Chapter 6
The terrifying Wolverine couldn't believe how cute the girl in his arms looked and he felt his heart melt. Her eyes were still heavy and blurred with sleep but wide as she stared at him. Her hair was messy but not as messy as he was sure it could be as she had hardly moved all night within his arms.
He stopped staring long enough to try and put Marie at ease a little when he smelled the embarrassment that was coming from her in waves and could not help but feel proud of himself when he succeeded. She gave him a shy smile and nodded her head in response to his question.
Logan found himself unable to resist widening his own smile in return – a smile that had uncharacteristically sprung to his lips when she had first punched his chest and he had caught the scent of irritation drifting from her.
He had watched the girl in his arms go from half asleep to fully awake and had heard her heart begin to race and then slow down again, probably when she realized where she was – namely in his arms. He had watched even closer as a very adorable blush had covered her face.
Logan had been holding her in his arms all night finding contentment when he listened to her slow, steady breathing as she slept peacefully against his chest. She had shifted within his arms several times and each time it was as though she was trying to get closer to him. She had gotten so close he could feel her heartbeat against his chest through the many layers of clothing that she wore and his own shirt. She had kept a tight grip on him the whole night never letting him go or loosening her grip.
At first Logan had not dared to fall asleep. He had not wanted to wake up and find himself still in the grip of a nightmare with his claws embedded deep within her as he had not many nights ago. He had soon found however that he liked to watch her sleep far more than sleeping himself.
He had found his thoughts dwelling on many different things during the course of the night that were all linked by a common factor – the girl in his arms.
He had wondered how long she had been alone before she had hidden in his trailer and smiled to himself when he remembered her reaction when he had told her to get out.
“You don't know or you don't care?”
That was what she had said to him. He had known that it was all an act even as she was saying it. He could smell the nervousness and the faint pungent scent of fear. Logan had thought at the time that it was fear of him. After all it would have been understandable and expected after what she had witnessed in the bar. He had seen the look of fear cross her face and heard the way she held her breath when he had pinned his would be stabber to the wall. And the scent had washed over him in a wave when he had walked past her on his way to get his stuff and get out. But as he had looked into his mirror and saw her figure getting smaller as he drove away from her something had made him stop. And when he had seen her race towards the truck he had allowed himself to think that just maybe she wasn't afraid of him. If she was why was she running towards him?
Everything seemed to fall into place when he had seen her rubbing her small hands together in an attempt to heat them up. He had reached for her hands to place them against the heater only to have her shrink back from him. There was no denying that it had hurt at the time until she had explained about her skin. It was then that he realized the fear he smelt was fear for him not of him. She had not been afraid of him when he had all but dragged her from his trailer but she had been afraid in case he touched her. Did that also mean that she had been afraid for him when the idiot in the bar had pulled a knife? Hmm. Logan couldn't remember ever having anyone worry about him before, but he found that he liked the idea.
Yes there were many things that he decided he wanted to know about her. After all it would only be fair since she now knew more than any other living thing about him – thanks to him being in her head.
Logan glanced at the electric clock that was flashing on her bedside table and saw that it was coming up to five in the morning. He didn't want to leave her but considering that she hadn't spoken and had only nodded her head he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. He immediately felt agitated and empty when he took his arm from around her small waist and slid of the bed - the springs groaned in response to the shift in his weight.
He gave her a smile and started for the door feeling disappointed that she hadn't spoken to him and -
“Logan...” Marie's soft voice stopped his thoughts and he turned around smiling when he saw her sitting up in the middle of the bed her eyes huge in her head and shining brightly.
“Thank you for staying with me and...and everything,” she told him shyly, her gloved hands fiddling with her bedding nervously.
She looked utterly adorable.
Since when do I use words like "adorable"?
“Any time kid,” he replied drinking her in with his gaze before opening the door and stepping out into the hall.
Obviously since I had someone to label with the word.
As he walked to his room he tried to think of anyone else who could possibly fit that description and came up blank.
At a loss for what to do he waited in his room thinking deeply about the night before. He was glad that she had gotten some sleep, though not as much as he would have liked - but it was better than none at all. He continued to be lost in his thoughts until the scent of Marie drifted past his door and then he made his way down the stairs. He bristled slightly when he detected the scent of Scott mingled with hers but then he remembered what the professor had said about Storm and Cyclops being the only ones she stayed around and he forced himself to calm down. Besides the fearless leader of the X-Men had Jean.
If he was completely honest with himself he didn't know how she was going to act around him. In the past fifteen years he couldn't remember only holding a woman all night and doing nothing else. And he definitely had never been there in the morning, keeping all relationships to one night stands and never taking it any further. While not being something he was necessarily proud of it had worked for him. Logan stopped dead in his tracks and wondered if Marie had gotten that little detail from his mind along with everything else. Well if she had hopefully she would recognise that she was different. She was special...a part of him.
