Chapter 17
Trigger Notice: Early on there is implied attempted rape. I tried to be as circumspect as possible in my description and there is no violence but just be aware it appears very early in the chapter. The third section is where it is mentioned. No violence or graphic description but it could bring up some bad memories.
It took her every bit of the three hours before Logan and Victor returned but every wall in her mind had been reinforced, every door locked unless she opened it. Slowly but surely, she made gains in fine-tuning control over her mutation and her mind. Evangeline's brand of telepathy, invading the subconscious, wasn't of much use day to day but it was only thanks to her that Marie had gotten control of her skin at all. Passive mutations, as powers like hers were designated, were generally defensive. They only 'came on' when the mutant was threatened.
Her skin being 'on' all the time had been due to her upbringing. Her parents hadn't been touchy feely. Hugs weren't freely given and anyone else touching her had been strictly cautioned against, until Marie had become convinced that something bad would happen if anyone touched her. Losing her grandmother so young had probably been the worst thing that could have happened to someone with her mutation, apart from the trauma of an assault. Her grandmother had hugged her, loved her, but with her gone, and no one else to show her otherwise, her parent's mentality had overridden her trust in touch from those memories.
Evangeline's mutation had forced Marie to look into her own mind. It had taken time, and practice every day, but she'd eventually gotten control of her mutation. Now she knew how to turn it on and off, how to do a shallow draw or a deep pull. And how to corral the personalities in her head so they didn't make her insane. That had been a real concern in her early days with Cody screaming into her mind.
She'd learned how to organize her mind so she could find the memories she needed. She couldn't hide from the things she didn't like or didn't want to know. Everything had to be examined, put in its proper place, and kept there. She'd worked for years, ever since she'd read about the idea of a mind palace. It was a work in progress, but she had control over her mind, the personalities, her memories… the only time they snuck out was in her dreams. And that unfortunately was simply part of being (mostly) human.
The mental effort had always left her feeling starved, and today was no exception. Now she was doubly grateful she'd thought to get a stew going. She frowned and went to the window, no sign of her men yet. A mental scan of the area had them just pulling into the drive of the property. So, the job had gone smoothly at least.
Set the island with three places, bowls, plates, silverware and glasses. They'd both want a beer most likely. Biscuits in a basket, stew on a trivet with a ladle and she cleaned up the kitchen while she listened for the crunch of gravel under Rover tires.
It seemed like forever but eventually she heard them pull into the garage next to the packed Tahoe.
The job hadn't gone completely smooth but as Victor said, 'good enough for government work'. They'd both gotten a little shot (their phrase, not hers) so the huge stock pot of stew was quickly decimated, the biscuits gobbled up and the bowl of fruit devoured in record time.
When they'd finally healed up completely and their attention wasn't on fueling their mutations Logan realized that no one in the area did delivery or takeout with this particular menu item. "Darlin', you cooked this? Made the biscuits?"
Victor blinked and his gaze joined Logan's in staring at her while she shrugged, "Stew ain't hard you know." She half smiled and took the empty pot and bowls, loading the dishwasher up. "I left your soaps and shampoos on the bathroom counter in case ya'll needed a shower when you got back. Everything else is in the bags except a change of clothes for ya'll and my coat."
"A quick rinse and a change will do us fine," Victor stood and tugged her close, nuzzling her affectionately. "Don't even need to dirty a towel."
"Gimme your dirty clothes then, if they're salvageable," Marie ordered as Logan came to press his cheek to her hair and kiss her sweetly. "If they're not I'll grab a garbage bag."
"Five minutes, and yeah, the shirts are toast," Logan nodded. "So, separate bag for the jeans and stuff."
"Got it," Marie nodded and made sure that all the perishable foods were gone. She needn't have, she grinned to herself, hungry ferals cleared out the cupboards like nothing else besides starving teenagers.
Victor was getting dressed when she went into the bedroom with a trash bag. His bullet hole perforated bloody shirt had been dumped in the bathroom trash can along with Logan's. Marie scooped up their jeans, shorts and socks and put them all in the 'keep' trash bag. The trash with their bloody shirts was tied off and put inside the 'keep' bag. Victor and Logan had taught her their system. Contain anything bloody until the next stop. Launder or throw it away as far from the job site as could be managed. Leave nothing to identify them behind.
Logan came out of the bathroom, gloriously naked, soap and shampoo in his hands and she grabbed them to pack up along with the combs. "Sweetness, there's a bottle of drain cleaner under the sink. Pour the whole bottle down the sink and shower drains," Victor instructed as Logan dressed. "Jimmy, I've got the trash bag with the clothes. You grab the duffle bags."
"Five minutes," Marie promised as she went into the bathroom. She hadn't thought of it until Victor had showed her how they left each place but shower and sink drains could be scavenged for identifying hair follicles. Better to make sure the drains were cleared out. Victor had made quite the study of forensic DNA analysis. When she and Logan left the house Victor would do one last walk through and make sure nothing had been left behind.
In less than fifteen minutes they were back on the road.
(Marie shut her eyes and tried to catch her breath. The past five days had been filled with abominably bad luck. All the planning in the world couldn't prevent a random drug bust at a club where she worked. Everyone had been scooped up, she and Logan included. Victor hadn't been there, had only been absent because he was doing a solo job while Logan watched out for Marie on her first day at the club.
At least she wouldn't have to start over with costumes and wigs, the random thought crossed her mind as she sat in a bus terminal bathroom stall. First day at the club she'd only brought the most basic of her costumes and the black wig. The dressing room was tiny and didn't even have lockers, so she'd told Logan to put her purse in the SUV. Her jeans, sweater and underwear were likely still in the dressing room.
