Hey everybody! Long time no see. This is kind of wild. The last time I wrote for this story, and on this site, was when I was at the end of my first year of University. I just completed my 6th and final year. This may not be significant to you, and maybe you don't care, but I was 17 when I started this story and now I am 23, turning 24. Covid19 has afforded me a lot of down time, I would rather be working and putting my degrees to use, but it is the safest thing for everyone to stay home right now. Anyways, this has inspired me to get back into writing. And what better way to ease back into it than to return to a story I once spent every waking hour on.
I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 11
It took Logan about 15 minutes to drive as fast as he could to the Police Station. It felt like an eternity. His heart was racing, one minute his head was in the clouds waiting for Marie to meet him, and the next thing he knew she was being whisked away in a cop car.
"Logan," a voice boomed in his head. It was Charles.
"Go away, Chuck," Logan growled, slamming the car door shut and racing into the station.
"You need to control your temper. There is no point in getting Marie out if they're going to throw you right back in," Charles said as calmly as possible. He knew Logan was hard to convince in such a state, but he had to try.
Logan knew Charles was right, he wasn't the calmest person, even in the best of situations. Cops always made him nervous, something about being a criminal and a mutant. He could smell Marie as he approached the doors. She was scared, sweating, and he could hear her crying.
"Marie!?" he shouted as he crashed through the doors. His chest was heaving, he locked eyes with her immediately. She was sitting on a bench at the back of the station, talking to an officer while balling her eyes out.
He ran towards her, fists clenched and eyes narrowing on the cop interrogating her.
"What are you asking her?" Logan seethed.
"Listen here buddy," the officer replied, standing up quickly and reaching a hand out, ready to push Logan back.
"You listen, bub," Logan spat back, "She has never done a goddamn thing wrong in her life, I don't know what the fuck you think she's done but she didn't do it!"
"Logan," Marie whispered, looking up at him with her big brown eyes.
Logan noticed how swollen and red her eyes were. Her mascara was running down both cheeks, and the tissues clenched in her hand were soaking wet. It broke his heart. He was searching her eyes for answers, he knew she wasn't guilty of anything. She couldn't be. But why was she here?
"Sir, you're going to need to calm down," the officer said sternly as Logan snapped back into it.
"Logan," Marie whispered again, "We need to talk."
After some careful negotiating on Marie's part, the officer agreed to let them have the back room to discuss. Logan deserved to know what he was about to be a part of.
"Kid, you have to tell me what the fuck is going on," Logan sighed as he reached his hand out for Marie's. She folded her hand into his and once again looked into his eyes.
"Bobby sent the photo to everyone," she said, her lip quivering as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"He did? That fucking prick, I'm gonna kill him!" he roared. Marie shushed him as every officer peered into the room.
"Logan, calm down please," she implored.
"They should have arrested him! What the fuck do they have you for?" Logan was enraged, slamming his fist on the table.
"He sent it from my phone. They're charging me with distribution of child pornography." Marie couldn't get any more words out. The thought of everybody in the school having her picture. The thought of having criminal charges on her record. The thought of Logan being disappointed that he no longer had something special. It was all too much.
"He sent it from your phone? How?" Logan asked.
"He must have stolen it; I was trying to search for it before meeting you. I looked everywhere, I thought I had just misplaced it."
"So now they think you did it?" he asked. Logan had never been so angry. He had said that a thousand times before, but this time he meant it.
"I'm trying to explain myself. They don't believe me. Two officers already gave me the "You shouldn't have taken them" speech. I just want this to go away!" Marie was equally angry and gutted.
"Shouldn't have taken them? So, they're blaming you!?" Once again Logan's voice was raising alarms outside.
"Shhhh," Marie insisted, "I need to be able to talk to you before they pull me away again."
Logan just kept thinking about ringing that Ice Prick's neck. Watching his eyes bulge out of his head. He knew that if Charles could see what he was thinking of doing, he would surely lose his job.
