A.N. I hope to continue this series throughout December and am trying to write ahead a few days to stay on top of it. Hopefully it will work out and we will have fun with it. I absolutely love reading reviews and hope you will share your impressions of the chapters with me. No flames, please. Also, I realize this is focused on Christmas rather than other holidays of the season, but that's simply how I chose to write it and if it offends you perhaps you'd be happier reading something else.
Disclaimer: I know this is legally necessary, but really… do any of us think I own these characters?
The Advent Season – December 19th
"Those weeds are haunting me now," he grumbled at the innocent morsel of milk chocolate nestled in his large palm.
Marie giggled. "Cut it out! You're a man… you must love mistletoe. It's like some kind of moral imperative for you guys, isn't it? The perfect excuse to make out with all the ladies."
"Who needs some clump of leaves to make out with someone? Only a total loser would wait around for someone to dangle a ball made of some dead plant over their head before kissing the person they wanted," Logan scoffed.
Looking skeptical she hiked her brow in perfect imitation of him. "Uh-huh… So you've never kissed anyone under the mistletoe?"
"Not in years and nobody that's mattered in the last 90 years or so." She nodded, knowing he was referring to the girl he knew as a boy. His first love. The one his former best friend killed. Wanting to avoid him becoming depressed, since he was 'holly, jolly' challenged to start with, she made one final comment before changing the subject.
"Well, you should try coercing anyone under the mistletoe when it just might kill them to kiss you!" she laughed, never noticing he didn't join in. "Today is the last day of exams, thank goodness. So are coming to the party this year?" He hesitated so she tried harder. "I really wish you would."
He shoved one hand in the front pocket of his jeans and took her bag from its place by her desk. "I dunno, Marie…"
Knowing how he felt about crowds and noise and all, she decided to just let it go like she had every year before. One hand reached for his arm to gain his full attention. "It's okay, sugar. I really do understand. I'll just hang out with Jubes and John." He looked a little uncertain about her easy acceptance. "Really," she insisted. "It's no big deal."
Logan figured it was the perfect night to hit the local tavern for some pool and a few beers. They ate, went to their classrooms for the morning and agreed to meet for lunch. After the last exam for the morning session, Rogue spent about ten extra minutes comforting a tearful girl who was convinced she'd just tanked and would fail the class as a result. Not wanting to be late meeting Logan, she hurried through the halls. Logan had come to find out what the hold up was and was a bit behind her but hadn't called out to her yet.
Before she could cross all the way through the foyer, however, she was halted by something she never could have anticipated. When she arrived directly under the huge ball of mistletoe Jean had hung, John stepped in front of her. Ignoring Logan who was closing in from the rear, John pulled Rogue to himself. "John, wha-," she couldn't finish her question because his mouth was suddenly covering hers. It was caressing her lips and that made conversation a bit awkward. His hands were kneading her back and pressing her against him, closer than she'd even thought possible. It took only seconds for her mutation to affect him. John dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.
Logan was roaring in outrage and she was admittedly shell-shocked. "Hey!" John gasped. They were all aware it would have been a yell if he'd been capable of it. "You won't get on with it so at least get the hell out of the way for the rest of us." He was struggling to his feet now.
Rogue listened to the two of them argue back and forth for only a few insults before intervening. "If y'all insist on having a peein' contest, could you pick a different tree to mark?"
Before either man could respond all three of them heard Charles' voice requesting their presence in his office. "I hate it when he does that," griped John. Logan agreed but wasn't going to say so since then he and that little flame-boy would have something in common… well, besides each wanting Rogue for themselves. He purposely positioned himself between the two younger people as the trio went directly to the office. The summons had sounded pretty urgent. Marie and Logan were sure it had something to do with Sabertooth being in town and wanted to know the whole story as soon as possible.
Leaving the office an hour later most of the team looked a bit shell-shocked. Only Logan, Marie, and Ororo were unsurprised by some of the revelations. Storm had been the only person completely in the know, however. Professor Xavier had dropped the bomb that Sabertooth, whom he referred to as Victor Creed, had been feeding him information for years on different organizations, threats to mutant kind, and even the locations of some experimental installations which they had raided. It had been going on for a few years, ever since Victor had given up on working with Magneto.
