I didn't get very far, before little red was turning, facing me. Blue eyes studying my face, as if she wasn't at all surprised to see me. Hands folded in front of her, a gesture that reminded me of my mother, such a very southern lady mannerism. I kept approaching, though it was odd to not see surprise, nor fear, in her expression.
"Hello, Marie." her words stopped me dead, a mere two or three feet away from her. She knew who I was? If Logan had told her that, surely he'd told her about my skin, my ability to kill with a touch.. she was a mutant too, right? No need to hide anything. "Ah was wonderin' when ya were gonna come. He doesn't think ya will. He thinks you're waitin' for him back there. It's one of the reasons he wants ta go back."
"Wait a second, wait, wait.." I spit out. For someone who certainly *seemed* to have something with Logan, she was taking my appearance very in stride. No questioning why I was there, hell, she was offering information. "Ya know who Ah am, where Ah'm from. But who tha hell are ya?" Angry. It was always easier to stay angry, peeling off my gloves, just in case. Watched blue eyes flick down to the motion, before they were back up on my face.
"Alessia. Ah've been helpin' Logan tend bar while Angus is gone. He sorta helped me out with some car trouble. Jus' sorta been hanging out since. " A tilt of her head, shaking red hair out of her eyes. "He's been tryin' ta get me ta work on my control more. Wants ta go back to New York, thinks your Professor can help me more, can offer me a job as a teacher. "
She fell silent as I closed that small space between us, frowning slowly. As if she could read my mind, but I knew that she couldn't. Even the Professor had trouble, because of all the voices in my head. Shaking her head slowly.
"What?" I snarled out, fingers inches from her forearm. Craving that touch.
"Ya don't wanna do that. Ah'm not whatcha think Ah am. Not for Logan. " Too late, my fingers wrapped around her wrist, grinding tendon against bone until I saw the pain in her eyes. Remembering too late I was stronger, my grip loosening.
But.. there was no pull. No look of veins spilling across her face, no gasping sound, or clutch at her throat. Just her trying to pull her hand away, insistently, as her face flushed. What the hell was going on! Why wasn't my skin..
"What the hell is goin' on here. How did ya do that?" My hand letting go, I stared at it, before I looked at her. I didn't need my skin. Carol's super strength would let me break her into pieces. My anger only rocketed again when she shook her head with a shrug.
"Her mutation's a lot like yours, kid. Skin's some kind of receptor." Logan's voice behind me, angry, before hands were on my shoulders, jerking me round to look at him. "What the hell you touchin' her for anyhow. Her mutation would drive you fuckin' insane, Marie. She's never done anything to you. What the hell you tryin' to prove." His jaw tightned, I was scrambling for my gloves.
"Except take you." I shot out, before my pride could clamp down on the words. Only wincing when he paused, before he started laughing. Leaning down, his face dangerously close to mine. " You gave me away, but she's never taken a thing, Marie. She's my friend. That's it. But even if there was more, who the hell are you to say, after what you did? What if my mutation hadn't kicked back in, Marie? What if you had killed me? Is that how you show love?"
His rage was rising, and I could hear the redhead behind me fidgeting, moving to stand next to him. Daring to put her hand on his forearm, before he was brushing it away, sparing her a telling glance.
"Damnit, Al, she tried to hurt you because she thought you were a threat. Don't you come over here tryin' to calm me down. She'd have sucked you dry, never knowing the truth till it was too late for you. You gonna protect her?" I expected her to wither under his glare, or to fall silent and fidget. She didn't seem the type to stand up to a snarling Wolverine.
"Yes. Because she did it because of how she feels. How she feels about you, ya big idjit." Blue eyes glanced at me, then back up at Logan. "She loves you, Logan. Maybe you need to take a moment for a closer look. Listen ta her for a minute." before she was stepping back, moving inside. For what? To get a gun, call for someone to take me out? Was she just walking away to leave us alone? My head spun for a minute, my resident voices clogging my thoughts.
Eyes locked on Logan's face, trying to focus. Was so hard, had been getting harder and harder since he left. But he didn't know that, couldn't know that, could he? I took the moment of silence to jump in, before he could start accusing me again.
"She's right, Logan. Ah.. Ah saw ya with her and it made me mad. Ah nevah meant ta hurt ya. Ah only.. Ah wasn't tryin' ta get ya in mah head permanently. Ah was .. Ah pricked the condoms ta make 'em break, not ta try an' kill ya. The pills were fakes. Ah.. oh gawd this is gonna sound even worse. " I shook my head, looking up at him. " Ah was tryin' ta see if Ah could get pregnant. By you. Have your baby. That's what Ah meant by always havin' ya. Ya'd have a family, and Ah'd have a family, and Ah'd have somethin' ta connect me ta ya for the rest of mah life. Ah couldn't lose ya that way, couldn't lose what Ah have for ya. Ah wanted ta give us both somethin' we don' have, Logan. " It bubbled out of me, the shame, the guilt, hating the fact he hated me now.
