"Can I talk to you for a second?"
Rogue looked up from her magazine at Will. "Sure." She patted a spot next to her on the bed. "Have a seat."
He sat down, avoiding her eyes for a moment, not saying anything. Rogue said nothing, patiently waiting for him to begin.
In the week since he had come out of his fugue state, Will had barely said more than ten words at a time to any of the residents of the mansion. He seemed to be fine physically, just extremely preoccupied with something. He was, as always, unfailingly polite, just unusually quiet. When Jean and Xavier had tried to probe, they were quietly but firmly rebuffed.
He sat for a moment, thinking. "If I ask you to come someplace with me, without telling you where or why until we get there, will you?"
She studied him closely, noticing how nervous he was. "This is important, isn't it?"
"Very."
"All right. We'll leave tomorrow. I'll pack for a few days. Will I need anything special?"
"Pack for some time in the boonies. We'll be out in the sticks for a while."
"Okay. I'll pack some camping equipment, just in case."
"That might be a good idea." He stood up. "See you in the morning."
They took a commercial flight to Denver, then a charter to Billings, Montana. After resting for a day at a local hotel, they rented a car, and Rogue followed Will's directions, driving southwest towards the Rocky Mountains.
After about two hours, Will asked Rogue to pull over at a ranger station, He spoke with the ranger for a few minutes, then came back out. "He'll keep an eye on the car for us," he told her. "We can pick up supplies inside." They bought two week's worth of dehydrated trail food and water purification tablets, then loaded up their packs. They then drove for another hour and a half over twisting, serpentine roads.
Will let out a deep sigh at one point. "Pull over here."
Rogue complied, bringing the car to a stop on the soft shoulder of the road, and edging them nervously close to the edge of a cliff.
Will looked at Rogue for a moment before speaking again. "I'm going to apologize in advance for the way that I'll be behaving for the next few days. The place where we're going… has an effect on me.
"I also want to apologize for not telling you why we came here. I didn't say anything because, frankly, I'm being selfish. I want to see how much of it you can figure out on your own.
"Will it be dangerous?" she asked.
"Not to you. Actually, there will probably be times when I won't even acknowledge the fact that you're there."
She thought about it, then nodded.
"Good," he said. "Let's get started then. Pop the trunk."
They stepped out of the car, and Rogue locked all the doors. Will removed their packs, handing Rogue hers. He took a large coil out of the trunk and uncoiled it, finding the halfway point, then tied the rope to the guardrail at the edge of the road.
"Why don't I just fly us down?" she asked.
"I have to go down this way," he replied. He took a safety harness out of his pack, putting it on. He then attached a D-clip to the harness, running the rope through it. "You can meet me at the bottom if you want."
"I'll just hover alongside you, just in case."
"Fair enough." Slowly and cautiously, he rappelled down the side of the cliff, stopping occasionally to steady himself. Rogue floated beside him, staying close enough to grab him should he slip.
It took him about five minutes to make the descent to the base of the cliff. Rogue let her feet touch the ground while Will unhooked the harness. "Now what?" she asked.
Will looked at her. His eyes, now shaded by the cover of the trees, were glowing dimly. "Look around," he asked her, "and tell me what you see."
She looked at the cliff, then moved down, studying the ground, then the trees. After several minutes, she noticed that one large tree had lost a major limb at one point. The amount of growth at the break suggested that it had happened fairly recently… in tree time, at least. Since there were no burn marks, she dismissed lightning as the cause of the break.
Letting her eyes wander, she looked farther down the valley, seeing nothing but trees, ferns, and ivy-covered rocks.
One of which had an antenna sticking out of it.
Her eyes widened, and she looked back at Will, who was showing his poker face. She turned back towards the mound and walked over to it, then started pulling away the ivy. A few tugs stripped some of the plants away, revealing metal beneath.
After a few minutes, Rogue uncovered what turned out to be the burned-out shell of a Toyota Celica. From what she could tell of the chassis, it was a late 1980s model. The windshield had been broken… from an impact on the inside.
Rogue was silent for several seconds. "This is where it happened isn't it?" she asked quietly.
Will nodded, though she couldn't see it. "Yes."
"How long was it before you… came back?"
"Hours. Days. Weeks. I really don't know."
"Which way is the cabin?"
He tilted his head in a northwesterly direction. "About two days hike thataway."
