Logan listened as water came on in the bathroom, and he could hear Marie getting undressed and moving under the spray. He briefly considered the idea of coming in after her--knowing she was naked in the next room was a hell of an inducement--but he didn't want to scare her, so he restrained the impulse. He kept listening, though. With her track record, she might slip and fall in the tub. Naturally, he'd want to be prepared to come to the rescue.
Marie scrubbed her hair furiously, then reached for the conditioner. The bottle slipped from her wet hands and skittered along the bottom of the tub. “Shit!” She crouched and scrabbled for it, but now it was both wet and coated with slick hair product, and it took her three tries to retrieve it.
“Everything all right in there?” She jumped at the voice coming from her room, and the bottle escaped again.
“Fine! I'll be right out.” She picked up her washcloth and used it to improve her grip, finally corralling the recalcitrant bottle. There was almost no conditioner left in it by now, but she dumped what there was on her hair and worked it in hastily. She quickly soaped up and then rinsed off both body and hair. She turned off the water and stepped out of the tub.
That's when she realized that, before her ill-planned road trip, she'd cleared all her towels out of the bathroom and into the hamper in a burst of laundry-related energy that had petered out before actually getting to the laundry room. All that was left in the bathroom was a single hand towel. And she certainly hadn't brought any fresh clothes into the bathroom with her. She stood, dripping, considering her options.
One: She could dry herself off as best she could with the hand towel and then put her old clothes back on. Pros: she wouldn't be naked. Cons: she'd have just negated the whole point of the shower. Also, Logan would laugh his ass off at her.
Two: She could ask him to get her a towel. Pros: she'd be dry and have something to wrap around herself while she got a change of clothing. Cons: terminal embarrassment. Also, Logan would laugh his ass off at her.
Three: She could walk out there wet and naked. Pros…
She closed her eyes. Oh, god. Was it bad that she couldn't really think of any cons to that scenario?
No. She wasn't going to be that obvious. “Logan?” she called, hoping her voice didn't squeak.
“What's up, baby?” She caught her breath; he was right by the door. “You stuck in the drain or somethin'?”
She forced herself into offended dignity. “They came for the laundry. Can you hand me a towel from the closet?”
There was a pause, and then she thought she heard a chuckle. “No problem, darlin'.” She listened, hearing him open the closet, and then there was a tap on the door. She opened it a crack, expecting him to hand the towel in to her. Instead, he put a hand on the door firmly, opening it further. Her eyes went wide and she grabbed for the towel, but he pulled it out of her reach.
“Hey. Dangerous implement here.” He unfolded the towel, his eyes never leaving hers. “You could suffocate or somethin'.” He came toward her, and instinctively she crossed her arms over her breasts. Gently he brought the towel to her face, patting it dry. “There we go.” He moved the towel to her shoulders.
“Logan…” God, that felt good.
“Quiet. You don't want to catch a cold or anythin'. All wet like that.” She let her arms drop away as he moved the towel lower. “Uh-oh.”
“What?” Don't stop, for God's sake.
“Think you missed a spot.” And he leaned forward, wrapping the towel around her midsection, and ran his tongue along her neck. Marie thought her bones might melt. “Yeah, here too.” His mouth moved down her collarbone-there was still a bone there, that had to be good-and then his hand ran the towel down between her legs, just as his mouth fastened over one nipple.
“Oh, God.” Her hands caught at his shoulders, to hold herself up as much as anything else. “Logan!” She didn't seem to be able to think of many new words to try.
“What's wrong, baby?” His face was nestled between her breasts, so his voice was muffled, and his hands--
“You're--still dressed.” That was about as coherent a sentence as she was going to be able to muster up at the moment. He laughed softly and raised his head.
“Good point. You wanna do something about that?”
Fingers moving now would be good. She somehow managed to undo the buttons of his shirt and he shrugged it off, let it fall to the floor. Then the t-shirt he wore under it, and that incredible chest was revealed again. She ran her hands over him.
“C'mere.” She shrieked a little as he scooped her up in his arms, towel and all, and carried her out into the other room. He deposited her on the bed and paused only to kick off his boots and shove down his jeans before joining her there. Marie ran her hands over his torso, marveling at the play of muscles under his skin as he moved.
Logan stared down at her as she explored his body with unschooled but enthusiastic hands. She was even more gorgeous than he remembered. Or maybe he just hadn't gotten a good enough look, out there in the dark at night. And she was just as incredibly responsive to his touch as she'd been the first time. She let her head fall back and gasped as he skated his hands over her slick, wet body. He made himself slow down a little, stilling his hands and nuzzling at her neck. Her eyes opened.
“Logan?” One hand came up to touch his face, almost wonderingly. “You're not stopping, are you?”
He smiled against her soft skin. “Not a chance, darlin'.”
*******************************************
Later, much later, Marie lay in his arms, feeling as satisfied as she could ever remember being. He'd been so gentle with her, again, giving the lie to every rumor she'd ever heard about the frightening and terrible Wolverine. She ran her fingers up and down the arm that was locked around her waist. “Logan?”
