Marie sits with some excitement in the large partially circular Conference Room, with the entire junior X-Men and the senior X-Men strike teams, and even some of Magneto and Mystique’s people, about five dozen in all. She catches Magneto giving her a look, appraising her new armor. She responds with a cold glare. Even after months of training under him, it is still rather disturbing to be in the same room with him, it's as if he knows as if his echo in her mind knows, and together they are hatching some kind of plan for her, very unpleasant plans if her memories serve. But even that apprehension is no match for the anticipation she has for today, her very first mission briefing as a Junior X-Men.
“This mission has long been in the planning. We have suffered some attrition over the last few months, and I know many of us are utterly exhausted.” Standing on the stage Professor Xavier is wrapping up his part of the briefing. “Which is why we have decided to add some of our newest team members to this mission as well as participate personally.”
Bobby and John are here with her as expected, as are Piotr and Roberto. She must admit they look good, handsome even, in the familiar tight-fitting dark leather uniforms. She fights back a flush of embarrassment when she sees Alison, one of a handful girls picked from the junior team, covertly adjusting her uniform. Marie knows from experience that the leather suit can be very tight, she is glad she is now wearing the armor Logan custom ordered for her. She is feeling even more self-conscious now, thinking back to last night. That feeling is immediately amplified manyfold when Logan finally arrives, his eyes sweeping over her.
She thinks she caught Logan giving her a fleeting smirk and flushes brighter. She doesn't think he knows how aroused she was last night, the documentation that came with the armor, said the suit is also designed to reduce her scent signature. But with how sensitive Logan’s nose is, it is possible he could have caught a whiff of her in that state, and she wonders what Logan thinks of it.
“And now I will turn over the briefing to Erik who will go over the tactical aspects of this mission.” The Professor choosing to ignore Logan’s sudden entrance hands the floor over to Magneto. Marie reluctantly tears her thoughts away and focus on the present. There is a mission coming, she can worry about this stuff later. She slips back into reality just as the Professor’s lecture ends.
Before Magneto could speak, Mystique is quick to interrupt. She is obviously feeling restless after nearly two hours of talking and unused to the formality of the occasion. “About time. Do we have the location of the main lab used to produce the cure?”
“Yeah, it’s in Colombia, hidden in the jungles.” Logan seems perfectly comfortable cutting into the Magneto’s briefing.“I’ve informed my contacts in FARC, they will create the distraction we need. And they’ll arrange for a safe border crossing.”
“That will not be necessary, we will be taking our own transports.” Magneto finally speaks up against Mystique’s interruptions. Marie can tell his is seething, he hates being upstaged like this.
“That ain’t what we agreed.” Logan had a copy of the mission roster in his hand, his eyes narrow as he works his way down the list. “This is supposed to be a raid, not a war. Yer ain’t ready for a war Chuck”
“Raven, Erik and I have discussed this at length. We feel that this is the perfect opportunity to display our unity in the face of these horrible acts, and send a message to those who seek to covertly capture or kill mutants.”
“Ha!” Everyone’s eyes are drawn to the sound of the callous laughter. Sabretooth just entered the room, even with Piotr’s presence Sabretooth is easily the tallest man in the room. His muscular build cuts an imposing figure among the students, striding over to one corner, he lights a cigar and clenches it between his teeth.
She is once again struck by how similar and different everything is this time. Sabretooth is nothing like she remembers, this Sabretooth is not the shaggy almost beast-like man that attacked her and Logan in Laughlin City. The Sabretooth she knew would much rather tear Logan to pieces than stand anywhere near him, yet here they are, a clean cut well groomed Sabretooth looking almost cordial next to Logan.
Sabretooth’s cold eyes rake across the room, “Like Jimmy said don’t think you’ll be sending any messages besides the fact that none of you are prepared for what is coming. Sending kids to fight, when you should be sending men.”
“We are quite prepared for this, Mr. Creed. I assure you.” Erik’s unnerving tone, almost makes her shudder. “You of all people should have a good inkling of what I can do.”
She finds it odd that Sabretooth grimaces at Erik’s tone. Another puzzle piece to the puzzle, Sabretooth and Magneto obviously don’t get along. She hears the low growl before she can see Sabretooth taking one tense step forward. Several of Magneto’s lackey leap up in response.