His disillusionment had begun way back on Liberty Island when Magneto had talked about sacrifices being necessary. Victor saw it for the hypocrisy it was; if the man was sincere he wouldn't have felt it necessary to use a little girl and especially one who had the potential to be one of the most powerful and versatile mutants ever in place of himself. Victor had continued to do some small jobs with Magneto after that, but eventually walked away entirely.
It was all difficult to take in, but they'd had to accept this new perspective when Charles listed many of the missions they'd been on which had started with information provided by Victor Creed. "He has given me a very strong lead on a new military laboratory. I had a message from him letting me know he's now gotten maps and a detailed floor plan of the facility and its security system. Obviously this is helpful and we should pick it up from him. He will be waiting at the bar on the highway tonight at ten o'clock. Logan, I'd like you and Scott to meet him there."
"Not Cyke," Logan insisted. At Scott's glare he reasoned, "Look, it really isn't personal this time. You aren't exactly inconspicuous wearing those glasses in the middle of the night and trust me, I know Victor… he won't want any attention drawn to him."
Xavier steepled his fingers under his chin while he considered Logan's point. "I believe you may be right. Logan will go in alone, but John and Rogue will provide back-up in case something unexpected should arise. They would blend in perfectly as just another young couple out for a drink and both are used to blending into the background more than the rest of the team members who are not away at the moment."
Everyone scattered to get the students started on the exams they'd been waiting to finish. Before she'd broken away, she'd heard Logan whisper, "Sorry you have to miss the party, darlin'." She'd whispered back, "It doesn't matter." Which was true. She wouldn't be at the party, but she would be with Logan. She may have thought he was being a bit stubborn or stupid, but she'd never get enough of being with him no matter what else went on between them.
As soon as the last final exam was turned in the institute's winter break officially began. Most of the students would be leaving in the next two days for home. Only the handful of staff and students with nowhere to go would remain. Rogue's group finished their exam a bit earlier than scheduled, so she went to give the papers to Ororo. It was the weather goddess' class and she'd agreed to grade the papers while she was away. Rogue had been distracted the entire time by the rather bizarre events over the past couple of days. First there was that surreal encounter with Sabertooth yesterday, Logan reminding her of the prior link between Victor Creed and himself, the fact that Victor had apparently been helping them on the sly for years, and then John rocks her world by laying that 'oh-my-gosh-is-it-getting-hot-in-here-or-what' kiss on her right in the middle of the foyer.
Marie hadn't seen either John or Logan since leaving the team meeting and wasn't sure she wanted to. Realizing they'd have to coordinate their plans for tonight she set out to find them regardless of the fact that hiding from them would be more to her taste at the moment. They all had a job to do and that was far more important than their personal issues. Logan was in the danger room running a simulation and wouldn't be done for another twenty minutes. Knowing it would be best to let him burn off the anger from earlier, she went looking for John instead of interrupting. She found him on the roof smoking and bundled up in her coat to join him there after asking Jean to let Logan know where she'd be.
She sank down next to him and sat quietly for a minute or two before asking, "What in the world were you doing? And are you okay?"
Pyro tried to look as if none of it mattered, but she saw right through it. "I'm fine. Just needed a little more time to bounce back is all. I thought you had some control now."
"Yeah, so did I. It doesn't make sense…" her confusion was shoved to the rear for now. "Why would you do that?"
Now his cynical look was sincere. "Why do you think?" He leaned in closer. "Rogue, have you never even considered it? You and me?"
"Honestly, John… not since I first got here." She rested one gloved palm against his cheek. "You are one of my best friends, John. I would never want anything to change that, but I just don't think of you that way. The truth is, it never occurred to me that you did!"
He jerked his face away and spat, "I know! It's always been him."
"I am sorry," she softly admitted. "I wish I could feel that way about you. You are such a special guy…"
"It's okay, Rogue," he assured with a gruff voice.
She half-smiled up at him. "You know, you are an awesome, hot kisser, Pyro."
The arrogant smirk that was his trademark appeared. "Yeah, I know." She smacked him on the arm. Knowing it was time to go, he stood then reached down to help her rise. He held her hand an extra few seconds before releasing her.
"Logan should be done now. Let's go settle the plan for tonight."
"Yeah, okay," he complied. He'd rather talk to just about anybody, Creed included, than Wolverine right now but they did need to lay out their plans.