She nodded. "Is it okay if we stay here for a few minutes?"
"Take as long as you need," he said, sitting down on a nearby log.
She stepped up to the wreckage, studying it from several angles. The driver side door was open, so she stepped inside and sat in what was left of the seat.
The front end was flattened almost beyond recognition. She was puzzled by this for a moment, until she realized that the car had landed on its front end, then fallen back down onto all four wheels. Looking at the windshield, she decided that it had been shattered by an impact with the driver's head. The seat had been pushed so far forward by the impact that she could barely squeeze between it and the wheel.
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to imagine what it would feel like to fall from that height, suddenly stop, then feel nothing at all.
Then to wake up, in pain and alone.
She stepped out of the car. "Let's go."
"Was it day or night?"
"What?"
"When you… woke up, was it day or night?"
"… Just before dawn, I think. Why?"
"I was wondering if you were in the dark."
"I remember some very faint light. Is that important to you?"
"I just wouldn't want you to wake up in the dark, that's all."
"Oh."
"We've got about an hour of light left. We'd better set up camp."
"Okay. You want help with the tent?"
"I've got it, thanks. There's a good spot by the stream over there."
"I'll gather up some wood for the fire."
"You know, for dehydrated food, that wasn't too bad. Why'd you put the rest of the food up in that tree?"
"Bears."
"Oh."
"You're yawning."
"I'm not used to walking all day, that's all. For somebody who just got off the disabled list, you walk at a good clip."
"We can slow down a bit tomorrow. We should get there by mid-afternoon."
"Okay. Let's wash the dishes, then turn in."
"How are we going to do this?"
"Well, the packs can go in the vestibule, and we'll hand our shoes upside-down on top of the canopy."
"Why upside-down?"
"Snakes like the warmth."
"Ugh. I didn't need to know that. I meant how are we handling the sleeping arrangements?"
"Oh."
"What's wrong?"
"Well… I'm trying to find a way to say this tactfully."
"Say what?"
"That it might be best right now if we didn't share sleeping bags."
"Why not?"
"My dreams… aren't going to be pleasant for the next few nights. I don't want you to get caught up in them."
"Oh."
"I'm sorry, I just don't…"
"No, I understand. How about we sleep head to foot?"
"That should work. The tent has doors at both ends. Why don't you go in first and get ready for bed? I'll put out the fire."
"Okay."
"You settled in?"
"Uh huh. Come on in."
"Ow."
"What's wrong?"
"Bumped my head on a pole."
"Please try not to step on me."
"I'll do my best." Rustle. "All done."
"What'd you strip down to?"
"T-shirt and shorts, just in case my bladder sends out a mayday. You?"
"Same thing. What's for breakfast in the morning?"
"Instant oatmeal, powdered eggs, and hot cocoa."
"Yum."
"It's either that or get up early to catch and grill up a trout."
"… Oatmeal sounds good."
"I thought you might feel that way."
"Morning."
"Morning. I love your hair."
"That bad?"
"The white streak looks like an electrocuted polecat."
"Great."
"Don't worry. There's a solar shower and canvas bathtub waiting for you at the cabin."
"I knew there was a reason I loved you."
"Just choke down breakfast while I put out the fire."
"Okay. How did you sleep?"
"On and off. I got flashbacks of… what happened, and that woke me up."
"Are you rested enough?"
"I'll make do. I'll break camp while you finish eating. Could you pour another few gallons of water onto the fire when you're done? I want the ashes to be cold to the touch."
"No problem. I don't feel like starting any forest fires."
"Is your pack balanced?"
"Yep. I'm all set."
"Good. I probably won't be talking much today. I'll be going deep into the Chorus, so my conversational skills will leave something to be desired. Once I go into trance, try to ignore the fact that I'm there. Whatever happens, don't interfere."
"Okay. Lead the way."
"There."
Rogue, who had been keeping an eye on the rocky trail beneath her feet, nearly yelped in shock. It was the only word that Will had spoken in the past six hours.
She looked up, past where Will stood in front of her. The cabin was made of hewn logs, planed and chinked tightly to make a tight seal between them. There were two windows visible from the front, covered by latched shutters. The shutters, like the front door, appeared to have been painted dark green at one time, but the flaked, cracked condition of the paint indicated that it had been quite a while since anyone had applied a new coat.
