Saints and Sinners – By Darlin

AN – Thank you very much for the reviews Dark Topaz, Isis Aurora Tomoe, LilWolvie, Mercurian Orchid, Nienna of Sorrow, orlimoon, Shadowface, and The Wolf.  Your lovely comments were greatly appreciated.

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Chapter Ten – The Aftermath  

Except for a few scratches and minor cuts on Ororo's face and hands Logan felt sure she was all right. Nevertheless he tried to help her up to her room as best he could. She adamantly refused to be carried which made him curse her independent streak but he tried to humor her and let her stagger.  After awhile though he put a supporting arm around her and she didn't stop him. When they got to the stairs Ororo looked up at them with dread then closed her eyes. She was too tired to attempt them and too stubborn to ask for help.  Sometimes it just seemed like life was just too darn hard, she thought.

Logan wanted to take her in his arms and carry her up the flight of stairs but he hesitated and he wasn't a man who hesitated often.  He usually did what he pleased, sometimes considering the consequences and oftentimes not.  But Ororo was like a kindred spirit and so he chose to follow her cue.  He could see her fighting an inner battle with her pride.  She stood there trying not to lean on him and maintain her balance while she contemplated the stairs.  He watched her face closely as fatigue and pain washed over it and he felt his heart going out to her in a way that it had never gone out to another soul.  It was more than compassion but also something too strong for him to want to even consider.

Seeing that she wasn't going to give in and ask for help he turned to leave then stopped wondering when had he ever given up?  Ororo's head rose suddenly and she reached out to stop him but her hand fell back to her side.  If he was going then she would let him she decided.  She would just fly up the flight of stairs and be done with it.  Flying wasn't so hard or at least it shouldn't be so hard but she found she couldn't muster even the smallest of breezes.  Logan turned back to face her.  They stood there in the hall looking at each other wishing the other could read their mind.

"Darlin', if you need help I'm here for you," he said, his voice barely a whisper.

She nodded, closed her eyes again and swallowed hard trying to muster up the wherewithal to forsake her pride and just plain ask for help.    After a moment of silence she let out a frustrated sigh.  It was just so hard to admit defeat. 

"All right," she finally replied.

"All right what?" Logan asked with a chuckle. 

"Oh, you know I need your help!  Do we have to play games?" she snarled.

"Games?  All you gotta do is ask, darlin' and I'm there," Logan said with a twinkle in his eye but his face was as serious as she'd ever seen it. 

"Can you carry me then?" Ororo gave in.


"Yeah, no problem, darlin' – that's all ya had ta say," Logan said and gathered her into his arms.


He had no desire to offend her and he didn't want to be pushy.  He just wanted her to trust him like he trusted her – to not be afraid or too stubborn to ask for help.  That's all he wanted to do – help her.  Once they were in her room he very carefully laid her down on the bed and watched her curl up and try to pull her comforter over her. For some reason he winced at the thought of her waking up to soiled bed covers so he looked around for an extra blanket. He didn't know why that had been his first thought but somehow he knew Ororo wouldn't want her nice white and gold comforter dirtied because he hadn't had the good sense to stop her from doing just what she was doing.

He had to laugh at himself. If he wasn't henpecked he didn't know what else to call it. He took a peek in her closet, found what he was looking for then tried to figure out what he should do next.

"Is she okay?" Jean asked with perfect timing as she burst into the room. Kitty was behind her.

Logan turned to see the girls and he didn't bother to hide his annoyance.

"Scott thought we should look after her. You know, call an ambulance if she's hurt," Kitty said.  "Is she okay?"

"Just needs some rest 's all."

Jean frowned as she looked at Ororo. Her hand strayed to her friend's forehead and she brushed a stray lock of hair aside. She'd always envied Ororo her beautiful snow-white hair though she'd never admit it.  Jean always thought having red hair sucked royally.  Looking at Ororo now she realized she probably envied a lot of things about her friend but she just assumed Ororo envied her just as much if not more most certainly when it came to men. It was no secret that the men in the house seemed to want Jean instead of Ororo. It was kind of a best friend thing, Jean thought. You loved each other but you resented each other too.

"What're you gonna do? Just stare at her all day?" Logan asked gruffly.

"She just looks so pretty and peaceful. You'd hardly think she has such a vicious mouth on her."

"Look, Jean if all yer gonna do is talk about yer friend then you can leave an' Kitty can help me," Logan said, ignoring her comment.

"I resent that!  I wasn't talking about her in a mean way.  I didn't say anything I wouldn't say to her face!  She knows how I feel."

"What do you want me to do?" Kitty piped up hoping to keep them from arguing now when Ororo needed them.

"I'm gonna pick her up an' you put this blanket down," Logan instructed.

Jean glared at Logan but the angry look on his face made her close her mouth. She watched him lift Ororo up then Kitty spread the blanket over the bed frowning all the while.