They found him in the hallway just below the steps to the roof and all went to the empty library to talk. No one spoke a word along the way. Logan was familiar with the bar and drew a rough sketch of the layout for them, suggesting where he thought Victor would most likely sit and where she and John could have a good view of most of the interior to watch for problems.
It didn't take long. Marie settled back with the comment, "So you'll take the bike, I assume, while John and I come in one of the cars?" It was posed as a question, but she'd honestly never considered it as anything other than a statement of the common sense way to proceed.
"I'm not leaving you to ride alone with him. The guy just molested you in the front hallway!" Logan stubbornly objected.
She rolled her eyes. "Logan, don't you think that's an exaggeration?" Her question came at the exact same time John protested. "I did not molest her!"
The previous fight between the two men began again in earnest and she almost walked out on the pair of them. If not for the fact that she knew they were arguing because they both cared about her, she would have done exactly that. Instead she tried to intervene. "Would both of you cut it out? I am not a toddler, you know. I'm an adult who can make her own choices and I am right here, in case you've forgotten." She was getting good and worked up herself now. "I'll tell you what…. You two get there however you wanna get there. Ah'm goin' on mah own. Pahro and Ah can provahde backup just as ehsily apaht as we ken togehtah as a couple. Ah've got things tah do!" She stormed from the room having completely forgotten her resolve not to walk out on them and they just sat there stewing.
"Well, that went well!" John huffed. Logan could only grunt. They both knew he was right.
John was in position at the pool tables, shooting a solitary round. Rogue sat on the short side of the bar where she could see everything but the pool tables from her perch on the stool. Logan and Victor were draining their beers at the isolated corner table Logan had been certain would be Creed's table of choice. He'd been waiting when Logan arrived. Now they were playing it cool until the next round arrived from the waitress. No need getting sloppy and talking when they knew they'd be heard.
"I see you brought the little spitfire along. Keeping her close now?" Logan barely answered before their drinks were delivered and the waitress departed. Logan wasted no time asking if Vic had what he'd come for. The two men quickly got down to the serious business at hand and were soon immersed in the details of what had been happening at the facility located in the remote north woods of Minnesota.
Everything was going just fine until a slightly drunk trucker decided Rogue didn't mean it when she turned down his 'offer'. "Look, bub, Ah said shove off and Ah meant it. Now get lost!" she firmly asserted without yelling. At hearing the familiar turns of phrase Victor's lips quirked. She'd obviously been spending too much time with Wolverine. Both ferals had heard every word thanks to their heightened hearing.
When the man backhanded her across the cheekbone, though, neither had seen it coming soon enough to prevent it. Before they or Pyro could get halfway to her from their positions, she had snarled a low, feminine growl and then let fly with a right hook that did Logan and his training proud. She leaned low over the prostrate man to inform him, "When a lady says 'no', it means 'no' mister… next time walk away."
"Looks like it's time to go," Logan suggested. Victor jerked his head toward the door and Pyro knew to head out. They all assembled in the far corner of the gravel parking lot. In the light of the flickering streetlamp the three men studied her bruised skin, blood trickling from where the swollen skin had split open.
Once they'd told her what it looked like she could only say in a voice thick with sarcasm, "Great! Won't that look charming in the Christmas pictures?"
Victor laughed slightly. When the others looked at him in surprise he only said, "What? It was funny!" Telling them he'd be in touch with Charles as soon as he knew more about the shift schedules and other remaining intel to make the mission easier, he walked silently into the night. A few minutes later they heard the roar of a Harley fading into the night. "I'll drive and we can come back for the van tomorrow."
"No, I'm fine to drive myself." She turned down John's offer and didn't even give Logan time to speak before climbing in and turning the key in the ignition. They weren't far behind her and followed closely as she went inside.
"You go straight to Jean, kid. She'll fix you up in no time."
"I really do feel fine," she asserted from the depths of the refrigerator where she was digging for a bottle of water. When she stood and turned to them, both were stunned.
"Get the prof. and Hank," he distractedly ordered John who immediately complied. It was the instant obedience that let Marie know something major was wrong.
"What is it?" she begged, wide-eyed with fear.
"You're fine." There was a long pause as she tried to figure out what was going on. "In fact, you're perfect. Not a mark on you. No sign of your injury other than a little dried blood."
"How?" she gasped as her skin turned ghostly white with shock.