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Title:
Alter-Eighteen: It's a Small, Weird World After All
Author:
Terri
E-mail:
xgrrl26@yahoo.com
Rating:
R, adult themes, dark sexual themes, some non-consensual and violent sexual
activity
Disclaimer:
Only Jack belongs to me. But I'll keep him.
Archive:
Finally, I give you a normal answer here. WFRA, Mutual Admiration,
and the Peep Hut. Everybody else, please ask, and I'll say yes.
Feedback:
Please? Pretty Please? Good, Bad, and Ugly welcome.
Summary:
Alternative version of events in the movie and the Eighteen Series.
Rogue and Logan each find the x-men separately, and then they find each other.
Comments:
First of all, this is dedicated to Victoria-happy birthday, babe! Second
of all, let me apologize to Vic for taking her very nice blues-singer Rogue
plot bunny and turning it into this-sorry! Somehow, these birthday
fics always end up involving some sort of twisted sexual situations.
Maybe it's some subconscious connection of aging with death and dysfunction,
I don't know. And I don't want to know. All I can say in my own
defense is that the plot bunny bit me this way and I was in a weird mood
when it was written, so this somehow turned into a meditation on weird vs.
normal and didn't turn out to make much sense. Well, I can say that,
plus, you know, I'll do another fic for Vic if she wants ;) In honor
of Vic (and to remind her about Off the Corner, which I am sure we all want
more of-start bugging Vic now..) I copped her idea of having Logan feel it
in his heart when Rogue smiles or does something really cute. I hope
she doesn't mind. Lastly, thanks to Keli for the super-express beta
to ensure (almost) on-time birthday delivery.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Ya know,
I think this makes it official. Yeah, I can now say that I've been in
every goddamn shithole bar in Alberta. Wonder how I managed to miss
this little dive for so long? Well, don't matter. It's got whiskey.
That's all that matters.
"Hey, bartender.
Gimme a bourbon, neat." Guy looks old-maybe sixty, sixty-five.
Wonder if he owns the place.
"Comin'
up. Anything else?"
"Nah."
Just some bourbon, maybe a good smoke and then I'll get back on the road.
Gotta keep movin'. Wait-where the fuck am I again? Fort Vermilion?
Yeah, I think that's right. Can go west from here, through the Indian
reservations, try to keep a low profile. I think I finally shook those
Brotherhood bastards. I'm sure Chuck knows where I am-he's got that
fuckin' machine after all-but I bet he knows enough not to come after me.
Fuckers. Trust us, we're the good guys, we'll help you find your past.
Yeah, I shoulda known better than to buy into all that shit. Shoulda
known there ain't no place for me. Not even with a buncha other freaks.
Now, what's
this? She sure as hell looks outta place here. Young girl, maybe
eighteen, maybe not quite. Weird-ass white streaks in her hair-but
I guess that's the style or somethin'. Nice rack, good ass. Huh.
She's gettin' up on stage with a guitar. Must be a singer or somethin',
but I sure as hell wouldnta expected entertainment in this place.
"Hello, I'm
Rogue." Shy, too. Must have stage fright or somethin'.
Wonder how she wound up here, doin' this. "I'm going to sing for you
tonight." Nice smile.
"Whoo, baby!
I wantcha to do more than sing for me!" Drunken asshole. Don't
people have any goddamn manners any more? I wouldn't mind hearin' a
song. It'd be a nice change of pace, actually. And she looks
sweet. I bet she's one of those soft, slow singers-like a Sarah McLaughlin
or somethin'.
"O-OK."
She's pretty much ignorin' him. If this ain't her first time doin'
this, I bet she's run inta these kinda assholes before. "Well, here's
the first song. It's called 'Piece of My Heart.'" Now, a little
thing like her can't be thinkin' about attemptin' the Janis Joplin version.
Must be some other song or somethin', 'cause there's no way she's gonna pull
that one off.
Wait a second-it
*is* that song. I recognize the intro and-
"Oh, come
on, come on, come on, come on..Didn't I make you feel like you were the only
man? Didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can?
Honey, you know I did" Holy hell. Holy jumpin' hell. That's
a voice. That's a southern-fried-chicken-truck-stop-blues-mama voice
comin' outta that little girl.
"And each
time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough, but I'm gonna show
you, baby, that a woman can be tough. I want you to come on, come on, come
on, come on and take it, take it - take another little piece of my heart now,
baby.." Damn. Just-damn. She's fuckin' good.
"Oh, oh,
break it - break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, yeah,
yeah. Oh, oh, have a - have another little piece of my heart now, baby.
You know you got it if it makes you feel good, oh, yes indeed." Hell, yeah.
Now that's my kinda singin'-blues and heartbreak, darlin'. Story of
my life. At least what I remember of it.
