Logan gulps down a glass of whiskey, his grim brooding form keeping most of the other patrons away, except for a few of the more adventurous or perhaps more self-destructive women. Pouring himself another drink, he ignores them all. There is a more important problem occupying his mind right now. One he first noticed in Sokovia, and since then it has progressively gotten worse.
It’s getting harder and harder for him to slip out of his fugue state. Now over a week after the completion of the mission, he is still trying to shake that trance. What's worse is that he enjoys it when he is like this, to be free of doubt, to have the clarity of purpose. But he is not a pleasant man like this, he doesn’t want to return to the school, and see the kids he rescued there as a possible threat, most importantly he is not sure how to face Marie like this.
“Fuck, Jimmy, you are way too tense right now.” Victor takes the seat next to him, reeking of booze. “Relax, we got the job done it’s time to celebrate”
“Plenty relaxed.” Logan clutches his glass tighter and pours himself another drink.
“I know exactly how you feel.” Victor slams down a drink of his own, his claws scratching light gashes into the table. “Need to sink your claws into something. I know the next best thing.” Victor tilts his head towards a few figures down the bar. “See those frails over there, the blondes, they like it rough.”
Following Victor's motion and Logan’s eyes land on two curvaceous, leggy blond twins by the looks of it. He considers the offer but that's not what is holding his attention. There is a third girl by them, long auburn hair, large brown eyes, she's not Marie but fuck he can certainly make it work. She catches the look in his eyes and blushes deep red in response.
“Just wanna drink, Victor.” Logan tears his eyes and focuses away, back to his whiskey.
“It's the brunette isn’t?” Victor’s face is split with a lewd grin, leaning in he whispers in Logan’s ears, “I caught her scent, bet she’s the really eager to please type too.”
“Victor,” Logan growls in warning, his instincts thrashing within him, the urge to claim that brown eyed girl grows stronger.
“Don’t worry, Jimmy, I got ya covered, once I drag off the blondes, she’s all yours,” Victor stands up and grabs a bottle of booze, looking back at Logan his grin turns vicious, “She is a virgin”
He watches Victor saunter off towards the girls, they are in for a world of hurt. While he is sure that he pounded into Victor's head that he can’t do anything that might attract extra attention, he also knows people won’t bat an eye at a few roughed up barflies around here. He is not of the right mind to play good Samaritan right now, any conflict he is involved in is likely to be very bloody.
He watches as Victor leaves the bar with one blond in each arm, and against his better judgment he glances at the remaining girl, she looks even more nervous now that her friends are gone, and she flushes even more under his gaze. He tampers down his lust, for blood or other things he can’t really tell anymore, having spent days on the precipice. Instead, he guzzles down more whiskey, it might not do anything but if he focuses on the burning sensation he can keep his libido at bay.
A scream catches his attention. Fuck, the girl is surrounded by some rough looking bikers or truckers, he's not in the mood to make the distinction. He should have expected it, a lone girl in a dive like this. Logan's grip tightens on the counter top, it creaks under the stress, she’s got fucking accent too, not like Marie but close. Maybe Louisiana or Alabama?
Before he can answer his own question, he finds himself amidst the bikers, the girl safely tucked away behind him. “She’s taken, fuck off.”
They weren't going to back off, Logan knew that already, that's why he slams his fist into the closest bikers even before the first words are even spoken. The two men are left groaning on the floor as the rest back away from him. He grabs the girl by her slender wrist and yanks her out of the bar with him before he can cause more permanent damage.
“Thought you were the smart one of the bunch,” Logan growls as he pulls her along towards his car.
“I picked you didn’t I?” Her eyes widen as the words leave her mouth, she immediately looks away and he detects the spike of fear and to his dismay arousal in her.
He practically shoves her inside the rental, then lights a cigar before entering the car himself. Counting on the smoke to at least dampen her scent. “Where ya staying at? I’ll drop you off.”
“Just down the street,” She glances at him a few times before something slips from her lips, “Can’t I stay with you?” It is barely a whisper, but he picks it up loud and clears.
