|
Title:
Rule Number Five: Don't Talk to Strangers
Author:
Terri
E-mail:
xgrrl26@yahoo.com
Rating:
PG-13
Archive:
Ask, and I will happily say yes
Feedback:
Please! Please, please, please? Good, bad, and ugly welcome
Summary:
Sequel to Never Assume. A couple of strange x-men catch up to Wolverine
and Rogue for a little chit-chat.
Comments:
It's about time that the x-men make an appearance in this little series.
And, fortunately for me, I was dealt two superb plot bunnies to help me out.
JustAnotherAngelLover said wanted a fic where Rogue was the one misunderstood
by (and kind of looked down upon by) the x-men instead of Logan. For
the longest time, I couldn't think of a logical way to make that happen-I
mean, Logan-well, you can see why he gets that reaction sometimes but Rogue
is a sweetie. When I started writing this series, though, a way to
do it occurred to me, so that bunny shows up here, and will recur throughout
the series. The other bunny was tossed (tm Karen) by Nat who asked
for the normal Logan/Jean dynamic to be turned around into a Scott/Rogue
one. In Nat's words, 'Scott can be the one feeling drawn to the mysterious
stranger so unlike Jean. Around the same age, both unable to control their
mutuations. Of course Rogue will stay with Logan but it doesn't mean you
can't give Jean some insecurites. I personally like the gal but *she's* always
getting the attention!' I read that and said-Amen, sister! Thanks
so much to both of you guys :) Lastly, if you've never been to the
Mall of America, go, but hang out in Camp Snoopy-definitely more fun than
shopping ;)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I've figured
it out. This man makes me do crazy things. It's just something
about him. I don't know what, but it's definitely something.
Because so far he has managed to: 1) Get me to stop and pick him up; 2) volunteer
to keep him with me; 3) get me to talk about my family and my past, which
I *never* do, and 4) make me-little, sweet, virginal, untouchable me - want
to have sex with him so bad I ache all over. It's no wonder he could
smell it on me. And now, more crazy stuff, trying a big city.
I'm not
sure it's safe to head into the cities just yet, but Logan's so hyper about
wanting to work, and everything police- and evil-muatant-wise has been quiet
so far. I'll call to check in with Remy before we settle in, just to
be sure that everything is still good. If it is, I wouldn't mind hanging
out for a while. I've never been to Minneapolis. Maybe we'll
get a motel room for a few days there, maybe even a semi-nice one.
We've been pretty good about not spending too much money so far, and if Logan
does get a job for a few days while we're in town, that'll be even better.
"Hey, do
you wanna get off at the next exit? We need gas." He's been doing
a lot of the driving, and I have to say, he's really getting the hang of
it. I love not driving. It's a nice change of pace. And
I think he loves saying 'No, you just sit back, I'll drive.' all manly and
everything. Guys and cars-there's some primal connection there, for
sure.
"Sure."
Maybe we can go see the Mall of America. Logan doesn't exactly strike
me as a mall kind of guy, but it might be fun. Hey-if women have a
primal connection to something, it's shopping. We can't help it.
"Do you want to get something to eat? Maybe there'll be a McDonalds
or something?"
"Sounds good.
I'm hungry." I like it when he smiles. He looks completely different,
almost like a little kid. "I was thinkin'-when we get there and I find
work-do you remember how much I owe ya?"
"I've been
thinking about that too." A lot, actually. And the conclusion
that I have arrived at is that separate money just doesn't seem right.
Especially since we're having sex now, especially since we're planning on
staying together. I mean, I'm no relationship expert, not by a long
shot, but it seems kind of like we should just pool our resources.
"Figurin'
out how much?"
"No.
I haven't really been keeping track. But you know how we've been planning
on staying together a while?"
"Yeah."
He always gets nervous when I mention the that. He doesn't like changes
or surprises, even little ones, and I kind of think the "plan" we have is
the most stable thing he has to hang on to right now. Frankly, it's
the most stable thing that I've had for a while too. I'd better reassure
him a little here before he starts getting worried.
"Well, I
was thinking that since that's the plan, and since we're definitely sticking
to that plan, we could, uh, share money. You know, just make one big
pot of money for everything to come out of. Whatever you make working,
whatever I make painting, we'll just put it together and pay for everything
we need out of that. What do you think?"
