Steph stared as Logan left, her heart constricting in panic. He wasn't
going to just leave her with Ruhko.... She remembered how he'd said that
he'd found the baby. Then his words came back to her, and his sadness. No
past. She'd almost welcome something like that sometimes, to not remember
the angry words and the rejection.... And he'd still wanted to know what
she had to say, even after she'd nearly killed him.
Cursing to herself, she got up and peered through the peephole at the empty hallway, then opened the door and walked toward the nearest exit. Heart in her throat, she peered around the corner and saw him through the glass, shoulders hunched as he smoked a cigar, staring darkly into space.
She nearly dropped Ruhko in relief, then started cursing again. She'd fended for herself for a long time, she didn't need to kiss up to some grouchy old fart with freaky hair.
Yeah, that was just it. She didn't need to kiss up to anyone. And he liked it better when she told him off.
Ruhko squeaked and put her claws out and Steph made a squeak of her own and booked it back to the room, where she hastily set the baby down on the bed. No way did she want to get cut again. Ruhko lifted her head, frowning puzzledly, then sniffed the air and whimpered. Crawling off the bed before Steph could stop her, she toddled to the bathroom door and peered in. Finding it empty, she whimpered more loudly and began to search the entire suite.
Steph stared helplessly, not sure what to do, as the baby's whimpers turned to wails, and the little one sobbed hysterically as she made another sweep.
Finally, Ruhko turned and gave Steph such a look of betrayal that she wanted to scream, then sat down, threw back her head, and howled like a wolf pup.
"Ruhko, no!" Steph found her voice and knelt beside the little one. "Stop it! Someone's gonna hear you."
She tried putting her hand over Ruhko's mouth, but ended up bleeding again as tiny sharp teeth closed through the meaty part of her thumb. "Ouch!!! $#!%!!!! #$%#!!!! Shut the $#!%! up, kid, the #$%! humans are gonna hear you!" The door burst open, causing her to jump and whirl, hands clenched, but it was only Logan.
He went to his knees so fast that he skidded on the carpet, grabbing Ruhko up and holding her to his chest. The frightened howling stopped instantly as the baby hiccuped and snuggled against him, whimpering like a puppy.
"Shh," he murmured into her curls. "I'm here. Don' cry. I won't leave yeh again. Shh." Gently rubbing her neck, he began to murmur in what sounded like Japanese.
Steph looked away and cursed at herself mentally, poor baby. The kid belonged with Logan, there was no doubt about that. She might be better off alone anyway, kinda hard to fly with a baby clawing you every five minutes. She looked at Logan, who was still whispering to the now sleeping infant. The man, however freaky he was, was obviously already extremely protective of that kid. It made Steph lonely looking at the pair. Despite her tough attitude Steph often wished for someone who was like that, someone who would protect her from the hateful comments and painful transitions to life as a mutant.
"What happened?" Logan demanded. Steph looked at the wall, fighting back a rogue tear that was trying to come up. Grabbing her pad she jotted down 'You left, the kid freaked. Your fault.' and then threw it at Logan.
"Why didn't yeh pick her up?" Logan demanded, tossing it back.
'I paid for your screw up, now you take care of the brat'. She held up her bleeding hand and glared, shoving away the tear. Who cares about some little devil and an old man? Let them grow up father and daughter, she thought angrily, I don't need anyone.
Logan's eyes widened slightly. He was on his feet and had her wrist in his hand before she had time to move away, examining the bite closely. Dragging her into the bathroom, he stuffed Ruhko into his jacket and zipped it partly, then turned on the sink and started running water over the wound.
"I don't have any disinfectant," he muttered, looking worried, then looked around the corner at the little fridge that hummed next to the desk. "Do yeh think yeh can take the sting if I pour whisky on it?" Steph stared at him wordlessly, her anger warring other feelings as she struggled to understand the look on his hairy face.
"Hey!" He shook her slightly, brow furrowing further. "Don't go freaky on me, kid. Are you alright?" Steph still stared, her eyes wide, fiercely fighting back tears.
"Steph?" He let go of her hand and shook her shoulder slightly. "Are you gonna faint?" The use of her name was too much. Despite herself her face crumpled and she turned away, tears running down her cheeks. How long has it been since anyone called me by name?
