Logan sprang awake, the thought already fully-formed in his head. She touched me. He had gone to sleep thinking it. She touched me. He vaulted out of bed, forgoing a shower to pull on last night’s rumpled jeans and a fresh t-shirt. Because last night, for the first time, he had seen her again. Not angry, bitter, distant Rogue, but Marie, his Marie. She had touched him with her bare hand, and touch to Marie meant everything.
Give her space, he told himself. She needs space, and time to work through it. He was still telling himself that as he barrelled down the stairs, skidding to a stop in front of Scott. “Where’s Marie? Have you seen her?”
Scott stepped back in surprise, looking Logan over appraisingly. His mouth quirked in a knowing smile.
“Stuff it, Slim, I’ll find her myself.”
He heard the smothered laugh in Scott’s voice. “Try the cafeteria. Last I saw ‘Ro and Jeannie were trying to convince her to go to breakfast with them.”
The cafeteria. The idea kindled something warm in Logan’s chest. Marie was no longer hiding out, isolating herself. She could have a life here, at the mansion. Make a home here. Make a life and a home here...with me, his mind added.
He was still yards away from the cafeteria when he realized something was wrong. The cafeteria at breakfast time was always barely-controlled chaos. Right now the place was deathly silent.
He hit the door at a run, instantly finding her because all eyes in the room were locked on the tableau. Marie, but somehow not Marie, her voice with a different cadence, her eyes now an icy blue. “Don’t you know me, Johnny?” she was saying, as ‘Ro and Jeannie hovered uncertainly behind her.
Fuck, Logan thought, moving stealthily closer, trying not to startle them.
Pyro stood insolently in her way, flicking his lighter, the flame flaring and extinguishing, lighting twin flames in his dark eyes with every snap of his thumb. “Yeah, I know you,” he finally sneered. “You’re the bitch who killed Bobby.”
“Johnny, it’s me...” Marie was saying earnestly, in a clipped New England accent. She reached out a gloved hand towards Pyro and a blossom of ice bloomed in her palm.
Logan’s nose burned with the sulfurous smell as Pyro’s animosity flared into violent intent. “No!,” he roared, still too far away to stop it as Pyro narrowed his eyes and with the next flick of his thumb threw a fireball at Marie.
Kids screamed and scattered, Logan lunging forward as Marie stumbled back into Jeannie and ‘Ro. With heart-stopping clarity, he saw Jeannie’s hand reflexively come out to grasp Marie’s wrist, trying to steady her but inadvertently landing on the strip of skin above her glove. He reached for Jeannie’s other arm and yanked her away just as she started to slump to her knees.
Kids were running everywhere, but Logan’s eyes were on Marie as she blinked and shuddered, her eyes brown again. She took a stumbling step backwards, and as she placed a hand on a nearby table to steady herself it froze solid. She put her hands over her ears, her eyes wildly darting around the room.
“Christ,” Logan breathed as the tables and chairs started to shake.
“Rogue, honey, calm down,” ‘Ro was saying, a tremor in her usually calm voice. “It’ll be okay.”
Marie’s eyes snapped to ‘Ro as she backed away. A chair flew, and Logan ducked. By the time he straightened up Marie was running from the room.
Piotr had Pyro in an in iron grip. Logan realized he was still holding Jeannie’s arm. She was struggling to her feet. “M’okay,” she slurred. “Go.”
“Take care of Jeannie,” he said to ‘Ro, and then he was running after Marie, his heart pounding in his ears.
__________
Marie ran in a blind panic, across the lawn and into the bordering woods. She felt branches whip at her face, thick underbrush snagging her jeans, but she was helpless to stop her frantic flight. She skidded down the slope of a creekbed, stumbling, sharp rocks cutting into the palms of her hands through her gloves as she scrabbled to her feet again, the mud turning to ice beneath her hands.
The voices -- no, the thoughts, of the mansion’s residents were still ringing in her ears.
Murderous bitch. Make you pay for what you did.
That was Pyro’s voice. The others overlapped, mostly unidentifiable.
She killed Bobby...
What did she do to Dr. Grey?...
Get away from her...
Sucks your life away...
She’s going to kill us...
Even Ororo’s thoughts, choked with fear -- Goddess, what has she done?...
Marie finally dropped to her knees, her legs trembling with exhaustion, her lungs burning, her heart pounding as if it were trying to burst out of her chest. She crawled through the rustling leaves until her back was up against a tree trunk, curling herself up, trying to hide from the world.
Hold on, darlin’, I’ll be coming for you...
She felt a sob escape her as her inner Logan tried to reassure her.
