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Title: Alter-Eighteen:
Naked Animal Guy
Author:
Terri
Email: xgrrl26@yahoo.com
Rating:
R
Summary:
Alternative version of events in the movie and the Eighteen series. Rogue
meets up with a different Logan under very different circumstances.
Disclaimer:
They aren't mine, I'm just having a little fun with them ;)
Archive:
Ask, and I will happily give
Feedback:
Please? Pretty please?
Author's
Notes: My brbf read this and complained. You see, she asked for a serious
alter-eighteen featuring a recently-released-by-the-government Logan. And
instead she got this - a HappyRogue story that can in no way be mistaken for
anything serious. But she betaed it for me anyway :) That's why I love her.
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I've got
to get a ride. I've got to get a ride soon. It's freezing. It's below freezing.
And Celsius just makes it sound even colder. Even when it's warm it's only
in the twenties. Ugh.
It feels
like I've been walking forever. I can't believe that guy just kicked me out
of his truck when he suspected I was a mutant. As soon as I said not to touch
my skin, he started to freak. And he seemed so nice. Well, until he started
being all grabby-handed. On second thought, maybe it's a good thing he kicked
me out.
But now
I don't even know where I am, except that it's damn far north. I think north
of the forty-ninth. And in the middle of a big forest. Great. 'Cause that's
so unusual in northern Canada. Hardly any forests around at all, should be
sooo easy to figure out where I am knowing that. Geez, I'm never going to
get to Alaska.
"Grrrr..."
Oh, shit.
There's some kind of animal out there. Well, of course there is, Rogue, it's
the wilderness. It's like the home for animals or whatever.
"Grrr....."
That was louder. Oh, God, that must mean it's getting closer. Why won't a
car come by?
"GRRRR....."
Damn. Now it sounds like a BIG, close animal. A big, close, hungry animal
that probably has fangs and claws and - oof!
"GRRRR!!!!!!!!!"
Oh my God! It's not an animal, it's a person! A big, heavy person that's pinning
me to the ground. He's got - fur? No, no, just lots of hair. "GRRRR!!!"
"Eeep!" Oh,
good one, Rogue. 'Eeep.' That's bound to scare him off. Way to make animal-guy
respect you. He's- he's sniffing at me. Ew. I can't smell very good - haven't
had a shower for three days. On the other hand, compared to him.......
"Grrrr...."
That was a little, um, nicer of a growl, I guess. Maybe I should do something.
Something other than going 'eeep.'
"Um, hello."
Oh, good, very good, Rogue. Say hello to the growling hairy man. Good one.
"H-hello."
Whoa. He looked a little shocked that I said something. And he's talking to
me. Talking. That's good. That means I can communicate with him.
"I'm Rogue.
What's your name?"
"Grrr....."
Maybe he just knows hello. He can't have been - he'd be frozen if he'd been
out here for very long. I mean, he's um, quite naked. Someone must have done
something to him. I wonder - wait - there's something around his neck, dog
tags.
"Wolverine
- it looks like your name is Wolverine."
"NO!"
"O-OK. Not
Wolverine. Fine."
"Not Wolverine."
"OK." He's
not moving and I wonder what he's thinking. He's just kind of looking at
me. "Um, would you mind, you know, letting me up?"
"<sniff>......No."
"Wh - oof!"
He's rolling me over and over, out further into the woods - what the heck
is he? Hey! That's a car! That's a car coming! "Let go! I need to get a ride
- let go!"
"NO!" He's
pinning me down by the shoulders, and God, he's strong.
"But I -
" The car's probably gone by now. Scratch that, definitely gone.
"Hide!" Whoa.
He's freaking out. Maybe somebody picked him up and did something bad to
him. He's....something's not quite right. Well, you know, even beyond the
growling and the nakedness.
"OK, OK,
we're hiding, we're hiding. But look - the bad car is all gone now. Gone."
He's sniffing again. "See? No more car. So can you - can you let me up now?"
"Grrr..."
I think that means OK, but don't pull anything. I'm guessing that maybe his
vocabulary doesn't quite go far enough to cover all that.
"Look, you,
um, have to be freezing cold all naked like, well, like you are. I have -
I can get some clothes out of my bag - I have some sweats that might fit you.
OK? I'm just going to go grab it - it's up there by the road." He probably
needs more than clothes. I don't know what happened to him, but medical attention
is probably -
"GRR...."
I don't think he likes the idea of me going by the road again.
"It's OK,
it's OK." Going to just move slowly, reach out and snag the bag. There -
"See? No problem. No problem at all. Now, let's see what we've got in here."
Some sweat pants, those will fit him. He can have some of my wool socks. What
else......that t-shirt might fit him, but that won't keep him too warm. Maybe....where's
that big shirt that I wear with leggings? That might -
"Clothes?"
"Yeah. I
thought you might, um, like some. They'll keep you warm." And much less naked.
"Warm."
"Yeah. Here.
Go ahead and put these on. I don't have any shoes in here that'll fit you,
so take about three pairs of socks. And these - put the um, t-shirt on then
the bigger shirt. That might work." I don't know what I'm going to do with
him if I can't get him into a car. He can't stay out here too much longer,
he'll freeze. At least he's putting on the clothes.
"Thanks."
Whoa. I
was expecting a little grunt or growl or something there. "You're welcome."
The big shirt is a little tight across his chest, but at least it's something.
"I've got lots of extra gloves. Here." He's looking at them like - no way.
