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Title: Alter-Eighteen:
My Girl
Author: Terri
Email: xgrrl26@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Summary:
Alternative version of events in the eighteen series. Logan comes back to
get
his girl. Disclaimer:
None of these people are mine. Bummer.
Archive:
Ask, and ye shall receive.
Feedback:
Please? With a cherry on top?
Comments:
CorsetRogue, for those of you who may not know, is especially for Cordelia,
and I hope she enjoys this :) I also have to thank Victoria I'm blatantly
stealing (um, borrowing, yeah, borrowing...) her idea of tying in a classic
movie with our x-people. And I have to thank Joanne BargingInJean
makes an appearance here because I read the next to last Chapter of Shall
Rise and thought Joanne's right - Jean's a barger-inner, not a knocker.
Not that I am biased when it comes to Jean. Not that I have Jean issues.
Oh no.
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Four months.
It's been four months since I left. Four months and a day, to be exact. Three
weeks since the last postcard I sent her. I think it was from somewhere in
Ontario and I wrote that I was OK and I hoped she was too. It's been five
days since the last phone call, the one where I told her I was comin' back
in about a week. She said "Really?" and got all excited.
It's kinda
nice to have someone be excited to see you. I mean, I missed her, that's
for sure. She's just nice to have around. She brightens everything up, you
know? Talkin' to her on the phone or even writin' out a postcard brings a
little smile to my face, and that's not an easy thing to do. Yeah, it'll
be good to see my Marie again.
"Xavier's
School for the Gifted, may I help you?"
"Yeah. It's
Logan. Open the gate."
"Uh, Logan
who?" Chuck musta gotten some new employees.
"Wolverine.
Open the gate."
"Hold on
one moment please." I hate holding. On the phone, especially. Especially
holding to talk to Marie. Seems like one of her little friends always answers
and I -
"Come in
please." About fuckin' time. Now, time to find out about that little bet
I made with myself. Bet I can. Bet I can smell her outta the whole house
- she's got a real distinctive smell, and, yeah, it's been a while since
I smelled it, but I remember it good enough.
Hmm...she
was here, in the hallway, and not too long ago. She went - she went upstairs.
To her room, maybe. Wonder if she's done with school yet. This is - this
is May. She should be almost done, anyway. Wonder how it's been goin' for
her. I mean, she always says 'fine' on the phone, but I wonder if she wants
to go to college or somethin'. I told her I'd pay for it once, but she just
kinda didn't say too much about it.
Definitely
this room. This is definitely the Marie room. I can smell her really, really
strong, and no one else. She must've gotten her own place. Well, good. Good
for her. Time to surprise the hell outta her. Gonna knock, all casual. Heh.
She'll be surprised, that's for sure. I told her a week but I kept pressing
that little red button on Cyke's bike and -
"Who is it?"
Yeah, I was
right. It is the Marie room. "Open up." Maybe she won't recognize my voice
if I make it all gruff.
"All right,
all right, hang on. Geez, I have to - "
Whoa. Whoa.
Hold the phone. She's - she's wearin' some fancy dress and some fancy jewelry
and I've never seen her hair put up like that. No scarf either, there's no
scarf around her neck, and what she's wearin' is -
"Logan!
You're back!" Whoa, that's one helluva hug. And she is surprised, but - "I'm
so glad you're back!" Another hug. Damn, my girl is strong. Forgot about
that.
"Hey, kid.
What's this get up?" Because this can't be her everyday dress or anything.
I mean, it's all silky and puffy at the bottom and full, and let's not even
chance another look at the top part of this contraption because whatever
she's wearin' under there is pushin' up certain Marie-parts that I have no
damn business lookin' at that way. No business at all. Not even if they are
really, really a lot fuller and bigger than I remembered. 'Cause -
"It's a costume.
Our drama class is putting on a play for our final project, and I'm playing
Scarlett O'Hara in a production of Gone With the Wind. We have a dress rehearsal
in about a half hour. What do you think?"
Now there's
a loaded question if ever there was one. "You look good." Well, that musta
been an OK answer 'cause she smiled.
"Thanks.
It feels weird, you know, especially wearing a corset underneath."
"Is that
what it is?" Because I've got to remember that for future reference. Like
possibly, at some future time after her eighteenth birthday.
"Yeah. It
sucks, I can hardly breathe in this thing. But it goes with the dress, so
what can you do?" I forgot how expressive she is - those little faces she
makes are kinda funny. "But, hey, enough about me - what's up with you? You're
back! Are you staying around for a while?"
"Yeah. Hey
- when are you done with school?" 'Cause I've been kickin' around an idea.
You know, maybe we could do somethin' fun together. We didn't really get to
do anythin' fun last time around, and maybe, I dunno, a little trip or somethin'
would be nice.
"I'm done,
officially. Our last class was last week. The play is the last final. You
are looking at almost an official high school graduate."
"That's good,
kid. When do you start college?"
Oh-oh. That's
a frown. "Well, I'm not exactly going to go to college."
"Why the
hell not?" She's smart enough and I said I'd pay. I can pay for it. I know
it's expensive, but I can make a shitload of money if I put my mind to it.
"Well, here's
the thing. I'm - I've only really been interested in art in school, and college
would mean classes with lots of people and people who don't really understand
about my skin. It could be a little....difficult."
Now, I know
her, and that's not her thought process there. Somebody musta told her that
shit. "You're not goin' 'cause of your skin?"
"Well, that's
one reason, yes, but I also - I was also thinking that it'd kind of be a waste
of the Professor's money since I'm only really interested in art." She's frownin'
more now.
"I said I'd
pay for your school, kid."
"I know,
I know, but I can't take advantage of that. It wouldn't be right, not after
everything you've already done for me." That's not her thinkin' either. Wonder
who's been tellin' her this shit. Probably Scooter. Dumb ass.
"Hey, I offered
to do it. You ain't takin' advantage."