"Look," Marie said, once again gripping his hand as tightly as she could. She massaged the spaces between his knuckles, where his claws would tear through the skin. She loved how protective Logan had always been over her, but she wasn't willing to let him go to jail to exact revenge on Bobby.
"We need to be smart about this. We need to stay calm and collected. Nobody is more upset about this than I am, trust me, I feel violated and terrified," Marie was sobbing through her entire speech.
"Marie," Logan pulled her close, urging her to get out of her chair and onto his lap. He wanted to cradle her, tell her everything was going to be okay and that he'd take care of it. He just didn't know how. His instincts were telling him to rip Bobby to shreds, but his heart knew Marie needed him here, with her.
"Where's your phone now?" Logan asked.
"They have it," Marie replied, pointing to the police men huddled around a desk.
Logan let go of Marie and left the private room, breaking up the cluster of officers.
"That there is stolen property," Logan shouted, pointing at the cellphone.
One of the officers was holding the phone, seemingly looking for something.
"Stolen property that is now evidence. This doesn't belong to you anymore," the officer said slyly. Logan couldn't help but tense up. Was this guy trying to challenge him? Or was he being paranoid? Remembering Marie was sitting in the next room, he froze in place and took a deep breath.
"We need that phone back," Logan insisted.
The officer simply smiled. "Well, unfortunately I can't do that right now, bub." Logan could tell he was mimicking him, remembering what he said earlier. He was about to lose his temper when Marie bust in from the next room.
"I'm 18!" she shouted.
Logan cocked his head to the side, not unlike a German Shepherd puppy. He was so confused. Was Marie going crazy?
"I'm 18," she repeated, this time in a normal tone.
The officers looked at her, then at each other. "Did nobody ask for a license?"
The officers all shrugged and pointed fingers at each other. The truth was, nobody had asked her for an ID of any kind.
"You police officers are always so quick with mutants," Marie huffed. "With any other person you would take the time to find out that they were of the legal age to consent. It is not considered child pornography if I am 18."
Logan smiled, he was so proud. She was panting, her breasts were heaving, he had never wanted her more. He couldn't tell if he was aroused because her chest was moving so rapidly, or because she was standing up to the guy that just made fun of him.
"Wait," Logan interjected, "You don't have to be 21?"
"No, Logan," Marie laughed, "That's the legal drinking age. The age of consent in New York is 18."
"So at 18 you're old enough to send pictures of your dick but you can't have a beer? What a messed-up country," he laughed.
Marie laughed too, but only for a second. She reached over and snatched the phone from the officer's desk.
"You're lucky I don't sue," Marie spat, collecting her purse from the bench.
"Now wait just a minute, young lady," the officer walked towards her. Marie clutched her purse and turned her body away, she had had enough of these pigs.
"Look, we got an anonymous tip that child pornography was being distributed at the school. When we saw the photo, we sprung into action. It was the right thing to do." The officer tried to explain it all away. But Marie wasn't buying it.
"My ex-boyfriend, remember the one I told you about 45 minutes ago? He was the one who stole my phone and sent this picture to everyone in the school. Instead of checking to see if I was of legal age before arresting me, you decided to take his word for it and drag me here. For what? To be proved wrong the moment someone showed a little common sense? You've wasted everybody's time, including mine." Marie stormed out of the station, heading for the nearest car that might look like Scott's.
"Honey, we're over here!" Logan shouted from the red Camaro parked out front. She backtracked over to Logan and got in the passenger's seat as fast as she could.
"Let's sue those fucking morons," Logan suggested. He was already white-knuckling the steering wheel, and they hadn't even moved yet.
"It's not worth my time," Marie scoffed. She just wanted to get home and forget this had ever happened. She still had the issue of the entire school seeing her naked to deal with.
And Logan had Bobby.
Marie's POV
I knew right away it wasn't right. I was 18, it couldn't be considered child pornography. But I was confused, it all happened so fast. I was so wrapped up in the fact that everyone saw me naked. It already felt like I had done something wrong. I was out there, for everyone to see.