"You're out
on the streets looking good, but baby deep down in your heart I guess you
know that it ain't right." Not so shy now-she's got a little gleam
in her eye and a little pout on those lips. "..never, never, never,
never, never, never hear me when I cry at night, babe, I cry all the time
- and each time I tell myself that I, well, I can't stand the pain, but when
you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again. I'll say come on, come
on, come on, come on and take it.."
"Another
bourbon?"
"Sure."
She's got every eye in the place on her. That's one helluva voice she's
got.
"You know
you got it, child, if it makes you feel good.." Wonder if-she sings
that song so good, makes it sound so true, it makes ya wonder if she's seen
any heartbreak already. Those big brown eyes-they kinda say yes to
that question. Song's over-huh. Gonna be hard to top that one.
"Thanks.
Thank you." Well whaddya know? Some people even got enough civilization
left in 'em to clap for a job well done. Will wonders never cease?
"This next song was originally done by Melissa Etheridge. It's called
'Like the Way I Do.'" Huh. Dunno that one, but ain't that the
chick that had David Crosby's babies? I wonder if it's a song about
that.
"Is it so
hard to satisfy your senses? You found out to love me, you have to
climb some fences.
Scratching
and crawling along the floor to touch you - and just when it feels right,
you say you found someone else to hold youDoes. She. Like.
I. Do?" Whoa there, darlin'-she keeps singin' like that and she's
gonna have every red blooded man in the place nippin' at her heels.
"Baby, tell
me does she love you like the way I love you? Does she stimulate you,
attract and captivate you? Tell me does she miss you, existing just
to kiss you like the way I do? Tell me does she want you, infatuate
and haunt you - does she know just how to shock you, electrify and rock you
- does she inject you, seduce you and affect you like the way I do?"
I don't care who the other woman is, the answer to those questions has *gotta*
be 'hell, no.'
"Can I survive
all the implications? Even if I tried, could you be less than an addiction?
Don't you think I know there's so many others? Who would beg, steal
and lie, fight, kill and die, just to hold you, hold you like I do?"
Plays a damn good guitar too. She could be doin' this professionally.
I mean it, she could be on MTV or some shit. Wonder why the hell she's
here singin' for these assholes instead. I mean, she ain't gonna get
discovered or nothin' out here. She should go to New York or L.A. or
some shit.
"Nobody loves
you like the way I do, nobody wants you like the way I do, nobody needs you
like the way I do, nobody aches, nobody aches just to hold you like the way
I do.." Is she-yeah, I think she looked over at me. Damn.
That made me wanna jump up there and grab her, throw her down on the floor
right here and now. Nothin' innocent 'bout that kinda look. What?
Oh yeah, clappin'. Song's over. Damn. Lost track there
for a second.
"Thank you.
Thank you. I've got one more song for you tonight. This one's
also by Melissa Etheridge. I guess I'm just in that kind of mood."
So weird. Right back to shy little kid when she's talkin'. Makes
ya wonder which one of those she's like in bed. I'd bank on not-so-innocent
there.
"I had a
dream late last night, the water was running low - and my fields were on
fire, burning my sky, my body was moving slow. And when I awoke I tasted
the sweat of desire in my mouth" Shit. Pants gettin' uncomfortable.
That's not good. After what happened back in Westchester, I can't go
thinkin' like that. Can't go gettin' excited like that.
"And I realized
my heart had abducted my mind, and they were last seen headed south. Now I can't
sleep, I'm so wired, and I find myself screaming out..Don't you need, don't
you want, can't you taste it when you're alone? Don't you cry, don't
you feel, sometimes I wonder if you are real.Don't you bleed, don't you need?"
She sounds like she's singin' that right to me for Christsakes. I gotta
get a grip here.
"Don't you
want to lay it down and feel your skin against the ground? Don't you
want to ride the storm and then sleep inside the calm? Don't you want
to get that high, don't you want to be satisfied? Well if you don't
want it from me - don't you need?" Goddamn, that's one helluva voice
right there. She's hittin' all those notes perfectly.
"I had a
dream late last night, the water was running low, and my fields were on fire,
burning my sky..How was I to know? That I burn every night in my dreams..and
only morning can set me free." Fuck. Looked right at me again.
Shit. Wonder what's up with that. Maybe I know her from somewhere
but I don't remember it? No, no-can't be. She's not more than
eighteen and I remember about fifteen years back. Can't be. But
what is it then? "Thanks. Thanks so much. Good night."
And now
she's headin' this way, over to the bar. Shit, sittin' right next to
me. Fuck. I gotta say somethin'. Nothin's-nothin's wrong
with flirtin', right? Even if I can't do nothin' about it, nothin's
wrong with that. "Hey, uh, good singin'."
"Thanks."
She really is just eighteen or some shit. You can tell up close.
And I didn't notice before, but she's got a scar around her neck, a real
light one. Like somebody cut her throat ear-to-ear. Had to be
one sick motherfucker to try to do somethin' like that to someone like her.