When the cops had scooped everyone up she and Logan had been separated. The first thing she'd done was change her face just enough that the mug shot wouldn't look anything like her actual face. Processing was something she had experience with, mentally if not in person, so she was prepared with ready answers for the inevitable questions. It was really amazing how many of the people in her head had less than legal experience with law enforcement.
What she hadn't known was in the more paranoid towns, the police force had access to fast analysis of DNA. Someone had developed a quick, reliable test for the X-gene. If you had it, you were stuck in yet another holding cell until you could be sent to a facility where a more reliably accurate test could be done. If you weren't a mutant, oops, sorry, back to wherever police station you came from. If you were…
Well. If you were a mutant then you were kept there until you could be transferred to another facility. And the likelihood of ever getting out again was…slim. She'd seen her chance to run when she'd been put in that separate cell. No other mutants at the club except for Logan apparently, and he'd been put somewhere else.
Being locked up by herself in her costume (or lack thereof) hadn't exactly been safe. She'd attracted attention, and not the good kind. When a cop had unlocked the cell and come inside with her, (several of his fellows watching with leering grins that never boded well) she'd known there'd be trouble. The guns were unholstered too, obviously the plan was to shoot her if she resisted the first man's 'overtures'. Jerking them out of their hands with Erik's mutation had shocked the hell out of them. A tranquilizer gun of aluminum had been brought out and she'd used Bryan's telekinesis to yank it out of their hands.
"Fellas, you really oughta leave me alone," She drawled coldly. "My mutation is in my skin. I get hurt, my skin turns on, and it sucks the life out of you. It works when I'm unconscious, when I'm asleep, all the time unless I turn it off. And pain only makes it turn on. You don't believe me, touch me and give it a try."
She'd stood and moved towards the cop in the cell with her, "You want a demonstration? Last time I touched a human he ended up in a coma. I touched a mutant and now I can lift stuff with my mind. How much do you want to see what I can do?" She'd tilted her head and looked at them, "I don't want to hurt anyone. I never have. How about you take your pal and skedaddle."
The cop had begun backing up, the guns had fallen to the floor and the cop in the cell with her had scrambled backwards so fast he'd nearly fallen on his ass. Marie had continued standing, more than half naked and staring them down until they left her alone. Only then had she sat down on the concrete bench. She was lucky they'd believed her. And even luckier that they hadn't tried it again.
The only other bit of luck she had was the regularly scheduled transfers between the police station and the processing facility. They came once a week, only skipping stops if they were told there were no mutants at that station. Emma's telepathy had been very handy. And the Lieutenant in charge had a mind wide open for reading. Tightly closed to anything resembling tolerance or compassion though. He'd ordered his men to give her a wide berth after hearing about their little attempt at assault. He'd also put the ones involved on shit detail. Apparently, he couldn't care less about her, but he didn't want his men 'contaminated' by sex with a mutant female. And it hadn't occurred to them that she might be able to use her abilities to manipulate the locks. Thank God for that.
The transfer for the male facility was supposed to come the day after the female's vehicle. Using Erik's power to manipulate the movement of the security cameras, and the tumblers of the cell lock she'd gotten out, stolen some sweats and a ball cap (both of which stank to high heaven) from the locker room and managed to get out of the station. She was miles from the club and the SUV. And after four and a half days in one cell after another she wasn't in any shape for a long hike unless she got some food in her. The bus station was first place she found that she could sit in silence unnoticed.
Her other choice had been the library, but it was a little too close to the police station. And libraries tended to only have single or double stall bathrooms for the public. Also, the library staff tended to notice when smelly people invaded their clean book filled spaces. After four and a half days in a cell Marie had to admit that she smelt none too fresh (and the smelly sweats didn't help).
A mental stretch, reaching out for Victor, finding his mind, the familiar warm touch of his thoughts, and communicate to him where she was and what had happened. They had until tomorrow to get Logan out of the police station. Otherwise, they'd have to hijack the transfer vehicle. A bus, most likely with more armed guards.
Victor's rage roared through her mind like a tornado before he got a hold of himself. He had the SUV, had been dropped off at the club to find it empty and the parking lot scattered with cars. Her go bag in the car would provide her with clothing. Marie sighed in relief and let go of the control she had over Mystique's mutation, letting her face slide back to her own familiar features.
Half an hour. He'd be at the bus terminal in half an hour. She could hold out that long.
She should have known Sabretooth would have no patience with human social norms when it came to assuring himself of her safety. He strode right into the women's restroom and only Marie unlocking the stall kept him from breaking the door of it down.
"Sweetness," That rasping growl, the near glowing gold turning his grey eyes to dawn lit mist, his instincts were very close to the surface.
"Honey," She threw herself into his arms, inhaled the musky masculine scent of him and kissed him for all that she was worth. Later on, she'd tell him about the cell and the cops and what they'd attempted. Much later. After they were out of town. She loved him but an angry Victor was not a cautious Victor. It was about the only time he forgot himself enough to be impetuous.
"Get dressed," He kissed her once more after giving her that order and putting her down.
Strip off the suspenders, thong and sweats. Stuff the costume in the duffle, the sweats in the plastic Walmart bag. Pull on the leggings, tunic sweater and take off the black wig. Victor had obviously been thinking of disguising her because he'd included a platinum blonde wig in the duffle. Pin it to her head and change out her stripper heels for a pair of high-top sneakers and socks.