I don't blame him. The first time I saw these kind of gloves, I bet I was
thinking no way they'd fit. "They stretch. Go ahead, they'll stretch to fit
your hands."
"Hmmm."
I think he likes those.
"Um, look,
how long have you been out here? Are you OK?"
"Dunno."
"You mean
you don't know how long or if you're OK?"
"Dunno how
long. I'm cold."
"Maybe you
should take my coat for a while. I can always put some more layers on. Here
- here you go."
"Thanks."
It looks good on him, actually - even the hood. He was really cold when he
was on top of me. Thank God I was covered and he didn't try to touch my face
at all. That reminds me - I should probably explain about my skin.
"You're welcome.
Look, I need to tell you something. I'm - I'm a mutant. I don't know if you've
heard of them or not. But I am one. And my skin is different. It - you can't
touch it with your skin. It will hurt you if you do. Do you understand all
that? Did that make any sense to you?"
"You're a
mutant?" That was a big sentence. Maybe he just hasn't had anyone to talk
to for a while, or since whatever happened to him happened.
"Yeah, but
don't be scared or anything, I won't hurt you, I just wanted you to know so
that - oh!" Look at that! He's one too! But what kind of mutation is that
- steel claws in his hands? "Can I - can I see?"
He's nodding,
and almost-growling. I think he's a little scared. The metal, it's shiny,
and it feels a little warm, even though my gloves. "Grrrr......" That was
a different growl, a - a sensual growl? I wonder what me touching the claws
feels like for him.
"Do they
hurt? Do they hurt when they come out?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry."
That must be awful, to have that in your body, and - wait, wait, when he
put them back in, his knuckles healed right up. Like, immediately. "Do you
- how do you do that?"
"Dunno."
"You healed."
"Yeah. I
do that."
"Oh." That
must be part of his mutation too. Oh, my.
"What does
your skin do?" Another big sentence, good.
"It - it
just hurts people. When someone touches me, it feels like they're coming into
my head, like they're kind of pouring into me. I can't control it, and when
it happens, they get hurt. The first boy I ever kissed was in a coma for
three weeks."
"Sorry."
"Yeah, me
too." You know, he seems like an OK guy. Kind of nice, even. "Look, we, um,
we can't stay out here - we'll freeze. We have to try to get a ride somewhere.
Now, I know you don't like cars, but - "
"No." He's
shaking his head, but surely, he's got to realize that he needs to get to
shelter. "Come with me."
"Um, OK,
but - where are we going? Because we should probably stay kind of close to
the road, don't you think? I mean, we could get lost."
"I know
where to go." He seems really sure, but....
"Are you
sure? I mean, we don't necessarily have to get in a car, but if we could
just follow the road for a while - "
"Come on."
He - he grabbed my hand, and he's actually dragging me with him. Whoa, there,
Mr. Caveman.
"Can you
tell me where we're going?"
"Come on."
OK, I guess that's a no. Well, I might as well follow him, why not? I mean,
sure, it's not really any different than hitch hiking, kind of. Only instead
of hopping in a car or truck with a total stranger, I'm walking through the
woods with one. A total stranger with an extremely limited vocabulary and
no name who came out of the woods like an animal and jumped me naked. Yeah.
No reason at all I shouldn't be doing this. Right.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Um, are
we almost there?" Because we've been walking for about three hours. And just
going deeper into the woods. The snow is getting deeper and the terrain is
getting rougher. It's hard to keep up with him - it's almost like he was born
to this. At least he took my bag. I'd never have been to carry it through
all this.
"Yeah. Over
this hill."
"Good. Good."
Ooof! Ran right into him. Wonder why he stopped all of a sudden. He's doing
the sniffing thing again. You know, just right now, I realize that I've lost
my mind. I really have. I really, really must have because never in my life
would I have guessed that I'd be standing on the side of a mountain in Canada
watching some guy who was running naked through the woods this morning take
a good sniff of the mountain air. I've really got to get a better plan together
for getting to Alaska. This hitching rides thing, hooking up with strange
woodsy naked guys, it's just not working for me.
"OK. Let's
go."
"OK - are
you - oh - is that where we're going? That little shack?" I wonder if that's
what he's been using for shelter.
"Yeah. No
one's there."
"You've
been living there?"
"I guess."
Now that
we're getting closer, I can see a little pipe chimney. Maybe there's heat.
But if he had a place to stay, why would he be running around in the woods
naked? And so far from here? "Is it your house?"
"No."
"You just
found it?"
"Yeah." Almost
there. It looks really small. But at least it's shelter. That's good. I just
have no idea where the heck we are, I couldn't find my way back to the road,
and, you know, I don't know who this guy really is, but at least we've got
shelter. Focus on the good, Rogue. Almost there - well, at least it's got
a door. And it does have a chimney so - "Wait."
"Something
wrong?"
"No." He's
almost - he's almost fidgeting. And he's not opening the door. I wonder what
has him - "It's a mess in there."
I can't
help it, I let out a laugh. He just looks confused at that. "That's OK. I
don't really care."
"OK." Whoa.
He was right. It is a mess in here. Dirt everywhere. No furniture. Some -
I can't really tell - but it looks like little animal bones near the fireplace.
"It's not much."
"It's fine.
It looks....cozy." He brightened at that, not a smile, but the muscles around
his eyes relaxed. "Do you want to start a fire? It would warm up the place."