“Hmm?” He sounded half-asleep.
“Why do they call you Wolverine?” She could feel his body tense slightly behind her, and he didn't answer for a long moment. “Because of the claws?”
“No. Not exactly.” He answered reluctantly, and she remembered how he'd hesitated even to tell her his name. “It was sorta…given to me.” She waited, but he didn't say anything else.
“Oh.” Obviously he didn't want her to continue in that direction. “They call me Rogue. Sometimes.” Since she wasn't on the team, no one really used the code name, but everyone did pick one. Again, he didn't say anything. After a minute, she tried a new tack. “What did Jean say, exactly?”
Now he seemed more inclined to answer. “I told you, she told me about your mutation. And what you'd been going through trying to control it. She's a smart lady.”
“I know.” Jean Grey was everything Marie had ever wanted to be: intelligent, assured, poised, graceful. Especially the 'graceful' part. “I mean, what did she say about--us?”
“Didn't really talk about that. She's bright, she figured it out. Didn't discuss it in so many words.”
“Oh.” Marie was curiously disappointed in that response. She wanted to know what he'd said about her, even more than she wanted to know what Jean had thought.
“Hey.” He sat up a little, leaning over her. “Listen. I ain't tryin' to push you into anything. You just broke up with that guy, I know it might be a little strange. Like I said, this don't have to be public knowledge.” Logan thought that might be what was bothering her, that everyone would think she'd fallen into his arms on the rebound. And he knew perfectly well what his reputation was. It was completely understandable that she wouldn't want to be seen as some random conquest. He didn't want that either. It was different, because this wasn't a one-night stand on the road, this was where she lived, and he didn't want to pressure her. Between the control issue and the gay boyfriend, it was no wonder she felt unsure of herself.
Marie sighed a little and settled back against him, and he hoped he'd said the right thing. She seemed satisfied with what he'd come up with; anyway, she didn't ask any more questions. He just hoped he hadn't pushed her for too much too soon. He hadn't necessarily meant for this night to become a sexual encounter, but once again it had been impossible to resist. And it wasn't as though she'd been anything but an enthusiastic participant. Just like the first time.
It had been her first time, not just their first time. The idea still stunned him. That meant he had a chance to be not only the first but the last with her. The thought gave him a strange thrill. He lay back down and held her close as she drifted off into sleep.
Marie wanted to stay awake, wanted to mull over what he'd said and just luxuriate in his presence. She still couldn't quite believe he was there. But her fatigue was rapidly getting the better of her, and she felt safe in his arms. For once, she was determined not to worry about things and just enjoy the moment.
Eventually Logan fell asleep as well. There was always tomorrow to work out what they would do, what they both wanted, and in the meantime, this was exactly where he wanted to be.
Early in the morning, he woke abruptly to a familiar but decidedly unwelcome mental call.
Logan. We need you immediately, at the Blackbird.
He sat up, rubbing a hand over his eyes. “Christ.” He looked down at Marie, who was just blinking into dazed wakefulness.
“What is it?” She was trying hard to shake off her sleepiness, but between their lovemaking and her long road trip, she'd been absolutely exhausted. He leaned over and pressed his lips against her forehead.
“I gotta go, darlin'. Chuck's puttin' out an alert. Don't get up, baby. It's too early. I'll be back soon.”
Concern and drowsiness were warring for her concentration. “What is it? Something bad?” But her eyelids were drooping again already.
“Don't know, but I'll tell you when I get back, I promise. Go on, go back to sleep.” She put her head back down and he got up, dressed as quietly and quickly as he could, and left the room.
Marie barely heard the door close, but even as she sank back into slumber, she missed the warmth of his body beside her, the solidity of his arm around her. Her brow knit a little, and her dreams were less contented after he left.
She finally awoke for good at around nine o'clock. She sat up, pushing her tousled hair out of her eyes, and it took her a second to realize that the previous night's events hadn't been a dream. She smiled, then remembered the early-morning call from Xavier.
Who the hell calls the Professor “Chuck”? The Wolverine, obviously. Marie got up and finally dug some fresh clothes out of her dresser. As she dressed, she wondered what the mission had been about, how long he'd be gone. I'll be back soon, he'd said. She hugged that knowledge to herself.
When she reached the dining room, Kitty and Jubilee were there, ensconced at a table by the window. Jubes saw her first and excitedly waved her over. She felt strangely self-conscious as she crossed the room, as if everyone would look at her and somehow see the difference. She slid into a chair beside her friends and Jubilee threw her arms around her neck.
“Welcome back, chica. How was Tara?”
Marie laughed. Jubes and her obsession with movies! “Never got there. Stupid truck was about to give up on me, and I just decided I didn't want to keep going.”
Jubilee leaned forward across the table, the familiar fire of good gossip in her eyes. “Well, you picked a hell of a weekend to disappear. You will never guess who just showed up, outta the blue.”