"We've got a day before the transport for male mutants gets to the station," She told him once they were in the SUV, a battered Jeep something. "I'm sorry."
"You're alive, free, what're you sorry for," He glanced away from the road for a moment.
"I couldn't… until I got somewhere I felt safe… I couldn't get the telepathy to work over the distance to you," Marie didn't know if it had been a mental block or something in the police station walls. She'd been able to read people in the station, but not outside of it.
"That's not your fault," Victor shook his head. "Just glad you're all right. They hurt you at all?"
"Their cuffs aren't as comfortable as yours and Logan's," She shrugged. "But I've been worse off." She looked out the window, "Where are we going?"
"Hotel room. I pulled us out of the little house, figured a hotel would be better, closer to the police station. Heard about the bust on the radio, figured you and Jimmy got swept up in it," He pulled into a Holiday Inn lot and parked around the back of the building. "Could you get through to Jimmy at all while you were in there?"
"I couldn't be sure if he could hear me or not," Marie frowned as Victor guided her into the room. "I could find him, I know where he is, but his mind was…it was harder to hear than yours."
"Adamantium skull," Victor nodded and locked the door behind them. His hand wrapped around hers and he sat on the bed, tugging her down beside him. "Right now, all I want to do is claim you again, so I can feel that you're here and mine. But since we're on a time limit, Jimmy first. I want you to show me, everything you know about the station, where he is, who's there. Everything you saw, heard, smelled…how you got out."
Marie nodded slowly. Emma knew how to do that, had done it often. Marie knew how in theory. "Okay honey," She closed her eyes and mentally connected to her mate. Everything, from the beginning when the cops had come in, to the end when she'd gone into the bus station.
An hour had passed before Victor was satisfied that he knew everything she did. They'd had to take a ten-minute break when she got to the memories of the cops trying to rape her so Victor could get himself under control. She hadn't been able to censor her thoughts of that incident unfortunately, not without leaving other logistically important information out. And he was still supremely pissed about it, just putting off any retribution for the moment. He got up and handed her several sandwiches from a popular deli chain, pacing as he thought it over.
"Night shift is the best time," He said finally. "Fewer people around, prisoners won't be awake. I've got a guy who can hack the station server, remove the records. I'll give him a call while you eat."
"Emma can make people see things," Marie told him. "I can try to make anyone who looks in Logan's cell see him still there."
"You'd have to connect to every mind in the station," Victor shook his head. "And if they drugged Jimmy, we'll need you to carry him out while I cover the two of you."
She nodded slowly and kept eating while Victor made his call. In her experience most guys thought a small package meant weakness, doubly so if that small package came in the shape of a female. Mental strength or powerful mutation didn't matter when all guys saw was a little girl. Logan and Victor didn't ever make that mistake. If one of the mutations she collected could do the job better than they could, they said so. Her men depended on her, her absorbed mutations rather than insist on doing everything themselves. They considered her an equal partner, wouldn't love her or claim her as theirs if she was some weak panicking woman.
Finally, Victor hung up and she finished the food, crumpling the wrappers and throwing them in the trash. When she turned, Victor was right in front of her, eyes glowing gold, "Now." He growled hungrily. "Mine."
Marie nodded and pulled off the sweater, kicking off her shoes and peeling the leggings and socks off as quickly as she could. "Need you honey," She lifted her arms to wrap around his neck and squeaked in surprise as he grabbed her and pulled her close, his mouth devouring hers. She forgot sometimes, how strong he and Logan were, how easily he lifted her.
Before she knew it, she was flat on her back and Victor's mouth fastened to her breast, sucking the tip with hot deep pulls, with a growl. His hand pushed roughly between her thighs, rubbing her clit ruthlessly until she couldn't help the continuous moans and mewls of his name. "Victor… Victor… Honey…honey fuck me… please… I need you baby…"
Thank God, he took her at her word, rising over her and pushing home without pause, a pained groan rising in his chest as her wet heat surrounded him. "Fuck…Marie…" And she arched up to him, desperate for him, those gold eyes staring down at her. "Mate…"
"Yes…Victor…yes…please…" She moaned as he pulled back and turned her over, forcing her to present to him before he slammed home again, rough and hard and so fierce she thought she'd die from the pleasure of it. Her scream of his name only seemed to make him wilder, her body grasping at his, clinging tightly as he drove into her even harder. Victor's fist wrapped in her hair, dragging her back to him, his mouth on her neck, sucking his mark on her, snarling his possession and roaring his triumph into her skin as he emptied his body into her womb and bit down over his mark, claiming her again.
Panting as if they'd both run a marathon, Marie forced her head back and kissed his jaw, "Love you honey." His purr and gentle kiss, careful hands and rolls of his hips under hers as he hardened and filled her again, teasing and loving her until they were both shaking with the intensity of it, low guttural moans and soft cries of his name as they came again.
"Rest for a bit baby," Victor murmured holding her tightly. "I'll wake you when it's time."
The night shift at the police station… People who were working against their own body clock, drinking enough caffeine to fuel a tapdancing elephant and fighting boredom. Occasional personnel coming and going. In some ways it was like every other place that was open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Going through the front door. Well, that included booking, handcuffs, the quick and dirty X-gene test and time in a cell until you were arraigned. Not an enjoyable experience. And for covert operations, not recommended. Leaving had been much more discrete, through the side door that attached to the parking lot full of patrol cars. With Victor leading she didn't have to try and listen for every person in the building, his feral senses took in pretty much everything. And with her he didn't have to be concerned with locks and cameras. Between Magneto's mutation and Bryan's, she could manage those little issues.
