* . ; ,.* * . ; ,.* * . ; ,.*
He knelt beside her again, the small object hidden behind him in one hand. With the other he reached up and covered her eyes.
"Don't look, it's a surprise," he mused.
She grinned suspiciously and kept her eyes softly shut after he removed his hand. The feel of him shifting and movement beside her now, followed by the sound of water swishing around gently. A gasp escaped her throat as a sudden icy jet of water splashed across the skin just below her belly button.
"What the hell are you doing?" she laughed.
"Sh! Don't open your eyes, I'm not done yet."
"I'm not," she laughed again and tilted her head back, squirming slightly from the cold water which was now trickling icy drops down her thigh. She felt Logan press something onto her skin, then more water. An eyebrow arched questionably above her left eye though she still kept them closed.
A few moments later she felt him peel whatever it was off. Now a hand rested on her hip and Jean felt a very contrasting sensation of his warm lips at that spot, leaving a delicious tingling feeling, and she giggled.
"All right babe, you can look now."
Jade eyes fluttered open slowly and she glanced down.
A pure black imprint was elegantly etched on her skin, as if it was burned onto it. It was of a sleek black jungle cat with piercing white eyes and such great majestic poise and grace.
"My God," Jean ran a finger along it. "It's beautiful." "I thought a panther rather symbolizes you," Logan grinned. "And you've always told me you'd love to get a tattoo."
"You bring out my wild side, that's for sure."
"Do you like it?" he asked after a moment.
"I love it." She kissed him lightly. "I'd never be brave enough to get a real one."
"I think you're a lot braver than anyone knows, even yourself, Jean."
She smiled, and stroked his cheek softly.
"Where did you get it?"
"Back at the hotel gift shop. This one stood out. Reminded me of you. You really are brave, Jean. Brave, bold, strong. And kind, unbelievably kind. You're just amazing, and I want you never to forget that...especially when you decide to go and...talk to Scott..." his voiced trailed off, and for the first time in days he looked very vulnerable.
Jean's expression saddened and she pulled him closer, his head resting in her lap as she gently ran her fingers through his hair. "I won't forget it, Logan."
She looked out at the horizon, it was full sunset now. Smooth orange silk spread across the sky like fire, vibrant scarlet touches here and there, violet and deep blue merging at the ocean line.
Jean thought how amazing it was that something like this sunset could be so undeniably perfect, when something in life could be so exactly opposite and they could exist with each other in peace. Sighing, she hoped that at least some of her troubles would be gone within a few days. Suddenly she felt Logan run a few fingers along the panther tattoo, and she looked down at him.
In stories she had always read about great symbolism, something concrete representing something so much more. Something that seemed to make that person or character invincible and empower them, like wands or silver goblets in old medieval tales.
Never did she think it actually happened in real life. But somehow, she felt what Logan had given her had been so much more than just and object.
She reached over to put her sunglasses back on with one hand, her eyes still fixed straight ahead at the horizon, while the other hand ran soft circles against Logan's cheek.
"Thank you again, Logan. It's going to help me more that you can know when I go talk with him."
There was a pause now, but Jean could tell he was smiling by the way the corners of his cheeks lifted beneath her fingertips. She grinned as well.
"Only lasts two ta' three weeks, Jeannie, better get a move on."
Jean laughed and then slid off the seat to stretch her legs out in front of her. She leaned back against the edge of the boat and Logan returned his head to her lap. The sat for a long time in the open silence. Miles from shore and not a single person or living thing in sight. Just ocean waves crashing and sky spreading out above them endlessly.
Jean thought she could definitely spend a few weeks in tranquility like this, especially since for as long as she could remember, being around water always calmed and inspired her.
"What if," she began her voice soft and breaking the long silence, "we never went back?"
Logan laughed.
"That tattoo gettin' to your head and making you want to break more rules?"
"Rules are made to be broken, Logan," she smiled and paused. "I'd love to just run off somewhere and start a new life. Now, especially. It's tempting, don't you think?"
"Mmm," growled Logan, playing along with Jean's fantasy, "the Bahamas? Australia?"
"Sounds fantastic. Tell me what we would do there."
Leaning back she smiled and closed her eyes as Logan began to speak.
"Well," he said, "I've always wanted to see Australia, so we'd live in the heart of Sydney...we'd just cross this ocean and stay there. I could win money from lucky poker games in those smoky fish bars on the pier, you could set up a mind-reading stand on the beach-" she laughed, he smiled- "we could buy everything we'd ever need with little...borrow everything else. We'd go out on the Pacific every night in this very boat, and watch the sunset, thinking about life and how it would have been if we had gone back that night so long ago..." Jean sighed and took his hand.
"If only."
"Yeah," Logan muttered and settled back down against her stomach, his mind filling with the scent of her skin, like deep lavender lilacs on a warm summer evening.
They entangled their fingers together and Jean brought their hands to her shoulder, where she rested her head on them. So relaxed, their bodies melting into one another's like this, as if it was their only purpose.
"I'm going to tell him tomorrow, when we get back to the mansion..." Jean said softly, firmly. "And nothing will ever be the same."
