*hic* still *sob* own *snort* NOTHING *wails hysterically while thinking of everything that could have happened* But the show must go on ;-)
Chapter 8 – Holding You Close
Logan held Marie as close as he could, trying to keep himself together.
He had heard her scream as she had been sucked through the hole and thrown from the jet and as soon as he had he had felt his world shatter and his heart break.
Thoughts had rushed through his mind as his heart had stopped beating within his chest and had dropped to his stomach.
He couldn't live without her.
Before he could reach for the buckle of his harness the blue mutant (who reminded him creepily of Mystique) had vanished and then reappeared. In the blink of an eye he had vanished alone and returned with Marie clasped tightly in his arms and they had both been catapulted to the front of the jet.
He would be grateful to him until his dying day – whenever that would be.
He had felt eyes on him and had glanced quickly away from Marie to see Jean staring at him. He knew at that moment that she had heard his desperate thoughts. She knew how he felt. But he didn't care.
He had thought that Marie's rescue had proved to be worthless when the jet had continued to plummet towards the ground – he knew there was a reason he hated flying. He knew that he would survive the crash just like he would have survived the fall but if things had ended that way he would have been seeking out the quickest way to end his existence after hunting down Stryker for being the cause of it all.
But none of that had happened. A soon as he had thought things were beyond hope the jet had jerked to a stop a metallic creaking coming from the back of the plane as the hole closed over.
Suspended by their harness – the jet pointing nose first towards the ground – they all had a clear view of Magneto and his loyal blue side kick.
As soon as Magneto had manoeuvred the jet to a suitable landing place he had darted from his seat and torn Marie from the other mutant's arms – by some miracle avoiding her skin that was exposed due to the missing glove. He gave a jerky nod to Nightcrawler who smiled and slowly inclined his head in acknowledgment. Logan couldn't trust himself to talk – his emotions were too raw.
He held the shivering Marie tightly in his arms and was aware of the others shuffling out of the jet – no doubt to kiss the ground in thanks of being alive. But right now as far as he was concerned there was only the two of them and a thousand Magneto's couldn't tear him from her.
He slowly inched back to his seat and sat down, drawing Marie's small frame with him - he wasn't planning on letting her go any time soon if he could.
She quickly curled up against him until her un-gloved side was pressed against his covered chest and she was laying sideways across his lap, her head leaning against his shoulder just as it had many times before in the past.
He rubbed her gloved arm with his hands knowing that shock and panic were making themselves known on her body and causing her shivers.
He glanced around, desperately looking for something to cover her with to heat her up and seeing a jacket slung over the back of a chair behind him he stood up. Gently setting Marie down in the seat he planted a quick kiss on the top of her head.
"I'll be a second baby," he whispered to her not wanting her to panic in anyway.
She nodded her head and he quickly went to the seat at the back of the jet and grabbed the jacket.
Returning to Marie he saw her shakily putting her glove back on and wondered why she had it off to begin with. Never had he known her to have them of in the presence of others and only on few occasions had she had them of in his presence.
Carefully he grasped her arms and drew her to her feet and putting the jacket on her he zipped it up. She stood still and willing while he manoeuvred her arms through the sleeves and he began to worry.
As soon as he was done he took her back into his arms and began to rub her arms and back in soothing circles – trying to reassure himself just as much as her.
He had nearly lost her!
He could have lost her!
"I can't stop shaking," she whispered into his chest and his heart clenched painfully inside him.
"I know baby. It'll stop in a while," he reassured her softly as he moved back into the seat and pulled her down with him. Immediately she curled up against him, her head resting under his chin and one arm holding him to her – not like he needed that to stay with her – and the other sandwiched between them.
"I...I nearly died," she whispered brokenly and his hold on her tightened.
There was nothing he could say to answer that. She had nearly died. If it hadn't been for the presence of the other mutant she would have died. He had moved to go after her but what could he have done? He more than likely would have survived the fall but she would not have – even if he had landed below her.
He shuddered at the thought.
All he could do was hold her and rock her as gradually the shaking faded and her erratic breathing became more even and her grip on his shirt loosened.
Marie lay exhausted in Logan's arms.
She couldn't remember anything between noticing that she was shaking and seeing Magneto holding up the plane but she did know that she was safe.
The burning within her had finally faded but she felt different. She felt changed. Oh she was still Marie but something had shifted within her and she had a feeling it had to do with the locked box within her mind. She looked at her arms and saw that they were covered and realised that she was wearing a jacket and her glove was back on.
Logan must have put it on me.
She could feel the tension in Logan's body and the strength in his hold on her and their nights together a year ago came back to her.
He used to dream that Magneto had killed her and that he had never made it in time.
She looked up at his face and saw the torment in his expression and slowly she reached up a hand to his face and drew his gaze to hers.
She smiled faintly, still trembling inwardly but trying her best not to show it.
"I'm fine Logan. Thank you," she told him softly, gently she traced his eyes with her now steady fingers. Everything about him calmed her - his touch, his smell, his voice, his strength – everything.
He took her hand and pressed a kiss to it and her heart nearly leapt from her throat as her stomach did a flip.
"Don't ever do anything like that to me again Marie," he told her almost roughly as he pulled her tighter against him – if that was even possible.