Finding Logan through what had to be deliberately mazelike corridors didn't take much time. The twelve by ten cell of metal bars and chain-link fencing, paint peeling in flakes of traffic post yellow, contained Logan. Marie could instantly see why her mate had been so uncommunicative with her mentally. He drowsed in his place on the concrete bench, slumping against the wall, legs and arms loose as a broken marionette's.
But she and Victor had figured that might be the case, simply because an awake and aware Wolverine was a furious and adamantium claw slashing Wolverine. Bars wouldn't hold up to his claws, not even with only half his strength behind them. The sandy haired young man in the cell with Logan came as something of a surprise. Marie looked at Victor with a tilt of her head, they hadn't prepared for another person being with Logan.
"They shot him with a tranq gun," His cellmate explained as Marie manipulated the lock and pulled the cell door open.
"Figures," Victor muttered. "Sweetness?"
"I got him," Marie nodded. "C'mon sugar," She walked into the cell and slid under her man's arm, using Erik's mutation to lift him. It would look like she was just a lot stronger than she should be or she was telekinetic.
"You comin'," Victor eyed the wiry blond man.
"I've gotta see if Lorna's still here. They just brought us in," He shook his head. "I'm Alex."
"We're not splitting up," Victor growled at her before she could even suggest it. "If you can handle it, bring Jimmy along."
"I got him," Marie repeated and mentally figured out where the women's holding cell was in relation to where they were. "You remember where it is?"
"Yeah, I'll take lead," Her older mate nodded firmly and began to lead them towards the other side of the cell block.
The girl, who was stuck in the same cell Marie had been in, had green hair. That was different. She was also zip-tied to the bench leg. She must have been brought in after the women's transport had been and gone. When she said as much Alex nodded, "We've only been here for a few hours."
"Sweetness you got the cameras," Victor held them just out of sight.
"They're turned honey," Marie mentally pushed them away and opened the cell door.
"Alex," Pale skin and dark green eyes flew to the face of her friend. "They used plastic."
"I got that," Victor moved forward, popped a claw long enough to cut through the zip tie and helped her up.
"Thanks," She clung to Alex and looked at them. "So, jailbreak?"
"Jailbreak," Marie smirked. "This way please." She looked behind her and took great pleasure in twisting the locking mechanism of the cellblock door to something that would require a welding torch to remove.
Victor raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, content to lead them out of the station and past the lot of patrol cars. "Get in," He held the door of the SUV open and Marie floated Logan into one seat by the window, strapping the seat belt across his chest. Lorna and Alex followed, both of them visibly uneasy, and Marie climbed in the front passenger seat.
"Where'd you put all the stuff honey," Marie wondered. The go bags were the only things she saw.
"Rented a storage unit, put the Tahoe in there. Bought this wreck for cash," He told her. He glanced at the two newcomers in the back seat, "You two got a place to go?"
"We were heading for New York, Westchester," Alex told him. Marie tilted her head, mentally gliding through their thoughts for a moment and got an irritated look from Alex. "Stay out of my head," He rolled his eyes.
"They're going to Xavier's," Marie explained to Victor.
"You've got a long way to go," Her man commented. "Got any stuff to pick up?"
"It's all in the car, which is probably in impound," Lorna sighed.
"Could get it out of impound," Marie looked at her mate thoughtfully. "With my mutation it wouldn't be hard to divert the cameras and unlock the car. Pull their stuff out."
"It'd depend on where it is on the lot," He reminded her. He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her palm and wrist.
"What's your mutation," Alex tilted his head. "Telepathy? Telekinesis?"
"I can do both," Marie answered evasively. "I don't discuss it."
"Jimmy wakes up he can put a call in, get them a ride out of here," Victor reminded her quietly.
"That's true," She looked back at her sleeping mate. "Anything we can do to help him burn off the drugs?"
"His system'll work them out quick enough so long as he isn't dosed again." He made a turn and pulled into a long-term storage facility. "We'll switch out the vehicles, get the layout of the impound lot and see how feasible retrieving their things is." He turned to look at the two near strangers, "Before we go risking our freedom, is it worth it? If you've got valuables or things that can't be replaced, okay, I get it. But if it's just clothing…"
"The only pictures I have of my mother are in my bag," Lorna said quietly. "Some of her jewelry. The rest… it's just clothing."
"So, things that can't be replaced," He nodded and parked the Jeep. "Sweetness, you got Jimmy?"
"It'll be easier to move him from one vehicle to another, so get the Tahoe out before I try to move him," She suggested as she and the other two climbed out of the car.
"Got it," Victor nodded and made short work of the lock on the storage unit. In another minute the Tahoe sat beside the Jeep and Marie moved her sleeping mate to the backseat and belted him in. Victor pushed the duffle bags into the cargo area and pulled the Jeep into the storage unit. Marie smiled as she saw her purse in the passenger seat of the SUV.
"Get in," She ordered the other couple. "We'll need to get your things before it gets light outside."
Marie actually got to use the mental projection trick Emma had taught her. One weak minded security guard was child's play. A simple picture of the deserted impound lot put in the forefront of the man's mind while Lorna and Alex retrieved their things. It turned out Lorna had an affinity for magnetic fields, similar to Erik, and locks were easy for her if they were made of metal and not plastic.
A fast drive out of town and Marie rolled her neck as Victor tore through the slowly lightening night. "Why don't you just take the wig off," Lorna's voice suggested dryly. "No way that shade of blonde is natural."