“Enough!” Logan’s forceful command freezes the room. She is at once fascinated and a bit uneasy seeing this side of him, at how menacing he can be at the moment’s notice. Sabretooth shakes his head decisively but leans back against the wall again.
“Not here to settle old scores.” Logan’s voice while low easily carries across the room. He drops a package on the table in the center of the room. Several plastic ID cards slide out of the bag as it hits the table. “Credentials, everyone gets one, helps with the security doors in the facility.”
She watches him turn to leave, disappointment wells up inside her. She really wanted to be teamed up with him, show him what she can do out in the field.
“Marie, with me.” Her attention snaps back to him, at the sound of his voice. She can’t figure out the look he is giving her.
Before she can even respond, Charles soothing voice cuts into the moment. “Logan, she should be with her team on this mission."
“I am her team.” He stalks out of the room, not even waiting for a reply. Not wanting to be the focus of attention any longer and more importantly she is not going to miss this chance to go with Logan, Marie makes a brisk pace after him.
“Marie,” the Professor calls out to her as she reaches the door. “You don’t have to listen to him.”
“I know.” She gives the Professor an apologetic smile, noticing Magneto’s tense posture and hard eyes, Marie rushes after Logan. She follows him into the garage, a fully loaded SUV is already waiting. She stops a few feet away and is shocked to see Emma waving at her next to the passenger door. She walks up to the car to find a bag already packed with her name stenciled to the side.
Anticipating her question, Emma answers it before she can even ask. “We are departing for the mission right now.”
“Now? But the mission is not scheduled for another five days.” Colombia is far, but not so far where it would take the blackbird five days to get there. Before she can ask for more information, she finds Sabretooth rolling up in a red Ferrari, and catches him giving her a lascivious once over.
“Looking good frail.” His eyes linger over her hips and chest, she crosses her arms and glares at him. The modular armor is based around a skin-tight undersuit, when fully armored she is a menacing sight to behold. However she currently has on only about half of the ballistic plates, and in its current form, it could be considered on the risque side. One of these days she hopes to demonstrate in detail all the offensive features her new armor has on Sabretooth.
Logan comes up behind her placing a hand on her shoulder, after Sabretooth drives off he hands her a small packet, and guides her into the back seat. “Chuck is flying on the blackbird.”
“And we’re not?” She finds this set up strange, the blackbird would be far more convenient. They can depart and return from the mission almost the same day.
“No. We’re going the old-fashioned way, don’t want to bet Chuck's hardware against S-400s.”
Flying commercial is a novel experience for Marie, normally she flew on her mother’s private jet. Of course not only is she flying commercial she is flying economy, something she has only ever heard horror stories about. She was expecting something similar to the school bus that usually takes the kids on field trips. But this is something else entirely, the crowds, the noise, the complete and utter lack of space and privacy, Marie is not sure how all these people can stand being treated like this, much less pay for it.
The one bright side of this arrangement is that she gets to be packed next to Logan. He bought out all three seats in their section, and let her have the window seat. She is hoping that he would sit down next to her, and couldn't help but huff in frustration when Logan sat down on the aisle seat, leaving a what she feels is a large gap between them. One that to her dismay Emma would be filling. She knows she shouldn’t feel angry at Emma, who is practically her older sister but she can’t help it. So engrossing is her anguish she fails to notice Logan reaching over and pulling her to lay down.
He smirks at her “Better get some rest, gonna be a long week ahead.”
She looks up at him with wide eyes, her head is resting on his lap, she can feel the hard muscles of his thighs and the comforting warmth radiating from underneath his jeans. And there is the most exciting yet frightening aspect of it all. She is so very close to that part of him. If she is honest, she long had plans to get herself here, on his lap, yet now that she is here all her carefully laid plans seem to have evaporated.
“B-but, Emma?” Her cheeks flush with color, she couldn’t even speak in complete sentences, much less act on those forgotten plans.
His hands smooth over her hair, twisting a handful between his fingers before he answers “Emma took an upgrade to first class, just gonna be the two of us.”
