Author's Note: Boy, you all know how to get me to write! I hammered out quite a few chapters over the last few days thanks to your wonderful reviews. Please keep them coming! At this rate, I should be able to publish twice a week. I'm going to aim for Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Growlscout: I absolutely agree that they need to get on the same page in this chapter, and I think I've accomplished that. I'd love to hear your feedback though. It's always very thoughtful and helpful.
Amy: What a wonderful idea! I don't know how well I'd do a true "Choose Your Own Adventure" (I loved those books) in this format, but I think I could write two separate time frames from Chapter 8 on. I just need to consider the logistics of that: post them both here? Post them as two separate stories? Let me think more on that. Anyone who has ideas on the best way to pull this off, send me a PM.
So the poll results (and reviews) showed interest in both romance and adventure, so I'm going to give the adventure route a shot, but line it heavily with the romance. I may follow Amy's suggestion and post a separate thread that is pure romance once I think that through a little more. Please keep the reviews coming. They are really inspiring, and I appreciate the help with the creative process. Enjoy!
Chapter 8:
Logan caught up with her just after noon. She had found a small cave and had covered the opening with some loose brush. He pushed his way through, trying to let as little light in as possible. He found her curled up, sleeping deep in the back. He managed to squeeze into a sitting position next to her and pulled some food out of his sack. He ate a sandwich and washed it down with water before readjusting her so that her head rested on his thigh. She had the heavy parka he'd bought her wrapped around her, but her skin was still cold to the touch, and her body was impossibly still and silent. Anyone who had come across her at this point would assume she was dead. Well, he thought, she was dead, but not in the same way they might think. Resting his head back against the cave wall, he fell into a light sleep, waking every few minutes to stroke his fingers along her hair, not wanting to drift off completely so that she could sneak away again.
He knew she woke when she began to breathe again, even though she didn't move a muscle. She took a few deep breaths, and he guessed that she was gauging who was with her through her sense of smell. He'd taught her well, he thought with a short-lived quirk of his lips. When he spoke, his voice came out sounding gravelly from breathing in the cold air, "You sleep okay?"
She pushed herself into a sitting position, scooting away from him, though the close confines of the cave didn't allow her to move far. He knew he could still reach out and grab her if she decided to bolt. Her darted glance to the opening, followed by a slight grimace, was the only way he knew that the sun was still up. Good. He thought. She was stuck talking to him. She ignored his question and instead asked one of her own, "Why did you come after me?"
He offered her the bottle of water, and she accepted it and drank while he answered, "A promise is a promise, right?" At her look of confusion, he explained. "When you decided to start over, I promised that I wouldn't let you run off."
She stared at him for a moment before looking away, a spark of hurt in her crimson eyes, "I wouldn't hold you to that. You've done enough for me." The words came out bitterly, and he flinched as if she'd smacked him. He felt sick in his stomach. She didn't want his help anymore.
"Jubilee," he said her name softly, the tone close to pleading. Carefully, he cleared his throat and tried again, "I really am sorry, kid. Do you think we can just put it behind us?"
To his surprise, she threw the open bottle of water at him and covered her ears, yelling at him, "I'm not a damned kid, and I don't want your apologies!"
He wiped water from his face and moved closer to her in an attempt to tug her hands away from her ears. When he spoke, there was a hint of anger in his own voice. "Sorry, Jubilee. Did you hear me that time? I'm going to keep saying it again and again until you listen to me and forgive me."
"Forgive you?" She asked scathingly, "Forgive you? I don't understand you, Logan. Not at all! If you regret what happened, that's fine, but I don't… I don't need you to keep apologizing to me about it. There's nothing to forgive. It was my fault, I pushed you-"
He cut her off, capturing her hands in his, "It's not your fault!" He argued, "Don't put that on yourself. I took advantage-"
"Advantage?" she practically screeched the word to make him stop talking. Her next words came out filled with anger, frustration and hurt, "Fuck you, Logan!"
When he sat back, startled, she finally took the opportunity to be perfectly clear with him. "I know vampires disgust you. You've never hidden that." When he looked baffled and shook his head in confusion, she held up her hand and kept talking. "You've always been here for me no matter what, and if anyone took advantage, it was me. You've never told me 'no' about anything, so I should have known better than to push things last night. I shouldn't have put you in that position no matter what I was feeling. I realize that I crossed a line, and it's better if I just go away. I don't' want you to have to feel awkward or nervous about me being there."