"Yes, but
I can't think of you as responsible for me." Definitely not her thinkin'
at work there either. Well, enough of this shit. I ain't a patient man.
"Says who?"
"Huh?" My
girl looks pretty confused. That better not mean that she's already taken
all that shit for the truth.
"Who says
you're not my responsibility? Who says you'd be takin' advantage? 'Cause
that's not what I say and it ain't what you say either."
Finally,
smilin' insteada frownin'. "I forgot that, I guess. I mean, the Professor,
Scott, Jean - they don't know us that well, do they?" She's brightenin'
up now - maybe she really was thinkin' all that shit, takin' it to heart.
Maybe she was thinkin' that's how it was with us.
"Apparently
fuckin' not. Can you still get into college?"
"Probably
not for this fall. Probably not. But Logan - the truth is I am only interested
in art."
"Well, take
classes in that or somethin'. You'd be better off with a college diploma."
"What....what
would you think about an art institute?"
"What're
those?" 'Cause it sounds like a mental institution or somethin', but I know
that can't be it.
"Special
schools, not colleges, but special schools just for artists." I can tell
she likes that idea. And I kinda like that she thinks of herself as an artist.
That fits her pretty good.
"Can you
get into one of those still?"
"Maybe.
They're a little more flexible about when you start than colleges usually
are. I probably can't get in to a good one this fall, but maybe for the spring
semester."
"When would
that be?"
"January,
probably." I can tell she's startin' to think about it seriously. Her lips
are pressed together and her one eyebrow dipped down. Those are the Marie-think-indicators,
for sure. "Hmmm...."
"What?"
"Well, I
could try to get in this fall and see. But if I did try to go in the spring,
that would give me plenty time to work on an admission project, you know,
to get in and maybe it would even help get a merit scholarship. That way,
if I couldn't pay for it all - "
"Are you
havin' some kinda hearin' problem since I left? 'Cause I said, like, a hundred
times, I'd fuckin' pay for it." Shit, that came out all angry and shit and
I didn't -
"Logan,
it could be, like, thousands of dollars. I can take loans." She's not mad
about what I said, but she's still not willin' to let me pay. I don't wanna
have her thinkin' I won't or that I shouldn't or some shit. 'Cause I wanna
and I should. She's my girl. I take care of what she needs. She's not on
her own.
"Listen,
kid. I'm gonna speak slowly. I. Am. Fuckin'. Payin'. For. Your. Goddamn. School.
Got it?"
"Let's see
what I can get in a scholarship first, OK? Maybe I can get at least half
tuition or something. Then we can talk about who pays for what. Deal?"
"Fine. But
that's what you're gonna do then? You're gonna try to get in to one of those
institutes now if you can but for sure in January?"
"Yeah."
Slow smile, really pleased. "Yeah, I think I will. I mean, it might mean
moving away from the mansion, and the Professor won't like it, but I kind
of want to, you know? I'd like to try it."
"Then that's
the plan."
"Thanks."
More huggin'. God, I wish she'd waited for the huggin' until she changed
into somethin' a little less cleavage-makin'. Certain parts all pressed up
to me are - "Thanks a lot."
"No problem,
kid." She's all happy now, just like she looked when she opened the door and
saw me.
"I have to
go to rehearsal. Catch up with you later? Oooh! Will you come to the play
later tonight? I mean, it's in about three hours, it'll be right after the
rehearsal, and I know you don't like that kind of thing, but you can see me.
In all my dramatic brilliance." Teasin'. I missed that from her. She's really
the only one who does it with me, playin' a little like that.
"Sure, kid.
I'll come. But hey - you'd better be good." Teasin' back. 'Cause she really
can be a little bit of a smartass sometimes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hey there
Red." She looks good. Damn good. Nice ass, just as good as I remembered.
"Logan! You're
back!" Uh-huh, come hug me. Oh yeah, that's nice. Quick, but nice.
"Yeah. You
still engaged to Scooter?" Might as well cut to the chase. Like I said, I
ain't a patient man.
"Of course
I am. We're getting married in three weeks." She likes to flirt with me, I
can tell. She's a natural born flirt.
"That's
still enough time to change your mind, darlin'." Just gonna slowly walk her
back and press her up against the wall. Give her a little taste of what she'll
be missin'.
"Is that
so?" Now, that ain't what I expected her to say. I expected her to say 'get
off me' or 'I'm definitely marryin' one-eye.' Hmmm. Maybe there's trouble
in paradise...
"Yeah. Plenty
of time." Maybe try somethin' out here. Just gonna press my hips into hers.
REALLY give her a taste of what she'll be missin'.
"Logan...."
Shit, she's gonna say somethin' serious. There really is trouble in Scooter's
little paradise. "I actually have been having second thoughts to tell the
truth. I mean, it's a big commitment."
"Yeah....."
Oh, shit, her hand's goin' right to my ass. Fuck! I didn't expect that outta
Jeannie. "So whaddya want to do about that?"
"Nothing,
I guess." I can fuckin' smell ya darlin' and you want to do somethin' about
it. You want to pretty bad. Heh. Fuckin' Scooter. I can just imagine the
look on his face when he finds out I nailed his woman. That'd be damn funny.
"I guess I'll go ahead with it. I mean, I do love Scott...."
"Then why
is your hand on my ass?"
"I - I shouldn't.....we
shouldn't....." We definitely shouldn't 'cause good old one-eye isn't probably
too fond of the notion of you fuckin' any one else, but me in particular.
But I can tell how bad you wanna darlin'.
"Come on,
Jeannie, yes or no, pick one." She's gonna back down now. If I know her,
she'll come out with some shit about how it was just a moment of weakness
and just 'cause she was so happy to see me again and -
"What if
I said yes?" Goddamn, she's grabbin' my ass pretty good now. Not that that's
a bad thing, but damn. I never really expected a 'yes' there. Huh. That's
just....that's kinda no fun. I mean, knowin' for sure she'd let me nail her
kinda takes the fun out. Besides, I can't probably really fuck with Scooter
about it 'cause if we do it, well, there it is. I mean, he'll be pissed but
it'll be over.