"Me doing that to you?" she coughed remembering what had happened at Bobby's home.
"You scared the life out of me earlier. Will you please try not to get shot in the head next time?"
He barked out a laugh and squeezed her shoulder.
"I'll keep that in mind baby," he mumbled.
"You do that,"
They sat in silence for a bit longer and Marie began to trace patterns on his shirt with her finger. If she closed her eyes she could imagine that they were lying in bed, in their room at the mansion and nothing bad had happened – no Stryker, no soldiers, no police – but it had happened.
As the silence lengthened she could sense his mood thickening and becoming more brooding with every second. Desperately she tried to think of something to lighten the mood.
She found it and began to giggle.
"Art?" she giggled helplessly.
"Art?" she could hear the confusion in his voice.
Good. At least it will keep his mind of things.
"At Bobby's house – Professor of Art," she giggled again.
She had held it in at the time but now that she thought about it, it was hilarious. His body language and tone had been priceless.
Logan barked out a laugh and she could feel him rub his chin across the top of her head.
"Yeah well, they were irritating," he rumbled as though that explained it all.
"Oh Logan you didn't even hear the best of it," she confided.
"What was that darling?"
"When you went out to answer Storm his mom asked him if he had ever tried 'not being a mutant'"
Marie couldn't hold in the laughter and she could feel it rumble through his chest.
That had been one of the craziest, stupidest questions she had ever heard in her life. Utterly ridiculous.
Their laughter died out and another silence engulfed them and would have dragged on if Storm had not entered the jet and strode towards them.
Logan had to give it to her, the weather witch didn't even blink when she saw Marie in his arms.
She came up to them and crouched in front of Marie, concern plain across her face.
"Are you alright honey?" she asked gently and he could feel Marie nod her head against his chest.
He knew Marie well enough to know that she had been trying to distract his thoughts purposefully a few minutes before but despite her efforts he could not shake the thought that he had nearly lost her. It would have been so easy and it still was. There were so many things in the world that could steal her from him.
"I'm sorry Logan but Magneto wants to talk to us," she told him, sounding sincerely apologetic as she glanced up from her study of Marie.
Marie immediately uncurled from his lap and stood up at the woman's words. He immediately felt her absence but he kept a hold of her hand and stood up to.
His hands automatically went to keep her with him as she moved away but she threw him a reassuring smile.
"That's fine...I...I have to go and find Nightcrawler anyway," she mumbled.
Logan watched as she walked from the plane and he felt a heaviness begin to grow in his chest until she turned around and smiled at him before disappearing from his view.
"OK, let's go get this over with," he sighed.
Talking with Magneto really was the last thing that he wanted to do but he had stopped the jet so he supposed he could at least listen to whatever the maniac had to say.
"Logan before you go there is something you should know..." she trailed of and Logan looked at her expectantly not in the mood to play games.
"Jean joined with Magneto,"
Mystique traced the scars on her stomach, a faint sadistic smile on her face.
She never scared and yet this man had marked her.
She licked her lips.
There was something deliciously, attractively dangerous about the Wolverine and tonight she was going to get a piece of it.
She watched him carefully, trying to see who it would be best for her to become.
She knew that Jean had a bit of a thing for him from what she could see but she was not sure if the feeling was mutual.
There was Storm but she couldn't see any underlying chemistry – but that was nothing to go by.
All the way through the meeting she had noticed his short temper and the way that his eyes had always flicked constantly to the clearing where the tents had been set up and the girl - the girl that they had taken over a year ago.
But no. She must have been wrong. Breakable, silly, immature good little girls were not for the Wolverine.
A flicker of light caught her yellow gaze as the ramp of the jet lowered and the man of the moment came down the walk way closely followed by Jean.
Hmm Interesting.
Mystique watched avidly as things played out and turned from the scene with a victorious smile on her face when she saw them kiss.
Jean Grey it is then.
Yes I know yet another cliff hanger – getting good at them aren't I :)
Wee bit of fluffiness for you. I have missed writting it but this story doesen't really call for cute stuff apart from the occassional little bit so I will continue to pop it in wherever I can.
Mystique's POV - what do you think? (i am thinking io having a little bit of her POV in the next chapter in the tent so let me know what you think)
Now nobody start coming up with the creative death threats just yet the next chapter shall reveal all (and then you can decide how you want me to suffer :))
Anyhoo please let me know what you think pretty, pretty please.
The next chapter is partly written (on paper unfortunately and still needs to be typed) but the chapter after that is fully written (I came up with it while I was working on A Dream Made of Nightmares so it has been waiting a while:)). I hope to have them up ASAP but I was off college with the flu last week so I have a little bit of catching up to do (boooo) but I hope to have them up before Friday (hopefully)
Keep safe and I hope you all have a great week.
:)
PS. By the way I am thinking of changing my pen-name (just to give you all a heads-up) You see I chose phantom-lass manly because my only thought was to write a Phantom of the Opera fan fiction – well you can see how that worked and I actually think I am a bit better at the Rogan fics than the Phantom one I did. So I have kinda gone of the name a wee bit so I am trying to think of something else. Just to let you know so no one panic if one day my name changes. I will let you know though.
:)