She was far enough from the mansion that she could no longer hear the residents’ thoughts. She hugged her knees, gulping in shuddering breaths, trying to figure out what had happened. She had been going to breakfast with Jeannie and ‘Ro, and then all of a sudden she had been watching like a spectator as Bobby tried to speak to Pyro. But it wasn’t Bobby, it was her -- wasn’t it?
She felt so confused, so out of control. And then there had been the flood of thoughts, and the way everything had shaken, and somehow she had known it was her fault. She saw again the shock in Logan’s eyes as he pulled Jean away from her. Jean...she tried to calm herself and think. She closed her eyes, looking in her head. Just a trace...there it was...of Jean Grey, fading already.
“Oh God,” she mumbled miserably, her forehead pressed against the muddy knees of her jeans. “What have I done?”
I’m sorry, Marie. I didn’t mean to. Bobby’s voice, tearful and sheepish.
She sniffled, wiping her face with her forearm. “It’s okay, sugar. I didn’t realize how hard it would be for you, being back there. Seeing Johnny again. I know how you felt about him, and I stole that from you. I stole your chance for a life with him.”
Silence. She skimmed through her head, but Bobby had voluntarily gone back inside his walls. She touched a branch next to her -- no ice. She put her head down again, exhausted. She hadn’t been able to sleep after seeing Logan last night.
As if the thought had conjured him, she caught his scent. She lifted her head and he was there before her, emerging silently from the trees. She smothered another sob, hiding her head in her crossed arms. “Just go away. I’ll hurt you.”
She could feel him moving inexorably closer. “I already told you once, I’m not afraid of you Marie.”
Please, baby, be okay, let me help you...
She jerked back in shock. That wasn’t the Logan in her head. That was him, the thoughts of the man standing before her, pushed into her head by his proximity to her.
She sprang to her feet, stumbling back from him, and he stopped in confusion.
“Don’t come any closer! When you do...I -- I can hear what you’re thinking,” she stammered.
She saw surprise flicker across his face, and then a steady resolve.
“Okay,” he said, taking another determined step towards her.
She backed away again. “Okay?!”
“I got nothin’ to hide from you.”
“Logan!” She uselessly clamped her hands over her ears, the tears making her voice thick and raspy. “I can’t stand to hear it. I already heard everyone at the mansion -- they hate me for what I did to Bobby. They’re all scared of me...even Ororo, and she’s my friend.” She swallowed hard, trying to choke back the sobs, but it was no use. “I can’t hear it from you -- I can’t.”
She thought the tenderness in his eyes might break her. “You won’t, darlin’.” And then he was there, swiftly taking her into his arms, pressing her head close into the curve of his neck, the touch of his skin sending his thoughts even more clearly to her.
Not scared of you...never will be...let me do this, darlin’...just want to hold you...let me take care of you...let me love you...
She pulled back, looking up at him in shock. His clear hazel eyes looked back at her, open and vulnerable. “I told you, darlin’...I got nothin’ to hide.”
His hands smoothed away the tracks of the tears from her cheeks, and then he pulled her close again. She closed her eyes, letting the comfort of him wash over her. The warmth and tenderness of his thoughts flooded through her, driving away the fear and desolation of her own. She drank in his familiar scent, the feel of his skin warm against hers, the safety of his strong arms around her.
He sank to the ground, bringing her with him, gathering her into his lap and pressing her even more tightly to him.
So good to hold you again...this is where you belong...never should have let you go...
She felt her breathing slow, her heart thumping now in a steady rhythm to match his. All her panic and exhaustion had evaporated like fog in the sunshine under the warm steady glow of his feelings for her. A sense of peace and safety settled over her like a blanket. She exhaled into his shirt, breathing in his warmth and scent, basking in his affection, nuzzling as close as she could get to his heated skin.
His hands were running over her soothingly, smoothing her hair, rubbing her back, flexing into the muscles of her shoulders to release the knots there. One hand absently ran down her side. Her shirt had ridden up, and his fingers tightened reflexively as he felt the bare skin at the dip of her waist, a bolt of lust arcing like a live current from his mind to hers.
Want to be inside you...want to make you mine...
“Logan!” She drew back, looking into his eyes.
He huffed a soft laugh. “Sorry, darlin’. Can’t help it. Should I try to think of baseball or somethin’?”
She turned to face him, drinking in the stark beauty of his familiar features, marveling at the flecks of green and gold in the warm depths of his hazel eyes. She slowly pulled off her muddy, torn gloves, and then ran her bare palm over his stubbled cheek. They both shivered at the contact, his arousal rocketing through her body, combining with her own.
She felt the smile slowly spreading across her face. “I’ve never been a fan of baseball.”