"I can get
wood. And rocks." He's back to all business, already heading for the door.
"Rocks?"
"For a spark."
"Oh, I've
got - I've got a lighter in my bag, I'm pretty sure. Don't worry about the
rocks."
"OK." There
he goes. Not a man of many words, naked animal guy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"This is
nice." The fire's going real good. I'm almost de-iced. Naked animal guy must
be warming up too - he took off my coat.
"We can
sleep by the fire."
"Sounds
like a plan. Um, can I ask you something?"
"Yeah." He's
laying down and - oh, OK, grabbing me by the arm to lay down next to him.
I guess he meant we can sleep by the fire right now.
"Why did
you, uh, grab me back there?"
"I smelled
you."
Not really
understanding the logic there. And now he's pulling me up VERY close to him.
So glad we put some clothes on him. So very glad about that right now. And
glad my back is to him, less chance of a skin-related accident. Better remind
him just in case. "Be - be careful of my skin."
"I am."
He's really pressing up against me. I wonder if he's trying to keep me warm.
"My name's Logan. I think."
Whoa. That's
some deep conversation for him. "That's a nice name." It's much better than
naked animal guy.
Wait - wait.
He's, uh, I think he's grabbing my boob. It's hard to really tell through
all the layers of clothes, but I'm pretty sure his hand just came to rest
on my boob. Not exactly in a bad way, but still. This is turning, um, interesting.
"Logan? How did you end up out here? What happened to you?"
"Dunno.
Woke up.....I guess a lotta days ago. Didn't remember anythin'."
"Nothing
at all?"
"Just my
name."
"Why didn't
you go for help?" If that'd happened to me, I think I would have tried to
find a town or a police station or something.
"Don't know
who did this to me. Don't know who to trust. I can make it on my own." That's
just so sad.....living out in the woods, too scared to get help, living in
a dirt floor shack with no clothes. And worst of all having to do everything
yourself with no memories and nothing - not even clothes. Oh God, I don't
think I could do that.
"You can
trust me. If - if you want to. I'm not going to do anything bad to you."
"OK." He
doesn't sound entirely sure about that, but he's pressing me to him a little
tighter now, and his legs are resting on top of mine too. I don't mind. He
seems so lonely.
"Maybe -
maybe tomorrow we can think of what to do. You know. To get food and, um,
more clothes for you."
"I hunt
food. I don't need clothes." I don't think he likes the idea of leaving the
woods. He probably feels like this is his turf - he's probably comfortable
here.
"They'll
make you warmer."
"I'm warm
now." Maybe I should just let it go. Maybe I should just get some sleep and
let his hand rest on my chest and let him be warm and worry about it later.
"OK."
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It's not
bad roughing it, once you get used to it. At first, you know, the whole no-bathroom
and no-running-water thing is pretty inconvenient, but around the third day
or so, you just get over it. Likewise with the dirt floor. Tends to make
everything dirty, but, other than that, it's not bad. And the cuisine - freshly
killed woodland animal roasted over an open fire - is actually pretty tasty.
Once you get over the ick factor of seeing the carcass and watching it being
gutted and skinned. And living with Logan - well, he's short on the social
pleasantries, but he's actually very decent company. There's a me-Jane-you-naked-animal-guy
quality to life up here, but that's not all bad.
And I have
to say, the shack is coming along. It's been almost a week, and we've got
the walls insulated with some animal skins to keep out the drafts and some
animal skins to sleep on and to get covered up with at night - almost a bed.
I convinced Logan to carve some bowls and kind of a bucket with his claws.
I even figured out a way to take a bath by warming a bucket of snow and ice
next to the fire - well, no soap, but at least I could rinse off a little.
I managed to convince him to take a bath too. It took some doing, but by
the time I'd finished taking one, and he'd gotten a plenty good eyeful of
me naked, he was a little more flexible about doing it.
He's been
a little weird with the touching. Just when I got used to going to sleep with
someone clutching at my chest, he started with the rubbing thing. Rubbing
up against my backside. I didn't really know what to do the first time he
did that, so I just kind of stayed still. The second time I could really feel
how, um, excited it was making him, so I figured I'd better say or do something.
And, OK, I'll admit that I don't really know exactly what I was going to
say or do, but I wasn't expecting him to just take my gloved hands and put
them in his pants the second I rolled over to face him.
God knows
my momma would have a fit, but something about the way he looked at me right
then - so lonely and so lost - something about that made me not take my hands
away. It made me let him guide my hands and show me what he wanted. It made
me keep going even after he took his hands away. When he was done, it was
weird, yeah, all wet and sticky and hot, but I didn't mind it so much. And
I think it really - I don't know - did something for him, and not just in
the sex way. He growled and rumbled deep in his chest when it was over, and
he kept running his hands all over me until we both fell asleep. He just
seemed so....I don't know, content, maybe. So I did it again the past few
nights, last night even before he took a hold of my hands.
I think
the touching stuff has made him feel more comfortable in general. He's less
snarly, and he doesn't seem quite so sad. He's also talking a lot more, complete
sentences now. He thinks that maybe it was the government that got a hold
of him, so it makes a lot more sense why he wouldn't go for help. I'm still
trying to convince him to come down out of the woods, but, to be honest,
I don't mind being here for a while. It's fine. It's weird, kind of surreal,
and nothing I'd ever expected in my whole life, but it's actually fine.
"Hey." He's
back with a big, dead animal. You know, once I mentioned that we could use
some animal skins, he's gotten right on it.
