Logan walked into the bar and sat down, ordered a cold beer and waited
until it appeared in front of him. He took a deep swig and glanced at his
surroundings.
It was an average on-the-road bar with drunken truck drivers and revealing
waitresses, including a fight ring.
Logan grinned to himself as he remembered how much money he had made in one
of those fight rings. But that was before Charles Xavier's School for the
Gifted.he skipped the lessons and became an X-Man, Wolverine.
Just two months ago he found out who had planted he adamantium skeleton in
his body but now, Stryker was dead and he was glad of it.
Logan took another gulp of his cool beer and his gaze fell onto woman
working behind the bar. She was playing a game of shots with some drunken
men.
He edged closer to the group and heard her voice. "Come on, one more try."
She poured out another three glasses of vodka shots and held hers in her
hand. "Bottoms up, boys." Impressively she downed it and added it to the
six empty glasses beside her. "Seven."
The other two players failed miserably and she held out her hand. "Pay up."
When the four men had disappeared off into the midst of the crowd, Logan
was the only man left at the bar so naturally she headed toward him. "Never
seen you around here."
"I'm travelling," he answered in a gruff tone. "Interesting cheating
strategy you have there. Do you spit it in the bottle or just pour water
for yourself?"
"Pour water," she answered and grinned. "It's easy money fast."
She cleaned up a few glasses and ignored him for a minute while she did so.
Logan watched her. She had dark brown hair that had strange orange and red
streaks in it. Her skin was lightly tanned and her lips were a glossy peach
colour. She wore a dirty white tank top and a pair of baggy black combats
with large pockets at the knee.
She put the glasses down and held out her hand. "Ravel Phoenix."
"Logan," he shook her hand and she smirked. "What are you smirking at?" he
raised an eyebrow at her.
"Don't you remember me, Logan?" she asked and he gazed into her eyes for
the first time. They were an amber colour, the colour of whiskey.
"Should I?" Logan frowned dangerously.
Ravel pulled out a pair of dog tags and leaned over the bar to show him
them. One had Phoenix written on it and the other had Wolverine.the other
half of his own.
"Phoenix," he muttered and his mind went blank. "Dunno."
"How about this?" she asked and lifted up the bottom of her tank top to
expose a toned stomach. She had a tattoo of a Black Panther beside her
navel and further up was three long scars across her midriff. Logan looked
down at his knuckles and cracked them softly. He imagined the adamantium
claws that were underneath the skin and that probably caused those scars.
He closed his eyes and his mind flashed into how he had delivered the blow.
Logan splashed out of the glass tub and snapped out the newly placed
blades. He yelled in pain and slashed around, cutting deep into the
concrete. "Don't shoot him!" a female voice shouted. "Stryker, don't!"
Logan turned round and swiped his blades at the person who had spoken. She
stumbled backwards and clutched her stomach, he remembered watching the
blood pour from her stomach and he ran.
"Phoenix," he looked up into her eyes again. "I'm so sorry."
"Hey, I don't blame you," she sighed. "Listen, I get off in ten minutes.can
I 'travel' with you? I need help."
Logan frowned and looked at her. "Okay, ten minutes." She disappeared down the bar and a man appeared at his side. "You are very, very lucky for her to talk to you like that," he slurred. "How?"
"She's fiery that one, fiery."
Phoenix appeared soon after ten minutes had passed. She slung a rucksack over her shoulder, pulled her Parker closer to her body and trudged in the snow towards Wolverine. Logan leaned against the car he'd 'borrowed' from Scott Summers and watched her. "What do you need help with?" She looked up at him. "I need to find Stryker, he.experimented on me too." Logan shook his head. "Sorry, but he's dead." "What?" she frowned. "Dead?" "Yeah," he nodded. "I left him to die after he offered me a chance to learn about my past." "Good job you declined," she sighed. "There's always me that could tell you about your past.our past." "You remember?" he frowned. "Everything," she grimaced and he saw pain in her eyes. "He didn't use the same drug on me as he did on you." "What did he do to you?" Logan asked quietly. Phoenix sniffed slightly and held out her right forearm, Logan saw her veins were slightly glowing orange. She clasped her hand in a fist and exposed a ball of flame. "I used to just be able to manipulate it, but he did something to the sense in my arm and I can create it now." Logan blew out the fireball and unlocked the car. "If you still wanna come, I can take you to a school." "A school?" she raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips. "That's what I said," he grinned. "It's different, but it's for mutants, like us. Charles Xavier can help you." She thought for a minute. "Okay." "Then you can tell me more about. 'Our' past" he smiled and closed the door behind him. She took a deep breath and headed over to he passenger side. "If only you knew what 'our' past involved."
