Spring In Yellowstone - Part 2

"It's fine with me."  That certainly hadn't been the
answer Scott expected.  He'd expected Rogue to be at
least a little uncomfortable about the women and
children staying, especially given the apparent glee
with which she'd received the news that all but two of
the other humans were dead. On the other hand, maybe
she empathized with the plight of the women, having
been in a somewhat similar situation herself.  "Can
you ask Hank to come up later to check on Logan?  I
have a few questions, and I'll need some more morphine
for him too, a lot more.  It takes a lot to keep the
pain down and keep him out."

"Sure.  How's he doing?"

"Better.  Scott, I wanted to - to say thank you for
helping him."  She didn't meet his eyes and she was
very fidgety in her chair.  "So, ah, thank you."

"You're welcome," Scott answered softly.  Since she
seemed to be opening up to him, maybe now was a good
time to raise some of the topics he and Hank had
discussed last night.  "You know, Rogue, since you're
- you're Logan's partner, I was hoping to talk a few
things over with you."

"What things?"

"Things like how we're going to run things now that
Logan is incapacitated."  Scott saw her eyes widen,
and harden, a bit at that.  He pressed on, feeling
like the can of worms had already been opened.
"Decisions need to be made on a daily basis, you know
that.  Logan can't do it now, and someone has to.
Until he's well, I'll be making those decisions.  I
thought you should know."  Her eyes went from wide to
narrow in an instant.  "Rogue, someone has to do it."

"And you've been dying to be in charge since you
probably set foot here," she said acidly.  "Logan
being out gives you a perfect chance, doesn't it?"

"That's not what I'm trying to do here.  I'm trying to
make sure the needs of the people here are taken care
of and that things get back to normal in the wake of
this attack."

"Bullshit," Rogue hissed, all traces of softness gone.
 She looked much less like a scared, upset teenage
girl and much more like the formidable force she'd
been yesterday morning.  "You really don't have a
decent bone in your body, do you?  You're going to
take advantage of Logan being hurt and - and what?
Kick us out of here?  Convince the settlement
residents they'd be better off with you in charge?
You really are an asshole, you know that?"

Scott was more than a little offended by her words,
but he fought to keep his emotions in check.  He knew
her perceptions of him were influenced by what she'd
suffered.  He tried to stay calm, stay rational.  "I'm
not planning on kicking you out.  I - I - "

"Right.  Sure."

"Look," Scott said a little more firmly, "if you'd
just listen to what I have to say, you'd see that I'm
not thinking anything of the sort.  I just want to
make sure the settlement is run properly."

"Because Logan's done such an awful job up to this
point?  What the hell evidence is there of that, hmm?
Honestly, do you think you're fooling anyone?  You
know, Logan may not have liked you much, be he used to
respect you.  You're repaying his trust and respect
for you, you're repaying him for taking you and your
son in, and not only giving you a place to live, but
indulging your ego and your need to me Mr. Team Leader
with -with this?  Why the hell do you think he lets
you play the big organizer around here, Scott?  He
knows you need it.  It's never you that has to fight
and bleed when there's a conflict, though, is it?  No,
it's always Logan.  You never risk anything, but you
want all the power.  You waited until the second you
knew Logan couldn't physically stop you, you decided
to take over everything.  You're nothing but a fucking
coward."

"Rogue," Scott spat her name out through a clenched
jaw.  His indulgence of her was reaching its limits.
"If you don't like it, I'm sorry, but that's the way
it's going to be."

"No, this is how it's going to be - I need to take
care of Logan right now, but if you pull anything that
I don't like, I won't hesitate to fight you on it.
You might be able to put me down with a blast, but you
won't stop me.  If I have to fight you, Scott, I won't
pull any punches.  I know you probably think that just
because I got used and hurt like some cheap whore by
all those men - I'm sure you think that I'm some
helpless, terrified little kid.  Think again.  I've
got these now - " Rogue popped her claws for emphasis.
 Scott noticed that the outside claws were each
missing their end joint.  She'd told him she used them
to scale the sheer, rock cliff of the gorge to get out
and get help, but she hadn't mentioned her injury.
Scott absently wondered why her bones hadn't
regenerated like Logan's flesh was, but her harsh
words soon broke his reverie - "and skin that can take
your life in less than ten seconds with just a little
touch.  And, unlike everybody else around here, my
life doesn't revolve around making sure your son has
you for a father.  Don't fuck with me, Scott.  I might
not have been able to fight and defend myself before,
but I'll sure as hell fight harder for Logan now."

