It is Rogue, to You!
Logan's eyes widened and his body stiffened as the words Ororo spoke sunk in. He replied in a low, menacing voice, "You're lying!" There was no way he would believe she was engaged, Ororo's honesty or not. That she would be spending the rest of her life in the arms of another man. Hell, he just couldn't bring himself to believe that he was too late.
"No, she's not," came a familiar southern drawl from directly behind him. He had never in his time remembered having someone get that close to him without his heightened senses detecting him or her. Her scent made its way to his nose and he had to close his eyes to keep them from misting over. She smelled so damned good. As he slowly turned to face the girl his heart raced underneath his adamantium rib cage in anticipation of what he would see before him. Logan's breath hitched when his eyes found the beautiful woman he would have known anywhere.
Even though she was still recognizable, there was no denying she had grown up. Still petite, he could have easily rested his chin comfortably on her head. The dark mane of hair was longer than it had been, reaching her waist and curled at the ends. Her trademark platinum streaks still framed her creamy face, accentuating her button nose, high cheekbones and full pink lips. Her doe brown eyes were pools into which anyone could lose himself.
However, as he gapped at her, his eyes traveling up and down her figure on their own, he couldn't help but notice every last curve of her body. The black sweatpants she wore clung to her broad hips, long legs and slim waist. Her black sweatshirt cut off above her bellybutton showing off minimal skin at her stomach, her abdomen nice and hard. To him, she seemed to have grown more cleavage as well, although he never remembered having looked before now. He could see her pulse on her long neck, which longed for him to suckle.
"Damn, Darlin'," he whispered, without realizing he had vocalized this thought. His eyes were wide and the one side of his mouth was turned upward in a telltale Logan grin.
Once his eyes focused again on her face they would not budge from the sight of her lips, lips he longed to capture with his own. They were pursed, twitching slightly, seeming to want to snicker at the whisper Logan had let slip past. The Wolverine in him was itching to push all pretenses aside, stride up to her and consume her in pure, hot passion; swallow her need to laugh and cause her to shudder instead. Subconsciously, both of his personalities were picturing her form cowering under his power and convulsing with the pleasure he was causing. He could feel his own pleasure rising, in more ways than one to be candid.
The departure of Ororo and Bobby, along with the closing of the bedroom door where the boy now resided snapped him back to reality and closed the door on the Wolverine's urge to 'scratch that itch'.
"Marie," his voice breathless and pleading. As soon as he came back to reality his nose was overcome with the noticeable smell of hurt and disappointment, about what he could only assume being his absence. "I missed you, kid!"
Her nose crinkled at the reference to the nickname he always used, for her alone. "Why you here, Logan?" she questioned, getting right to the heart of the matter. She did not seem to be the hesitant girl from his memory. However, now she seemed to be even more closed off than she had been when he first met her, that fateful car ride nearly six years ago.
Closing his eyes briefly before looking her dead on he replied, "For you."
He could see her jaw tighten then slackened when the words started pouring effortlessly out of her supple mouth. "I don't need a protector anymore. I'm old enough to take care of myself. For three years I have been a member of the X-men, I think I can handle things just fine." Irritation was evident in her tone. Her hands were folded soothingly in front of her and her eyes were focusing on anything but him.
"Yes, I want to protect you but," he paused trying to find the right way to say his true feelings.
"But what, Logan?" She asked. "You leave, you come back, you leave again. How can you possibly expect to protect me?"
He grunted, frustration getting the better of him. "I didn't realize I was gone this long."
Marie bit her lip and visibly narrowed her eyes, "Don't you give me that crap, Logan. I'm not that naive little girl you so willingly gave a lift."
Sarcasm! Now she was being sarcastic, something he never would have thought she would become. He knew he had to get the topic back on track. "I came back for you," he emphasized.
Her head lowered, "Don't do this!" It was quiet but forceful.
"Don't do what? Tell you the truth? I have never lied to you, darlin', and I'm not about to start now."
"You know what I mean," her voice cracked. "It's been five years since you left. Five! And you just waltz back in here and expect things to be the same. It doesn't work that way." She spat up at him, folding her arms tightly across her chest.
Logan sighed, "I know that. I do want things to be different. I care about you, Marie. I want to show you just how much." God, he hated getting mushy.
"When you first left," she paused and looked pained, "without even saying goodbye, I understood. The first few months I didn't expect you to return but when one year hit, my patience ran out. Every time I heard a motorcycle I would run down to the garage and every time I was disappointed when it wasn't you." Reaching up she placed her hand on her forehead. "After I joined the team and became friendly with Ro I started to move on with my life. And now, now that I am finally getting everything I want you come back bringing all my old dreams and feelings with you." Massaging her temples with her thumb and pointer finger, she looked ill.
