I am so sorry that it has taken soooo long for me to update and I hope it's worth it.
Gaerwen: Thanks so much for reviewing! I enjoy reading reviews from everyone!
Amanda: I don't know when I'm going to finish. I plan on quite a few more chapters so stay tuned!
UglyDrummers: Thanks for the review.
A/N: Thanks to all for reviewing and to those who keep reading! I promise the next chap. will be up soon! de lovely
"Whoa there Firefly! Put the flame back where it belongs. It's just me." Logan had a hand in the air and the other in front of him.
"What are you doing in here?" Blaze asked, raising an eyebrow and diminishing the flame.
"Just here, to tell you to be careful." He slowly started to relax and came up to Blaze.
"Careful?"
"Yeah these missions can be really, really dangerous." His voice dropped down a few octaves. He looked her in the eyes for a brief moment before he dropped his head to hers.
"Uh, Logan…" But he cut her off by pressing his lips to hers. Her mouth was slightly open from speaking, but he took it as an opportune moment and slipped his tongue in. Lost in the moment and enjoying the contact, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. She then pushed him away and took a step away from him. "Uh, Logan. I can't do this. I'm seeing someone else right now." She didn't mean to just blurt it out but it slipped.
"What?"
"I'm seeing someone else. His name is Spenser and he's a mutant too. We've been dating for a year now…oh my gosh!" Realization hit her.
"What now you have a hot date with him?" He shot at her with a pained look in his eyes and a look of anger written all over his face.
"Actually, I do! I have to go talk to him before we leave. Tell the professor to wait up for me, please?" and with that she grabbed her purse and keys and ran out the door. She made it to the restaurant in record time. She ran into the door breathless and looked around. "Spenser!" she grabbed his attention as he finished up with some customers.
"What can I do for you, babe?"
She smiled at the name, "I actually came to cancel our date tonight. Is that okay?" He gave her a questioning look and cocked his head to the side. "I'm going out of state for a day. How about we have our date on Monday?"
"Yeah okay. That's cool. Are you okay though? You look a little freaked."
"No. I'm okay. I promise. Can you tell Aaron for me? I haven't even told Flux so she won't even know the difference. Can you do that for me, please? I have to go get ready."
"Yeah, okay. I'll tell Aaron for you. When are you leaving though?"
"In less than an hour. I really have to go. Love you." She leaned up to him and gave him a kiss on the lips and a hug before she ran back out the door and almost flew back to the school. She ran up the stairs back to her room and found it empty with an X-Men uniform lying on her bed with boots sitting on the floor by the bed.
'Flux, come see me in my room.' Blaze mentally called for Flux. Minutes later she heard a knock on her door. "Come in!"
"You called?" she laughed at her own joke that Blaze wasn't even sure of what the joke was but smiled and continued.
"Yes. Okay we had to reschedule our date with the boys until Monday. Is that okay?"
"Uh, yeah I guess since I didn't even know that we even had a date with them to begin with. When was the first date?"
"Tonight. That's where I was just now, at the restaurant. I just thought I should tell you before I forgot again."
"Okay, that's alright but we have ten minutes before we leave. Hurry up." Flux said as she closed the door behind her to head down to the jet.
Blaze suited up and grabbed her boots and ran to the jet herself. She boarded and found a seat next to Flux and started to lace up her boots when she heard a growling voice.
"So glad you could join us, Blaze." Logan spat her name. Just then the jet started up and they began lift off and head off to Colorado to go pick up the mysterious D.J...
The trip was very interesting for the most part. The ride to Colorado from New York was fast and very quiet. No one spoke. This was the first mission without Jean being there as a team. Logan avoided eye contact at all costs with her which didn't make anything simpler for her emotions. She liked Logan, a lot, but she also liked Spenser. Anyways, they arrived in the mountainous terrain of Colorado in the Rockies. The forest was everywhere but we had managed to find an empty area on a flat plain. When they walked off the jet, a fox was calmly staring at them. Logan sniffed the air and walked over to the fox. The fox turned back into the forest, changed into a mountain lion, and ran away from the group.
"He's running away! We need to get him!" Storm was yelling as she started after him. Wolverine shook his head and followed the scent into the mountains. Everyone was left behind as Wolverine quickly tracked DJ down into a cave.
"Quit running kid!" Wolverine yelled after the lion. It turned around to see where he was and ran into the darkness of the cave.
"I'm not running." A strong but scared voice echoed off the walls.
"Looked that way to me kid."
"Quit calling me kid! I'm 22 years old." Wolverine smirked and shook his head. 'Oh, if only that kid knew how old I was. I wish I knew how old I was.' "What do you want with me? Who are you?"
"I'm here to take you back to the lab where you'll be safe."
"Safe? From what? I'm doing fine out here."
"Humans."
A medium built man walked out from the shadows with a questionable look on his face. He had short blonde buzzed hair with a golden goatee. His blue eyes sparkled from the reflection of light coming from the entrance. All he could see was this buff man blocking his escape. He was built but not as big as this man standing in his way.
"Humans? But aren't you a…?"