"I don't want a fight with you, Rogue.  I don't want
that."

"Then don't try anything that would hurt Logan or take
this settlement away from him."  Scott didn't agree or
disagree, but he rose from his chair.  Rogue mirrored
his actions.

"I'm heading to the storehouse.  I'll send Hank over."
 There was really nothing more to be said here, Scott
thought, and arguing the point any further would only
upset the girl more.  Rogue's piercing brown eyes
stayed on his visor.  "I didn't mean to upset you."
She let out a bitter laugh at that.  "Bye."  She
watched him all the way out the door, waiting until
she could smell that he was gone before collapsing
back into the kitchen chair and bursting into tears.







Hank approached Logan's cabin bearing lots of morphine
and even more trepidation.  Scott had recounted his
conversation with Rogue this morning.  It had gone
even worse than Hank would've thought, and he was even
more concerned by Scott's apparent lack of a problem
with that.  His attitude seemed to be - too bad if
Rogue doesn't like it.  He also didn't seem to think
Rogue would really fight him.  Hank had little doubt
that she would, and he desperately wanted to avoid
that.  It would only escalate tensions within the
settlement, which Hank pointed out to Scott wouldn't
be good for anyone, and it would not sit well with
Logan when he finally did heal. Scott, too, had little
reaction to that.  Hank was beginning to be very
concerned about him.  Perhaps, after his visit with
Rogue, he would try talking to Scott again.   Giving a
final silent prayer that Rogue would not let her anger
toward Scott bleed over to him, Hank knocked and soon
heard movement from inside.  She opened the door,
scowling.  Hank put on his best friendly smile.
"Hello.  Scott said that you wished for me to come."

"Yes," she answered slowly, gesturing for Hank to come
in.  He noticed now that he was closer to her that her
eyes looked quite red.  He wouldn't be surprised if
she was having difficulty dealing with such immense
emotional trauma - her conversation with Scott was
only the last in a long line of stressors, ones that a
girl of her young age would have enough trouble with,
even given a strong emotional support system and
professional help.  Rogue had turned aside offers of
therapy from Hank and her sole emotional support was
currently unconscious, so she now had neither.  "Could
you check on Logan?  It - it looks like everything,
ah, that was missing filled out and his skin looks a
lot better, but it's not healing on his back.  Should
I - should I turn him over?"  Hank could tell she was
nearing tears - her voice wavered at the end, and he
knew how hard she must be trying to hold it all in.

"Let's take a look," he said kindly, stooping to
examine Logan.  She was correct - his nose and ears,
and tongue were back, along with his penis and
testicles.  His skin was pink to red in most spots,
but his burned skin had fallen off.  His new skin
looked much like what one would see beneath a blister
or boil.  There was one patch of skin on his face that
looked very good - only a little pink.  Hank gingerly
placed a hand beneath Logan's shoulder and his hip and
rolled his bulky frame over.  His back was, as Rogue
had said, not faring as well.  The burned skin still
clung to him, but Hank could tell he was healing there
as well - the burned skin looked nearly ready to flake
off.  Perhaps Rogue was right, perhaps he did need to
rest on his stomach a while to allow his back to heal.
 "I think we should expose his back to the air a bit."

Rogue had recomposed herself and she nodded. "It's
been taking about three of those vials of morphine you
gave me every other hour to keep him out.  He - I
think the rest is helping."

"It is," Hank confirmed.  "And the morphine supply
I've brought should last you through the week.  Call
me if you need more.  I have the key to that part of
the storehouse and will be happy to retrieve more
should you require it."  Rogue nodded with a small
smile.  "May I ask a question?  There was one patch of
skin on his cheek that was healing more rapidly than
the rest.  Have you done anything different to that
area?  Perhaps a salve or ointment?"

