Chapter 8
Under the looming threat of a heavy downpour, Logan eyed the blanket of darkening clouds above them. He scratched at his knuckles again and sighed. After the business inside, he would happily stand here all night if it meant avoiding the fallout of his own goddamn stupidity. "So, where's Storm?"
Jean gazed upwards into the night sky and breathed the gentlest of sighs. She heard the faintest rumble of thunder overhead. "She's on a mission with Sabretooth. They found another Friends of Humanity group in Florida."
He snorted at her words and inhaled the smoke from his cigar. "What do you expect down there? The sun's gone to their heads and there's nobody home."
Continuing to glance at the sky, Jean shook her head slowly. "I wouldn't call it a blanket. It's more like cotton candy. That's a Rogueism, by the way. She told me once the clouds looked like groups of wild cotton candy waiting to escape from the machine."
Logan heaved an exasperated sigh. "Those words belonged to Gloria, not the kid."
Gazing at him, Jean watched his face turn into a scowl. "I'm going to say it whether you like it or not, Logan. You made a mess of things tonight."
"Thanks," he grunted and eyed her for a few moments. "Look, the only reason I went on the road is because you said you wanted to stay with him."
"He had just been shot," she reminded him, frowning. "He's my husband, and he needed me. Don't blame me for your constant obsession with running away. Rogue needed you two weeks ago, and nothing has changed."
"Everything's changed," he grumbled and mulled over the last few hours.
Jean caught several of his thoughts and brushed her hand against his. "The man you killed tonight. What was his story?"
With another deep drag of his cigar, Logan looked at her. "He's someone I thought I'd dealt with a long time ago. That bar needs burning down to the goddamn ground, Jean. Nothing good ever comes of it. It's a hellhole."
"Rogue had a job there," she pointed out, surprised to learn the information from his mind.
Logan growled irritably. "Don't remind me. She's a pain in the ass."
"She's your daughter," Jean prompted him gently and slipped her hand into his. "At fifteen, you can't expect her to navigate the world around her without making any mistakes."
He figured he had caught a misstep in her words and shook his head. "She's seventeen with a tonne of help in that head of hers."
Jean squeezed his hand gently and let go. "Look at the birth certificates again, Logan."
"I'm not gonna like this, am I?" he grumbled and dug them out of his jacket pocket. He unfolded them and studied every inch of the paper. When he failed to catch anything of interest, he glanced at her. "What am I looking at again?"
She stepped closer to him as the rain fell. Sheltered under the back porch, they gazed at the Caldecott birth certificate together. She traced a hand across the full birth date of Anna Marie Darkholme. "This is correct. The other one's false."
With his eyes narrowed, Logan was confused. "Why would they do that?"
"We don't know, but we're still investigating. The Professor suspects that Mystique abandoned Rogue on the doorstep of the D'Ancanto family home. They may have links to her somehow. It's just at this stage, and without Mystique's help, we can't be certain of anything apart from Rogue's date of birth."
The latest unexpected news settled in Logan's head, and he lit yet another cigar. He savoured the taste and growled to himself. "I don't even remember the fun part," he muttered, annoyed.
An amused Jean gazed at the rain. "You and Mystique slept together. It's just sex, Logan. No different to what's happening at this very moment in households across the world."
He shook his head, frustrated. "Most assholes out there remember fathering a kid."
"You're beating yourself up about the wrong things," she lightly scolded him. "Right now, she's crying because of you."
Logan crushed the cigar under his boot. He growled and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. While he contemplated his next move, he figured the kid would be better off without him. He had already proved he wasn't cut out to be a father.
"It's too late to make that decision, Logan. As soon as Rogue was born, you were her father," Jean informed him as she walked to the patio doors.
He glared at her for reading his thoughts again and cursed to himself. "I don't know what to do for the best," he told her gruffly.
"Yes, you do," Jean replied and left him alone with his thoughts.