It is a bad idea, he knows it and he thinks she knows it, if he takes her to his room right now, he is not going to be very nice about it. Strangely enough, even though thoughts of Marie might have driven him to this point, now it is also what's stopping him. She is similar, he can make it work, but those heightened instincts are now pushing back, this girl is not the one he wants.
Logan bites hard into his cigar, immensely powerful forces struggling within him. Finally, he leans in close, almost close enough to feel her pounding heart, almost close enough to taste her, and growls out, “You said you were smart, stay smart and leave this be.”
Still tense from last night Logan walks up to Victor’s hotel room deep in thought. He couldn’t remember the last time he turned a woman down, in fact, he hasn’t managed to get laid since he picking up Marie, too busy. Going without sex for an extended period of time was not uncommon in his line of work, on the battlefield, sex is the last thing on his mind. Turning down an warm and inviting woman though, that is what is rare for him.
He pounds hard on the door leading to Victor’s Room, it’s been a week since they finished the mission, at Victor’s insistence they been fucking around all this time. Enough is enough, he wants to get an early start, he wants to get back to the school, the sooner they hit the lab the better. Victor opens the door naked as the day he was born, with a yawn he gives Logan and annoyed glance. “Shit, Jimmy, it’s way too early.”
Logan’s nose tells him exactly what went down here last night, beside the odor of sex there is a lingering scent of fear and blood. He glances past Victor, at the two other figures passed out on the bed, beaten up and bruised but alive. Victor kept to his promise, the authority won’t be getting involved, just two girls that drank too much and got roughed up, there are hundreds of case like this it would be a month before an investigation were to start, if at all. “Get dressed. We’ve been fucking around long enough, it’s time”
“Why didn’t you fucking say so, Jimmy!” Victor’s eyes light up immediately at the prospect of violence.
He slams the door in Logan’ s face and appears fully dress a few minutes later. Logan is already waiting in the car, he watches as Victor struts down the stairs, planting himself into the passenger side seat. Logan watches as Victor stretches himself out in the new rental, with a smug satisfied smile on his face. Victor looks at him with a mocking smile. “Tick tock, Jimmy. Tick tock.”
Standing near the balcony entrance in a green strapless silk gown over her sheer body stocking, Marie finally manages to shake all the male attention that she somehow gathered. This reception is supposed to be a celebration to mark the reunion of the founding members of the X-Men, together again for the benefit of all mankind. It didn’t feel like that at all, not to Marie. She knows better, it’s parties like this where the rich and powerful come and barter away the lives, hopes, and dreams of the next generation. She’s been to her share of these negotiations, hidden from view by the grandeur and pageantry on display in this very ballroom. Even still she knows that some of this deal making is necessary, it is a facet of life, for some to win, others have to lose.
Perhaps what is unnerving her is Magneto’s part in all this maneuvering, she can’t shake the feeling that he is positioning himself for something, and things that could have very unpleasant ramifications for her. She spent the better part of the evening avoiding him, just like the last few days, hoping to hold out until Logan’s return and trying to minimize any contact with Magneto before she is forced to undertake his lessons.
Magneto must have figured something out just as she had because he is certainly devoting more time trying to catch her alone. She would frequently catch him near her, usually talking with another member of the faculty, or a student. His eyes however always track her through the room, now more than ever she is thankful for the evasion training Emma had forced on her. She just never thought she would need it her at the school of all places.
Even now she can feel Magneto’s eyes on her, he just ended a conversation with the deputy mayor, and she just knows he is going to seek her out. She looks around for any chance of relief, finding Jubes and Kitty twirling on the dance floor their eyes bright and smiles wide, she lets a slight smile graced her lips. Magneto is not an issue she wants to burden them with, he is dangerous and manipulative, involving them would only endanger them.
