HELLO! I hope you know that I spent over five days writing, revising, re-writing and then finally editing these three new chapters! That's right! FIVE WHOLE DAYS OF MY LIFE GIVEN TO MAKE YOU GUYS HAPPY! :P I am exhausted...It doesn't help much that I fell asleep at two in the morning trying to finish these chapters...BACK TO THE MATTER AT HAND!
Maxin and Logan may not end up together as soon as I originally planned but they will eventually. I had to put in a few funny scenes, a couple of serious scenes and, OF COURSE, a scene where they first fight over their positions AND their emotions for each other! :) This chapter became longer than when I first read it but it is pretty good in the story's plot. Pay attention to the ending! IT WILL IMPACT THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS OF THIS FF!
By the way, here is some hints"Talking out loud", 'Thoughts in the head'
DISCLAIMER: I do not own X-Men or Maximum Ride idea/powers/... you get the point...they belong to Patterson and Marvel Studios! So stop reading this and START READING CHAPTER 3!-
I opened my eyes to a rising sun outside the window through the parted curtains. I remember New York, a fight and that guy...Logan! I bolt in an upright position and observed that the bed next to me was empty but the bike keys were still on the TV. I started to breathe again as I heard the shower going behind the bathroom door. I relax and hear the water turn off and a few minutes later, Logan was standing there in a pair of blue-black jeans and a red and white checkered western style shirt with the buttons undone. I could see he had at least an eight pack abs and a toned and muscular chest; it almost looked fake if he had not just got out of the shower. I felt my cheeks burn with a red blush at the thought of him standing there almost half-naked. He saw me staring at him and I quickly look away, towards the window on the other side of the room. I heard him give a sigh of exhaustion and I turn back around and see his eyes were almost like melted milk chocolate.
"Didn't I tell you to leave me alone and that I did NOT want your help?" He waited for a moment and stared at me until I gave him an answer. His expression gave off an evil aura but his eyes looked like he was in pain. That look, the look of conflicted feelings and not even thanking me first, made me regret ever meeting him and I wish I left him on the streets of New York! Even the fact that I got us into a bed and breakfast for free, alone and without his help at all, didn't make me feel any better. I snapped back at him, "Well, you are welcome for not leaving you in the middle of the street. And YOUR WELCOME BY THE WAY!" He looked shocked and was about to say something else when I interrupted and continued. "No! I was able to transport you over a hundred miles in a day on your bike, pitied my way into this fabulous and run down bed and breakfast for free and you are standing there asking 'Why did I not listen to you?'!?" I was angry now and knew I had to get out of there before I blew a casket in his face and said something stupid in my fit of rage.
While he stood there with a shocked expression on his ugly mug, I threw a baggy shirt over my pajamas, pulled some denim shorts over my shorter pajamas bottoms and pulled my sneakers on over my bare feet. I threw opened the door, paused a moment, taking a deep breath, and then turned and yelled at him, "You can go on by yourself to Virginia if you want to! I don't care anymore! Just know that I was starting to respect you before you had to insult me by opening your big, fat, stupid mouth!" With that said, I slammed the door in his face and stormed across the courtyard towards the playground in the middle of the semi-circle motel. I sat on the tallest swing and simmered until the sun reached partway towards the horizon late afternoon.
Old Granny came over and asked me in a sweet voice if I was hungry. My stomach rumbled at the thought of food and I replied in a quiet whisper, "A bit..." She smiled and led me to the diner where she served me the greatest grilled cheese I had ever tasted in my whole life. While I was lingering on the desert, a nicely cut slice of NY cheesecake (Oh, yes the irony of it!), Logan came into through the front door and sat on the stool on my right side. The waitress and other people eating saw that a storm was still brewing and left us alone until the storm passed. The word of him getting intoxicated while he was transporting his niece evidently got out and he felt their stares with accusing eyes.
He gave me a sly smile and said apologetically, "Well, you hit the nail right on the head; I'm sorry for the treatment I gave you earlier and I know you were trying to help me out." He looked at me for confirmation that I was listening and continued on with "I usually do things my way and have been on my own for a while and I didn't even expect you to come back and help me but for that…thank you. Thank you for caring …Fawn." That made me smile a bit inside and as I looked at his face, I realized he smiled at my fake name and I had to respond, "You are very welcomed… Uncle Larry."
