Chapter Two:
Holiday Cookies and Snow
December 25
Logan woke up the next morning with his face buried in his pillow, suffocating him. He made a noise that resembled, "SNERF!", and jerked his head upward. He looked around, and it slowly registered that he was in his room at the mansion.
He sat up, and brushed some of his hair away from his face. According to the clock on his bedside table, it was 11:03 A.M.
"So…what to do today?" He thought out loud. It was Christmas Day, so almost every store in the city would be closed, or completely looted…as if he had anyone to shop for. But almost everyone would be drowning everyone else in love and "tidings of joy", which made him want to puke. He could probably stay at the mansion, train in the danger room, and if all else fails, ride off on his motorcycle to some random place. Oh, and he was meeting Shaina that night.
Shaina.
As he dressed, he remembered the strange woman he had met up with the night before. Her auburn hair, and purpleish-blue eyes. And she had a knack for pool. Maybe they could play best two out of three…
Never mind that. For now, he just wanted to get some food. At his usual pace, he made it down the stairs and towards the kitchen. On his way, he met up with Professor X.
"Ah, good morning and merry Christmas, Logan," The Professor said casually. "How was your night at the bar? The same one you went to last year, I believe."
Logan made a face slightly. "You readin' my mind again, Charles?"
The Professor smiled. "Only a little bit," He admitted.
"Riiiiight …" Logan said, and he immediately realized he was quoting Shaina. With that thought in mind, he said, "See ya," before the Professor could read his mind and think he had really gone to the bar to go on a date or something equally stupid.
He arrived and found the kitchen, and wondered if there were any holiday cookies left. Jean always made those before she left for Christmas, and they were very good. He checked the cookie jar, and saw seven large cookies. He looked around the kitchen, and found it empty…the perfect setting for…The perfect crime! Quickly, he reached in and pulled out four cookies: A reindeer, a Menorah with four candles (the others were probably crumpled at the bottom of the jar), a fat Santa Clause, and a Snowflake.
He reached in to the cupboard, and pulled out a plate. Then, he sat down at the table, and decided that the Snowflake would be the first to the jaws of doom. Just as he sank his teeth in to the sweet exterior, Rogue walked in to the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. She looked around, and blushed slightly when she saw Logan sitting there, probably due to the fact that she was still in her pajamas.
"Uh…Hai, Logan. And merry Christmas." She said, with her Southern accent.
"Hey, Kid," He answered, focusing on his cookies. He wanted her to know that he wasn't staring at her. He was no pervert.
This gesture seemed to comfort Rogue a bit, as she walked over to the cookie jar and pulled out the three remaining cookies: A snowman, a star, and another Santa Clause. She pulled out a plate and sat down at the table across from him.
Logan couldn't help but say, "You really shouldn't eat cookies for breakfast."
Rogue looked at him. "You are."
Logan looked down at his plate of cookies. "Touché," He said calmly.
She laughed a little bit.
"What, is Little-Miss-Dark-and-Sullen laughin'?"
"And what if Ah am?" She retaliated.
Logan smirked. "It's just that I didn't realize that vampires were allowed to laugh."
"Ya think ah'm a vampire?"
"You never said you weren't. You sure act like it. And I've seen I've seen you read that Dracula book." It was then that Logan realized that he had finished his snowflake. Without thinking much about it, he bit in to the reindeer.
"Ya just bit off that poor animal's head," Rogue said flatly.
Logan looked down his cookie, and saw indeed that he had bitten the reindeer's head off. "So I did…"
Rogue smiled weakly, and said, "Well, what'd ya do last night?"
"Depends. What've ya heard?" Logan joked.
"Nothin'. That's why ah asked."
"Went to a bar. Met some weird girl with purplish-blue eyes. Had some more drinks. Rode around for a while. Then came home."
Rouge's smile faded slightly, though Logan wasn't quite sure why.
"And you?" He asked.
"Me? Nuthin' much. Ah just stayed at the mansion, then went and played video games at the arcade for a while."
"Any games that involved vampires?"
"Wah are you so stuck ahn vampires?" Rogue asked.
"'Cause I think you're one."
"Ah think our conversation just went in a circle."
Logan was abut to say, "I get that feeling a lot," but at that moment, Beast came in to the kitchen.
