When she regained consciousness, she heard whispering between Logan and the other man with the red glasses, "You told her everything? You think that was such a good idea?"
"She deserves to know why she was kidnapped, Scooter."
The man, who had been identified as Scooter, groaned, "So...what'd she say?"
Logan sucked his teeth, "She wrote a dissertation and submitted it for a doctoral degree...what the fuck do you think? She passed out!"
Marie stirred, deciding she'd had enough of being talked about. Logan was at her side in an instant, "You feelin' OK, kid?"
She was slightly taken aback at his concern, "Um...yeah." Marie glanced up at the man with the weird red glasses, "So...you're Scooter?"
Logan chuckled a little as Scott's jaw clenched, "Scott, actually."
"Oh. Sorry...you do look like a Scooter though..."
Again, Logan laughed as Scott sighed, "It's just Scott."
Marie pursed her lips together and looked at Logan, "So...let's say I do believe this really...really crazy story. What's to keep Victor from...finishing the job?"
Logan and Scott traded looks before Scott stepped forward, "We have a better shot of protecting you if we can keep moving, but there's no guarantee. We need your full cooperation if we're going to keep you away from him."
Marie nodded slowly and sighed, "Why did I feel like I was under some sort of spell?"
"Victor has a lot of mutants supporting his cause, one of which is a particularly powerful telepath. She's able to make you think and do things your normally wouldn't. She's even able to block the professor's telepathy..."
She raised a brow, "The professor?"
Scott caught Marie up on the X Men while Logan packed up their things and got them ready to go. The men waited while she got dressed in the bathroom.
She spent the whole drive drifting in and out of sleep.
During one gas stop, Scott caught Logan wistfully staring at Marie's peaceful, sleeping form in the back seat.
Logan noticed Scott looking at him and defensively raised a brow, "What?"
"Why are you looking at her like that?"
He straightened in his seat and grumbled, "Like what?"
Even though Logan couldn't see it, he could tell Scott was narrowing his eyes behind those ruby quartz lenses, "Did anything happen between you two in Laughlin City that I should know about?"
Logan glared and angrily motioned toward the steering wheel, "Just drive the fuckin' car."
It took a few moments for him to realize that he wasn't actually angry at Scott's typical, snot-nosey behavior...he was angry because nothing had happened between the two of them that Scott needed to know about.
She honestly didn't know how long they'd been driving before they pulled through the gates of a grand looking estate. Marie sat up, "This is where you live?"
Logan nodded, "Every now and then. Remember the professor I told you about?"
"Yeah...this is his school, right?"
"Yeah."
They pulled up the driveway in front of the large, ornate doors and were immediately met by a tall, red headed woman, a white haired woman with dark skin and a bald headed man in a wheel chair.
Logan started introductions, "Marie, this is Jean, Storm, and Professor Xavier."
She politely shook their hands and smiled, "Nice to meet you."
The professor's smile was genuine and his voice was warm and comforting, "I know you must be exhausted and very stressed from your trip. We've had a room prepared for you. Storm will show you the way and fix you up with something to eat if you like. Take rest tonight and I can answer any questions you may have in the morning."
"Thank you."
That night, Marie laid awake in her strange new surroundings, too nervous and keyed up to sleep.
Despite all she'd been told about the evil Victor and his devious plans, she couldn't shake the wanton desire she had for him. Logan and Scooter...er Scott...had explained to her that Victor's telepath probably inserted false emotions and memories within her mind to make her opinion of Victor a little bit more favorable.
As she tried to fall asleep, she was confronted by visions of a naked Victor hovering over her. Marie sat up and shook her head. She almost wished Logan would chloroform her again.
The chemically induced slumber had been surprisingly peaceful and dreamless.
She slowly stood and walked over to the closet, taking out a brand new robe before tearing the tags off and slipping it on. Her throat was dry and her stomach was rumbling. Maybe she could find her way back to the kitchen for a midnight snack...