"You sure
that's what you want?" 'Cause I'd lay odds she'd fuck me then marry Scooter
anyway then do some stupid shit like confess to him about it. And that would
just be all fucked up.
"Come on,
Logan, you've been chasing after me since day one. Rogue might have a crush
on you, but you've got one just as bad for me."
Whoa, whoa.
I usually don't pay too much attention to fuckin' conversation when someone's
got their hands all over me, but Marie catches my attention regardless. And
I know that Jeannie said she was "taken with me" or some shit, but I just
kinda ignored that. She's a kid, after all, and she'd just been through a
whole lotta shit. But if she's still thinkin' about that after all the time
I've been gone....I mean, I don't know exactly when she turns eighteen, but
it's gotta be soon, 'cause she's almost done with school, right? I mean,
after she's eighteen, she's not really a kid anymore, not that she's not
still, you know, my girl, but I could -
"Logan?"
Oh yeah, Jeannie. Fuck, I shouldn't be fuckin' all over Jeannie like this.
If Marie is thinkin' that way about me, I bet this'd upset her pretty good.
"Uh, sorry,
Jeannie. Don't know what I was thinkin' there for a minute." Gonna just move
her hands offa me. Fuck. That coulda been bad if Marie saw or somethin'.
"Logan? What's
wrong with you?"
"Nothin'.
Nothin'. You - ah, congratulations on your wedding and stuff. I'll - I'll
see ya later, Jeannie."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You know,
my girl was right. She is good. That fuckhead they got playin' Rhett - he
sucks. I don't know what the hell kinda accent he's got, but it's irritatin'.
And the other one, that little punk kid that does the ice thing they've
got playin' Ashley - he sucks too. Well, he sucks a little less, but only
'cause that Ashley is supposed to be some wimpy ass kinda man and the kid
is a natural for that.
But Marie
- she's pretty fuckin' good. Scarlett is actin' like a little brat sometimes
- that's good actin' on Marie's part 'cause she's not like that at all. And
that last scene - well, she actually looked like she was in love with that
shithead Rhett. That's a fuckin' good job of actin' 'cause who'd fall in love
with him? And who'd go through all that shit over those two guys? I mean,
she made all that believable and that's a fuckin' impressive feat considerin'
what she had to work with.
"Hey, kid."
Look at that smile. She's so damn happy I came to watch her.
"Hey. What
did you think?" Shit, she's bouncin' up and down on her toes, she's so excited.
That's nice, I'm happy she's happy, but it's gotta stop. 'Cause that's makin'
those Marie-parts I shouldn't be lookin' at and thinkin' things about entirely
too attention-grabbin'.
"You were
real good."
"Thanks!"
She's clappin' her hands together a little and still bouncin'. Good God,
that's enough to give a man heart failure right there. "I'm so glad you liked
it!"
"'Allo Rogue.
Is dis de Wolverine?" Rhett. You know, I should probably give him an ass kickin'
just on general principle for how he treated Marie durin' the play.
"Yeah. What
about it, bub?" Well, at least he deserves my hard-ass glare.
"Remy curious
to meet Rogue's friend, dat's all...." Remy? Who the hell -
"Logan,
this is Remy. Also known as Gambit. Remy, this is Logan." Marie, lookin'
a little less excited now. A lot less excited. Wonder if that's 'cause of
this asshole. Maybe that ass-kickin' was a good idea.
"Well, chere,
Remy do not wish to intrude, so he leave you alone, oui? You know where Remy
be if you need him, non?" He's - that asshole is grabbin' her hand and kissin'
her glove. And she don't look like she likes it too damn much. There's an
ass kickin' in his future now for damn sure. I just need to talk to Marie
first to find out if it needs to be a fatal ass kickin' or just disfigurin'.
"Ugh. Remy.
I have to tell you about him. You wouldn't believe it."
"Tell me."
She seems not to be too upset or too serious or shit, but somethin' I wouldn't
believe can't be a good thing.
"What? Right
now?"
"Yeah." 'Cause
now is always a good time for ass kickin'.
"Come on,
come upstairs with me. I have to get out of these clothes. I'll tell you all
about it up there." Now, there's a reaction I shouldnta had to the words "outta
these clothes." Definitely not a Marie-appropriate reaction. "You coming?"
Oh, shit, that's not a Marie-appropriate thought either. "Logan?" Tuggin'
at my sleeve a little to get me movin'.
"Yeah, let's
go."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So, then
he said he loved me and I thought - well, OK, I guess. I mean, I didn't love
him, and I didn't say I did, but if he loved me, fine, whatever, maybe I could
fall in love with him eventually, you know? But then I found out two weeks
later that he slept with Kitty."
Grrr. Rational
thought not possible right now. Not possible for a lotta reasons. One - gonna
kill that fucker. Nobody dates my girl, nobody kisses my girl, nobody puts
their hands on my girl and lives. That little fucker is over. Two - nobody
tells Marie they love her if they don't. Three - nobody cheats on her and
keeps their dick attached. Gonna kill that little fucker.
There's
also the Marie things that are not helpin' out with the thought process.
Like how she's takin' down her hair right now, nice and slow. She's gotta
fuckin' have a hundred little thingamabobs in there, and she's pullin' 'em
out one by one, real carefully and real slow. She better never have done
hair things around Remy 'cause I'll have to kill him then dig him up and
kill him some more if she did. No one should be watchin' somethin' that -
that - I dunno - sensual. No one should be watchin' her do somethin' like
that. Well, no one but me.
"So I confronted
him and told him I knew about it. Then - get this - he had the nerve to say
it didn't mean anything to him, and he still loved me. I mean, do you believe
that? Do you even believe that?"
"No, I don't
fuckin' believe that."
"I know.
What a jerk. Anyway, I said that just goes to show that he doesn't really
care about me because he wouldn't have thrown our relationship away for something
that meant nothing to him. I mean, what kind of person loves someone but sleeps
with someone else?"