He chuckled then busted out laughing with me as the background noise and the tension left the dinner and everything seemed perfect again. We ate all the food to our heart's content and we promised the dinner's owner that we would leave the first thing in the morning; she smiled and said, "You don't have to do that. We are glad that some new flesh and blood rolled into town. This place almost never gets customers; in fact, you two are the first in this month alone." We exchange compliments and Logan and I headed back to our room for the night. It was awkward when we finally sat down and wanted to ask each other questions but knew the other would not answer them.
I have to give Logan props though, he asked a hard question first. "Why are you traveling to Virginia?" I remained silent and only looked at the ceiling with its spotted and cracked pattern. He attempted to ask me other personal questions but they just bounded off of the hardened shell I built up for the last few years of my life. I didn't even bother asking him any questions; he wouldn't answer them anyway like me. Logan gave up and went to sleep, facing the closed window curtains. I followed his example a moment later after checking with my perimeter sensor to see if it was safe enough to sleep.
The next morning we got up, loaded up our unpacked belongings on the bike, and made our way to the diner to say good-bye. The only person up was one of the new waitresses, Bertha. She said she was going to give us some snacks to keep us until Virginia and we thanked her and told her 'to tell everyone thank you for their hospitality and comfort'. Afterwards, she stood on the steps waving at us as Logan drove the motorcycle out of the parking lot and on the open road again with me holding on for dear life behind him on the seat.
Logan drove the rest of the way to Virginia and we pulled over for a break just inside one of Virginia's wonderful forests. I started to set out the snacks when Logan started questioning my motives for traveling with him, and unlike last night, I was a little more open to answering that question. I took a deep breath and said, "I just needed to get out of the city...and...well... I was thinking...I haven't been to the south yet and...Virginia sounded like a nice place to go. It's in the countryside...away from any...big cities...I heard the people are nicer than they appear...and it just...sounded...like...a cool place to visit." 'Damn! I hate it when I stammer like this! I haven't talk to someone in almost a year and I am already a mess at conversation!' I thought to myself. Logan gave me a funny look and asked another question. "How old are you kid?" I stiffen and become suddenly interested in the trees across the road from us, completely oblivious to Logan third question. I look startled and he asked again, "You need to listen more. I said, do you have a place to stay when you get there? To Virginia, I mean?" I slowly shook my head and started to ask him why he asked when I stiffened from the sound of a twig snapped behind us.
Logan's eyes seemed to darken almost black and he made a small motion towards the bike with his hands in front of his chest. I nodded in understanding and as we both started to stand and run for the bike, something big, furry and sandy-colored flew out and tackled Logan from behind and on to the road, face first. I started towards him and his attacker when something grabbed my arms. The person then wrenched them above and behind me with their hands locking behind my head in a headlock place. Rendering me incapable of doing anything except wriggling to get loose with my legs, I kicked with all my worth before freezing as a cold hand caressed my right cheek and someone whispered in a seductive voice beside my ear, "Don't struggle and you won't get hurt, Little One."
I felt my blood freeze at the cold, uncaring voice and turned my head to see a man with pale, snow-white skin and black… everything else. Black hair, black clothes, black go-go boots, everything about him was black except for the occasional red swirl on his black cloak and his laser red eyes pointed at me. I only had to see those eyes and could only think of one mutant that could have eyes like that: Sinister. He was a mutant that worked with scientist for the longest time on genetics until his experiments started including live humans as lab rats and guinea pigs. I froze for a second longer as my eyes locked with him but my body instinctively returned to futile movements to escape my captor's clutches.
He sighed like he knew I would continue struggling and then turned his attention tot he brawl in front of us. I glimpsed Logan being thrown to the ground like a rag doll and blood spurting from his mouth a he bounced up from the ground. I froze as his brown eyes closed in exhaustion from the one-sided fight. At that moment, the mutant who threw him leaned over him and started punching him over and over. Logan wasn't moving. Logan was not moving at all! He was out cold on the pavement. He was completely still. He was completely helpless. Being beaten to death by the mutant, I doubled my efforts to get free. If I didn't do something soon, Logan was going to die!
