Chapter Three

All this happened on a Friday. Two days of freedom I thought, holding Logan tightly as he guided the roaring motorcycle through the country side. I watched as the beautiful landscape passed by in a blur of greens, reds, oranges, and yellows. It seemed like we were actually running away, rushing from our "jobs" and escaping to some unknown paradise. All too soon, Logan slowed to stop at a convenience store/gas station.

"How ya doing back there?" he asked, leaning back as I leaned back, my arms still around him. Realizing what I was doing, I pulled them slowly from around his waist, missing the warmth that I had become accustomed too.

"Fine," I said, taking off my helmet and stretching, "Do we need gas?"

"Not really but I don't want to stop again before we get to our destination."

"Our destination?"

"Yeah, I have a place I want to take ya, if its okay with you."

"Its fine," I said, not really sure what to think.

"So what do we need, great outdoorsman?" I asked, climbing off the bike with him following suit. Standing side by side, I am taller than Logan but his personality made up for what he lacked in height.

"Let me worry about that. You may want to take a bathroom break because its about a two hour drive non stop to where we going," he told me and I nodded heading off in search of the facilities.

"Ro," he called, stopping me.

"Yes," I said turning to him and going back to stand next to him.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

That was a loaded question. So simple yet so complicated…Of course I trusted him. I had too. In battle, we have to trust that our teammates had our back so to speak. But what kind of trust was he talking about? That was the real question.

"Yes, Logan. You know I do."

"I know ya trust me while we're "working" but do you trust me now. Now that we are away from the mansion and "work"," he said, not really sure of how to say it but getting it out nonetheless.

"You're asking me if I trust that you have my best interests in mind and that you won't do anything to harm me?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Well, Logan. I don't know, should I? Since you are the only who knows where we are going," I teased, watching him.

"If you trust me then you shouldn't have to worry about our destination, right?"

Is this another challenge? Well if it is, then I'm game. Selfish weekend here I come.

"To answer your question, yes, Logan. I do trust you. I have a feeling that I'm in very good hands."

"Yeah, you should always trust your instincts," he replied heading toward the store, "You want something?"

"Yeah, some peanut M&Ms and a few Snickers."

Laughing, Logan threw up his hand, signaling that he heard my request. Watching him walk away, I wondered if that was one of those statements that had a double meaning. Well, only time would tell, I thought as I headed in search of the restroom.

Two hours later, we turned off the main road and slowly traveled along a dirt road, framed by woods on both sides. The large trees blocked out the sunlight, forcing Logan to turn on the bike's headlights to illuminate the road. Being an X-Man, you are always aware of your surroundings and alert. This was no exception. Strange places always makes me a little nervous. Looking up at the trees, it looked as if they were closing in on us,making me even more nervous since I'm severely claustrophobic. Tightening my hold on Logan, I closed my eyes and focused on keeping control. Feeling the strength of my hold, Logan speeded up a little, instinctively knowing that I was struggling with my phobia. Soon, I felt the bike slowing to a stop and heard Logan's voice through a fog.

"We're here," he said, simply, concern in his voice.

When I opened my eyes, I gasped, my handflying to my mouth. Never had I seen such beauty. Getting off the bike, I slowly walked toward the shimmering lake stretching as far as the eyes could see, recovering from my struggle with my phobia. I opened my arms to embrace the peacefulness of my surroundings.

Closing my eyes, I breathe in deep the sweet, clear air and thanked God for His wonders. Nowhere have I seen such beauty seemingly untouched by darkness of the world I knew. Breathing deeply once again, I turned and slowly opened my eyes to see Logan watching me intently, I guess not knowing how to respond to my actions.

"I'm going to assume you like it," he said, still sitting on the bike.

"I love it, Logan, thank you," I said, wanting to rush over and hug him, again,but opting not to.

"Good. Now let's get settled and grab some grub."

After making a quick snack of sandwiches and chips, courtesy of Logan, we explored the property. Playing the role of tour guide, Logan revealed his impressive knowledge of nature that I should have known he had but never thought about. He told me about the different types of plants, insects, and even some small animals we came across during our "adventure." Logan held my hand for the duration of the tour so that I could keep up with him and follow his steps to avoid poison ivy and thorns. Much too soon, the tour was over and we made our way back to the cabin, still holding hands. As we neared it, a thought occurred to me as we climbed the steps.

"Logan, who owns this property?" as we sat in the porch swing, resting from our hike.

"I do. I got it with some money that was owed to me when I worked as Weapon X," he said looking out at the lake, "I got it because I wanted to have a place to go when things got to be too much for me and I needed time to myself to sort them out."

"I haven't shared this place with anyone but you. So consider yourself special," he said smiling, looking at me, our knees slightly touching.

"Well, I consider it an honor," I said, smiling back, laying my head on his shoulder.

Falling silent, we looked out at the lake, enjoying the peaceful tranquility of the wilderness. Feeling completely relaxed, I snuggled closer to Logan's warm body, pulling my long legs under me. Almost falling prey to the sandman, my stomach growled loudly. Laughing I said, "I guess that's my cue to ask what's for dinner."

Smiling, he said, "Well, you have to work for your dinner. We can catch some fish and cook it by the lake."

"Okay, but I have to warn you, I haven't fished in ages, so I maybe a little rusty," I said, putting my feet back on the floor.

Standing, Logan held out his hand for mine. Taking it, he pulled me to my feet, our eyes connecting for the second time that day. Gently, he kissed my check and pulled me into a soulful embrace. Shocked at his actions, I returned the hug. I was shocked because if you know Logan, physical contact other than a good fight is pretty much out of the question. So image my shock when he gave me the hug. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every minute of it but it seemed way out of character for him. Now, look at the kettle calling the pot black. I was doing things out of character for me, so why can't he do the same. Who am I to judge?

It seems that this weekend is going to be better than I thought.

Author's Note: Let me know what you think. I'm working on the next few chapters.