How many times Rogue had seen Logan come into the school again and it still gave her a thrill to see him safe. "Logan!" He smiled in that sexy way he did and dropped his rucksack to the floor. She hugged him tightly around the neck. Rogue opened her eyes and saw the figure wandering slowly in through the doors. "How are you?" Logan asked as she pulled away, the smile on her face faded as she saw that the stranger stood warily behind Logan. "I'm good," Rogue nodded and focused on Logan. "Uh, hi, I'm Rogue," she held out her gloved hand for the woman to accept. She looked at it uncertainly and then shook it. "Phoenix." Phoenix was looking around the foyer as if she didn't really want to be here. But Rogue felt jealousy, if this woman took Logan away from her then she'd have no father figure. "Logan!" the German voice called from above. With a blue puff of smoke, Kurt appeared in front of them. Phoenix jumped slightly and Rogue smothered a satisfying smile. The blue mutant, Kurt smiled brightly at Logan. "Welcome back!" Logan took a long breath of his cigar and let it out. "Where's the professor?" "In his office, teaching a class I think," Kurt shrugged and then looked at Phoenix. "Guten Tag, I'm Kurt Wagner but the amazing circus called me." "Nightcrawler, we know," Logan drawled. "This is Phoenix."
She tilted her head and didn't seem surprised to see him. "Hi." It seemed she liked Kurt more than Rogue. "Anyway, nice to see you all again," Logan hurried. "We're gonna go to the Professor and maybe catch you all later." He headed off with Phoenix upstairs and Rogue looked at Kurt. "There's somethin wrong about her, Kurt." Kurt looked at her and angled his head. "Wrong? What do you mean?" She shrugged. "I dunno, just somethin different." "Well, you can't get more different than me, Rogue," he grinned brightly. "I like her, she seems unique." "She probably is."
Professor Charles Xavier looked thoughtfully at Ravel Phoenix from his position behind the desk. "You have been experimented on too, you say?" "Yeah," she nodded. "By Stryker." "Ravel Phoenix," Charles repeated softly and Phoenix looked up at Logan quizzically. "The name does ring a certain bell, but not a loud one I'm afraid." "Can you help her?" Logan interrupted. "I'm not sure, Logan," Charles told them. "But, if you would let me examine you in the hospital wing I'm sure I'd find something." "Uh," she chewed her lower lip and Logan watched her fingers. They were twiddling wildly against each other and suddenly a small spark shot out from her thumb. "Okay." "I'm going to put you in a sleep," Charles said as he wheeled forwards towards her. "Just relax, you may feel a little nudge." Logan grasped her shoulder to comfort her and she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Charles placed his hands on the sides of her temples and closed his eyes. Her head fell onto her chest as she dropped off to sleep. "Logan, would be kind enough as to carry her?"
"Sure," Logan reached under her small body and lifted her up with ease.
Charles wheeled around the metal bed and softly touched her right forearm; he traced his fingers along the glowing veins and frowned thoughtfully. "Fire instead of blood." "Professor," Storm opened as she wandered into the room. "Logan was wondering where she was going to sleep tonight." Charles looked up and smiled. He could read Logan's thoughts and he knew about his and Ravel's past. "It's up to her." Storm looked at her slightly and traced her fingers over the exposed scars on her stomach. "Were these caused by." "Yes, they were," Charles nodded. "I doubt she likes to discuss it but he attacked her after he came out of the pool, just after his experimentation." "Attacked her?" "He was shocked and scared, it was a reaction and she closest." Storm nodded slowly. "Professor, were they.you know?" Charles smiled weakly. "Yes, Storm, they were but I don't want you talking about it to anyone until they are ready to come out." He wheeled towards the door and it slid open to expose Logan pacing the corridor outside. "She's about to come out of the sleep, if you want to go inside." "Thanks," Logan smiled and closed the door behind him. Charles rolled down the corridor with Storm beside him. "I think we can both predict where she'd intend on sleeping, hmm?"
