Hey, everyone! Welcome to chapter three!
Logan's Wolverettes: Thanks to Sarra Ambrai, FrozenVoices, nileena, Sniktchick and Laudine!
And now ....... onward!
ooXoo
3. All Fall Down
Logan went to Kristi's room that night, slipping softly along the hallway after everyone had gone to sleep. Standing at her bedside, he stripped off his sweat pants and slid under the covers, moving close and feeling her stir and finally wake as she realised she was no longer alone. Her startled gasp and tensed body told him he had taken her by surprise and he whispered soothing words and gently stroked her hair to calm her, prudently avoiding touching her anywhere that could inflame desire in either of them. He wanted to put her at her ease, not scare her into rejecting him. Only when she finally stopped shaking did he allow himself to slide an arm around her waist, pulling her close and burying his nose into her hair, letting her know via their bonded connection that he had no intention of taking her this night.
Gradually she became accustomed to his presence and drifted off to sleep, lulled by the steady movement of her mate's chest behind her. He waited, listening to the sound of her breathing deepen and even out. And only when he was sure that she was safely unaware of his movements did Logan allow his hand to drift steadily upwards to cup a delicate breast through the silky material of her nightie. He could deny himself this limited contact no longer.
It actually surprised him how much he wanted her – this slip of a girl with the chocolate eyes – and his need manifested as a physical ache in his belly, a need so bad that it almost overshadowed everything else. To finally find his bondmate and yet be denied her sexual favours was practically driving him insane and went against all his feral instincts. Yet the human side of him loved her and knew that if she was ever going to give of herself freely he had to be patient and show her nothing but understanding and devotion, allowing her to completely relax in his presence so that, when the time came, there would be no hesitation and no regrets.
His intention was to sleep with her as often as possible, thereby breaking down the mental barriers she had imposed on herself until she could deny her want no longer. Logan had never forced himself on a woman – he had no intention of starting now with Kristi – but she was his mate and his feral side was doing its level best to convince him that it was her 'duty' to allow herself to be taken by such a strong and virile male. Logan had enough control over his feral nature not to be swayed by such a notion, but even he felt the ticking of the clock and ached for the touch of his mate. She had almost given in to him once, but those mental barriers had gone up with a vengeance. With everything to play for, he just had to concentrate on getting them down again.
It was a challenge he was looking forward to winning …….
oooOOOooo
Logan was gone when Kristi awoke the next morning and, just for a moment, she wasn't sure whether to be relieved about this or not. She feared not being able to resist his charms, knowing she was extremely weak-willed where the handsome feral was concerned. When he touched her she wanted to melt into a puddle at his feet and worship the very ground he walked on, but fear of the unknown held her back – fear of giving her body so unconditionally to another.
She allowed herself the luxury of idling in bed for an extra half hour or so, before getting up and padding into the bathroom. With no classes to be attended, or training sessions to run due to the mansion's repair schedule, the mornings were a little more relaxed than normal and breakfasts were a hit and miss affair, with residents coming and going at all hours. She missed the regular hours and organised training schedule, but the chance to chill out and laze was a rare occurrence.
She had just stepped into the shower and begun to lather her hair when an insistent ring had her uttering a string of colourful expletives, which were cut off rather abruptly with a splutter as she stuck her head under the spray to rinse the lather out quickly. Wrapping a large fluffy towel around her body, she stepped out of the shower and stalked into the bedroom to snatch up her cell phone, leaving a trail of wet footprints across the carpet.
"Hello?" Her eyes widened with surprise as she recognised the voice on the other end of the line. "Oh my god! Nikki, is that you?"
"Hey, big sis!" The tiny voice in her ear was tinny but unmistakably excited. "Have you missed me?"
In truth, Kristi had been far too busy over the last few months to give her family more than a passing thought, but hearing her younger sister's voice now brought a lump to her throat. "Lots," she admitted, with a nod.
"Good. Mom says you're coming home?" Straight to the point as usual.
"Yes. We're setting off tomorrow morning." Sudden panic seized her. "Oh, crap! I haven't even started packing yet!"