"Hey," he said, turning her around tentatively and putting an arm around her shoulders. "Hey. It's okay. Everything's gonna be okay." There was a sudden pounding on the door and he cursed and let her go. "Keep your hand under the water." She watched as he cracked the door open cautiously, claws on his hidden hand unsheathed.
"Yeah?" he demanded gruffly.
"The manager says that she heard screaming and howling in here," said a male voice. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah."
"Would you mind if we looked around, just to make sure?"
Logan glanced down at the destroyed bathroom door, and Steph grabbed her backpack and sat it in front of the mess. Then she realized that he was looking at her, asking her silently if she was alright with the mounties coming in. She nodded and put her hand back under the water, watching as the two tall, rather handsome men walked in and poked around a little bit.
"Your kids?" asked the younger one.
"Yeah," said Logan again, zipping his jacket a little higher.
"So what was all the noise?" asked the older mountie, leaning against the doorjamb sociably.
"I went out fer a smoke." Logan leaned back and glanced at Steph's hand. "The little one woke up n' found me gone. Bit the big one pretty good."
"That was a lot of noise for a sibling disagreement," said the mountie skeptically.
Logan shrugged. "Wait'll the baby gets older."
Steph snorted and turned the water off, pressing the sides of the wound together inconspicuously.
The older mountie looked at her, his eyes taking in her slightly unusual colouring. Then he smiled. "I've got a daughter about your age. What's your name?" She blinked at him mutely, then looked at her pad where it lay on the floor.
"She can't talk," said Logan.
"Oh." The constable seemed to shrink into himself a little in embarrassment. "Sorry." She cracked a grin, enjoying his discomfort despite herself.
"Well, ah, I guess we'd better get going, eh, Jordan?" he said to his partner. "It was nice meeting you folks. And try to keep it down, okay?"
"Yeah, we'll do that," said Logan smoothly, closing the door as they left.
Then he turned back to Steph. "Let me see." He took her hand and examined it. "Crap, this is gonna need stitches. How tough are you?" She looked at him thoughtfully, her chin quivering a bit as she remembered the hug he'd given her. Then she reached down for her pad, her face breaking out in a rotten grin as she wrote.
-I can take it if you can, old man.-
Cursing to herself, she got up and peered through the peephole at the empty hallway, then opened the door and walked toward the nearest exit. Heart in her throat, she peered around the corner and saw him through the glass, shoulders hunched as he smoked a cigar, staring darkly into space.
She nearly dropped Ruhko in relief, then started cursing again. She'd fended for herself for a long time, she didn't need to kiss up to some grouchy old fart with freaky hair.
Yeah, that was just it. She didn't need to kiss up to anyone. And he liked it better when she told him off.
Ruhko squeaked and put her claws out and Steph made a squeak of her own and booked it back to the room, where she hastily set the baby down on the bed. No way did she want to get cut again. Ruhko lifted her head, frowning puzzledly, then sniffed the air and whimpered. Crawling off the bed before Steph could stop her, she toddled to the bathroom door and peered in. Finding it empty, she whimpered more loudly and began to search the entire suite.
Steph stared helplessly, not sure what to do, as the baby's whimpers turned to wails, and the little one sobbed hysterically as she made another sweep.
Finally, Ruhko turned and gave Steph such a look of betrayal that she wanted to scream, then sat down, threw back her head, and howled like a wolf pup.
"Ruhko, no!" Steph found her voice and knelt beside the little one. "Stop it! Someone's gonna hear you."
She tried putting her hand over Ruhko's mouth, but ended up bleeding again as tiny sharp teeth closed through the meaty part of her thumb. "Ouch!!! $#!%!!!! #$%#!!!! Shut the $#!%! up, kid, the #$%! humans are gonna hear you!" The door burst open, causing her to jump and whirl, hands clenched, but it was only Logan.
He went to his knees so fast that he skidded on the carpet, grabbing Ruhko up and holding her to his chest. The frightened howling stopped instantly as the baby hiccuped and snuggled against him, whimpering like a puppy.
"Shh," he murmured into her curls. "I'm here. Don' cry. I won't leave yeh again. Shh." Gently rubbing her neck, he began to murmur in what sounded like Japanese.
