Sometimes Logan wondered if he was still sane. A sane man shouldn’t enjoy the blood, the pain, quite so much. He had been hard even before he smelt Marie outside that door, and it wasn’t just the smell and taste of her juices that did it.
Violence. Domination. Marks of the man he once had been. Sex. In his feral, fucked-up head, the link was inescapable. Just another tool to serve that need. Just another visceral response to being meaner, harder, smarter than any other motherfucker. It sickened him that he had used Marie that way. Displayed her like a trophy, or the spoils of war. And it sickened him that he needed to do that to Pyro. Giving the kid a scare was one thing. Fucking his girlfriend and smearing her cum across his face was another.
It reeked of perversions he had thought were under lock and key, but something had shattered that lock. Was it the Professor’s death? Having to kill Jean? Or just the long days of struggle to keep the school open, the team operating? Logan despaired. Maybe he just wasn’t the man they thought he was. The man they needed him to be. The man he wanted to be.
He could smell emotion and sense lies, but Logan would have denied the tears, if he had ever known they were there.
***
Logan looked down at the piece of paper he held in disbelief. He had made a promise to try and contribute more to the running of things at the mansion, and that had translated into his volunteering to repaint the hall in a more welcoming shade of yellow; organise the retiling of the roof, and hire an entirely new kitchen staff. And just in case he was tempted to forget, he had a professionally printed list complete with letterhead to remind him of the tasks.
He forced the frown from his face by thinking of the equally mammoth set of chores Ororo and Hank were facing. At least he got to play in the Danger Room. Taking over the training programme would be a gift, if for no other reason than it would let him blow off steam.
He knew precisely why he needed the workout. He'd been on a constant state of sexual alert since fucking Marie. His body refused to forget what his mind was trying to block out – even in a room filled with X-men, he couldn’t suppress his shudder of need. His eyes closed, and all he could see was Marie. His fingers tingled with the memory of running over her porcelain skin, and his tongue ran over teeth that had sunk deep into that fine, silky smooth flesh.
“Logan?”
His eyes snapped open at the sound of his name, pupils still dilated as he tried to focus on Ororo. She was looking at him curiously, and he wondered how long she had been talking to him.
He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“I was interested in your assessment of the team—strengths and weaknesses, who might need help, how you’re planning on running the program…”
Right. He could do that. On one hand, he ticked off the names, facts, and vital statistics of each team member. He’d read Scott’s reports, seen most of the team train in the Danger Room, and fought with them at Alcatraz. He reached Marie, and his head snapped up, hazel eyes narrowing as he realised for the first time that she wasn’t there.
His face transformed into a scowl. “Where the fuck is Marie?”
All heads turned towards Logan, but his eyes stayed on Ororo. He didn’t feel comforted by the way she shifted ever so slightly in her seat, her eyes darting towards McCoy before she looked back at Logan.
“She is human now. I’m not sure that she’d be an asset to the team.”
He raised an eyebrow at this, fighting to keep the snarl back. He settled for sneering. “That’s bullshit and you know it. I’ve read over Summers’ reports, and I’ve seen them train. Marie is the best hand-to-hand fighter you got,” he growled.
“Her problem solving skills are by far the best of the juniors – hell, she’d do well on the senior team. She's a quick thinker in the field, a real strategist, and with me training her,” Logan scoffed, “they'll never see her coming.”
“Her mutation wasn’t exactly being worked into the whole team dynamic in the first place, except for drainin’ the tin man when there were bullets around.” He pushed off the wall, his arms dropping to his sides as his hands clenched into fists. “So, I’ll ask you again — shouldn’t she be here for this?”
Ororo held his gaze. "I've asked her to come in to outline her future plans. If she feels the X-men can be a part of that, then we must try to honour her commitment."
Logan’s nostrils flared, picking up Marie’s scent on the other side of the door. “So why don’t we ask her?”
Ororo gave him a curt nod, her voice raising slightly. “Marie, you can come in now.”