"Hey there," Logan smiled as Ravel came around. "How are you?" "Sleepy," she moaned softly and forced herself into a sitting position. "What time is it?" "Four thirty," Logan answered and helped her to her feet. "Do you want a tour?" "Of the school?" "Where else?" he raised his eyebrows. She shrugged and pulled on her camouflage army jacket. "Come on."
"Are all these kids mutants?" she asked raising her eyebrow as a boy splashed water from his ears. "It's like a freak show." Logan shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked around the grounds with her. "Freak show?" "Yeah," she shrugged. "It's like a circus of freaks, present people excluded." "What are you then?" he asked. "If they are all freaks?" She turned and looked at Logan, her eyes seemed to be getting redder. "Different." He smiled and Ravel looked away from him. They sat down on a bench shadowed by trees and she gazed ahead. Logan took out a cigar and patted his jacket for a lighter. "Damn, I've left my lighter inside." She snapped her fingers and a flame appeared on the end of her index finger. Logan grinned and lit his cigar with it. She blew it out and kept her gaze ahead. "Ravel," he said softly. "What do you know that I don't?" She looked at him from the corner of her eye and smiled. "Lots of things." "Name a few," he asked. "Involving us. Were we friends, partners.what?" She chewed her lower lip and didn't answer him directly. "I can't believe you don't remember, Logan. I wish I was like you and didn't remember a thing." Logan breathed out the smoke from his lungs with his eyebrow arched quizzically. "Vice versa." Ravel shook her head. "Trust me, you do not want to know what happened."
"Try me," he challenged and she gazed into his eyes for the first time since they had sat down. "Tell me about us." Ravel stared into his eyes deeply and he kept her gaze, anxious to know why he knew this woman, why he remembered her, why he had butterflies in his stomach when he did remember her.why he had a photograph of her in his old camper van. Logan unconsciously put a hand to his jacket pocket and felt the crumpled photo. Maybe it had not been in the camper when it had blown up then. "Ravel," he grasped her hands. "I need to know."
Gambit closed the fridge door and pulled the tab of his soda can. He sat down at the work surface and took a deep drink. "Hey Gambit," Rogue said as she appeared in front of him, sitting in the empty seat. "Have you seen Logan since he came home?" "Yeah," the card-throwing mutant answered. "Also saw the woman.Phoenix, Gambit's been in her bar in Canada."
"She has a bar?" Rogue asked. "Yeah. Pretty popular amongst mutants cause they can relax with their own kind and normal people who don't judge them," Gambit told her. "Lots of fights there, though." "Does Logan know that?"
"Well, he picked her up there," Gambit told Rogue and took another drink from his can. "You don't like her?" Rogue shifted uncomfortably. "It's not that I don't like her, it's just that she doesn't seem.nice."
Gambit laughed and ran a gloved hand over his orange hair. "You think Logan will go for her?" "Yeah," Rogue admitted sheepishly. "I mean, Logan doesn't take people with him on journeys, why pick up her?" Gambit nodded. "You have a point there." He stood up and wandered to the glass doors that led onto the patio. "Are you jealous he'll take her?" Rogue snapped her head round to look at him. "Jealous?" "That's what Gambit said." Rogue scowled and then the scowl faded as reality sunk in. "I guess just a little." Gambit smiled warmly and sat down again. "Don't worry about it. He won't forget you." Rogue nodded slowly. "I hope not." "Trust Gambit, he won't," he assured and finished his can. "You should be in class."
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I forgot!" Rogue dashed out of the kitchen and left Gambit sitting on the stool with a grin on his face. "Kids."
"We had sex?" Logan frowned. "Several times," Ravel sighed and stood up. "Listen, I'm gonna leave this awkward moment and take a shower. Where am I sleeping?" "In my room," Logan answered her carefully looking up at her. "Okay," she answered quietly and headed off inside. Logan sat on the bench by himself for a short while before he could drag himself up and to the kitchen for a cold beer. He pushed open the glass doors and found Gambit sitting there, as usual. "Oh man." "Soda?" "Sure." Logan fell into the seat and placed his head in his hands. "What's your problems, today then?" Gambit asked. "Mind your own business," Logan mumbled and then changed his mind. "What would you do if a woman told you that you'd had sex with her but you can't remember it because of a weird.accident?" Gambit scratched his chin sarcastically. "If we're not talking about you, Logan, and me. Hmm.if she was cute, then I'd accept it." Logan looked up from his hands and at Gambit. "She is beautiful." "Like, and this is a wild stab in the dark," Gambit mocked. "A phoenix?"