"That's not how you do it," Jean said impatiently.

She grabbed the blanket off the bed and tossed it at Kitty.  "If we don't take her covers off she'll be ticked off.  Now I'll have to put it in the wash!"

"That's a good idea," Kitty said quietly.

"She's particular about these kinds of things," Jean said as she started folding the comforter in two.


"Just do it," Logan snapped.

"Alright already! Geeze Louise, calm down why don't you!" Jean snapped right back and yanked the comforter off the bed.  "There!  Are you happy now?"

Logan ignored Jean and laid Ororo on the bed sheets then covered her with the blanket when Kitty handed it to him.

"Are you sure she's going to be all right?  Should we let her sleep?" Kitty asked.

"Yeah," Logan replied and started for the door.

Jean gathered up the comforter and followed him.  She couldn't help herself from checking out Logan's backside but she quickly caught herself. Scott's was better she decided as she hurried down the hall. Kitty was wasn't far behind Jean but she turned, rolled her eyes, and waved to Logan before she too took off.

"Sheesh, women!" Logan grumbled shaking his head as he turned around and went back into Ororo's room.

Understanding women was the last thing on his mind just then.  Ororo needed him and he wasn't about to leave her, not yet. He shut the door behind him and strode over to the bed.  He'd been afraid their angry voices might wake her but she was still sleeping.  The shirt she was wearing was ripped in a few places revealing ragged cuts and scratches but he suspected that it wasn't anything serious – certainly nothing he couldn't handle.  He shook his head in disgust when he thought about Scott sending the girls up to take care of Ororo as if Jean or Kitty would have any idea how to take care of anything serious.  He made a mental note to talk to Xavier about that and then he pulled the blanket back and looked her over carefully. 

One hand had a first degree burn on it, and the other hand looked as if it had a second degree burn.  The honey brown skin was red and starting to blister but it was only a small section.  He shook his head again marveling at her strength of will and the power that she commanded then he quickly let himself out and ran down to his room to get his medical supplies.  Once he returned he slowly began to remove her clothes.

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It was dark when Ororo finally woke up. She groaned when she tried to move which fully woke her.  Her eyes didn't want to open.  When her she tried to close her hands she found them stiff and uncooperative.  Logan had bandaged them but she didn't comprehend.   She ached all over and yet she felt the need to reposition herself.  Determinedly she turned onto her back biting her lip as she did so.    That having been achieved she decided not to move ever again.

"Ro, darlin', you awake?"

Ororo's eyes shot open.  She saw a dark figure coming towards her then heard a light being turned on.  Her eyes shut on their own accord as the room lit up.

"Oh, sorry," Logan mumbled.  He looked around the room, saw her shirt on the floor and tossed it over the lampshade.

"Logan?" Ororo asked as her eyes adjusted. 

"Yeah, you okay?"

She couldn't find her voice.  She wanted to speak but her vocal cords totally failed her as she stared, mouth hanging open in complete shock.  Logan was standing beside her bare-chested and craning her neck a bit she saw he didn't have socks and shoes on either. When he sat down on the bed her eyes grew even wider.

"You feeling rested?" Logan asked.

"What're you doing here?"

"Makin' sure yer okay, darlin' – someone has to," he finished rather lamely.

From the look of confusion on her face it was obvious she didn't know what he was talking about. He didn't realize that she was just too stunned to speak after all it wasn't every day that she woke up to find a half naked Logan in her bedroom.  She felt incredibly vulnerable—almost naked in fact and then she realized she probably was. She always slept in the buff. She groaned as that occurred to her.

Had they done something she was going to regret? She couldn't remember getting drunk and losing it but that was the only logical conclusion. She had to be drunk and her head hurt so badly she must have a horrible hangover.  She had to have been not only drunk but falling down sloppy out of your mind blacking out kind of drunk.  There just couldn't be any other explanation.  The question now was when?  When had they – and what had they . . . was it Wednesday night?  Had she been stupid enough to consume some of his nasty beer and lost her mind? 

"What's wrong, darlin'?" Logan asked.  He was puzzled by the mingled look of shock and despair on her cute little face.

Ororo shook her head as if to clear it and summoned the courage to peek under the covers.  Surely this couldn't be happening!  She must be dreaming.  Yeah, a dream.  No, a nightmare was more like it.  Definitely a nightmare she thought when she saw that she was as naked as she'd guessed. Yep, a horrible nightmare and with that thought something like déjà vu hit her.  Nightmare?  Had she had this nightmare before?  Earlier – yes that was it!  Her worst fear – being trapped below ground – no escape.  Her claustrophobia unleashed.  Only it wasn't a nightmare it had really happened. 

"Um, Ro you okay?"

Ororo tried to calm herself and though she dreaded the thought of facing him she determinedly pulled the covers away from her face and clutched them to her throat as tightly as she could. Her eyes grew even larger than before though he wouldn't have thought it possible.  He watched at her with a bemused expression on his face.  Seeing her so flustered he just had to laugh.