Although Marie took a few wrong turns on her way to the kitchen, she made it there without freaking out about being lost in a giant mansion filled with strange mutants.
She went straight to the refrigerator, where she found some yogurt. The spoons were not nearly as easy to find.
As she explored the countless drawers in the expansive kitchen, she was interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing.
Her head snapped up to spot Logan, leaning casually in the doorway, "Couldn't sleep, kid?"
Marie shook her head and held up the container of yogurt, "Looking for a spoon."
Logan walked over to a drawer on the island, opened it and tossed the much sought after spoon onto the counter before going over to a cupboard and opening it to reveal a mini fridge with a lock on it. He sighed, pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and used them to unlock the mini fridge, which she soon realized contained beer and other alcoholic beverages.
She watched intently as he locked it back then closed the cupboard door.
He noticed her watching and smiled, "Don't get any ideas. You're back in the states now and the drinkin' age here is 21."
Marie sighed and opened the yogurt, "I don't like beer."
"You ever had it?"
"No."
He snickered, "Then how do ya know you don't like it?"
Marie shrugged and smirked, "I dunno. Why don't you lemme have a taste and I can see?"
Logan couldn't help but smile at her, "Nice try, darlin'."
He had always enjoyed her company back in Laughlin City, and that obviously hadn't changed. She was still the quick witted, bright, smart assed Marie he knew.
He loved it.
"Was worth a try", she sighed as she ate a spoonful of her yogurt.
For some reason, Logan found himself zeroing in on her luscious lips as they wrapped around the spoon.
After a few spoonfuls, Marie noticed his staring and straightened slightly, "Uhm...you want some?"
Logan shook his head, successfully breaking himself out of his reverie, "Ah...no, sorry for the uhh...uhh.."
She narrowed her eyes at him, "You know...you kind of look like him."
He seemed horrified by that fact, "I what?"
Marie tried to back pedal, "Well, just your facial hair...or...I mean...your eyes...it's nothing. I'm sorry."
Logan shook his head, "S'ok. Are you settled into your room OK?"
She gave a simple nod, relieved that the subject had been changed, "Yeah. I just hope the professor can fix what Victor's telepath screwed up...every time I close my eyes..." Marie's voice trailed off as her eyes drifted shut. She quickly shook her head and reopened them to stare down into her yogurt container.
A look of concern spread over Logan's face as he set his beer down and took a slow, cautious step toward her, "You OK, kid?"
When she looked up, her eyes were wet with tears that had yet to spill onto her cheeks. She took a deep, shivering breath and shook her head, "I see him...every time I close my eyes. I feel him...his breath...his lips...his hands...I can't escape it..."
Logan put a hand on top of hers, "That's not your fault-"
"But sometimes...I don't want to escape it...I like it!" she blurted, covering her face with both of her hands as tears began to flow freely. Her shoulders jerked as she sobbed and sniffled, trying in vain to get her body under control.
He didn't quite know what to say to her, so he just moved a little closer and began rubbing her back. When she finally regained her ability to speak, she sniffled and wiped at her face.
"Look, kid...I may not understand what you're goin' through, but I can tell you that you don't deserve anything that's happening to you right now. Don't feel guilty...none of this is your fault. The thoughts...the dreams...you know that's not really you, I know that's not really you. The professor'll help ya out with all that, OK?"
Marie took a deep breath and nodded before standing to let Logan guide her back to her room.
For the next two nights, she and Logan "accidentally" ran into each other in the kitchen for beers and midnight snacks. In reality, he realized that she would have a hard time adjusting in the mansion, so he made it a point to try to run into her at night if she was up, spending a restless couple of hours in the kitchen.
During the day, the professor worked with her, showing her how to compartmentalize the thoughts Emma had placed in her head. He also taught her how to attempt to fight off psychic attacks, but that required more concentration and skill than non-telepathic mutants had.
On the third night, after eating her typical container of yogurt and watching Logan down three beers, he began walking her back to her room. Halfway there, her knees suddenly weakened and a sudden rush of heat shot through her body.