But then again, the world's full of sick motherfuckers.
"Can I buy
you a drink?" Yeah, yeah, oldest line in the book. But she actually
looks like she could use one. She looks kinda hungry, smells that way
too.
"Uh, no.
No thanks. I, ah "
"Look, I
ain't up to nothin', kid. Just appreciated the singin'. Nice
to have a touch of class out here, ya know? Just a drink as a thanks
for that, all right?" Hang on. What's she doin'? She's
just lookin' at me but right in my eyes. Right into my eyes with hers.
Ya know, I don't think anyone's been brave enough to try that shit.
I kinda like it.
"Promise?"
"Promise.
I'm-I'm Logan." Shit, haven't told anybody that name in a while.
Didn't tell the x-geeks but Chuck probably knows it.
"Marie.
Rogue-Rogue's my stage name." Shakin' hands with me and everythin'.
Nice and polite. She really is outta place here. Hey-when did
she put gloves on? It's kinda cold in here, but-"I'll have whatever
you're having. Thanks."
"You sure?
'Cause I'm havin' bourbon. It's strong."
"That'll
be good. If-if you don't mind." Real little smile there.
She's still not quite sure if she should trust me or not. Hell, I'm
not so sure myself, with some of the thoughts I've been havin' 'bout her.
"Nah.
Hey-another one for the lady." Bartender don't move too fast.
"Sure.
And I'll be back with your pay, Rogue." Wonder how much she gets for
a short set like that. Can't be much-mosta these places have strippers,
not singers. Guys are usedta that. But she's a helluva good singer
on the other hand.
"Thanks.
So, ah, are you from around here?" Fuck-that was-that was-what the
hell was that? Somethin' on my insides shifted when she smiled at me
all shy then looked away. Damn.
"No.
Just passin' through."
"Really?"
Perked up at that. Huh. "I'm-I'm trying to get to Alaska.
You wouldn't by any chance be headed west, would you?"
Now, I am
headed west, and I sure as hell wouldn't mind havin' her as company ordinarily.
But I can't do it. I mean, I just can't. I'm not renowned for
my self-control and with what I've been thinkin' about her, bein' in close
quarters is just gonna end up leavin' her with three claw-shaped holes in
her chest, just like I did to Jeannie. I can't trust myself not to
let the claws out.
"Look, I
know-I know it's a lot to ask, but I could really use the ride, and I won't
take up much space at all. There's really just my guitar case and a
duffel bag. And I could-I could give you some money for gas and stuff.
Whatever Jack pays me, you can have it." I shouldn't. I shouldn't.
I really, really shouldn't. "Please? I-I'd really appreciate
it."
"OK."
Aw, fuck it. Well, I just gotta be real careful, that's all.
Just gotta keep everythin' in check and remember that she's a kid and I'm
a fucked-up killer. Can't lose track of that.
"Thanks!
Thanks so much!" Whoa, there-huggin' me-that's not a good idea, that's
not gonna help me be able to-"I, uh-sorry. Got excited there for a
second. But-thanks. It-it really means a lot to me, and you're
helping me out a lot. Thanks." All sincere, no bullshit in those
big brown eyes. Maybe-maybe it was the right thing to say. Maybe
I can do a good deed for someone without messin' up for a fuckin' change.
"Here ya
go-bourbon for the lady and fifty bucks. Thanks, Rogue. You feel
free to stop on back any time you come through." I guess this guy's
half-decent. He's probably payin' her more outta charity than anythin'.
Probably wantsta help her out just a little, like me.
"Thanks,
Jack." Hey-she tossed back that bourbon like a pro. Just when
ya think you got her pegged"Here-you-you go ahead and take the fifty bucks.
It'll help pay for gas and the drink."
"Nah, kid,
you just hang on to it, OK?" Somethin' just feels wrong 'bout takin'
money from her like that. Just wrong. "We'll see what gas and
stuff costs. And the drink's on me. You 'bout ready to get outta
here?" Big smile there. And there goes that funny feelin'-like
all my organs are movin' around or somethin'. Especially in my chest.
Fuck. You know what? I think it's her. I think it means
I like her or some shit. Never in fifteen years have I -
"Thanks
again. Thanks." Shit-what'd I get myself into here?
"So, uh,
how far west are you planning on going?" I was right-she was hungry.
She's gonna finish off that beef jerky I had in the glove compartment.
Wonder if I should suggest stoppin' for food somewhere. I could eat
too. Can't live on bourbon, even with the healin' factor.
"Dunno,
really. Just west."
"You're just
kind of driving around then? Do you-do you have a job or something?"
Oh-oh. She's probably wonderin' what kinda guy just drives around and
has no job. Well, the explanation for that ain't too good, but it'll
probably beat whatever bad shit she's imaginin' in her head.
"I work
the fight circuit. You know, cage fights and shit. Uh, I mean
stuff." Should try not to swear too much around her. "Makes good
money without tyin' ya down."
