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Logan braced the damaged door against the dumpster and glanced around, then popped his claws and shredded it into kindling, tossing the pieces onto the trash in the bin. Dusting his hands, he turned and looked at Steph, who was laughing at him soundlessly.
He shook his head with an answering grin. Darn kid. She and Ruhko were a perfect pair. "Let's go and get paid up." He boosted the lump in his backpack and walked around to the office, Steph striding beside him.
The manager looked at the money he handed to her, frowning as she counted. "You gave me too much. It's only seventy-five a night. One night."
"The bathroom door got broken," said Logan, sticking an unlit cigar in his mouth and chewing it.
"It won't cost this much to fix."
"Darlin' that door ain't gettin' fixed. Yer gonna haveta replace it."
She looked at him skeptically. "What did you do to it?"
"Broke it." He grinned. "Kin I get a receipt?"
She shook her head in exasperation and put the money into the till, handing him a slip of paper in return. "Have a nice day and don't forget to stay at Comfort Inn next time you come through."
"Yeah, I'll do that." Logan stuck the receipt in his wallet and stuffed it into his hip pocket, then slid his thumb under the left hand backpack strap and turned to go, chomping his cigar thoughtfully.
He led Steph to the bike and handed her the helmet, then sat on it and kicked it into life, pausing to light the cigar for a few puffs while she got her hair sorted out. He turned when she thumped him on the shoulder. "Yeah?"
She held up her slate. Where's your helmet?
He snorted. "Don't need one. My skull's unbreakable metal."
You going to tell the mounties that?
He scowled. "I don't have another one anyway, and there's no where ta buy one in this one horse town. So shut up and get on if yer comin'."
She narrowed her eyes at him and made a rude gesture with her hand, then sat on the bike behind him, pressed up against Ruhko, who wiggled slightly and sighed in her sleep.
"Ouch, watch yer legs." He put the bike in gear and roared out of the lot and down the street, leaving the town and a chapter of his life behind.
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(Two days later)
Logan rubbed the back of his neck and adjusted his grip on Ruhko so he wouldn't drop her as he carried her under one arm like a football. "You got any gumdrops left from that bag Rogue sent ya?"
Steph shook her head mutely, looking at the truck stop they were standing outside of as she brushed the monsters out of her hair.
"Did Ruhko eat 'em all, or did you get any?"
Steph pointed to herself and lifted two fingers, then grinned and fluffed Ruhko's hair as the baby wiggled and giggled, waving her fat arms around. Putting her brush into her pack, she squared her shoulders and nodded.
Logan turned and headed into the diner, knowing why Steph wanted to pause before she went into a place full of normal humans. If he could have avoided bringing the kids into the place he would have, but they needed food and a bathroom, and this was the first place they'd seen in miles. He wished he'd brought more dried meat when he'd set out from the mansion, but he'd had no way of knowing at the time that he was going to have to feed a baby carnivore who felt it her sovereign right to eat every ten minutes.
The baby carnivore stopped giggling as they went through the door, eyes widening as the rush of smells hit her. She gave a little cry of distress and turned, climbing up him till her face was hidden in the crook of his neck.
He patted her on the bottom, then hooked his hand behind Steph's arm to lead her forward as she started to look like she was going to bolt. "C'mon, kid, don't go freaky on me. Let's go sit over by the window there."
She nodded, face firming up to her usual hard#% expression as she casually moved her arm so that his hand slid away from it.
He made sure she sat on the outside chair, away from the window, and sat across from her, settling Ruhko in his lap and frowning at the menu.
The waitress came over cautiously, looking at Ruhko, who was patting the shiny menu as she stared into space. "Anything to drink?"
"Yeah, I'll have a Bud," said Logan. "Steph?"
She pointed to the Coke logo.
"Coke, and a glass a' milk."
"Moke!" said Ruhko, snapping back to the here and now.
The waitress wrote it down. "You ready to order your food yet?"