"Hey. What'd
you get?"
"Bear."
"Oooh. Are
you OK? He didn't get you, did he?" He looks fine now, but with his mutation,
you never know what might've happened.
"Oh, yeah.
Got a good one in across my chest, but it's fine."
"You're all
right now?" I know he is, but I think he likes that I ask. I think he likes
having someone around who would ask that.
"Yeah. Gonna
skin 'em here. Already gutted 'em."
"OK. Need
any help?" He always says no. I think he takes kind of a manly pride in doing
it himself or something.
"No." That's
nice, a little smile. Very nice. You know, I bet - wait, his whole expression
changed just like that. Something's up.
"What? Logan?"
"I smell
someone. Stay inside."
"OK, I -
oh!" There's someone behind him - looks like a bigger, hairier version of
Logan. It's - he's attacking Logan! Oh no! His claws are out, Logan means
business. He's - he's getting in some good swipes at that guy, but he just
keeps coming, and now - now he's starting to hit Logan. Hard. Oh God, he's
just ripping into Logan and - he picked up tree, a tree! That guy ripped out
a tree by the roots! He's - oh, no! - that connected with Logan's head, and
he's out, he's out the claws are back in.
But he's
not - wait, he's not finishing Logan off, he's - oh, God, he's headed for
me. I can't - there's no where to run. He's gonna kill me, oh God, he's gonna
kill me!
"Sabretooth!"
Who the hell? Some guy with sunglasses? And a chick with white hair picking
up Logan. What the hell is going on here?
"GRRRR!!!"
Sabretooth's charging sunglass guy, and I hate to tell him this, but if Logan
couldn't win a fight with - whoa! He's got like laservision or something.
That hurt Sabretooth.
"Come on!"
Me? Is he talking to me? "Come on!" I guess so, but where - hey! That's a
plane!
"Logan?"
"We've got
him, come on!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So you
just go around, you know, in the leather uniforms and the big plane, you
just go around saving people and stuff?" It sounds a little iffy if you ask
me. I mean, what are they supposed to be? Super mutants? What kind of job
is that?
"Well, kind
of, yes." That's Jean, the doctor. Have to try to remember their names. Scott
is sunglass guy, and Storm is the white haired woman. The guy in the wheelchair
is the Professor. Professor Xavier.
"O-OK. Look,
is - will Logan be all right?"
"Yes, I
believe so. Is he your, ah, brother?" Bad Jean, fishing for information after
I already said I didn't want to talk about it on the plane. I mean, I don't
know who these people are, really, and some undetermined bunch of people
grabbed Logan and did bad stuff to him at one point. And Jean and the Professor
are telepaths. If anyone could wipe memories..... "I don't mean to pry, Rogue."
"Do you
know when he'll wake up?" Because I'd be willing to bet on major trauma when
he does. He's scared of cars and stays away from people. Here we are in a
big shiny medical office or something with lots of smells and strange things
and people. Oh yeah, trauma all around.
"Should
be in the next few hours. Rogue, do you know how Logan acquired the metal
that's grafted to his skeleton?"
"There's
metal grafted to his skeletion?" Oops. Smooth, Rogue, real smooth.
"Yes, adamantium.
We don't have any idea how this could have been done - the metal is almost
indestructible, almost unmalleable. Not to mention how he could have possibly
survived such a procedure, even with his healing factor. Has he mentioned
anything about it?"
"I really
think you should wait and ask him when he wakes up." Because I've already
put my foot in it enough. And because I don't like that they must've done
some test or x-ray of him or something to figure all that out. They didn't
tell me or ask my permission for that. They said they'd just stabilize him
and wait for him to wake up.
"All right.
Rogue, why don't you go ahead and take a shower, get freshened up? Maybe
get something to eat as well?"
"No thanks.
I'll wait here." No more tests on Logan for you, bad Jean. "I'd like to be
here when he wakes up."
"Fine."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Unnnhhh...."
"Logan?"
Good, he's coming around. I can use your help here, naked animal guy. We've
gotten ourselves into a little situation. Come on, come back.
"Rogue?"
His eyes are barely open and I hope he's not gonna -
"Ooommph!"
Whoa, he just leaped off that bed and snagged me, shoved me behind him. "Whoa,
whoa. It's OK. I think we're OK. At least, um, for now."
"Where are
we?" He's still holding me pretty firmly behind him.
"Westchester,
New York. In the U.S. At a school. We're in the medical office of the school."
"I've seen
places like this in my nightmares." God, he's not just scared, he's petrified.
"What happened to that thing that attacked us?"
"Some people
came, mutants. They fought him off and took us both here. They were in a
big black plane."
"Fuck."
"Look, Logan
- do you want to just get out of here, because - " Oh-oh, that's the door.
Jean. Well, hopefully he won't think she's a threat or anything.
"Stay behind
me, Rogue." Or maybe he will.
"It's all
right, I mean you no harm." She's trying to be friendly, but I think he's
reacting to her wearing that lab coat, looking like a doctor. If he's had
nightmares that have medical facilities in them.....
"Stay away."
And, whoa, here come the claws.
"I mean
you no harm. Please, Rogue, can you talk to him?"
"Um, Logan?
I don't really know what's going on or who these people are, so I think you
should, you know, try to calm down, but trust your instincts." I'm sure that's
not what Jean was hoping I'd say, but it's the truth. I don't know them,
but I do know Logan's instincts, and I trust them. If he thinks they're trouble,
we're out of here.