"Oh."
Still eatin'. Yeah, I should suggest stoppin' for food.
"Look, next
town's gonna be High Level-you wanna stop and eat? There's about eleven
hours of nothin' between there and the next town goin' west." We can
drive all day, maybe get a room in Fort Nelson. I'd be just as happy
to sleep in the camper, but that's way too close quarters with her.
Plus, I don't think she likes the camper too much. She said it was
'cozy' but I think what her brain was thinkin' musta been 'dingy' and 'awful.'
Hey, it's what I got, it ain't much, but what can you do? I've had
to start all over so goddamn many times now.
"Sure-I
could use some of my money for that. If-if you don't think gas is going
to cost-"
"Don't worry
'bout it. I got it covered." This little trip is on me, I decided.
I got plenty of money from the last buncha fights, so no worries. I'd
spend the gas money anyhow, and what's she gonna cost in food and a night
at a motel?
"Um, Logan,
I should probably tell you something." Oh-oh. She looks kinda
scared now, and I'm startin' to smell it on her too. "If you, uh, decide
to, you know, boot me out of the truck, I'll understand, but you should probably
know before you go spending any more money on me or go to any more trouble."
That don't sound good. Somethin's definitely up here. "I'm-well,
I'm a mutant." Damn-what're the chances of that shit? Wonder
what-"It's my skin. All of my skin-I can't-I can't touch people.
At all. Uh, anywhere. If I do, I drain their life out, literally.
I can kill by touching. And I can't control it, there's no way to turn
it off."
"That's the
shittiest thing I ever heard of. I mean, uh, worst-that's the worst
mutation I ever heard of." Seriously. I think that's even worse
than mine. And it explains a lot-the gloves at the bar, how she's kinda
scrunched over toward the window on her side.
"Yes, well,
I agree wholeheartedly. It really, really bites, to be perfectly honest.
But I just-I thought you should know in case you were thinking that you and
I might-you know." She's blushin' up a storm at that and I can smell
relief all over her-probably relief that I wasn't mad or didn't kick her
out or somethin'.
"Look, I
wasn't thinkin' that. I, uh, I wasn't assumin' anythin' like that."
Partially true. "It's OK. See, I-well, I'm a mutant too.
I heal, from almost anythin'-gunshots, fire, knives, whatever."
"That's
pretty cool-that's-that's a great mutation to have."
"Yeah, well,
that ain't all. Buncha assho-buncha real bad people got a hold of me
and 'cause I heal and everythin', they decided to do some shit to me, some
experiments. Put metal claws in my hands and grafted metal to every
fuckin' part of my skeleton. Uh, pardon my language there. But
it kinda pisses me off still." She don't look too freaked out by that
explanation. Maybe she kinda understands, bein' a mutant and all.
"Who-who
got you?"
"Don't exactly
know. Think it musta been some part of the government or the army or
somethin'."
"You're-you're
not going to believe this, but I got kidnapped and experimented on too.
Not like you described-a bunch of mutants who made this machine that could
change normal people into mutants like us-they grabbed me and used me to run
the machine. The only thing is-it didn't quite work. Something
went wrong and it didn't use my powers to do the mutations like it was supposed
to. I-that's how I got the hair, you know, the white streaks.
It turned white when I was in the machine."
"Fuck."
What is it with this shitty-ass world? Can't it leave a goddamn mutant
alone for five minutes, does there always gotta be some evil little plan
we fit into?
"Yeah.
Well, I was kind of lucky. This other bunch of mutants, the x-men,
they rescued me and took me to this big house where they all lived.
But I-I almost killed one of them, accidentally. A doctor, her name
was Jean, I think. She was trying to fix my throat-this guy Sabretooth
tried to kill me when I got out of the machine and before the x-men got there.
I couldn't talk, so I couldn't warn her about my skin and she touched me.
They, uh, got mad about that even though it was an accident. So I had
to leave there and go on my own."
Goddamn.
That is some shit. The odds on this gotta be, like, higher than the
lottery. "You're not gonna believe *this,* but I just came from there.
And I almost killed that same doctor, Jean. It was an accident, but
everybody got pissed and I hadta leave."
"You're
kidding." I don't blame her for not believin' me. This is some
weird shit.
"Nuh-uh.
Jean-she's got lotsa red hair, real sharp lookin'. Her husband's some
uptight dickhead-he's team leader."
"Oh!"
She believes it now. I tell ya, that's some funky shit right there,
the two of us-hey-hey-is she laughin'? "I'm sorry.that's not really
funny, but."
"I guess
it kinda is. I mean, small world, right?"
"Yeah.
Small weird world. I-I'm sorry. I'll stop laughing. It's not
funny. We both almost killed her." But there goes another burst
of laughin' and I can't help laughin' too.