So very glad
she didn't see me and Jeannie earlier today. So damn glad. That coulda been
a major fuck up on my part. "An asshole does that. A soon-to-be-very-fuckin'-dead
asshole."
"Oh, don't
worry, I already had a fight with Remy, that's taken care of."
"Whaddya
mean? A physical fight?"
"Well, yeah."
"Marie, what
the hell happened? Did he hurt you?"
"Whoa. Calm
down. It's over. It's over and I took care of it." How can she be so easy
about that? And why the hell didn't she say somethin' about all this shit
when I called? If there was someone here fuckin' with her, I woulda come back
and kicked ass, that's for damn sure.
"It ain't
over 'cause if he laid a fuckin' hand on you - "
"Logan,
Logan, listen. Let me tell you what happened." She's comin' over to sit beside
me on the bed now, and that's a good thing. A very good thing, 'cause it
won't hurt me none to be able to put a hand on her, just to, you know, make
sure she's still really here and OK and everythin'. "We argued some more
about Kitty, and I said it was over between us, that I wanted to break up.
Well, he didn't want to break up, and, well, some words were said and - "
"What words?"
Because he's gonna eat them. Slowly and painfully. And if he apologizes to
her real nice, I'll do him the favor of killin' him quick.
"Logan....I
kind of don't want to tell you. He was pretty harsh, and, I don't want you
to blow your top or to think those things about me." She really means that,
I can tell. Well, I can be calm, for, you know, a few minutes. Long enough
for her to get it out.
"Tell me,
Marie. Come on, kid, tell me. It's OK."
"Well, he
said that I might as well stay with him because no one else would ever date
me because of my skin and that I was very bad at, you know, kissing and stuff.
Kissing and other stuff."
"What. Other.
Stuff?" Must stay calm. Must stay calm. Wanna hear it all.
"You know,
sex stuff. I mean, we didn't have sex - Remy - Remy had lots of ideas on how
to get around my skin, but I - I wasn't really ready for that. So we did
a few things, just some, you know, touching. With hands. But that's it. I
didn't want to, you know, do anything....orally or anything else. And I think
that made him mad. But I don't know, maybe he was right and I am just bad
at that stuff. I mean, he's really experienced and I - "
"I'm gonna
fuckin' kill him!" I am, and right fuckin' now. Right now. Right -
"Logan,
calm down, OK? Sit back down. I'm trying to tell you I already had it out
with him. Now, do you want to hear the rest or not?"
"Marie, I
swear to God - "
"Come on,
sit down. Please?" The big eyes with the 'please' - it gets me every time.
Still, grrr. "Good. Now. He said some other things and then - "
"What other
things?"
"Logan...."
"What other
things, Marie?"
"Just - just
basically that I'd never be enough to satisfy someone and that I was, you
know, also an unpleasant person. Things like that." I know she ain't tellin'
me how bad it was, but that's actually fine 'cause if she did I'd be rippin'
up her room, I'm sure. "I finally got tired of, well, crying and hearing all
that crap, and I turned to walk away. Remy grabbed me by the arm - I had
long gloves on, so he didn't get my skin, thank God - but he grabbed me and
I just snapped. I just snapped or something because I backhanded him right
across the face." That's my girl. Not as good as decapitation by claw, which
is what he's gonna get from me, but pretty good.
"His pride
was hurt, and he grabbed me by both shoulders and started shaking me and yelling.
Well, I didn't like that too much either, so I punched him - strong, inside
punch right to the sternum. I think I got that from you. Jean said I might
have actually stopped his heart for a beat or two." That smile of hers -
looks pretty savage. Just like mine. Heh. "Well, he hit the floor and accidentally
whacked his head on a table on the way down, so he got a concussion too.
So you see, no reason to kill him. I've already punished him enough." She
looks a little proud of herself about that. Good. She should be. She did
a good job. But I'm here now, and his ass is goin' down.
"I'm still
gonna fuckin' kill him."
"Don't kill
him, that'll just get you in trouble. You can maybe hurt him, though. A little."
She's teasin' again. "You know, just enough to put the fear of the Wolverine
into him." Definitely teasin'.
"Hey, that
shit he said, that's just him runnin' his fuckin' mouth, you know that, right?"
Shruggin'
ain't the answer I expected there. "I think there's a grain of truth in
some of it. People - even my friends here - they're pretty freaksome about
my skin. I mean, in the play, they had to pretend all the kisses because
no one could really kiss me, and - "
"Hey - that's
their problem. Nothin' wrong with you."
"Yeah, deadly
skin, that's just a little glitch. Like a pimple or something, right?" Sad
teasin'. Haven't seen that before, and I don't much like how it looks on her.
"Any guy
who gets you should fall down on his fuckin' knees and thank God for you.
You're a prize, kid, don't let that shithead make you think different."
"Do you really
think so?" Little tears in her eyes now. God, I'm gonna hafta think of somethin'
good for that fucker Remy. Somethin' real good.
"Yeah, I
do, darlin'." Gonna hug her to make sure she knows. "Now, why don't you finish
what you were doin', OK?"
"OK. Um -
Logan?" Her face shifted real fast there and - "Would you mind, um, helping
me out of this dress?"
Another
loaded as hell question. What am I supposed to say here? No, no I wouldn't,
and I'll try not to feel you up while I do it? Shit. "No problem, darlin'.
Just, um, where's the zipper?"
"Well, that's
the problem - do you have gloves?"
"Yeah." Brought
a couple pair with me. Knew I'd need them around her.
"You're
probably going to want to put them on. It's - there are buttons inside the
seam all down the back. They start at my neck, up here, at the collar."
"Shit. How'd
you get into this thing?" There's buttons on top of buttons back here. Damn.
This is a complicated fuckin' dress.
"Jubilee
helped me - you know, with double latex gloves on. You're probably - you
might have a harder time if your gloves aren't thin."