"Hai, Mr. McKoy. Merry Christmas," Rogue greeted him.
Beast turned to her. "Yes, merry Christmas to you too. But Rogue, I suggest you go get dressed. It's rather cold."
Blushing, Rogue stood up and ran to her room.
Logan watched her go, and then sighed. "Ya really shouldn't tease her like that, Hank."
"My, is the Wolverine caring for someone besides himself?" Beast teased.
"And so what if I am?" Logan replied. But he couldn't help but think about what he said. He and Rogue had gotten pretty close over the past year. It seemed like the obvious thing to do, after all, their personalities were rather similar, and they could relate to each other. That time her power was freaking out, and everyone she had ever absorbed was trying to take over, he had helped her, and then stayed by her bedside. When he was talking to her, and she had held his hand and smiled with tears in her eyes, it was kind of like a wake-up call to the both of them: If they weren't going to get close to anyone else, they could at least have each other. Now, less than a year later, they could sit down and have a conversation, as if they were friends.
Maybe that's what they were. Friends.
***
That evening, he rode off to the bar, and sure enough, Shaina was waiting there, ready to play pool. "Howdy, Logan!" She greeted him.
"Hi, Shaina," He answered, looking her over. Green sweater, dark red skirt, black leggings, and red jacket.
"Well, let's play! And are we going to observe the 'loser buys the winner a drink' rule?"
"Yea," Logan said, picking up his stick.
The bartender is sworn to secrecy. Professor X is sworn to secrecy. Ask Logan, and he will growl and leave the room.
I, however, am not. And in this story entitled Strange Triangles, I strive to give you the untainted truth. So I must give it, despite the fact that it may come as a shock to many readers:
Logan got his butt kicked.
I'm sorry, but I report only the facts. He got his butt kicked, and that's all there is to it.
And Shaina wasn't about to let it go unnoticed. "Wow, Logan, you suck!"
Logan glared at her. "You didn't…have to say it so loudly…"
"Why? We're the only ones in here, except for him!" She pointed over to the bar, where the bartender was laughing hysterically.
"Shaddup!" Logan yelled.
Shaina poked him with her stick. "Hey, you owe me a drink!"
"Yea. You're right," Logan said grudgingly. The two made their way to the bar, and sat down.
"Whaddya want?" The bartender asked, shaking his head and chuckling.
Logan wanted to slam him in to the wall, preferably with his claws extended.
Shaina grinned. "I'll just get a beer!"
The bartender got Shaina her drink, and turned to Logan. "And you?"
"Nothing."
"That'll be $4.00"
"For nothing?"
"For her beer, genius!"
"Oh. Yea…" Logan muttered, handing him the money.
Shaina giggled. "Yea, genius!"
"Shut up, Shaina."
"You shut up."
"I haven't said anything!"
"Ya're now!"
"What kind of a word is 'ya're'? Are you a pirate? I mean, I know an possible vampire, but not a pirate."
"So, now it's my grammar that's bothering you?"
The bartender looked at them, shook his head, smiled and said, "Young couples…"
Then, he left and went to the back room, leaving Shaina and Logan alone.
Shaina blinked. "Couple? Did he think you were my boyfriend? Weird!"
Logan didn't say anything.
***
December 31
"Everyone, get in here!" Scott yelled. "It's almost time!"
Everyone quickly hurried in to the living room, where TV was turned on to the New Year Count Down.
Rogue yawned, and sat down next to Logan. "So, tha new year is finahlly here."
"Yea…great," Logan answered sarcastically.
"What's with you? Doncha like New Year's?"
"Why are we celebratin'? We're just starting the calendar over. It's not like something's actually happenin'."
"Well, ah'm gettin' to drink Champaign, and it's snowin'. That's actually happenin'."
Logan looked at her. "You know what I mean."
"Yea, I guess ah do. But think about how mahny things can happen on a year. Ah mean, Kurt an' Kitty started datin', Scott started college, he an' Jean started datin', and you and ah got really close!"
Logan blinked his eyes. "Why are you only mentionin' relationships?"
Rogue sighed and shrugged. "'Cause if ah didn't, then the year really was as borin' as you made it out to be."
"So, in other words, I'm right, right?"
"Yea, ah guess you are,"
"Here it comes!" Beast yelled.
All of them stood up and counted down with the TV, which showed Time's Square in New York City.