Sinister was talking but I barely heard him through the buzz of adrenaline in my ears and head. More people poured out of the forest behind me and covered my view of Logan and my body suddenly snapped into overdrive as I saw visions of them killing Logan and leaving nothing of him to exist anymore. My captor's arms had relaxed at the notion that I was finally giving up and that was all I needed. I tightened my arms against his arms and threw my legs up and over my head to free myself and kicked his head with my feet, knocking him out. I cart wheeled a few yards away and looked over the situation. There were about ten mutants there, including Sinister, and Logan was on the other side of them from me. At that moment, Sinister noticed my escape and commanded five of the other mutants to catch me and don't let me escape. They charged and surrounded me and that brought a smirk to my face as my old playful spirit came into play. I dodged and weaved between all the pursuing guys and knocked all of them off their feet at the same time. They stood up, stunned at the fact they had taken on a little girl and then laid out on their faces. Their faces became shameful, embarrassed, then angry as they charged me again. My little game of cat-and-mouse came to an end quickly as, one-by-one, they fell at my feet.
I looked over to the remaining group and what I saw made me smile. Sinister and the five other mutants who stood by his side gasped at what just happened. The other mutants looked a little afraid but Sinister is what made me real happy; he was speechless! His eyes were so wide that I could see his black eye balls that surrounded his red pupils. I saw behind them at Logan being sat on by the mutant who jumped him. H looked like a cat mutant, with claws, fangs and a furry face to complete the look. Logan gazed at me with questionable eyes and I gave him a shy smile to show him that I was sorry for not telling him earlier of my fighting abilities.
I heard Sinister say something and I must have looked confused so he repeated himself, already gained his calm façade again. "Who are you?" I froze for a moment and asked him rhetorically with a cocked eyebrow, "Why are trying to beat the crap out of my friend?" One of the mutants beside him snickered but was quickly silenced by a glare from Sinister. He looked at me again and responded, "Do you know who this man is?" I look at Logan and saw him shake his head side to side. I smiled a cocky grin and answered Sinister. "I know he is my ride out of here and he still owes me for saving him." Sinister froze for a moment and Logan looked at me like he was going to kill me if these guys didn't. I started, as were the rest of the people present, when Sinister started to laugh in the way all evil villains do before giving a long monologue. He paused and said in a taunting voice, "You honestly don't know who he is? Do you?" He turned towards Logan and his stare at him made me want to rip his throat out.
Logan looked as though he was about to throw up and stared at me to not listen to Sinister, to run away and leave him behind. I was honestly curious why Logan didn't want me to know who he was by Sinister taking him and leaving me but I was in no mood for stupid questions and cryptic answers. I all knew was that Logan was a friend, Sinister wanted to kidnap him and I was NOT going to leave Logan alone with this lunatic! I shrugged and stated to an amused Sinister and tense Logan, "Why should I care?" Logan started struggling and shouted at me to leave now before they killed me but was quickly shut up by the mutant holding him down by the arms. Sinister smiled a creepy scientist smile, like he wanted to see me squirm and he simply stated, "Your friend is not human. He is a mutant like us. Not only that, He is a well-known mutant that goes by the name of … Wolverine."
My eyes widened and I dared a small glance at Logan to confirm what Sinister said. Logan looked everywhere but at me, unable to meet my eyes like he had betrayed me or something. I could not believe it! Everyone knows who Wolverine is; he is an X-Man, a strong one too from descriptions of him and suddenly everything made sense. All the awkwardness that emitted from him when we first met was because he wasn't used to strangers. Also, he was usually described as a lone wolf on the team and that is probably why he didn't want me to join him on his trip back to Virginia! I forced my face to become calm and hid my eyes beneath my hair as I started chuckling and smiling at the thought of Logan, kind and gentle Logan, being the fierce and wild Wolverine of the was staring at me like I was crazy for the fifth time that hour and Sinister looked taken back by my reaction to his explanation.