The entire car ride back I couldn't help but look at Logan. He kept looking over at me every 5 seconds to see if I was okay. The concern in his eyes was so sweet, so loving, but did he still feel the same way?
"Do you want anything to eat, darlin'?" he asked, placing a hand on my thigh.
I flinched, pulling my leg closer to the passenger door.
"Sorry," he said quietly, pulling his hand back to the wheel.
I didn't want to pull away, I wanted to be in his arms again, wrapped up in our bed, or meeting him at the… oh wait!
I pulled the phone out of my purse and unlocked it. I looked through my messages, hundreds of unopened texts from concerned friends, and disgusting boys.
"Are you okay?" – Jubilee
"Girl, what is going on?" – Kitty
"Damn girl, nice rack!" – Piotr
I shut my eyes tight, trying to block out that last one. There were so many more I couldn't bear to read, but I'm sure I would hear it in person once I got back.
Narrator's POV
Marie was already used to getting a lot of attention. That little stunt she pulled in the bathing suit outside Logan's door. The time she wore a school girl's uniform to Logan's first Sex Ed class. But this was on another level. She was struggling to hold back tears.
Finally she scrolled back far enough to see Logan's name in her messages. "Meet me at the old barn" – Logan.
Her eyes welled up with tears. That's where she wanted to be right now. The old barn, with Logan. She wondered if he had carved their names in the oak tree, or set up a picnic in the field. She blamed herself for not taking better care of her phone, and not keeping it locked up. But she couldn't blame herself, she wouldn't stoop to that level. She wouldn't let the idiot cops convince her it was her fault.
"Marie? Darlin'?" Logan's voice rang in her ears.
She blinked a couple times and came to.
"We're here, babydoll," Logan smiled, rubbing her cheek with his rough hands.
Marie unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out of the car. She looked back and saw the tire tracks in the gravel where the police cars had torn in. She replayed that moment in her head, remembering the fear and confusion when they found her in her room.
"I can't go in," she shuddered, leaning into Logan.
He wrapped his arms around her, pressing his body into hers. "It's all going to be okay," he assured her.
"I can't see him. It'll kill me," she whispered into his chest.
Logan knew who she meant. She wouldn't be able to face Bobby without breaking down. Truthfully, he didn't know if he could face Bobby either. He might just lose it if he saw his smug little face.
Charles was the first one to greet them at the door. "Don't worry, curfew was called early, everyone is in their rooms. Marie, I'm so sorry."
Logan placed a hand on Charles' shoulder. He wanted to let Marie speak first, but she just nodded.
"It's been a rough day, Chuck, I think she just needs some rest," Logan spoke softly, looking at Marie for approval. She nodded.
"Logan, once you get settled, I'd like to see you in my office," Charles' voice sounded stern.
As Logan led Marie up the stairs, he couldn't help but worry about Charles' request. Was he in trouble? Was it because he received the photo first? Was he to blame?
Marie entered their room slowly, noticing all the pieces of clothing and books she had thrown on the floor trying to find her phone earlier. She ignored all of it and climbed into bed.
"Pajamas?" Logan asked, searching through the drawer. He remembered when she moved in she asked him if she could put labels on all the drawers so he wouldn't get mixed up. Logan had laughed and said he would simply remember. And he did.
Marie nodded, removing her dress over her head. Logan turned around and placed the pajamas beside her on the bed. She looked gorgeous. In her bra and underwear, she was stunning. The contrast between her creamy white skin and the black underwear always drove him wild. Except tonight, his head was swimming with other thoughts. Worries, anxiety, fear and hatred.
Marie was fully clothed before Logan shook his head and came back to Earth. Both him and Marie were doing that a lot lately. There was a ton to think about, and nobody knew what to do.
"Cuddle me?" Marie asked, reaching out her hands to wrap around his large frame. Logan crashed into her, smothering her with his body and enjoying every second of it. Marie let out a big sigh, he could tell just how drained she was.
"I gotta go meet Charles," Logan whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"Not now, Sugar, please?" she cooed back.
