Chapter 10:
Logan awoke slowly and took careful stock of his body. One side of his abdomen still hurt pretty badly, but it was better than the searing pain from yesterday. His body felt much warmer now, and he attributed that to the still form that was curled up against his side. He rolled his head toward her carefully so as not to wake her. Her head was pillowed on his shoulder, one of her arms draped over her chest, her hand resting over his heart. His lips curved, and he lifted his own hand to place it over hers. Her fingers flexed, so he brought her hand to his lips, placing a kiss in the center of her palm.
She lifted her head and pushed herself up on one arm. He was pleased to note it was the one that had been dislocated. She looked fine. She pulled her hand free of his grip to run her fingers over his forehead, along his face, and down over his chest. When she peeled back the bandages on his stomach, he could feel her hands touching his lower abdomen, and he became quickly aware that he wasn't wearing anything other than the bandage. She smoothed the gauze back down and sighed, the relief clear in her face.
He quirked one eyebrow at her, "Was it that bad?"
She nodded and reclined against him again. "Yeah," she said softly. "I think it was the worst I've seen you. Ever. You were so cold and barely healing. I don't know why you were so bad off, maybe because I'd taken blood earlier."
He shook his head, "No, it didn't have anything to do with you." He explained, his hand moving to stroke through her silky hair. "It was Selene. She has the power to suck up life force, and she took a nice chunk out of me to say good-bye."
He felt Jubilee stiffen, and then relax. "Who is she?" She asked.
"Selene Gallio." When Jubilee said nothing, he explained, "She's lived longer than anyone I've ever met, and there are even some rumors floating around that she was the very first mutant. You've might have heard of her referred to as the Black Queen when she was part of the Hellfire Club."
Jubilee nodded against his chest and was silent for a moment before she asked, "Why didn't she kill you?"
He grunted in response, enjoying the way her fingers were tracing small patterns through his chest hair. "I did her a favor once," he explained, "Someone was trying to kill her, and I stopped it." She made a soft sound. "Any idea why she's after you? She said she was gonna kill ya."
Jubilee pushed herself into a sitting position and then stood. "I don't know," she said as she moved to pile more wood onto what was left of the fire. She waited for the wood to catch before kneeling next to him. Instead of looking at him, she watched the flames dance. "I haven't killed anyone for at least two years, but before that…" she shook her head and clenched her jaw before meeting his gaze head on. "Before that I killed hundreds of people without even thinking of it. I didn't even know half of their names. Any one of them could have been the reason." She released a shuddering breath, "Logan, I should really go before she comes back. Anything that happens at this point, I deserve. I'm evil. Maybe it's best if she does - -"
He cut her off by sitting up and placing a finger over her lips. He could feel a twinge of pain in his side from the sudden movement, but it barely registered in his mind. He shook his head, "You are not evil, Jubilee." When she tried to pull his hand away to argue, he slid his hand around to the back of her head to pull her into a kiss. She fought it at first, but soon surrendered to the kiss, leaning into him. Satisfied, he pulled back and watched as he eyes slowly slid back open. "You're not evil. You're healing. I don't want you to speak- - or even think - - of yourself that way again. We clear?"
She only pressed her lips together and looked away. Sighing, he didn't push it, but he did lay back down and pull her with him so that she rested in the circle of his arms. "No matter what, we're in this together now. If she comes, we face her together. I swear to God if you get it into your head to try to be a martyr…."
She laughed, "And what will you do?"
He smiled and slid one hand down her back to give her a quick smack on the ass. "Don't worry about specifics, but you won't enjoy it."
She lifted her head from his shoulder to grin up at him and blink innocently, "But what if I liked that?"