She turns onto her side and buries her face into his abdomen, not wanting him to see her blushing ever more furiously at the thought of the two of them together anywhere. She feels one of his hand drawing a blanket over her and the other works slowly to stroke her hair before she knows it she’s fallen asleep to touch of his hands and the sound of his breathing.
In the three days since they rushed out of the mansion, not even giving her a chance to say her goodbyes to her friends, it had been one strange experience after another. As soon as they landed at in Colombia, they were on the road again. Logan had an army truck waiting for them on the tarmac, they didn’t even have to go through customs. Marie couldn’t help but wonder at all the things that had to be done for that to be possible.
Marie finally convinced Logan to let her call the mansion yesterday so she could straighten things out with Jubes and Kitty. That is also how she found out that they are now on the strike team, to fill her and Emma’s now vacant spots. Guilty is nagging at her ever since, if she hadn’t been selfish, and left with Logan, Jube and Kitty would not be in danger right now taking her place.
They enter jungle proper early this morning, where shoddy but still paved roads gave way to muddy one lane trails only marked by the tire tracks of previous travelers. Marie is not sure what's worse while trucking through the Central American jungle, the heat, the humidity or the bugs. She has been sweating nonstop since the plane landed and it is only getting worse, adding to the frustration, because of Logan’s tight schedule she hasn't had a chance to shower either. It got to the point where she can’t even smell herself now, she doesn't want to know what Logan can detect right now given his heightened sense.
The truck bounces on the uneven path, often nearly throwing her into the hard top. Marie looks across the short distance to see Logan and Sabretooth, hunched over on their bench. The cargo bed is almost too small for Logan, much less Sabretooth. It is rather amusing to see the two men squeeze into this little box they are riding in. Sabretooth catches her eye, he too seems to have some kind of a sixth sense when it comes to people, just like Logan. He flashes her a lewd grin, and Marie snaps her head away from him.
Emma's cultured voice echoes in her head, “Be very careful around Victor Creed, good looks aside he is as vicious as they come.”
The fact the Emma found Sabretooth handsome is novel, but not surprising, Emma seems to share her taste in men. Marie herself never really paid attention to Sabretooth’s looks before. She tends to notices a man’s bearing first, a habit formed by years of combat training. Only after she decides that they are not hostile does she get a better look. Sabretooth’s demeanor is always hostile and so very similar to Logan’s. Nevertheless, despite the similarities, with a good idea of what kind of an animal Sabretooth is, the difference between the two men could not be more glaring to her.
“Have you worked with Sabretooth before?” Marie’s question echoes in her mind, she focuses on it before letting it float to the front of her thoughts.
“Thankfully no, we’ve met before though, until recently he worked for some shady government agency, S.H.I.E.L.D or M.R.D I think.” Marie can feel Emma’s apprehension regarding Sabretooth, even though Marie knows Emma tries to shield her from it.
“Hey! I know you frails are chatting in your heads.” Sabretooth manages to startle Marie from the telepathic. “Birdy did that shit all the time. Wanna share with the rest of us.”
Marie glances quickly at Emma and she can see Emma tense under Sabretooth’s attention. Somehow Sabretooth successfully zeroed in on one of the few things that make Emma uncomfortable, anyone being able to know when she is using her powers. Maire glares at Sabretooth, she knows for certain that Logan doesn’t care, but rather than challenging Sabretooth on it, she decides to change the subject. She never heard of a person named Birdy, not even in her memories. It is a novel experience and she finds it intriguing. “Who’s Birdy?”
“Some nosy frail I used to work with.” Sabretooth’s eyes focus on her, and Marie can see the gears turn in his head.
She didn’t expect to get any answer from Sabretooth, but she is curious and more importantly very bored, so she presses on, “What happened to her?”
“For that, yous gotta ask Jimmy.” Sabretooth tilts his head towards Logan with a grin. “Last I heard she ran off with him.”
Despite seeing the reply for what it is, an attempt to goad a reaction from her. She can't help but be curious, a woman that ran with Logan. Marie takes a quick peek towards Logan, who meets her eyes but before he can say anything, the truck lurches to a stop, and she immediately picks up the sound of an argument outside the truck. Logan motions for them all to step off the truck.