"Uh, I was hoping to ask you about that, actually.
Don't - don't think this is weird or anything, but I
licked him.  I just - I had this strong, instinctual
urge to do it, so I did, and then when I woke up, that
skin was better."  She blushed and looked at her feet
when she finished, but some irritation showed along
with her shyness.  Hank would wager she was mad at
herself for being embarrassed.

"It is actually not strange at all.  Saliva often has
curative properties.  Since you have inherited Logan's
power, your saliva may be particularly potent, and it
may work especially well on him.  I would, ah,
recommend continuing to administer your saliva if you
can."  Hank tried to smile reassuringly.  "You are
taking very good care of him."

"Am I?" she asked, looking up at him with a watery
half-smile.  "I - I don't know, really.  I've never
had to take care of someone.  I hope I'm doing it
right.  I hope I'm not hurting him."  Her eyes slid to
Logan's slumbering form.

Hank couldn't resist laying a gentle hand on her
shoulder.  "You are doing very well.  He is healing
more quickly than I expected.  I would suggest turning
him occasionally and continuing to keep him sedated.
Rest is the best medicine now.  In another day or so,
wake him and try feeding him a protein shake - as many
as he will eat.  Has he been urinating?"

"Yes.  Yes.  This morning.  Heck of a wake-up call.
I'm glad you put that plastic sheet down.  I changed
the other sheets right away."

"Would you like me to catheterize him? I'm somewhat
reluctant to since he may still be internally
regenerating on some level in that area, but - "

"Then let's not. I'll just - I can keep changing the
sheets and cleaning him up.  He - he should be OK
again in a few days, right? Or, uh, OK enough to use a
bedpan, right?"  Hank nodded.  "Let's just do that
then."

"Very well."  Hank paused for a moment, considering
whether he should say anything about Scott.  Seeing
Rogue's pinched lips and tense shoulders, he forged
ahead.  "You know, Scott is - he has always been quite
protective of those in his care.  He can be inflexible
at times, but he is not ill- intentioned.  The way he
approached you this morning was unfortunate, and not
his best moment."

"But you'd still side with him, wouldn't you?  If push
came to shove, you'd side with him."  Her
vulnerability was receding behind a hardening mask of
anger.

"I hope it will not come to that.  Scott would never
harm you, Rogue.  He would never kick you and Logan
out of the settlement."

"Yeah, well, the Summers people seem to wind up doing
lots of things they'd 'never do' when it comes to me,"
she retorted.  "I know what he thinks," she continued
in a low voice.  "He thinks - hey, my wife didn't have
any trouble dealing with that kid when she wanted
something, and I won't have any trouble either.  Well,
you can tell him from me that things will be different
this time."

Hank's mouth fell open a little.  It hadn't dawned on
him until now that, to Rogue, Scott's moves to usurp
Logan must seem like some awful repeat of Jean's
betrayal.  He didn't know what to say to reassure her,
and he found himself surprised that promises that
Scott would not fight her wouldn't come.  Hank's gut
told him Scott might fight her, hurt her, if he
continued down the emotional path he was following
now.  "I will do everything in my power to prevent him
from harming you, Rogue.  I will - I will talk with
him."

She gave him a tight smile that said she appreciated
the sentiment but she wasn't buying in to Hank's
words.  He would wager that the only promises she'd
ever believed came from the man now lying in her bed;
he was as helpless to enforce those promises now as he
was to enforce his control of the settlement.  That
must be freaking her out quite a bit as well, Hank
realized.

"Thanks for coming, Hank."  Her words snapped him out
of his thoughts.  "I'll call if I need you, OK?"

"Please do," he said with a heavy dose of sympathy.
"Please call me if you need anything at all."

"Thanks," she repeated, ushering him out the door.
Once again, Rogue's tears followed his departure.


