No one had ever questioned his choice in women, they were too afraid to say a word. It had seemed for some time that as Jean was growing up into a confident young woman, he had been quite taken by her. There had even been suspect that he had almost let Scott die in order to get a chance to be with her. But the suspicion remained mum as he proved time and time again after the incident to take care of the team, even gaining a semblance of mutual respect between him and Scott. The sad thing was that he was growing quieter as the days passed and kept to his room, unable to truly let go of the only chance he had ever thought he would be able to fall in love.
He ignored Jean's coaxing as she attempted to get him to let go and once again be the mentor he had been for them but his heart just was not in it. He felt ashamed of himself and unsure, knowledgeable in the ways of his mind he knew every reason why he did what he did. He merely wanted to disappear from the planet or at least from their lives. It was exactly what he planned to do. He took the little clothes he had and placed them into a burlap bag, tossing it over his shoulder as he quietly made his way through the halls. He checked in on everyone and made sure that the house was secure before walking his bike down the path.
The ride was grueling and he kept his focus on the road ahead of him, ignoring any other sensations. The most important thing was surviving and not letting his mind wander off, any distraction could send him to his grave. He rode all night until he had managed to hit a cabin that was as far from the main cities as he had been able to go without being stranded. It was a place where he was able to allow the savage beast roam free. He left his bike in the shed and lifted up a few logs that he had left on the side for any off chance visitation he would make. The shed looked worst for the wear but it was safe and secure, no one would even know there was anything in there, which would give him a little privacy at least.
He unlocked the front door and strode inside the cabin. It was small but quaint and quite different from what anyone would have thought was his life. The living room took the better part of the tiny home, with a worn in love seat and a wicker rocking chair. Along his walls were books about many of the wars that perhaps he had lived through. He had a small picture in a wooden frame of the students at the institute; the only picture he had. The walls were made of stone and a fireplace stood at the corner with a threadbare rug. The kitchen had an old outback stove and fridge that he always kept freshly stocked.
He stepped into his bedroom, a king sized bed that took up much space in his room with a large chest that doubled as a window seat. He opened the closet door and pulled out a fresh pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Taking out a pair of underwear from a chest of drawers, he went into his bathroom where a ceramic soaking claw-foot tub was being filled with hot water. When he disrobed he stepped into the water and sighed heavily as he sunk deep in, the heat easing the knotted bones in his back. He sat there for a while without a thought, listening to the wind that blew outside.
He knew it was time to get up when the water had cooled off. He stood up, the water pouring down his body as he stepped outside of the tub and dried himself with a worn out blue cotton towel. He left the towel on a rod as he went into the now toasty living room; it was the perfect temperature to finally get the rest he needed. It was a rare day at the mansion when he slept with both eyes closed. Here his senses where able to dwindle down some, he would eventually find rest, if only for a little amount of time. He crawled into the bed, at its very center, and covered himself with the large quilt that he had been given as a gift by Rogue who had sown it together with the help of Kitty. The letter L had been stitched into a perfect Dark Blue script at the corner. He snuggled up inside it and fell asleep, hunger far from his mind.
Until this very day, he had never been able to explain how her scent had surpassed the distance but he was sure that someone had been looking out for her. A scream that would have remained unheard of by most seemed to echo in his ear. He rolled out of the bed quickly as if ready to prowl and immediately left the cabin, ignoring the fact that he wore no clothes. He quickly sifted through the freshly fallen snow and sniffed the air, he recognized that scent anywhere. His feet went from a step to a run in a single second, time was of the essence. The clouds were rolling in as lightening declared war upon the land.
He ignored the branches that hit his face and arms as he made his way to the forest, finally finding what he was looking for. He kicked something with the toe of his foot and found a wolf lying dead on the ground, a hole burned through the center of his body. It must have been a pack that had attacked because they surrounded her body; they had been fried to death. He quickly went over to her and pushed her onto her back, her body had taken the attack. Her face was as serene as if they had taken her very life; he leaned his ear between her breasts and heard the faint heartbeat. She was still alive.
He lifted her into his arms and wished that she had just a little bit of Rogue's powers, enough to take on some of his healing ability. He would have to nurture her into health and this was something he would make sure he did, no one would die in his arms. He managed to get into the cabin, the frostbite that had already begun to settle along his toes and hands healing as he laid her onto his bed. Her caramel skin was icy to the touch as he quickly discarded the clothes that covered her body. He took her hands between his own and blew into them, attempting to warm up the skin. He laid the heaviest of blankets from the chest on her and waited until she had finally warmed up enough, fearful of causing convulsions if he immediately placed her in the tub.
As he ran the water, he pulled the blankets off and inspected her cuts, looking for any serious abrasions. It was mostly bluster and he made sure to cleanse each and every bit of dirt out. She was lucky to lay unconscious when he took a Ziploc bag filled with water and pressed it until it became a hard stream, cleaning out anything left from his picking, awake it would have pained her. He lifted her up and laid her into the water, hoping to relax the tense muscles that were sure to come. The second the water touched her flesh she woke up and screamed, the pain was so intense. He gripped her wrist tightly when she began to flay about.