These aren't
bad - leather, pretty thin - but these buttons are fuckin' hard to undo. "I'm
doin' OK back here." And I'm not even tempted to kiss you on the neck or
anythin'. Really. I mean, a neck-kiss could be a friendly gesture, right?
That reminds me of somethin'. "Hey Marie - when's your birthday?"
"My birthday?
It's February 14th. Valentine's Day. Why?"
Well, because
I can feel your body heat and how good you smell and I was just wondering
if you were eighteen yet and if you still liked me because I really would
like to get with you. "No reason. So - you're what, now, eighteen?"
"Yeah."
Logan, you are in some deep shit here. She's already eighteen. She can do
what she wants, and she's technically legal. Now, keep those thoughts outta
your head 'cause they're gonna get you in trouble here. She's still pretty
much a kid. Shit, she's probably never even - wait, wait, she has. She has
done stuff with that goddamn Remy. Fucker. Well, she's not doin' stuff with
him anymore.
"Almost done
back here."
"Good. Would
you mind, um, helping me with the corset too?" Now, I don't really remember
exactly what one of those things is, but I'm pretty sure if it's comin' off,
I ain't gonna mind helpin' that process along.
"No problem."
"I'll be,
um, a little, you know, um, well, totally actually, totally naked under there."
Oh. Oh. "So, um, be very careful, OK? Be very careful of my skin. There's
going to be a lot of it out in the open." God, that's so - I mean, here I
am, undressin' her, the guy she supposedly has a crush on, and she should
be - she should be excited or nervous or shy or somethin' but here she is
worried about her skin. God, that just breaks my heart. That just breaks my
fuckin' heart.
"Don't worry,
kid. I'll be careful. It's fine."
"Thanks.
I mean, really. I know Jubes would help me out of it if you didn't want
to but I can tell she's a little freaked by it."
"I ain't."
"Well, good.
Good. If - if you let me step out of the dress first, then you can start untying
the corset." God, when did her legs get so long? And her shoulders - oh,
my, naked, pale shoulders. I bet they'd be good to bite a little. Just a
little. "Start at the bottom, OK? Where that little bow is? And be careful,
Logan. Be really careful."
"Hey, kid,
quit worryin'. Ain't nothin' to it." Just gonna untie that little bow and
loosen the strings, start unlacing them. It's kinda like a big shoe. This
is gonna be a lot faster, I'm almost to the top already. "There." Just gonna
take a little peek at her naked back. Just a little peek. 'Cause, really,
there's only so much naked Marie one man can take before --oh, shit! She's
got red marks all over. Looks like from the damn corset. Fuck. "You hurt,
kid?"
"What?"
"Your back,
it's got a lotta marks from the corset. Looks like it hurts."
"It does,
a little, but the marks'll go away. And who's going to ever see them, right?"
"Well, I
am." I can smell her. She does want me still. And it's not - it doesn't have
the nervous smell that comes with a crush. It's a rich, full smell and I could
breathe it in all day. I'm just - just going to touch her a little. Just
going to rub her back.
"Oh." She's
eighteen now, and she can do what she wants. I know she's not ready for a
lotta stuff. I know that. But if she's ready for some stuff, she's old enough
to do it now, and with me if she wants. "Th-that's so nice." She's relaxin'
into my hands, leanin' back just a little, holdin' the open corset to her
front to keep herself covered. Dark hair everywhere, smellin' so good. She's
right. It is nice. Very, very nice. "Mmmm."
"Feel better,
darlin'?"
"Yeah. Very
much so." Just gonna lean forward a little, real carefully, and kiss the back
of her head. See what she does with that. See what she wants, what she's ready
for. "That's nice too." Shy little whisper. Love that. Gonna just do it again
since she liked it so much. Gonna just -
"Rogue? Have
you seen - " Goddammit, Jeannie. Don't she fuckin' knock? " - wh-what's going
on in here?"
Well, what
does it look like? I'm givin' my girl a back rub and kissin' her a little.
"Nothin' Jeannie. Didya need somethin'?" Marie's already gettin' up off
the bed. Shit, she's upset.
"I - I -
Logan, what are you doing?"
"Um, sorry.
Sorry, Jean." I can't imagine what on earth Marie has to apologize for here.
"Would one
of you tell me what's going on?" Jeannie's gettin' angry. I'd better handle
this, 'cause it's me, not Marie, that she's pissed at.
"Nah. Somethin'
we can do for you? 'Cause we were talkin'."
"Talking?
Is that what you call it?" Both hands on her hips. Damn nice hips. But she's
pisisn' me off right now.
"Yeah. That's
what I call it. Now, do ya want somethin', 'cause we're busy here." Maybe
goin' over to close the door'll get her movin'.
"Logan, you
- you - you can't stay here. You can't stay here."
"Well, it's
Marie's room, and she ain't kickin' me out. See ya later, Jean." She's gotta
get over it, because Marie is eighteen now, and she can do what the hell she
wants and with who in her own room. And if the Professor don't like it, well,
we can find a room somewhere else.
"Logan -
"
"Bye." Close
the door and lock it. Shit, gotta tell her to remember to lock her fuckin'
door next time. Although this little experience is probably a good enough
reminder itself.
"I'm so sorry,
Logan." She looks just about ready to cry.
"What for?"
"Jean - Jean
saw that and......and....."
"I'm not
really followin' you on why that's a problem here."
"Because
of the way you feel about her, I mean I'm sure you wouldn't want anyone to
know that you and I - "
"Whoa. The
way I feel about Jean? Whaddya mean by that?" 'Cause she's got me in her head,
she's gotta know that's all about lust and fun and nothin' that's -
"Aren't
you - don't you, you know, want her?" She's turnin' all kindsa red right
now, and it looks pretty damn good on her. She's still mostly naked, just
in pantyhose and underwear and holdin' that corset up against her.
"Yeah, but,
that's not feelings."
"Well, it's
the feeling of, you know, want."
"That's like
a - I dunno - biological urge or somethin', not a feelin'."