Instead of responding, he quickly rolled so that her body was trapped under his. His hand skimmed down her side to slide one of her thighs up around his hips, allowing his body to settle between her legs. He heard her breath catch and her eyes flare. Her hands slid up around his neck, and she brought his mouth down to hers. Although he had only planned on teasing her, things quickly spun out of his control, and he deepened the kiss. His hand massaged the flesh of her thigh, gliding upward to her hip and pressing himself more firmly against her. She moaned and wrapped both of her legs around his hips. Mentally, he cursed the sweatpants she wore and tugged at the waistband, bending at an awkward angle that caused sharp pain to spiral from his abdomen.
She noticed his sharp intake of breath and caught his hand in one of hers. The other cupped his face as she suggested, "Maybe we should wait until you're healed. It's too much right now."
"Hell no." was his short response, accompanied by a dark scowl. She only laughed and pushed him off of her. Refusing to let her go, he pulled her with him until her body was stretched out on top of his. He brought her mouth down to his for another bruising kiss. Eventually, he trailed his mouth along her cheek and whispered in her ear, "I've been waiting too long for this, and so have you. I know it by how you react when I touch you." He trailed a finger down her back, the telltale shivers that ran through her body proving his point. "You really gonna make me wait even another minute?"
He felt her head drop against the pillow in what he hoped was defeat. Moments later, she sat up and rolled off of him, slapping at his hands when he tried to keep her body pressed to his. "Okay, okay." She took a deep breath and shook her head as if trying to refocus. "On one condition."
He shook his head and reached to pull her back down again, but she pushed his hands away. "No, you have to promise," she insisted.
He scowled at her and said nothing. She seemed to be trying very hard to keep from smiling as she continued, "The only way this happens right now is if you promise that we'll stop if you're hurting," when he opened his mouth to argue, she pressed a finger over his lips. " Because…" when he quieted and just glared at her, she slowly began to toy with the edge of her camisole to lift it enough to expose a pale sliver of flesh. When his eyes looked back up at her face, she continued, "I need you to be healed enough to do this multiple times tomorrow."
He grinned and nipped at the tip of her finger. She only raised her eyebrows at him, so he nodded, "I promise. I promise." His eyes dropped back to where her fingers were toying with the lace edge.
She smiled and pulled the top the rest of the way off before wiggling out of the sweats. He made an approving sound in his throat as he drank in the sight of her naked body. After a moment's pause, he pulled her back down onto him, his hands sliding over all of the warm, exposed flesh. He tugged her to straddle him, and she slid back until she could lower herself onto him. He closed his eyes, his hands tightening on her hips as she sank down to the hilt. Once she was settled, she leaned forward to kiss him again.
"So much for foreplay," he murmured as she began to move on him.
Jubilee laughed and sat upright so she could move more easily, "Sweetheart, we've had weeks of foreplay." She brought one of his hands up so she could nip at his fingers before placing the palm against her breast. "As you said, I didn't think either of us wanted to waste any more time." Her voice got breathy as his other hand slid up her stomach as well. She placed one hand on his chest for balance and gazed down at him as she moved, her face clearly mirroring the pleasure that she was feeling.
He pulled her down again, thrusting his own hips up into hers, enjoying the soft sounds she made. He kissed her and then tilted his head to the side, offering his neck. She shook her head, and murmured, "After" as she rocked her hips harder to meet his thrusts. He reveled in every moment, enjoying the feeling of her soft skin under his hands, the taste of her mouth on his, and the sounds of her pleasure. He wanted to roll her over, to take control, but he was aware enough to know that would mean "Game Over" according to their agreement. As enjoyable as it was, it wasn't quite in his nature to be the passive party in such situations. Still, he tried to memorize every moment as her body glided over his.
"Logan!" The edge of raw need in her voice caused him to rear up, ignoring the twinge of pain, to take the tip of her breast into his mouth. Her fingers fisted in his hair, and her body moved more frantically over his. She gasped out his name again as her entire body tightened around his before she shuddered hard with her climax. He watched her face as she came, the firelight glinting off of her eyes, the tips of her fangs, and the perspiration that had collected on her skin. The sight was enough to trigger his own release, and he gripped her hips tightly to drive hard into her. She collapsed onto his chest, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her as they rode out the remaining tremors of pleasure.