"Sweetheart, I'm an exotic dancer, wigs are part of my work," Marie retorted dryly. "And quite frankly, I'm glad we were able to help you two, but I'd just as soon not leave you with a completely accurate description."
"On the run," Alex asked quietly. His tone was sympathetic but not pitying, a rare configuration in her experience.
"I've been on my own since I was fifteen, until I met my men," Marie smiled at Victor.
"Parents threw you out," Lorna's tone was just as dry as Marie's had been.
"Just as soon as I manifested," Marie nodded.
"Yeah," Lorna nodded.
Marie looked back sharply as she heard Logan's groan. "Sugar, it's all right. We're with you," She gently pushed her voice into his mind as she spoke. "We're safe."
"He wakes up worried his claws can do a lot of damage," Victor commented. "Got another town comin' up here. I'll grab us a couple of rooms. We'll have to Motel Six it, sweetness."
"Oh dear, however will I cope," She chuckled.
"Just try to keep him calm," Her man ordered unnecessarily.
When Logan woke up, he thankfully did not shout her name and didn't claw up the room either. Of course, that might have had something to do with Marie sleeping on top of him, so he'd have her scent in his nose. He rolled over and pressed her to the mattress before he once again staked his claim on her body. She was pretty sure that they'd woken Alex and Lorna since she doubted the two of them were wearing earplugs.
They'd woken Victor up too, and he informed his brother that their woman needed to have them both and know that they were all together again. Logan hadn't really resisted the idea too much. She was pretty sure that he and Victor needed the same thing.
Marie smiled as she inserted the blue cosmetic contact lenses and tugged the pink wig over her braided hair. The sparkling flowered collar around her neck and one of her more risqué casual outfits along with her heels was as far a cry from her usual 'at home' look as it was possible to be. Victor seemed to get a kick out of watching her disguise herself. And he whole heartedly approved of the hip hugger skinny jeans and the little blue shirt with more buttons open than closed. Marie liked how she looked, but the spandex in the clothing made them comfortable too which she considered just as important. Nobody felt sexy when they were uncomfortable or tugging at their clothes.
"Set on confusin' 'em," Victor chuckled.
"You said that Xavier is a powerful telepath," She paused as she added little pink studs to her ears. "He'll see the three of us in their minds. I'd rather he not have a good idea of my natural coloring."
"Probably wise," He agreed and kissed her cheek. "I know I'll enjoy the look. And Jimmy won't be able to stop staring at your ass. You're always beautiful."
"You're such a sweet talker," Marie grinned at him.
"Don't let that get around," Victor smirked. "I'll grab the kids from the other room. Better that they're here when Logan gets on the phone."
"Sounds good honey," She began to put her things back in their little case and stretched out on the bed next to Logan. As if determined to make her melt her big man tucked her feet into his lap and slipped off her shoes to knead her soles with his strong hands. "Hmm… sugar you can stop doin' that in 'bout ten years…maybe."
Victor chuckled and headed out the door, leaving it open and knocking on the one next to them. Her bigger man's rumbling voice, Alex and Lorna's lighter murmurs and she lazily opened her eyes to see all three of them enter the room. The door swung shut behind them and Marie sighed, "Guess you'd better make the call sugar."
Logan grumbled but grabbed the phone from the nightstand, punching in the number and then another code, muttering to himself until someone picked up, "Yeah, lemme talk to Chuck." A pause, "Yeah its me." A small wait, "No, I don't. No. I. Don't." A growl into the phone, "Just put Chuck on the phone before I reach through it and rip out your damn tongue." Another longer pause, "Hello? Damnit, I said I wanted to talk to Chuck, not you Boy Scout." A muttered less than polite insult and Logan rolled his eyes, "Scott, I don't give a shit what she thinks. She ain't my woman and she ain't my problem. And she don't give two shits about me anyway. Nobody insults my mate and gets to stay in my house. Now put Chuck on the line or do I have to drive these two kids up to Westchester my own damn self?" A much longer pause and Logan sighed.
"Finally," He spoke into the phone. "Chuck." Another roll of his eyes, this one more fond, "Yeah, I'm fine. No, you heard right, I'm with him." A pause and Logan's voice turned steely, "He's my brother Chuck. He needs me. I need him. We're a pack, us and our woman. Our mate." A shocked exclamation that Marie was sure everyone could hear through the receiver. "Yeah, I said 'our'." A short wait and Logan sighed, "I don't know Chuck, all I know is that with her, Vic an' I don't try to kill each other. She helps keep us balanced."
A longer pause and Logan rolled his eyes to the ceiling as if pleading for patience, "Yeah, yeah, I'll think about it. But you know we're better off on the move. Now can we get to the point of this call? It wasn't to fill you in on my family life or love life or sex life either, vicarious thrills or not Chuck." Marie giggled at the thought of the faceless man's reaction and Logan smiled, "Yeah, that's our woman. She's great. But my point. Cops came into the club where she was dancin' and swept all of us up. Me an' her. She got herself out, contacted Vic and they both came and got my tranquilized ass out too."
Now the questions were coming fast and furious and Marie could almost understand what the man was saying before Logan interrupted, "Chuck, it doesn't really matter at this point does it? When they busted my ass out, they got a couple of kids out with me. Vic got a contact of his to hack the police computers and erase all of us from the system."