"Shhh, shhh darlin', it's gonna be all right. Yer body'll get used to it," he told her, hoping to soothe her with his voice. She looked like a deer in headlights when she finally came to and his heart jerked at the thought of causing her any pain. She eventually relaxed, unable to speak as she leaned back, unsure of what was going on about her. She looked around as if she had no idea of what was going on and he feared she had been traumatized.
"Who…who are you?" she asked and stared at his waist, aware of his nude form. "Are you going to hurt me?"
"It's Logan, what do you mean hurt you?" he asked but she did not reply. He chose not to continue the conversation and went into his room where he was able to have a clear view of her. He opened his chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of thermal pants and a top. He bathed his feet with a basin of warm water and pulled the pants on before going back to the bathroom. He took the hard soap he had and rubbed it between his palm creating lather and he began to rub her legs before moving on to her arms, quickly he grazed over her breasts and back. When he had gotten close enough to her most intimate of parts, she grabbed his hands and simply said no. "I'd go nowhere near it, darlin'. Yer safe with me, I promise."
He took a handful of conditioner, having run out of any shampoo, and began to rub it into her hair. At that moment was when he noticed the thick white thatch of hair that was encrusted with blood. She had smashed her head against something; that explained her momentary memory loss. He slowly went through it, using water to break apart the pieces in order to not cause her anymore discomfort and then used a cup to rinse it out. Holding open a towel, she managed to stand up as he wrapped her in it, lifting her out by the waist. The floor pooled around her feet and he patted her down as if she were a child, which at that moment it seemed she was.
He took the towel away and clothed her in a thermal shirt before lifting her up into his arms and taking her back into his bed, where he had laid fresh sheets. Her waist length hair had been combed through before he made an ill fated attempt at braiding it, it looked careless but he had done what he could. He saw her eyes begin to dim as sleep overtook her but he knew that if he did not keep her awake she might not wake up at all.
"No…no, ya can't sleep now, ya gotta stay up. I'ma make ya some soup all right?" He asked her, she looked at him vacantly but nodded even with a yawn and sat against the headboard. He went into the kitchen and for a few minutes the only sound heard was a knife as it hit a cutting board, the smell of fresh vegetables filling the air. He took the dead rabbit he had earlier hunted and skinned it, cutting its meat into tiny pieces that would bring its flavor into the stew.
He jumped at the touch of her hand on his shoulder but in the back of his mind he had sensed her presence and so did not attack. He put the last bit of food into the simmering pot and washed his hands before turning towards her; his dark eyes meeting sky blue irises. He cocked his head to the side and shook his head, could it really be true? Did she really not know who he was? He hoped that she would remember who he was soon because her memory was the last thing he needed on his conscience and he was the last person to help her.
He led her by the hand to the loveseat when she sat down beside him, looking fearfully about. He put his arm around her, feeling a little discomforted at behavior he did not normally lean towards. She leaned her head against his shoulder, her damp hair stroking the back of his hand. He sighed heavily as the fire crackled and the soup's smell began to fill the air. The silence was comfortable much to his surprise and her voice only filled the room like a perfect note.
"I don't know who you are but I feel like I do," she told him, her voice confused and small. He leaned her back and looked into his face, prepared to explain to her what had happened.
"My name is Logan," he repeated to her, hoping to rekindle some thought. "Yer name is Ororo. We work together at a special school where we help students who have special powers."
"Special powers?" she asked, blatantly confused.
"Yeah, like you can control weather and such," he said to her, hoping she would understand. She nodded, whether she believed him or not remained unsure.
"What are your powers, Logan?" she asked, her accent just enough to add a lilt to his name.
"I've got these," he told her, his voice only slightly pained. He let out his claws and expected her to run in terror but instead she looked at them with confusion. She may have lost her memory but her unconscious seemed to bring her peace of mind. He quickly retracted his claws and watched as her fingers grazed the newly closed wounds; her touch sent a shiver down his spine.
"You are a healer," she said, more like a statement than anything else. He nodded his head and momentarily disappeared to bring her a bowl of soup. They quietly ate their fill before he took her back to the bedroom where she climbed into the bed, going to the far side where she would be able to watch the snow fall outside the frosty window. He blew the fire out of the lamp and took his quilt, heading into the living room. "Where are you going?"
"Whadya mean where I'm goin'? I gotta get some rest. We have to head out early tomorrow," he looked at her in bewilderment.
"Where are we going?" She said, correcting her previous flaw. She would follow him where he went.
"I've gotta get ya back to the school. Ya need some proper care 'Ro," he told her but stood still when she threw her blanket to the side.
"Don't leave me alone. I am afraid," she said. She was not sure why but there was a deep fear inside of her having nothing to do with the scrapes and wounds that existed on her body now. There was a memory trapped in her mind that even she remained unaware of. He knew nothing of her worries but gave into to her needs.
"All right," he told her and climbed into the bed with her, placing his hands behind his head avoiding any amount of contact which would be easy to do. Gingerly, she scooted closer to him and laid her head against his neck before placing her right arm across his chest. He lay motionless until he felt her take her first breath of rest. Then he awkwardly put his arm about her and pulled her into him, unaware of how he wished to cling to her warm body as much as she to him. "Tomorrow, we'll get ya home."