A stream, about five meters wide, lay between them and the cabin. Will walked forward confidently, hopping from rock to rock across the water, while Rogue decided to play it safe and hovered across.
Will stepped up to the door, then gestured to Rogue that she should go first.
"It's not locked?"
He shook his head. She turned the knob and pushed the door open.
The inside of the cabin was sparse, almost bare. A fireplace, with a large hearth, was built against the wall directly opposite the door. A small basin and mirror were visible in a small bathroom on the right. Some cupboards along one wall were the closest thing to a kitchen that she could see.
She stepped inside, followed by Will. The floor of the cabin was, unsurprisingly, wood. "No lights?" she asked.
Will shook his head, then opened the shutters, brightening the room. Rogue scanned the cabin again, then stood stock still as she noticed something.
There was a brownish discoloration on the floor a few feet in front of her. Its shape seemed familiar to her but she couldn't quite place it. She tilted her head slightly, then gasped.
What she was looking at was the shape of a human body, curled up in fetal position. It was a shape that was the color of dried blood.
She looked up at Will. "This is you, isn't it?"
He nodded.
"How long?"
He held up both hands, then pulled in a thumb.
"Nine days? Weeks? Months?" He nodded at the last word.
"Nine months…" she whispered. The gestation period for a baby. That can't be a coincidence. "Did you ever try to wash this out?"
He nodded.
"It's sunk in too deep?"
Another nod. He walked up to the cupboards, then started transferring the contents of their packs into them. Opening another cabinet, he removed a solar shower bag and an Army issue canvas bathtub. After setting them both up outside the cabin, he brought in some wood from a pile just outside the door. After setting up the wood inside the fireplace, he reached above him to the mantle, taking a small box that sat there. Opening the box, he removed a flint, steel, and a pinch of bone-dry pine needles. It took him about a minute to set the needles aflame, and soon afterwards, the fire was building up well. Pulling out a hook attached to the side of the fireplace, he hung a large cast iron pot above the fire. He then took a bucket from a cabinet and went over to the stream, filling the bucket and transferring its contents to the pot. After several trips, the pot was full of slowly heating water.
"I can empty that when it's ready," she suggested. "Why don't you concentrate on what you have to do?"
"Time isn't right. I'll know when." He stood up, unlacing his boots. "Should get ready, though."
He undressed slowly and deliberately, folding up his clothes and placing them inside one of the cabinets. Stepping outside, he walked about ten meters away from the cabin, then turned back around. He sat in lotus position and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. A moment later, his head lolled forward.
Rogue went over to a corner of the room and sat down, leaned against the wall, and waited.
She sat for nearly an hour, only getting up to check on the temperature of the water, which was nearly hot enough for her bath. She was about to walk over and pick up the pot when she heard movement outside. Listening closely, she decided that the sound was a footfall on the porch of the cabin. Thinking quickly, she flew back to the corner and waited.
After a few seconds, the silence was broken as something began to thud against the door. The thudding continued for about a minute, in a slow, regular beat, shaking the door within its frame. The lock, never sturdy to begin with, gave way, and the door swung inwards, towards where Rogue sat, obscuring her view.
Will fell to the floor with a thud, breathing raspily. He lay there, unmoving, for several minutes, then started to rise slowly, gasping and whimpering in pain. Rising onto hands and knees, he crawled over to the bathroom. Clutching the edge of the sink, he pulled himself up, trying to reach the mirror.
Rogue, who was naturally psi-resistant, struggled to feel her way through whatever link existed between her and Will. All she could get was random noise.
Hurtsburnspainbloodhowwhyohgodisthatmyface-
She was brought out of the link by a guttural moaning, almost a keening, of horror and fright. There was the sound of stumbling, then another thud as something hit the floor.
Then silence.
She waited for several minutes, then peered around the door.
Will lay atop the stained part of the floor, curled up in fetal position, staring into space. He occasionally let out a quiet whimper of pain.
Rogue stepped out from behind the door and looked at him, wringing her hands in sympathy. You can't do anything, she reminded herself. You promised him.
Walking over to the fireplace, she picked up the pot of water and took it outside, filling the tub nearly halfway with water. After getting some soap from her backpack, she stripped and entered the water.
She couldn't forget what she'd seen… no matter how hard she scrubbed.
Several hours later, she opened her eyes as a noise awoke her. Sitting up, she looked over to where Will lay.
