It was her first time eating at a roadside diner and she felt strangely nervous about the other customers, even the waitresses passing by seem to be giving her strange looks. Her eyes return to Logan, who currently has a cold beer in front of him, a large steak on his fork and is tearing into said steak with wild abandon. If she didn't know better she would be certain that he hadn't eaten in days.
Which is all the stranger that these people would be looking at her strangely. As she ponders these turn of events, she expertly cuts her slice of pizza into several smaller triangles and takes a modest bite using her fork, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin while setting the fork back in its proper place.
She stares at him while he finishes one of his beers in several gulps, his eyes meet hers and he speaks up rather gruffly. “Food not doing it for ya?”
“No, no, it's fine, I just never ate at a place like this before.” She glances around again, the interior of the diner has an almost surreal quality to it, it was like something she saw on those old tv shows. The waitress shows up just then, and in Marie’s opinion leans in far too close just to pour him another glass of beer.
A spike of irritation shoots through when the waitress brushes her hand against his arm and flashes him what she thinks is a very fake smile. Just when Marie thinks she's managed to calm herself down, Logan comes up with a piece of paper. When she looks at him questioningly, he gives her a lopsided grin before answering. “Her number and address.”
She frowns at the sight of the paper between his fingers, struggling against the urge to reach over and snatch that offending piece of paper away so she can do unspeakable things to it. Before her inner struggle plays out one way or another, Logan folds the paper away and places it in the right pocket of his jacket. She exhales in relief and blushes when Logan looks curiously at her. She has been observing him over the last day or so and found that despite the way he looks and acts, he is surprisingly, a very neat, and organized person, that particular pocket is reserved for sensitive trash. Trash, her lips curve into a smile at the thought of Logan disposing of that paper with fire, per his habit.
“What do you usually do besides guard people like me?” She tries again to engage him in some conversation, he has proven to be an expert verbal fencer, well not so much fencing as stonewalling, she admits. If he didn’t want to talk about something, nothing she did could change the conversation. It was a strange experience for her, she prides herself in her ability to subtly guide a conversation. A skill she picked from her years sitting at her mother side and acting as the host for her mother’s dinner parties.
“I don’t guard people like you.” While his voice is not harsh, his terse wording always surprises her. She was pretty certain he is a bit fond of her, and if this is how he talks now, she'd hate to see him trying to converse with someone he disliked.
“No? So I’m an exception?” She teases him, giving him a coy smile, all these skills she learned while meeting with politicians that frequented her home, skills that let her lead her conversational partner, guiding them in small talk and stealthy changes of topics, often knowing their reply before they could even give it. Marie readies her best-disarming smile, if she is reading him right, a gruff dismissal is coming next.
“The exception.” His voice is low and she is certain it did not drift beyond the small booth they sat at. He looks straight at her when he says that, his tone, his emphasis on the word the and his strangely warm gaze made the exchange far more intimate than she expected. Thrown off balance once more she feels her heartbeat speed up again. Since meeting him it has been a nonstop emotional roller coaster ride. Just when she expected something dismissive from him he goes and says that.
She tries her best to glare at him for managing to keep her completely off balance since they’ve met. He simply returns her glare with an amused smile. And she can see why, the image of her reflected back in his hazel eyes, with flushed cheeks, the furrowed brow, make her look more flustered and anything else. His smile widens and she promises herself that she will figure him out one of these days.
It is well past sunset before they arrive at the school, even in the darkness Marie can make out how large the school grounds are. Grassy fields with large oak trees scattered about, several basketball courts, swimming pools, and even a few tennis courts. She can see children and teens running about immersed in various games and activities, laughing and yelling. Next to her, Logan sits in the driver's seat, a scowl marring his face. He had closed up soon as they rolled past the security gates, his expression cold and serious, not at all like how he has been during this trip.
As the car nears the main building two men can be seen standing in front of the main entrance waiting for them. In the dim light Marie can just make them out, one of them, with stylish brown hair and an expensive immaculate suit, she immediately recognizes as Professor Charles Xavier. She can not place the other younger man with glasses in a similar outfit, yet seeming quite uncomfortable in it. Logan stops the SUV just in front of the two men, Marie waits till Logan opens the door for her before exiting. She greets the two men with a practiced smile and they smile back at her in turn.
“Welcome, Marie.” Professor Xavier walks towards them, his expression surprisingly kind. Something shifts in his eyes when they drift over to Logan, and Marie picks up a hint of strain in the Professor’s voice. “Logan, it’s been quite some time.”