Marie ignored the huffy annoyed sounds coming from Alex and Lorna. Compared to Logan and Victor everyone was a kid. LAs if hearing her thoughts, Logan sighed, "I dunno Chuck, you know they all look like kids to me. Hell, you're a kid sometimes man." A pause, "I dunno, I just woke up, first I've seen of 'em." A put-upon sigh and Logan nodded, "Yeah, I'll hold the phone out." He held the receiver towards Lorna and Alex, "Tell 'im who the two of you are would ya?"
"Professor, it's Alex," Alex spoke loud enough to be heard. "And this is Lorna."
"Hello?" Lorna gave her boyfriend a look like he was nuts but greeted the telephone.
"Got it," Logan put the receiver to his ear. "Yeah, I wondered about that. Can kinda see the resemblance. Okay. Yeah, no I don't think they're exactly safe driving up to Westchester from…" He paused and looked around, "Vic where the hell are we?"
"Freemont Nebraska," Victor spoke loud enough to be heard on the other end of the phone.
"Got that," Logan asked and nodded. "Yeah, we can get out of town, empty space, easy enough. Give me the coordinates." He scrawled them down on the note pad and nodded again, "Chuck, the woman has been on her own and avoiding other mutants. She's got her reasons. Leave it be." He sighed, "Yeah I know. I'll think about it. Just… when you send the plane, don't send Scott and Jean. I won't be responsible for what happens if she talks about our mate like she's a whore one more time." He growled, "No Chuck, I won't have to hold Vic back. He'll have to hold me back. You ask her what she said and how she acted. Or get her to show you." He shook his head, "Right. Yeah, sure, by all means, send Storm and Beast. At least they're usually polite. Uh huh. Yeah, you too." He hung up and scrubbed his hands over his face making his hair even wilder before handing the note pad to his brother. "Think we can make that in four hours?"
Victor nodded, "Yeah, it's doable." He glanced at the two 'kids', "You two better get ready to go. We'll stop at a drive thru for breakfast."
Marie giggled when Lorna and Alex stared at the huge bags of food, "Trust me, they'll eat every bit of it. Takes a lot to keep a feral going."
"So, I guess there's history with you and the Professor," Alex asked once everyone had eaten their fill and the waste disposed of.
"Which one of us?" Victor looked over his shoulder, "And you should talk."
"Yeah I know him, my brother's a student there. So was I, way back when Charles was first starting it up," Alex nodded. "They called me Havok."
Logan chuckled, "Well you and your brother aren't much alike."
"Oh, in some ways we are," Alex shrugged.
Marie looked up from the book she'd been reading, "One of his original X-men?"
"How'd you know about that," Alex looked at her.
Marie flicked her eyes up to her mates, "We don't just have sex when we get time alone sweetie."
"Not from what I heard last night," Lorna muttered.
Marie smirked at her teasingly, "Jealous?"
"Don't need to be," Lorna smirked back.
"Good for you," She chuckled and went back to her book.
They made it to the rendezvous point in just under the four-hour mark. A stretch of land in the middle of no and where. "Miles and miles of miles and miles," Marie remarked as they all climbed out of the SUV.
"Need to stretch," Logan asked with a smile as he rolled his neck and swung his arms.
"Hmm… feel like bein' my barre sugar?" Marie leaned against his side and laughed when he nuzzled her neck.
Victor grinned as he did some stretching of his own, "Might be better off usin' the fender."
Marie nodded and stretched for a moment before doing as he suggested. Heels off and a pair of soft ballet flats on she took first position, second, third and concentrated on her form, going through the entire lesson she remembered from childhood. Her eyes drooped dreamily as she moved through the different forms, and she could feel Logan and Victor watching her. It never failed to fascinate them, this way of dancing, so different from what they knew.
"How does she do that," Lorna's voice, hushed as if afraid she'd disturb the practice.
"Dunno," Logan shrugged. "She took classes for a long time. Darlin' just remembers things."
Marie opened her eyes and smiled, "It's not difficult. It helps to develop control though, because you have to truly think about each muscle in your body. Football players take ballet to increase their speed and agility on the field. Ballet is a discipline, and the mentality of it helped me learn to control my mutation. It encourages…consciousness." She patted the hood of the SUV. "Stand here and put your hand on the hood. Your shoes are flat so you should be okay. I'll turn my back and you just imitate what I do."
She guided Lorna through the basic positions of first through fifth and grinned at her. "When you get to the school you should see about classes," Marie suggested. "It can be nice to have something that isn't strictly academic, or about survival."
"I might," Lorna nodded. She tilted her head towards Logan, Victor and Alex, "Are they always so fascinated?"
"Ballet makes you very bendy, and my mates have seen me perform, they know just how…agile I am," Marie grinned. "And ballet is relatively new to them." She looked toward the east, "The plane is almost here."
"You can hear them? Already," Alex blinked in surprise and Lorna's expression echoed it.
"We can hear it too," Logan nodded. Victor extended his hand to Marie, and she took it, laughing as he twirled her towards him and flowed into an elaborate dip. When he righted her, the plane was landing, a sleek, futuristic looking vessel in a grey so dark it was nearly black. Marie's pink ponytail whipped in the wind, and she leaned against Victor to remain steady on her feet.
She could feel Lorna and Alex looking at she and Victor in surprise, their suddenly wary posture and expressions as the two of them leaned against the Tahoe. She and Victor had no reason but Logan's reassurances to regard the X-men with anything besides suspicion. Marie even more than Victor in some ways.