"Grrrr....."
That's the warning growl.
"Logan?"
Oh-oh, more people. That's not good. "I am Professor Charles Xavier. You
are at my school. Jean, please, leave us."
"Of course."
Maybe Logan will be a little calmer now that Jean and her lab coat are gone.
Still keeping one hand on me pretty solidly, though.
"Logan, we
mean you no harm. We only meant to help you and Rogue. You see, we discovered
a plan to kidnap Rogue. The mutant you encountered, Sabretooth, was sent to
retrieve her and bring her to another mutant called Magneto. Fortunately,
we were able to stop Magneto and to get to you and Rogue before Sabretooth
could do any harm."
"What do
you want from us?" Logan's sniffing at him. Maybe he can tell if that's true
or nor by smell.
"Nothing.
Only to help you become well again and to assist you in any way possible."
I have to hand it to the Professor. Pretty cool, calm, and collected for someone
facing six metal claws.
"I'm fine.
We don't need your help. Put us back where we were."
"I will
be happy to do so. Sabretooth and Magneto are in custody, and they should
not present any further threat. The plane is in use now, but will be available
tomorrow, in the morning. Until then, would you care to stay in one of the
guest rooms?"
He's looking
back at me to see what I think. I really, really don't know. I mean, the
Professor guy seems nice and everything, but..... "It's up to you."
"Show me
where."
"Very well,
follow me."
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"So what
do you think?" This is one huge guest room. Big bed, big closet, big bathroom
- bigger almost than the whole second floor of the house I grew up in.
"He wasn't
lyin' but I don't like this. We go back in the mornin'."
"OK." He's
pacing back and forth - still scared, I can tell. "But while we're here, maybe
we can get a shower, a meal, and a change of clothes? I think there are some
in the closet."
"You're
used to all this, aren't you?"
"What?"
"You know,
beds and floors. You lived like this before." He said it like he's just realizing
that. I guess he didn't think about what I did before he found me out in
the woods.
"Well, yeah."
"Rogue?"
He looks all serious now - almost like something's wrong.
"Yeah?"
"Are you
- are you goin' back in the mornin'?"
"Um, I just
thought you said we were." Is he losing it or something, because if that
lab-coat wearing wench did anything to him with her little tests, I swear.....
"I'm goin'.
Are you comin' with me?"
"Well, yeah.
Of course. Why wouldn't I?"
"Dunno. No
reason." What's up with him? Because if I didn't know better, I'd say he
was afraid I'd ditch him and - oh, God, that's it. He is afraid I'll ditch
him. I'm the only person he even kind of knows or trusts. He's got me and
a dirt floor shack, that's it. And now he thinks I'm ditching him here. Well,
I can't let him think that. Not at all.
"I'm going
back with you. No way I'd stay here. I want to go back. Hey - we were just
getting the place all nice and fixed up, can't leave now." Maybe if I go
over to him, hold his hand a little or something, maybe then he'd - ooopmh!
That's a heck of a hug.
"Good." He
really is shaken up. This has got to be scary for him - waking up in a place
he's seen in nightmares. And on top of that to think his new girlfriend's
going to be lured away by nice cushy beds and shiny floors......
"It's OK,
you know. We can just, you know, regroup a little here, and in the morning
we'll be gone. No problem. Let's - let's get some food, take a shower. OK?"
We can both use some soap and water. Maybe I can sneak a bar of soap for the
trip back too.
"OK. You
first. You first with the shower."
"OK."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Oooh! Ice
cream! We've got to have some of that." I fully intend to eat as much as
possible while we're here. Fire-roasted woodland creature du jour is good,
but lacking in variety, you know?
"You're
still hungry?"
"A little.
Maybe. Hey - it's ice cream, you have to try a little." He looks good post-shower
and shave. He wouldn't let me take off all the facial hair, but I can see
a little more of his face now. And he smells a lot better. Showering with
soap definitely works better on the smell factor.
"OK, but
it looks cold." He sounds deeply suspicious of the ice cream. Oh, well, he
ate the Cheetos, didn't he? He'll like this too, he just doesn't know it
yet.
"See?" I
can tell by the look on his face he does like it. "Pretty good, huh?"
"Yeah. Gimme
some more."
"Here you
go." He REALLY likes it. "Take the carton."
"Thanks."
"Hello, Rogue,
Logan." Bad Jean. No lab coat this time, though. And she's parking herself
as far away from us as possible, at the doorway.
"Hello."
"May I speak
with you for a moment, Rogue?"
"Sure, go
ahead." Because I don't think I'll be leaving Logan alone here, and vice versa.
He even sat on the toilet while I took a shower and took his with the shower
curtain half-open so he could see me at all times.
"I was hoping
to speak with you privately."
"Um, I don't
think so, no."
"There may
be some things you would not wish Logan to - well, there may be some things
that you might wish to discuss with Logan separately."
Not a big
chance of that. "I'm sure whatever you have to say is fine to talk about
between the three of us."
"Very well.
Rogue, I was hoping to ask you a few questions."
"Not to
be rude, Jean, but I really don't feel like answering questions right now.
I just want to go back home."
"How old
are you Rogue?" You know, I'm beginning to think that Jean has some issues.