"You're
gonna have more to put in than me."
"Maybe at
first. But that's OK. I think we should do it kind of like a
partnership, or a team. Different people contribute different things
in different amounts, but it all works together, it all works out."
That sounded so corny, Marie. Ugh. This lesson in teamwork brought
to you by the letter C and the number four.
"I dunno.
I think-I think I should probably try to make up for what you already spent
on me and then maybe we can do that." He has such a strong sense of-I
don't know exactly what to call it, but he always tries to be really fair
with me, and he's pretty protective of me. I know I should be all 'Independent
Woman', but I'm really appreciating having someone to watch my back, someone
that's looking out for me.
"I spent
money on us, both of us. Look, we've got about twenty-one hundred dollars
left, total. I put a thousand in the bank, for emergencies, a long time
ago, and we've got about eleven hundred with us. Let's just start from
there, and whatever we both can earn in the next few days in Minneapolis,
we'll add that in. I don't want you-it's your money too now.
And not just that-the Jeep, whatever stuff we have in it-that's ours now,
not just mine. I think that's right. I think that's what we should
do."
"Marie, it
ain't that I have a problem with sharin'. I just wanna be sure I'm
puttin' my fair share into the pot. I ain't been doin' that so far,
so I got a little to make up for. I got a little catchin' up to do."
"But the
putting everything together thing-that sounds good to you?" Because
I really, really think that's how it should be. We're like, one unit
now. Logan and Marie.
"Yeah.
Like you said, whatever stuff I got - you know, mostly it's just clothes-but
whatever's in there is yours now too." I think I could really be falling
in love with him. Seriously, totally, completely in love.
"So that
means I can borrow your sweatshirt?"
"If you
want." Another smile. I like making him do that a lot.
"Hey-how
was your day?" It's the first day we've really spent apart since we've
known each other. It's surprising how much I missed him. Well,
at least I got some painting done. And from the happy look on his face,
he had a good first day at work.
"I made
seventy bucks."
"Oooh!"
I told him to take the Jeep and leave me at the Days Inn to paint.
We drove to the day labor placement agency last night, so he'd know the route
back and forth from the hotel. And we picked a spot just across from
the Mall of America, so I could walk over to go take a look around if I got
bored. Logan was perfectly happy to skip it and let me go on my own.
"What's this?" I'm guessing it's dinner. We said we'd get something
out to celebrate, but I should've thought that he wouldn't be able to wait
to start paying for stuff.
"Pizza and
some beer. I stopped along the way on my way back."
"You didn't
have to do that." But I'm glad he did. Mmmmm. Pizza.
"I know
you said we'd eat out, but I figured this'd be cheaper. I got everything
on it but anchovies and those weird peppers you don't like." He looks
so proud of himself for all this-working, buying us dinner, picking something
he knows I like. I like that look on him.
"Thanks."
I'll just set the pizza down on the bed and get the roll of paper towels for
napkins. We can have a little picnic. It'll be fun.
"I got fifty-one
bucks left over. Here. Put it in with the rest of the money."
"What did
you do today?" I'll just keep it in my wallet for now. He's just
so happy to have finally contributed some money. Look at that big smile
on his face.
"They put
me to liftin' and haulin' roofin' materials at some construction site.
It wasn't exactly doin' the buildin', just movin' stuff around. They
asked if I wanna go back again tomorrow 'cause I did a good job."
"I knew
you would." I must be grinning like a maniac now. I'm pretty
proud of him too. He's gone from moody, hitchhiking loner to gainfully
employed star worker in just a few weeks. That's impressive.
"I'd like
to try some buildin' sometime. It looked interestin'. That might
be what I wanna do, you know, for a job."
"Mmm."
Pizza's good. "Maybe you can try a little of that out next time, or
at least talk to some of the people doing the building, see if they like
it or have any advice for you."
"I dunno.
I'm not-talkin' to people isn't what I usually do."
"Well, that's
fine if you don't want to. A little small talk about the job might not
be bad, but, you know, whatever you think." I'm not going to push him.
He'll get more social when he's ready. I know he told me all this stuff
about deciding that I was the one person in the world that he was going to
trust, and that's really flattering, but it's not the way to live your life.
He just needs a few more positive experiences under his belt and he'll feel
more comfortable with people.
