Logan's eyes drifted shut and he began to lose himself in the warmth of sleep when he smelled -- it. Something dangerous.
He struggled to get up, but he was still weak from healing Marie, and he swayed on his feet. Her eyes opened as she heard the footsteps approach. He saw her nostrils flare, and wondered if she had acquired his acute senses. He popped his claws instinctively, ready to defend her.
"Sabretooth," she muttered, and then the door exploded inward as a huge blond man crashed into the apartment.
"Well, look who it is!" the blond said with mock cheerfulness. "The slut and the runt, together. This is my lucky day!" He lunged at Logan, sending him flying into the wall.
Both men tumbled to the ground. Sabretooth climbed on top of Logan and began pounding his head into the floor. Sabretooth howled in pain when Logan reached up and thrust his claws through the other man's shoulder. Logan used that distraction to fling him off and get up.
Logan took a fist to the stomach and another to the jaw. He managed to gasp, "Run, Marie!" before going down again. Sabretooth turned his attention to the girl, who tried to keep him at bay with the hunting knife she had gotten from Logan's duffel bag.
Logan couldn't believe how weak he still felt, but he'd be damned if he'd let this bastard get hold of the girl. He forced his body upright, cracking the joints in his neck, and tackled the big blond man. Marie jumped out of the way as the two men rolled across the floor and Sabretooth landed on top again. He managed to use his knees to pin Logan's arms to his chest, making the claws unusable. Sabretooth smashed Logan's head one last time into the floor. Confident that Logan was unconscious, he leapt up and grabbed Marie.
"You little bitch," he growled when she swung the knife at him, opening a cut along his forearm that healed as he reached for her. "You think what I did to you before was bad? You ain't seen nothin' yet. You owe me."
He ripped the knife from her grip and tossed it aside. He grabbed her by the upper arms and flung her down on the bed, holding her down with his legs. The mattress bounced under their combined weight. His hand moved between their bodies to undo the zipper on his pants. "I bet the runt's got some rubbers stashed in here someplace. Even he's not stupid enough to fuck you without 'em," Sabretooth muttered, reaching a hand over to the night table.
Marie's eyes widened as she saw Scott Summers in the doorway, in full X-Men regalia, with Storm behind him.
"Rogue!" he called.
Sabretooth jumped up, enraged that his fun had been interrupted. Marie rolled off the bed and crawled to Logan's limp form.
Scott's optic beam hit Sabretooth square in the chest, sending him flying through the window into the night.
"Rogue, are you all right?" Storm asked, rushing over to where the girl knelt over Logan's body.
"I'm fine. We need to help Logan--" she began, only to be cut off by Scott's gasp.
"Your face-- how did you--"
"Not now! Logan needs help. He'd barely recovered from touching me when Sabretooth showed up."
"I'm all right, kid," Logan said groggily. "What the hell's going on?"
"Let's get you out of here and we'll explain on the way," Scott said. Marie grabbed Logan's duffel as Storm and Scott helped the Canadian to his feet.
Marie hovered over Logan as they loaded him into the back seat of the jeep. She got in beside him and pulled his head down into her lap.
"You just rest, sugar," she murmured. He wasn't about to complain. He breathed in her scent contentedly, and decided to just follow the night where it led. After all, that's how he'd ended up with Marie, and he wasn't going to be separated from her now, not for anything.
The trip to Westchester was relatively silent. Marie absently stroked Logan's hair while Scott told her that Xavier had been keeping an eye on her. She didn't say anything, but she and Logan exchanged a glance. "Obviously not too close an eye," he muttered, wondering why they'd let her stay on the corner.
When they arrived, Jean was at the door, waiting to take the newcomers down to the lab for treatment.
"I'm fine," Logan insisted, but Jean wasn't having it.
"Take your shirt off," she said, pulling on rubber gloves.
"This is kinda sudden, ain't it? We just met," he cracked.
"Jean is a doctor," Scott said tightly, not liking the leer Logan directed at the redheaded woman.
"Told you you'd like her," Rogue added.
"Like you more," he replied, basking in the warmth of her smile.
Scott turned to Rogue. "I'm glad that this time, we were able to get there before--"
She looked down, her face covered by the chestnut and platinum fall of her hair. "Yeah," she interrupted.
Jean completed her initial examination of Logan and turned to Rogue. She gasped, as Scott had, when she saw the absence of scars on the girl's face. "How did this happen?" she asked, taking Rogue's face in her latex-covered hands.
"Logan healed me," she said simply.
All eyes turned to the gruff man who was pulling his shirt back on. "What?" he barked, the tips of his ears tinged red with embarrassment. "Anyone woulda done the same."
Rogue shook her head, her eyes filled with tears, as Professor Xavier wheeled into the room.
He introduced himself to Logan and said, "I'm sorry my X-Men didn't arrive sooner."
"Traffic on the FDR," Scott muttered, while Storm looked sheepish.
"X-Men?" Logan asked incredulously. "What the hell are X-Men?"
"You saw them in action tonight. Scott Summers, also known as Cyclops, and Ororo Munroe, also known as Storm. Jean is also a member of the team. We fight for mutants' rights, and also to protect humans from less -- benevolent mutants."