Like not being able to listen to people when they talk. Bad Jean. Well, she's
not going to get an answer to that one. Because I'm not telling her I'm still
a minor. That can only lead to bad things. I can just tell she's one of those
for-your-own-good kind of people. The kind that would insist on keeping me
here or something because she thinks it's better than where we were living.
Besides, I'll turn eighteen in a week - no, five days. So no point, really.
"Have you finished school? Because we have a special school here just for
mutants."
"Look, I'm
grateful to you for saving my life, but I don't want to discuss anything with
you. I don't know you." I think Logan's picking up on my bad vibes. I hear
those little vibrations deep down in his chest, little rumblings that precede
a full-on growl.
"I understand,
Rogue, I do. But we're here to help mutants like yourself. If you're planning
on returning to where you were living before, I just want you to know you
have other options."
"Grrr....."
Now there's the full-on growl.
"I appreciate
your concern, but we're fine, thank you." Now get the hell out of my sight.
"Very well,
Rogue. Perhaps we will have the chance to speak again later." Bye-bye bad
Jean.
"I don't
like them." Yeah, I can that tell by the growling, honey.
"I know."
"They want
to keep you."
"They're
not going to." They don't seem like the kind of people who'd try to keep me
by force, but then again, I don't really know them. "We're going tomorrow,
one way or another."
"Yeah. You're
mine, and I'm not gonna let them take you." Now that's an intense look. He's
really upset about that, I can tell. Well, I would be too - the one person
you know getting mutant-napped by a bunch of weird people at some school
is an unsettling prospect.
"They're
not going to." And I pity them if they try.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Uh, excuse
me, but can you give us a ride back now?" The Professor. He seems like the
guy in charge. Logan doesn't like him, but I think he's probably OK. Logan
just doesn't trust them, that's all. He's been extra-growly this morning.
And he was extra-snuggly last night. He still thinks they might pull something.
"Good morning,
Rogue, Logan. Would you care to join me for breakfast?"
"No thanks.
We ate already. We're ready to go." I hope he's not evading the question.
Because Logan's going to seriously freak if he stalls on taking us back.
"I was hoping
to have a word with you both first."
"Grrr...."
Low-level growl. The warning one.
"I, uh,
don't think that's a good idea. We're kind of in a hurry to get moving."
"I was hoping
to convince you to spend a little time with us, actually."
"No." Logan,
grabbing me and pushing me behind him. He's in danger-alert mode, and they'll
be no useful conversation now.
"Perhaps
Rogue would like to talk, Logan."
"Not really,
um, thanks. I appreciate you saving us and all, but I'd really like to just
go." I know I must look pretty ridiculous saying that peeking out from behind
Logan's shoulder, but we should definitely go. Before Logan takes out the
claws and slices up your nice office.
"Rogue, you've
been living in a small - well, shack for lack of a better word. With very
few conveniences. Are you sure you would not like to stay here, attend school?"
"I'm done
with school. And I'd rather go home, thank you." Keep it polite, even. Don't
let Logan smell you getting scared too or he'll really freak.
"So you've
completed high school, then?"
Smart guy.
That's probably how he got to be a professor. "I'm ready to go home. It may
not be as nice as this place, but I want to go back to it. Are you going
back on your word that you would return us if we so chose?"
"I simply
want to make sure that returning is your choice, Rogue, and that you are
not being coerced in any way."
"GRRRR...."
Logan's hands are getting almost painfully tight on my hips.
"Coerced
by Logan, you mean?" Put your cards on the table, baldie. Don't imply, don't
insinuate, don't infer. If you've got something to say, say it right out.
"Yes. He
has not let you out of his sight, and I would feel better if you and I had
a chance to speak privately."
"GRRRR!!"
"No. That
won't - that won't be necessary. There's no coercion going on. I think we'll
be leaving now." I'd rather not get in the plane now. Too chancy. Who knows
what they could be planning. We'll have to find our way back, and we have
exactly jack shit, but I'd rather just get the heck out of here. I'm starting
to get the heebie-jeebies. Just going to start pulling Logan backwards with
me, out of the room.
"Rogue,
please, we mean you no harm - "
"You know,
you keep saying that, but it looks an awful lot like you're trying to keep
me here after I've already said I want to go. That's not harmful?" Oh-oh,
Logan put the claws out. He's just a second or two from beserker rage, I
can feel it. Just a few more steps, the doorway should be right behind me.
"I won't
physically restrain you from leaving, but - "
"Then we're
out of here." Doorway, hallway, good. Clear. No one in sight between here
and what looks like the front door. "Let's go." I know Logan's torn between
making a run for it and staying and kicking ass. I say we make a run for
it.
"Grrr...."
"Come on,
let's go, let's get out of here." Out the front door, onto the grounds. A
hundred yards or so to the gate. Come on, come on.
"Rogue!"
Oh, shit. I think that's bad Jean. "Rogue, please wait!"
"GRRRR!!!!"
Crap. He's going to stand and fight now. He's turning and doing the putting
me behind him thing. Crap.
"Rogue -
don't go. We'll - we'll take you back. Please." At least she had the good
sense to stop at a safe distance from his claws.
"No. We'll
go ourselves. Get back, Jean, he's mad."
"GRRRR!!!"
"OK. All
right. Just calm down."
"Calm? I'm
perfectly calm. You people are nuts. And you're scaring Logan. We're leaving."
Just have to tug Logan a little, I think he'll let me get him out of here
and - whoa, he's turning - there's - there's someone else behind us. Shit,
it's sunglass guy. Damn. We're stuck.
