Marie didn't know what to do or say to him after their near-sex experience, so she didn't do or say anything. She felt kind of odd and embarrassed, so she left his room immediately after.
She stopped sleeping in his room altogether.
They avoided each other like the plague and she made it a point to give him the cold shoulder whenever they were in the same room together. Their change of attitude didn't go unnoticed by Storm, who eyed them both suspiciously on a daily basis, but never said a word concerning their "relationship".
He noticed that she stopped wearing his tags. She started openly flirting with other guys, but it was only in an attempt to make him jealous and get him to believe that she wasn't as hung up on him as he thought...but she was.
It took a few days for her dreams to come back, while Logan's dreams resumed immediately.
When Marie woke up, screaming a bloodcurdling scream, he reached over in his bed, blindly fumbling for a body that wasn't there. When he was had fully woken up and realized that she wasn't in his room with him, he hesitated briefly before entering her room and taking her by the shoulders. She had been thrashing for a while and was tangled up in her sheets.
Logan gave her a firm shake "Come out of it, kid!"
Rogue opened her eyes and took a few breaths before erupting into heart wrenching sobs. She grabbed a hold of him and trembled as he shut his eyes and stroked the back of her head.
His heart was breaking for her.
He held her close as her sobs subsided, "Shh kid. I'm here."
When she finally calmed enough, she pulled back and wiped her face, "Why won't it stop? Why can't the dreams just stop?"
Logan shook his head and pursed is lips. He looked down at her chest and noticed the distinct absence of his dog tags. She followed his eyes and sniffled a bit, "I didn't think you wanted me wearin' em anymore."
He looked back up into her eyes and shook his head, "I never meant to make it seem like I didn't care about you kid. I just don't think we should look at each other in that way."
She wiped at another stray tear and searched his eyes, "Why?"
Logan looked away and took a shivering breath, "Lots of reasons...but just know that I'll always do my best to take care of you. No matter what, you're still my friend...you're still my Marie."
He kissed her forehead and shut his eyes as he took in a deep whiff of her scent. Even with the fear and sorrow he smelled in the room, her soft, sweet scent was still delicious.
Logan climbed into bed with her and stroked her hair as she fell asleep. He heard her whisper, "I love you" right before she fell into a pleasant, dreamless slumber. He stayed awake and watched her for a few moments as she slept before kissing her forehead again and mouthed the words "I love you" back to her.
As if it were a silent agreement, Marie resumed sleeping in his bed every evening, but she started coming in later and later...sometimes even after he had laid down. She'd always give a vocal warning when entering his room to avoid being mistaken for an intruder.
She also started wearing more to bed, and it wasn't just because Autumn had arrived. She had given up on him. Marie trusted that Logan had very good reasons for not wanting to take their relationship to a new level, and she knew it had something to do with the guilt that stemmed from her captivity at Alkali Lake.
She knew he blamed himself for the fact that she was haunted by those horrifying nightmares that left her unable to fend for herself at night. She had to respect that...but at the same time, she couldn't pine for him forever.
She never did put back on the dog tags, and his pride refused to allow him to ask her to. By all standards, she was fair game in the mansion, and the older boys took note. Warren, in particular, paid plenty of close attention to her. Marie kind of liked him. He was sort of aloof and seemed to brood a lot...just like Logan.
The mutant they called "Angel" was a bit hesitant about getting close to Rogue, especially since it was rumored that she still slept in the Wolverine's room. She reassured him that their situation was purely plutonic, so he started to loosen up a bit around her.
They frequently took walks on the property, ate together and had movie nights. She enjoyed his company, but his clean cut appearance didn't do very much for her sexually. He was "cute".
Logan watched her interactions with Warren from afar as he fought back feelings of resentment and jealousy. Who was he to be jealous? He had denied her, after all. He tried to trick his mind into thinking he was happy she found someone else, but in reality, he wanted her so badly he hated himself for it.
Her connection to him had put her in grave danger and changed her for the worst. He had to remind himself of that every time he thought about snatching her body to his as she slept beside him.
The more Marie's life outside of Logan expanded, the more resentful he got. He was starting to hate the fact that all they did was sleep next to each other. They didn't hang out anymore and they rarely talked. He didn't expect her to become so distant.
He missed her.
Until he figured out to fix his situation with Marie, he diverted his energy back to discovering more of his past. Logan used the information Marie drew from Stryker to further investigate his history.
After weeks of research, he found out that he still legally owned some property in the Canadian mountains. It took a lot of running around to find out the location, but as soon as he got off the phone, he went rushing through the mansion to tell the one person he thought would care.
Marie sat on the couch with Warren, laughing about the movie they'd just gotten back from seeing. As their laughter died down, Warren looked into her eyes and leaned in. Marie knew the moment was a long time coming. She'd been conflicted about the fact that she didn't feel a truly passionate sexual connection to him...but maybe a kiss would do the trick.
Maybe one kiss would be enough to help create the spark that she needed to start seeing him on a more than plutonic basis. As he leaned in, she moved closer and closed her eyes as their lips connected chastely. Warren jumped away from her as they both heard Logan clear his throat from where he stood in the doorway.
Marie stood and took a deep breath, "Logan...what are you doing here?"
"Would ask you two the same thing", he said as he sauntered into the room, crossing his arms. He looked at Warren, "Could you give us a minute, bub?"
The younger, much smaller man held his grown and stood, staring right back at Logan. He looked at Marie, then kissed her cheek, making Logan tense visibly, "Yea...I'll talk to you later, Rogue."
Logan smiled internally. At least he wasn't calling her Marie...that was a privilege still held solely by him.
When Warren cleared the room, Marie ran a hand through her hair, "What's up?"
He smirked, "So you and Warren, huh?"
Marie shifted uncomfortably. It would be great to know if he was jealous, but she didn't want to talk about another guy with him. She shrugged her shoulders, "We're friends, Logan."
He regarded her carefully for a moment, then took a step forward, "Right...well I was coming to find you cause I found out some more information about my past."
She raised her eyebrows and smiled, "That's great! What's up?"
"Seems I own a cabin or something in the mountains in British Columbia. I wanted to go check it out."
Her face drooped immediately, "Oh...well, that...that's great."
He smirked and nudged her shoulder, "Perk up, kid. You look like someone shot your puppy."
She forced a good natured smile and rolled her eyes, "I know...it's just...it's gonna be rough without you. With my nightmares and all."
Before he could properly think about what he was saying, he opened his mouth and let the words pour forth, "I want you to come with me."
Marie's head snapped up in surprise as she stared at him wide eyed for a moment, "You want me to come with you?"
He did. He didn't want to leave her there alone with her nightmares...and Warren, but at the same time, he knew that taking her somewhere where it was just the two of them would mean trouble. He didn't think of that until the words were coming out of his mouth. Logan looked back at her and smiled. Her face was so full of surprise and hope, he couldn't change his mind, "Yea kid...absolutely."
She clasped her hands together and smiled, "Sure. I'd love to get outta here for a few days! When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow...we can ask Storm if we can take the truck."
"Awesome! I'm gonna go pack!" she kissed his cheek and rushed out of the room, leaving him to smack his forehead.
Brilliant. A road trip with the woman who he loved and desired more than life itself. This was going to be easy.
Reviews please! Thanks so much for reading. Road trip=smut. Stay tuned.
