The next morning Marie was surprised to find on waking, that she was alone in the bed. Though the blankets behind her were still warm, so she knew Logan hadn't been gone long. She listened silently, trying to figure out where he was in the small house, and heard a near silent metallic scrape that she recognized as the kettle being shifted on the grate by the fire. A moment later she heard his voice rumble quietly.

"What are you doing up already kiddo, it's pretty early and still cold, you should go back to bed for a bit longer, until the fire's warmed up the cabin some more," he said, obviously speaking to Bella, who answered him sleepily a moment later to advise she needed to go to the bathroom. "You need help?" he asked, causing Marie to almost leap out of bed to get there first, before Bella murmured softly that she could do it herself.

A few minutes later, she heard the sound of Bella's little boots clomp back inside and the door close softly. Logan chuckled softly as the little girl groused about how cold it was outside, before Marie heard the ladder to the loft squeak a little as Bella scrambled upstairs, and padded back to her bed. A minute later the back door opened and closed again, and the tiny cabin fell silent but for the soft pops and crackles of the logs in the fire.

Just as Marie was starting to fall back to sleep, her own body decided to get her up. Tugging on her coat, she silently moved through the cabin, popping her head into the loft to be certain Bella was in her own bed, alone, before she slipped her boots on and headed outside.

Logan paused where he was standing over a basin that was sat on a small shelf, a small mirror mounted on the wall of the house in front of it. He was shaving, sort of, he was missing most of his scruffy facial hair. Not that she could blame him, it was so cold up here in the mountains that if she could grow facial hair she would probably leave it to grow too, just to keep warm.

"Morning," Logan offered with a grin, before he went back to shaving with a wicked looking straight razor. She idly wondered, as she watched the razor move across his neck, if he would flinch if she yelled boo but some part of her, the bit that was starting to think maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all, wouldn't let her find out.

"Morning," she returned softly, as she walked past him to get to the outhouse. By the time she was finished, Logan was done shaving, and he had moved on to washing... with snow...!

"Isn't that cold?" she couldn't help but ask, as she watched Logan scrub a handful of snow over his bare chest.

"A little, but it gets your blood pumping which warms you back up," he replied, with another grin, "Want to try it?"

"No, not particularly," Marie replied, trying her damndest to stop her own lip curling in a responding look. "Well, I'll leave you to it," she murmured softly, chancing a look back over her shoulder as she let herself back inside. She tried not to let herself debate whether his chest, with it's heavy dusting of dark hair, was better looking than his heavily muscled back. Though she failed spectacularly in that endeavour she still couldn't decide, even as she kicked herself for thinking about him that way. Despite what he said about not considering her property, he still bought her, he owned her--

"You know I've been thinking," Logan spoke suddenly behind her, as quiet as his words were they still made her jump as she spun around to face him. Damn he moved quietly... and he had put his shirt back on, double damn. "Sorry, you okay? I didn't mean to startle you," Logan added, a worried look crossing his face as he took a few more steps toward her.

She thanked her lucky stars he pinned her flustered state on fright, she didn't want to go giving him any ideas. "It's okay, you move quietly, I didn't hear you come in," she covered, shifting nervously.

"Sorry, I'll try to remember, stealth's just- something that comes natural," Logan hedged.

"Is that something to do with the knives?" she asked suddenly in response. At his shocked look she continued, "I saw them at the auction, you killed those guys with them," she pointed out.

"... Shit, I was hoping you hadn't seen that," Logan grimaced, running a hand through his hair. "D-do you think Bella--"

"No, she didn't see," Marie assured him. Finding it again unsettling how he seemed concerned, though not for himself.

"Good, poor kid's probably going to have enough nightmares from that experience," Logan murmured softly.

"Anyway, that's sort of what I was thinking about, and your comment last night, about being my property," Logan continued with his original thought, as he stepped past her and poured himself a mug of now hot coffee. "You realise I took my money back from those fuckers, I didn't pay them one red cent for you, didn't get a receipt either, I don't own you darlin... and I don't want to own you either, yeah, I'd love it if you stayed here, with me, I felt something when I saw you that I've never felt before, a connection...

“I've been alone a long time, and it- it felt good, even if you just want to live here, and that's all, I'd like the company, it doesn't have to be anything more... We're going to be snowed in within the week so it's too late to go anywhere else now but if you really hate it here, come spring I can take you somewhere else, there's a place in New York, a school, for mutants, they'll take you in if you don't have anywhere else to go," he offered, though she could tell it was a reluctant offer.

"And Bella?" Marie asked.

"That would be up to her, I doubt she ended up with the traffickers by accident so I doubt her parents want her back, she's a little young for the school, and I've kind of got attached," Logan returned, a soft, lopsided grin settling onto his face. "I'd probably keep her, if she wants to stay, I don't know if I've got what it takes to be a dad but... I'd be better than nothing, or just being another face in the crowd at the school - no offence to the staff of course but... she's so little, she needs someone one-on-one to take care of her, a parent, you know, I'd give it my damn best shot."

"What if she doesn't want to stay?" Marie demanded.

Logan sighed dejectedly. "I guess I drop her off when I drop you off then," he murmured, "But don't write me off yet darlin." With that, he swallowed the rest of his coffee before flashing a smile at her, and walking back into the bedroom.

Marie busied herself making a warm breakfast for Bella. Porridge was easy enough to make over the fire, and it filled the house with the delicious smell of the spices she used to flavour it - cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and the heady sweetness of brown sugar. She had been surprised to discover so many herbs and spices among the groceries Logan bought and had the cabin stocked with, he looked like a meat and potatoes kind of guy, the type of man who wouldn't know the name of any flavour beyond salt and black pepper. She again caught herself wondering about the mass of contradictions that were being revealed as she observed him.

Bella hurriedly dressed herself in the loft when Marie called up to her that her breakfast was ready, and the pair were sitting at the table eating when Logan came back out of the bedroom. He didn't stop to eat, instead he headed outside... but not for long.

"Are you hungry?" Marie asked, watching him curiously as he made his way back to the bedroom with a hammer and some nails.

"I'll be there in a minute," Logan replied, as he disappeared into the room.

They were disturbed a moment later by hammering, and turned around to see Logan nailing a thick blanket over the doorway of the bedroom. Once he was done, he hammered a peg of some sort into the wall, then bent it a little, before gathering the blanket up and tucking it behind the peg. "A little privacy for you," he said, as he took a seat at the table, promising to hang a curtain for Bella too into the loft.

"And I'll build you both a vanity today so you have somewhere to wash where it's a bit warmer than outside, there's no shower, not in winter at least, but there is a small tub, I usually just drag it inside and fill it with water heated on the fire, it's a time consuming process though so you probably won't be able to do that too often, once a week at most, so most of your washing will have to be done with a washcloth and basin,” he advised.

If Marie was being honest with herself, he sounded nervous, and it was making her feel just a little nervous too. Was he just being nice, trying to make them comfortable, or was he trying to lull them into a false sense of security. She kept her thoughts to herself and decided to wait him out, if his intentions were dodgy it wouldn't take long for him to show his true colours.
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