Logan immediately noticed and grabbed her shoulders, "Marie? What is it?"
She began to crumple to the floor as her eyes glassed over, but Logan supported her weight and shook her slightly. Marie suddenly grabbed his biceps and whispered, "Oh...Victor..."
His eyes widened as he realized what was happening. That damn telepath had managed to form another mental connection with her and was working to make her even more vulnerable to that sick bastard's intentions...
"Stay with me, darlin'...come on, fight it!"
Marie began tugging away from Logan and yelling Victor's name as she struggled to move toward the door of the mansion.
Logan yelled for Jean and Scott, who quickly appeared along with the professor to ask what was going on.
Jean squinted and put a hand to her temple, "Oh god...the telepath...she's powerful. If she stays in Marie's mind any longer, they'll know exactly where to find her. We need to get Marie out of here. It's not safe for the children if she stays."
Marie's wails were beginning to disturb the residents of the mansion. Logan and Scott carried her down to the med lab, where Jean quickly administered a sedative that put Marie in a deep enough unconscious state to sever the telepathic bond with Emma Frost. While Storm quickly gathered Marie's belongings and stuffed them into a bag, Logan packed his own things.
As the rest of the team members prepared Logan and Marie for their extended road trip by loading up one of the mansion's Range Rovers with food, clothes, camping gear, toiletries and other provisions, the professor sat with his finger tips gently placed against Marie's forehead, working desperately to help her form some sort of psychic block that would give her the tools to shield her mind from Emma's manipulations.
The professor knew how powerful Emma Frost was...she'd been a student of his long ago. Meanwhile, Logan and Scott were looking over a map and a list of "safe house" addresses that were scattered across North America.
Scott sighed, "You should probably decide for yourself which one you're going to stay at. The fewer people who know where you are, the better."
Logan nodded in agreement, "Wherever we go, we won't stay there long. We'll stay on the move."
A few minutes later, Logan went down to the med lab to get his unconscious road mate. He'd insisted on carrying her himself.
As he carefully laid her down in the backseat, Storm handed him a communicator as the professor approached, "We will try to keep tabs on the Brethren's movement for you. Keep a close eye on her Logan. Her mind is strong, but Emma is stronger."
When Marie woke up, she was curled up on a plush leather seat in a moving vehicle. Panic immediately set in, making her quickly sit up and survey her surroundings. Her beating heart calmed substantially when she realized that the driver of the vehicle was Logan.
"What happened?" she murmured groggily.
"Victor's telepath found her way back into your brain...tried to get you to run outta the mansion."
Marie rubbed her head, "Where are we?"
He glanced at her and saw that her robe was falling open in the front, "Uh...Storm and Jean packed your stuff. You should dressed..."
She looked down at herself, "Oh...right."
After some rummaging through the cargo area of the SUV, she settled in the backseat and looked at Logan's eyes in the rearview mirror, "Um...I have to get a little naked so-"
He immediately returned his eyes to the road and nodded, "No problem."
Sometime during her backseat quick change, Logan stole a glance in the mirror and was confronted by the vision of her milky white breast as it peeked out of her flimsy tank top. She quickly slipped on a fleece sweater, unaware of the peepshow she was providing for the feral in the front seat.
When he was sure she was dressed, Logan glanced at her and moved his jacket off of the passenger seat beside him, "Come on, kid. Hop up."
She climbed into the front seat, brushing against him just a slight bit more than she should have, then settled in and buckled her seat belt.
"If that bitch-telepath had stayed in your brain any longer, she would have been able to figure out exactly where you were...and there's other kids in the mansion, so that wouldn't have been safe."
Marie looked down and spoke quietly, "So...we're running..."
Logan looked over at her, "It won't be long, kid. Just a couple of months. The way the professor sees it, Victor only has until this eclipse happens to finish the job. I just need to keep you safe until then."