"It ain't
funny." Slowin' down now, but grinnin' at me-and there goes
my internal organs again. I think that's it. I think I do like
her.
"How did
you almost kill her?" Aw, shit. That's not gonna make her like
me back, not at all. "Sorry. I, uh, didn't mean to pry."
But you
know what? She shouldn't like me. I am-I'm a killer and tellin'
her the story-that'll make her keep her distance. That'll keep us both
safe. "I stabbed her with the claws. These." Might as well
show her just for good measure. She might even high-tail it outta the
truck when she sees 'em.
"Oh.
Those-where do they go, back inside your arms?" Just curious.
Like a little kid. Not scared.
"Yeah."
Can put 'em back in, I guess. She'll be scared enough when I tell her
the story. "I was, well, to be blunt, havin' sex with her. And-"
"Wait a
minute-she was married to that guy, Scott. Wasn't she still married
to him when you got there?"
"Yeah, she
was, but I could smell that she wanted to do me." Aw, fuck. Didn't
mean to be that blunt about it. Just go on, I guess. "Enhanced
senses-part of my mutation deal. Anyway, I kinda wanted to do her too-I
mean, she's a good-lookin' woman and all-so we did. Only, she - "
Now how the hell do I phrase this part? Well, the idea is to scare
her offa me, so I might as well just say it. "- she kinda liked it
rough. Real rough. Slappin', hittin', chokin'." Here we
go-her eyes just got real big. The rest of it oughta convince her to
keep her distance. "She used her brain power to float somethin' up
from behind me and smack me on the face with it-big metal bookend, I think.
I just reacted, and got her in the chest with the claws before I knew it.
That other guy was pissed as hell that I nailed his wife, and she acted like
I was rough with her without her wantin' it, so I hadta go." I dunno
what the hell she's thinkin' now. Can't read her smell, either.
"So you see, I ain't really such a good guy. I ain't-I ain't gonna
hurt you or nothin', don't worry 'bout that, kid, but you should know I'm
dangerous."
"Are you
sure?"
"Yeah. I
mean, I'm *not* gonna try anythin' or put out the claws or hurt you or-"
"No, I meant-are
you sure you're dangerous? Did you-it sounds like an accident.
She surprised you. You didn't think she was going to go that far with
it."
"I guess."
She kinda did, but that's still not an excuse for puncturin' her lung and
shit.
"Did you
like it, you know, that way, rough? I realize that's a personal question,
but."
"Honest answer?
Yeah, part of me liked it. Not-not the punchin', not the real rough
stuff. I wouldn't punch her and I didn't like it when she hit me in
the gut. But there was somethin' I liked about holdin' her down, even
slappin' her ass a little. I guess I'm just that way. Not normal."
"Hmmm."
You know, it occurs to me that I dunno how the hell I got into a rough sex
conversation with a teenager that I was tryin' to just do a good deed for.
What the hell am I tellin' her all this shit for? "Is that the only
way you like it? Is it the pain part of it that you like?"
"Nah, but-control.
I'm not the kinda guy who gets off on pain, but I usually like to be in charge.
Look, let's talk about somethin' else, OK? This is kinda weird."
"Sure."
Little smile there. "But-it's kind of not weird too, you know?
It's a real conversation, and I guess I don't get to have a lot of those.
You can-you can ask me something personal if you like."
"Nah, that's
OK."
"OK."
Another little smile, just like nothin's wrong. Just like I didn't
just tell her about my weird sex things. "You know, when it's a mutant-when
my skin touches another mutant-I steal their powers for a little while, and
get their memories. You're not the only one she liked to do that with.
There were a lot of men before Scott. She-for her it was the pain,
giving it and receiving it. She liked that, she needed it in some weird
way. I hear what you're saying, and I know you, uh, did some of that
stuff too, but to be blunt, there's a difference between a slap on the butt
or liking to be on top and striking somebody with a silver bookend across
the face." She is fire-engine red now. Blushin' like there's
no tomorrow. But it was-it was nice of her to tell me that. Makes
me feel a little less shitty about the whole thing. At least I know
it wasn't just me-it wasn't just somethin' weird 'bout me that made Jeannie
like that.
"Uh, thanks.
Look, let's talk 'bout somethin' else, all right? Whaddya wanna eat
when we get to High Level?"
"Do you
think they'd have a Chinese restaurant? I could really go for Chinese
right now, and I haven't had it in months. Plus, it's not usually too
expensive."
"I'm not
too sure if they'd have that, but we can look." If you'da asked me
what I'd end up doin' today, I wouldnta said talkin' over the episode that
happened with Jeannie with some total stranger. Especially not one
that looked as nice and innocent as this one. And no way in hell I
woulda guessed I'd tell her all that shit and show her the claws to boot
and she'd still be sittin' beside me in the truck, nice as you please.
Either she's seriously fucked up or I am, or both. But you know what?