A ramp lowered and a woman with white hair and creamy brown skin descended at the side of a…man with such bright blue fur he was a match for Super Grover or Cookie Monster. Upon further examination he appeared to have a slightly simian features. Marie stiffened and Victor looked down at her in concern. "They're…loud," She murmured, knowing Victor would understand what she meant, loud thoughts, and the blue man turned to look at her thoughtfully. "Jean and Summers gave them an earful about us. Summers is on the plane. He didn't want to wait to see his brother."
"At least he's smart enough to stay out of sight," Victor muttered.
Logan moved forward and met the couple a few yards from the road where Marie and Victor stood, performing his own rough version of introductions. "Ororo, Hank, this is Alex and Lorna. Guys, this is Storm and Beast," He indicated each of them.
"Hey Hank," Alex grinned. "Been a long time."
"It has. It's very good to see you again," The blue feral smiled at Alex and looked at Logan, "And will you introduce us to your…pack?" Beast had the cultured elegant accent of a highly educated man.
"We would like to meet your mate," The woman, Storm, Marie remembered her, Erik's memories, her own, she'd been on the Statue of Liberty. Her voice, like Beast's, was elegant and sounded kind.
"And your brother," That came out a bit more hesitantly, though still polite, from the furry blue man.
Logan turned to look at them, the way Marie pressed to Victor's side, and how stiffly his brother stood, protective arm around her, "Hank, you really think that's gonna happen?"
"If they—" He didn't sound condescending, but Marie had enough of being talked about as if she was a block of wood. If there was one thing guaranteed to get her temper up it was being discussed as if she wasn't right there.
"We are disinclined to acquiesce to your request," She snapped the words out, loud enough to be heard. The astonished expression on their faces looked remarkably alike.
"Wha—What?" Storm blinked in surprise.
"Means no," Victor's flat voice carried just fine.
"Lorna, Alex, good luck to you, maybe we'll meet again," Marie patted Victor's chest and turned away, walking around the SUV with her best stripper sway of the hips. Victor watched her go and growled his hunger at her.
"Logan, please, come with us," Storm pleaded. "Just for a visit?"
"Ororo, we can't and won't ask him to leave their mate," Beast seemed to understand. If he was feral he likely would. "Especially not after they've just had a narrow escape."
"Then all three of them," She persisted. "We could fit the SUV in the plane."
"Storm," Logan shook his head. "What you're trying to do, it's nice. But our woman had Jean practically call her a whore, in her own home. When Cyclops figured out who my brother is he nearly shat himself."
"You really think Xavier would let me on the grounds of his sacrosanct school?" Victor's flat tones, cold and ready for a fight. "Me? The one he calls a rabid animal? He welcomed Lehnsherr back once upon a time, but he never bothered with me. I don't fake human or civilized well enough for him."
"He's my brother Hank, and if Victor isn't welcome there then I can't be, because my history is just as bloody as his, worse in some ways, pretending to be something I'm not and can't ever be," Logan threw the gauntlet down.
"That redhead made it real clear what she thought of our pack," Victor told them and pulled the neck of his shirt farther down to show off the mark Marie had given him. Logan did the same and Hank's eyes widened.
"A triumvirate? She is the fulcrum upon which the two of you balance," Beast got it almost immediately and nodded. "I understand. I'll do my best to convey it to Charles."
"Just make him understand that it's all three of us or its none of us," Logan told him. "And neither of us will tolerate any whispering about our woman."
"I will do my best," Beast offered the slender woman at his side his arm and gestured for Lorna and Alex to follow them. "Logan, it was good to see you again."
Marie watched them go, Logan returning to the SUV, Victor's hand rested on his shoulder as the plane rose in the air. The three of them belonged together. But she had no doubt that this wouldn't be the last they heard from Xavier's school.
They decided to get the hell out of Nebraska. Marie was losing track of the places they'd been and where they were going. Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, then to South and North Dakota and Winnipeg.
She doubted any of them would want to go back to Chicago anytime soon, not after Erik Lehnsherr had strolled into the gentleman's club where she was dancing. He hadn't noticed her on the stage, made a beeline straight for Logan and Victor, and sat down, uninvited. She'd been a nervous wreck the entire time. Turned out that Erik thought maybe she might still be alive and wanted to hire the brothers to find her. For what, she didn't want to know, and neither did they. They'd taken off that night.
They ran into Beast in Toledo, and Gambit when they went down to Texas for a job. Marie finally got to play poker with the Cajun in a game that wasn't for practice though it was only for candy, so she didn't mind losing too much. And she won two hands out of five, an improvement over her one out of six in her previous games with Gambit. In Missouri they had a close call with someone Marie nicknamed the Invisible Man, though he became extremely visible when Logan's claws left him bloody and Marie grabbed onto his bare hand with hers. Going invisible was annoying and she was glad when she got that oddball personality walled up and under control.
Philadelphia was too close to New York, so Victor and Logan commuted up there to work a job from Maryland and Marie worked in Baltimore for a couple months. Until Logan recognized someone he called Bobby in the crowd of Marie's club and suggested that they head north to Canada for a while.
She didn't mind. Her work was fairly universal, and her men had places to live scattered all over the continent. Victor took her to a fancy department store (she thought it was in Ottawa) and chuckled when she headed for the home goods section, checking out the cookware and mixers. She hadn't bought anything, no point when they weren't planning on settling anywhere.
Her men were worried. They'd been together a year, longer than that actually, nearly a year and a half. Sometimes she forgot what month it was they'd been on the move so much. After Chicago it had been Canada for a while. Then the deep south, which brought its own problems since the Church of Humanity and Friends of Humanity had a presence as strong as the KKK down there. Better to head north again. City after city.