There are a lot of people in the ballroom, but given his effect on her she is unwilling to risk a one-to-one conversation with him, she does not yet trust herself to stand up to him. She is not without her own bag of tricks though, Magneto is a stickler on propriety, always trying to project a commanding and ceremonial presence. She thrives in such formal occasions as well and knows a myriad of ways to politely turn down unwanted suitors.
She does not want to resort to that yet, this struggle is a long term one, she should not lay out all her cards so early in the contest. She easily catches the eyes of one of the Mansion’s newest residences, and a consummate flirt. She lets an inviting look slip before walking out to the balcony. She is confident that Remy Lebeau will reach her before Magneto will, it is far easier for Lebeau to brush aside some female attention than it would be for Magneto to disengage from New York's powerful and wealthy.
The cool evening air brushing over her, sending a shiver throughout her body. She hears the door behind her click open. Turning around she finds Remy Lebeau, behind her with two glasses of wine, exactly as she expected. She has mixed feelings on using him like this, most of it stems from those memories, she had been engaged to him in them, only to have him abandoning her to the labs and its tortuous experimentation. Nevertheless, she can see the appeal, tall and handsome, Remy is a perfect mixture of danger and romance, he flirts with many women, but when he is with any of them, he can make them feel like they are the only ones in the world.
“Chere?” He offers her a glass, the yellow liquid sparkles in the light. She admits she is using him right now, mostly as an excuse to stay away from Magneto, but she can’t say she is not enjoying the company. Charming and attentive, and that accent, not a bad combination at all, in her humble opinion. But there is one thing bothering her still, and she shakes her head at the offered glass.
They way he looks at her it is filled with longing, tinged with sadness and regret. It looks genuine, but she knows she cannot be the one to have this effect on him, not yet, he is looking at her like she is a bygone lover. Her thoughts slip from her lips, and she silently curses herself for this lapse of control, “You realize I'm not her, right?”
“Whom do you mean chere?” He deflects the question with his own while flashing her a sensual smile, his eyes focusing solely on her. She thought those red irises would be unnerving instead project a sense of warmth, familiarity, enough to draw her in, enough to make her cheeks bloom.
Yet Marie is not a novice at these games, she’s encountered many situations like this before, and not all of them are from her dreams and memories. Of course very few of them are as skilled as the man before her. But just because Remy seems to be a dashing rogue straight out of some romance novel does not mean she can be so easily swept off her feet.
“Whomever it is you think of when you look at me,” she fires back with emphasis on her accent, giving him a demure look through her lashes, followed by a curve of her lips. She silently celebrates when she sees a flash of shock and confusion in his eyes.
He recovers quickly and leans in toward her and whispers softly, intimately, “There is no one else when Remy is with you.”
Marie fights off a shudder at his words, he might just be the best charmer she has yet met, still, she knows she struck home when he set himself up so well for a comeback. “Only when you're with me?”
He backs away with a smile, and that sense of intimacy disappears with him.“Well played ma chere, may-”
She is drawn towards the main court yard, the familiar sound of an SUV pulling up to the main building of the school, even in the waning twilight she recognizes that vehicle. She catches Logan’s familiar silhouette, alongside a taller bigger man, his features indistinct in the encroaching darkness. The door to the balcony opens again, Marie is perfectly aware of who it will be.
Magneto steps out, eyes focused on her, with barely a glance at her companion. Marie can’t help but find the contrast between the two men intriguing. Remy looks positively dashing in his three-piece suit, the slightly mussed hair, the sensual swagger in his stance, an obvious rebel even while meeting every requirement for a party such as this one. Magneto could not have been more different, it is as if he stepped straight out of the last century. He's wearing a custom dark burgundy suit, paired with expensive military style boots, and inverness cape draped over his shoulders. He stands tall and straight, radiating a presence, one Marie has encountered often in her life, one she can’t help but curtsy at.
“Ms. D’Ancanto.” Magneto nods, his face completely impassive, but she can sense an underlying tension, in the hard glare of his eyes. If Remy senses anything amiss he does not show it, not in his expression. But Marie can sense a slight shift in him, the slight bend of his knees, the pivot of his foot, Remy might look totally relaxed, and at ease, but he just got ready for a fight.