He was still trying to catch his breath when he growled, "If you ruin this by sitting up and looking at me like a kicked puppy again, I will throttle you."
She laughed and rolled off of him to stretch her body, giving him a wonderful view in the process. When she caught him looking, she teased, "What if I say I feel more like a contented kitten?"
He grinned and rolled onto his side so that he could trail a hand down her stomach, "Then," he promised huskily, "I will just have to share with you my admiration for…" he paused and arched an eyebrow, "cats."
She moaned when his fingers found what they were searching for and enjoyed the feeling for just a moment before she grabbed his wrist and shook her head. "It's too soon. You need to rest."
He grinned at her and bent to kiss her, his fingers still rubbing and then sinking into her. Then his tongue snaked out to trace her bottom lip before he naughtily whispered, "But I can rest if you get on top again."
He could tell by the way her eyes gleamed a deeper red that she was considering giving into his proposal when they were both startled by a knock at the door. He swore quite colorfully as she leaped to her feet and began to tug on her clothes. "Let me get it," he said as he pushed himself into a standing position. She dashed into the bedroom, and when she returned, he noticed she paused in passing him a pair of pants that she took the time to enjoy the view.
He grinned and pulled her against him for a quick kiss. "I'll tell whoever it is to come back in a week." He winked as she gave him a light push toward the door at the second knock.
His blades slid out with a quiet SNKTT sound just before he pulled the door open, expecting to see Selene there. From the corner of his eye, he could see Jubilee approaching the door as well, but he noted she'd stopped breathing and moving so she could have the element of surprise. Unfortunately, Logan was the one who was surprised when he opened to door to find the woman formerly known as X-23 standing there, her hand raised to knock once more.
Laura took in his state of undress in one glance, sniffed the air, and gave him a disapproving look. "I suppose I'll have to come back again." She stressed the last word. She rolled her eyes at him, apparently annoyed, "I certainly didn't expect you to be entertaining someone up here." She didn't stop speaking as she stepped past him into the room. "I assumed Jubilee might be here, and I didn't imagine you'd have live meat here for her to…"
She trailed off when she saw Jubilee standing just inside the door, and for once, she was the one taken by surprise. When Laura turned and saw her, there was an uncharacteristic moment where her emotions clearly played across her face: her eyes widened, and she drew a sharp breath. Her nostrils flared again as the other girl walked past her to stand at Logan's side. He knew immediately what she was smelling. Jubilee was covered in his scent. Laura looked at him sharply, her gaze darting back and forth between them.
He could have groaned when Jubilee possessively slid an arm around his, letting one of her fingers trail along his chest pointedly. He closed his eyes and tried to gather his patience as Laura's eyes narrowed into slits. He could feel a cat fight brewing, and he felt like the bowl of cream. Unfortunately, he knew the animosity between the two had absolutely nothing (and everything) to do with him.
He pushed the door closed and slid his arm around Jubilee. Might as well go all in. "Jubilee is here. She's been here around close to a month." He squeezed her, "Been clean the entire time." For some reason, he felt like that was important to say.
Laura only raised an eyebrow and instead turned her back on them to collect herself. She took in the scene in front of her: the furniture pushed out of the way and the mattress placed before the fire covered in tangled blankets. Logan bit back another groan. He and Laura had developed a good relationship, but she had always gotten cold and distant when it'd come to Jubilee. Remy had pointed out once that Logan gave Jubilee far more attention than he'd ever given Laura. He knew it was true, and had regretted it, but that had been the way things were. Besides, Laura and he, well, there was strange history there considering she was actually his clone. He could just imagine what she must be thinking now. Finally, he thought of a way to break the tension: Remove one of the causes. "Jubilee," he said, "Would you mind getting me a shirt?"