He was beginning to stir, rolling over onto all fours, then rising into a crouch. Listening carefully, she could hear his stomach growling in hunger. He stood up, then walked out the door with a loping, yet fluid gait.
She stood up, about to follow him, then looked down at the T-shirt she wore. Hell with it. Not like there's anybody else here, anyway. Saving time, she ran out the door dressed as she was.
He ran straight into the trees, moving in almost total silence, stopping occasionally to listen or to sniff at the air. He darted from tree to tree, hiding in the canopies formed by the lower branches of the evergreens.
Rogue decided to hover, since she wouldn't make any noise that way. She floated about three meters above the ground, always staying behind him so that she wouldn't spook him. She tailed him for about half a kilometer before he stopped abruptly.
Climbing over the remains of a truly massive tree, he looked at the ground below him, where a young stag only a few years old, stood nibbling on the leaves of a bush.
Watching Will closely, Rogue could see the tension building in his legs and back just before he leapt, sailing through the air for a moment before landing just next to the stag, wrapping his arms around its neck and sending them both crashing to the ground.
The stag jumped back up instantly, kicking and tossing its head from side to side, trying to throw Will off. Will only tightened his hold and hung on, slowly cutting off the stag's air supply.
After several minutes, the stag started to slow down, finally staggering to the ground. Will pushed with his legs as they collapsed, making sure that he landed atop the stag. With a roar of effort, he continued twisting, until the stag's neck broke with an audible snap.
Will held on until the corpse stopped kicking, then stood up, a wild, predatory look in his eyes. He scrabbled through the pine needles, searching for something.
After a few minutes, he found two fist-sized rocks, which he struck against one another repeatedly. Once a small chip of rock broke off, he took it and used it to cut through the hide of the stag, and then to slice off a large portion of the hindquarters. He slug the meat over one shoulder, he began walking back towards the cabin, looking warily at the forest around him, as though expecting to be attacked.
Rogue waited until he was out of sight, then lowered herself to the ground, breathing heavily as she leaned against a tree.
That was… incredible, she thought to herself. I didn't think he could go that… wild. Putting a hand to her face, she found that her cheeks were very flushed. Big surprise. You just saw your man turn into Tarzan… minus the loincloth. And wasn't that a sight to behold. Will's… excitement… at his kill had been very plain to see.
I can see why he'd want to keep this private. He tries so hard to be in control of his emotions at the Mansion. Right now, he's pure aggression and impulse. He'd probably be embarrassed or ashamed about it if the whole team knew.
He wasn't afraid to show me, though.
She felt… honored by that.
She found, upon walking back to the cabin, that he had built a fire, and was now cooking the meat atop the coals, using a stick to turn it over. After a few minutes, he pulled the (mostly burned) chunk of meat off the fire. While he waited for it to cool, he went outside and drank deeply from the stream. She watched, fascinated, as some of the blood washed off his body and was carried downstream.
She followed him back inside, and watched him gorge himself on the meat, to the point where his belly started to swell. Soon afterwards, he yawned, then curled back up into a ball in the center of the room. He was asleep within a few seconds.
Food and sleep, she thought to herself. Two of the three basic drives. Wonder if he ever did anything about the third one?
She crawled back into her sleeping bag. Once she was inside, she thought for a moment, then wriggled out of her T-shirt, tossing it onto her pack. She then made herself comfortable.
On that subject…
She awoke several hours later, finding that it was the middle of the day. She was alone in the cabin, so she stood up to look out the window.
He was standing in the middle of the stream, washing off the blood and dirt from his hunt. She watched him closely, admiring the lines of his body. He seemed much calmer than before, now that his hunger had been satiated, and outside of a few scrapes and bruises, which he supposed had been earned during his struggle with the deer, he was unharmed. After bathing in what must have been bitterly cold water, he found a sunny patch of ground and lay down on his stomach to dry off in the sun.
Deciding that he wouldn't be going anywhere for a few minutes, Rogue got dressed, then grabbed a trail breakfast from her backpack. Stepping outside, she sat down on a handy rock and watched, waiting.
After a while, he rolled over onto his back, giving her a nice view as he made himself comfortable. He breathed deeply and stretched, then stood up and headed back towards the cabin. He walked right by her without acknowledging her presence.
Following him inside, she watched as he sat cross-legged in front of the fire, tossing in an extra log or two. He seemed thoughtful, pondering what to do next.