A plan is forming in her mind, she steps between the two men, flashing Remy an amused grin. Turning toward Magneto, she purposely keeps her eyes downcast. “Mr. Lehnsherr, might I introduce Mr. Lebeau?”
“Yes, we have met.” They say in unison. This is one of the most loaded greetings she has ever seen, she must admit she is curious about their history. The two men make no other movements, towards each other or otherwise, and she marvels at the turn of events, what is it about her having pleasant conversations with other men, that make men like Magneto, and to a lesser extent even Logan turn into neanderthals. Sighing to herself, she has to admit with the slightest smile appearing on her face, that the conversation which made Logan act out was far from a pleasant one.
“Mr. Lebeau here was just catching me up on the latest gossip from down south.” Marie smiles at Remy again, before addressing Magneto, “Might I inquires as to why you're here sir?”
It took much of her willpower to ignore that disturbing gleam appearing in his eyes when she calls him sir. She has some suspicions about his intentions towards her, she even braves a few moments of his presence in the forefront of her mind, as an attempt to figure things out. With that one look, he just confirms for her some of her worst fears.
“It is not proper to traffic in gossip Ms. D’Ancanto, you should know better.” His patronizing tone is grating on her nerves as well as her ears, but for some reason, she feels the need to apologize.
Remy interrupts before she can, “Nonsense monsieur, gossip is one of life's great delights.” He steps up right next to her, slipping a hand onto her waist.
Marie resists the urge to brush him aside, she needs to play this carefully. She can manage Remy if need be, it is Magneto that is the main threat to her right now. He likes her demure and submissive, that much is now evident and that god awful presence of him inside her mind is more than happy to oblige him, to push her along. But she is not some pliant little girl, she knows she can take advantage of that twisted desire of his, and turn the tables on him.
So she makes sure to not pull away from Remy and instead peeks at him through her lashes. “You really think gossip one of life's great delights?”
“Of course chere, we are all social creatures by nature, it is only right that we share interesting morsels amongst good friends, no?” She did feel bad about not pay much attention to Remy right now since he is helping her, but she needs all her mental faculties to plot her way through this minefield. Seeing as now Magneto is now seething under his calm demeanor, she knows she made the correct opening move, and she intends to exploit it fully.
It takes her close to two hours before she can escape from Remy and Magneto. She is fairly certain at least that she managed to avoid seeming overly close to either of the two men. Not wanting to delay any further she decides not to change out of her party dress. It is hard for her not to simply break into a run toward Logan’s room. While she was at the party, she managed to put her concerns out of her mind. But now she is a little worried, normally he would have sought her out by now, if not shortly after his return.
She passes the kitchen in a blur only to backtrack inside. Gathering a good sample of pies she baked for the reception she continues again down the path through the dimly lit hallways. Something seems different about him today, she's not sure if it's because of the tall familiar man that returned with him or perhaps his mind is just occupied by something, but something didn’t feel right.
She has never seen that look in his eyes before, and she feels the need to figure out what’s going on. They had seemed to have gotten much closer just before he left on this mission, and she is worried. The thought that he might have found other women on the road pops up in her mind. But she bats those thoughts away as she approaches the door to his room.
It isn’t locked, and she can see through the crack that he is just sitting there, staring down at his gloved hands repeatedly sheathing and releasing his claws. Pushing the door open she steps inside when suddenly Logan leaps from his seat with a growl. It should have been intimidating, he looks so fearsome like that, knees slightly bent, hands held menacingly before him in a familiar battle stance, his eyes bore into her. Yet all she could think about is how fiercely handsome he is. The tactical part of her mind screams at her to put some distance between herself and him. For a fraction of a second a bolt of fear shoots through her, but then recognition flashes in his eyes.
She takes a careful step forwards, putting the plate of food on the nearest dresser. “Logan?”