"With feathers of orange and red," Logan whispered to himself. "Where is she staying?"
"In my room." "Where is she now?" "In the shower, in my room," Logan told him. Gambit grinned widely. "Do you feel attracted to her?" "I do, but." Logan trailed off and then shook his head. He wasn't going to tell Gambit about the butterflies. "I'll see you later." Logan stood up and jogged out of the kitchen. Gambit put his feet up on the table and leaned backwards. "All in a Agony Uncle's day of work."
Ravel stepped under the shower and let the warm water cover her slender body. The water washed deeply into her hair and she took a deep breath of the steam. Her clothes lay in a neat pile beside the door and a towel was slung over the side of the barrier. She looked down at her body and shivered, the three, thin scars across her navel were the only reminder she had had of Logan, including the other half of his dog tag. Her hand ran over the thin lines and she closed her eyes, remembering all the blood and chaos it had caused. She had been okay, a bit sore, but okay. That had been the first sign that Logan had not remembered anything, the second had been when he had appeared in her bar and not recognised her properly. How could he not recognise her? She had been the one who had loved him for so long, the one he had been joined to.they had exchanged blood when they had been younger, in the wild teenage years. "Logan," she sighed and lathered up the shampoo in her hair. "Why did you volunteer to be experimented on?" she asked quietly. "Why did I volunteer afterwards?" Ravel immediately knew the answer after she had said that. "To forget about you, Logan." He had been the one who had caused her brain to not function properly, the one who had lifted her so easily into bed.the one who had held her during the night when she had had a bad dream. She had a lot of those. She sighed softly and began to wash herself again.
Logan quietly opened the bathroom door and gazed at the blurred figure of Ravel in the shower. She was running her hands through her wet hair. He breathed deeply and could smell the exotic fruits of her shampoo and her body wash. He swallowed loudly and tried to restrain himself from bursting into the shower with her. He heard her whisper his name and he was about to answer but she was talking to herself. "Why did you volunteer to be experimented on? Why did I volunteer afterwards?" she paused and he heard her sniff to hold back tears. "To forget about you, Logan." Logan's heart melted and he felt like he was invading her privacy. He stepped back into the room and closed the door over behind him. There was only one bed in the room, it was a double bed but he knew it would cause awkwardness. "One bed." He looked around and arranged a few pillows on the floor so he could sleep there instead of in the bed. Logan pulled out the spare sheet from the cupboard and laid it down. He glanced outside at the dark grounds and closed over the blinds a bit so only a few beams of moonlight came through.
Logan pulled off his shirt and threw it down beside the bedside table. He heard the shower being turned off and Ravel getting out. He flicked the buckle of his belt open, undid the buttons on his fly and slid off his trousers. Logan pulled off his worn grey vest and lay down on his 'bed'. A short while later, she appeared from the bathroom in a white robe. "You sleeping?" "Not yet," Logan sighed and sat up. "I thought you'd want the bed."
"Uh, thanks," she smiled weakly and slowly untied her robe. Logan swallowed back any desires that she was naked but was not disappointed when she was just wearing her underwear.very sexy underwear at that. Ravel climbed into bed, barely making a sound and covered herself with the thin sheet. "Goodnight, Phoenix," Logan muttered. "Goodnight Wolverine," she whispered and he smiled, unconsciously rubbing his knuckles. About ten minutes later, a small voice came from the bed. "Logan, do you want to come up here?" Logan sat up and could just see her head over the bed. "Um, I thought it would be awkward."
She sniffed quietly and he realised she had been silently sobbing. "Please." Logan quickly stood up, clambered clumsily into bed beside her and he looked at her. Her eyes were highlighted by the moonbeams and they looked scared and lost. "What's wrong?" She sobbed deeply but he couldn't bring himself to hold her yet. "I can't believe you came into my bar, Logan. Please tell me this is all a cruel nightmare and I'll wake up in the morning in my run down apartment alone." "You used to have nightmares all the time," he whispered softly and she looked up at him in shock. "I was doing some thinking and remembering when you left." "You remember me?" she brightened up and he saw the flicker of a smile on the corners of her lips. "I remember the nightmares," he told her. "And I remember how I used to hold you, and how we used to kiss and every little thing you did that I really loved."