If Marie thought it was bad in the cargo bed, it is many times worse out in the open. The heat of the sun beats down upon her as soon as she steps outside. Once her eyes adjust to the bright light she can see a squad of armed men waiting for them. A short greasy man waddles forward to meet them, by the number of medals pinned to his chest Marie surmise that he is the man in charge.
Marie feels the commander's gaze gloss over her before it lingers on Emma’s body. As usual, when it comes to the attentions of men, next to Emma, Marie might as well be a plant. And as many times as this has happened before, Marie is still not used to it, she doesn’t think she wants to get used to it. Every man she has ever introduced to Emma, they all react the same way, heightened heart rate, dilated pupils, goose bumps on the skin, it never fails. Not Sabretooth, not Remy, and not even Magneto, whom she is sure is obsessed with herself. All except Logan and even with him she is not sure if he is simply better at controlling his reactions.
“Seņor Logan,” the plump man gives them all a toothy grin, his golden teeth glimmering in the sunlight, his accent as thick as the humidity in the air, “That’s quite a woman you have there.”
How Emma can manage such an icy glare in this heat is beyond Marie but she does her best to emulate it. It is really all she can do as her mastery of Spanish is virtually nonexistent, and the conversation quickly deviates from what little Spanish she understood. It is situations like this that really emphasizes the difference in ability between her and Logan, even after all these months of extra training the gap between them seems wider than ever.
After nearly half an hour of what must be tough bargaining, it finally ends. Logan reaches into his pack and hands over several thick stacks of bills, to the commander grinning ever wider. He seems to suggest another trade, eye once again finding their way to Emma. There was no misinterpreting Logan’s reply even if she did not understand Spanish. Marie can see the perverted little man back away with more than a bit of fear showing on his face before Logan closes the curtain. Back in the truck Marie takes a wet towelette from Emma and wipes the grim of sweat off her face. The cool towelette feels delightful on her face, Marie silently thanks Emma for her foresight, all the while wishing for a speedy end to this mission so she can soak in her bathtub for the next week.
The trip continues without incident for the last several hours, then Sabretooth finally makes his opinion known after some extended grumbling. “We coulda wasted those border guards and kept the money.”
Marie knew he was only talking to one person here and is not her nor Emma. Besides having what Marie considers an inflated opinion of himself, Sabretooth must be the most chauvinistic man she has ever met and considering the crowd from back home, that is saying something.
“It’s just money, I’d rather not have to fight our way out.” Logan’s voice is back to the infuriatingly calm tone that he uses so often, the one that screams I know something you don’t. The small barely audible sigh from Emma and the rather noticeable tick in Sabretooth's right eye shows to Marie that they too have been on the receiving end of it often.
“It is a hundred K Jimmy! We wouldn’t have to pay if you hadn’t insisted on bringing the frails along,” Sabretooth’s fist pounds on the metal bench he is sitting on, leaving behind a large dent. Then he looks Emma with a savage grin. “or just let the fat fuck have a go at her”
“They both have an important part in the plan,” Logan’s voice is dispassionate as if she and Emma are just pawns for him to move. Emma tense at his tone and Marie too would have been angry if she didn’t know better. She squeezes Emma’s hand and sent her some assurance of Logan’s intentions
Sabretooth lets out a breath and rakes his claws through his hair. Glaring in Marie and Emma’s direction Sabretooth growls out, “One of these days yer gonna regret not putting the frails in their place, Jimmy.”
Deep in the Colombian jungle, Marie lays awake on her bedroll, staring at the tent ceiling. She's been tossing and turning all night, she knows the excitement is part of the reason but her insomnia is not at all helped by the feeling that she is covered in slime from head to toe. After a few more attempts Marie finally gives up on any pretense of sleep, even though it is still dark outside. Picking up on some activity outside, she almost leaves the tent as is, covered only in a thin t-shirt with a silk bodysuit underneath. The sound of Sabretooth's voice stops her cold, and she reluctantly dons her armor before exiting.
