They got back to the truck. Marie watched as the train slowly disappeared behind the endless trees. It hurt to watch it go, but she felt she would be safer. Or at least, she hoped she would safer. She hopped in, and tried to buckle her seatbelt. It wouldn’t go in. Logan got in beside her, and started the truck. They were both silent, but Marie figured that was how Logan liked it. She continued to fiddle with her seatbelt as the truck began to move.
“Push the button, then put it in.” Marie did just that. It worked.
“Thanks.” He didn’t respond. She noticed that the seatbelt latch had broken off of his side. He couldn’t wear a seatbelt if he wanted to. She looked back into the truck again. Everything looked so old, and even his clothes were tattered. She looked at the leather bag in her hands, the one he had made up for her.
“Why did you do that?” He looked at her.
“Do what?” She held up the bag.
“Put this together for me.” He looked back to the road.
“I dunno, I knew you didn’t have money. I couldn’ just leave ya stranded in the cold without food or money. I’m-” he choked on his words. He thought for a second.
“Are you alright?” He looked at her, then turned his signal on. She became very nervous. They pulled off to the side of the road. Logan turned the car off and turned to face Marie
“I’m not an animal.” They stared at each other for a minute, not saying anything. Logan’s face seemed gentle. He looked away.
“Why do they call you the Wolverine?” Logan looked back at her. He glared deep into her eyes. She could see the inner conflict. The anger. The hate. She immediately regretted asking. He had warned her in the diner not to ask again. She could see the fury building up inside. Then he looked away. His breathing was louder now, and faster. He grabbed the car door and began to squeeze the handle. He began to grunt a little, and his whole body seemed to shake. Marie looked away and curled herself as close to the door as possible, her hand on the handle, ready to flee if he went crazy. He continued breathing, seeming to slowly calm with each breath. They sat, scrunched on either side of the car. Marie looked over to him. He was staring right at her, still breathing heavily. He closed his eyes, and swallowed.
He kept his eyes closed. “I’m sorry...” Marie turned slightly towards him.
“I’m sorry I asked...” He opened his eyes, and they looked moist, and slightly red, as though he was drunk.
“I don’t remember why.” He confessed quietly. He sat, still breathing loudly, thinking hard about the words coming out of his mouth. He reached into his shirt and pulled out his single dog tag. “One day, ‘bout fifteen years ago, I woke up on three mile island next to a dead woman. I didn’t know who I was. The only thing I had was this.” He shook it at her. He seemed frustrated. “On one side it said Logan. On the other side...” He grew quiet.
“Wolverine..?” she asked. He let it drop to his chest. He turned and looked out the window.
“Yeah. Wolverine.” They sat again for a minute. Marie looked at the bag in her hand, then at Logan. He stared forward, his brow furrowed, as though he was thinking. She opened the bag, and pulled out the fifty dollars. She handed it to him. He took it without even turning his head, then he started the car, and they began to drive.
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“Where are we going?”
“Just wanna pick up some stuff.” They drove down the highway. Different cars drove past in the other direction, as though they were running away from something.
“Thank you” she said quietly.
“For what?” he asked.
“For being so kind to me.” He grinned to himself, but didn’t respond. Marie watched out the windows as the trees slowly disappeared, and became prairies. Once in awhile a cow or a horse would go by, but it was mostly white outside.
“What do you have to pick up?”
“Smokes and I need gas. Runnin’ low.”
“What about the gas station in Laughlin?” Immediately she regretted asking.
“They don’t have the cigars I like.” Marie sighed in relief. She didn’t think she could deal with Bear again.
“So where are we going?”
“Calgary. It’s about eight hours from here.”
“For cigars..?” She lazily gazed over at him. He smirked back.
“I got some friends there that might be able ta help ya out.” Marie looked back out the window.
“Another small town?” Logan let out a little chuckle.
“Second largest city in Alberta, darlin’.”
“Oh...”
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It had been about an hour. Marie had grown bored of the snow, and turned her focus on Logan. He was so quiet, it almost amazed her. He seemed to be constantly frowning, as though he disapproved of the world. He wore an old leather jacket that was covered in dust and what looked like dried blood. All in all, he looked like a very angry man.
“Why are ya starin’ at me?” She snapped out of her slight trance. He hadn’t even looked over at her.
“Sorry. I was just staring into space.” He said nothing more. She looked down at the clock on the dashboard. It was one thirty. She was growing restless.