She leaned forward, her breath mingling with his for a moment, and then she was kissing him, feeling his lips open beneath hers, his mouth warm and soft and delicious. She could feel his fingers tightening on her body with the force of his restraint as he let her explore. With fascination, she felt the joy and lust that her kiss kindled within him as it spread through her own body.
Have to take it easy...have to be gentle with you...don’t want to scare you...sweet Marie...God you taste so good...feel so good...
She smiled against his mouth -- he was trying so hard to hold back, but she sensed the Wolverine growling with animalistic desire in his mind, and a primal wildness thrummed through her own veins in response. She deepened the kiss, nipping at his lips, sucking on his tongue, breaking through the bounds of his restraint.
“Don’t hold back,” she whispered in his ear, nipping at his earlobe and then his neck, feeling the the Wolverine slip free a little more. “I can feel how much you want this...I want it too.”
He shuddered at her words and she felt his restraint slip a bit more as he deepened the kiss, his tongue invading her mouth, slick and wet and ravenous. She wound her arms around his neck, straddling his lap fully, and they both cried out as she sank down onto him.
With a growl he tumbled her underneath him, leaves rustling under the combined weight of their bodies as he ground himself hard into her softness. He tugged on the sides of her shirt and her buttons sprang free. The barest snick of a claw and her bra fell aside as well, and his mouth was there, laving her breasts, drawing the tension in her body excruciatingly higher.
So beautiful...God...want to devour you...need you so much...have to be inside you...have to make you mine...
She almost sobbed with the force of it, his feelings alone were so intense, and combined with her own the rush of lust and emotion was ungovernable. She threw her head back as his stubbled cheek traveled down her belly, his rough tongue licking at the tender skin there. She frantically pulled at his shirt, and as he lifted up to cast it aside her hands were already fumbling with his belt buckle.
His hands, unsteady with the force of his emotion, came over hers to still them and she felt his sudden concern.
Not like this...can’t take you on the ground like an animal...you deserve better...my beautiful Marie...
“No!” She felt like she was going to cry with frustration at his unspoken thoughts. She wrapped her legs around his lean hips, pulling him fiercely against her body again. She boldly ground up into him, stroking her body against the hard length of him pressed against the rough fabric of his jeans, making them both groan. She dug her fingernails into the corded muscles of his back, licking and nipping at his chest. “Now, goddammit.”
She felt the snap within his mind as the Wolverine broke free, and then his hands were everywhere, stripping her clothes and his, laying her down again on the pile of fabric to map every inch of her body with his hands and mouth. His thoughts were wordless now -- pure emotion -- love and desire and possessiveness and primal satisfaction.
She tugged impatiently at his thick dark hair, her lips seeking his again, her body arching up against his in a frantic wordless request. She felt his momentary hesitation. “Marie...you’re sure?” he rasped, his breath hot in her ear.
“Yes,” she growled in frustration, feeling his amusement at her eagerness and then his intense, joyous satisfaction as he pressed into her. He surged deep, and any pain she might have experienced was swamped by the exquisite pleasure and completion they both felt as his body finally joined with hers.
Marie...beautiful Marie...ah God...so good...so soft...mine...MINE...
He moved deeply within her, rocking her gently at first as her body adjusted to his, and then increasing the delicious friction as she melted around him. She felt his teeth against her neck as he alternated wordless mumbles pressed into her soft skin with tender sucking bites. His hands were everywhere -- soothing, arousing, stroking, positioning her so that every luscious glide of his body into hers caused the pleasure to wind tighter and tighter.
She heard her own voice, breathless gasps of pleasure and incoherent pleas, and he seemed to understand every one, answering her need with every heated thrust of his body. The rush of sensation echoed from his mind to hers, thick and sweet as honey, driving them both onwards.
“Yes...more...” Her hands clenched on his hips as she pulled him into her harder, bucking and straining up against him. He looked down at her, his eyes darkening, and she felt the animal inside him surge forward again. “Yes.” She wanted it all from him -- his total abandon, everything that he had. Everything that he was. Without thought, she brought his hand up to her mouth as he continued to stroke deeply inside her. He watched transfixed, eyes intent on her mouth as she licked the soft pad at the base of his thumb and then bit hard, her teeth sinking firmly into his flesh.
A strangled groan from him as her action stripped away the last of his restraint. He threw his head back, closing his eyes in ecstasy, corded tendons standing out in his throat as sweat dripped down his neck. With a ferocious growl he pinned her wrists above her as his claws snapped out, and then he was wild, uncontrolled, pounding into her, claiming her, marking her as his. She was equally wild, her blood on fire, her body trembling with every raw shock of sensation as he pushed her relentlessly on.