"Like what?" she asked. "Like the way your hair shone in the sunlight, the way your eyes glisten when you say you love me." "I love you, Logan," she interrupted and he saw the glisten. "But you can't say it back because you feel it's the right thing to say to me, even if you can't remember." "But, Ravel-." "No," she cut him off by touching his lips with her fingers. "You will know when you really do love me, trust me." He stared at her in disbelief but still understood what she meant. "What if I know right now?" "There's no spark," she smiled simply and he understood. "Look for the sparks, Logan." He nodded slowly and began to climb out of the bed back to the floor. "Where are you going?" "To the floor," he told her. "You'll be fine." "That's what you think until I wake up screaming that you're gone." He angled his head at her and lay down beside her. She leaned inward to his bare chest and pressed herself against him. "Why are you doing this to me?" She looked up at him with a mysterious gleam in her eye. "Doing what?" "Teasing," he answered. She sighed and her breasts pressed against him. "Because I haven't seen you in fifteen years and you still owe me after you slashed my gut open." Again, Logan felt guilt and self-hate at what he had done to her. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was doing. I was angry-." "And scared," she whispered. "Every night I've woken up dreaming about you, dreaming that I was in your arms and that you were willing away the nightmares but they came and I knew it was reality that you were gone." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and softly played with the lacy strap of her bra. "Well, sweetheart, I'm here again." She nodded and he kissed her forehead softly. "Yeah, I know." They lay in silence for a while until Logan suddenly angled her head up towards him with his finger. "You can't lie here and not kiss me goodnight." He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. She looked into his eyes, like a scared cat.
Logan frowned and looked at her. "Okay, ten minutes." She disappeared down the bar and a man appeared at his side. "You are very, very lucky for her to talk to you like that," he slurred. "How?"
"She's fiery that one, fiery."
Phoenix appeared soon after ten minutes had passed. She slung a rucksack over her shoulder, pulled her Parker closer to her body and trudged in the snow towards Wolverine. Logan leaned against the car he'd 'borrowed' from Scott Summers and watched her. "What do you need help with?" She looked up at him. "I need to find Stryker, he.experimented on me too." Logan shook his head. "Sorry, but he's dead." "What?" she frowned. "Dead?" "Yeah," he nodded. "I left him to die after he offered me a chance to learn about my past." "Good job you declined," she sighed. "There's always me that could tell you about your past.our past." "You remember?" he frowned. "Everything," she grimaced and he saw pain in her eyes. "He didn't use the same drug on me as he did on you." "What did he do to you?" Logan asked quietly. Phoenix sniffed slightly and held out her right forearm, Logan saw her veins were slightly glowing orange. She clasped her hand in a fist and exposed a ball of flame. "I used to just be able to manipulate it, but he did something to the sense in my arm and I can create it now." Logan blew out the fireball and unlocked the car. "If you still wanna come, I can take you to a school." "A school?" she raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips. "That's what I said," he grinned. "It's different, but it's for mutants, like us. Charles Xavier can help you." She thought for a minute. "Okay." "Then you can tell me more about. 'Our' past" he smiled and closed the door behind him. She took a deep breath and headed over to he passenger side. "If only you knew what 'our' past involved."
How many times Rogue had seen Logan come into the school again and it still gave her a thrill to see him safe. "Logan!" He smiled in that sexy way he did and dropped his rucksack to the floor. She hugged him tightly around the neck. Rogue opened her eyes and saw the figure wandering slowly in through the doors. "How are you?" Logan asked as she pulled away, the smile on her face faded as she saw that the stranger stood warily behind Logan. "I'm good," Rogue nodded and focused on Logan. "Uh, hi, I'm Rogue," she held out her gloved hand for the woman to accept. She looked at it uncertainly and then shook it. "Phoenix." Phoenix was looking around the foyer as if she didn't really want to be here. But Rogue felt jealousy, if this woman took Logan away from her then she'd have no father figure. "Logan!" the German voice called from above. With a blue puff of smoke, Kurt appeared in front of them. Phoenix jumped slightly and Rogue smothered a satisfying smile. The blue mutant, Kurt smiled brightly at Logan. "Welcome back!" Logan took a long breath of his cigar and let it out. "Where's the professor?" "In his office, teaching a class I think," Kurt shrugged and then looked at Phoenix. "Guten Tag, I'm Kurt Wagner but the amazing circus called me." "Nightcrawler, we know," Logan drawled. "This is Phoenix."