She grew impatient with simply watching him after a while, and decided to take a shower while he was preoccupied. The water in the solar shower proved to be on the pleasant side of lukewarm, and she used her nightshirt as a towel, hanging it on a branch in the sun to dry. She tied her hair back with a rubber band and stepped back inside.
She found that he was now standing, looking around the room wildly, seemingly searching for something. He's starting to hear the Chorus, she realized. He doesn't know where the sound's coming from. She hurried into a clean change of clothes, worried that she might have to follow him again.
Her concern proved unwarranted, however, because he covered his ears and grunted in pain. After a few moments he collapsed to the floor, whimpering as he curled up into a ball again.
He can't tune it out. He's getting lost. She stated to move towards him, but stopped herself. You promised not to interfere.
After quite some time, his moans quieted, and his posture became less tense. He must be figuring out how to shield, she thought. Looking closely at his face, she saw that his eyeballs were moving underneath their closed lids. REM state. He's dreaming again.
He remained that way for several hours, and Rogue killed time by doing push-ups, crunches, and other stationary exercises, then by cooking herself a hot dinner.
He didn't move again until after sunset, when the stars were just beginning to appear in the sky. He arose slowly, so she was able to make herself inconspicuous in a corner.
Walking outside, he looked up at the sky, where a wealth of stars, undimmed by light pollution, shone down on the mountain, bathing everything in a dim, silvery light. He laughed like a child, reaching up as if to touch the dome of the sky, then spun around, arms outstretched, dizzying himself and collapsing to the ground. His eyes now shone brightly, mirroring the light of the stars.
She approached him cautiously, careful not to startle him. I really wouldn't want to absorb him while he's like this.
Before she had taken more than a few steps, he stood up again, then put his arms to his sides, with his palms facing towards the ground. After a moment, tendrils of energy began to dance between his hands and the ground. He's charging up. Why?
After a few seconds of 'charging', he lay back down on the ground, resting the back of his head on his arms. After a moment, he glanced up at her.
Rogue swallowed. "Hi. Can I join you?"
He smiled, then nodded, patting the ground beside him. She got the idea, and lay so that they were facing head-to-head, staring up at the darkening sky.
He pointed up to Orion. "Osiris," he said in a soft voice.
She blinked. Isn't that Egyptian? She pointed up at the Little Dipper. "What's that one?"
"Drag-Blod"
Okaaay… "And that one?" she asked as she pointed to Draco.
"Naga."
"I give up," she muttered. She rolled over onto her stomach and looked at him. "Are you cold?"
After taking a moment to think about it, he nodded.
"Why don't we go back inside, then?" She stood up and held her gloved hand out to him. "Come on."
She helped him up and led him back to the cabin, where she sat him down in front of the dying fire, which she revived with the addition of a few extra logs.
"Stay right there," she told him. Thinking for a moment, she removed the sleeping bag from his backpack, then unrolled and unzipped it, draping it over his shoulders. "Better?" she asked.
He nodded. "Go raibh maith agat." He turned his attention back to her. He started to lift his hand up to her face, but she quickly caught it and laced her fingers through his.
She smiled sadly. "I know you probably can't understand a word I'm saying right now, but you touch my skin."
He tilted his head quizzically, then leaned forward and sniffed. Makes sense, she thought to herself. He's acting a lot like Logan in feral mode. She considered that for a moment, then blinked.
Uh oh.
Before she had a chance to move, she found herself enveloped in Will's arms. He lowered her to the floor, keeping his eyes fixed on hers.
She gulped. "Um… Will… I really don't think this is such a good idea. You're not exactly yourself right now, and we really have to be careful…"
He didn't appear to understand her, but a look was building in his eyes that was impossible to misinterpret.
Eep. "I'm, uh, really flattered, and I have to admit that you look very good right now…" Her eyes traveled down his body as she spoke, and she nearly swallowed her tongue.
Mommy, buy me that!She snapped her head back up and mentally slapped herself. Bad girl! Focus! Thinking quickly, she drew the sleeping bag around him, giving him what she hoped would be interpreted as a seductive look. "Okay, big boy," she crooned, "we can play if you want." She started rubbing his shoulders, getting an appreciative rumble in response. She continued kneading his muscles as she moved around him so that he faced his back.
A few seconds later, he keeled over as the nerve pinch she administered took effect.