"Rogue,
we just want to talk." Liar, liar, pants on fire, sunglass guy. "Please."
"I said
no." Going to fight for sure now. Well, Logan's not the only one with a weapon.
Maybe they'll realize we're serious if I take off the gloves. "Stay back.
Let us leave."
"O-OK. All
right, Rogue." Sunglass guy has a brain after all, he's stepping aside. I
think - I think they're actually going to let us go.
"Come on,
Logan. Let's get out of here. Come on." I know you want to show dominance
and kick ass and all that alpha guy stuff, but let's just go.
"Grrr...."
He's coming. Good. Whew. Thank goodness. Let's get the hell out of here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So, um,
I was thinking that we should probably just start hitching north. I know how
you feel about cars and all, but I really can't think of anything else at
the moment. I mean, we don't have any money and we left all our stuff back
there."
"No cars."
He's totally freaked. And I don't blame him, I kind of am too. People with
good intentions --they can be very, very scary. What's that old quote - the
people with good intentions do the most damage because not even their own
conscience restrains them? Something like that.
"I have
an idea - we can get some money, at least a little. I know places where you
can sell your blood and they give you juice and cookies and a little money,
like usually twelve or fifteen bucks. That'd be something anyway. We can
look in the phone book at a pay phone."
"OK....."
Constantly looking around and looking for a threat. This has got to be like
overload for him.
"It's going
to be OK, it really is. Look, I know it's weird out here. But I've done this
before. I mean, you know how you're in your element in the woods? Well, this
is more like my element - trust me, OK?"
"I'm not
gonna let them take you. We have to go back home."
I know how
to fix this. I know how to make him feel better. If I go over to him, hug
him a little, he'll know I mean it. He'll be able to smell me. "We will.
And I'm not going anywhere. We'll make it back, trust me."
"OK." He's
hugging back. Good. I think - I think we can do this.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"And tonight's
challenger, the Wolverine!" This is a bad, bad, and wrong idea. Very bad
and very wrong. But we so need the money. We'd only gotten $38 from me selling
my blood for two days. Logan can't do it -too many medical flashbacks. I
told him it's OK, I understand, but when someone at the blood place took one
look at him and suggested making money at a fight bar, he was all over that.
Said he has to take care of us both and get us back to the mountain. And
I'll admit - he's good. If he wins the round - and he's sure as hell been
kicking ass so far - that's almost a thousand dollars for just this fight,
almost three thousand total.
We've spent
$1,200 of that so far. Really, that's not bad for two weeks worth of expenses,
especially since we bought a car for $900 after the first fight. It's a truly
horrible car - a 1982 Delta 88. But it doesn't matter if it's an old heap,
it got us over the border. Between me selling blood and picking up a little
day labor on the way, and Logan's four fights, we're making enough money
to cover food, gas, supplies to last us a while up on the mountain, and maybe
even more clothes.
I figure
we're at least another day or two out -this'll be the last town and the last
fight before we go up. Once we get back to the road near the mountain, we
can just ditch the car and go on foot. Maybe we can even grab a few supplies
- you know, maybe utensils and soap and stuff - here before we go up. I was
thinking we'd even splurge and stay in a motel tonight instead of sleeping
in the car.
I have to
say, we've done a good job. The first week was really rough - no money, no
clothes, sleeping outside at night. Ugh. If I never have to do that again
in my life, I'll be perfectly happy. And Logan was still pretty freaked out.
He still kind of is, but at least he's not so hyper about watching me to
make sure I don't ditch him or something. He's easier about that now, but
every day, at least once a day, he asks me again if I'm coming up to the
mountain with him. I always say yes, of course, but he always asks.
Once we
get back up - then what? - that's the question. I mean, we've got to come
down eventually, but Logan's going to need some time to get over all this.
He's not going to be wanting to let me out of his sight or off that mountain
for a very long time. Well, I guess we'll just make it as liveable as we can
in the mean time. He's a good hunter, so there'll be food. And we can keep
piling up the animal skins -maybe cover the dirt floor with them if we get
enough - you know, like carpet - and make a better bed out of them. We'll
figure something out.
"The winner,
the Wolverine!" Whoa, that was quick. He's - I hope he's OK. Time to go congratulate
the winner.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So what
do you think?"
"I don't
like it. It smells funny." His nose is all crinkly and scrunched up. That's
kind of cute, the way he looks right now.
"Hmm. Yeah,
it kind of does. But I thought it'd be nice to stay in a motel for once.
Just as a change of pace."
"You like
it?"
"It's OK."
"I like
the car better." He likes it because it's familiar, because it smells like
us, and because it's a small, contained space where I'm never more than an
arm's reach away. I know him pretty well by now.
"Me too."
Not really, but I kind of do, in a way, and that will reassure him. "But
this is nice too. Besides, I've got a surprise for you." I've been doing a
little shopping, and I know he saw me buying this stuff, but I'm not sure
he really understands what I'm intending to use it for. He's used to just
me touching him, you know, with gloved hands. He's been touching me too lately,
with gloves, and I can tell it's a little frustrating for him, to just do
it that way.
"What?" Part
suspicious, part wary, and part excited. Well, the last surprise I had for
him - a pair of sheer gloves that I found in a truck stop of all places -
was a good one.
"I bought
these." Tights, black, very soft, already on my body. "And these." Condoms,
extra-large, ribbed. "I thought we might, you know, use them."
