The entire place had gone insane, it was the only reason why whenever Marie looked for someone to study with; she found people wrapped around each other with a look that could cut through steel passing between them. Hell even Storm had been mooning over Kurt who was at the very least flexible in ways no other man could compete with here at the mansion.
She'd had to face it, spring had sprung and everyone was getting their jollies as often and as fast as possible. She'd had to peel Bobby off her three times this week, he'd been very insistant about her coming to see him when he was alone. But the thought of actually doing anything with him made her stomach flip, it wasn't that she didn't want to. Hell no, it was the thought of him laying there like a dead or dying fish thrashing on his bed that sobered her own singing hormones.
Besides back at his home before the shit had hit the fan thanks to John, she'd felt his fear of her. That she really could kill him with a touch or a kiss, he'd been restrained with her upto three weeks ago. When the snow had finally melted so had he and he was back to being the horny teenager he was trying to convince Scott he wasn't.
Jean's death had put a lot of things into perspective, but what they'd found at Alkali had done more. Kurts memories had been searched by The Professor and he'd told everyone as much as he dare. About the soliders, the way he'd been treated, what he'd been made to do. It had chilled everyone and forced Scotts hand into training the older members of the school to fight. Throughout all of this Logan had been silent, the news confirming what he'd always thought about the government but it had been when Scott had talked about training that he'd walked out of the school. Taken the bike and gone, he hadn't even told her why, everyone had looked at her with sad eyes as if she knew why he'd gone but wasn't telling anyone. Even Jubilee had her usual cheerfulness let her down when she heard Logan had flown. Her face had fallen and her eyes had looked haunted for a minute as she asked, "He is coming back isn't he?"
The pure naked need in her face was there to see and Marie couldn't help but lie to her, telling her that he'd be back soon. But he hadn't appeared at Christmas even though people had expected him (his presents were still with the decorations in the attic) and now spring had arrived everyone kept half an ear out for him. Only she knew that if Logan wanted to be lost he would be and nothing would bring him home again unless he wanted to be here.
No spring wasn't the time for coming home as far as Logan was concerned it was the time for travel, thats what the one inside her head told her and it was why she was just as surprised when the sound of the Scotts bike echoed down the driveway.
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March, he'd made it nearly all the way to Timmins before the summons had come from Xavier. He'd been chasing a lead about guards from Alkali when it had been a joint operation with the Canadian Government and the American's. Xavier had made it sound urgent, playing on his fear of Marie getting hurt too, reminding him that he'd promised to come home if things were taking a turn for the worse. What images Xavier had shared with him had made him reach for the accelerator and push the little red button more than once. Something was coming, something big and Scott was becoming distant, distracted and the kids needed someone who could teach them survival. Not just fighting fair and in that he excelled, he'd been against the whole idea of them learning to fight in the first place but he knew it wasn't a viable option forever.
He'd just wanted Marie to enjoy what she had left of her childhood, but Alkali had robbed her of that as well. He'd come to that conclusion when he'd been in a diner, watching a girl Marie's age giggle and play fight with her friends. Marie didn't do that and it wasn't her skin that stopped her, it was her head, the memories she had and the kid he was watching had no darkness in her green eyed gaze and he felt his true age in those few moments before he'd turned away.
So he was back home, the trees here were already setting out leaves; where as back in Canada the ground was still covered in snow. He'd felt his own body warm the further south he'd come, no matter what Wheels wanted from him he'd be out every night from 9pm and that was guaranteed! Spring was no time to have a Wolverine chained down to one place. Looking at the building he searched for the form of Marie and soon found her coming out of the main doors to greet him.
What he noticed almost made him turn tail and run back to the cold. The winter had changed her, as if she'd been a sculpture made of ice and snow, only to be whittled down by the warming sun and wind into the form that was in front of him now. Glad to be straddling the bike so she wouldn't pick up on his instant reaction to her as she'd sashayed her way over to him. His eyes noting the way her hips moved like oil over water, that her body had changed and blossomed into the woman that was currently reaching out toward him. Her shifting arms making her breasts rise into his eyeline, he stayed absolutely still as she touched him. Only when she pulled away did he notice the disappointment in her scent, her voice was quiet when she spoke to him, sad almost. "The Professor said when you got here he'd like to see ya first. Ah'll go tell him your here." She turned to leave and he caught her hand just before she left him, the look on her face holding a little hope.
"Thanks kid," as soon as the word was out of his mouth he saw the shutters go down on her face. Here was the bland look of the rest of the kids here, the 'I'm happy to help you sir how may I be of assistance' look they all wore. He'd fucked it up even before he'd gotten off the bike, he let her go and watched as her steps were a little more stilted this time and the sway to her hips was gone replaced by hurried movements that spoke only of her need to get as far away from him as possible.
Oh yeah spring at the mansion was going to be fun alright.
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She'd moped all day after that greeting, only smiling when Jubilee had told her about Kitty's make out session being interrupted by Scott. Kitty had been in the supply cupboard with Pete and Scott had gone to get more paper for the copier. Thing was as far as Jubilee told it all the great Fearless Leader had done was pick up the paper and shut the door on them. They thought they'd gotten away with it until his voice had given them dish duty for the next month and told them to get a room.
Jubilee had noticed her friends downturned face and had tried to cheer her up but it wasn obvious that things hadn't gone as she'd expected it to. Jubilee did have to point out the obvious which didn't help any, "Well he could still be getting over what happened at Alkali Rogue. We all know how he likes to keep things bottled up." She'd raised an eyebrow at that and earned a smile from Jubilee for it. "See you're channeling him now he's back, it'll be like he never left soon I promise you. And I'll hand over my best yellow coat to be made over if I'm wrong."
Marie had to hand it to her Jubilee did always tend to look on the bright side when it came to men, always the hero never the jerk. Flopping back on her own bed she just hoped she'd get an undisturbed nights sleep tonight, what with the room changes that went on after hours. Keeping some of Logan's abilities wasn't a good thing, not when you were only two doors away from a screamer.
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Xavier had laid everything out for him, he had a few weeks at the most to get the basics into them before they went onto combat training proper. He'd been hit by the mixture of scents and the sense of 'home' it generated in him. Scott was there too but the man was distracted, almost as if he didn't want to be there. Logan laid out his plans for the first week and went to get himself settled back in. It looked like he'd be here for the duration and he needed to get his space sorted out if he was going to survive this spring without killing anyone.
He had the whiskey stash in the custern of his toilet, chilling nicely. His beer was under the bed and as well as his cubans, the small pile of magazines he'd left under there were gone. He'd been annoyed at that until he'd found them in his shirt drawer hidden under the few things he'd left here. A hand scrawled note on top of them reading 'If housekeeping find em they burn em. I know how much you value the articles. M' Marie had saved his bacon, the models were okay if you liked your women looking like pumped up versions of barbie but it really was some of the articles he favoured. Especially the one covering the resurgence of Vietnam after the war using it as a tourist draw believe it or not. He'd remembered a few things about his own time there after seeing the name of a bar in a picture. Smiling he'd just left them in the drawer, he'd be out so he'd probably not need them while he stayed here.
Getting settled in he shook off his boots and laid out on the bed, relaxing into the softness that he rarely found anywhere else in the world. His mind still thinking about Marie as he drifted off into sleep.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I'm having another stab at the 'Spring' stuff, maybe it'll develop into a series who knows?