Steph looked away and cursed at herself mentally, poor baby. The kid belonged with Logan, there was no doubt about that. She might be better off alone anyway, kinda hard to fly with a baby clawing you every five minutes. She looked at Logan, who was still whispering to the now sleeping infant. The man, however freaky he was, was obviously already extremely protective of that kid. It made Steph lonely looking at the pair. Despite her tough attitude Steph often wished for someone who was like that, someone who would protect her from the hateful comments and painful transitions to life as a mutant.
"What happened?" Logan demanded. Steph looked at the wall, fighting back a rogue tear that was trying to come up. Grabbing her pad she jotted down 'You left, the kid freaked. Your fault.' and then threw it at Logan.
"Why didn't yeh pick her up?" Logan demanded, tossing it back.
'I paid for your screw up, now you take care of the brat'. She held up her bleeding hand and glared, shoving away the tear. Who cares about some little devil and an old man? Let them grow up father and daughter, she thought angrily, I don't need anyone.
Logan's eyes widened slightly. He was on his feet and had her wrist in his hand before she had time to move away, examining the bite closely. Dragging her into the bathroom, he stuffed Ruhko into his jacket and zipped it partly, then turned on the sink and started running water over the wound.
"I don't have any disinfectant," he muttered, looking worried, then looked around the corner at the little fridge that hummed next to the desk. "Do yeh think yeh can take the sting if I pour whisky on it?" Steph stared at him wordlessly, her anger warring other feelings as she struggled to understand the look on his hairy face.
"Hey!" He shook her slightly, brow furrowing further. "Don't go freaky on me, kid. Are you alright?" Steph still stared, her eyes wide, fiercely fighting back tears.
"Steph?" He let go of her hand and shook her shoulder slightly. "Are you gonna faint?" The use of her name was too much. Despite herself her face crumpled and she turned away, tears running down her cheeks. How long has it been since anyone called me by name?
"Hey," he said, turning her around tentatively and putting an arm around her shoulders. "Hey. It's okay. Everything's gonna be okay." There was a sudden pounding on the door and he cursed and let her go. "Keep your hand under the water." She watched as he cracked the door open cautiously, claws on his hidden hand unsheathed.
"Yeah?" he demanded gruffly.
"The manager says that she heard screaming and howling in here," said a male voice. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah."
"Would you mind if we looked around, just to make sure?"
Logan glanced down at the destroyed bathroom door, and Steph grabbed her backpack and sat it in front of the mess. Then she realized that he was looking at her, asking her silently if she was alright with the mounties coming in. She nodded and put her hand back under the water, watching as the two tall, rather handsome men walked in and poked around a little bit.
"Your kids?" asked the younger one.
"Yeah," said Logan again, zipping his jacket a little higher.
"So what was all the noise?" asked the older mountie, leaning against the doorjamb sociably.
"I went out fer a smoke." Logan leaned back and glanced at Steph's hand. "The little one woke up n' found me gone. Bit the big one pretty good."
"That was a lot of noise for a sibling disagreement," said the mountie skeptically.
Logan shrugged. "Wait'll the baby gets older."
Steph snorted and turned the water off, pressing the sides of the wound together inconspicuously.
The older mountie looked at her, his eyes taking in her slightly unusual colouring. Then he smiled. "I've got a daughter about your age. What's your name?" She blinked at him mutely, then looked at her pad where it lay on the floor.
"She can't talk," said Logan.
"Oh." The constable seemed to shrink into himself a little in embarrassment. "Sorry." She cracked a grin, enjoying his discomfort despite herself.
"Well, ah, I guess we'd better get going, eh, Jordan?" he said to his partner. "It was nice meeting you folks. And try to keep it down, okay?"
"Yeah, we'll do that," said Logan smoothly, closing the door as they left.
Then he turned back to Steph. "Let me see." He took her hand and examined it. "Crap, this is gonna need stitches. How tough are you?" She looked at him thoughtfully, her chin quivering a bit as she remembered the hug he'd given her. Then she reached down for her pad, her face breaking out in a rotten grin as she wrote.
-I can take it if you can, old man.-