“Where’s the next town?” Logan looked up, thinking to himself.
“I think there’s a gas station about ten minutes from here.” He looked over to her. “You like music?”
“Yeah.”
“What kinds?”
“All kinds.” Logan smiled. Marie looked back out the window, disregarding what Logan had said. Not on purpose, but out of boredom. His smile dropped.
“Wanna listen to some?” She looked back at him.
“Huh?”
“You wanna listen to some music?” She looked back at him. His face looked almost pathetic.
“Why not.” His face seemed to light up, and he reached to push a cassette into the machine. She watched the cassette in awe. She had never really seen a cassette player in a car. A tinny rendition of Johnny Cash began to play. Logan laid back against his chair and smiled, bobbing his head back and forth slowly. Marie just watched him.
“You like Johnny Cash?” he asked.
“Yeah. He’s fine.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. Logan’s smile faded.
“Wanna listen to something else?” He looked almost offended.
“No, its fine.”
“Here.” He reached under his seat and pulled out a small box covered in duct tape. He handed it to her. “Look for something you like.”
“No, Johnny Cash is fine.”
“Just take a look...”
She lifted the cover. The box seemed to be made out of cardboard and duct tape. Inside were a few recordable cassettes marked in messy writing with pen. She flipped through. It was all old country and rock, some she had never heard of before. She looked back up at Logan. He was concentrating on the road, but still swaying to the music a little. She looked down at the box. One read “MAD MAD WORLD” in all caps.
“How about Tom Cochrane?” Logan looked down at her.
“Sure.” He ejected the Johnny Cash cassette and Marie popped in the new one. First it just created static. They both sat silently, waiting for the music.
It started quickly. Life is a Highway.
“Kinda funny, ain’t it?” Logan snickered
“What is?”
“Look out the window. Where are we?” Marie gave him a sarcastic smile. The music played loudly around them. Marie found herself tapping her hands against the side of the door to the beat. Logan kept his glare forward, not really paying attention to her. Marie looked over at him. His head was bobbing slowly to the music. Seeing that made her feel more comfortable. She began to hum along. He kept his glare on the road. She began to sing quietly. Still nothing. Looked like he didn’t mind. The chorus came around, and she belted it.
“LIFE IS A HIGHWAY!! I WANNA...” She looked over to Logan. He was staring at her with a stupid look on his face. “Sorry...” She turned the music down.
“Just...” he stopped, thinking of a nice way to put it. “Keep it down.” He looked back to the road. Marie sat back into her seat, embarrassed, and looked back out the window. The silence was growing increasingly awkward, even though the music was still so loud.
“How long till the gas station.” Marie asked, trying to start a conversation.
“PLEASE don’t start that...” Neither one said a thing for a moment. “Were almost there.”
“Good. I’m thirsty.” Logan reached under his legs and pulled two beers out from under his seat.
“Wanna beer?” Marie looked at him, almost appalled.
“I’m only seventeen!”
“I won’t tell.” He pushed the bottle in front of her face. “You said you were thirsty.” Marie stared at the yellow liquid inside the bottle. It looked awful, but she was intrigued. She had never drank before, not even a sip. Reluctantly, she took the bottle from Logan.
“Thanks.” She stared at it for a second. From the corner of her eye, she saw Logan hand her something. A bottle opener. She took it, and positioned it on the cap. She looked over at Logan, holding his beer, watching her.
“You gunna open it or not?” She looked back to the bottle, and lifted the opener. It made a crisp sound, and the deep smell of beer surrounded her. It reminded her of the bar she had met Logan in, and of the way Bear had tasted. She handed the opener to Logan, and he let go of the wheel to open his beer. Marie felt her heart skip a beat as he let go, but his hand was back on the wheel in a matter of seconds.
“You shouldn’t drink and drive” she said timidly. He didn’t respond. He took a swig of beer, and burped loudly. Marie shifted herself so that she was leaning away from him. She looked down at her bottle. Bubbles were fizzing towards the top, and the scent was surrounding her. Of course, that could also be Logan’s burp. She held her breath, and took a swig.
Her eyes opened wide, and her face scrunched in a little. It was AWFUL! Like carbonated urine! It stayed in her mouth; almost seeming to ferment the longer it was there. She heaved a little, almost vomiting.