Rogue lay in her bed, messily dressed in her mismatched pyjamas. Her pillow was damp as she continued to cry. She thought of running and knew it was for the best. She planned her early morning escape as the tears continued to fall. Mystique laughed in her mind, and she closed the voices down until she felt nothing but the fear of being alone. It's for the best, Rogue promised herself softly.
Running played a part in her DNA. She had to run; it made her feel like she had some control over her life. Despite all the voices and personalities in her head, the only memory that mattered to her was Logan saying he hated her. He never used those exact words, but she knew what he had meant downstairs. Trouble always followed her, and she wanted to help him. It would be her way of telling him sorry. She would leave, she would run, and he could stay here with Jean and be happy. With one last sorrowful sniffle, she fell into a dreamless sleep.
Logan stood outside her bedroom door, his hand on the doorknob. As he listened to her tears stop, he realised she had fallen asleep. He heaved an even heavier sigh and figured it would be best if he packed up his belongings and left in the morning. When he headed to his room, he was deep in his thoughts. He felt like shit. She cried herself to sleep because of him. With a shake of his head, he packed up and would sleep until dawn. By the time the sun rose, he would be on the road, and she could live happily at the school without him causing any more hassle.
Rogue stifled a yawn as she carried her duffle bag down to the garage. She frowned because maybe she had packed too much. She took a soda from the fridge and gazed around the kitchen one last time. Feeling depressed, she wanted to stay but reminded herself this could lead to a brighter future for her. It might even be an adventure that finally led her all the way to Anchorage. With a sad smile, she crossed the kitchen and gently pushed the garage door open.
Logan turned around and scowled. He eyed the duffle bag in her gloved hands.
When she spotted him, she stopped walking and saw the rucksack in his hand. She gazed at his face for the longest time before she opened her mouth to say something.
He shook his head at her. "I don't want to hear it," he grumbled, in a bad mood now he had caught on to her plan. "You're not invited on this trip. Go back to bed, kid." He dropped his rucksack in the trunk and slammed it shut.
Rogue scoffed, stepped to the side, and pressed the switch on the wall. The garage doors unlocked and opened behind her. It wasn't all about him. "I'm surprised you can fit that enormous head of yours in the car."
Logan gave her a look as he returned to the driving seat and settled down to leave. He put the key in the ignition. "How about you take that attitude of yours back to your room?"
"I can't hear you," she replied and marched out of the garage, carrying her heavy duffle bag in both hands.
He fixed a scowl on her back, and with a growl, drove out of the garage. He wound down the window as he passed her on the drive. "You won't get out the gates, kid. The codes changed at midnight."
Rogue watched him drive down to the gates. She frowned. "You just watch me," she whispered and hated to be brushed off.
Logan entered the code and waited for the gates to swing open. With a smirk, he drove outside and watched them close behind him. He eyed either side of the road, making his plans up as he went along. Maybe he would head north again? He could fish for answers from his past and stay clear of the X-Men for a while. With a furrowed brow, he growled and looked in the rear-view mirror.
The gates swung open again and out walked Rogue with her heavy duffle bag. She turned right to walk down to the bus stop, paying no attention to Logan or his vehicle. She marched with her hurt thoughts in her mind and frowned when she noticed his car beside her.
Logan growled at her through the open window. "Where did you find the code?"
"I can't hear you," she answered again, knowing full well the answer would annoy him.
Lighting a cigar, the frustrated feral looked close to committing murder. Large spots of rain fell on the windshield, and he parked up when they reached the bus stop. He watched her sit on a bench and strike up a conversation with a strange guy.
"Do you know when the next bus to the city will arrive? I'm going on an adventure today. Have you ever been to Anchorage?" she asked the strange boy.
He took his headphones off and smiled at her. "Once," he said. "It's a long journey to do on your own. Are you sure you know where you're going?"
She took a map out of her coat pocket and showed it to him, a little hurt to see Logan about to leave.