She nodded and disappeared into the room, pulling the door closed after her with a little more force than necessary. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and stepped into the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. Laura followed him, and they were silent as it percolated. He could hear sounds from the bedroom, drawers opening and closing, the cabinet squeaking open in the bathroom where she stored her make up. Laura spent half the time silently looking at him (it felt more like judging him) and the other half staring at the closed bedroom door. She looked puzzled, and he thought he detected a bit of anger simmering there.
When the pot beeped, he poured himself a cup of coffee. She stepped around him to pull a mug out of the cupboard, allowing him to pour her a cup as well. She took hers black and scooted up until she sat on the counter. By the time she settled, she had composed her facial features back into her typical emotionless mask. He could still feel her gaze on him as he put a light amount of milk and sugar into his cup. He pulled out a cup for Jubilee as well.
When he still didn't answer her unspoken question, Laura finally asked, "So how long has this been going on?"
He selected a cigar from the box on top of the freezer, sliced the end off, and lit it from the stove before he answered her. He pulled out one of the chairs and straddled it backward. After taking a puff, he finally looked up at her. "I don't know if we can exactly say it's 'going on.' We were just starting when you showed up."
She rolled her eyes at him and said, "Don't be crude. You know what I'm asking. Seeing the two of you like…this. Well, it was unexpected to say the least."
He shrugged and took a drink. Finally, he shook his head, "I guess you could say it was news to us, too." He looked at her again and explained, "We're still figuring it all out."
She nodded, satisfied with that answer. She dipped one finger into the hot liquid and stirred it with her finger before taking another drink. "What happened to you?"
He looked down, having forgotten the bandages. He tugged them free and tossed them in the trash, pleased to see that there were just pink welts where his claws had broken the skin. Her eyes widened and her gaze darted to his hands, the question clear in her eyes.
He shook his head, "No, I didn't do it on purpose. Let's just say I got a visit from an old friend who wanted to make a point."
"Clearly," she said. She took another drink before admitting, "I know that I should have called before showing up. I knew she would be here if you were asking for the Sun Bender. Why does she want it?"
He took another puff from the cigar, and responded, "You'll have to ask her that."
Laura glanced toward the door that still remained closed. She tilted her head to the side, and with little inflection said, "It doesn't appear she wants to talk to me about anything." She looked back at him, her eyes betraying a hint of sadness as she said, "Perhaps I should just leave what I know with you and go. She would likely prefer that to my staying."
He shook his head and finished off his coffee. "No," he said firmly. "Whatever she thinks, it's for the best that you stay. She's got to get used to seeing people at some point."
She tilted her head, "Is this forced socialization a requirement of your new relationship?"
He choked on the smoke he'd just sucked in. Giving her an annoyed look, between coughs he said firmly, "No."
Jubilee walked back out, scowling at both of them. She wore a pair of boot-cut jeans, a loose navy sweater, and had pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She tossed Logan a plain black tee shirt as she snapped, "Geez, Laura. I know we haven't talked for a long time, but you should know better than to think I'm that easily pushed around."
Logan, still catching his breath from choking on the cigar smoke, gestured to the cup of coffee waiting for her on the counter. He'd purposely left it sitting next to Laura. Neither girl spoke or moved toward the cup, so he pushed himself into a standing position to pull on the shirt. He coughed again and said, "Well, I need some fresh air after that, so I'll just step outside to find some." He set his mug on the counter, shrugged on his coat while clamping the cigar between his teeth, and stepped out and away from the tension that was tangible.
Author's Note: I hope you'll forgive the fact that I've taken some liberties with Selene, but she's more of a means to an end at this point in the story. You'll learn a little more about her as time goes on. I'm not trying to stick to a particular history with her.
In terms of multiple storylines—I have some content written, but I think I'll finish this one out first and then add those in a "AU" sort of way.
Sorry about the delay in posting this week! Please keep the comments coming, and growlscout: as you've now seen, you were dead on with your guess! :D I guess I'm not as sneaky as I thought I was. I will take comfort in the fact that I surprised you with the previous chapter's cliff hanger though.