"The job
goes through Tuesday. I could probably work everyday if I wanna.
That'd be five days total. That's" He'll get it. He is
pretty good with numbers. But I bet he's adding, not multiplying.
I don't think he remembers multiplication. But that's OK, in most cases,
adding will do you. "..three hundred fifty bucks total. That's
pretty good, huh?"
"That's really
good!" It is. That'll cover our daily expenses with about a twenty
dollar a day profit, if we're really careful. That's a hundred dollars
positive cash flow, and that's not bad at all. Plus, it means four
more days of painting for me, which should also result in some income.
We're doing pretty well. Actually, we're doing really well.
"Good."
He's really smiling now. He's so happy that I'm happy with it.
God, that's so touching. It's just-
KNOCK KNOCK
KNOCK
"Uh, Logan-you're
not expecting anyone are you?" It can't be her. Remy said she
was arrested. Of course, she could've gotten out. It wouldn't
be the first time she'd escaped. On the other hand, why the hell would
she knock?
"No."
He's on red alert too. "I smell two of 'em."
"Anyone
you've smelled before?" That sounds like such a stupid question, but-
"No."
He's flexing his hands like he wants to put the claws out. I don't
think-I mean, I know we're looking to hide from the police and certain relatives
of mine, but let's not overreact. It could just be housekeeping or
something.
"Who is
it?" There we go. That's a nice, rational, appropriate response
to a knock at the hotel room door.
"My name
is Scott Summers. I'm looking for Wolverine." What the-oh yeah,
that was the name they gave him. I'm used to thinking of him as Logan.
"I just want to talk with him. Is he in?"
Logan's looking
at me to figure out what to do. "Is it someone from your job?
Did you give them that name?" I'm guessing no, since the papers Remy
sent for him say Logan Johnson. Nothing about a wolverine in there.
And he's shaking his head, so that's a 'no.' "Uh, hang on a second."
"Marie,
it could be-"
"Dangerous,
I know. You said there were two of them?"
"One woman
too."
"OK.
They've found us, they know where we are. Whoever they are, they're
probably not police-they'd say they were law enforcement and if they had
a warrant for you, they'd probably say that too. And evil people out
to ambush you don't usually knock. Let's-let's open the door and find
out who they are and what they want."
"Grrr.."
Logan doesn't like that plan, and I'm not surprised.
"Be ready
in case they do try anything." I'm going to just put on one glove.
If something bad goes down, I'll be ready too.
"Lemme open
it." Whoa-he practically shoved me behind him. "I'm who you're lookin'
for. Whaddya want?"
"We'd like
to speak with you. I'm Scott, and this is Jean. May we come in?"
Handsome guy, really handsome. Weird glasses-sunglasses, and it's dark
out. Something's not quite right with that.
"No.
I don't wanna talk." Maybe I could just peer out a little more to get
a better look.
"Listen,
we're from the x-men. Have you heard of us?" Logan shaking his
head no. Why would the x-men be looking for him and why-oh! They're
the ones that raided Logan's lab-they probably found records of him or documents
or something. "We wanted to talk to you about-" Oh-oh. They spotted
me, and they definitely look surprised. Well, I shouted out to them
through the door. They had to know there was someone else in here,
I mean, if they're not deeply, deeply stupid or something. Did they
think that girly voice came out of Logan? "You. What do you think
you're doing here?"
"Me?"
What's with the sudden hostility, dude? And stop fiddling with your
glasses, it's making me nervous. "It's my room."
"Don't play
innocent. We know who you are." And the woman's just as pissed.
What the hell is going on here? "Trying to beat us to the punch?"
"I have
no idea what you're talking about." And I'm just going to put a hand
on Logan's waist because I can feel him tensing up and getting mad.
"Do you
honestly expect us to believe you're not here to recruit him to the Brotherhood,
*Rogue*?" I hate how he said my name and why the hell would he think
I'm some sort of agent for the Brotherhood?
"Well, uh,
yes, I do expect you to believe that. Since, you know, I'm actually
not."
"We know
who you are, Rogue. Don't play games. Look-whatever-whatever
she's told you is a lie." Hey! Where do you get off saying crap
like that, woman? "You can trust us, Wolverine. We're-we're not
like the Brotherhood."