"Gimme a couplea twelve ounce steaks, rare, with spuds 'n onions." He looked at Steph's pointing finger. "N' a jumbo poutine."
"'Kay." She tucked her pencil into her pocket and then hesitated. "Your kids?"
"Yeah." He gave her a warning look, but she ignored it.
"The baby's a mutant, isn't she?"
"Ya got a problem with that?" He lowered his head, scowling.
She shrugged. "Ain't my call. But some of the other customers might get ugly."
"Let 'em try," he growled, taking the ketchup bottle away from Ruhko and setting it back on the table out of her reach.
Her hard face softened. "Poor little doll. I didn't know it showed up so soon. Hold on a sec."
Logan frowned as she walked over to the counter and reached over it, then turned and came back.
"Here, you want this, honey?" She held a small stuffed tiger toward Ruhko, who frowned up at her suspiciously and growled softly. "No? Well, I'll leave it with Daddy so you can get it if you change your mind." She set it on the table with a smile and turned to get their orders.
Ruhko turned and burrowed under Logan's jacket till only one leg and arm and two dark eyes showed under his arm, then babbled her angst at the world till she fell asleep.
Logan ignored her and Steph's amused expression, taking his beer as the waitress brought it and sipping it absently. It was bottled, and good and cold. "We should get there tomorrow night. You want to find a motel or camp tonight?"
She shrugged and turned to eye a bunch of truckers as they came into the otherwise empty diner.
"Don't look at 'em, it catches their eye."
She turned back to him with a glare, then grinned and took a swig of Coke as the waitress set a huge plate in front of her, the cheese and gravy oozing over the edge.
Logan reached over and snagged one of her French-fries, then raised his arm as Ruhko remerged, hands already reaching for the meat. "Watch it, kid, I need that elbow! Whoah! Ahahahahah, let me help ya w' that." He gently extracted the hot steak from her grip and cut it up into bite sized pieces, ignoring Steph's laughter. "There ya go, darlin'. Yeah." He smiled despite himself, wrapping his arm around the little bit as he ate.
They were just finishing up when one of the truckers passed them, heading for the toilet. The guy paused before he went in and stared hard at Ruhko, who was nodding sleepily.
Logan got up, tucking her into his jacket. "Come on, Steph. Things 're gonna get stupid pretty quick."
She stood, taking the toy tiger and stuffing it into her duster pocket, then following him to the counter where he threw two twenties and a ten at the waitress. "Keep the change."
They'd nearly gotten out the door when one of the truckers reached out and snagged the back of Steph's coat. "Where you going so fast, sweets?"
She tried to pull free, but he put an arm around her. "What's a nice little mutie like you doing in a place like this?" He put his face near hers. "You could get hurt."
Then he yelped as three foot long blades suddenly flashed in front of his eyes.
"Let go a my daughter while ya still can!" snarled Logan eyes gleaming feral.
The guy did so, face the colour of putty.
Logan stepped aside so that she could get out the door, still glaring at the bully, fighting the nearly overwhelming urge to just lose it and shred him, shred the whole bloody bunch of them.....
-Logan, no!- came Charles' mental voice, but he shut it down, his eyes getting brighter.
Steph jumped, her eyes widening as she looked around wildly. Then nodded and pulled on Logan's jacket, urging him to come away. He did so reluctantly, growling deep in his chest as he stared at the trucker who'd grabbed her.
She got him back to the bike, still holding onto his jacket.
-Logan! Get hold of yourself!- commanded Charles. -You have to leave, those men are going to come out of the diner very soon.-
Logan snarled, shaking his head.
-Logan, the girls could be injured. You have to take them away. Take the girls somewhere safe!-
He blinked, suddenly snapping back to himself. "Oh crap. Steph, get yer helmet on."
She looked at him doubtfully, then gave a sigh of relief and did so, jumping onto the back of the bike.
He zipped his jacket higher and kicked the motor to life, pulling out onto the highway just as the diner door flew open.