He just stared at her, his jaw hanging open. He had no idea where this was coming from. She'd taken advantage of him? What the hell did his feelings about vampires have to do with anything? He shook his head again and closed his mouth, "Jubilee, I don't know what you're talking about."
Now she looked even more upset, and her eyes clouded, a pink-tinged tear escaping from the corner of one eye. "Fine," she said, "If I have to completely throw my pride on the line, I'll just say it. I'm sorry I threw myself at you. I'm sorry that I'm a fucking disgusting blood sucker. I'll never be the person I used to be, and I understand if you don't want me to be around for fear that I'll jump you again. You don't have to keep helping me out of a sense of misplaced obligation."
He sat back, stunned for a moment. Then, he started to realize why she was so upset by his apologies. He began to laugh. She thought he hadn't wanted what had happened last night. She had wanted it, too. He was almost giddy with the realization that she just might feel the same way about him that he felt about her. As his laughter began to subside, he leaned forward and cupped her face with his hands, tightening his grip when she tried to pull away. She hissed at him in frustration, baring her fangs, but he ignored that. Then, he leaned in to press his lips to hers, fangs or no fangs. Her body stilled as his lips caressed hers. When she relaxed her mouth, he deepened the kiss, sliding his body closer so that he could angle her head. When he felt a tentative hand touch his jaw, he pulled her into his lap and smoothed a hand down her back to press her upper body against his.
When he broke the kiss, he only let her draw her head back a few inches, his other arm keeping her pinned against his chest. He watched her face warily and realized that she was watching him in the same way. He pressed another feather-light kiss on her mouth before he whispered huskily, "Darlin', I think we've had one hell of a miscommunication if you think I don't want you." He felt a chill run through her body at his words and allowed a self-satisfied smile to curve his lips.
When she leaned in to kiss him, he let her, enjoying the feeling of her fingers threading into the hair at the nape of his neck. The kiss was sweet, soft, and unhurried. When she drew back, she rested her forehead against his, her eyes closed and her short, spikey lashes resting on her cheek. He lifted one hand to brush away the pink smear left by the tear and then tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "I'm gonna say it one more time whether you want to hear it or not," he began, "I'm sorry, but not for the same reason I was last night." When she opened her eyes to look at him, he grinned wickedly and explained, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you last night how much I enjoyed myself." When she flushed and her lips curved into a smile, he kissed her again and then slid back until he could rest his back against the cave wall.
He continued to hold her in his lap, enjoying the fact that her body was slowly warming from the close contact with his. He tucked her head beneath his chin and picked up the coat she'd tossed off when she sat up. He pulled it over both of them to try to contain the heat even more. When she tried to pull back to look at him, he pressed her head closer to his shoulder, "No," he said. "We gotta talk, and if you're sitting up where I can look at you, I'm going to kiss you again now that I know I can, and that's going to lead to other things that won't involve me talkin' to ya either."
She laughed a throaty chuckle but stopped struggling. One of her hands slipped inside his coat and beneath his arm to warm itself, and he helped her by unzipping the coat the rest of the way, allowing her to burrow closer to his body heat. He felt her turn her head closer to him and take a slow, deep breath. He smiled, combing his fingers through her silky hair, removing a few leaves and twigs that had gotten caught in it the night before. He waited for her to settle before he began talking.
"First of all, I don't know where you got it into yer thick skull that I care that you're a vampire. I don't give a rat's ass whether you're a vampire, a human, or a mutant." When she took a breath as if to interrupt, he squeezed her hard. When she let the breath out in a frustrated sigh, he continued, "I know I wasn't a big fan of vampires at the start, but I don't even think of you as one of them. I mean, yeah, you drink blood and can do some vampy tricks, but I'm used to being around people with powers after all the time I've spent around mutants." He frowned, feeling as if he was being unclear. He tried again, "I don't look at you and think: 'vampire.' When I look at you, I just see: 'Jubilee.' But that isn't even accurate." He paused and let his head fall back against the wall as he sorted out what he wanted to say. "I guess I don't think about you in the same way I used to. I don't think of you as that fifteen year old kid, or even as the suddenly-human girl with no powers. I don't even see the same vampire that has come in and out of my life in the past few years." He stroked his fingers through her hair again, "I feel like maybe I'm getting to know who you really are, after all of this time. And…I like you." He could feel heat rising in his neck. There was something about her, something about figuring out this new facet of their relationship that made him feel like an awkward teenage boy.