"Forget packing, Kris. Most of your stuff's still here anyway and there's more important stuff to discuss. Like …….. mom says you're bringing friends home. And one of them is …….." a pause for dramatic effect " …….. a man."
"HmmMmm." Kristi hedged, wondering where all this was leading. Nikki was a devil for gossip.
"Oh, come on, Kris, you gotta give me more than that! This is major news, you can't hold out on me now!"
"I'm telling you nothing over the phone, Nikki Marsters, so you can stop right there."
"Aw, come on, Kris, be reasonable. Can't you see how interesting this is? I mean, there have been absolutely no men in your life since Max and suddenly you're bringing a man home? This is the scoop of the century!"
"He's a friend," insisted Kristi, forcefully.
"And does this 'friend' have a name? You can at least tell me that, can't you? Or do we call him 'Hey you' for the duration of your stay?"
"Well …….." Kristi hesitated. There really couldn't be any harm, could there? "His name's Logan."
"Ooooh, Loooo-gan!" Nikki drew the name out seductively, making Kristi's toes curl. "You know what, Kris? I think this 'Logan' is more than just a friend. Your voice went all funny when you said his name!"
"It did not!"
"It did too! Come on, spill it! You're going out with this guy, aren't you?"
There really was no point in denying it. The whole reason for taking Logan home in the first place was to introduce him to the family and tell them of their bond and love for each other. She sighed in resignation. "Alright, Nikki, me and Logan are going out together. Happy now?"
The resulting squeal had her moving the phone away from her ear slightly. "Oooh, I knew it! He's your boyfriend!"
"Do you think you could shout it a bit louder, Nik, I don't think they quite heard you in Japan?"
"It's okay, mom's not here. She's out front, mugging the paper boy or something."
Kristi really didn't wish to know. "Look, Nikki, you're not to breathe a word about me and Logan to mom and dad, do you hear me?"
"Ooh, is it a secret?"
"No, but we'd like to tell them ourselves, okay? Can you do that? Can you keep this quiet until we get there?"
"My lips are sealed." Kristi could imagine her sister closing an imaginary zip across her lips. "So what's he like, this Logan? What does he do? Mom says he's a cleaner."
Kristi snorted. "He's not a cleaner, Nikki. Mom's just pulling your leg again. He's a resident here. That's all I can tell you."
"So that means he's a mutant, huh? He's gotta be if he's a resident, right? Can he do really cool stuff? Like read minds or walk through walls? Is he a trainee? Or …….." Another ear-splitting squeal. "Oh my god! Is he an X-Man? He is, isn't he?"
"I'm telling you nothing else, Nikki, you're just going to have to wait until we get there."
"But …….."
"No, Nikki. I mean it! Just be patient and wait."
"You're killing me here, Kris, do you realise that?"
"It's only another couple of days. We'll be there on Sunday."
"Dammit, I've got dance practise on Sunday afternoon!"
"Then we'll probably be there when you get home. It's not going to kill you to wait, Nikki."
An indistinct grumble came from the other end of the line.
"I'd better go, Nik. I'm dripping all over the carpet."
"Do I even want to go there, sis?"
"I was taking a shower, you idiot. Try not to call at the crack of dawn next time. Look, I'll see you on Sunday, okay? Remember what I said about not telling mom and dad anything, or I'll have to fry you with my power."
"I won't forget. See you soon, Kris. Love you."
"I love you too, sweetie. Bye."
As she flipped her phone closed, Kristi suddenly got the feeling that she'd unavoidably walked right into her sister's trap ………
oooOOOooo
Trotting into the garage to collect a car for a trip into town to attend a pampering session at the local beauty spa, Jean encountered Logan tinkering with his bike and stopped to watch for a moment or two, admiring the way his muscles rippled under the material of his tight black tee. She knew he was aware of her presence but he chose not to acknowledge her and she found that strangely disquieting. There was a time when the feral had used every trick in the book to get her alone with him, but not now. Not since Kristi. This, more than any words that Logan could ever have said, convinced her of the depth of his feelings for the girl.
Their resident berserker was growing up.