Hank drove home on auto-pilot, his mind on Scott and
Rogue the entire time.  He arrived before he quite
realized he was there, and his mind was still drifting
when he exited the car.  He didn't notice Holly
approach him with a worried look on her face. 

"Hank?  Hank?"

"Oh.  Ah, yes?"  He refocused on Holly and tried to
smile.  He knew she was anxious to hear how the
meeting had gone, but he would've hoped that that news
had already arrived with Scott's return.  His SUV was
here, he had made it back. 

"We've got a little problem with the baby.  I'm so
glad you're back."

"Problem?"  Hank was alert now, and following Holly
inside the cabin.  The infant had spent the night in
Jules' old crib. 

"She's got a fever.  I don't know where it came from.
Her ears look OK, it's not an ear infection.  I don't
know what it is."

"How high?"  Hank approached the crib, where the child
was now sleeping fitfully. 

"103.  I gave her some children's Tylenol, but it's
not coming down." 

"When did you administer the Tylenol?"

"About two hours ago.  She's not eating well either."

"Her vitals?"

"All normal except the fever and her lungs sound
good."  Hank was actually quite impressed with Holly's
abilities.  It was very nice to have something in the
way of medical assistance at long last. 

"Let's watch her for the next three hours.  If the
fever doesn't subside, we'll do some testing."  Holly
nodded.  "You've heard the news from Scott?  The
settlement agreed to let you stay until all of you no
longer require medical care."  The vote had been
close, but Scott had spoken persuasively, and the
settlement had come down on the right side.  The bad
news was that popular sentiment was fairly well- set
against any of them staying permanently.  The thought
was that human settlements ought to take them in.  The
only exception that seemed to have some support was in
the case of any of the women willing to marry mutant
husbands.  The settlement had somewhat of a
female-shortage, and some of the men seemed to be
considering it. Of course, Scott specified that there
could be no coercion, no duress on the women to marry,
but he had offered to mention the option to the
humans.  No one offered to adopt Rita, the baby, or
any of the other children.  Still, the news that they
could stay for the time being should've been welcome;
yet, Holly was frowning. 

"I'm glad we can stay, but I was really hoping someone
would take her, take the baby.  I think two of the
other women are talking about taking the older kids,
seeing if someone will take them to the southwest side
of the park, and trying to get to the San Diego
settlement from there, but I don't think that anyone's
willing to take the baby with them, even its mother."
Hank nodded in commiseration.  A serious kernel of a
thought began to form in his mind, though, one that
might not be as crazy as it appeared on first blush.
"I'll stay with her and keep an eye on her fever,"
Holly offered.  Hank smiled, and nodded once more.
No, maybe not crazy at all, he thought. 








Marie sat on the bed next to Logan, resting for a
moment after she'd finished changing the sheets around
him and cleaning him up. She hoped that this would be
the last time he'd mess the bed - he'd been more awake
than ever this time, and he'd almost been able to wait
until she'd gotten the makeshift bedpan she'd
transformed one of their pots into.  He'd been out
almost four days now; tomorrow morning would be the
fifth. 

Marie hated seeing him like this - mostly because she
hated to see him hurting, but at least also partly
because seeing him so helpless scared her.  She'd let
herself come to rely on him emotionally, to depend on
his strength and protection as a stabilizing force in
her life.  With him out like this, she could no longer
pretend she was perfectly safe at the settlement.
Logan was the only one here who would protect her no
matter what; the others, even Hank, couldn't be relied
on to stick up for her if she needed them.  Marie was
sure that the only thing keeping some of the
settlement's rougher residents from attacking her was
the knowledge that Logan *would* recover.  The threat
of suffering the consequences of his eventual wrath
was the only slim thread holding them back, she was
sure of it.  The longer he was out, the slimmer that
thread became. 

Scott was another source of great concern for Marie.
She didn't trust him, needless to say, and God only
knew what he was planning to do now that he was
effectively in charge.  Marie had had nightmares ever
since the first night she'd come back with Logan,
nightmares of Jean returning, nightmares of Scott
doing an exact imitation of his wife and turning Marie
over to whoever wanted her.  She often thought that
Logan was the only one who didn't naturally see her as
some *thing*, some treat or bribe to be handed out.
He saw her like a person, and he treated her
accordingly.  If he doesn't wake up soon, Marie
thought, I won't remember what that's like.  I won't
know how to act like a person, instead of a thing, any
more. 