She exhaled in relief as she caught him, lowering him to the floor and covering him with the sleeping bag. "Let's hope you're more yourself when you wake up," she murmured.
Walking back to her own sleeping bag, she stripped down to a T-shirt and underwear and crawled inside.
"I'm racking up some serious karmic payback," she muttered as she fell asleep.
It was early morning when she woke up again, roused by the chirping of birds. She stretched, yawning and huddling deep inside the sleeping bag to escape the chilly mountain air. "It's too early," she groaned.
"So sleep in."
She blinked at the voice, then turned her head towards its source.
Will stood in front of the fireplace, stirring the contents of a pot. "Breakfast won't be for half an hour or so. It'll be Tang, trail mix, and eggs."
She looked at him closely. He had dressed in a fresh set of clothes from his pack, and his hair was still drying from a recent shower. His beard looked a bit scruffy after several days without trimming, but his eyes were calm and peaceful.
Rogue hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. "I'll think I'll shower first."
He nodded. "I refilled the shower after I finished. The water should still be fairly hot."
"Okay. I should only be a few minutes."
She grabbed some fresh clothes from her pack and stepped outside. She scrubbed up and rinsed herself off quickly, then toweled herself dry and dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans.
When she came back inside, Will was just beginning to serve breakfast. "I pulled out some cocoa that we didn't use yesterday. Thought that you might appreciate something hot to drink." He placed the cups and dishes on a shirt which he used as a makeshift tablecloth. "Hope you don't mind an indoor picnic."
"I think I can adjust," she said with a smile as she sat cross-legged on the floor. "You feeling better?"
He nodded, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
He raised his head and looked at her with disbelief. "How can you ask that? After what I did… how can you stand to look at me?"
She blinked. "Whoa. Back up. What are you talking about?
"Rogue… I was an animal. I… gods, what I nearly did to you…"
"Hold it right there," she said firmly. "First off, you may have been acting on instinct, but you were never an animal in my eyes. An animal doesn't give names to the stars in the sky, or speak in what I'm guessing were at least three different languages.
"As for the rest of it… if my powers weren't an issue, Will, we'd probably both be exhausted right now. You were pure animal magnetism. For just a while, you out-Wolverined Logan. I have to tell you, you were sex on a stick."
He blinked. "That is one phrase I never thought would be used to describe me."
"Well, it's true. And lastly," she said as she leaned forward and cupped his chin in one hand, "I know that this was an echo of one of the deepest, most profound moments of your life… and I can't begin to describe how much it means to me that you were willing to share it."
"I love you, you lunkhead. Get used to it."
He actually laughed at that. "I guess I'd better. So," he asked as he sat back, "why don't we eat, and then I'll give you a guided tour of my mountain?"
"Sounds good to me."
He took her on a hike of the immediate area, showing her a cold spring that she had found one day, then hiding behind a tree when a doe and her fawn came to take a drink. He took her a spot that gave her a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains, some of which were high enough to have snow atop their peaks.
By the time they returned to the cabin, it was starting to get dark. She made a quick run into the bathroom, then came out to find that he was starting dinner. "What's cooking tonight?"
"Beef noodle stew and instant potatoes."
"Need any help?"
"Could you mix up the punch?"
"Sure."
A long day of walking combined with a mutant metabolism made quick work of the meal. "Oh, that hit the spot," she sighed as she leaned back.
"Glad you liked it. I can't take the credit, though. It's hard to mess up a freeze-dried meal." He dug into a bag beside him. "Ready for dessert?"
"What is it?"
He pulled out two foil-wrapped bags. "Freeze-dried ice cream, courtesy of NASA."
She opened hers and took a bite. "Not bad," she decided. "Wouldn't want to live on them, though." She yawned. "Think the day's starting to catch up with me. Could you clean up while I change for bed?"
"Sure. I'll toss a few more logs onto the fire while I'm at it."
"Okay. I'll be out in a minute." She took an outfit from her pack and shut the bathroom door behind her.
Will used the hot cooking water to clean the dishes, then dumped it out a window onto the ground. He placed the dishes atop the mantle to dry, then added several logs onto the fire, stoking the coals until they were fully aflame.
He turned around and blinked as Rogue came out of the bathroom. She was wearing her transparent body stocking and microfiber mask. "Ready to turn in?" she asked.
"I didn't realize you were that tired."
"I'm not quite ready to sleep yet, but I do have some other ideas."