Marie opened the door, stepping inside the office. Her eyes briefly met Logan’s, and she gave him a small smile. He inclined his head, watching her carefully as she began to fidget nervously – only he knew it, but her fingers were combing through her hair to make sure it covered the marks he had left on her. Once, he would have moved behind her in a gesture of support, but that made him dismiss the thought. He had given into his urges, in the process defiling a precious friendship built on trust. Now, he had no idea if she would still see him as a source of support, or as a deranged predator.
Ororo cleared her throat. “I gather you heard at least part of the discussion?”
Marie nodded, clasping her hands behind her back. “Yes, Ms Mun—Ororo.”
Storm leant back in her seat, her arms folding across her chest. “Do you feel you can handle staying on the team, continuing your training?”
Marie’s cheeks had started to pink up, and Logan couldn’t stand by any longer. He moved next to her, starting to raise his hand to place it on her shoulder, but he dropped it. He wasn’t there to be her father, or protector, or even her lover. At the moment he was her colleague, offering nothing but support. He prayed she got the silent message.
She glanced at his face, and for a fleeting moment, smiled. The blush receded and she turned back to Ororo, no longer the schoolgirl supplicant. Instead, she was proud —and confident. “Yes. I can. Of course I can. And it's as important for you as it is for me,” she stated firmly. “If you don't have a human member, why should anyone believe you are fighting for humanity, as well as mutant rights?”
Ororo's mouth dropped open, while Shadowcat was speechless with outrage. McCoy, Logan noted, looked proud at the diplomatic coup, and Iceman and Colossus seemed to be thinking with their cocks. She definitely had their vote. Her yellow friend was nodding in support, and the winged kid, Warren, seemed to be smiling, apparently just as amused as Logan by the group’s reactions.
Marie raised her eyebrows at their shock, and then smiled, the mile-wide, sugar sweet smile of a bonafide Southern belle. “Besides which, I owe everyone here so much,” she said, looking around the room. “The Professor so much. His dream was my dream too, you know. I just want the chance to work with y'all to make it happen.” Her voice dropped low. “You've been into battle without me once. I won't let it happen again.”
She shot a glance at Logan as she waited for some kind of reaction. He gave her a barely perceptible nod, acknowledging her words, but obviously biding his time to make any kind of verbal acknowledgement unless she needed it.
Hank cleared his throat, clapping his hands together once. “Well, I think the young lady brings up an excellent point. I, for one, can certainly see how it would be beneficial for us at this point in time to have her on the team. And I think the press would have a field day with it! Perhaps we could actually gain some positive coverage.” He turned to look at Storm. “Don’t you agree, Ororo?”
Logan watched Storm, readying himself to defend Marie, forcefully if necessary, but Ororo surprised him by nodding.
“Yes, Hank, I do.” Her eyes met Marie’s. “I’ll admit that I had never anticipated your wanting to stay on. I had been prepared to help you in anyway possible to get on with, well, with whatever could be called a ‘normal’ life. If being on the team is what you want — then I’m not going to stop you. In fact, I’ll help you every step of the way,” the weather goddess said with a quiet smile. Then her voice turned steely. “However, you must be prepared to do any extra training that may be required of you. I’ll leave it up to Logan to keep me informed of your progress. If either of us feel that you can’t keep up, you must understand that we can’t afford to keep you on.”
Marie nodded eagerly, smiling. “Of course, I understand. Thank you.”
“Wait a minute, you can’t be serious!” Kitty looked from Marie to Ororo. “Tell me you’re not serious. She took the Cure, she gave up her mutation and you’re letting her stay? How the hell is she supposed to help? It’s just going to wind up being extra work for us — trying to keep her from getting killed.” She shot an angry glance at Bobby. “Don’t tell me you agree with this?”
He simply raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, while managing to look guilty for abandoning Rogue. Kitty rolled her eyes, huffing.
Logan snarled, advancing a couple of steps closer to the petite brunette. “I think you better shut that mouth of yours, Pryde. I don’t care if you can phase through anything — the day you actually beat Marie during combat training, then we’ll talk. So far all you’ve done is wind up on your back,” his gaze flicked to Drake, “but I guess you’re used to that.”
Ororo cleared her throat. “Logan, please.”