But before they got out of Atlanta they had a run in with a woman Victor recognized as being one of Magneto's associates. And in her head Erik had piped up and commented that Lani was always a good source of information. They hadn't even been in a club; the woman had seen Victor outside a restaurant of all things. Victor had commented afterwards that they weren't ever going to wait for a valet again.
When she'd seen Marie and Logan with Victor her eyes had lit up and when she'd spoken to him her voice had thrummed along Marie's skin like drums. She'd offered the woman her hand, introducing herself and turned her skin on. A sharp hard draw of her mutation and the woman collapsed into Victor's arms.
One of the valet's had ushered them back into the lobby of the restaurant and said he'd call an ambulance. Marie started to pull harder and harder, walling the woman up as fast as she could until the blonde called Lorelei was barely breathing. Killing someone with her mutation wasn't exactly her first choice but no way in hell was she going to take the chance of the woman recovering and telling Magneto where she was.
Sabretooth growled from the back of her mind, telling her to listen to the heartbeat, and when it began to stutter, pull just a little more and then let go. She was vaguely aware of Victor and Logan acting as if they were concerned, Victor telling the valet Lani's information, Logan getting the blonde onto a sofa and laying her down while Marie clung to her hand as if fearing for the woman's life.
When the woman's heart stuttered the ambulance had just arrived and Marie let go of the mutant woman's hand pretending reluctance. Victor wrapped an arm around Marie's waist as if to support her in her worry while Logan got the name of the hospital from the paramedic. When the ambulance pulled away, they climbed into their SUV as if to follow it. And they did, for a block or two before diverting back to their hotel to pack up their things.
When Logan had suggested they hit the back roads and try the cage fight circuit Victor had laughed but said sure why not. Marie hadn't had any idea what they meant but she was game if it meant staying away from Erik's network. The first time they went into a bar she hadn't known what to expect. Victor had kept her close while she'd watched in fascination. She'd asked if he planned to fight, and Victor had grinned and said he'd rather keep her company. A fight where he had to worry about not killing someone wasn't a fight he'd enjoy.
Some of the bars had hanging cages for dancers and she'd gotten a little work in those. Victor and Logan had very much enjoyed helping her out of the cage at the end of the night. The motels left a lot to be desired though, and after a while she just wanted to sleep in the same bed for more than a week at a time.
Victor had diverted down to Green Bay for a quick job, leaving she and Logan together up in Thunder Bay. When he came back, he brought with him the disturbing news that Erik had sought him out again, asking if he'd heard anything about Rogue and strongly suggesting that Victor should begin actively searching for her. Victor's feline nature lent itself well to the attitude Victor called 'I don't give half a fuck what you think' and he'd lied effortlessly, without any guilt, and told Magneto that he hadn't heard anything. And he'd added, with that same attitude, that he had other (more lucrative) work he preferred to running all over at Magneto's command. Sabretooth's senses suggested that his lie had been believed but the other mutant's persistence set his teeth on edge.
Marie had begun using Compass's mutation now and then, just so they could avoid wherever Magneto was. It worked, to an extent but they still did a lot of moving around.
"We're safer on the move," Logan was arguing with Victor while she (they thought) slept. "Whatever he wants her for it isn't anything good."
"I know that Jimmy," Victor kept his voice even. "I don't exactly disagree."
"Then why are you of all people arguing to go to Westchester?"
Marie was interested in that answer too, since Victor would be as welcome at Xavier's school as a flaming bag of turd on the doorstep. "Remember when you had that job in Ottawa and I took Marie shoppin'," Victor had a frown in his voice. "She didn't go for the dresses or the shoes. And you know how much our woman loves shoes."
"No?" Logan frowned. "Weird."
"She went for the home section. Straight for the kitchen stuff," Victor told him. "She was cooing over mixers and stuff in these pale colors, and she practically petted some fancy set of pots and pans like they were a mink coat."
"Yeah…" Oh she loved him, but Logan didn't get it. "So why didn't she get them?"
"Jimmy, she already feels five kinds of ridiculous because we're hauling an SUV worth of luggage around for her. Never mind that you and I are hauling clothes and stuff around too. She's not going to ask for pots and pans or dishes and kitchen equipment, especially when we don't have a place for her to cook half the time," Victor sounded exasperated. "And you remember how good that stew of hers was? Those biscuits? She seemed to think that was no big deal. She smelled so happy that we were just wolfing it down you know? But we barely unpack anymore much less stay in any place long enough for her to get housekeeping set up."
"But it keeps her safe," His brother persisted. "Vic if something happens to her…"
"Jimmy, you think I want something to happen," Victor's hand rested on her hip as if to reassure himself that she was there. "She'd never say anything, but the woman needs a place of her own. Someplace she helps to pick out."
"And you think Westchester?" Logan's voice was so stiff with skepticism it could have stood and walked.
"There's a lot of country up there, a lot of old houses, we could find something, fix it up, all three of us," Victor suggested. "Since I really doubt Xavier will want me anywhere near the school."
"Let's talk to Marie about it tomorrow," Logan suggested. "If she likes the idea let's head that way. I'll call Chuck."
Marie sighed, "I love both of ya'll but seriously? Don't you ever sleep?"
"Sorry baby," Victor kissed her cheek. "We'll talk about it tomorrow, Jimmy. Go to sleep."
Author's Note: So a bit of plot-ish stuff... I wanted for us to see some characters that aren't the norm in the movies.