She tilted her head and didn't seem surprised to see him. "Hi." It seemed she liked Kurt more than Rogue. "Anyway, nice to see you all again," Logan hurried. "We're gonna go to the Professor and maybe catch you all later." He headed off with Phoenix upstairs and Rogue looked at Kurt. "There's somethin wrong about her, Kurt." Kurt looked at her and angled his head. "Wrong? What do you mean?" She shrugged. "I dunno, just somethin different." "Well, you can't get more different than me, Rogue," he grinned brightly. "I like her, she seems unique." "She probably is."
Professor Charles Xavier looked thoughtfully at Ravel Phoenix from his position behind the desk. "You have been experimented on too, you say?" "Yeah," she nodded. "By Stryker." "Ravel Phoenix," Charles repeated softly and Phoenix looked up at Logan quizzically. "The name does ring a certain bell, but not a loud one I'm afraid." "Can you help her?" Logan interrupted. "I'm not sure, Logan," Charles told them. "But, if you would let me examine you in the hospital wing I'm sure I'd find something." "Uh," she chewed her lower lip and Logan watched her fingers. They were twiddling wildly against each other and suddenly a small spark shot out from her thumb. "Okay." "I'm going to put you in a sleep," Charles said as he wheeled forwards towards her. "Just relax, you may feel a little nudge." Logan grasped her shoulder to comfort her and she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Charles placed his hands on the sides of her temples and closed his eyes. Her head fell onto her chest as she dropped off to sleep. "Logan, would be kind enough as to carry her?"
"Sure," Logan reached under her small body and lifted her up with ease.
Charles wheeled around the metal bed and softly touched her right forearm; he traced his fingers along the glowing veins and frowned thoughtfully. "Fire instead of blood." "Professor," Storm opened as she wandered into the room. "Logan was wondering where she was going to sleep tonight." Charles looked up and smiled. He could read Logan's thoughts and he knew about his and Ravel's past. "It's up to her." Storm looked at her slightly and traced her fingers over the exposed scars on her stomach. "Were these caused by." "Yes, they were," Charles nodded. "I doubt she likes to discuss it but he attacked her after he came out of the pool, just after his experimentation." "Attacked her?" "He was shocked and scared, it was a reaction and she closest." Storm nodded slowly. "Professor, were they.you know?" Charles smiled weakly. "Yes, Storm, they were but I don't want you talking about it to anyone until they are ready to come out." He wheeled towards the door and it slid open to expose Logan pacing the corridor outside. "She's about to come out of the sleep, if you want to go inside." "Thanks," Logan smiled and closed the door behind him. Charles rolled down the corridor with Storm beside him. "I think we can both predict where she'd intend on sleeping, hmm?"
"Hey there," Logan smiled as Ravel came around. "How are you?" "Sleepy," she moaned softly and forced herself into a sitting position. "What time is it?" "Four thirty," Logan answered and helped her to her feet. "Do you want a tour?" "Of the school?" "Where else?" he raised his eyebrows. She shrugged and pulled on her camouflage army jacket. "Come on."
"Are all these kids mutants?" she asked raising her eyebrow as a boy splashed water from his ears. "It's like a freak show." Logan shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked around the grounds with her. "Freak show?" "Yeah," she shrugged. "It's like a circus of freaks, present people excluded." "What are you then?" he asked. "If they are all freaks?" She turned and looked at Logan, her eyes seemed to be getting redder. "Different." He smiled and Ravel looked away from him. They sat down on a bench shadowed by trees and she gazed ahead. Logan took out a cigar and patted his jacket for a lighter. "Damn, I've left my lighter inside." She snapped her fingers and a flame appeared on the end of her index finger. Logan grinned and lit his cigar with it. She blew it out and kept her gaze ahead. "Ravel," he said softly. "What do you know that I don't?" She looked at him from the corner of her eye and smiled. "Lots of things." "Name a few," he asked. "Involving us. Were we friends, partners.what?" She chewed her lower lip and didn't answer him directly. "I can't believe you don't remember, Logan. I wish I was like you and didn't remember a thing." Logan breathed out the smoke from his lungs with his eyebrow arched quizzically. "Vice versa." Ravel shook her head. "Trust me, you do not want to know what happened."
