"So?" Logan, despite his best efforts not to, made himself
look over at the woman who was currently laying on her sleeping bag,
head resting on hand, watching his every movement. He'd never had
anyone so absorbed with him before, and while the thought was eery,
it was also flattering as well.
"So, what?" Stepping over her, he realized he was mentally
cursing, yet again, how small this place really was. Enemies or not,
he had to give the X-Men credit for putting up with each other as
long as they had, without going mad. He wasn't a people person as it
was, out in public where the nearest person might even be a good ten
feet or so away. That being said, his confidence in his plan was
slowly dwindling from admiration to a "Why the Hell did I want to do
this to begin with?" kind of attitude.
"You never answered my question." With an only slightly
irritated grunt, Logan reached around her, grabbing hold of his small
sack, purposely prolonging his answer. He knew precisely the question
she was curious about, which in and of itself was amusing. Still, her
constant questioning was slowly grating on whatever nerves he had
left. He couldn't blame her entirely, of course, considering she
hadn't seen the outside world in at least a year. Much had changed
since then. Still...he wasn't some walking, talking newspaper, ready
to spill his guts
"You're gonna have to elaborate, kid." As she threw her hands
into the air, letting out an only slightly over dramatic sigh, he
caught himself grinning. It was just for a moment, mind you, and the
moment he realized it he was quick enough to cough it away. Wondering
where it had come from, he quickly labeled it as a result of the
solitary confinement he was sharing with them in the little attic
room.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" Scoffing slightly, he moved to
answer, before she wrinkled her nose in an afterthought. "And don't
call me kid."
"I call everyone kid. What makes you so special?" When she
fell silent, lower lip slightly protruding, he stuffed the jeans he'd
previously exchanged for sweats back into his bag before turning back
to her. "Don't you think the term "girlfriend" is a little juvenile
for a man my age?" Cocking an eyebrow in question, he let himself
sink onto the sleeping bag, which rested on a floor so uncomfortable
he knew he'd have a stiff back from this for weeks. Thankfully, Marie
answered him before his mind could wander once again to admiration
for the people who'd done this for a year.
"Don't you think the title "kid" is a little juvenile for a
woman of twenty three?"
"Hm..." And, just for her benefit, he rubbed his chin a
little and actually seemed to ponder the thought before very bluntly
blurting out a "no," before laying back on the sleeping bag. One
pillow not being enough, he folded his arms behind his head so he
could keep an eye on Marie. She was attractive, there was no denying
that. Logan knew himself well enough to realize that he had never
once denied himself the pleasure of an attractive woman's company.
Still, he'd never actually sat down and had a conversation with any,
as he was with Marie. It was certainly a change from the lifestyle he
knew.
When Marie fell silent, asking no further questions, Logan
grew a little apprehensive and realized maybe it was for the better.
If she was thinking of questions for him, at least she was thinking
out loud. When she studied him, as she was currently doing, he
couldn't possibly know what was going through her head, and that made
him uncomfortable. "No."
"No, what?"
"No, I haven't got a gir-A lover."
"Really? Wow...I mean...I just thought...I expected..."
Before she could continue attempting to form suitable commentary,
Logan quickly sat himself up to set her straight.
"That doesn't mean I'm some monk. I've had plenty of women."
When he saw that he had her full attention, and that she believed
every word, he allowed himself to sink back into a more relaxing
position. "Just didn't feel like keeping them around long." The
others present, Bobby especially, coughed some, no doubt in
disagreement with his lifestyle. Insignificant action as it were, it
brought back a flood of emotions that had been dormant during the
previous hours. He remembered, so it seemed, for the first time in
hours that these people weren't human. That they were mutants and
that they needed to be taken care of before they took their feelings
of supremacy a step further. Sure, he was no saint, but that was no
reason to get all high and mighty.
"Why not?" Turning his attention back to Marie, he partially
tuned into the conversation he shared with her, all the while
silently planning a sort of revenge, to put the others in their place.