He knelt beside her again, the small object hidden behind him in one hand. With the other he reached up and covered her eyes.
"Don't look, it's a surprise," he mused.
She grinned suspiciously and kept her eyes softly shut after he removed his hand. The feel of him shifting and movement beside her now, followed by the sound of water swishing around gently. A gasp escaped her throat as a sudden icy jet of water splashed across the skin just below her belly button.
"What the hell are you doing?" she laughed.
"Sh! Don't open your eyes, I'm not done yet."
"I'm not," she laughed again and tilted her head back, squirming slightly from the cold water which was now trickling icy drops down her thigh. She felt Logan press something onto her skin, then more water. An eyebrow arched questionably above her left eye though she still kept them closed.
A few moments later she felt him peel whatever it was off. Now a hand rested on her hip and Jean felt a very contrasting sensation of his warm lips at that spot, leaving a delicious tingling feeling, and she giggled.
"All right babe, you can look now."
Jade eyes fluttered open slowly and she glanced down.
A pure black imprint was elegantly etched on her skin, as if it was burned onto it. It was of a sleek black jungle cat with piercing white eyes and such great majestic poise and grace.
"My God," Jean ran a finger along it. "It's beautiful." "I thought a panther rather symbolizes you," Logan grinned. "And you've always told me you'd love to get a tattoo."
"You bring out my wild side, that's for sure."
"Do you like it?" he asked after a moment.
"I love it." She kissed him lightly. "I'd never be brave enough to get a real one."
"I think you're a lot braver than anyone knows, even yourself, Jean."
She smiled, and stroked his cheek softly.
"Where did you get it?"
"Back at the hotel gift shop. This one stood out. Reminded me of you. You really are brave, Jean. Brave, bold, strong. And kind, unbelievably kind. You're just amazing, and I want you never to forget that...especially when you decide to go and...talk to Scott..." his voiced trailed off, and for the first time in days he looked very vulnerable.
Jean's expression saddened and she pulled him closer, his head resting in her lap as she gently ran her fingers through his hair. "I won't forget it, Logan."
She looked out at the horizon, it was full sunset now. Smooth orange silk spread across the sky like fire, vibrant scarlet touches here and there, violet and deep blue merging at the ocean line.
Jean thought how amazing it was that something like this sunset could be so undeniably perfect, when something in life could be so exactly opposite and they could exist with each other in peace. Sighing, she hoped that at least some of her troubles would be gone within a few days. Suddenly she felt Logan run a few fingers along the panther tattoo, and she looked down at him.
In stories she had always read about great symbolism, something concrete representing something so much more. Something that seemed to make that person or character invincible and empower them, like wands or silver goblets in old medieval tales.
Never did she think it actually happened in real life. But somehow, she felt what Logan had given her had been so much more than just and object.
She reached over to put her sunglasses back on with one hand, her eyes still fixed straight ahead at the horizon, while the other hand ran soft circles against Logan's cheek.
"Thank you again, Logan. It's going to help me more that you can know when I go talk with him."
There was a pause now, but Jean could tell he was smiling by the way the corners of his cheeks lifted beneath her fingertips. She grinned as well.
"Only lasts two ta' three weeks, Jeannie, better get a move on."
Jean laughed and then slid off the seat to stretch her legs out in front of her. She leaned back against the edge of the boat and Logan returned his head to her lap. The sat for a long time in the open silence. Miles from shore and not a single person or living thing in sight. Just ocean waves crashing and sky spreading out above them endlessly.
Jean thought she could definitely spend a few weeks in tranquility like this, especially since for as long as she could remember, being around water always calmed and inspired her.
"What if," she began her voice soft and breaking the long silence, "we never went back?"
Logan laughed.
"That tattoo gettin' to your head and making you want to break more rules?"
"Rules are made to be broken, Logan," she smiled and paused. "I'd love to just run off somewhere and start a new life. Now, especially. It's tempting, don't you think?"
"Mmm," growled Logan, playing along with Jean's fantasy, "the Bahamas? Australia?"
"Sounds fantastic. Tell me what we would do there."
Leaning back she smiled and closed her eyes as Logan began to speak.
"Well," he said, "I've always wanted to see Australia, so we'd live in the heart of Sydney...we'd just cross this ocean and stay there. I could win money from lucky poker games in those smoky fish bars on the pier, you could set up a mind-reading stand on the beach-" she laughed, he smiled- "we could buy everything we'd ever need with little...borrow everything else. We'd go out on the Pacific every night in this very boat, and watch the sunset, thinking about life and how it would have been if we had gone back that night so long ago..." Jean sighed and took his hand.
"If only."
"Yeah," Logan muttered and settled back down against her stomach, his mind filling with the scent of her skin, like deep lavender lilacs on a warm summer evening.
They entangled their fingers together and Jean brought their hands to her shoulder, where she rested her head on them. So relaxed, their bodies melting into one another's like this, as if it was their only purpose.
"I'm going to tell him tomorrow, when we get back to the mansion..." Jean said softly, firmly. "And nothing will ever be the same."