Three days they'd been on the road and Rogue could feel the tension building. If it had been sexual tension she would have offered to do something about it, but he hadn't touched her since the first night. No, this was different and with his complete indifference to everything she was pretty sure it was her.

They mostly rode in silence. If she started a conversation, Logan might answer or ignore the subject if it wasn't something he wanted to talk about. Occasionally he made comments, even let her drive for a spell but that made him antsy; she suspected it was the lack of anything to do. Most of their communication was along the lines of 'you best take a leak, won't be another bathroom for hours'. She smiled at that because it showed he at least gave her comfort a passing thought.

If it weren't for miscommunication they wouldn't have much communication at all. They'd had a few more misunderstandings, nothing severe but enough to leave him grumpier and her full of regret. She knew it all stemmed from the fact that they didn't really talk about what they were doing. He was content to sulk and she was too apprehensive about being bothersome.

There were two things roosting in her mind. First was his drinking. She knew he had a healing factor that probably dealt with it, but it reminded her of Savannah after Eddie died. Rogue knew from that experience all the signs and also knew there wasn't much she could do.

The second, she could do something about. He paid for everything from their meals, when they did stop, to motel rooms each night. They hadn't stopped for food the first day as he claimed he wasn't hungry (she was sure he was drinking his meals) and she'd happily eaten through both their breakfasts.

At the motel that night, she'd anticipated needing to 'pay' in full. Not that she minded the thought of paying for her share of the room; in fact, she had actually been looking forward to it. However, they went to sleep in separate beds that night and the next without even a hint of sex.

Now they were pulling into a diner for lunch and she thought it best to say something. "Let me grab my wallet so I can pay," she said as he shut off the engine.

"You old enough to buy my beer?" he asked.

Rogue hesitated, stuck between saying it was too early for beer and having no clue about Canadian liquor laws. In the States that was a definite no, but here no one had even carded Logan. Not that she would blame them for keeping interactions with him to a minimum. He was becoming more sullen the further they traveled.

"Save your cash," he said, shutting the door on any argument.

During lunch, which he barely ate, he continued to look out the window at the cloudy sky. When the snow started he knew it was time. "Need to get going," he commented finally pushing his plate away.

She peered out the window and stuffed the last of her fries into her mouth. He had to give her props for eating no matter what was put in front of her, he hadn't been able to stomach anything lately, at least most of these restaurants had decent beer. She was also very good at not asking questions and letting the subject drop if he didn't want to talk.

Logan would have preferred to be alone on this drive, but he could have had worse companions. The only thing that continued to bother him was her smell. It surrounded him every day all day long and there was no reprieve from it at night. When he did sleep, if it wasn't a nightmare plaguing him, it was sensual dreams of her.

Rogue was surprised when he turned on the radio, as they hadn't had it on the entire three days. However, she held her tongue as he found the weather report. After several minutes of watching large snowflakes fall, she asked, "Three centimeters, how many inches is that?"

"About an inch." He caught her pout and added, "Not enough for you?"

"I love the snow, well maybe not walking through lots of it, but it's so pretty coming down." Rogue gave him a big wistful smile.

"We'll see how much you like you like it tonight."

"You think there will be more than an inch?" her voice hopeful. Up until now most of the snow came quickly, just enough to cover the ground and melt away as soon as the morning sun popped out. It would be nice to see the mountains covered in a blanket of snow all pristine and sparkly.

Logan nodded. "A lot more, something in the air."

There wasn't anything different that she could feel, but she guessed that it was like her grandpa knowing when it was going to storm. Maybe after a few years in Alaska, she would know that 'something in the air' feeling.

An hour later they stopped to refuel at a small truck stop. Rogue had to admit the snow had piled up much quicker than she expected and she could feel the cold through the burgeoning holes in her boots. She'd seen the sign indicating that Regina was somewhere ahead, but even here the snow was so thick she couldn't see much beyond the parking lot.

Inside she wandered around looking at miscellaneous items for sale. She could hear the man behind the counter talking about the weather with Logan, promising this storm would be a doozy. Moving further back to the clothing section, a pair of leather boots with thick soles caught her eye. On impulse, she yanked off her worn boots and pulled on the other pair.

"Mukluks. Good choice," Logan's voice made her jump. "Looks like they were made for you."

Wiggling her toes, she glanced up at him. "Mukluks...they're comfy."

Turning around he got one of the down coats off the high wall. "Try that on."

Rogue handed him her old coat and slipped on the new full length one and a pair of mittens he gave her. It had been a long time since she'd tried on clothes and never with a man. It felt good to play dress up in something she couldn't afford. It brought back memories of trying on Prom dresses she would never buy with Savannah.

"What ya' think?" she asked, giving a little spin.

"You might survive the cold," he stated with finality, as he headed to the front with her old coat and boots.

"Logan, wait." She trailed him to the counter where he had a debit card out paying for her outfit and a couple sacks of groceries.