I didn't expect the softening around golden hazel eyes, or the way shoulders dropped. I didn't expect him to stare at me silently.
"Good fuckin' christ, Marie, you could have said so. Did you think I.. " His wide hand running through his wild dark hair, scraping nails along his scalp. " I didn't think you could, so I never said anything. Didn't want to make it worse on you, if you couldn't, and we wanted..." He stilled again, head turning to look at the open door to the bar, then back at me, mouth slightly agape, and as off balance as I'd ever seen him. " That's.. and you came all the way out here? You should be at home, where Hank or someone can keep an eye on you! You should have known I'd be back eventually! What the hell are you thinking, Marie? "
His hands hit my shoulders, grabbing them and shaking me, just a little bit. Oddly enough, it made me smile, weight sliding off my shoulders, nightmares banished. He hugged me to his chest, chin in my hair as we just stood there a moment. Together. The way I'd always meant it to be.
"Ah couldn't tell ya. Because Ah didn't know if Ah could, either. Ah didn't want to send ya away, if the idea scared ya, or get your hopes up if ya were okay with it. Ah didn't dare. Ah thought Ah could do it this way and it'd be safe. Ah didn't think it would happen like it did, Logan. When Ah felt ya, your thoughts rushin' inta me.. Ah.. Ah'm sorry. " My nose pressed against thin white cotton, taking in his scent. "Forgive me?"
"I'll forgive you as soon as you get your ass inside, sit down, and eat whatever the hell Al's cookin'. Then as soon as we can, it's back to New York with you. I'm not taking any chances with you and our cub, damnit. " I let him steer me inside, out of the sunshine into the darkness. Smell of something cooking, fingers clenching on his. He actually grinned a moment, before he was flicking a finger along the white streak in my hair, like he used to. "Have to bring Al there anyhow. Not fit for her out here anymore than it was you. "
I watched him watch the redhead come out of the kitchen with plates, and realized I'd have to learn to stop being jealous. She didn't drool over Logan, there wasn't anything like that there at all. I opened my mouth to say something, to apologize. Blue eyes glanced up to mind, stopping me with a shake of her head. Then she was ducking back into the kitchen, leaving me staring at Logan.
"No, she's not a telepath. " Digging into the chicken and rice. " At least she says she's not. Knows too damn much about people for her own good. Just all from a distance. " I nodded, hands slipping out of gloves, to pick up my fork and dig in. I watched her reappear again, watching the red of her hair, watching how she moved. "She just learned how to be able to touch someone. Without hurting herself. Emotions and stuff through contact." Logan was murmuring in my ear, stirring the hair there. So close to kissing my ear.. I turned my head, looking up at him. Kissing his chin, smirking.
"She ain't the only one who's learned that trick." Murmured, watching the realization settle into his eyes. Felt him grabbing my arm, all but yanking me off that stool.
"Al! be in my room. You'll have to bunk in Angus's room tonight." Before the door in the hallway swung open, then shut behind me. My back pushed up against the wooden surface, Logan close, body pressed to mine. " This gonna be enough for you, Marie? Me, the way I am? Last chance out, darlin." his face was nuzzling at my neck, nibbling carefully.
My gloves were still out on the bar by my plate, letting me feel the heat of the back of his neck against my palm, his hair sliding through my fingers. " Was always enough, Logan. Jus' wanted us ta have more than enough. " Fingers tugging at his hair to lift his face so I could kiss him.
Plans to go back were made, Logan sold his beat up pickup, Angus came back. Logan settled up with him to still own half the bar, and to keep a spot open if he or Little Red came back. Packed up into the Jeep, Al's car, and Logan on his bike, when it wasn't put on a trailer behind me. My jeans were starting not to fit, and Logan was getting more and more protective.
I didn't want it to bother me to see him be that way towards Alessia, but it did. He wasn't her hero, he hadn't saved her life like he had mine. But sometimes the way she looked at him, at him when he was with me.. it wasn't anger I felt, or jealousy. I think it was understanding. She still wasn't comfortable being very close, or touching..but she wanted it. I knew what that was like, all too well.
Well.. maybe we could see what could be managed back in New York. Two southern belles, running around the place? Should be cake to get her a boyfriend,... right?
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I think this is the end of this one. Though I plan on arcing it to a story on xmmff, with Alessia, and..someone.