XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Piper" Emma exclaimed as the line picked up, pressing the phone closer to her ear.
"Hey" Piper replied, obviously relieved.
"What happened, are you ok?" Emma sighed as she slumped onto the sofa.
"It got out of hand, people have been arrested, lots of injuries but no deaths" Piper told her at breakneck speed. "What about you? Are you alright?".
"Yeah, it got a bit rough but I'm fine" Emma told her, looking towards the clock. It was six, she still had a while before she had to meet Logan.
"We got a lot of support and publicity, good publicity" Piper added, at least they'd achieved something even if it had got slightly awry. Emma decided not to tell her that she was planning to do some work against Trask, not for now at least.
"A guy asked me to meet him at a hotel bar, what is an appropriate outfit for that?" Emma asked.
"Emma Lawson, have you got a date?" Piper teased.
"No, he's not really a date type of guy" Emma replied, at least he didn't come across that way. He seemed to be the type of guy who didn't take any bullshit.
"What about that black, satin dress" Piper offered, "I think I was attracted to you when you wore that" Her friend laughed. Emma hadn't worn that dress in quite a while but she could wedge herself in it for an evening.
"Thanks, I'll ring you tomorrow" Emma stated.
"Tomorrow?" Her friend teased suggestively. "Bye Em" She chirped before hanging up. What was her friend getting at, there was no way Emma was going to have sex with Logan tonight. As much as she might want to.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Hi" Emma smiled as she found Logan sitting at the bar, drinking neat whiskey. He glanced over her for 0.2 seconds before looking back to his drink.
"Drink?" He asked gruffly, holding up his hand for the bartender.
"I'll have a white wine soda, please" Emma smiled at the bartender who gave her a wink in return before he went away, at least someone thought she looked attractive.
"So you still want to infiltrate Trask?" He asked, like she might of changed her mind in the past few hours.
"Yes" She frowned like this was obvious and took a sip of her drink. She looked away and saw two men sitting at the bar, looking at Logan intently.
"There are two men at the end of the bar watching you" Emma laughed, trying to hide the fact she'd noticed them. He was about to turn around when she put her hand on his arm, he gave her an intense look. "Don't look at them" She told him, knowing it wouldn't help whatever this situation was.
"I need to see them" He explained, frustrated. Emma pulled her phone from her bag and pretended to text, taking a photo of the two men as subtly as she could. She disregarded her phone onto the bar and drank her wine as Logan looked at the photo. "We have to go" He looked at her, "Don't act suspicious". Now that he'd said that she was super aware of how she was acting which wouldn't help, Emma put her phone back in her bag and finished her drink. Logan got up and she followed, they got in the elevator to the car park and waited in silence. Once the doors opened Logan began walking off at such a speed that Emma had to run to keep up with him, she was glad she'd decided to wear flats. Eventually they got to a black SUV which he quickly unlocked, she climbed in and swiftly slammed the door shut. Logan turned it on and hurriedly pulled out of the car park onto the streets, he slammed on the gas and drove at a speed that Emma knew was illegal. She stayed silent for a while before curiosity got the better of her.
"Who were those guys?" Emma asked, as she pulled her flats off and threw them into the footwell. She figured they'd be driving for a while.
"Scouts" He replied, looking forwards.
"Looking for you?" She reaffirmed, he nodded in agreement. "So where are we going?" Emma asked as she looked at the lights that they were whizzing past.
"Damned if I know" He told her honestly, how helpful.
"You need to disappear for a while and come up with a plan" Emma told him. "Not a city, somewhere small, a small town that's off grid...can you do that?" Emma asked him, Logan cast what seemed like a grateful glance at her and nodded.
"Good" She smiled gently. She tied her long, brown waves into a messy bun and settled into the seat. "Logan" She began, he hummed in response. "Were those guys from Trask?" Emma asked lightly.
"Yes" He stated.
"Are you a mutant?" She said simply, not really caring what the answer was.
"Yes" He replied, keeping his eyes ahead.
"Ok" She smiled as she pulled her feet up onto the seat and fell asleep.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Emma woke up and realised that she had Logan's leather jacket covering her, she smiled at the thought that he'd put it there whilst she was sleeping. Emma then realised the car was stationary and Logan wasn't in it, she put the jacket down and checked the ignition for the keys before getting out. They were at the edge of a forest.
"Logan!" She called as she went deeper into the trees but stayed on the trail. "Logan!" He suddenly came from out of the trees, she sighed in relief. "I didn't know what had happened to you, thought you'd been kidnapped or something" She laughed gently, he gave her a slight smile.
"I didn't want to wake you up" He told her as they walked back to the car.
"So why are you out here?" She asked, he looked at her like she was stupid which she did feel right now. "Oh" She nodded, "So Canada huh?" Emma jumped back into the car and pulled the jacket back onto her, Logan watched her thoughtfully before turning his eyes back to the road and starting the car.
"Home sweet home" He bit as the car began speeding along again.
"I thought Canadians were supposed to be polite" She smiled.
"I thought librarians were supposed to be quiet" He countered, giving her an amused glance.