"I'll be right back, I promise," Logan persisted, pulling himself from her arms. He hated doing this, leaving her when she needed him most. But he needed to make sure Charles wasn't making any drastic decisions. He was likely on his last straw, but needed to stay here now more than ever.
Logan threw on a pair of sweat pants, trading them for his tight jeans. He thought he might as well be comfortable when he gets kicked out on his ass.
He padded down the hallway, which was eerily quiet with everyone inside. Every once in a while he would see a door crack open and a face peer out. He could only imagine what they were saying online. His heart broke for Marie. He didn't like the fact that he couldn't protect her. He was just hoping he wasn't about to make it worse.
"Logan, thanks for joining me!" Charles said. He seemed to be in a good mood, but it was always hard to tell with Charles.
"Just cut to the chase, Chuck, am I canned?" Logan asked, easing into the chair across from the desk.
"What? Of course, not, why would you think that?" Charles asked.
Logan shrugged, "I seem to cause a lot of trouble around here, figured you might have had enough."
Charles chuckled, Logan did cause a lot of trouble, but it was the kind of trouble that reminded Charles why he still cared about being alive.
"I wanted to talk to you about Bobby."
Just hearing his name made Logan's claws inch closer to his knuckles. He shut his eyes tight and took a deep breath. The last thing he needed was to explode in front of Charles right now.
"We took precautionary measures when I saw that Rogue was heading home. He is currently locked up in Hank's office. I didn't need him making anything worse," Charles explained.
"Good, he should rot in there," Logan blurted out, seemingly unaware of who he was speaking too.
But instead, Charles just laughed. "Perhaps he should."
Logan's eyebrow quirked, Charles never made jokes, especially at a student's expense.
"What he did was completely disgusting. I used to feel bad for that young man," Charles sighed. He rolled closer to the window to look at the sunset. "He just couldn't seem to make the right choices. Always trying to beat others, tear them down to make himself look better."
"Look, we all know what his problem is, Chuck, he's an asshole," Logan replied.
"Well, right as you may be, I still took on the responsibility of turning this young mutant into a responsible member of society. And a caring member of this team. As much as I want to kick him to the curb, I made a promise." Charles looked down at his hands.
"Chuck, he sent a naked picture of Marie to the entire school! And he tried to frame her to make it look like she did it!" Logan stood up, furious.
"Logan, sit down, please," Charles begged. Logan refused, still standing and clenching his fists.
"I'm not going to kick him out," Charles continued, "But I'm going to bring him to the police station tonight, after everyone has gone to bed. I'm not equipped to sort out situations in which my students break the law. Mutant or not, they still have to obey the rules."
Logan sank back down into his seat. He wasn't letting Bobby off the hook, what a relief.
"I'm sorry about what you went through today, Logan," Charles said softly, trying to clear the air.
"It's not me you should apologize too," Logan shook his head. He got up and placed a hand on Charles' shoulder. "Thanks."
Charles nodded and opened the door, letting Logan return to his room and rest. Logan could hear Charles heading down towards Hank's office. He only hoped that by some miracle, Bobby had managed to drown in his own saliva before Charles could get to him.
Once back upstairs, he could hear snoring coming from his room. Upon entering, he noticed Marie was sprawled out on the bed, snoring away, finally getting the peace and quiet she needed to rest. Logan shed his clothes and climbed into bed with her. Scooping her up into a spooning position and wrapping the blankets tight around them both. He heard her stir and froze. Shit. He hadn't meant to wake her up.
"Logan?" she whimpered, lazily tossing her head to the side to try and make out who was there.
"I'm here darlin'," Logan responded, kissing her cheek.
"Oh good, I thought you were mad at me," Marie replied, nuzzling back into her pillow.
Logan cocked his head again, "Mad at you? Why would I be mad?"
"Because everyone saw me naked. Now I'm a whore." Marie was so out of it, she trailed back into sleep as soon as she finished that sentence.
Logan was stunned. He realized he now had a much bigger problem.