“You alright, kid?” Marie looked at him. He seemed almost hurt that she was choking on it. She debated the options. She could swallow it, which would make Logan happy, and her miserable, or she could spit it on the interior of Logan’s truck, and maybe get another look at those knives in his hands.
She swallowed it.
“That wasn’t so bad, now was it, kid?” She grinned a fake grin, and did her best not to heave.
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They reached the gas station about five minutes later. Logan handed her ten dollars and told her to grab some water and something to snack on while he filled up the truck, because the next pit stop wasn’t for a while. She walked over to the store part of the station, and walked inside.
It was all white inside, but everything seemed to be stained with different juices and foods. It smelled a little like freezer burn inside. So far, Marie was regretting not hopping on that train. There were two people behind the counter, a man and a woman. They were talking quietly, and they both disregarded the fact that someone had just walked in. She made her way to the cooler in the back. There were a few different packs of water, some with different sized bottles, and others with different amounts of bottles. They all looked old though. Marie grabbed the cheapest one, and made her way over to the counter.
“Do you mind if I leave this here while I shop?” she asked. The woman nodded her head, and continued talking to the man. Marie propped the bottles up on the counter and walked up and down the aisles, deciding what would be best. She grabbed a bag of trail mix, a loaf of bread, some peanut butter and two cans of beans. Logan seemed like a bean kind of person. She brought it all up to the front counter. The woman came over and began to scan her items. It took a little while, because it seemed her conversation was more important. She finished scanning the last item.
“That’ll be... twelve seventy five.” Marie looked at the crinkled bill in her hands.
“Can we take off the trail mix then?” The door behind her opened.
“What’s takin’ so long, kid?” Logan asked, seeming impatient. He walked over to her, a large oil stain on his shirt, his hands basically stained black.
“I went over a bit” she confessed. Logan put sixty dollars sown on the table.
“Gimme the ten.” Marie handed it to him. He placed it down next to the sixty.
“Pump four, and everything she’s gettin’.” He looked over to the side of the counter, and grabbed a small bag from a display. He threw it on Marie’s pile. “And this.” It was beef jerky. The same brand Marie had eaten earlier. The woman scanned the jerky, and totalled it.
“With the gas, that’s sixty six dollars and thirty five cents.” Logan slid the money across the counter, and she gave him his change.
“Want a bag for all this?” she asked. Logan shook his head no, and began to pile the items into his hands. The woman nodded, and returned to her conversation with the man. Logan began to walk out of the store, but turned to Marie just as he reached the door.
“Can ya take the waters?” he asked. She looked at the pack of water bottles on the counter. Of course he would leave her with the heavier item... She grabbed it, thanked the cashiers, and left.
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Logan unlocked the truck, and hopped in. Marie stood outside her door, unable to open it due to her full hands. She watched as Logan threw everything into the back of the truck, then he sat in his seat. He looked over at her. She smiled and lifted the waters so he could see them through the window. He caught on and leaned to open her door.
“Thanks” she said as she attempted to crawl into the truck with no hands.
“Just gimme the waters...” She handed him the pack, and he violently threw them into the back. Marie hopped in, and closed the door behind her. He started the truck. Tom Cocherane began to play again and they began to drive off.
“So...” Marie started, again trying to strike up a conversation. “Seven hours to go, huh?”
“Yup.”
“Awesome...” She looked out the window, and just then it began to snow outside. It fell softly outside the window. Logan pulled out a cigar and lit it up. The smell was strong, but she tried to ignore it. He remained silent, as usual. The snow grew heavier as time passed, but she found it calming. Her eyes were slowly becoming heavy. It had been almost thirty hours since she slept last. She looked over at Logan, and watched as he puffed on his cigar. He looked peaceful, although his face still looked angry. She looked back to the snow, and watched it fall. She eventually closed her eyes, just listening to the music. It wasn’t really calming, but it was nice. It seemed to be growing quieter. She opened an eye to see Logan turning down the volume, smiling at her. She smiled back.
“Thanks.” He nodded, and looked back to the road. She closed her eyes again, and felt herself drifting away slowly, until she was finally asleep. Logan pulled to the side of the road, and went into the back of the truck. He grabbed a small blanket from his bed, and placed it on her. Then he got back in his chair, and began to drive again, smiling.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry this took awhile to post, I've been busy lately. Enjoy!
Chapter End Notes:
I might not post for a little while because of diploma exams, but i'll do my best to get the next chapter up asap.
Rate and Comment, please!
Rate and Comment, please!