"Oh. Um,
still. I - I'm sure it must be embarrassing for you."
"What?"
"You know,
um, being with me, and - "
"OK, OK,
enough of that. Come here. Come here, kid. What's goin' on in your head?"
"Um, well..."
At least she's sittin' down next to me on the bed. That's a good thing. A
really good thing. For her emotionally. I meant for her emotionally. Yeah.
"...mostly, you know, how much I really liked the way you touched me and how
horrified Jean looked when she saw us and how all those things that Remy said
about me might be running through your head and maybe you were just trying
to make me feel better and didn't mean anything by it and how really, really
good it felt to be touched by you - not like Remy at all, I wasn't nervous
at all because I knew you'd be careful and you would be gentle. Mostly that."
You know,
she's real cute when she's all talking and nervous. "Well, I was thinkin'
how nice it was too and how I was hopin' that it did make you feel better
- you know, that the marks didn't hurt as much - and that it might be a
good idea just to touch and kiss you a little bit since, you know, I was
thinkin' about doin' that for a while. And how to kill Remy. That too."
Laughin'
Marie - always a good thing. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Can we go
back to doing that then?" Shy little smile and a blush. Almost worth all this
shit just to see that on her. It looks damn good.
"Oh, yeah."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Wake up,
asshole." I've done it this way one or twice before. Now, granted, I'm gonna
hafta let this particular asshole live, but for the most part, it's gonna
go down like it did with the other ones. Of course, there is another difference.
The other ones were business, kinda, and this is personal. Very personal.
"Wha?"
"Those are
adamantium claws on either side of your neck, Gambit or Remy, or whatever
the hell you wanna call yourself. They're razor sharp and if you flinch
a millimeter, one of your major veins is gonna get it."
"Get de hell
off me." Tryin' to be brave, but I can smell he's scared.
"No."
"What do
you wan' wit Remy?"
"I wanna
tell you a thing or two. Now, I know you weren't livin' here when Rogue and
me got here. I know you haven't met me, so maybe you don't really know shit
about me. I'm gonna tell you a thing or two."
"Ah, you
gonna tell Remy what a badass you are." I wonder if this insultin' thing
really ever works for him. Well, it ain't gonna work for him here. Gonna
just flick my wrist, bring up a few drops of blood. "Hey!"
"Shut the
hell up. I'm gonna do the talkin'. I got these claws, a skeleton reinforced
with unbreakable metal, and I heal from anything you can dish out. I'm pretty
fucked up in the head too. Got a short fuse. Killed plenty of people, and
I don't have any particular qualms about addin' you to that list. Only reason
you're not already on it is Rogue said not to kill ya. I really, really
wanted to. But she said no, and I generally listen to what she says. I was
listenin' real good when she told me about the shit you pulled on her. Now,
I don't care if you nail every other man, woman, and animal in this mansion,
but you are never, never, never gonna lay another fuckin' hand on Rogue.
You're gonna stay the hell away from her and you're gonna keep your goddamn
mouth shut when you might happen to see her. 'Cause she told me some of the
shit you said to her, and if I ever have to hear her tell me you fuckin'
upset her again, you and me, we're gonna have it out, and one of us walks
away. Got that?"
"Rogue, she
her own person, not your little doll." This fucker's got some nerve.
"She's sure
as hell not yours either."
"Maybe she
like Remy."
"No, no she
don't. She don't fuckin' like you and you should get that through your thick
fuckin' skull right now." Why the hell would he be thinkin' she liked him?
"Besides, you don't give a shit about her, you're just fuckin' with her."
"Remy's
not!" You know, if I didn't wanna rip his balls off so bad right now, I might
even think he believes that. Nothin' like bein' able to lie to yourself.
"You're fuckin'
other people and tellin' her you love her. That's fuckin' with her."
"It was a
mistake. De Wolverine never made a mistake?"
Oh no, asshole.
This ain't about me. "That mistake was your last one with her. I ain't fuckin'
around with ya. She's the only thing I really give a shit about and if you
fuck with her in any way, large or small, ever again, I'll take you out. I
ain't an x-man, asshole. I don't play by the rules. Shit, I've only got one
rule - take care of Rogue. You fuck with that, you'll find out how far from
bein' a good guy I am."
He ain't
got nothin' else to say. Here's where I usually fuck 'em up pretty good or
kill 'em. I guess I gotta let this dickhead go, though.
"Wolverine?"
He shoulda just let me walk outta his room. 'Cause I'm just itchin' to take
a chunk outta him.
"What?"
"You love
her, non?"
"No shit."
"She don'
love you. She jus' grateful. She jus' think you her savior. Dat gets old,
mon ami. One day she realize she way too good for you."
Asshole.
Now I see what she meant about him. He fuckin' goes for the jugular, but
with your head and shit. He plays on your weakness. Takes what might have
a little truth in it and fuckin' twists it to serve his ends. You know what?
"I'm glad my girl kicked your ass."
Fuck him
anyway. Enough time spent with this asshole.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hey, kid."
"Come in."
Time to pick up my girl for late breakfast. Gonna grab some food, maybe go
for a ride on the bike, then - whoa. Somethin's wrong. "What happened?"
"Um, come
on in and sit down." Shit. Those words never come before anythin' good.
"What is
it?" If that little prick Remy did or said somethin' -
"I talked
to Jean this morning." Shit. Shit, shit shit. That definitely can't be good.
"She, uh, mentioned to me that yesterday, before the play, you came on to
her."
Oh, fuck.
"Look, I - "
"Just let
me get this all out, OK?" Big, sad brown eyes. Frowning. Shit. "She said
that you came on to her pretty strong and that she wanted to warn me that
you might be, you know, thinking of doing things with me, but that those
things didn't mean what I thought they meant." I actually followed that.
Goes to show you I'm just about hangin' on every word. This could turn out
bad. "She said that you still had, um, feelings for her, and what happened
last night with me might have been your idea of making her jealous or something
and she didn't want to see me get caught in the middle of that and get hurt.