"I always thought that I was included in the 'everything'," he grunted. "You are definitely my everything."
"STOP!" Marie screamed. "Five years! You have no right!"
"I love you!" Logan bellowed back. His surprise at his own words was even greater than the shocked look on her face. At this point many curious faces were poking their noses out of their bedrooms but neither of the two who were causing all the commotion seemed to notice or care. They were standing at arms length, feet shoulder width apart, eyes boring through the other.
Marie's eyes narrowed and Logan could almost see the wheels turning in her head. "No you don't! I'm second best, always have been. You loved Jean and since she isn't around anymore for you to have, you decided that I'm better than nothing."
"That isn't true and you know it!"
"Do I?" she inquired. "I have you up here, Logan," she said pointing to her temple. "I know how you felt about the good doctor. After Alkali Lake and Jean's death I had to deal with the Logan in my memory's loss and mine at the same time." She looked solemn. "And where were you? Gone, as usual."
"Marie, I love you! It just took me longer than expected to figure it out. It has always been you!" He had to make her see, had to make her listen.
"Well, you're too late! I love someone else," she said holding up her left hand to show her engagement ring for effect. It looked perfect on her delicate finger, a small square diamond setting on a thin gold band
Logan's eyebrows seemed to become one with the look he was giving. "Who?" he pushed out through clenched teeth.
"Right now that is no concern of yours," she said as she turned her back on him to leave the way she came. "You lost the right to be privy to my business when you didn't care enough to keep in touch."
He grabbed her shoulder, a bit more roughly than he intended, and spun her back around to face him. "I'm here now, doesn't that count for anything?" She just stared at him without responding. "Whoever it is, Marie, he'll never love you like I do."
"If leaving me for five years is your idea of true love than I'm glad my fiancé will never love me like that!" She knew it was harsh but she had made her point. He pulled his hand slowly away from her shoulder. She spun on her heal and walked calmly down the hall as if she could not be bothered by anything. Logan was frozen; his legs wouldn't budge, a completely new and awkward feeling for the usually strong man. "By the way," she whispered as she looked over her shoulder, knowing full well that he would still hear it with his heightened senses. "It is Rogue, to you." With that she was gone.
Logan's eyes widened and his body stiffened as the words Ororo spoke sunk in. He replied in a low, menacing voice, "You're lying!" There was no way he would believe she was engaged, Ororo's honesty or not. That she would be spending the rest of her life in the arms of another man. Hell, he just couldn't bring himself to believe that he was too late.
"No, she's not," came a familiar southern drawl from directly behind him. He had never in his time remembered having someone get that close to him without his heightened senses detecting him or her. Her scent made its way to his nose and he had to close his eyes to keep them from misting over. She smelled so damned good. As he slowly turned to face the girl his heart raced underneath his adamantium rib cage in anticipation of what he would see before him. Logan's breath hitched when his eyes found the beautiful woman he would have known anywhere.
Even though she was still recognizable, there was no denying she had grown up. Still petite, he could have easily rested his chin comfortably on her head. The dark mane of hair was longer than it had been, reaching her waist and curled at the ends. Her trademark platinum streaks still framed her creamy face, accentuating her button nose, high cheekbones and full pink lips. Her doe brown eyes were pools into which anyone could lose himself.
However, as he gapped at her, his eyes traveling up and down her figure on their own, he couldn't help but notice every last curve of her body. The black sweatpants she wore clung to her broad hips, long legs and slim waist. Her black sweatshirt cut off above her bellybutton showing off minimal skin at her stomach, her abdomen nice and hard. To him, she seemed to have grown more cleavage as well, although he never remembered having looked before now. He could see her pulse on her long neck, which longed for him to suckle.
"Damn, Darlin'," he whispered, without realizing he had vocalized this thought. His eyes were wide and the one side of his mouth was turned upward in a telltale Logan grin.
Once his eyes focused again on her face they would not budge from the sight of her lips, lips he longed to capture with his own. They were pursed, twitching slightly, seeming to want to snicker at the whisper Logan had let slip past. The Wolverine in him was itching to push all pretenses aside, stride up to her and consume her in pure, hot passion; swallow her need to laugh and cause her to shudder instead. Subconsciously, both of his personalities were picturing her form cowering under his power and convulsing with the pleasure he was causing. He could feel his own pleasure rising, in more ways than one to be candid.
The departure of Ororo and Bobby, along with the closing of the bedroom door where the boy now resided snapped him back to reality and closed the door on the Wolverine's urge to 'scratch that itch'.