When he got down the stairs he spotted Marie immediately and noted how she had isolated herself from the other students who were all sitting at the various tables - bickering and talking in their little groups. He scanned the room and soon found Scott who was filling up two coffee cups. He saw Ororo go up to him concern flooding her features. His sensitive hearing picked up their conversation easily across the buzzing room.
“I know we shouldn't make her but perhaps we should encourage her more to mix with the other students.” came Ororo's soft voice thick with concern and worry.
The wolverine within Logan began to rise to the surface at the thought of Marie having to do anything that she didn't want to do or feel comfortable doing. Besides the other students were all children and his Marie was no child...well mentally anyway. Frosty for instance, phh...he was sure that kid had not had a problem in his life.
The two teachers glanced at the girl who was sitting alone shredding up a slice of toast. Logan made a mental note to make sure that she ate. One thing that had been made painfully clear to him last night was her lack of weight - he was sure it was not healthy for him to be able to feel her ribs.
Scott and Ororo began talking again and Logan dragged his eyes away from Marie. Scott was shaking his head decisively.
“Remember what the professor said 'Ro,” he mumbled, “She has to do things in her own time and at her own pace while letting her mind adjust. Besides it has only been four days...”
Scott trailed of and as though he felt Logan's gaze on him he had looked up to meet his eyes. Logan quickly recovered and gave his indifferent nod of the head which was greeted by a frown from the other man.
Logan watched as they both went to sit with Marie and saw them both leave a slightly bigger gap than was necessary between themselves and her. Logan growled low in his throat while thinking that he should probably be grateful that they sat with her at all.
Deciding to leave her with some space and not sure how she would react to him after last night he stayed away from her but made sure that he was close enough in case she should need him.
Logan poured himself some coffee and went to stand by one of the large windows that looked out onto the perfectly trimmed and weeded lawn and borders. He took in a deep breath - inhaling the bitter, smoky scent of the coffee trying to get the acidic smell of so many different soaps and lotions out of his nose. He picked up on the many conversations that filled the room and did not feel at all guilty for listening to private talks.
Some were about homework and assessment dates while others were more directly related to both him and Marie.
"Why are Mr Summers and Miss Munroe always with her? What makes her so special?" came the spiteful voice of one girl. There were some murmured responses but he paid them no attention instead he concentrated on trying to control the low growl that was building in his chest.
Another conversation drifted to him and he snorted to himself finding great enjoyment at the thought of how embarrassed some of them would be if they ever found out that they were being listened to.
"Mmm mmm, whose he?" crooned an irritatingly grating voice. For some reason Logan didn't think she was talking about Summers.
He quickly tuned out the conversation and picked up on one coming from a group of boys.
"I still don't get it...what's with her hair?" It was obvious to Logan that they were talking about Marie.
Mumbles were coming from various member of the group.
"Hey Bobby what do you think?" Logan began to pay extra attention now. It was him. That boy.
"Hmm...About what?"
Yeah right. Nice act kid. Like you haven't been following every word.
"The new girls hair - weird or what huh?"
Logan growled low. There was nothing weird about it. There was nothing wrong with her hair. He liked it. It made her as unique on the outside as she was on the inside.
"I kinda like it," the boy finally answered.
Maybe you’re not all bad after all kid.
"It’s sexy...exotic,"
Then again...
Logan nearly choked on his coffee and fought the pull to turn them all into Swiss cheese when he heard mumbled agreements from most of the table.
Adolescent, hormonal boys.
His knuckled began to itch were his claws were trying to push through his skin.
"Logan when you have the time could you come by my office please."
Logan felt pretty proud of the fact that he was getting used to the professors method of getting your attention and taking one more quick glance at Marie he went straight to see Xavier - seriously doubting his self control if he heard on more word from that table.
What can he want?
Probably picked up on that thought I had about skewering them kids. Logan couldn't help but smile. It was still a pretty attractive idea
After the initial greeting Xavier jumped straight to the point after getting Logan's "get to the point already" glare.
He was offered an opportunity to help within the school if he was planning on staying around.
Of course I'm staying. I ain't leaving Marie.
He didn't know whether the other mutant had picked up on his thoughts or not so he nodded his head. Logan could not help but cringe inwardly as he thought of all kinds of torturing scenarios, like babysitting. Xavier must have picked up on that thought because smiled; reassuring him that it was nothing so “terrible”. It turned out to be a request to teach some of the older student’s self-defence.
The idea immediately appealed to the wolverine and he found that he liked the idea of having Popsicle boy at his mercy and he began to think up of 'training methods'.
Just as he was leaving the professor asked whether he has spoken to Rogue yet. Logan figured that if he did not know of what had happened the previous night he would at least know that he had gone straight to Marie upon leaving his office. He did not like the idea of telling him that he had spent the night with her. It was not that he was ashamed or had anything to be ashamed of but he found that he was viewing his time with her as a treasure and he was not one to share. So he shrugged his shoulders and mumbled something about working on it.