“Marie.” She finds it odd that he sounds so distant, almost like he wasn't completely here. Her eyes notice something else in the dim room, his claws, they aren’t metal. Filing that tidbit aside, she advances when Logan lowers his arms, he is still alert, but his posture no longer glaringly hostile. Mustering her confidence she enters into Logan’s personal space and finds herself so very relieved that Logan doesn’t flinch or back away. If anything he draws closer erasing that last bit of distance between them, that bit of uncertainty nagging at her.
Tentatively she reaches out, her finger gliding over his claws. Gently taking hold of his arms she slowly edges him back and sits him down again. Even sitting, Logan radiates menace and danger, her training is continuing to insist that she should raise her guard while so close to him. She wavers slightly, Logan is incredibly tense, but before she can come to a decision, he lets out a breath while pulling her between his knees. The warmth from his proximity and the familiarity of his scent finally relaxes her. With a hesitant touch Marie begins to explore his clenched fist, the sharp claws still fully extended. Gradually she kneads away his tension, his fist loosening under her touch and finally relaxes under her care. “Long trip?”
“Yeah.” He is short on words, but she smiles at him when she feels the tension finally slip from him. Slowly the claws retract into that hand, curious, she traces its path with a finger. “How did the mission go?”
“Went well.” Two words from Logan this time, that certainly is a major improvement. Marie takes the hand and places it on her waist, she gasps lightly when she feels his burning fingers pressing into her waist. Gently she begins to work on the other hand, with the same technique. Her focus breaks, and her cheeks bloom scarlet when she feels his right hand rubbing slow circles into the small of her back.
With both set claws safely tucked away and Logan’s hands now occupied with her hips and back, she rubs her hands up and down his arms a few more times before asking, “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, a bit...” Logan’s voice has settled into a pleasant rumble now, satisfied that he seems to have calmed down a bit, she tries to take a step back, to get the pies still cooling on the dresser. However, his hands tighten around her waist, holding her in place “How ya holding up?”
“Me? I’m doing fin-oh!” She is surprised at his question, and that shock gives him the opportunity to pull her in closer. Resting her hands on his broad shoulders she averts her eyes from him. Not deterred in the least Logan runs his warm hands up and down her back and along her waist.
He catches her gaze and holds it, he isn’t satisfied with that answer and she knows it. She also knows he is going to hold her here till she does answer. She considers her options, thinking about how childish she would look griping about who is teaching her, versus the urge to feed him a warm meal. When she tries to look away again he reaches out and stops her with a finger on her cheek, slowly letting the feeling of that leather clad finger caressing her overtakes her, Marie finally lets it out. “Magneto is my instructor now.”
“Ain’t gonna happen.” Her eyes finds his immediately, and she looks at him, really looks at him, there is a possessive glint in his eyes, but beyond that she sees warmth reflecting within, he cares, he will always put her first. Unlike everyone else she has talked to, they just repeat the same words over and over, Magneto is actually a nice guy, she should just face up to him for once, she should just get over him.
No one else understands the helplessness she feels when he is near, the terror that seizes her heart, he tried to kill her, not just her body but her mind as well, filling her with him, his thoughts, his motives, his goals, his urges, and desires. She can’t really explain it, but denying Magneto something is like denying part of herself. They won’t understand any of that, but Logan somehow does, if it were not for his presence in her mind, she would have lost herself to Magneto long ago.
Those three words from him are all it takes, a heavy weight lifts from her heart and her mind. He lets her pull away then, ostensibly to get him some food, but she thinks it's because he is satisfied, they have reconnected again, after the last few stressful weeks, their bond is stronger than ever. Sitting there next to him, watching as he scarfs down the pies she baked by the mouthful, Marie can't help but smile, she feels safe, comfortable, she belongs here next to him. Laying her head onto his shoulder she lets his presence wash over her, washing away her worries, and her troubles are slowly fading away, if only for a little while.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000
Chapter End Notes:
Next Chapter will probably be a while, maybe a few months. Things have gotten a bit out of hand, and I need to get reorganized and figure out where to go plot wise.