Maybe we're both fucked up the same or somethin', and would that still be
bad?
Whaddya know?
There is a Chinese restaurant in High Level. Family Chinese and Western-probably
the only place in the world that serves those two cuisines simultaneously.
And the food's good too. She got some kinda noodle thing and I got
beef broccoli.
"So after
I healed, I found out that I could still sing. My voice got a little
deeper, but it was still OK." She's been talkin', tellin' me stuff
'bout her. I think it's to make me feel better 'bout tellin' her all
the weird sex stuff. But I've been thinkin' on that and thinkin' maybe
there's somethin' to what she said-maybe the stuff I like isn't that weird
and it just somehow got to a whole different place with Jeannie. I
mean, I feel bad, and it was my fault, but maybe it's not, I dunno, inevitable
that I'd do that when I'm with a woman. Lookin' at Marie now, I think-maybe
it's different with different women and maybe with someone like her, I'd
even wanna be soft and gentle and shit. I can see how she might bring
that out in me. "Uh, Logan?"
"Huh?"
"Nothing.
Nothing. Just-you were staring at me a little bit." There's that
blush. Starts in her cheeks but before you know it, it creeps down
to her neck and up to her temples. It's cute.
"Sorry."
Not really, but it's what people say.
"It's OK."
"You about
done? Wanna get goin'?"
"Sure.
Just let me use the washroom before we go." Don't check out her ass.
Don't check out her ass. Don't check out her ass. Shit, that's
a damn fine ass. She's a real cute girl. Too bad about the skin
thing, but it almost makes sense in a weird way. It's almost like she's
too good to touch, too delicate. You'd hafta be careful with her and
the skin thing's a good way of remindin' ya of that. Lotsa ways to
get around it though. If a man's creative enough.
I think
this'll work out OK. I mean, we got two beds, two separate beds on opposite
sides of the motel room. The bathroom-she can change clothes and shit
in the bathroom so I won't hafta be seein' her naked. She seems OK with
it. She seems fine with it. Which is weird, I'll tell ya 'cause
I'm not so sure that after everythin' we talked about-well, I guess she's
got Jeannie in her head so she knows for sure that at least I wasn't just
doin' that without her wantin' to too. At least she knows that much.
"Hey."
Outta the bathroom and in her little t-shirt nightie. Great legs.
"I'm just going to hop in bed, I think. I'm kind of tired." Smells
*real* good from the shower and I shouldn't be thinkin' about her singin'
that 'don't you want' song at all. Nope, shouldn't be doin' that at
all. "Are you staying up? You can leave the TV on if you want.
It won't bother me."
"Nah.
I'm goin' to bed too." And it's just too damn bad that there's not
a little more privacy or I'd be givin' myself a very pleasant good night
sendoff.
"Hey, Logan?"
Leanin' over and turnin' out the light.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for
giving me the ride." I'd better turn my light out too before that grateful
look on her face makes me do somethin' stupid like hoppin' into bed with her,
skin be damned.
"No problem.
Good night." There. All dark. 'Course, I can still smell
her and hear her breathin' and her heartbeat, and, God, I don't think I've
ever smelled anything as good as her all clean after a shower. Fuck,
I gotta get a grip. Stop it, internal organs-you just stop shiftin'
around right now. You've seen a hundred women stark naked and one girl
in a little t-shirt shouldn't phase you. No matter how long those legs
are or how sweet and young and innocent she is. I mean, just 'cause
it could be a chance to get with someone who's nice and kind and talented
and-
"Um, Logan?
Are you up?" - and whispers really sweet when she's not sure if you're
asleep-"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
If it's 'Can I sleep over there with you?' the answer's yes. I can
put some more clothes on and I know I got gloves in my bag somewhere.
"Did you
like them, the x-men? I mean, they're the good guys, right?"
Hmm. I don't think I quite get what she's askin' here.
"I guess.
I mean, they're OK. How can you not like people who are, you know, out
to save the world and shit? On the other hand, they were pretty annoyin'."
"Yeah.
That guy-the Professor-he was a little creepy with the mind-reading and all."
She turned on her side to face me. She probably can't see me
in the dark, but I can see her. She's smilin' a little. That's
cute.
"Yeah.
And Scott-what a pansy-ass to be makin' a team leader."
"I didn't
really get to know him all that much." Little crinkly thinkin' frown.
"Storm-did you meet her?"
"Yeah.
She seemed OK, I guess."
"I didn't
like Jean. I don't like having her in my head. She-she doesn't
like being there too much either." Oh-oh. That's a real sad look.
"They stay
in your head?" That would suck all the more. She got a pretty
bad deal with this mutation shit.
"Uh-huh.
Jean's not too strong-she let go almost right away. But she's there.
She pops up now and then, you know, to bitch at me for almost killing her.
I understand, but -" Oh, damn. Tears. Cryin'. Kinda
makes me wanna punch somethin'. I don't wanna see her sad.