Wolverine popped his neck and extended his claws for the boy to see. "So you say you're doing fine out here. How long have you been out here, DJ?"
"How did you know my name?"
"As I said, I'm here to keep you safe. How long?"
"A few weeks."
"Okay, I'll make a deal with you kid…" Retracting the blades back into his hands.
"Quit calling me kid!"
"Ummmm….no. Here's the deal, come with me for a week to the school. If you like it, then you are more than welcome to stay but if you don't like it at all, then I'll drop your ass right back here for you to live for the rest of your life since you know how to live on your own in the wilderness. Deal?" He extended his hand out to DJ.
He took a moment to think about it. "Okay, I'll do it. But just a week. Then I decide, not you."
"Okay," he said as he took DJ's hand. The team came walking up into the cave as they shook hands.
"Everything okay?" Storm asked, eyeing both of them.
"Yeah, everything's fine. Let's get back to the jet. He's got some deep cuts that need to have some medical attention."
"Okay, let's go."
They all walked back to the jet in silence, the awkward silence that everyone is scared to break. Once inside, everyone took their seats and waited for Storm to get done bandaging him up.
"So are you all mutants?" DJ squirmed in his seat as if he was going to be pounced for the question.
"Yes, and the school that we are going to is full of mutants. We protect and train mutants of their powers and to go back out into the world fully educated or stay on to become teachers." Cyclops answered.
After another awkward silence, Blaze finally spoke up. "So why are you out here in the forest?"
He glared at her but answered none the less. "Follow me." He stood up and walked down the plank and started to walk up the side of a hillside.
Everyone looked at each other but got up and followed him. "Where are we are going?"
"Hurry it up!"
"But why? Why couldn't you just tell me?"
"Because you have to see it. Look," He said as he pulled some branches out of the way for everyone to see. "See that ranch down there? That's where my parents live. I couldn't venture very far. They feed me every night because they think I'm just another wild animal. They're suckers for deer because they know that they are hunted a lot out here between the wolves and poachers." Right at the bottom of the hillside was a flat valley plain with a ranch house and barn yard spread across the floor.
"It's beautiful, DJ." Flux commented.
"Thank you. I thought so too when I was growing up. I couldn't dream of living anywhere else, but things change and so I think I'm ready for some new scenery."
'Blaze, please hurry on your mission. I know you have him.' Professor mentally told Blaze.
"Could we hurry this up? Professor is getting anxious." Blaze announced to the crowd.
"Yeah let's get going." Scott said as he corralled everyone away.
Once back on the jet, Flux found her seat and began to buckle herself in for the night. DJ found the seat next to her, Blaze's seat, and started to buckle himself in too. "So what are your powers?" he simply asked.
"I control water. Contradicting my sister, Blaze. She controls fire and flame." She nodded in Blaze's direction as Blaze eyed him for sitting in her seat but nodded, smiled and found another seat, ironically next to Logan. Blaze looked out the window, watching the sun set over the mountains. It was going to be a long flight home. Flux and DJ continued quietly talking about current events that were happening. Blaze heard her name a few times but was too tired to listen in on what they were saying. She looked over to Logan to see what he was doing. She slowly looked over at him and saw him looking back at her with a calm, sad air around him. They held eye contact for what seemed like forever but he looked down and stared out the window. She felt sad and ashamed at the same time. How could she have hit on him and endlessly flirt with him just to push him away and break his heart for another guy that she had been with for a year. Not that Logan was one to pine over a girl who broke his heart, but the guilt caught a hold on Blaze. She blew a sigh out and went back to staring out the window as the lights went out and the engines started up. Storm and Cyclops sat in the cockpit talking to the professor over the com, but they were just droning sounds. Her eyelids started to get heavier. She looked back over at Logan and saw him staring at her again. She smiled slightly at him and closed her eyes to get some extra sleep. The fact that Logan couldn't stop looking at her warmed her heart enough to let her sleep with a smile on her face.
Although the flight was 6 hours due to the time change. She woke up to some turbulence and looked around to see that the jet was on autopilot and everyone was asleep, all except one. Logan. He was sitting in his chair, staring out his window again but sensed Blaze awake.
"Can we talk?" Blaze whispered across the jet.
"About what?" He continued to stare out the window.
"About what happened earlier. I didn't mean to sound so….loose. I should have told you about Spenser a long time ago. I didn't mean to…"
"Blaze, don't worry about it. It's okay." He mumbled, stealing a glance at her then back out the window. "Don't eat yourself up about it."
"But you're the only friend I've ever had. I've told you things that Flux doesn't even know about. I don't want to destroy our friendship."
"Friendship? What, are we friends with benefits or something?"
"No but I'm sorry about that. It's just that Spenser is a jealous guy and if he knew something weird was going on, then things could get bad."
"Oh, wouldn't want to disappoint the boyfriend." He mocked. "You're still just a child to me." He turned and stared at her in the eyes. "You're just a child."
The words stung her. She had always thought that she was very mature for her age. It hurt her pride and her feelings but she wouldn't let him see that at all. She was tougher than that. She blew out a sigh of frustration and continued to look out the window again.