"Try me," he challenged and she gazed into his eyes for the first time since they had sat down. "Tell me about us." Ravel stared into his eyes deeply and he kept her gaze, anxious to know why he knew this woman, why he remembered her, why he had butterflies in his stomach when he did remember her.why he had a photograph of her in his old camper van. Logan unconsciously put a hand to his jacket pocket and felt the crumpled photo. Maybe it had not been in the camper when it had blown up then. "Ravel," he grasped her hands. "I need to know."
Gambit closed the fridge door and pulled the tab of his soda can. He sat down at the work surface and took a deep drink. "Hey Gambit," Rogue said as she appeared in front of him, sitting in the empty seat. "Have you seen Logan since he came home?" "Yeah," the card-throwing mutant answered. "Also saw the woman.Phoenix, Gambit's been in her bar in Canada."
"She has a bar?" Rogue asked. "Yeah. Pretty popular amongst mutants cause they can relax with their own kind and normal people who don't judge them," Gambit told her. "Lots of fights there, though." "Does Logan know that?"
"Well, he picked her up there," Gambit told Rogue and took another drink from his can. "You don't like her?" Rogue shifted uncomfortably. "It's not that I don't like her, it's just that she doesn't seem.nice."
Gambit laughed and ran a gloved hand over his orange hair. "You think Logan will go for her?" "Yeah," Rogue admitted sheepishly. "I mean, Logan doesn't take people with him on journeys, why pick up her?" Gambit nodded. "You have a point there." He stood up and wandered to the glass doors that led onto the patio. "Are you jealous he'll take her?" Rogue snapped her head round to look at him. "Jealous?" "That's what Gambit said." Rogue scowled and then the scowl faded as reality sunk in. "I guess just a little." Gambit smiled warmly and sat down again. "Don't worry about it. He won't forget you." Rogue nodded slowly. "I hope not." "Trust Gambit, he won't," he assured and finished his can. "You should be in class."
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I forgot!" Rogue dashed out of the kitchen and left Gambit sitting on the stool with a grin on his face. "Kids."
"We had sex?" Logan frowned. "Several times," Ravel sighed and stood up. "Listen, I'm gonna leave this awkward moment and take a shower. Where am I sleeping?" "In my room," Logan answered her carefully looking up at her. "Okay," she answered quietly and headed off inside. Logan sat on the bench by himself for a short while before he could drag himself up and to the kitchen for a cold beer. He pushed open the glass doors and found Gambit sitting there, as usual. "Oh man." "Soda?" "Sure." Logan fell into the seat and placed his head in his hands. "What's your problems, today then?" Gambit asked. "Mind your own business," Logan mumbled and then changed his mind. "What would you do if a woman told you that you'd had sex with her but you can't remember it because of a weird.accident?" Gambit scratched his chin sarcastically. "If we're not talking about you, Logan, and me. Hmm.if she was cute, then I'd accept it." Logan looked up from his hands and at Gambit. "She is beautiful." "Like, and this is a wild stab in the dark," Gambit mocked. "A phoenix?"
"With feathers of orange and red," Logan whispered to himself. "Where is she staying?"
"In my room." "Where is she now?" "In the shower, in my room," Logan told him. Gambit grinned widely. "Do you feel attracted to her?" "I do, but." Logan trailed off and then shook his head. He wasn't going to tell Gambit about the butterflies. "I'll see you later." Logan stood up and jogged out of the kitchen. Gambit put his feet up on the table and leaned backwards. "All in a Agony Uncle's day of work."
Ravel stepped under the shower and let the warm water cover her slender body. The water washed deeply into her hair and she took a deep breath of the steam. Her clothes lay in a neat pile beside the door and a towel was slung over the side of the barrier. She looked down at her body and shivered, the three, thin scars across her navel were the only reminder she had had of Logan, including the other half of his dog tag. Her hand ran over the thin lines and she closed her eyes, remembering all the blood and chaos it had caused. She had been okay, a bit sore, but okay. That had been the first sign that Logan had not remembered anything, the second had been when he had appeared in her bar and not recognised her properly. How could he not recognise her? She had been the one who had loved him for so long, the one he had been joined to.they had exchanged blood when they had been younger, in the wild teenage years. "Logan," she sighed and lathered up the shampoo in her hair. "Why did you volunteer to be experimented on?" she asked quietly. "Why did I volunteer afterwards?" Ravel immediately knew the answer after she had said that. "To forget about you, Logan." He had been the one who had caused her brain to not function properly, the one who had lifted her so easily into bed.the one who had held her during the night when she had had a bad dream. She had a lot of those. She sighed softly and began to wash herself again.