"Too much work." The instant Marie gasped and launched into a
speech on relationships and loved, he turned his attention off
completely, focusing instead on the other mutants present. Revenge
was sweetest when it attacked what seemed to be the one thing
everyone held dear. Looking around the room, he could tell instantly,
from Bobby playing cards with Gambit, to Hank and Ororo curled up
together, that the one thing everyone there relied on was
camaraderie. Despite what fate hurled at them, they remained positive
and hopeful because they had each other.
He remembered Marie telling him, earlier, how the entire
group never seemed to have any problems with one another. They hadn't
actually had a real fight beyond who was the better football team, or
other trivial matters. What Logan needed to do, then, to exact his
payback right, was to focus on that. Throw a little tension into the
pot and see just how well balanced and efficient the five of them
lived together.
"Logan? Logan!" The harsh whisper made him tune back into
reality for a moment. Glancing at Marie, he raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"I asked you a question."
"Should I be surprised?" Though she tried hard to scowl at
him, he caught quickly the faint grin that passed over her lips. When
she did that, an idea began forming in the back of his mind. "What?"
"Tell me something you know."
"Like what?" She looked attractive while she thought, resting
her chin in her hand, cocking her head to one side. A lock of white
curls fell over her shoulders and cupped her cheek delicately. Times
like these, he forgot they were on separate sides and let his eyes
feast on the sight.
"Hm..." Her thinking allowed him a moment's peace to try and
come up with the point of the small spark of thought that had ignited
moments earlier. "Tell me something real. That no one else knows
about you." For this answer, she found it necessary to move toward
him, leaving only about an inch of space between the two of them.
Logan caught sight of Drake's face just then, and a mix of anger and
concern flitted over his features. When he caught the others turn
their heads abruptly away when he glanced at them, he realized what
his mind had been trying to tell him.
Marie. His key to hurting them the most was Marie. She seemed
the baby of the group in many regards. The one the others thought it
best to protect. She stated she wasn't a kid, while in fact the
others must obviously think of her as such. Her disgust in the phrase
only proved that. And so, all he had to do was get her to act like
the woman she was, do something he knew the others would strongly
disapprove of, then sit back and watch the sparks fly. And he knew
exactly how to do it.
"I know you want me."
look over at the woman who was currently laying on her sleeping bag,
head resting on hand, watching his every movement. He'd never had
anyone so absorbed with him before, and while the thought was eery,
it was also flattering as well.
"So, what?" Stepping over her, he realized he was mentally
cursing, yet again, how small this place really was. Enemies or not,
he had to give the X-Men credit for putting up with each other as
long as they had, without going mad. He wasn't a people person as it
was, out in public where the nearest person might even be a good ten
feet or so away. That being said, his confidence in his plan was
slowly dwindling from admiration to a "Why the Hell did I want to do
this to begin with?" kind of attitude.
"You never answered my question." With an only slightly
irritated grunt, Logan reached around her, grabbing hold of his small
sack, purposely prolonging his answer. He knew precisely the question
she was curious about, which in and of itself was amusing. Still, her
constant questioning was slowly grating on whatever nerves he had
left. He couldn't blame her entirely, of course, considering she
hadn't seen the outside world in at least a year. Much had changed
since then. Still...he wasn't some walking, talking newspaper, ready
to spill his guts
"You're gonna have to elaborate, kid." As she threw her hands
into the air, letting out an only slightly over dramatic sigh, he
caught himself grinning. It was just for a moment, mind you, and the
moment he realized it he was quick enough to cough it away. Wondering
where it had come from, he quickly labeled it as a result of the
solitary confinement he was sharing with them in the little attic
room.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" Scoffing slightly, he moved to
answer, before she wrinkled her nose in an afterthought. "And don't
call me kid."
"I call everyone kid. What makes you so special?" When she
fell silent, lower lip slightly protruding, he stuffed the jeans he'd
previously exchanged for sweats back into his bag before turning back
to her. "Don't you think the term "girlfriend" is a little juvenile
for a man my age?" Cocking an eyebrow in question, he let himself
sink onto the sleeping bag, which rested on a floor so uncomfortable
he knew he'd have a stiff back from this for weeks. Thankfully, Marie
answered him before his mind could wander once again to admiration
for the people who'd done this for a year.