Some part of Marie knew she was overloaded, stressed
beyond her limits; some part of her knew she needed
help, and rest.  But getting either would mean
trusting someone other than Logan, and she couldn't
make herself do that, not now.  It was different
before, she told herself, when she could still try to
trust people.  Then, she would be the only one to
suffer if she made a bad choice.  Now, it would be
Logan that would suffer too, and that she couldn't
bear.  She was at least self-aware enough to know that
the pain of making the wrong choice - of hurting
Logan, who had already suffered so horribly and so
much to keep her safe - could send her over the edge
now.

She was starting to feel panicky, terrified, so she
did what she'd done each of the past few days when it
started really getting to her.  She talked to Logan.
Her first words were always ones of reassurance,
promises that she would continue to care for him and
that he was healing.  But soon, she began talking to
him about what was bothering her, what was really on
her mind. 

"If - if he does try something, I'll fight him.  I
told him I would and I will.  I'm not going to just
let Scott take over and kick us out or do something to
hurt you, I'm not.  But I am a little afraid.  I just
- I know bad things could happen to me if I fight him
and lose.  Really bad things.  That's - that's what
I'm afraid of.  He could - he knows what happened to
me and if he wanted to, he could make it happen all
over again.  He knows that would probably drive me
insane or kill me.  He knows that."  Logan lay on the
bed, unconscious and oblivious to her words and her
fears.  Full, wet tears began to fall across his
unmoving body. 

"I really - I'd just feel a lot better if you could
wake up, you know, for a while at a time.  Maybe -
maybe then Scott would really get it that you *will*
get better, that you're not going to let him do
anything bad.  I really wish you would wake up."  She
paused to let herself cry it out a bit before going
on.  "I know you're hurt, bad, and that you need your
rest, though.  I want you to get better and wake up
when you're ready, I do, that's - that's the important
thing.  I just hope it's soon."

She sniffled, swallowed, and lay herself down next to
him, drawing the thick blankets over her trembling
body.  "Logan, please get better, please wake up soon.
I really need you.  I'm scared, I'm so scared.
Please - please wake up soon, OK?  If - if you do, I
promise I'll - I'll be braver, I will.  I'll find a
way to handle Scott and everything, but I need you to
wake up, OK?  I'll take care of you, I'll do
everything, don't worry.  I can take care of the house
and go get supplies and greet the new people.  Scott's
- he's seeing the new people in his cabin now, but as
soon as you're up, I'll help you see the new people.
I promise I'll help with everything, just please wake
up."

Logan didn't move at all, save for the rise and fall
of his chest with each breath.   Marie wept while she
watched him for a few moments before continuing.  "I
miss being with you, really a lot.  I miss that so
much.  I - I know I said no to some things you wanted
to do, but - but I promise I'll try them when you wake
up.  I'll try them and I won't think about the bad
times or how I got hurt before and I won't be scared.
I'll try so hard to make you happy, I promise, just
please get better, please wake up.  Please, Logan,
please....." Marie could not find any more words, so
she let her tears and her gentle caresses state the
rest of her case.  She only hoped he heard her
somehow, knew how badly she needed him.  If he would
just get better, she thought, she could believe once
more that she was safe, and that everything would be
OK.








Logan shifted in bed.  He was warm, comfortable, and
he felt only a slight tingling all across his skin, no
more pain.  He remembered waking a couple of times to
Rogue saying something about reducing medicines and
making him drink some god-awful shakes or go to the
bathroom.  He thought that was yesterday or two days
ago.  He didn't know how long he'd been out; he wasn't
sure.  It couldn't have been very long, he thought,
what with his powers.  The one thing he was sure of
was the most important thing - Marie was safe.  They
were back in the cabin, and the humans had been dealt
with; she had promised that's how it was in response
to his frantic queries each time he'd woken.  Logan
was content for the moment with that knowledge, and he
breathed in deeply, feeling something beside him
squirm a little as he did.  It was Marie, he'd woken
her.  He hadn't meant to, but he wasn't sorry that she
was up.  It sounded strange, but he'd missed her while
he'd been unconscious.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"  She blinked sleep out of
her eyes, and Logan thought, not for the first time,
how beautiful she was and how grateful he was that
she'd survived, that she'd healed. 