"I bet bein'
around me is just rilin' her up, huh?"
"Oh no,
this Jean-she-she hadn't even met you yet. She only has her old memories
to go by. It's weird-she kind of just doesn't get anything that bears
on her beyond the point when I touched her. It's like she's frozen
in time up there." More tears, shaky voice. "Sorry. I didn't
mean to get all weepy. I'm over-emotional, I know."
"It's OK."
All right, all right, you goddamn internal organs. I'm goin' over there.
I'll put a long sleeve shirt on and stay on top of the covers.
"Logan?"
"Do you
wanna, um, I just thought you could use some company over here. You
know, a shoulder to cry on. You wanna?" Noddin' in the dark.
Aw. "OK. Just, ah, slide down a little and-there. There."
Perfect spot. Her head right on my chest, close enough for me to lean
down and rest my cheek against her hair. It's still wet and it smells
a little like the hotel shampoo but mostly it just smells like her.
She's still cryin' a little, but I think it's slowin' down. I almost
feel like I should kiss her or somethin'. Maybe-maybe just on her head.
"Thanks."
She's huggin' me back now, so I think that was OK. God, she feels good.
Real warm and soft. Yeah, this is good. This is right.
"Wolverine!"
What the fuck? "Back away from the girl! Slowly!" Aw, shit,
fuckin' what's-his-name. The guy whose wife I nailed. And there she
is too-both of 'em in their fuckin' leather uniforms. You know, that
shoulda been a clue they were into some kinky shit right there.
"What's
going on?" Marie. She looks scared shitless.
"Back away
from her, Wolverine. We don't want any trouble, but we're not going
to let you hurt the girl. Now, just back away."
"Look, I
know you're pissed about your wife, but there's really not a problem here."
Marie's not movin' away from me, not at all. And it's not like I'm
holdin' her here. That should tell 'em there's no hanky panky goin'
on here.
"I'm not
about to watch another woman fall prey to you. I'm telling you one
last time, get out of the bed." Fucker's reachin' for his visor.
Well, you wanna play that way, you'll get the claws, asshole.
"Wait-wait!
It's not-everything's fine. I'm just fine, Scott." You wouldn't
think one tiny little girl could hold me back, but it's kinda like she's
got a special pull on me or somethin'. "Really. I'm fine.
Please-please just get out of our motel room."
"Rogue, this
isn't the kind of person you want to associate with, trust me." Jeannie-I
guess I shouldn't be surprised that she's sayin' that. "Now, come out
of the bed and away from him." Heh. Marie's givin' her the 'I
don't think so' look. The kind you see on Jerry Springer when somebody
does somethin' really bad. "Rogue, we know-we know it was an accident.
We know you couldn't warn us about your skin in time. We want-we want
to help you. The Professor can fix your mutation."
"That's
a lie." Oh-oh. Marie's gettin' kinda pissed now. "Get out.
I don't want you here and I don't need your help."
"The Professor
*can* help you, Rogue. He can. And you don't know this man-you
don't know what he's capable of." I think Marie's pretty OK with what
went down between me and Jeannie-and let me tell ya, I'm glad as hell at
the moment that we did end up discussin' all of it-but I don't necessarily
wanna have Marie hear all that shit again now. "Wolverine and I have
met before, isn't that right?"
"Yeah, that's
right. And Rogue knows all about what happened. So just get out
like we asked before I get pissed off, all right?"
"How dare
you threaten me!" Aw, fuck, that was pretty stupid. Played right
into them there. Now Jeannie's lookin' all scared and shit.
"You son
of a bitch! Stay away from my wife!" I think that pansy-ass might
actually take a shot at me. Don't really matter much-I'll heal-but
they could snag Marie or somethin' while I'm out. I can't let that-
"All right.
That's just *enough*." Whoa. There's the southern-fried-chicken-truck-stop-blues-mama-that-don't-take-no-shit
part of her comin' out. "I'm tired of dealing with you. You two
*broke in* to our hotel room. Why are we even discussing anything with
you? Get out."
"But, Rogue-"
"Don't you
'but Rogue' me. This isn't even about me. This is all about you
and your little personal vendettas. Let. It. Go."
"You don't
know-"
"Even if
I don't, how exactly is it any of your damn business? Can you say 'over-reaction'?
Can you say 'putting your nose in somebody else's business'? Did I
ask you to come here? No. Did I ask for your help? No."
"But you
need it, Rogue. Whether you know it or not. He's dangerous."
Jeannie-she's a sneaky one, ain't she. Just like a little snake.
"So am I."
Whoa there-she's comin' outta the covers and there's a lotta naked leg showin'.
That scared Jeannie and pansy-ass. They backed up, like, three steps.
"Don't make
yourself our enemy, Rogue." Fuckin' Jeannie-
"So, what?