"Look, I
don't know what your problem is. But I don't appreciate being called
a liar, or a member of the Brotherhood." I know Logan can probably
smell me getting more upset. I have to try to keep a lid on that-he's
flexing his hands again.
"Grrr."
That's not a good sign either.
"I think
you'd better leave. He doesn't want to talk to you, OK?" And
I don't want him to hack you to pieces. Come on, things were just starting
to go really well for us. Don't make us have to go on the run all over
again.
"That's
for him to decide, not you." I *really* don't like her attitude.
"Get the
hell out." I'd say he's made his decision, red.
"Look, we,
uh, we got off on the wrong foot here. Let's-we know you may have had
a falling out with your mother. We heard reports about the gas station.
If that's the case, maybe we should all have a talk." My mother.
Fuck. That's where all this is coming from. She probably has
just a lovely reputation among the do-gooder set. Christ. And
they think I'm in with her or something?
"No.
Get out." There's not much time left on the do-something-before-Logan-loses-it
clock.
"Lo-uh, Wolverine-"
No reason to give them any more information than they already have.
"-maybe we should talk to them. They'll-they'll just come back later
if we don't, and maybe with more people. Let's just talk a little,
let them have their say and then they'll go. What do you think?"
It has to be his decision. He's thinking it over.
"You try
anything, and I'll fuckin' kill ya." In other words-it would be lovely
to chat, please do come in.
"Thank you."
The guy-both of them, in fact-still look pretty wary of me. They're
keeping their distance from both of us, which is just fine as far as I'm concerned.
Maybe if I gesture at the seats across from the bed, they'll take a hint.
That way, we can sit on the bed and keep both them and the door in sight.
"We, ah, came to let you know that we were interested in having you join
the x-men team. We were the ones that freed you from the compound in
Toronto, but you, uh, ran away before we had a chance to talk. I'm
sorry it's taken so long to catch up with you, but we, ah, had some other
pressing matters to attend to."
Logan's
not responding, and he's got me practically attached to him with that super-grip
on my waist.
"You see,
Wolverine." The woman-Jean, did they say?-is *really* scared of me,
and I don't need Logan's sense of smell to know it. "We're mutants,
just like yourself and-and Rogue here." Oh, that I don't like one bit.
She's trying to use his trust in me to get a foot in the door herself.
Oh no you don't, woman.
"What exactly
do you know about me?" It sure as hell can't be much.
"Well, we
know you're affiliated with the Brotherhood." Wrong, Scott. "We
know your mother, Mystique, has trained you to follow in her footsteps.
Mercenary work, smuggling, kidnapping, assassinations." Jesus Christ!
They think that? That's-that's my reputation? Calm, just keep
calm, let him finish. Find out what else they think. "We know
you're a mutant, maybe a shapeshifter like her, but we don't know what the
true extent of your powers are." Heh. Jean's giving him a dirty
look. She thinks he shouldn't have admitted that. "We know you've discovered
a way to shield yourself from telepathic probing." Huh? "We know
that you've been underground since you and Magneto failed in an attempt to
mutate world leaders a few years back." He must mean the machine.
And they think I was all in favor of that plan, that I was a willing participant
in it. Great. "We know you're extremely dangerous and extremely
adept at avoiding attention. What we don't know is what you're doing
here." Well, that was subtle, Scott. And if you think I'm going
to come right out and share, you're-well, you're nuttier than ten pounds
of fruitcake, as my grandma used to say.
"Almost all
of that is wrong. I'm not in with the Brotherhood. My mother
and I aren't exactly on good terms." They don't need to know what powers
I do or don't have. They haven't told me theirs, after all.
"So you're
saying you're not here to recruit Wolverine?" You know, whatever her
mutant power is, I think we can rule out super-fast-catching-on.
"No."
"What are
you here for? Why did you track him down then?" Scott seems more
curious than scared of me. And it's almost like there's something else
in there too. Some kind of weird fascination.
"I didn't.
I'm here-well, I'm here to paint and see the Mall of America, not necessarily
in that order." Scott almost cracked a grin at that, I can tell.
Maybe he's starting to believe me a little. Jean sure as hell isn't.
She's even got her arms crossed over her chest. "You said you came
here to recruit Wolverine for the x-men team. What do you mean by that?"