He returned to his place beside Marie, his eyes still on Kitty. Her cheeks had gone bright red, her eyes now on the floor.
“Well, if no one else has any objections, I think the matter is settled.” Ororo looked at each person in the room, offering them one more chance to speak up. “Fine. I think this also brings us to the end of the meeting, so thank you all for coming.”
Bobby and Kitty were the first out of the room, Kitty’s eyes fixing on the ground as she walked between Logan and Marie. Peter came up to Marie to congratulate her on deciding to stay with the team, and Logan turned away, falling into step with Hank as he left the office.
He cleared his throat, a hand running through his unruly locks as he glanced from side to side to see if anyone was listening. “I need a favour.”
Hank paused, turning to regard Logan. “Do I want to know?”
Logan shrugged, the guilt that suddenly made its presence felt making him unable to meet McCoy’s gaze. “Probably not, but there’s no one else who can help.”
Hank removed his glasses. “I see. I also take it by your constant looking around that you do not wish this conversation to be overheard?”
Logan nodded. He almost sighed in relief when Hank gestured towards his office, following the blue haired doctor.
Before they stepped inside, Logan grabbed his arm. “I need you to promise me something first.”
Hank raised an eyebrow, not liking the sound of what Logan was asking, but he had to admit his curiosity was well and truly piqued. “What?”
Logan glanced around again; still not sure he was doing the right thing. “I need you not to tell anyone about what you’ll see, or what you’ll smell.”
Hank’s eyebrows rose, but he nodded. “I give you my word.”
***
Hank stepped inside the cell, his eyes carefully watching the prisoner. When Pyro showed no sign of moving, Hank closed the door. As he took a steadying breath, his head cocked as his nostrils flared. He could smell Pyro’s blood, but mixed with it was the scent of…
“Oh my stars and garters,” he muttered.
There was no mistaking the strong odour of sex, and Hank wondered what exactly had been going on here. He could discern Logan’s recognisable scent, and that of a female. There was a certain familiarity to it, and his eyes widened slightly as he finally placed it. It was Marie, the young brunette who had just fought for her place in the team. No wonder Logan had been adamant about the secrecy.
Pyro had lifted his head to regard the intruder, and he had seen the furry beast’s eyes widen, seen the way his nostrils had flared. He had no doubt that the beast had worked out at least part of what had been going on, and he bristled at the idea that anyone else would know of his humiliation at the hands of Logan and Rogue.
His brow lowered, his mouth forming a sneer. “I’m pretty sure visiting hours are over, so I’m afraid you’ll have to come back later.”
Hank looked at him, eyes narrowing. “Just as well I’m not a visitor then, isn’t it? I was told that you were in need of some medical attention, and as much as it pains me to be here, I did take an oath after all.”
He closed the gap, trying not to betray his shock at seeing what Logan had done to the young man. The animal part of him felt like baring its teeth, and gloating at seeing Magneto’s right hand man in pain. The more compassionate human was aghast.
Crouching beside Pyro, Hank opened his black case. He pulled his glasses from the breast pocket of his jacket, before he gently removed Pyro’s shirt to expose the wounds. His ears caught the sharp intake of breath Pyro tried to conceal. His eyes drifted down to the wound in his leg, and he made a quiet noise of disapproval. Despite his agreeing to do Logan a favour, he feared that a word with the man might be in order once he was finished here.
Hank took Pyro’s chin in his large blue hand, pulling the young mutant forward in order to inspect the broken nose. “How long ago was this done?”
Pyro raised an eyebrow. “How the fuck should I know?”
Hank sighed, regretful that Logan’s rough treatment hadn’t softened the boy’s attitude. Then again, it also meant that Pyro was strong enough to withstand what Logan had put him through, and Hank had to admit that that was quite impressive.
“We’ll just skip over the formalities then, shall we?” He reached into his bag, pulling out a series of instruments, disinfectant, local anaesthetic and bandages. He flashed Pyro a toothy grin. “Now, some of this may hurt, but we’ll soon have you fixed up in no time.”