"5…4…3…2…1!"
January 1
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" The group choruses, and drank their Champaign. Logan couldn't help but smirk when he saw Rogue chug hers, and then make a face and squint her eyes, as if she was going to throw up.
He found it so amusing, that a few minutes later, when the group had disassembled, he walked up to her and said, "I trust that we'll never have to worry about you sneakin' any alcohol at parties."
Rogue glared at him. "Shaddup, Logan."
Logan immediately thought of Shaina, who had said the same thing to him less than a week earlier. He had been going to the bar to play pool with her every night, and so far, he had only one won once (though he suspected that she had let him win).
"Logan?" Rogue's voice snapped him back to Reality.
"Huh?" He replied.
"Look at the snow!" She commanded. "Idn't beautiful?"
And so he did. Although he didn't want to admit it, it was beautiful. There was at least a foot of snow on the ground, and more flakes were gently falling.
"Yea…It's nice…"
"It doesn't snow much down south…if we were lucky enough to even get it, then it was usually only a couple of inches…it was a big change for me."
"Uh-huh…" There was something mesmerizing about the snow… "You wanna go outside?" He asked suddenly.
She looked at him. "Huh?"
"I said, you wanna go outside?" He repeated.
Rogue smiled. "Sure. Wah not?"
So they did.
The snow was even more mesmerizing when they were outside. It was extremely dark outside, and it was freezing…but the snow! The tiny, white flakes drifting down from the sky…There were hundreds of flakes…thousands…millions…and as Logan realized as he caught a few in his gloved hand, they were the kind where each flake had its own shape and pattern. Tiny, ice doilies…
Rogue seemed to be equally hypnotized, as she just stood there, and let the snow fall on her face…She shut her eyes and tilted her head upward.
She looked so calm and peaceful…As if she could stand there for hours…so Logan did the only thing he thought he could do: he threw a snowball at her.
The spell was broken. As soon as the snowball collided with the side of her face, she let out a little shriek, and turned towards him. "Yer dead meat, Logan!" She hissed. She dropped down on her knees and quickly rolled up a snowball.
Logan turned around and ran, fighting through the snow on the ground. Just a second later, he felt the snowball rush past his head. He turned around. "Hah! Ya missed—"
WHAP! A snowball slammed directly in to his face. As he wiped snow of his face, he saw Rogue grinning. "Ah had two. Ah only threw the first one so ye'd turn around."
Logan inhaled slowly, narrowed his eyes, got down, and rolled up a snowball the size of a softball. "I'm gonna get you, girlie!" He growled.
"Yer gonna have to catch me, first!" She answered, and then ran off.
And so began their snowball fight. It was more like tag, because usually, one person would throw a snowball at the other, and then run until they got hit, and then the person who got hit would try to hit the other, and then run, and so on and so fourth.
After a little bit, it finally occurred to him that they must look like total morons. I mean, they were running around outside at about 12:15 AM, chucking snowballs at each other and occasionally yelling.
Finally, when they reached the point when their throats were burning from the cold air, they stopped and rested.
"It stopped snowin'." Rogue pointed out.
"Yea…" Logan replied, looking up at the sky. "I guess it is."
"Logan?" Rogue asked suddenly.
"Hmmm?" He turned to her.
Rogue was looking down at the snow, but Logan could see that her smile had faded, and she had that look that you get when you know you have to say something, but you're too nervous and embarrassed to. "Ah…"
"Kid? You OK?" He walked toward her.
She looked a bit sad, but didn't say anything.
Gently, he put one of his hands on her shoulder, and the other under her chin. He turned her head upward so they were looking in to each other's eyes. "Rogue? You alright?"
She laughed nervously. "Oh, I'm fine. I'm just…cold, that's all!" She broke away from him. She looked up at the sky, and her expression lightened. "Oh! A shootin' star! Didja see it?"
Logan looked up, and he just barely managed to see the white streak race across they sky.
"Ah heard kids at school talkin'…and they said that if ya make a wish on a shootin' star on in the wee hours of New Year's Day, then it'll come true!"
"What's with wishin' on shootin' stars?" Logan asked. But Rogue was too busy wishing.
She was whispering, so he couldn't make out her wish exactly, but it had to do with getting courage and a crush. And he thought he heard his name. But it was probably just his imagination.