"Well, we
know what was done to you in the lab." Oh, she'd better tread lightly
here. Logan hates talking about the lab, and that arm around my waist
just got a lot tighter. "We know that you heal, that you can fight
very well. We could use someone like you to help us fight the forces
of evil." I'm sorry, I couldn't totally stifle that snicker, no way.
What is this, some kind of cartoon? 'The forces of evil'-could you be any
more pretentious? "We could use your help in fighting the Brotherhood
especially." Again with the subtle. That look couldn't have been
any more obviously directed at me. "In return, we'll give you a place
to stay, room and board, and we'll help you find your past. We can
help you get back the memories the doctors wiped from your mind. Wolverine-I'm-I'm
a telepath. I can look deep into your mind. I might be able to retrieve
some of your memories."
"Nobody's
goin' into my head!" Especially someone you just met. Get a clue.
"I don't wanna join your thing. Leave."
"What did
Rogue promise you? What has she told you?" Oh, this is just getting
annoying now.
"I haven't-"
"I'd like
to hear Wolverine's answer, not yours." Oooh. Bitch.
"Jean!"
Na-na-na-na-na. X-man Scott likes me. He's taking my side.
Na-na-na-na-na, Jean.
"Let him
answer, Scott." Fine, then. You're not going to like it any better
than my answer, and if it involves steel claws ripping through things, well,
don't say I didn't try to avoid that.
"She hasn't
promised me nothin'. We're stickin' together. Me and her, that's
it. Nobody else." Now, that was a pointed look at Scott.
I wonder what prompted that. Weird. "Now get out." There
his hands go again. I can tell he's just dying to put the claws out.
"I know
you may think you can trust her." The urge to smack this woman is just
getting stronger and stronger. "But you can't. She's the last
person you should trust, Wolverine. Her mother has attacked us without
provocation more than once. And the Brotherhood-"
That's it.
He's standing up. The do-something-before-Logan-loses-it clock just
went 'ding.' Here come the claws. "You get the fuck out!
You get the fuck out now!" Oh, don't look at me, Jean, I'm not going
to try to stop him.
"Look, Wolverine,
we apologize, we're-"
"You don't
know nothin'. Stop sayin' that stuff. She ain't like that!"
Aw. Sticking up for me-that's nice. But let's not claw Scott
over it.
"It's OK.
It's OK. I-I understand why they think that, I do. You're-you
know-completely and totally wrong. But if you've only ever dealt with
my mom and you don't know the first thing about me, well, I can see why you'd
think that." I think that's pretty darn generous of me. Especially
given that they've come to my home (OK, my hotel room) and called me a liar
and murderer-in-training. Yes, that fulfills my niceness requirement
amply. "But I think you should leave. You have your answer, now
leave us alone."
"Rogue,
we-" I am so deeply tired of hearing this woman talk.
"Or are
you planning on forcing Wolverine to join you? Is that it? You
didn't come to ask, you came to get him, whether he wanted to join the x-men
or not, didn't you?"
"No.
No, we would never do something like that." Scott - don't.
Uh, reaching out a hand toward me is a very bad idea. You have an excellent
chance of getting it hacked off right now. Good, good, my little 'stop'
hand gesture got through to him. Hand back in.
"Well, then,
I think it's time for you to go."
"Wolverine?"
Jean just doesn't know when to quit, does she?
"Get the
fuck out! Now!" And there's your answer. Buh-bye.
"We'll leave-just
let me leave my card. In case you change your mind or you ever need
some help. You can reach us at this phone and e-mail. Just in
case. Nice-nice to have met you both." A little nod toward me-Scott's
caught on to the idea that you can catch more flies with honey. "Good
night." Finally, they're going. Whew. I'm glad that's
over with. But Logan's still upset. He hasn't put the claws back
in yet.
"Hey, are
you OK? I know they said some bad things about me, but don't believe
that. I mean, my mom is-ooof!" That's one heck of a tight hug.
And he still hasn't put the claws back in, so it's also a very careful hug.
"Logan?"
"I'm not
lettin' 'em get a holda you. I'm not."
"Uh, OK.
OK. But I think they wanted to sign you up for their x-men thing, not
me." I'll hug back a little tighter maybe that will make him feel better.
"That guy
wanted you. I could smell it all over him. He's not gonna get
you. It's what you said, you and me, not you and him." Whoa.
I can't be getting that right.
"He wanted
me-for what? Do you mean, uh, sexually or something?"