I looked up at all of them and smiled straight at Logan with understanding eyes and said, "If he is the Wolverine I heard about, then you guys are Santa's helpers and I would be a punk rocker in Europe by now." Logan was shell-shocked by the looks of it and everyone else held their breath as Sinister's face turned from white to pink, to blue, to red and back to its regular pasty albino. He stared at me with appraising eyes and I felt a shiver go down my backside as those eyes gave me a feeling of déjà vu. He smiled his signature demonic smile and said to the mutant on Logan, "Saber Tooth, put Logan down and catch this new little mouse for my lab." The Mutant, now Saber Tooth smiled and handed Logan over to a guy who body-builds for fun and covered in metal. Logan tried to escape in the transference but couldn't as he was held in place by the man in iron sheets. He yelled at me to run away now before Saber Tooth takes me and I just looked at him and as he calmed down and stares at me, Saber Tooth charged. I gave Logan a small salute and glared at the cat coming towards me.
Saber Tooth actually stumbled a bit when he saw my glare and fighting stance but then pounced on me from above. I simply rolled back and pushed him off me into one of the trees behind us. He hit it with a crack and he slumped to the ground as I catapulted up and on my feet again. Sinister takes the initiative and comes at me to fight me himself. I barely dodge his fists and kicks and I am slowly being backed up in the woods surrounding the road. I feel Logan's presence moving and, as I spare a glance towards him, I see that he had escaped the metal man and was fighting the other mutants. I see that he did have claws of metal; three sharp knife jutted out from between his knuckles on each hand and he wa s holding his own against his opponents.
I could not say the same as Sinister slams a fist in my gut and I struggle to regain my breath and stand up straight; I stumbled over a tree root right behind my left foot and fall on my back, seeing the tree tops from the ground. Before I could get an elbow up, Sinister has a handful of my shirt in his right hand and is pulling me up and in front of him, facing Logan and the two lane road. He loops an arm around my throat and another holds a wicked looking knife inches away from my face. Logan freezes when he sees me struggling to get out of Sinister's clutches. Logan takes a step forward and the knife goes right underneath my left eye. He stops again and slowly pulls his claws into his hands and puts his hands up. I struggle again as I see Logan freeze and yell at him to forget about me and fight back. He does not listen and soon the mutants, that he had fought earlier, swarm him and quickly put on an anti-mutant collar with shackles on Logan's arms, legs, wrists and ankles.
The power stored inside me goes off like a Roman candle firework and fights to get out but I hold it for a moment too long; Sinister feels the power rolling off me like heat in a lava pit and he quickly tightens his grip on my neck to make me think otherwise. I struggle to breath and as I start to black out, he allows me to take in air again. He walks us over to the road where Logan in bound and struggling to get at Sinister and me even though he can't even stand up straight from the weight of the chains on his arms and legs. I give a 'I am sorry' look and he quickly gives a nod to acknowledge. He's pulled to his feet by the others and Sinister starts putting pressure on my neck again to kep me cooperative. They start walking Logan towards the forest where they came from, with Sinister following with me still in his headlock, barely being able to breath. I start thinking this is it; we see the sun one last time and then we will either die as one of his experiments or work for him under mind control.
We all hear the sound of a low-flying jet and I try to escape again but before Sinister has time to react to either, a jumbo jet appears above our heads and a team of mutants drop down between me and Sinister and Logan and his captors. I sigh a breath of relief as Logan is freed from his restraints and lifted into the jet unharmed and I think I hear him say "Go back for her" when Sinister yells out and tightens his grip again. "I GUESS I WILL HAVE TO DO WITH THIS SMALL MOUSE BEFORE DEALING WITH YOU...Logan!" I sees black spots across my vision but before the darkness claimed me, I saw Logan staring out of the jet's main entrance with his friends standing behind him. He has an angry expression that I have never seen before, like he was going to murder Sinister.
The last thought I thought was 'Does Logan really care about me?...'
I know! I know! Long chapter and I end on that note?! I had a simple plot formed but then I had to add a little more fighting sequences to make the parting with Logan a little more heart-breaking. I LOVE YOU LOGAN! PLEASE DON'T SLICE AND DICE ME YET! I WILL HAVE YOU BACK WITH MAX AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, TRUST ME!
SEE THIS LITTLE BUTTON DOWN HERE THAT SAYS REVIEW AND HAS A LITTLE BUBBLE THOUGHT NEXT TO IT? CLICK IT AND TELL ME GOOD THOUGHTS OR I SWEAR I WILL STOP WRITING! I PROMISE!