"Well I guess we're both wrong" Emma grinned widely. "You mind if I play some music?" She asked, he shrugged in response which she took as a resounding yes. Emma flicked on the radio, it was rather predictably playing Shania Twain. Emma turned it up louder and began singing along, she momentarily forgot Logan was in the car and only remembered when she noticed him laughing at her.
"You're in remarkably good spirits for someone on the run" He commented, raising an eyebrow at her.
"It's not like we've done actually done anything wrong" She told him gently.
"Yet" He replied, Emma couldn't help but smile.
"Yet" She agreed, he looked back at the road and she found herself watching him. His personality was as attractive as his body, why did he have to be good on the inside and the outside? She didn't stand a chance, it was much easier when she thought he was a total dick. Logan drove up a long driveway to a quaint building marked Stone Wood B&B and parked the car. Emma grabbed her bag as they got out and made their way to the reception.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
As they waited in the small lobby, Emma kept having to stop herself from laughing. Seeing this huge, muscled and angsty guy waiting patiently in a tiny, quaint reception made her chuckle.
"Why are you smiling at me?" He asked hesitantly, giving her a non-threatening glare.
"I'm not" Emma laughed as an old woman came out and stood behind the desk, smiling brightly at them. "Hello, we need two rooms please" She told the woman brightly, she looked down at the book and shook her head.
"We only have one room available dear" The old woman smiled, Logan glared at the woman in frustration. Emma hit him lightly on the side, it bloody well hurt.
"We'll take the room" She smiled to the elderly woman as she flexed her hand, he gave her a smirk in response.
"Don't be such a baby" He muttered to her, Emma threw him an angry stare.
"Says the person afraid of sharing a room with a girl" She retorted, he tried not laugh. Watching the bickering pair made the old woman smile as handed them a key. "Just sign your name and state how long you're staying" The woman stated cheerfully, wandering back into the office. Emma signed her name and wrote three days next to it, if they needed to stay longer she could change it. They got out of the tiny reception and began to climb the stairs.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"How's your hand?" He laughed as they got to the room, Emma unlocked it and gave him a glare.
"How's your personality disorder?" She remarked jokingly as she opened the door. The room was cosily furnished giving it a homey look, it had one bed that didn't look like it would fit Logan, let alone both of them. The room had huge windows that looked out over an endless forest, the sun was disappearing behind the trees. Emma took off her shoes and threw her bag onto the floor. Logan quickly disappeared into the shower, Emma tried to stop her mind straying towards those mental images. The woman from the reception, the innkeeper, came to the door and gave Emma a bundle of clothes because she'd notice they didn't have any with them.
"So is that your boyfriend?" The lady asked chirpily, Emma laughed in response and shook her head. "So he's available then?" The woman joked, giving Emma a playful smile.
"Good luck, he's a bit of a tough nut to crack" She told the innkeeper truthfully.
"You seemed to have him cracked" The old woman commented, like she knew something Emma didn't. She wished them a good stay and left her to it. Emma opened the windows and let the breeze blow through the room whilst she changed into the pyjamas and made some hot chocolate. She held her mug tightly as she stood by the window looking out at the trees, noticing that night had fallen. Logan emerged from the shower. "I made you some hot chocolate" Emma offered, he took the mug gratefully and drunk it. "The innkeeper gave us some clothes" She gestured to the t-shirt and pyjama bottoms that had been left for him. She turned away while he put them on.
"Set" He told her, she turned back around and tried to keep from panting like a dog. Did he always look so good? Emma got into the bed and closed her eyes, Logan hovered uneasily.
"Aren't you getting in?" Emma asked, as she opened one eye to look at him.
"You don't mind?" He confirmed, Emma chuckled and shook her head.
"See, there's that Canadian charm" She remarked as he got into the bed.
"Well that's all of it" He replied humorously, Emma knew he was lying. They laid there in silence until they both quickly fell asleep. However, pretty much every night that he went to sleep, he would wake up with a start and this night was no different. He sat up sweating and panting, Emma got up and flipped on a light. She noticed that he was pretty wound up, she poured him a glass of water and passed it to him before jumping back into the bed.
"Thanks" He muttered as he finished the glass and put it on the side.
"You alright?" She asked him, he nodded and laid back down. Emma switched off the light and tried to go back to sleep but she couldn't.
"Are you asleep?" Emma asked him quietly.
"Yes" He replied tiredly, she smiled to herself.
"Tomorrow we can go for a walk and think of a plan" She whispered into the dark.
"Sure" He replied lazily, obviously wanting to go to sleep.
"And I need to ring the library, can you remind me?" She asked, no reply. "Logan?" She whispered, the only sound was his heavy breathing and she knew he'd fallen back to sleep and she wasn't going to wake him.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Emma woke up the next morning entangled with Logan, they seemed to open their eyes at the same time. Neither of them pulled away until eventually he got up out of the bed.
"You wanted to go on a walk" He reminded her as he looked out of the window, then back to her.
"No" Emma rolled back over and snuggled down. "You come up with a plan and wake me up once you've got it" She grumbled, he chuckled before pulling the covers off her. "Jesus Christ, that's cold" She curled up into a ball and gave him a hateful glare.