"Yeah.
It was all over him. I can still fuckin' smell it in here. He's
not gonna get you. Ever. Uh, right?"
"Right.
Right. It's you and me." That's really weird. People don't
usually just, you know, bam, lust after me. That's really weird.
Especially since he thinks I'm one of the bad guys. On the other hand,
maybe that's what's making him interested-he thinks there's a danger factor.
Little does he know I'm about as un-dangerous as it gets. "Uh, Logan?
Besides that-you-you didn't believe all that stuff they said about me, right?
I mean, you saw me with my mom, and you know how it really is. You
know you can trust me, I-"
"I know."
He's looking at me with this really amazing expression-he must've really
meant what he said about trusting me and no one else. Because if two
people that, you know, did good works for a living, professionally, told me
that he was a bad person-well, no. No. I guess I'd trust Logan
over them anyway. I know him. "It's not right, what they did-gettin'
ideas in their head and sayin' things just 'cause of what your mom did.
That's her, not you. You don't even smell the same as her." I'm
beginning to get that the smell thing is a huge deal for him. He uses
that for a lot of things.
"Thanks.
I'm really glad that you think that. I don't want to ever be like her,
not at all."
"You're not.
I don't wanna go do stuff with them anyhow. I like it just you and me.
And I got a job now, some work-I don't wanna mess that up. I wanna put
some money into the pot and work and take care of you a little." He's
calming a little-his heart is slowing down-but those claws are still out.
He's still in danger mode. Those two really shook him up, more than
I even realized. "I don't wanna have somebody lookin' in my head.
You won't-"
"I won't
what?" That's a *very* tight squeeze now. Starting to limit breathing.
"I just
don't wanna know what is in there, even if somebody can find it."
"But it's
your past, your history, and-"
"No!
It's no good, I can just feel it. I don't wanna know I was some kinda
bad person before. I don't wanna know any more than I remember already
'cause there's nothin' good in there, nothin' at all. I just wanna
do somethin' else now, I wanna be different. You and me-we can stick
together and I'll be good outta that, I know it. I feel that."
"Logan."
Maybe if I pull away a little so he can see my face, he'll realize I honestly
mean this. ".there's nothing bad about you. Not a thing.
You're not a bad person at all. Not even a little bit."
He's looking down at the claws and I can guess what he's thinking.
"Hey, I know what I'm talking about, OK? Let's just accept that.
You're not bad, I'm not bad. We're just two good people who were lucky
enough to get together with one another." If I touch the claws, that'll
reinforce what I'm saying. He always tenses when I touch them, but
the look on his face says he likes it. It reaches him, very deeply,
I think. "It's you and me, however we are. Even if-even if there's
something bad in your past, really, really bad, it's OK. It won't change
what we have now. I promise. I don't want you to not find out
or not know because you're worried about what my reaction will be."
"I don't
wanna know."
"OK."
No use pushing here either. If he wants to look up the red-headed bitca
when he's ready, I'll support that. "What do you say we finish the
pizza? It's probably getting pretty cold."
"Marie-I'm
not gonna let him getcha. It's you and me, nobody else. Right?"
"Right.
Absolutely." Whew. Claws finally back in. I think it's
going to be OK.
"What the
*hell* were you doing back there?"
"Jean, we
have no direct evidence linking her to the Brotherhood. She might be
worthwhile recruiting herself. There's - "
"That's
not what I'm talking about and you know it, Scott."
"What?"
"Don't insult
me even more with that! You know what I mean. You were projecting
all over the place! How can you think about someone else like that?
We're supposed to be engaged!"
"Jean, calm
down. I just had a physical reaction to her, that's all. I'm
not going to do anything about it. I'm in love with you."
"But you
want to sleep with her. How can you, Scott? You've never, ever,
in all the time I've known you had that kind of reaction to someone, and
it's not all physical."
"Jean, I-I
just-I'm in love with you, not her. I'm not ever going to do anything
about it."
"Gee, thanks."
"Jean-"
"How can
you want her, knowing what she is? Knowing who she's been involved
with?"
"We don't
have-"
"We do have
evidence, Scott, hard evidence. She was on those videotapes of Magneto's.
She was waiting to go into that awful machine. Her mother is Mystique
for christsakes! What more do you need?"