"Hold on, darlin' it ain't as bad as yer thinkin'. I cleaned ya up with a little help from Jean but nothin' happened – not that I wouldn't have mind now but you were out of it an' all . . ."

"What . . . what're you talking about?"

"You don't remember?"

"I-I had a nightmare – but it wasn't real – a real nightmare.  I remember being trapped and we were fighting in the danger room and Scott, he was yelling at me," she said.

"You pretty much saved the day but ya wore yerself out too. You need to get some rest."

"So you and Jean took my . . . ?"  Her voice faded.

He grinned. "Nah, Jean wouldn'ta known how to pull a splinter out of her own finger.  Just thought it'd make ya feel better if ya thought she helped."

"Then it was – you mean you . . . you undressed me all by yourself?"

"Pretty much. Cleaned you up an' bandaged ya up."

Ororo said nothing. What could she say? She looked at the bandages on her hands that still clutched the blanket to her throat.

"Yer as beautiful as I thought you'd be," Logan said quietly.

She gasped still speechless. Logan chuckled enjoying her discomfort. It wasn't often that he got to see this mild mannered and lost side of her.

"You thirsty?" he asked.

She nodded.  He reached behind her and helped her sit up.  When she moaned he slowed his movements trying to spare her as much discomfort as possible.  When he had her up he reached over her and grinned at the sound of her startled gasp.  He picked up the extra pillow beside her with one hand then wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her forward a little as he propped the pillow behind her.  His eyes never left hers.  This was fun, giving her a fright over nothing and he was enjoying every bit of it. 

Ororo looked back at him without blinking.  She was thoroughly confused.  He was being so nice, so gentle – taking care of her and all.  This wasn't anything like the Logan she thought she knew.  He pushed her back onto the pillows very gently then picked up a delicate glass carafe from her nightstand, took the top off poured water into it, then handed it to her. She took it with a grateful look and sipped it quietly. He watched her as if transfixed.  She was so different than her usual brash and cool self.  He found he liked this part of her as much as he liked her wilder side but he had to admit he was feeling just a little guilty playing around with her mind like he was.

"Logan, the lamp!" Ororo cried.

Logan jumped up and pulled the smoking shirt off the lampshade and threw it on the floor then stamped on it. 

"Sorry 'bout that, darlin'," Logan mumbled after he'd made sure the shirt wasn't smoldering and the fire had been extinguished.

"It's just a shirt," she said.

"You hungry?  Want me to get something for you?"

"Yuck, I don't think I could keep it down.  Thanks though."

"No problem."

"Logan . . . how is Hank?  Is he okay?"

"Should be fine just a bad case of stupidity."

"Oh, Hank – what did I do?" Ororo moaned.

"It had nothin' ta do with you," Logan said but as soon as the words left his mouth he knew he shouldn't have said them.

Ororo shook her head.  It had everything to do with her, in fact she deserved everything that had happened to her she thought.  She had underestimated Hank's feelings.  She should've been more considerate, should've stayed with him and then none of this would have happened.

"Look, it's just a guy thing – nothing serious," Logan muttered.

She looked away feeling miserable.  Logan hated to see tears forming in her eyes.  He cursed Hank silently wishing he'd gutted the Beast when he'd had the chance.  But he knew he couldn't have done that, not now, not if he wanted Ororo in his life and he knew that he did.


"Get some sleep, darlin'," Logan said as he took the small cup from her.

"I am tired."

Logan nodded as he sat the cup back on top of the carafe. He saw her close her eyes and he wished he could take some of her guilt away.  That was a new emotion for him.  But being with Ororo for the past few weeks had opened up a ton of new feelings and needs he'd never known he was capable of.  He'd never felt so strange before – caring about how a woman felt was new and different and hugely unfathomable but looking at her with her eyes closed and looking so peaceful he just wanted to make her happy.  His heart was full to brimming with all these new emotions and it made him feel way out of his league.  It was new territory, uncharted waters.  Where'd a guy go from here, he wondered as he reached out and smoothed her tangled hair. 

Startled by the touch, Ororo's eyes opened wide with wonder.  Who was this man, she asked herself?  She liked this Logan – liked him more than a lot.  They looked at each other feeling things that both of them had either ignored or denied before and an unspoken acceptance seemed to pass between them.  He moved to touch her face and she closed her eyes basking in the touch of his gentle caress. 

"Sleep.  I'll be here if you need anything," he whispered as he stroked her cheek tenderly.

He watched her carefully and saw that she did in fact go back to sleep in just a matter of seconds. She had drained herself trying to save them and she was not only aching in every muscle but she was also completely exhausted. It would be several days before she'd be up and about he figured.  He stood above her for a few minutes then went back to his chair and pulled a blanket over him. He watched her from the chair for a long time just listening to her even breathing before he too finally fell asleep.