"Marie," his voice breathless and pleading. As soon as he came back to reality his nose was overcome with the noticeable smell of hurt and disappointment, about what he could only assume being his absence. "I missed you, kid!"
Her nose crinkled at the reference to the nickname he always used, for her alone. "Why you here, Logan?" she questioned, getting right to the heart of the matter. She did not seem to be the hesitant girl from his memory. However, now she seemed to be even more closed off than she had been when he first met her, that fateful car ride nearly six years ago.
Closing his eyes briefly before looking her dead on he replied, "For you."
He could see her jaw tighten then slackened when the words started pouring effortlessly out of her supple mouth. "I don't need a protector anymore. I'm old enough to take care of myself. For three years I have been a member of the X-men, I think I can handle things just fine." Irritation was evident in her tone. Her hands were folded soothingly in front of her and her eyes were focusing on anything but him.
"Yes, I want to protect you but," he paused trying to find the right way to say his true feelings.
"But what, Logan?" She asked. "You leave, you come back, you leave again. How can you possibly expect to protect me?"
He grunted, frustration getting the better of him. "I didn't realize I was gone this long."
Marie bit her lip and visibly narrowed her eyes, "Don't you give me that crap, Logan. I'm not that naive little girl you so willingly gave a lift."
Sarcasm! Now she was being sarcastic, something he never would have thought she would become. He knew he had to get the topic back on track. "I came back for you," he emphasized.
Her head lowered, "Don't do this!" It was quiet but forceful.
"Don't do what? Tell you the truth? I have never lied to you, darlin', and I'm not about to start now."
"You know what I mean," her voice cracked. "It's been five years since you left. Five! And you just waltz back in here and expect things to be the same. It doesn't work that way." She spat up at him, folding her arms tightly across her chest.
Logan sighed, "I know that. I do want things to be different. I care about you, Marie. I want to show you just how much." God, he hated getting mushy.
"When you first left," she paused and looked pained, "without even saying goodbye, I understood. The first few months I didn't expect you to return but when one year hit, my patience ran out. Every time I heard a motorcycle I would run down to the garage and every time I was disappointed when it wasn't you." Reaching up she placed her hand on her forehead. "After I joined the team and became friendly with Ro I started to move on with my life. And now, now that I am finally getting everything I want you come back bringing all my old dreams and feelings with you." Massaging her temples with her thumb and pointer finger, she looked ill.
"I always thought that I was included in the 'everything'," he grunted. "You are definitely my everything."
"STOP!" Marie screamed. "Five years! You have no right!"
"I love you!" Logan bellowed back. His surprise at his own words was even greater than the shocked look on her face. At this point many curious faces were poking their noses out of their bedrooms but neither of the two who were causing all the commotion seemed to notice or care. They were standing at arms length, feet shoulder width apart, eyes boring through the other.
Marie's eyes narrowed and Logan could almost see the wheels turning in her head. "No you don't! I'm second best, always have been. You loved Jean and since she isn't around anymore for you to have, you decided that I'm better than nothing."
"That isn't true and you know it!"
"Do I?" she inquired. "I have you up here, Logan," she said pointing to her temple. "I know how you felt about the good doctor. After Alkali Lake and Jean's death I had to deal with the Logan in my memory's loss and mine at the same time." She looked solemn. "And where were you? Gone, as usual."
"Marie, I love you! It just took me longer than expected to figure it out. It has always been you!" He had to make her see, had to make her listen.
"Well, you're too late! I love someone else," she said holding up her left hand to show her engagement ring for effect. It looked perfect on her delicate finger, a small square diamond setting on a thin gold band
Logan's eyebrows seemed to become one with the look he was giving. "Who?" he pushed out through clenched teeth.
"Right now that is no concern of yours," she said as she turned her back on him to leave the way she came. "You lost the right to be privy to my business when you didn't care enough to keep in touch."
He grabbed her shoulder, a bit more roughly than he intended, and spun her back around to face him. "I'm here now, doesn't that count for anything?" She just stared at him without responding. "Whoever it is, Marie, he'll never love you like I do."
"If leaving me for five years is your idea of true love than I'm glad my fiancé will never love me like that!" She knew it was harsh but she had made her point. He pulled his hand slowly away from her shoulder. She spun on her heal and walked calmly down the hall as if she could not be bothered by anything. Logan was frozen; his legs wouldn't budge, a completely new and awkward feeling for the usually strong man. "By the way," she whispered as she looked over her shoulder, knowing full well that he would still hear it with his heightened senses. "It is Rogue, to you." With that she was gone.