Pyro closed his eyes, resting his head on the wall. He heard the sound of scissors as McCoy cut open the leg of his pants. He couldn’t stop himself from flinching as the blue doctor dabbed on the disinfectant, sucking in a sharp breath at the sudden sting. It angered him that he was showing weakness in front of one of the X-Men, but it was unavoidable.
He was fighting both his injuries and fatigue: he hadn’t been able to get any rest; his thoughts plagued with images of Rogue and Logan. Of her looking directly at him as she screamed that animal’s name. When his eyes were shut like they were now, he could see every detail of that scene. He saw her arch into Wolverine’s thrusts, saw the way her nails dug into her own skin, saw the way her lips had parted with every moan… She could touch, and be touched — and that bastard was the one doing it.
Pyro grunted, his head jerking as his eyes snapped open. “What the fuck?”
Hank grimaced, his fingers still on Pyro’s nose. “I apologise, but I did warn you. Now please hold still, it’ll hurt a lot less.”
Pyro raised an eyebrow, clenching his jaw as he kept his eyes on McCoy. Truth was, no amount of pain could come even close to what he felt when he thought of Rogue fucking Logan, or the way she’d been lying there with her hand down her pants and her fingers working as she moaned, all the while thinking of Wolverine. Pyro blinked rapidly, refusing to acknowledge the sting of unshed tears in his eyes. He didn’t need Logan seeing it when he returned, as he knew he would. And he wasn’t sure he could bear it if Rogue came back with him. The pain of his injuries faded into insignificance at the mere thought of it.
***
Marie’s legs were already burning as she fought to keep pace with Colossus. She wanted to call out to Pete, get him to slow down a little, but they couldn’t — not when they had soldiers on their tail. She kept her head forward, knowing that if she took the time to turn around, it’d just slow her down. She cursed her human legs, trying to remember if her muscles had ever hurt this bad when she had her mutation. The thought caused John’s words to echo in her mind, and her steps faltered. He’d probably take pleasure in seeing her fail at this. It’d do nothing more than prove his point.
Her face hardened as she pushed her body further, determined to prove him wrong. She hated him for what he’d said to her, for the way he’d looked at her. Yesterday with Logan, when she'd been in the cell, it had been about revenge. She'd forced him to confront her humanity, forced him to witness what she could do now. At least, that was how it had started...
Bullets whizzed past her ears and she swore, altering her course to follow Colossus as he ducked behind a crumbling wall. She covered her head with her hands; crouching low as the soldiers continued to shower them with bullets.
“Fucking FoH.”
She smiled, amused that battle always seemed to cause an increase in Pete’s use of profanities. “Couldn’t agree more, Petey.”
He touched a hand on her back, making her look up. “You okay?”
She nodded, taking a couple of deep breaths as the soldiers seemed to be taking a break to reload. “Yeah.”
He turned his attention back to the soldiers, watching them carefully. Marie closed her eyes, heat rushing through her body as the memory of Logan fucking her appeared before her eyes. She bit her lip, trying to keep from moaning at the feelings it conjured up. Yeah, it had started as revenge on John. She’d made sure she held his gaze, made sure he saw everything, saw what pleasure Logan was bringing her, but then it was just all about Logan. Her body trembled slightly as she thought about the orgasm that tore through her body, and the way she'd screamed out in pure bliss.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
She blinked; suddenly back in the present. She turned to look at Colossus, following his eye line.
She saw a path of ice begin to spread in front of them. “Those fuckers.” She couldn’t believe it. Bobby and Kitty were cutting off their escape route. She and Pete wouldn’t be able to make the rendezvous at the Blackbird.
Pete’s head snapped back to look at the soldiers. “And right in front of the FoH’ers. Why don’t they just put up a big flashing neon sign, saying: ‘Hey, come get the target!’”
Marie started chewing her lip, her eyes darting from the mercenaries, to where Kitty and Bobby were hiding with the kid they’d been charged to collect. Calculating odds and exploring options, she scanned the terrain, knowing there must be some way to outwit the enemy.
Her hand touched Pete’s arm, and she nodded towards a truck about ten feet from where they were. “If we can get to that, we can get out of here. It would also draw the attention of those FoH’ers away from those selfish dicks.”