"You know what would cheer you up?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking slightly.
"Punching you in the face?" She offered, he rolled his eyes and pulled her to her feet. "Alright, walk it is" Emma conceded, getting a shirt and jeans and going off to change.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So why are you so anti-Trask?" Logan asked as they walked deeper into the sunlit forest. "It seems a bit deeper than a moral objection" He noted, Emma kicked the dirt with her boot. It was deeper than a moral objection, she wasn't sure if she could talk about without crying and she didn't want Logan to have deal with a crying woman who he barely knew. But she wanted to tell him.
"They killed my brother...effectively" She bit her lip and looked at the ground.
"Effectively?" He questioned.
"He was a mutant" She explained, lightly kicking a branch. "He had power over heat, he could heat anything, burn it or just warm it a little" Emma commented. "He was the best brother possible, he used to make us toasted marshmallow when we walked to school" She smiled at the memory, remembering how she'd make him do it everyday and he always would. "Anyway he loved his power, he had a lot of fun with it, and then he went travelling and one day…" She trailed off, Logan gave her a comforting gaze which made her carry on. "He came back and his mutation had been 'treated' by Trask Industries, without his consent" She added, remembering how angry she was and how that anger that only grown since then. "He slipped further away, he was just numb to everything and then one day he just took off without a trace, that was eight years ago" She finished, her voice cracking and threatening to break into a sob but she held it together. "I promised myself that if I could do anything to stop Trask from taking people's lives away then I would" Emma told him and that's exactly what they were going to do, or at least attempt.
"I'm sorry" Logan said earnestly, Emma gave him a soft smile in response.
"So what's your mutation?" Emma asked, enthusiastically changing the subject. Logan gave her a sceptical look, asking if she really wanted to know. Emma gave him an eager look.
"I have an indestructible metal skeleton and claws...and I can heal myself" He told her, Emma gave a low whistle. That was a pretty kickass mutation.
"Claws?" Emma repeated, he clenched his fists and she noticed the slight scars between his knuckles.
"Claws" He confirmed.
"Healing?" She inquired.
"Yeah" He nodded as they continued to walk.
"So if you get cut or something…" She trailed off.
"Heals" He finished.
"Cool, very cool" Emma nodded appreciatively.
"Stab me" Logan ordered lightly, as he got out a pocket knife. Emma gave a manic laugh, she was really starting to like this guy and she was kind of hoping he was sane.
"What? No" She exclaimed, he put the knife in her hand. This had taken a turn for the mental.
"Stab me" He pushed.
"I'm not stabbing you" She shook her head.
"Go on".
"No".
"Do it".
"No!" She yelled.
"I promise I'll be fine" He laughed.
"No" She repeated slowly.
"Do it now" He pressed. Emma cringed as she pushed the knife into his thigh. He fell to the ground and gasped for air, blood leeching onto his jeans. "You stabbed me" He accused.
"You told me to!" Emma yelled, dropping to her knees. Logan laughed loudly and got up, the blood had stopped and he was fine. He pulled her up and they carried on walking.
"Very funny" She rolled her eyes. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of saying it was a brilliant gift and handy in a fight. She elbowed him in the ribs, he looked down at her and smiled widely. "So what's the plan?" Emma asked cheerfully, he gave her a dubious look.
"What makes you think I have a plan?" He asked. Right, so neither of them had a plan. Great. "All we need from Trask right now is intelligence" He told her, so they needed to know who the key players were and what they were planning.
"Just information? I'm a little disappointed" Emma joked, Logan raised an eyebrow at her.
"What do you want me to say, that we'll go in and blow the place up?" He asked teasingly.
"Sounds like a good plan to me" She laughed. "I'm just kidding, information is fine, I can do that" Emma promised, he gave her an intense stare.
"You're sure?" He repeated.
"I hope you're not bailing on me now" Emma grinned, he rolled his eyes.
"Wouldn't dream of it" He replied in his usual husky tone. Emma looked up at him, locking their gaze.
"Good" She stated, smiling slightly.
"Good" He repeated, looking down at her. His hands slowly moved to her waist, Emma laced her hands around his neck as they brought their lips together. They were both hesitant at first until the obvious attraction made them deepen the kiss, Emma felt like wildfire was moving through her as they snogged. Logan moved his hands down from her waist and picked her up, she put her legs around him as he supported her weight. They continued to kiss, it felt like the world had fallen away around them and they were the only people left on the earth. Eventually they parted and he put he back down to the forest floor.
"So I guess you do like me after all" Emma commented as they started heading back to the B&B.
"Well it looks like I'm stuck with you for a while" He joked, Emma playfully rammed into him and instantly regretted it.
"I need to remember than you're made of metal" She laughed, rubbing her arm.
"Maybe you shouldn't be attacking me all the time?" He offered, giving her a warm smile.
"Maybe you shouldn't be insulting me all the time" Emma grinned at him in response. She wasn't sure whether they'd met by fate or just chance but she was sure of the fact that she was glad he was in her life now.
