ll need it before I ever do.”
Scott looked back and forth between me, Jean, and the box. He opened his mouth to say something, but just as quickly shut it. Shaking his head and choosing to instead stay silent on the matter. I couldn’t help smiling at him.
“What about Warren?” I asked.
She wrinkled her nose and shot Scott a quick look before turning her eyes to the floor. “I’m not going out with him anymore.” Then she looked at me with widened eyes. “You know, he wanted me to dress up like a Catholic schoolgirl.”
We all froze as we heard a car on the gravel driveway.
Logan was here.
Jean glanced at me and then left the bedroom, Scott close on her tail. I stayed, trying to calm my suddenly frantically beating heart. “Now or never,” I told myself and then went to greet them.
As I walked into the living room, Logan turned around from the front window and frowned at me. A deep, never-forgiving kind of frown. I stalled, hopelessness tingeing my previously upbeat outlook.
Then I heard a shriek and was engulfed in a sweet floral embrace that could only be one person.
“Oh my god, Marie! I can’t believe you’re here.” Kitty held me tighter and jerked me around so my back was to the room. “Bobby’s thinking of buying a vacation house and his real estate agent told us we really needed to look at this one. What a coincidence!”
Excellent cover up. I stared at her with new respect.
“Isn’t it fantastic?” she gushed. She let go of me and grabbed Bobby’s hand. “Show me the outside. Do you think I can have pink roses around the house?”
Bobby grunted and escorted her out, but not without shooting one last glare at me. I read the message loud and clear. Don’t mess with my friend.
I wasn’t messing around here. I lifted my chin and turned to Logan, whose gaze was devoid of emotion. Gulp. “Hi.”
“What’s goin’ on?” he asked flatly.
The sounds of two cars rolling down a gravel road registered. I followed Logan to the window in time to see both Scott’s jeep and Bobby’s BMW disappear, leaving only a cloud of dust. Then I realized how close I stood to him. I really wanted to lean closer, but I forced myself to step back. I needed to do this right. “I’m glad you’re here.”
He cocked a brow. Arms crossed, he leaned against the wall. “Are you?”
God, he had sexy biceps. I ignored his sarcasm and nodded. “I wanted to apologize.”
“Apology accepted.”
“Really? You forgive me?” Because he didn’t sound like he forgave me.
“Forgive you?” He laughed without humor. “Hell no.”
I cleared my throat and tried again. “I’m sorry. Things got a little out of hand, but I love you and I want to make it up to you.”
Logan said nothing. He just stared at me with that dead gaze and straight lined lips.
I didn’t know whether to scream or cry. My hands fisted of their own accord. “That kind of attitude isn’t going to help us.”
He stared down at me with conquistador haughtiness and, God help me, I wanted to kiss him. So I settled for the next best thing: I yelled at him. “Why can’t you just listen to me when I say I didn’t mean to hurt you?”
His brow wrinkled but his voice remained low. But it was barely controlled. “You used me to make my friend jealous. How am I supposed to feel?”
He had a point. “Hurt,” I conceded. “But I fell in love with you. The deep, all-or-nothing kind of love. Do you honestly think I faked it the whole time?”
“Didn’t you?”
I gasped. “Of course not!”
“How am I supposed to know what was real and what wasn’t?” He gazed at me like I was a stranger.
And I didn’t like it. At all. So I did the only thing I knew how to do and hooked his leg with my foot and leveraged his head back to take him straight down.
I landed on him—he only made a small oof-- and tied his arms up with mine. “Admit that I love you.”
“Fine way you have of showin’ it.”
A least the fire was back in his eyes. I tightened my hold. “Admit it.”
“Darlin’, this isn’t—“
“Aha!” He called me darlin’. It was silly how that small thing made my heart leap with joy. “I knew it.”
He grunted. “What did you know?”
“You still care about me.”
He sighed. “This ain’t about how I feel.”
“Yes, it is, because if it were up to me we wouldn’t be like this.”
He bucked his hips, flipped me over, and straddle my hips, my hands held tightly over my head. “I gave you pieces of myself I’d never given anyone else. You. And for all I know you were just usin’ me. Not a lot left in the trust department.”
Even if I didn’t hear it in his voice, his anguish filled his eyes. I bit my lip to keep my tears from falling. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. Then I cleared my throat and said it again more forcibly. “I’m sorry. I know what I did was wrong, and I can only plead temporary insanity. But if you don’t let me make it up to you, you’re even worse than I am.”
He looked disbelieving. “How do you figure?”
“You’re willing to throw away something great between us, because it was great and you know it can be again if you let it. And you’re doing it only out of pride and not because that’s what you really want.”
Silence while he studied me. Then he asked, “What do I want?”
I lifted my chin. “Me.”
Okay. I wasn’t so sure that was true, but what did I have to lose? If he laughed in my face, then I’d only be back to where I was—miserable and lonely. But if he said yes…
I tried to project supreme confidence as he held me pinned to the floor, studying me with his turbulent gaze.
Finally he spoke. “I’m not playin’ a game.”
I nodded solemnly. “I’m not either.”
Long, searching silence then finally, “I don’t think I could handle this if it’s another lie.”
“I’m not lying,” I said fervently. “I promise.”
“Because I was serious about this from the beginnin’.” His beautiful eyes told me exactly how serious he still was.
Fortunately, I was on the same page. “Tell me you’re still serious.”
The wait while he considered the answer nearly killed me. Finally, he nodded. “I am.”
“Good.” Hooking my leg around his knee, I brought him down so he was pressed fully against me and gazed at him. “Let’s move in together.”
He brought his face down until his nose touched me. “Why?”
I didn’t hesitate in my answer. “I love you,” I answered simply, because I knew he’d appreciate that most.
His fingers tightened on my wrists. “I love you, too.” He lifted his head and kissed me.
Kiss was such a weak word for it though. It was more like a starved mating.
But first things first. I broke away from him, panting. “Are you saying yes?”
As corny as it sounded, his slow smile was like the sun coming out after weeks of rain. “Make me.”
I grinned. That was a challenge I was up to.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
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Author's Chapter Notes:
It seems we have reached the end of the road with this one. This will be the final chapter, with the exception of an epilogue that is in the works.
I sincerely apologize in advance on how short this is. It's a bit rushed (in my opinion) and that's not at all how I wanted to finish this story. However, sadly, it's either this or about 5 more weeks of waiting for another chapter while I'm busy with the shutdown at work. *cringe* (I've been putting in on average 15-17 hours a day at work for the last 10 days and when I finally get home I'm too exhausted for reading or writing. :( Fortunately, once this shutdown is over there won't be another one until the fall so I'll have plenty of time inbetween to work on more stories. =) (remember-- i'm still taking AU ideas!)
Anyway, a huge thanks to everyone who's been reading. Ya'll have given me the greatest first-timer's experience in the fanfic writer's world. And I also want to say another thank you for the wonderful reviews you've left. You're all the best!
I sincerely apologize in advance on how short this is. It's a bit rushed (in my opinion) and that's not at all how I wanted to finish this story. However, sadly, it's either this or about 5 more weeks of waiting for another chapter while I'm busy with the shutdown at work. *cringe* (I've been putting in on average 15-17 hours a day at work for the last 10 days and when I finally get home I'm too exhausted for reading or writing. :( Fortunately, once this shutdown is over there won't be another one until the fall so I'll have plenty of time inbetween to work on more stories. =) (remember-- i'm still taking AU ideas!)
Anyway, a huge thanks to everyone who's been reading. Ya'll have given me the greatest first-timer's experience in the fanfic writer's world. And I also want to say another thank you for the wonderful reviews you've left. You're all the best!