Pete looked at her. “There’s no cover, and I can’t protect you.”
Marie nodded, her expression one of determination. “I know. Let’s just hope the FoH’ers are lousy shots.” She turned back to check the position of the mercenaries, and then looked back at Pete. “Ready to go on my mark?”
Colossus armoured up, nodding. Marie silently counted to five in her head, waiting until the FoH’ers had started turning towards Kitty and Bobby’s location before she broke cover, running as fast as she could towards the truck. She didn’t dare look back, especially not when the bullets started whizzing past her again. Colossus grunted as a few hit him, but they easily ricocheted off his body armour. He soon overtook her, turning when he got to the truck and holding his hand out to her, yelling for her to grab it. Marie reached out, her hand inches from his as a bullet pierced her abdomen. She fell to the ground, her crumpled form motionless.
Up in the control room, Logan froze, his gut twisting at the sight of Marie collapsing. With the birds-eye view of the sim, Logan had started swearing and cursing the minute ice had begun to creep across the ground towards the Blackbird where Angel and Jubilee were waiting. As soon as he realised Iceman and Shadowcat had started to deviate from the plan, he’d automatically sought out Marie. He’d heard the exchange between her and Colossus, his anger growing at the fact that they’d been left with no option but to sacrifice themselves as decoys for their shit-for-brains teammates. And now Marie was a casualty.
His mind went back to the fight at Liberty Island, the moment when he’d held her lifeless body in his arms. He remembered running his hand through those damn white streaks of hers, remembered holding her against him. He’d thought he’d failed in protecting her, thought he’d lost her for good. The pain he’d felt when her mutation started feeding off of his was nothing compared to the sheer joy he’d felt in knowing she was alive again.
Now though, she was human. And as much as he wanted to rush down there and save her again, he couldn’t. There was fuck all he could do except stand by and watch, and it was hurting him more than he cared to admit. This girl had weaselled her way into his life, his heart, and his fucking head — and now she was gone. He choked back a howl, his claws releasing.
“Jubes, get the fucking ramp down—we’re coming up now!”
Logan’s head snapped towards the control deck. That had been the Iceman.
Angel’s voice came across the line. “But Rogue and Colos—”
“They’re gone, okay? We need to get this kid out of here. He’s what matters,” a woman’s voice shrilled in panic.
Logan growled, low and menacingly. He was going to gut that Kitty and her lover the first chance he got.
“No! We can’t leave them there, what the hell are you thinking, Kitty?”
At least the firecracker was sticking up for Marie and the tin man. He listened to the comms chatter; his faith in Jubilee fast dissolving as Kitty and Drake managed to talk her into leaving. He snarled, his hand slamming into one of the larger buttons in front of him. The simulation disappeared, and he stood there, his fists clenching and unclenching. If he didn't calm down, he knew for certain that there were gonna be a few body parts cluttering up the Danger Room when he got there. He took a deep breath, his eyes on the now blue floor of the Danger Room. He watched as Marie shook off the effects of the taser, getting to her feet unsteadily as Pete went to help her. Another growl came from Logan, his grief turning to anger. How could she do that to him? How could she be so fucking stupid?
He turned on his heel, storming from the control room. He cursed with every step, muttering to himself angrily. He stood before the Danger Room doors, running a hand through his hair. He took several deep breaths, trying to leash his anger. He pushed the button, walking through the doors.
“All of you over here, now.”
The six younger mutants scrambled to gather around him, and he glared at each one in turn. “So,” he pointed a finger at Marie, disappointment plain on his face, “you’re dead, and you two,” his finger moved to Kitty as his eyes flicked between her and Drake, “took off without half your team to save your own fucking useless skins.” He looked at Jubilee. “For a moment I thought you were actually doing okay, then you went and lost your backbone and caved into peer pressure.” He looked at Angel. “You just seemed to sit in the pilot’s chair not doing much of anything.” He looked up at Pete, raising an eyebrow. “As for you, Tin Man, you’re about the only one who actually did well.”