She looked up at him, his dark eyes watching her face intently as he wrung every sensation from her, fucking her like she was everything in the world to him, like he could never have enough of her. She felt him reaching the edge as his mouth came down to devour hers, and suddenly everything coalesced -- the sensation of his body moving thickly in hers, his breath hot against her throat, the taste of his salty skin on her tongue, his rough growls rumbling in her ear. She felt her eyes widen in shock at the almost unbearable intensity of it all, and then she was coming hard, shuddering and spasming around him as wave after wave of pleasure rushed over her and his answering rush of triumph surged through her body.
That’s it baby...ah God...come for me darlin’...so beautiful...mine...
She was still trembling with aftershocks as he thrust erratically into her, his fierce pleasure thrumming through her veins, and then suddenly the blinding ecstasy of his orgasm flooded his mind and hers. She clasped him tightly as he roared his release into the skin of her neck, shaking with the sensation, his body pulsing into hers as his thoughts radiated overwhelming joy and primal satisfaction.
He pressed his damp forehead to hers as they both gasped for breath. Her world spun as he rolled them, leaves crunching under the weight of his metal-laced body as he settled her atop him. She pressed even more closely against him, wanting to prolong the breathtaking intimacy of their telepathic connection even as she felt the Jean’s power fading further.
His hands were still roaming, sliding over her body as if he could not get enough of touching her. As his pleasure and satisfaction receded to a steady hum, she felt concern and a hint of shame coming to the forefront of his mind.
He nuzzled his face against her hair. “Marie, baby...I’m so sorry...I didn’t mean to lose control like that...”
Silly man. She had a sudden thought. She reached for the trace of Jean’s power again, but this time she concentrated, and pushed...everything she had felt, everything she had wanted from him, all the joy of knowing that he had been truly himself with her, holding nothing back. She felt him suck in a surprised breath, his heart thumping a rapid double beat before resuming its steady rhythm.
“Damn,” he said, wonder palpable in his voice, and she giggled.
He squeezed her tight in relief. “I didn’t hurt you?”
She braced herself up against his solid chest on her elbows, gazing into his worried eyes, running her fingers tenderly across his brow to smooth out the furrows. “You would never hurt me,” she said, feeling the truth of it to the marrow of her bones. He understood what she was saying as well -- the past truly behind them now, absolution granted for all the mistakes that had been made.
“Marie...” he said, his voice thick with emotion, and then he was kissing her and kissing her, until she was breathless and giddy and laughing with sheer exultation.
He pulled her tight into the warmth of his body, a satisfied rumble reverberating through his chest and making her giggle again. They lay tumbled together in a contented haze, until finally Logan stirred, feeling Marie’s skin grow chilly in the autumn air.
He pulled her shirt over her bare skin, hands lingering against her soft skin as he tenderly buttoned her up. “We’d better get back before they come looking for us.”
They dressed themselves and each other, their roving hands obstructing as much as helping, stopping to trade kisses every time the need became too compelling.
Logan pulled on Marie’s hand, feeling the growing tension in her body as her mood darkened with every step they took towards the mansion.
“I don’t know how to face them after what happened.”
He tugged her close up against his side. “They don’t all understand yet, but they will. And if they don’t -- screw ‘em. We’ll go wherever you’ll be happy.”
She stopped walking in surprise. “Logan -- it’s your home.”
He brushed aside an errant lock of white hair the autumn breeze was blowing across her face, looking seriously into her eyes. “My home is with you now.”
She felt the tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. He lifted his head suddenly, and she saw his focus shift. A moment later she heard the rustling too. His mouth twitched. “Looks like they came looking for us after all. Lucky for us they didn’t find us earlier...”
He suddenly froze with a predatory alertness, pushing her behind him, his claws snicking out with a vicious snap. Marie opened her mouth to ask, but gasped instead at the sudden sting at her neck. Her vision grew dim at the edges as she took a stumbling step forward. Her head swam as she saw through clouded vision Logan struggling forward, dart after dart piercing his skin. As she watched, his movements grew increasingly discoordinated before he also fell to his knees with an angry roar, struggling to stand before falling again.
Marie felt another sting on her shoulder. She slumped forward, hands out to brace herself against the ground as the world spun around her. She saw a boot appear at the edge of her vision, and looked up into the face of Erik Lehnsherr.
“My dear Rogue,” he intoned, the crisp European enunciation only accentuating the malice in his voice. “How lovely to see you again.”
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000
Author's Chapter Notes:
I can't thank y'all enough for being so generous with reviews. Much as I love smut, it is hard as hell to write, and reading your wonderful reviews really helped motivate me to get me through this chapter. It could probably be polished up a bit, but I wanted to post as soon as I had it to thank you. So, enjoy! :-D
Chapter End Notes:
Please review! :-D