He looked at her apprehensively. "Are you sure about this?"
"Completely." She took her sleeping bag and unzipped it completely, spreading it out on the floor in front of the fireplace. "Could you pull yours out?"
He complied, spreading his sleeping bag atop hers. "What next?"
"Empty your pockets, and lose the boots."
After he had done so, she reached towards him and took hold of his shirt, pulling gently. "C'mere," she said softly.
He stepped towards her, and they embraced, resting their heads against one another's shoulders. She sighed happily. "This is nice."
"Very." He slid one hand up and down her back.
"There's a problem, though."
"What's that?"
"You're overdressed. We should do something about that."
"You have a suggestion?"
"I might have a few ideas." She reached up to his collar and started unbuttoning his shirt.
She tugged the shirttails free of his belt line, and pushed his shirt back off his shoulders. Pulling the shirt off him, she let it fall to the floor.
She leaned forward and kissed him – softly at first, then with more passion. She pulled his T-shirt free from his jeans, lifting it off him.
He ran a hand through her hair, drawing her close to him. She melted into his arms, sealing her lips to his and placing her hands on his chest.
They stood there for an endless moment, sharing one breath. Her hands moved along his torso, tracing a line down his stomach towards his waist, then around to his back, where they slid underneath the waistband of his jeans.
Will responded by laying a trail of kisses down her throat, nuzzling for a time at a spot that proved to be particularly sensitive. His hands, meanwhile, ran softly down her sides with a touch light enough to make her shiver, starting just underneath her shoulders and slowly moving down towards her waist.
She crouched slightly, guiding them both slowly to the floor. He followed, wincing slightly at one point. "What's wrong?" she asked, worried.
"Back," was his whispered gasp.
She responded by placing one hand against his spine, just below his shoulder blades. "Lean back," she advised him. He did so, and she slowly lowered him down until he was lying flat. "Better?"
"A bit," he conceded.
"Good." She knelt down beside him and kissed him again. "Will, I want you to do something for me."
"Name it."
She made sure that she looked him in the eye as she spoke. "Let go."
He came close to panic as he caught her meaning. "But…"
"Shh. It's just us right now. For right now, forget the X-Men, forget Apocalypse, forget the Chorus, forget about destiny. Just think about being here, right now.
"I made a promise, remember? I won't let you fall."
He looked pensive for a few moments, seemingly torn by indecision, then nodded. "Give me a few seconds." He closed his eyes for about half a minute, during which she could see them moving rapidly underneath the lids.
When he opened them again, their color seemed somehow… diminished. "I've raised all the barriers I can," he informed her. "I'm as alone in my own head as I can get."
She smiled, secretly touched that he had essentially lowered all of his substantial defenses for her. Kissing him again, she started gently massaging his stomach and ribs. Moving down to his belt line, she looked at him questioningly. He nodded, and she unbuckled his belt, slipping it free and tossing it atop his shirts.
Moving farther down, she removed his socks. Rolling them into balls and tossing them at his head in an attempt to break the tension. He threw them right back, bopping her lightly on the nose. They both laughed for a moment, and she then turned her attention back to his jeans. Unbuttoning the waistband, she slowly lowered the zipper. Motioning for him to lift his hips, she tugged on the legs of the jeans, slipping them off and leaving him in a pair of navy blue boxers. "Nice color," she commented.
"The jeans were blue. I felt like coordinating."
She chuckled. "I see that I have your attention."
"My undivided attention, I assure you."
"Then why don't I return the favor?" She slipped her fingers under the waistband and pulled down.
She was then silent for several seconds.
"…Oh, my."
He blushed from face to chest. "I thought you'd seen that before."
"I have, but… not this close-up. Um… my."
"Maybe I should cover up…"
"No! Um, no need for that. Just give me a second." Yowza! "Okay, I'm all right now. I just need to restart my brain and figure out my next move."
"Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."
"…Got it."
"…Um…"
"Shh… just relax, okay? Let me take the lead here."
"Wait." He took one hand in his. "C'mere."
She moved up until they were face-to-face again. "Better?" She asked as she resumed her previous action.
"Much," he replied as he held her close, moving one hand down her body. "How much give does this stocking have?"
"Quite a bit, why?"
A moment later, her breath came out in a gasp. "Oh!"
"No reason why we both can't enjoy ourselves, is there?"
"None that I can think of."