Oh, yes I can. Marie managed what she hoped was a nonchalant smile. “Let me get some coffee and you can tell me all about it.” She got up and crossed the room to the large urns standing on the side table; she passed Bobby, sitting alone at another table, as she went. Their eyes met for just a second and then Bobby hastily got up and basically scuttled out of the room. Marie almost called him back, but decided it could wait. She'd make up with him eventually, but when she thought about what she'd written in that note--God, when would she learn to stop acting so impulsively? Her face felt a little hot as she got her coffee and grabbed an apple from a bowl of fruit before returning to her seat.
Jubilee was practically hopping out of her seat when she got back. “Did you say anything to him? He's been skulking around here ever since--”
“Whoa. Focus, Jubes. One subject for gossip at a time.” Kitty looked amused. She leaned forward and spoke conspiratorially. “Okay. You ready?'' Marie nodded and tried to prepare an appropriate look of surprise.
“The Wolverine!” Jubes was literally bouncing in her chair now. “Oh. My. God. You won't believe this guy.”
“Oh yeah?” Marie was impressed with herself when she was able to take a sip of her coffee without choking. “Why's that?”
Kitty clasped her hands at her chest. “He is gorgeous. But so fierce-we saw him, right after he arrived. He was out back with Pete's dog, and we were so scared, we thought he was going to tear poor Fang's throat out.”
“He wouldn't do that,” Marie protested, and then when the two of them looked surprised, she had to improvise weakly, “I mean, why would he bother with some dumb dog?” She had no idea why she wasn't just telling them. These were her two best friends in the whole world. It was one thing, not wanting to admit to a one-night stand over the phone, but now that she knew who Logan was-now that he knew who she was--
“I was coming out of the dining room--this very room--and I ran straight into him.” Jubes rolled her eyes. “Ay, dios mio. The man has muscles that don't exist on other people.”
Kitty nodded agreement. “And every girl in the school is swooning over him. I saw Jean and Scott having the hugest fight in the hallway. Well--huge for them, anyway.” The team leader and the school physician were the Mansion's resident lovebirds, as everyone knew. But Kitty's words gave Marie's stomach a lurch. Why would Scott and Jean be fighting--Logan had only said they'd talked.
Jubes waggled her eyebrows. “Maybe Jeannie's up for reliving old times? I heard they used to be pretty hot'n'heavy back before she hooked up with Scott. She musta been outta her mind. Who'd settle for ol' Square-Pants when she could have--”
“Stop it!” Marie couldn't prevent the outburst, and both her friends looked at her in surprise. She tried to collect herself hastily. “That isn't funny, Jubes. They're married. It isn't some dumb high-school romance.”
Kitty and Jubilee exchanged glances, and then Kitty cleared her throat and sat up straight. “You're right. That isn't nice, Jubie. It didn't sound like that, anyway. I don't think Mr. Summers likes him very much, that's all.”
Jubes refused to take the hint, though. “Well, if it's not Jean, I'd love to be a fly on the wall in his room. I bet he has to keep an appointment book and it's scheduled a year in advance.”
Marie smiled weakly and finished her coffee as the other two girls continued to chatter about the rumors flying around the Mansion regarding its newest resident. Only a week ago, she'd have been enthusiastically participating, but neither of them seemed to notice her reserve. At last, Kitty turned to her with an apologetic smile.
“Oh, but wait. We're being really awful. You must want to talk about--you know.”
Marie was just relieved at the change of subject. “Oh, Bobby? No.” She rolled her eyes. “God, I feel like such an idiot. With all the gossip you two dish out, how did you manage not to let me know about that?”
“We just…thought you knew.” Kitty put a hand over hers. “Really.”
“Everyone knew,” Jubilee added, unnecessarily. “Didn't think it needed to be said.”
Kitty shot her a dirty look. “Jubes. We're really sorry, and if you want us to go beat him up, he's a dead man. John's away for the week, so he won't have backup.”
Marie laughed, and it felt good to be able to let that particular anguish go. “No. No, I think he's suffered enough. I'd better talk to him, I guess. If he'll stay in the same room long enough,” she added, and the other two laughed as well.
“You might have to corner him, “ Kitty said thoughtfully. “He ran pretty fast, and you were just getting breakfast.”
“Probably afraid I'd dump my coffee over his head,” Marie answered, and then she fell silent again as she remembered another coffee spill, another time. Jubilee resumed her chatter with Kitty, oblivious to Marie's reverie.
Everything her friends were saying--it was just a variation of what she'd heard herself, over the years. It hadn't ever mattered to her personally before, that was all. No one ever gossiped about the untouchable girl--why would they? There had never been anything to gossip about.
She looked at Jubilee's animated face and bright eyes, and tried to imagine what her reaction would be if she knew where the man she'd just finished describing as “sex in blue jeans” had spent the previous night. A shiver went down her spine as she remembered the muscles Kitty was raving about moving under her hands--
“Hey.” Bobby was standing in front of the table suddenly, his face serious. “Sorry. I don't mean to bother you guys, but--we're all in the rec room. You should see what's on the news.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
No one ever gossiped about the untouchable girl--why would they?