He looked over the group again, his hazel eyes narrowing at Kitty as she started to open her mouth. “I don’t even want to hear what your fucking excuses are. Disastrous doesn’t even begin to cover it. Hit the showers and don’t come near me until the next session. That’ll be in exactly twenty-fours hours from now, got it? We’ll be having at least one a day until you lot get your act together.” The group just stood there, exchanging nervous glances. Logan snarled. “GO!”
They filed past him, heads bowed. He was pleased to note that Kitty and Bobby took care to give him a wide berth and avoided meeting his gaze. He looked at Marie and Pete, part of him wanting to say something else to her, tell her that he only pushed her so hard because he couldn't take it if something were to happen, but he decided against it. He was still too disappointed at her performance, and angry with her for putting him through that amount of pain when it had just been a goddamn simulation. He headed towards the door, intent on getting out of there and going in search of beer.
“Logan!”
He turned, his eyes travelling over her body, admiring the way the leather clung to each curve. Her face was flushed from exertion, her hair falling from its ponytail. “Yeah?”
She hesitated, thrown off by his casual response. “I wanted to talk to you for a minute.”
He folded his arms across his chest, turning to watch Pete leave before he turned his attention back to Marie. “So talk.”
“What happened yesterday? I mean, what was that?”
He looked at her, ignoring the sudden wave of guilt that crashed through him, in favour of old-fashioned bastardry. “You don’t really need me to draw you a diagram, do ya kid?”
She bristled at the nickname, stepping up to him. “Don’t you dare call me that, not after yesterday.”
Logan raised an eyebrow, his arms dropping to his sides. “It was just sex, okay? Don’t be turning it into something else in that pretty little head of yours. It was just two people getting off, got it?” He ignored the voice in his head telling him it was two people getting off with the best fucking sex he’d ever had in his remembered existence. “Nothing more.”
Marie’s lips parted, and he thought he saw disappointment flit across her features, but they suddenly hardened. Her mouth set in a thin line of anger. “Is that right?”
His lip curled back in a sneer. “I just figured it was time to help you get over your Matchstick complex, give you a little re-education. Make sure you didn’t have too much sympathy for the enemy.”
Marie frowned. “At least he was willing to touch me before the Cure. That makes him a better man than you ever will be.”
Logan stepped up to her, growling low. “The second you stepped into my truck I’d already figured out a hundred different ways to get you off, darlin’. Including how to have those cupid bow lips wrapped around my dick. Back then though, I was trying to be the good guy, so I didn’t try anything. Guess I got sick of being the good guy. You sure as hell don’t seem to mind.”
Marie’s anger faltered, but then her lips curved into a wicked smile, her chocolate eyes narrowed at him. “So you been having fantasies about me for a while, huh?” She closed the gap between them, her body nearly pressing against his. “Should have known by the way you were yelling out my name. Nearly popped my eardrums with that roar of yours.”
She stepped around him, her boot heels clicking on the floor as she walked out. Her scent was as hot as her anger, and he watched her leave, trying not to give too much thought to the way her hips were swaying with each step, and what that did to his body.
***
Marie came out of the locker room, her fingers combing through her hair as she arranged it to cover Logan’s marks now that she wasn’t wearing her uniform, wincing slightly as her fingers brushed the sensitive flesh. She headed to the elevator, her eyes meeting Logan’s as the doors closed. He made a gesture with his hand, his finger pointing downwards. She had no doubt as to what he was asking, and she started to chew her bottom lip as she pushed the call button.
As she waited, her head filled with possibilities, heat rushing through her body at the mere thought of what had happened in the cell yesterday, and what could happen again. Her eyes were closed when the elevator arrived, and as she stepped inside, her finger hovered over the control pad. Up or down? A deep breath, and she pushed the button that would take her even lower in the mansion, her nerves beginning to tingle the closer she got to the cell. At the end of the hall, he was waiting for her, arms folded over his chest as he leant against the door. As their eyes met, he turned to swipe himself in.
Logan looked at her, his eyebrow raised. “In, or out, Marie?”
She bit her lip, only hesitating for a second before she stepped into the cell.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to Jaq for the beta, and also to Jenn.