She arrives just as Sabretooth is departing, a large pack slung over his shoulder. True to her expectations Sabretooth leers at her before he disappears into the undergrowth. She has caught men looking at her before, not as many as she caught them staring at Emma or Ms. Grey but often enough. Of all of them, Sabretooth’s gaze is the most disturbing by far. With Bobby and Johnny, it is just hormones. Remy doesn’t really see her when he looks at her, no matter how much he denies it. Even Magneto’s eyes aren’t filled with as much malice, he is seeking to control her, dominate her, but Sabretooth looks at her like she is something disposable. Marie has very little doubt that Sabretooth would have no qualms about raping and killing her, and not necessarily in that order.
She feels someone at her back, and she jumps with a squeak. Her foot slips on a wet patch of rotting leaves and she slips straight into that man’s arms. She had just enough time to realize the man in question is Logan before she feels him wrap his arms around her, and he lowers his head to her neck taking in her scent. She immediately flushes in embarrassment, and her thoughts tumbles past her lips, “Oh my god, I must stink something horrible!”
Logan gives her an enigmatic smile and sits her down by their campfire. Her mind wanders back to the thought of gazes, she’s caught Logan looking at her too, each time it is a different mix of looks, she is never sure exactly what they mean but it always sends her heart rate soaring and her cheeks blooming. By the time her brain has finally rebooted she is finishing her second cup of coffee.
Marie is drawn by the sound of rustling tent flaps. Emma crawls out of her tent in a revealing tank top and hot pants, stretching herself to her full height with a yawn. On reflex Marie looks over to Logan, hoping to catch his reaction, which would decide if she too should adding a few sets of that outfit to her own wardrobe. She finds him gearing up by their ATV instead, not at all tempted by the sight on display. Logan on a mission is actually a rather scary Logan now that she thinks about it.
“Stay here with Emma, gonna go take a look around.” Logan wasn’t making a suggestion, so Marie just nods in response.
Sitting down next to Marie, Emma pours herself a cup of coffee as well. Together they watch Logan stalk off into the forest. “Word of advice from someone who’s been around Marie, Logan is not interested in a relationship.”
“Emma… Ms. Grey already gave me this talk.” Marie quickly thinks back to all the time she interacted with Logan on this trip, wondering if anything could be considered suspicious. Satisfied that everything can be properly explained she relaxes, “And Jubes and Kitty, even from girls I don’t know very well. Everyone seems to like to give me advice on Logan.”
Emma chuckles and pulls her in for a hug. “He does have a reputation for getting around.”
“Does he get around?” Marie tries but can’t quite hide the vulnerability in her voice when she asks that.
“Not recently as far as I know, but he's been around for a long time.” Emma looks at her carefully, and measures her response, “Much of it could just be wishful thinking by various girls, but I’m sure he is not living like a monk either.”
Marie stays silent, considering Emma’s words. Emma squeezes her shoulder and continues, “Look, I’m not saying don’t sleep with him. In fact, if you have the chance, go sleep with him, and then do it one more time for me.”
“Emma!” Her stomach flutters wildly at the thought of being in bed with Logan, it is both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Would she measure up to his expectations, to all those other women? Thankfully Emma saves her from digging too deep into that path.
“You thought about it didn’t you.” Marie can feel the heat on her cheeks but shakes her head rapidly. Emma smiles at Marie’s denial and rubs her arm soothingly. “Just saying don’t expect more than that from him.”
Having a secret, and ambiguous relationship is exciting but also frustrating. She does expect more from him, she expects this to lead to more than just sex. And she is certain, as certain as she can be when it comes to Logan that he wants more as well. He’s never said as much, just little hints here or there she's picked up, mostly from his eyes, the way he looks at her, and the little things he does for her. There is something more there, more than just lust and desire.
As unsure as she is about whatever it is she has with Logan, she is sure of one thing. This is her little secret, a rare thing in her well-scripted life, something brought about because of her choices and no one else's. She wants to tell Emma, would love to talk with her about Logan, but she can’t. Marie has let the responsibility to Irene, her family, even the school, dictate so much of her life, that she wants to keep this to herself as long she can.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
This chapter took much longer than I expected, things just keep changing down the line. Hopefully all the revisions didn't screw up all the hard work cschoolgirl did betaing. Blame all mistake on any one of my many revisions.
Chapter End Notes:
Up Next :The actual Lab raid.
Thanks for reading.
Thanks for reading.