She gave a slight nod before looking down at her hands, allowing the hum of the engine and the low murmur of the radio to fill the air.
Marie brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she stared out the windshield, thinking about the wild turn of events that had turned her life upside down.
Logan allowed the silence for nearly three hours before pulling over to gas up and eat. She went to the restroom, then returned to the car just as he was opening up fast food bags that reeked of grease and salt.
When she didn't make a move to eat, he grumbled, "Eat something. You'll feel better."
"I'm not hungry."
Logan took a bite of his burger, "Bull shit. The last thing you ate was that yogurt almost 7 hours ago. Eat."
She quietly ate one french fry, then two...then three.
Before Logan knew it, she'd consumed an entire container of fries and was halfway through her cheeseburger. He let out a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to have to worry about her starving herself on this trip because of her displeasure with her situation.
That night, they couldn't find a lodging establishment that didn't charge by the hour, so Logan figured a camping ground looked like the best option.
He told Marie to stay put while he set up the tent and sleeping bags.
He'd just finished setting up the tent when he returned to the truck to realize that only one sleeping bag had been packed. He cursed, causing Marie to turn her head and look at him, "Everything alright?"
Logan grumbled, "Looks like we only got one sleeping bag here, kid. I guess I'm gonna have to rough it on the ground."
Marie hopped out of the car and waved a hand dismissively, "We can just share."
His jaw hit the ground as she began walking toward their tent.
Logan was a strong guy. He could bench press at least five hundred pounds and could heal from any wound...but he didn't think he was strong enough to sleep with Marie's lithe, nubile form pressed against his.
Her voice broke him away from his thoughts, "Are you coming?"
He cleared his throat, "Uh...yeah."
It took some maneuvering, but eventually, Logan was able to squeeze into the sleeping bag next to Marie, who had already started shivering.
"You OK?" he asked as his breath caressed her ear.
She nodded, "Just a little cold."
"It'll warm up soon."
Logan cursed internally when he realized how dirty he just sounded. He quickly crossed his arms to keep from accidentally caressing her, then closed his eyes, praying for sleep to take over so that his feral sex drive wouldn't. If only he could just go to sleep so that he wouldn't have to think about the sexy, beautiful-
"Logan?"
FUCK.
"Yeah?"
She spoke, still facing away from him, "Were you always with the X Men like Jean and Scott?"
He shook his head, briefly forgetting that she couldn't see him, "No. I've only been with them for a few years. Before that I was just wandering."
"Where are you from?"
Logan could tell that the hours of sedation and constant napping had affected her ability to fall asleep, so he humored her, "I don't know."
Suddenly, she turned to face him. He wasn't prepared to feel her breasts brush against his forearms, so he jerked slightly.
She didn't seem to notice as she continued speaking, "You don't know?"
He shook his head, "No. Fifteen years ago, I woke up in a strange place with no recollection of who I was. I've been looking for answers ever since."
Marie's brows furrowed in concern, "Oh...I'm sorry."
He shrugged, "Not your fault."
"I know, but...to not know who you are or if you have a family out there who thinks you're dead...it's horrible."
Logan let out a breath, "Sometimes I think, if I do have a family out there, they're better off without me."
"What makes you say that?"
He didn't understand how the conversation had progressed so naturally. He usually hated talking to people about his past, but with her, he was eager to answer questions and quick to respond to comments.
With a sigh, he continued, "I may not know who I am...but I've gotten to know myself and...I just don't think I'm fit for family life."
Of course, she disagreed with that, "I wouldn't say that."
Logan chuckled bitterly, "Why not?"
"Because you're a great guy. You're giving your all to protect me and you've only ever been a casual acquaintance. You've never lost your patience with me, even though I know I can be difficult when I'm stressed out...I don't understand why you'd think you aren't family material."
He looked into her eyes and realized she was right. He would give his all to protect her.
Alright folks! More to come! What do you think? Are you enjoying Marie and Logan's time together?
Review please! I need more feedback! You know I live off of it!