After a moment, his shoulders twitched irritably and he growled around the unlit cigar clamped between his teeth. "I can feel yer eyes burnin' inta the back o' my head, Jeannie. Whaddaya want?"
"Nothing," she replied, honestly. "Just watching you, I guess. There's something incredibly soothing about watching you tinker with the bike."
"If ya need soothin', then the Boy Scout ain't doin' his job right." Logan hitched around slightly and winked at her to soften his words and, just for a second, Jean saw a hint of the old magic that had once flared between them, but it was gone almost instantly to be replaced by the calm appraisal of an old friend.
She huffed a breath. "Scott's soothing me just fine, thank you, Logan. In fact, he's paid for an all-out pamper session at the spa in town - hair, nails, massage, everything. A special treat for slogging all through Magneto's base in my nightie."
"Nice." Logan turned back to his bike and removed a small part, wiping it down with an oily rag.
"Yeah, well, a girl's gotta feel special now and then, y'know, Logan. I'm kinda looking forward to getting my hair done. Thought I might have it cut short for a change. What do you think?"
"Ain't really my place ta say, Red." Logan was engrossed with the engine part in his hand and didn't even look at her. "Whatever floats yer boat, I guess."
Jean sighed and leaned back against Rogue's sportique. "So what about you, Logan?"
"What about me? Ya think I need ta get my hair done?" The feral stood and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Last time I looked, Jeannie, I was a guy. We don't go in fer pamperin' an' preenin' much."
Jean chuckled. "No, Logan, I mean what floats your boat? I hear you're going to spend some time with Kristi's parents?"
Logan nodded, reluctantly. "Yeah. Not exactly my cup o' tea, Jean. Socialisin' was never my strong point."
"Then why go?"
"For Kristi," responded the feral, honestly, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.
Jean considered this for a moment. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Logan, but the last time you met your lover's parents, it all ended rather disastrously."
She was referring, of course, to Shingen Yashida, Mariko's father. Logan had been forced to kill the clan leader when he began to drag his family into disrepute.
Logan was silent for a long time, his eyes growing dark and distant, and Jean was beginning to regret her statement when he finally spoke.
"Kristi's my bondmate, Jean. A feral can search for a long time before finding their mate. Some never do. I'm one o' the lucky ones, so if Kristi wants me ta meet her family, the least I can do is oblige her."
"So you're doing this for her?"
"O' course. What other reason is there?"
Jean pretended to think this over for a moment. "Oh, I dunno, Logan. Kristi's a very pretty girl. And you ……… well, what can I say?"
Logan put the engine part he was still holding down on the bike's seat and regarded his team-mate keenly. "What's Kris been sayin' ta ya, Jeannie?"
"Nothing you don't already know, Logan. That she loves you …….. wants you."
"She wants me ……..?" Logan considered this a moment. "Well, yeah, I figured as much. An' I ain't about ta lie an' say I don't want her in return, 'cause I do. But she's young an' unsure of herself …….. she's like a skittish filly. Needs ta learn to relax under the hand before anyone can ride her."
Jean found herself blushing at the double entendre in Logan's words. She coughed, discreetly. "So you think that going home with Kristi and meeting her family will help her to …….. relax?"
Logan shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. Won't know till we get there. But it can't do any harm, can it?"
"No, I wouldn't think so. But just be careful with her, okay? She's not one of your usual rough-house babes, you know."
Logan actually growled in return. "I know that, Jean, an' I ain't about ta hurt her. Thought ya knew me better than that by now."
"You know what I mean, Logan ……."
"That I'm wild …….. untamed ……..? That may be true, Jean, but I've never hurt a woman unless she tried ta kill me first, an' I ain't about ta start now."
"But your feral nature …….."
"Yeah, I'm a feral, Red. So what? We know what we want, an' we always get it in the end."
"You didn't get me," Jean countered, huffily.