If I don't live in your spiffy little mansion or don't play by your rules,
I'm the enemy? If I dare to object when you break into my hotel room,
I'm the enemy? What the hell is that? You know, you're going
to have a lot of enemies if you look at it that way. I just want to
be left alone to live my own life. And I'd like to start by having
you get the *hell* out of my hotel room." Heh. She told you.
'Faced.
"You don't
want to do this. You'll regret putting yourself on the wrong side."
"I'm on
my own side. And I don't like to be threatened. I react badly
to that."
"We're not
threatening you, Rogue," Finally, pansy-ass speaks. I wonder if Jeannie's
like she is 'cause-no, no, it ain't him. Marie said Jeannie was like
that even before him. I wonder if he knows. I'm guessin' not
since Jeannie went and said she didn't want it like that after all the shit
hit the fan. "We're offering you a chance to do the right thing, to
join us."
"What are
you, the Moonies? Branch Davidians? I don't want to join you!
Just leave me alone."
"Well, it's
unfortunate that you've chosen to go against us, Rogue." What the hell
is Jeannie talkin' about? Didn't she just say we weren't pickin' sides,
that we just wanted to be left alone? "Don't come to us when you find
yourself on the end of his metal claws."
Well, at
least they're leavin'. That's a good thing. Don't let the door
hit ya in the ass on the way out. Christ. What a buncha self-righteous
assholes.
"And don't
come crying to me when the next man that you cheat on Scott with bitch-slaps
you a little too hard." Heh. She looks all mad and pouty now.
But it was classy that she didn't say that to Jeannie's face. "Oh no,
wait-you'd like that." I can't help laughin' at that. "Sorry.
That was bitchy of me."
"Nah.
It's funny." Now, there's a smile I like-a little crooked and definitely
wry, but sexy as hell. Bet she don't even know that. "C'mere."
"Careful."
I'm still kinda under the top blanket and I got a long-sleeved shirt on so
it's OK. I just wanna have her in my lap. It's those damn internal
organs, shiftin' all around again, makin' my chest feel heavy.
"Always."
I like this-her sittin' on toppa me, me rubbin' her back a little, her hands
on my shoulders and her lookin' right at me with those big brown eyes.
That's not weird, is it? "You're cute when you get all pissed off,
you know that?"
"I only
ever feel beautiful when I sing." Oh my, little hands all in my hair.
That's doin' things to the lap-area. She's bound to feel that pretty
soon.
"But you're
actually pretty good-lookin' all the time." I really didn't mean to
rock my hips against her like that. Really.
"Flirt."
But I think she kinda likes it. She rocked her hips back a little.
"Logan, why did they call you Wolverine?"
"That's the
name they gave me, when they were doin' the experiments." Don't really
mind tellin' her that. Don't really feel weird about it or nothin'.
Just feels nice, havin' her close like this, us touchin' each other.
"You're
not afraid of my skin."
"Nope."
Especially not when it feels all warm next to my body like this. "Marie-do
you, uh, wanna kiss me?"
"Yeah.
Right now I kind of do." She's got a dreamy look in her eye, even.
"But I'd kill you if I did, and I don't want to do that."
"You won't.
Gimme-gimme that scarf on the nightstand. Wanna try that?" I'll
just rub her back a little more to reassure her. Don't wanna make her
feel uncomfortable.
"OK."
There's another crooked smile, but this one's half-nervous, half-sad.
I'm just gonna put the scarf between us and try to get rid of that sad part.
"Mmmmm." That must mean she likes it. It's a little different,
you know, kissin' through fabric. But the scarf's pretty thin and I
can feel the heat of her lips and how soft they are. It's different,
but not necessarily bad-different.
"Nice, huh?"
Was for me. I don't normally do 'nice' but that was good.
"Yeah.
I've never been kissed before."
"Never?"
Shakin' her head no. "Where you been hangin' out, darlin'? Monasteries?
Homes for the blind?" That got a big smile. A happy smile.
But you know, now that I think about it-"I haven't had a kiss like that ever
either."
"Sorry it's
weird. I know it's not-"
"Nah.
I mean a nice kiss. Usually it's all, you know, not so nice."
Which is mostly my fault. Like I said, I don't normally do 'nice.'
But someone who makes all my internal organs do a little dance-well, that
merits an exception.
"I'd like
to be nice to you." Back to shy-Marie. No more blues mama showin'.
Such an odd person. But she might be just right for me.
"Good.
I'd like to be nice to you too. Wanna get up and get breakfast and
go be nice together? Ya know, if you wanna, I got a little cabin up
north. We could head up there." I don't really want her to move
offa me right now, but my ability to keep up with the 'nice' and hold off
on the 'I gotta have you right now' is diminishin'. Plus, we'll be
safe up at the cabin. Best to just get clear of the x-geeks.
Weirdos.
"Sure, sugar.
Let's get a move on." See? Normal. That's us. We're
perfectly normal.
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