Minutes later she heard him snoring lightly and Storm waking up. She looked around and saw Blaze awake, staring out the window. They were coming up on New York and would be landing soon but she had some time to have a quick chat with Blaze.
"Blaze, can we talk for a second?"
Blaze looked up at Storm, "Sure, I guess. About what?"
"About you…and Logan."
"What about us? What's wrong?"
"Well I could ask the same thing to you. What's going on between you two? I feel tension."
"Um…well it's a little complicated, but we're working it out. We just need some time apart to get it together. Don't worry about it. It'll be okay." Storm nodded and went back to controlling the jet into Westchester. "I hope." Within minutes Blaze saw the school with the sun rising over the horizon. Everyone was waking up as they landed underneath the basketball court. Blaze was one of the first one's off the jet and headed straight to her room. She changed into some jeans and a t-shirt and headed back out the door to her car.
"Blaze where are you going?" Flux yelled after her.
"Out!" She said as she slammed her door. Logan was sitting on the porch, smoking a cigar. He watched her drive away from the school, fast.
'God I hope she's okay.' He thought to himself.
"Why won't you just admit that she has a hold on you?" Professor asked Logan as he wheeled up next to him.
"Chuck, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, it's okay to deny it to me but can how long can you keep on denying it to yourself?" Professor wheeled himself back into the home to check up on DJ.
'Why can't I just forget about it all?' He blew a sigh of desperation out and took the last drag of his cigar and put it out to go get some breakfast.
Blaze turned up her radio up as far as it would without blowing out her windows. She didn't know where she was going; she was just getting out of the same area as everyone else. For a mood like this, it called for some caffeine. She pulled into a gas station and got some French vanilla coffee. It was hot for a cold morning and it tasted delicious. Tomorrow was her date with Spenser. But she couldn't stop thinking about Logan. Finally after an hour of driving, she decided to pay a visit to Spenser and try to figure it all out. She pulled into the restaurant and looked in. They weren't open yet but they had to be there to open and get ready. She grabbed her purse and knocked on the glass door. Sheri, Spenser and Aaron's mom, answered the door.
"Hello, Blaze. How are you doing this fine morning?"
"Um, okay I guess. Is Spenser in this early?"
"Yes. He's setting the tables. Is anything wrong honey?"
"No, no everything is fine. Thanks Sheri."
"No problem darlin'."
She calmly walked over to him and sat down at the table he was setting. "Hi Blaze. What's going on?"
"Um, could we talk for a second?"
"I guess." He set down his tubs of plates and silverware and sat down across from Blaze. "Is everything okay? There's nothing wrong right?"
"I don't know. That's what I need to talk to you about. I need to know how we're doing. I'm feeling a little confused on us."
"Whoa! What brought this on?"
"Nothing! I'm just curious. I've been thinking a lot and I just wanted a simple answer so I can go on happy." She tried to give a genuine smile but could only fake it.
"I don't know what made you think of us like this but as far as I know, we're doing excellent. Has anyone done anything to you to think otherwise?" He looked Blaze square in the eyes. She tried to hold his gaze but she was sure he could see right through her. "Blaze, tell me the truth. Who was it? What did he do to you?"
"Nothing has happened! I swear! No one has done anything at all. If anything has, you'd be the first one to find out. I wouldn't do that to you, Spenser."
He sat back and crossed his arms looking at her seriously. "What are you doing tonight, Blaze." His eyes still holding hers.
"Nothing that I know of. I was going to try and catch up on some sleep. Why?"
"Let's go out tonight. Just me and you. Go do something. What do you say?"
Blaze thought about it but gave in, "Okay, where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere. Anywhere away from that school of yours. Let's go out to eat somewhere nice and then go shoot some pool."
"Okay. Well I guess you'll need directions or something."
"Yeah I guess." Blaze grabbed a napkin and drew a map and wrote out some directions and her cell number just in case. "I'll see you tonight at about six thirty then?"
"Yeah sounds good." Spenser stood up and reached out for her and surrounded her in a hug and kissed her on her forehead. "Love you."
"Yeah, me too." She smiled at him and pulled him back into a hug. She grabbed her purse and turned to leave but before she could get out the door she overheard his mom and him talking.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong?"
"Yes mom. Everything is fine…I think." She turned and waved as the door closed behind her. It was only seven o'clock. Her brother and sister would be eating breakfast right now. Flux would be getting ready for class tomorrow. She hopped in her car and sped off back to the school.
"Where have you been?" Logan asked from the front porch as Blaze came up the walk.
"Clearing my head. What about you?"
"Sitting here. Thinking."
"Okay. Well I hope you have fun." She nodded and went inside.
Blaze decided to go ahead and catch up on her sleep now. She barely made it up the steps before running into a body. "Oh, sorry. Excuse me." She stepped to the left and moved around the body. Entering her safe haven and falling into the cushioning of her bed and pillows.
The man continued down the stairs and went out to the porch where he found Logan still sitting there, smoking his cigar.
"Logan, I need your help."