She remained silent, but her hand moved to softly stroke over the material that covered his chest. Deciding this was her way of telling him to go on, he cleared his throat and began speaking again, "I like you, ya know? I know you won't ever be that same girl I first met, but I'm glad about that. I have a lot of respect for the woman you are now, no matter what mistakes you've made in the past. I know I've made my fair share, and you've never judged me, so I guess it doesn't really matter that much. You're strong and smart and damned sexy, and I sure the hell ain't keeping you around because I feel like I have to." Now he pushed her away enough to tilt her chin up to look at him. Her smile warmed him more than anything and loosened the ball of nerves that had been forming in his chest as he spoke. "I want you with me, so if you run again, I'll keep coming after you."
She slid her arms around his neck and leaned up to kiss him again. When she pulled back, her smile was broader. She stroked one finger along his cold cheek, "I'll try to keep that from happening again, but it's good to know it won't be that easy to get rid of you."
He chuckled and stroked his hand up her back again, "It'll be damned hard to shake me." She smiled again, and he tilted his arm until he could see his watch behind her head. "It's almost twilight, so if you take a nip from me, we can probably start heading back someplace warm."
She nodded, so he tilted his head back. Her fingertips traced over his jugular, but she hesitated. Instead she took his arm and brought his wrist to her lips, when he pulled his hand away, saying, "No, it's okay," she laughed, her eyes gleaming.
"I think I'll save that," she said, "I think we both get a bit carried away, and this frozen rock floor doesn't look that comfortable." Personally, he wouldn't have minded the floor, but he knew she deserved better. Still, the realization that she felt the same way about him as he felt for her… well, he couldn't fight off a smile as she bit daintily into his wrist.
They had traveled quite a ways south, so rather than trudging through snow that was waist-deep in places, they'd followed the sound of traffic to Mackenzie Highway. They were able to hitch hike a ride with one of the lumber trucks to a town farther in the Northwest Territory. They stopped at a small bar so that Logan could eat some hot food. Jubilee ordered some hot tea and whiskey for herself and waited patiently while he ordered a hamburger and fries. They attracted some attention as any strangers did this far north, so Jubilee kept her sunglasses on even though the sun had gone down. The last thing they needed was trouble from anti-vampire fanatics.
Logan finished his meal quickly, and they were able to head back out into the cold. It was snowing again, coming down in large, heavy flakes. "We'll make quicker time going cross country from this point," he commented as they stood in the frozen parking lot.
She nodded, and they started off at an easy walk toward the tree line, breaking into a jog once they reached the safety of the forest. "Good thing your healing factor keeps you from turning into a popsicle," she commented as they broke into a run.
He grinned at her, "Yeah, that's me: lucky." After they had run a few miles, leaping over larger drifts when necessary, he continued, "Still, I won't mind getting home where it's warm."
She nodded and matched his pace when he sped up. She couldn't help smiling as she ran, when she glanced sideways at him, she saw that he was smiling as well. During the ride in the log truck, she'd had to sit in his lap since there were only two seats in the cab. It had been heaven to be surrounded by such warmth—both from the truck's heater and the heat that had been radiating from his body. He had simply held her hands before he had fell into a light sleep. She had rested her head against his chest, enjoying the musky scent that was uniquely his. It reminded her of fresh water, pine, and woodsmoke. She had been enjoying the moment too much to sleep, though she was regretting that now as she felt fatigue beginning to wear at her.
She felt her lips curve into a wider grin as she vaulted over a fallen tree, recalling how his hands had wandered over her thighs as he woke and then had slipped under her shirt to slide tantalizingly over her stomach and up her rib cage. The feeling had been wonderful and had caused a completely different kind of warmth to spread through her. Still, she'd glanced at the truck driver to make sure he'd kept his eyes on the road before shooting Logan a censuring look. He had had a wide grin and a mischievous glint in his eyes, obviously teasing her. She had rolled her eyes at him and recaptured his hands with her own.
She was so distracted by the memory and the joy that overwhelmed her that the blow took her by complete surprise, sending her flying in the air several yards before she connected with a tree. She ricocheted off it and into a second tree before landing on the ground in a deep pile of snow. Everything went black.