I, uh, I thought we should talk about all that."
"We should
- we should because it's not exactly like what you're probably thinkin'."
I think - I think she's gonna give me a chance to try to explain this and
I'd better -
"Well, maybe
I should tell you what I'm thinking instead of you guessing. I'm thinking
that Jean might be right about you trying to make her jealous, or about
things you did that might not mean the same thing to you as they did to
me. I was thinking that I really liked what happened between us, and I thought
it meant that you might want to have a relationship or something with me."
She's trying really hard to keep from crying, to stay on top of it and make
it come out right. "But I think Jean's right that what happened between
us last night doesn't mean that to you because I don't understand why you
would've come on to her so strong before. Unless, you know, you were just
having fun. With one of us or both of us."
Oh, shit.
She did a good job of getting all that out calmly and clearly, but I can tell
she's upset as all hell. "Can I say somethin' now?"
"Sure."
"I wasn't
havin' fun with either one of ya. Not exactly. I - I was just playin' around
with Jeannie a little. Teasin' her to get her goat and Scooter's."
"Can - would
- would you want to tell me exactly what happened between you?"
"Um, OK,
but it might make you mad."
"I'd rather
know." I don't know if that's from me or her, but I understand. I'd say the
same thing.
"I ran into
her and asked her if she was still engaged to Scooter. She said of course,
and I pushed her back up against a wall and rubbed up against her a little."
Fuck, she's wincin' at that. Well, might as well tell her the whole thing.
"I was tryin' to tease her a little, just playin'. But she said somethin'
about havin' second thoughts about gettin' married and then she grabbed my
ass."
"Whoa." From
the look on her face, it sounds like Jeannie left that little detail out.
"Yeah, I
know, I was pretty surprised too. I kept banterin' with her back and forth
a little, told her to pick yes or no whether she wanted to have sex with
me. She said what if she said yes, and then I started to realize she really
wasn't playin', she was serious. And as soon as she said that, it was kinda
no fun any more. I mean, I was just playin' but she wasn't and that's not
a good thing. Then, when I kinda wasn't sayin' anythin', just thinkin', she
said somethin' like 'Rogue has a crush on you but you've got one on me' -
I mean, her. Jeannie. That's when it kinda clicked in my head that you might
get pissed if you saw me doin' that with Jeannie and so I left."
"Hmmm. And
what about last night, with me? Were you playing then too?" Earnest question.
Curious question. She really wants to know. There's a part of her that looks
like it just wants to cry, but there's a bigger part of her that's just
tryin' to figure all this out.
"No. I was....I
was....to tell you the truth I kinda don't know what the hell I was doin',
just wanted to be with you a little."
"Kind of
a whim?"
"No, no,
not like that. Not like a whim at all. I'm kinda movin' on uncharted territory
with you, to tell the truth. I wanna be with you, that I know. I'm not playin',
I'm damn serious about that. I'm just not real sure how that goes. What you
said about it meaning a relationship, that's what I'm thinkin' too, a relationship.
But, you know, I don't really know how one of those goes."
"Well, I
was thinking a relationship where you and I would only be with each other.
I know you're - look, I know I'm a young girl and you're pretty, um, experienced.
And I know you're probably used to doing lots of things with women that
I'm just not....comfortable with yet. But the truth is, I just couldn't
let you touch me or kiss me or anything if you wanted to do that with other
people too. That would just make me feel.....awful." A few little tears
are comin' out now. God, I'd like to grab her and hold her right now. "It's
not - I'm not saying that we have to have that kind of relationship. We
can stay friends if you'd rather do that. I just don't want - I don't want
to make you feel like you can't be straight with me about what you want.
And I want to be honest with you too. I care a lot about you, and I want
to be sure you know what's what if you're thinking of getting involved with
me."
You know,
I'm beginning to realize I'm way out of my depth here. My Marie is a hell
of a lot more savvy about this relationship shit than I'll ever be. "OK. OK.
The honest truth is that I want that too - you and me with only each other.
I - as far as Jeannie goes, I don't - I'm not lookin' to lay a hand on her
any more."
"But there
might me times you need to be with someone in ways I'm not ready to be with
you yet. How are you feeling about that?" I think that's the nicest possible
way that coulda been put - Logan, what if you really need to get laid and
I won't do it? It kinda makes sense that she'd be worried 'bout that given
what that fuckhead Cajun did to her, cheatin' like that then tellin' her those
things. Well, she shouldn't have any worries on this one. I mean, yeah, I'm
a pretty horny bastard, but there's always ways to, um, self-satisfy when
you need to.
"I'm fine
with that. It's not - I don't think it'll be a problem. I......." Now I have
to think of a nice way to explain why to her. "....there are other, um.......I
can always, you know, take care of myself there." I am not blushing. I am
not blushing. I am not blushing.
"Oh. Oh.
Would you - would you be OK with that? I mean, for a little while."
Little while.
Little while. Certain body parts took way too much interest in that. "Sure."
"Logan,
are you positive this is what you want? Because it's not - it's not a light
thing for me. I'm going to fall in love with you, you know. And I'm going
to want it to last. That's - that's pretty deep." She's right. It is deep.
And that's the best thing anyone's ever said to me in my whole life. She's
gonna fall in love with me. I'm pretty excited about that. You know, for
a certified bas ass like me.
"I'm sure,
kid. I'm positive. It's not a light thing on my end either. You know you're
the only person I've ever really given a shit about. I don't want - I didn't
want you to just get with me to thank me for what I did for ya, or if you
wanted to check other things, other people out first. It's serious to me."
A little
smile there. I think that's good. She understands, and she believes me. Good.
"OK. OK. Then. You and me. Relationship."
"Yeah."
And I'm gonna have to give Jeannie a talkin' to. I don't want her up here
upsettin' Marie no more. And I wanna make it clear to her what's what between
her and me now, just in case, you know, she gets it into her head to go grabbin'
my ass again.