“Chuck.” Logan simply nods back and walks toward the rear of the vehicle. Marie still can’t get over how different, he sounds here. He is cold, distant, with a hint of danger, it's like this idyllic country home is a battlefield to him. Despite the tension within him, Logan to her surprise properly presents her to the awaiting men. “Chuck, Hank, this is Marie D’Ancanto. Marie, this Professor Charles Xavier and Doctor Hank McCoy.”
“It is a pleasure, Professor.“ Marie curtsies and then automatically offers him her hand out of habit. The other man looks shocked at her gesture, but Charles grasps her gloved hand by the fingers and he brings them up close to lips. “Pleasure is all mine, Marie.”
“Pleased to meet you, umm lady Marie.” Hank steps up and awkwardly mirrors Charles' gesture.
“Likewise, Dr. McCoy.” Marie curtsies again and beams them another smile. She is just about to slip into her usual diplomatic persona when Logan interrupts.
“Where’s her stuff going?” Logan practically demands, a large suitcase already in each hand, looking supremely annoyed at the other two men.
“I’m sorry, I forgot how late it is, you must be exhausted from the trip, Marie. Please, this way.” Charles offers her his arm and starts to lead her into the mansion when Logan gently taps her other arm.
“Be more casual, Chuck knows but ya don’t want other people to suspect,” he leans in and whispers before letting her go with Charles.
Marie silently chides herself, she is to suppose to be a normal girl now. She will need to curtail her habitual mannerisms if she is hoping to fit in here while maintaining her cover. Walking along the long hallways of the Mansion, she chats away merrily with her two hosts, easily maintaining the conversation despite Hanks bumbling. Navigating the exchange skillfully, Marie tucks away several interesting tidbits of gossip she manages to pull from the men. In the back of her mind, she wishes that she could easily drawn Logan into small talk like this. She has never had so much trouble reading a person before.
“This here is your room, Marie. I hope you find the accommodation suitable.” Charles presents her room with a flourish before turning to Logan. “I’m sure you'll have no trouble finding your room, Logan.”
She hears Logan’s grunt of an answer and has to fight down a giggle. She looks at the place she will be spending the rest of her high school life, and an odd giddiness wells up in her. It was smaller than what she's used to, but it is lavishly furnished with things that would not look out of place at her home, and it was all hers. No more servants, background checks, the weight of her family name. She can be truly independent at last, she can truly just be Marie.
“Thank you, Professor, Doctor, I wish you both a pleasant evening.” Marie sends the two men on their way, and her eyes drift to the retreating back of Logan down the hallway. Returning back to her new room, Marie finds her luggage near the closet and begins to unpack.
Looking around the room, she feels a strange sense of deja vu. She’s been here before, this was her room, in her dreams it wasn’t so luxurious and she shared it with two other girls. A young, peppy, short haired Asian girl and a shy girl with long, brown hair usually in a ponytail.
She is just finishing unpacking her underclothes when Logan returns with the last of her suitcases, and she gives silent thanks to good timing. She smiles at him after he puts them in the closet. He turns to stare at her, the gaze is warm and lingers on her long enough for her to feel her cheeks flush with warmth.
“Marie.” His voice is deep and low, and her cheeks grow warmer. She stares back at him, nervous, waiting, as he seems to carefully consider his words before speak. “I have another job I have to do, I need to leave tonight.”
“But I thought...” This whole exchange seems familiar, keeping her eyes fixed on her suitcase, she tries to suppress a sense of loss, her eyes keep drifting to his neck where the outline of a chain can be seen.
“It's a quick job, was at your place to case the area, wasn’t suppose to start guardin' ya till next month.” Logan stands perfectly still, but a slight bit of warmth slips into his voice. “But you know...”
“Yes, a lot of things happened.” She lets out a breath she did not realize she was holding, and finally gathers the courage to look him in the eyes. Something blurs in the air, flying towards her, she catches it with one hand, and she turns the plastic and metal block in her hand, it took a second for her mind to catch up, a cell phone.
“You can contact me with it anytime.” He slips back into the monotonous professional voice he's used since they arrived here.
She examines the phone and recognized the model, an encrypted phone. Her mother used something similar quite often during her commute. Placing the phone under her pillow, she tries to resume unpacking, but a question slips out before she even realizes it. “You’ll be back?”
“Yeah, few weeks at most.” He says with a smile.
She slowly lets out a breath, “Okay, please be careful.”
She stands by the window long after the tail lights of his SUV disappear, staring out into the darkness, she reflexively searches for something that should be around her neck but is not.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Oops, I might have gotten ahead of myself with the preview from the last chapter. They have to get to the mansion first before Marie can experience her new school life.
Chapter End Notes:
Up Next
Okay this time for real, Logan taking care some unfinished business.
Okay this time for real, Logan taking care some unfinished business.