He didn't mind buying her a good coat, he had the money and wasn't using it. Besides he didn't need her getting frostbite or hypothermia before they parted ways. This might also ease his mind that neither of those things would happen to her after she left him.

There was always the possibility of taking her on to Alaska himself. Yet he dismissed that just as quickly as it came to mind. He'd already grown too attached to her in the couple of days she'd been with him. If he took her on the whole way he might not want to let her go and that wouldn't be good for her. He glanced over at her, his attitude towards the world might rub off on her and he'd hate to see her change. No, it was best to set her up well and send her on her way.

Back in the SUV, she fidgeted with the coat; it actually might be too warm for the vehicle. Rogue was unsure of what to say, this would be beyond one night of sex to pay for. Not that she minded being a kept woman so to speak, but she was confident that they were not headed in that direction.

Once again he seemed agitated with himself. Whatever it was that he was running from was eating him up inside. He was becoming a shell of whoever he'd once been. The scruffy, unkempt appearance he was trying to cultivate didn't sit well on him.

Logan gripped the steering wheel tightly; he knew she would want to thank him for the coat and boots. Even just thinking about her saying thank you grated on his nerves. He didn't deserve whatever kindness she thought he was worthy of.

None of this was going well, he should have left her back at the bar that first night. She'd tried for three days to act like he wasn't the kind of man that killed people, not that she knew what he'd done, but she knew he was drinking heavily and said nothing. She chatted happily, ignored his sour mood and pretended that he was a gentleman.

To top it all off she wanted him. He remembered her soft touches and whispered words… he'd almost forgotten that he'd put yet another person he cared deeply for to death at the end of his claws. Rogue also made him forget about, if only for a few hours, that he couldn't even live up to his own code of conduct. She deserved more than to be used by the likes of him.

The growl was unmistakable when she opened her mouth to thank him; he was warning her that he would bite. The way his knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel harder had little to do with the driving conditions. She left her thanks unsaid, as she didn't want him to add that to his list of reasons to open the bottle.

Harmless chatter about the weather would be a safer bet right now. "Are we going to get far?" she asked, noticing that he had slowed considerably the last few miles.

"Be lucky to make Moose Jaw before dark." He'd relaxed his hold on the wheel some and was paying close attention to the road ahead.

Rogue had to trust him that they were still on the road, that and the occasional road sign that she could make out. The further they traveled the less traffic there was until they were the only vehicle left. "Do we have a plan?" she asked.

"Yep." He heard her sigh and added, "Place just west of here." There was a guy, not quite a buddy but someone Logan trusted, that owed him several favors. He'd always talked about his cabin in Saskatchewan and when Logan called him back at the truck stop, the guy assured him that it was stocked up and they could ride out the storm for a few days there.

The wind was starting to pick up when they turned off the main highway onto a small side road. The SUV's four-wheel drive easily took the snowdrifts that had only just started to build along the road. It even did well at the beginning of the tree-lined drive that led to the cabin. As the snowfall ebbed and the sun poked out as it set, the SUV had gone as far as it could.

In the distance, they could make out the cabin less than a mile away past the drift that was halfway up the vehicle's grill. Logan repacked the groceries into their bags for easy carrying. "Enough snow for you?" he asked handing her duffle to her.

"It is pretty," she commented getting out and putting the duffle across her back.

"Stay in my tracks," he said as they left the SUV and walked through the first of the thigh-high snowdrifts.

Rogue had no choice but to stay in his tracks. If she had ventured to the side she would have never made it through the snow. It seemed to take forever to trek the short distance to the cabin and she was glad for the new outerwear that he had bought her. Her cheeks and nose were cold but the rest of her remained toasty.

After digging around in the snow piled up along the porch, Logan finally came up with the key. The front door led into a small sunroom where she hung up her coat while he punched a code into a hidden panel. "Security way out here?" she asked taking his coat to hang up.

"Don't go to a security company." He huffed in appreciation; he'd spotted the cameras outside even though they were hidden.

Rogue was a little puzzled by the idea but didn't press for details. They were out of the snow and the cabin was warm. It was a little dated in decor but looked comfortable. There was one large room with a couch and two overstuffed chairs, a small eating area and a tiny, serviceable kitchen with a large pantry.

There was only one bedroom with a king size bed and the adjoining bathroom. She had to laugh at the old glass block shower area that didn't fit with the rest of the cabin. All in all, it was better than the motels they'd been staying in and at least they wouldn't be sleeping in a freezing vehicle.

From the outside, she would have sworn the cabin was just a little larger. However, it had been dark and looks could be deceiving, really how much more did the two of them need. It was plenty big for the night, or more as Logan seemed to think the storm was just getting started.

After unpacking the groceries, they ate a quick meal. It was still early evening, but the struggle through the snow had tuckered her out. Without a TV to vegetate in front of she ambled off to bed, shortly after he lay down next to her still fully clothed.

~*~
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