"Then let's
go eat breakfast. I'm hungry." Bigger smile now, and those eyes are clearin'
up. Whew. Close one. Coulda lost my girl right there. Whew.
"Hang on
a sec." Gonna just hug her, and kiss her on the head. Gonna keep my hands
in the waist zone and not do anythin' to make her think this is all about
gettin' in her pants. "We OK?"
"Yeah. We're
very OK. We're good." I think she liked that, the little hug and kiss. Good.
Good. It's gonna work out. I haven't lost my shot with Marie.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You can't
possibly be serious." You know, Scooter's reaching new heights of pissing
me off.
"I'm serious.
What's not to be fuckin' serious about? I talked to Marie about all this shit,
and she thinks it's a good idea. She wants to do it." I really don't see
what the big fuckin' deal is.
"She wants
to do it or she wants to do what you want to do? Because it's obvious why
you'd want her to move out of the mansion."
"Well, you've
all been so damn nice to the both of us these past few weeks, I can't imagine
why we'd want to leave." Scooter especially - hardly a day has passed that
he hasn't tried to say somethin' to Rogue about me livin' in her room. Jeannie's
been bitchy in general, Remy's been tryin' to antagonize me inta stabbin'
him (and he's doin' a pretty fuckin' good job at it too....), and Marie's
little friends - well, she don't mind 'em but they fuckin' irritate me. The
only one who's been halfway decent is Chuck. Well, him and that big blue guy.
Hank, I think. He's all right but I think he likes Marie or somethin'. They
spend a lotta time talkin' about shit I don't really quite get.
"So you're
just going to move to Toronto and shack up there? How are you going to support
yourselves?"
"I'll take
care of us. And I ain't goin' there to 'shack up,' asshole. She's goin' to
school. They gave her a full scholarship and shit and took her in the fall,
even. She really wants to go. So we're goin'."
"I didn't
know about the scholarship. She didn't say anything to me about that."
"Well of
course not. All you've been doin' is bitchin' about shit." You know, I shouldn't
get all that pissed off at him. I mean, it's not like my girl grabbed his
ass. And as much as I'd love to twist the knife a little that Marie's distancin'
hersef from him, I know how sad she's been about her and Scooter not gettin'
along. She really does kinda like him. I mean, he did get her outta that truck
and all. He has been pretty nice to her up until this me-and-her thing. "Look,
she really wants to go. And the school - well, they seem to like her a lot.
They really liked her statue of liberty painting."
"She painted
the statue of liberty? God, why would she choose that?" I had that same reaction.
Not exactly one of the good times in her life, and sure as hell not in mine.
Scooter gives at least half a damn about her, and I bet he'd rather just forget
all about it too.
"Dunno. She
said it 'spoke to her.' It was pretty good. She kept a picture of it if you
wanna see."
"I don't
think she'd show me." He looks pretty upset about all this shit. Maybe he
didn't realize how bad things between them were. I mean, she don't really
talk to everyone like she talks to me - workin' things out and shit. Still,
it's pretty much his fuckin' fault, the way things are.
"Look, we're
movin' to Toronto. I know she'd like it if you were on board with that, but
if you can't be, at least stop bitchin' about it to her. You can bitch to
me all you want. Deal?"
That's the
noise he makes when he doesn't fuckin' like the situation but he knows it
ain't gonna change. Well, good. 'Cause it ain't gonna change. "When are you
leaving?"
"Three days."
That's about all the longer I can refrain from stabbin' that cajun dickhead,
and I wanna get settled in pretty good before she hasta start school. Three
days.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Are you
sure you wanna take those?" Packing, packing packing. That's all she's been
fuckin' doin all day. I know we gotta go tomorrow, but, shit, couldn't she
just throw a couple things in a bag and be done with it? And besides, she's
not packin' enough of the sexy clothes.
"Look, I
know my flannel pajamas aren't your favorites, but it gets cold in Toronto."
I guess so. But those are just so....concealing. I like the sleep shirts
and even her cotton pajamas much better. Can feel her body heat through the
fabric a lot easier. "Besides, I like the little cows on them." They do look
kinda cute on her, I guess. It's not like anythin' in that closet really
looks bad on her. But then again, I'm probably biased. She's my girl. "You
hate this, don't you?"
"Nah."
"Yeah, you
do. Why don't you go downstairs and watch the hockey game?" Shit, I forgot
it was on already. Hmm. I could go downstairs, but.....
"Ya know,
maybe I'll just help you pack." 'Cause all of those little thong underwear
things should definitely go. I don't mind hangin' around to make sure of
that.
"Hey - I
just - you know, I wanted to thank you for doing this for me. Taking me to
Toronto, helping me get through school. I know...I know it's not your picture
of the good life, but it'll only be for a while, and then we can do what you
want." She's really beautiful just now. Hair all shiny, soft eyes, little
smile curvin' those lips.
"This is
pretty much what I want, darlin'. As long as you're around, it's all good."
"Well, thanks.
I appreciate it."
"Hmmmm. How
much?" Teasin' a little. I haven't teased her at all today. She's overdue.
"A lot.....did
you have some particular expression of that appreciation in mind?" Teasin'
back. I like it.
"Well, I
do have one special request."
"What's that,
sugar?" That's damn sexy - that little drawl on the 'sugar.' Damn sexy.
"Can we pack
this?"
She's smilin'
big now. "I thought you might like to bring that along."
"Well, it'll
balance out those flannel pajamas, that's for damn sure."
"I guess
the Professor wouldn't mind. I mean, it was made for me, for the play."
"What'd you
call it again?"
"It's a corset."
Yeah, corset. One of the best words in the English language. "Want to help
me get into it now? You know....just to be sure it still fits and everything...."
Yeah, oh
yeah. But I ain't done teasin' quite yet. "What about packin'?"
"Toronto's
not going anywhere. Come on over here, sugar."
That's my
girl. I'm keepin' her. Her and the corset.
|