Logan bared his teeth in a savage smile. "What makes ya think I ever really wanted ya, Jeannie? The difference between you an' Kristi is that you were never really mine in the first place. But Kristi belongs ta me, body an' soul. She just doesn't realise it yet …….."
oooOOOooo
Kristi found herself staying awake that night, waiting for the soft tread of a bare foot on the carpet outside her door that would betray the approach of her bondmate. The bond itself was quiet, although in the last hour or so she had begun to feel a rising level of anticipation and impatience coming through, giving her ample warning that Logan was indeed intending to come to her bed once more. She knew she was transmitting in return – the nervousness she felt was making her limbs shake and her stomach feel slightly fluttery. It was all due to the uncertainty of not knowing what he intended to do – would he be content to simply hold her as before, or would he expect her to allow him between more than just the sheets?
When he finally slipped silently into her room, effortlessly displaying the stealth of the creature for which he had been named, Kristi felt her whole body begin to tingle with barely repressed anticipation. Once again, he stood by her bedside and stripped down to bare skin, causing her to both bless and curse the darkness which hid his body from her eyes. But there was no hiding the solid feel of him as he spooned her gently from behind and she stifled a groan as his legs tangled with hers, surrounding her with his heat and protection.
The comforting weight of his hand on her hip and the flutter of his breath in her hair finally lulled her to sleep ……..
…….. The nightmare struck without warning, sending the unsuspecting X-Man spiralling down into a world of shadows and things that moved in the dark. The hallways of the mansion plunged into inky blackness as, one by one, the lights were extinguished by something unseen and malevolent.
…….. Mom …….? …….. Dad ……..?
The voice seemed to come from nowhere and yet everywhere at once and then the children appeared, running down the hallway towards their parents, their faces twisted with fear as they fled the creature that hunted them. It flowed behind them like a black wave, reaching out in its hunger to consume the youngsters, thin tendrils whipping at their flesh, seeking to impale them. Talyn screamed as he was caught around the ankle and sent crashing to the floor, reaching out to his father for aid as he was dragged backwards into the seething mass, his sister powerless to help him.
Wolverine could only howl in anguish as his son was ripped apart before his eyes ……..
…….. Released from the nightmare by the shock of the senseless death, his eyes shot open, his lungs dragging a huge shuddering breath into a chest that was heaving with shock and imagined exertion. Fighting the overwhelming impulse to release his claws and shred something, he immediately reached out to the slight figure that lay twitching beside him, seeking at once to ease her from the nightmare that still held her in its grip, stroking her hair to calm her even as her distress battered at his already fragile shields.
"Kristi? Kris, wake up, darlin'. Let it go."
She awoke with a jolt, flailing wildly for a moment until she recognised the embrace of her bondmate and then she flung herself against him, whimpering into his chest.
Logan held her close and continued to stroke her hair, crooning words of comfort. "It's okay, Kris, I'm here. Let it all out. I won't let anythin' hurt ya."
"Oh god, Logan, it was awful. And then you disappeared and I was so alone and ……" She choked and scrubbed her hand across her eyes. "I can't stand it anymore. When will it end?"
"I don't know, darlin'," Logan answered, truthfully. He eased Kristi into a more comfortable embrace, tucking her head into his shoulder so that he could surround her completely with his arms. "Ya've been under a lot o' stress lately – maybe this trip home will help ya relax an' the nightmares will stop."
"God, I hope so. I can't keep on waking like this night after night." She tilted her head to look up at his face in the darkness. "Don't leave me, Logan. I feel safe in your arms."
"I ain't goin' anywhere, darlin'."
Kristi nodded and Logan began to rock her gently, soothing her back to sleep and keeping a watchful vigil over her. Only when her breathing began to even out did he allow his own eyes to close, trusting that there would be no more nightmares this night and knowing that sleep would be easier now that the dream's message had been relayed. He was under no illusion that the dreams were simply the product of an over-stressed mind, despite what he had said to his mate. They were too precise, too focused to be forged of random chance – they were a warning, he knew that now. But from who? And of what?
And why were both he and his bondmate experiencing them simultaneously?
Considering their bond, one shared dream was a possibility – four hinted at outside intervention. But this was a fact he was not willing to share with his mate until he knew what they were up against. She was scared enough – no need to frighten her anymore.
Something was coming …….. Something that spelled danger for himself, his mate and their unborn children ……..
NEXT: First impressions! The Wolverine meets …….. the parents!