"How come you don't have a stupid nickname?" Logan asked, looking at Jean. Then he turned to Marie. "And Rogue? What kind of name is that?"
"What kind of name is Wolverine?" she replied, grinning.
Ignoring the surprised looks on the others' faces (Xavier excepted), he said, "How'd you know about that?"
"Your dog tags. In the shower."
"The shower?" Scott snarled.
Logan and Rogue exchanged glances, and she found herself blushing. Which was funny, if she thought about it. She'd been working as a hooker for the past three months, and yet she was still able to blush.
Logan shrugged. "Yeah. What's it to ya?" Inside, he was horrified that his actions were going to cause her trouble with these people, who might otherwise take her in.
Jean looked back and forth between them. "You're sleeping with her?" she asked incredulously. "She's barely legal, Wolverine. She's--"
"Maybe you shoulda thought of that before you let her go off on her own, huh, Red?" he snapped. "Maybe then she wouldn't've had to turn tricks to survive."
The doctor turned toward the younger woman. "Rogue, what is he saying?"
"I'm a hooker, Jean. I work the corner by the Lincoln Tunnel -- 44th and Tenth. Maybe you've seen me, if you've gone to Jersey lately." She knew she sounded bitter, but really, what else could they expect? They'd rescued her, but not before she'd been used and abused by Sabretooth and Toad, and then let her go when she decided she couldn't stay there. She never told them she'd left because she'd seen Jean's pity and fear after their accidental contact. Scott had just been angry, which she could deal with -- she wasn't too pleased, either, with what Magneto done. But fear and pity? They were all well and good for Aristotle, but she didn't want to live in a Greek tragedy. She grimaced. It definitely seemed like tonight had that potential.
Scott's jaw was tight and she could see the muscle jumping as he attempted to rein himself in. She knew he blamed himself -- had felt it in him when he'd accidentally touched her. She smiled bleakly, recalling Logan's words.
Before anyone could speak, she said, "Logan needs sleep. Do you have a room for us?"
"You can move back into your old room, Rogue," Jean began. "Kitty's off at school and Jubilee's been lonely--"
"She's staying with me," Logan interrupted. No way he was letting her out of his sight again. Not for a good long time, anyway.
Scott opened his mouth to argue, Xavier spoke first.
"That's fine. Storm, show Logan and Rogue to the second floor guest room." The white-haired woman nodded. She had remained silent, taking in the conversation and refraining from judgment until she had all the facts. "Scott, Jean, we can continue this discussion in the morning."
As Storm led them out of the lab, Rogue could hear Scott's angry words. "How can you let her sleep with him, Professor? She's just a girl -- and he's -- if everything we've heard about him is true, he's no better than Sabretooth or Mystique."
The elevator doors opened as Xavier said, "Perhaps, but it is obvious he cares for her, and I will not have her traumatized again, Scott." The rest of the conversation was lost as the doors slid shut silently.
No one spoke as Storm led them to the room where they would be staying. Logan was impressed. The mansion reeked of money. He knew who Xavier was -- had turned down a contract on the man due to previous commitments, and now he was glad he had.
"Thanks, Storm."
Storm gave a small smile. "You are welcome, Rogue, always. If you need someone to talk with, please feel free to come and see me. My room is in the attic." She turned to leave. "Good night, Logan."
He grunted in response, then shut the door behind her. Turning to Marie he said, "I can see why you didn't stick around. What a bunch of morons." He sank down onto the bed, almost at full strength after the night's exertions, and pulled her down onto his lap.
He could feel the tension leave her body as she melted against him, yawning. "I'm so tired," she murmured.
"Feel like telling me everything?" he asked. He wasn't going to push. She might be ready to talk; then again, she might not. "If you're up to it."
She snuggled into his chest, and he was absurdly grateful that she was comfortable with him now.
"Everything?" He nodded. "You sure?" Another nod. "There's not a lot to tell. I grew up in Mississippi -- not many mutants down that way. At least not many that don't keep it a secret. When I was sixteen, I found out I was one, and I ran away. I told you the rest."
"Tell me about the bad people," he insisted. "The assholes who did this to you. That guy tonight was one of 'em, right?"
She shrugged. "Yeah. They had some crazy-ass plan to turn everybody into mutants, and they needed me because of my mutation. Then there was a big fight with the X-Men, who wanted to stop the bad ones and --"
"Do any of these freaks got names, Marie?"
"I guess."
"You feel like tellin' me what they are so I can make sure they never do it again?"
She chuckled, which turned into a yawn. "The guy tonight was Sabretooth. He was the one who cut me up -- gave me those scars. There was a little slimy guy named Toad, but Storm struck him with lightning -- I think he's dead." Another yawn.
He rubbed his face against her hair. "Come on, kid. You've had enough excitement for tonight. You can finish telling me tomorrow." She made a small sound that he took for agreement and, without releasing his hold on her, he maneuvered them under the covers. They arranged themselves the way they'd been before Sabretooth's attack.
Marie wrapped her arms around his chest and pressed her face into his shoulder. "Thank you, Logan," she whispered.
"You're welcome, Marie."
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to Dot, Meg, Jen, and Pete.