"Maybe-maybe
we've gotten some of it wrong, Jean. She just doesn't seem to be that
kind of person to me. Could you read anything from her? Anything
at all?"
"No.
Her mind is impenetrable, completely and totally. Don't you think if
I'd read her in there I would've warned you?"
"Of course.
I'm sorry. I didn't think of that."
"Do you
want her, Scott? Be honest."
"I don't
want to lose you. Jean, you're my fiancee. You're the most important
thing in my life. I don't ever want to lose you. It was just-it
was just a momentary thing, some sort of knee-jerk reaction, that's all.
Can't you sense that from me?"
"I guess.."
"I love
you, Jean. *You.*"
"You've
always had a thing for cute little brunettes."
"That was
before I saw how beautiful redheads can be. Come on, let's just forget
about it for now. Didn't you want to see the mall while we were here?"
"OK.
OK, I guess."
"I really
do love you."
"I love
you too. I just don't want to lose you, Scott. You're-you're
the most important person in my life too."
"Good.
Now let's go do some shopping."
Good Lord,
I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight. He's never been that, ah, energetic
in bed before. Four times-four nice, long, really good times-is a lot.
I'm exhausted. But you know, Logan-I think he'd actually go again if
I hadn't said I was getting tired and a little sore. It's almost like
he just couldn't get enough of me. Not that I am complaining, mind
you, but I don't want him to still be so worried and tense. He's holding
on to me awfully tight and keeping his eyes locked on the TV.
"Hey, look-good
weather tomorrow. I bet that'll be good for your job." I made
sure this hotel had the Weather Channel before checking in. I know
how much he likes it.
"Yeah."
Hmm. Not talking too much.
"You know
something?" Maybe I should just tell him what I was thinking in the
car. Maybe that will make him feel better, or at least less scared
of somehow losing me. "I really like you. A lot. In fact,
I think I'm kind of falling in love with you." Replace 'kind of' with
'absolutely' and that's more like an accurate picture. "So don't-you
don't have to worry about anything. It's you and me. We're not
changing the plan."
"MarieI been
thinkin'. I don't know if what we got is normal or weird or what, but
I think it's good. And I wanna make sure that it goes right, that everything
between us works out right. I don't want other guys to get you or anything.
I wanna have you, just me. And I wanna support us and I wanna keep
you safe from your mom or whoever. That's-those're the things I wanna
have between us. Whaddya think?"
"That sounds
about right." I really can't help running my hands through his hair.
He looks so earnest and so serious. I just have to touch him somewhere.
I guess I can't get enough of him either. "Except I'd add a few things."
"Like what?"
"Like no
other girls for you, just me."
"Well, yeah."
That's so cute-he-he didn't even consider the possibility of another woman.
That's amazingly cute.
"And that
I want to support us too, I want to help out there." Because I can.
If I can finish two paintings in these four days, that could be up to five
thousand dollars or so.
"Well, OK,
I guess."
"And I want
something else too. I want you to just stop worrying. I noticed
that sometimes you look like you're worrying about something you said or did,
or worrying about me somehow. I want you to stop. There's nothing
about you I don't like. There's nothing I'm not really, really OK with."
"I know
I'm not smart. I don't remember a lot."
"Those are
two different things. You're very smart. You've learned a lot
in a really short time. Just because you don't remember, just because
that knowledge isn't in there-it doesn't make you any less smart. You
just don't know a few things yet, that's all, and that could be said about
anybody." Those hazel eyes are turning soft. That's a
good sign. "After all, I don't know a lot of the sex stuff, but we're
doing pretty well learning that together, right? That doesn't make
either one of us stupid."
"Yeah."
There we go-now I can feel his body relaxing. "That stuff-it ain't
too bad havin' to learn as we go." Hey-that was a joke! That's
a very, very good sign.
"Come on,
let's get some sleep. You've got to get up for work in the morning."
That did it-now he's smiling. "Hey-don't forget to wake me up when
you go. I like my good morning kisses, you know."
"Yeah, I
know. I don't mind 'em so much either." Another joke-but I'm
going to get him for that. "Hey!" Oh, he probably hardly felt
that little poke to his ribs.
"Get some
sleep, big guy." I'm glad we have a while here to make some money, but
I think I'll be glad to see the road again. More time with Logan.
And that's always a good thing.
|