Logan quietly opened the bathroom door and gazed at the blurred figure of Ravel in the shower. She was running her hands through her wet hair. He breathed deeply and could smell the exotic fruits of her shampoo and her body wash. He swallowed loudly and tried to restrain himself from bursting into the shower with her. He heard her whisper his name and he was about to answer but she was talking to herself. "Why did you volunteer to be experimented on? Why did I volunteer afterwards?" she paused and he heard her sniff to hold back tears. "To forget about you, Logan." Logan's heart melted and he felt like he was invading her privacy. He stepped back into the room and closed the door over behind him. There was only one bed in the room, it was a double bed but he knew it would cause awkwardness. "One bed." He looked around and arranged a few pillows on the floor so he could sleep there instead of in the bed. Logan pulled out the spare sheet from the cupboard and laid it down. He glanced outside at the dark grounds and closed over the blinds a bit so only a few beams of moonlight came through.
Logan pulled off his shirt and threw it down beside the bedside table. He heard the shower being turned off and Ravel getting out. He flicked the buckle of his belt open, undid the buttons on his fly and slid off his trousers. Logan pulled off his worn grey vest and lay down on his 'bed'. A short while later, she appeared from the bathroom in a white robe. "You sleeping?" "Not yet," Logan sighed and sat up. "I thought you'd want the bed."
"Uh, thanks," she smiled weakly and slowly untied her robe. Logan swallowed back any desires that she was naked but was not disappointed when she was just wearing her underwear.very sexy underwear at that. Ravel climbed into bed, barely making a sound and covered herself with the thin sheet. "Goodnight, Phoenix," Logan muttered. "Goodnight Wolverine," she whispered and he smiled, unconsciously rubbing his knuckles. About ten minutes later, a small voice came from the bed. "Logan, do you want to come up here?" Logan sat up and could just see her head over the bed. "Um, I thought it would be awkward."
She sniffed quietly and he realised she had been silently sobbing. "Please." Logan quickly stood up, clambered clumsily into bed beside her and he looked at her. Her eyes were highlighted by the moonbeams and they looked scared and lost. "What's wrong?" She sobbed deeply but he couldn't bring himself to hold her yet. "I can't believe you came into my bar, Logan. Please tell me this is all a cruel nightmare and I'll wake up in the morning in my run down apartment alone." "You used to have nightmares all the time," he whispered softly and she looked up at him in shock. "I was doing some thinking and remembering when you left." "You remember me?" she brightened up and he saw the flicker of a smile on the corners of her lips. "I remember the nightmares," he told her. "And I remember how I used to hold you, and how we used to kiss and every little thing you did that I really loved."
"Like what?" she asked. "Like the way your hair shone in the sunlight, the way your eyes glisten when you say you love me." "I love you, Logan," she interrupted and he saw the glisten. "But you can't say it back because you feel it's the right thing to say to me, even if you can't remember." "But, Ravel-." "No," she cut him off by touching his lips with her fingers. "You will know when you really do love me, trust me." He stared at her in disbelief but still understood what she meant. "What if I know right now?" "There's no spark," she smiled simply and he understood. "Look for the sparks, Logan." He nodded slowly and began to climb out of the bed back to the floor. "Where are you going?" "To the floor," he told her. "You'll be fine." "That's what you think until I wake up screaming that you're gone." He angled his head at her and lay down beside her. She leaned inward to his bare chest and pressed herself against him. "Why are you doing this to me?" She looked up at him with a mysterious gleam in her eye. "Doing what?" "Teasing," he answered. She sighed and her breasts pressed against him. "Because I haven't seen you in fifteen years and you still owe me after you slashed my gut open." Again, Logan felt guilt and self-hate at what he had done to her. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was doing. I was angry-." "And scared," she whispered. "Every night I've woken up dreaming about you, dreaming that I was in your arms and that you were willing away the nightmares but they came and I knew it was reality that you were gone." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and softly played with the lacy strap of her bra. "Well, sweetheart, I'm here again." She nodded and he kissed her forehead softly. "Yeah, I know." They lay in silence for a while until Logan suddenly angled her head up towards him with his finger. "You can't lie here and not kiss me goodnight." He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. She looked into his eyes, like a scared cat.