The growling Logan wound his window up and decided she could stay there. He drove away with a grumble, but minutes later, he changed his mind. As he rested his cigar on the dashboard, he parked up again and stalked to the bus stop.
Still with the map in her gloved hands, Rogue spoke to the older boy about her trip. "I have it all planned out," she explained and showed him the route. "I think I can hitchhike most of the way to keep the costs low."
Logan's eyes narrowed, and he realised she planned all along to take off without him. "Get in the car, kid."
Rogue gazed up at him and carefully folded her map. "I can't hear you," she softly repeated several times.
Seconds away from losing his temper, Logan closed the distance between them. He snatched the map off her, picked up her bag, and pointed a finger in her face. "Don't play games with me. It's too damn early and I haven't had my first cup of goddamn coffee." With another growl, he headed back to the SUV in search of his cigar.
With a faint and embarrassed smile, Rogue gazed at the curious boy beside her. "He's my daddy," she whispered to him and left the bench. Slipping her hands in her coat pockets to keep them warm, she walked down to the vehicle.
Logan sat inside, smoking to help calm himself down. He watched her settle in the seat beside him. He scowled at her when she slammed the door. "You trying to take my hearing out, too?"
She gazed at him with a curious frown and changed the subject. "Why are you running again?"
He shook his head and refused to answer. "I'm about to ask you the same question."
Rogue changed the subject again. "I'm hungry," she commented, her eyes darting away from his face. As she checked the glove compartment, he shook his head and closed it.
As he pushed her hands away, he started the car and drove back to the mansion gates. "You'll be early for breakfast for once," he said and parked outside the gates. When she refused to move, he looked at her. "Out you get, kid."
Rogue gazed at him with hurt eyes. "I won't stay there," she promised him. "As soon as you leave, I'm going back to the bus stop and making my way to Anchorage."
He snorted at her plans and grabbed the map from the footwell of the car. As he looked through it, he shook his head. "Not until you grow up."
She took the map away from him with a gentle huff and slipped it safely back into her pocket. "I don't need your permission, Wolverine," she said sassily.
Logan eyed her and raised an eyebrow. He then looked at the gates and growled to himself. His plans changed and he decided if she wanted to be stubborn, he would play the game her way. "Fine," he said and headed to the nearest highway.
A surprised Rogue gazed at him when the car doors locked. She looked around and wondered where they were going. "Wait, I don't want to come with you."
"Tough shit," Logan answered and finished smoking his cigar.
Sitting opposite each other in a booth of a half-empty New York diner, Logan and Rogue looked at the breakfast menus. She twirled a loose thread around her finger and tugged at her glove.
Logan looked at her and noticed she kept fidgeting. He took out his wallet and tossed several ten-dollar notes on the table. Holding one up, he settled a gaze on her. "Let's clear the air, kid," he suggested gruffly.
"What's your first question?" she asked him curiously.
He thought for a second and drank a mouthful of coffee. "How long have you known the truth about us?"
"Since the mission in the hills," she answered quietly and watched him place the ten-dollar bill in front of her.
With a grunt, he tried to get the attention of a nearby server. When she failed to notice him, he sighed and picked up another bill. "Were you running because of last night?"
Rogue thought about it and nodded. "Maybe. I mean, I kept thinking you would be happier without me being around. It feels like every time I leave my room, I hurt someone I care about."
Logan felt like an asshole again. He set the money down in front of her. "Look, kid, what you heard last night –"
The server walked over to them, ready to take their order. "What can I get you, folks?"
With his words interrupted, Logan eyed the menu again. "Just give me the full breakfast. Double everything."
Rogue gazed at the server and smiled politely. "I'm not really hungry," she said, losing her appetite for the moment. She wanted to spend her money on snacks instead.
The server left the table and Logan eyed Rogue again. He reached for the third bank note. "How'd you get the code for the gates?"
She nervously shuffled in her seat and gazed outside. When he cleared his throat to catch her attention, she glanced at him again. "I know I'm the world's worst secretary, but I have the passcode for the database," she finally admitted.