"Don't you think the title "kid" is a little juvenile for a
woman of twenty three?"
"Hm..." And, just for her benefit, he rubbed his chin a
little and actually seemed to ponder the thought before very bluntly
blurting out a "no," before laying back on the sleeping bag. One
pillow not being enough, he folded his arms behind his head so he
could keep an eye on Marie. She was attractive, there was no denying
that. Logan knew himself well enough to realize that he had never
once denied himself the pleasure of an attractive woman's company.
Still, he'd never actually sat down and had a conversation with any,
as he was with Marie. It was certainly a change from the lifestyle he
knew.
When Marie fell silent, asking no further questions, Logan
grew a little apprehensive and realized maybe it was for the better.
If she was thinking of questions for him, at least she was thinking
out loud. When she studied him, as she was currently doing, he
couldn't possibly know what was going through her head, and that made
him uncomfortable. "No."
"No, what?"
"No, I haven't got a gir-A lover."
"Really? Wow...I mean...I just thought...I expected..."
Before she could continue attempting to form suitable commentary,
Logan quickly sat himself up to set her straight.
"That doesn't mean I'm some monk. I've had plenty of women."
When he saw that he had her full attention, and that she believed
every word, he allowed himself to sink back into a more relaxing
position. "Just didn't feel like keeping them around long." The
others present, Bobby especially, coughed some, no doubt in
disagreement with his lifestyle. Insignificant action as it were, it
brought back a flood of emotions that had been dormant during the
previous hours. He remembered, so it seemed, for the first time in
hours that these people weren't human. That they were mutants and
that they needed to be taken care of before they took their feelings
of supremacy a step further. Sure, he was no saint, but that was no
reason to get all high and mighty.
"Why not?" Turning his attention back to Marie, he partially
tuned into the conversation he shared with her, all the while
silently planning a sort of revenge, to put the others in their place.
"Too much work." The instant Marie gasped and launched into a
speech on relationships and loved, he turned his attention off
completely, focusing instead on the other mutants present. Revenge
was sweetest when it attacked what seemed to be the one thing
everyone held dear. Looking around the room, he could tell instantly,
from Bobby playing cards with Gambit, to Hank and Ororo curled up
together, that the one thing everyone there relied on was
camaraderie. Despite what fate hurled at them, they remained positive
and hopeful because they had each other.
He remembered Marie telling him, earlier, how the entire
group never seemed to have any problems with one another. They hadn't
actually had a real fight beyond who was the better football team, or
other trivial matters. What Logan needed to do, then, to exact his
payback right, was to focus on that. Throw a little tension into the
pot and see just how well balanced and efficient the five of them
lived together.
"Logan? Logan!" The harsh whisper made him tune back into
reality for a moment. Glancing at Marie, he raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"I asked you a question."
"Should I be surprised?" Though she tried hard to scowl at
him, he caught quickly the faint grin that passed over her lips. When
she did that, an idea began forming in the back of his mind. "What?"
"Tell me something you know."
"Like what?" She looked attractive while she thought, resting
her chin in her hand, cocking her head to one side. A lock of white
curls fell over her shoulders and cupped her cheek delicately. Times
like these, he forgot they were on separate sides and let his eyes
feast on the sight.
"Hm..." Her thinking allowed him a moment's peace to try and
come up with the point of the small spark of thought that had ignited
moments earlier. "Tell me something real. That no one else knows
about you." For this answer, she found it necessary to move toward
him, leaving only about an inch of space between the two of them.
Logan caught sight of Drake's face just then, and a mix of anger and
concern flitted over his features. When he caught the others turn
their heads abruptly away when he glanced at them, he realized what
his mind had been trying to tell him.
Marie. His key to hurting them the most was Marie. She seemed
the baby of the group in many regards. The one the others thought it
best to protect. She stated she wasn't a kid, while in fact the
others must obviously think of her as such. Her disgust in the phrase
only proved that. And so, all he had to do was get her to act like
the woman she was, do something he knew the others would strongly
disapprove of, then sit back and watch the sparks fly. And he knew
exactly how to do it.
"I know you want me."