"Grrrr...."
Oh yeah, that's the lusty growl. He's getting the picture. That's a happy
naked animal guy, for sure.
"Come here,
sugar. Go on, take off your clothes." He's all over that. That's my man.
And he's already ready to go. No hiding that. Glad I went with extra-large.
"Grrr....."
That sound just does something to me. I can feel it to the bottom of my feet
when he does that. I think he knows it too. He gets a little grin sometimes
when he catches me looking all swoony. Well, I'm just going to lay down on
the bed, watch him put on that condom, and let him come to me.
"Rogue?"
I love the way he feels on top of me, so heavy, so solid.
"Yeah?"
"Are you
coming up to the mountain with me?" He's always so serious when he asks this,
almost like he expects me to say no every time.
"Of course
I am sugar, of course I am. You know, I'm not going to go anywhere without
you. You go somewhere, I go too."
"Grrrr....."
He's not much for preliminaries, already he's moving my legs apart. I know
how much he's wanted this, though. You know, I honestly don't know how he
deals with me sometimes. The no-touching thing has got to bug the heck out
of him, with all those animal instincts. But you know, just when I think he's
all animal, he goes and does something tender like rub my tummy through my
shirt or kiss the back of my head.
"Yes, baby....."
There - whoa, that hurts! And he's not moving, just looking at me and giving
out a little whine. "It's OK. It's OK."
"Hurt?"
"Yeah, but
that's all right, don't worry. I - I'm fine, sugar."
"I'll stop."
"No!" Oh
no, hell no. I want this too. You don't fool around with someone with so
much raw sexual energy and not want to do it, really do it. "I mean, um, it's
OK. It'll stop hurting in a little bit, and I really want this. Please?" I
know he won't be able to say no if I move a little myself. He'll feel how
good it feels, and he'll go with it as long as I keep reassuring him I'm OK.
"Yes, yes, that's good..." He's on board now.
"Grrr.......yes............gggrrrrr!"
I know it's supposed to hurt, but damn! That really did hurt at first. Feels
a little better now. Nice, almost.
"Go on,
sugar, yeah..." He likes it when I talk to him in bed, even if it's just
little things, little encouragements.
"GRRR!!!"
He's not going to last too long. That's OK. It's just the first time. There'll
be lots more times. "GRRRRRRR!!!!!"
"Yes, baby,
yes."
"GGRWWOOLLLLL!!!!!"
That's it,
he's done. Whoa. He's really panting after that. Well, good, it means he
liked it.
"Rogue......."
"Yes, sugar,
right here." Just going to ease him off me a little. He needs to take the
condom off.
"Rogue....."
"Yes, sugar.
Let me - let me help you with that." Just going to carefully take that off,
and - OK, done. Good work, Rogue, mission accomplished. Having sex with Logan
definitely accomplished.
"You didn't........."
"That's all
right, sugar. We have plenty of time. I'm not going anywhere." Whoa. He's
on top of me again all of a sudden. I wonder if - no, no, he's not ready to
go again, he's looking at me real intently. "Logan?"
"Why do
you keep saying that?"
"Saying
what?"
"That you'll
stay. That you'll go with me to the mountain."
"Because
that's what I'm going to do."
"But, you're....."
He gets like this sometimes, he can't find the right words, or get the ones
he's thinking of out the way he wants. Best just to wait. And maybe stroke
his hair a little. He usually likes that. "You're not.....you're not like
me."
"What do
you mean?"
"You're....the
people at the school - they all talked to you. No one talked to me there."
You know,
now that I think about that, he's right. They didn't really talk to him.
They just kind of ignored him. I wonder - maybe it's the growling thing. Maybe
they just wrote him off as some dumb animal guy. Well, they've done enough
damage, I'm not going to let him think badly of himself on top of it. "Don't
go by them. They're weird."
"But other
people - people in the bars, they talk to you, you were getting people to
pick you up on the road, people try to help you. People don't talk to me
or try to help me. You could - you could get more of that if you left me.
Don't you know that?" That was the most he's said, ever. I can tell he's really
thinking about this, that it's very important to him. So, even though it's
clearly, you know, stupid and ridiculous that I'd ever, ever leave him for
that, I have to handle it seriously.
"Look, Logan
- I don't care about all that. I - I don't really care if people talk to
me or help me as long as you talk to me and you help me."
"But I -
"
"Logan? Why
did you jump me on the side of the road that day?" He's told me a couple times,
but not the whole story. I think I know what he means, though. I think I
know what's under there.
"I smelled
you."
"And what
did I smell like? What made me smell good to you?"
Burning hazel
eyes now. So strong, so full of fire. It's times like this that I wonder what
he must've been like before, and I hate like hell the people who hurt him.
"You smelled like mine."
"Don't you
think I know that too, sugar? Don't you think that's true? Have your senses
ever lied to you so far?"
"But - "
"No buts
about it. You and me. That's what's important, not other people. Not whether
we live in a little house or a big one, not whether we sleep on a bed or
on a bear skin. You and me. That's how it's going to be form here on out."
"I-I want
that. Bad."
"Me too.
Me too. And we're going to have it. I promise. OK?"
"OK." Oh,
God, that's so.....the way he just laid his head down over my heart, it's
so beautiful. I know in my head, he's naked animal guy to me, probably always
will be, but it's not - he's not all animal. There's a lot of wonderful person
guy in there too. And I love the both of them. I love them a lot.
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