He grunted and made a note to change it. He slid the ten dollars over to her. "We'll get along just fine if you stay out of trouble, kid," he told her, and wolfed down his food when it arrived.
Later that morning, Rogue wandered along the aisles of Target with a basket full of snacks. She turned the corner and paused when she spotted a distressed lady with a small boy in a tatty stroller. She watched the woman stealing the baby formula from the shelf, and she chewed on her bottom lip. As she abandoned her snacks in the aisle, she walked up to them and smiled kindly. She held the thirty dollars in her gloved hand and offered it to the shocked lady. "Please take it," she said. "You need it more than I do."
The woman took the thirty dollars and blinked tears away. "Why would you give money to a stranger?"
"Everybody needs a little help sometimes," she admitted softly and left the store.
Smoking in the parking lot, Logan's eyes narrowed when Rogue appeared empty-handed. "You get greedy in the queue?"
Rogue shook her head and walked toward the car. "You wouldn't understand," she answered.
"Try me," he said, catching up with her as she went to cross the road.
When he pulled her to a stop with his hand on her arm, she turned to face him. "There was a lady who needed the money to pay for her groceries."
Heaving a heavy sigh, he shook his head. "You're too naïve, kid."
"And you're too cynical and old," she shot back, pleased she had helped someone.
Logan eyed her for a few moments and steered her toward the store. He dug into his pocket and took his wallet in his hand. He trailed after her and followed her down each aisle, itching for another smoke.
Rogue found her basket of snacks, adding to them each time they rounded another corner. Finally, she stopped on one of the beauty aisles and searched the shelves for a hair dye she approved of. She dropped into the basket and smiled at Logan, happy he tagged along.
"Don't go getting any ideas, this won't happen again," he told her and led the way to the checkout.
When they reached the vehicle, Rogue put her bag of snacks in the front seat and went to search the trunk for her duffle bag. She unzipped it and found her book with a small smile.
As Logan lit another cigar, he relaxed. He shrugged off his jacket and turned the heating on. When she settled next to him, he raised an eyebrow at her. "You ran away from home, but you brought that goddamn book with you?"
Rogue buckled herself in and opened Mrs Chatterley's Lover to page 102. She ignored his glares as they left the parking lot. "I don't comment on what you read."
"You never shut up about my danger room sessions," he reminded her gruffly.
"Because you make me type them out for you," she snapped softly with her gaze still focused on the page.
When they reached a busy interstate, Logan frowned. The more he thought about it, the less sense it made to let her read that book. He didn't want her head filled with any more garbage. He wound down the window and looked at her. "You don't need this, kid," he grumbled and snatched the book from her gloved hands. When she reached to take it back, he tossed it out of the window.
Rogue gasped, gazing over her shoulder as she watched her library book fall under the heavy wheels of an eight-wheeler truck. Horrified it had been crushed on the interstate, she narrowed her eyes at him. She reached forward and stole the cigar out of his hand.
With a growl, Logan pointed at her. "Don't you dare, that's my last cigar," he warned her.
She wound down her own window and fixed him with a stubborn stare. "You don't need this, Logan," she said, mocking his own voice as she dropped his cigar onto the rain-soaked asphalt.
Logan gripped the steering wheel harshly and calmed his thoughts. Silence set in between them, and they both welcomed it. As she quietly moped, he thought over the secrets he kept. He figured however long their road trip lasted, he would have the time to talk to her about those ties she had with the D'Ancantos. Sighing, he wanted to avoid her tears when he broke the news to her about their links to Mystique.
Rogue glanced suspiciously at him when he stared her way again.
"Where do you want to go?" he asked her because they needed a destination to head towards.
She listened to the rainfall on the roof of the SUV and gazed out the window at the passing traffic. Ideas popped into her mind, but she banished them with a stubborn shake of her head. Eventually, she smiled faintly. It would be a long journey, but she had her heart set on returning home. "Do you know the way to Meridian, Mississippi?"