"Better."

"Any pain?"

"Nah, just tingly and a little tired."  He reached out
a hand to stroke her side, drawing a smile from her.
He'd wager that she missed him too.  "You OK?"  She
was safe, he was sure of it, and they hadn't gotten to
her, he could tell, but something wasn't quite OK with
her.  That, he could also tell.  Her smell and her
expression were both a little off, and Logan was just
with-it enough to be sure he was correctly reading
those things as signs of something amiss.  She just
kept saying it was fine, though. 

"I'm good.  Can I see your back?"  Logan obligingly
rolled over, with more than a little effort.  It would
be some time before he was back to
one-hundred-percent-kick-ass, he knew that for certain
too.  "Hmmm.  Looks better."  After a moment, he felt
the slick warmth of her tongue licking at his still-
healing skin.  He'd woken up the first time (well, the
first time he could remember) to her licking him on
his neck and shoulder.  It felt incredible, and it had
the reassuring side effect of producing an erection,
proving that his regenerated parts were in working
order.  His heart clenched a little at the tenderness
of it - her gently licking all over his ravaged skin
so that it would heal more rapidly.  It seemed so
personal, so intimate.  He gave himself over to her,
basking in the feel of it, in the sensuality of it.
It was so much different this time - waking up in a
soft, warm bed with Marie by his side, touching him,
kissing him, licking him all over - much more pleasant
than the last time he'd woken from a bout of
unimaginable pain only to find himself naked,
freezing, and covered in snow with no one around for
miles.  The pain had been horrific this time, but
Logan doubted he'd remember that about this episode in
their lives.  He'd remember Marie's tenderness and
warmth much more strongly.  He pushed all thoughts of
the attack from his mind, and focused on enjoying
Marie's attentions.  Finally, when she finished, he
rolled back over, seeing plain affection in her eyes.


"Baby........" He tangled his hand in her hair,
feeling himself already grow weak from the effort of
rolling over and staying awake.  She gave him her
usual generous smile, but this time, he saw a few
tears in her eyes.  "Marie?"

"Sorry.  Sorry.  Just - I'm really glad you're getting
better.  I'm glad you're coming back."  The tears kept
coming, even though he could tell she was trying to
keep them back.  Maybe now was the time to try to get
whatever it was out of her. 

"I am better.  I am back.  Darlin', everythin's gonna
be OK.  I won't let anythin' happen to ya, you know
that." He tried to make her feel safe with the words,
safe enough to let out whatever was troubling her. 

"I do," she whispered, but her expression only became
more distressed, and there were more tears.  Logan let
out a long, frustrated sigh, but before he could form
more words, she spoke.  "But we're in trouble, I
think.  It's - it's not safe, it's not OK." 

Logan was on alert at that immediately.  "What is it?"
Marie only broke into long, loud sobs, and scooted
over to press herself to Logan's side.  He put an arm
around her, securing her to him. He waited for the
worst of it to pass before asking again, "What's
wrong?"

"S-scott came here.  He was - he said he w-will be
making decisions for the camp now since you can't
enforce the decisions you m-make any more.  He said he
wouldn't t-try to kick us out, but I d-don't believe
him.  It's just like Jean all over again, it is.  He's
planning something, he's already taking things over,
but I don't kn-know what he's going to do, really.
Whatever it is, it w-won't be good for us, and I'm
afraid I can't st-stop him all by myself."  She
dissolved into tears again at that and Logan held her
tighter. 

"It's gonna be OK," he murmured, inwardly thinking
about what to do.  He wasn't in any shape to go kick
Scooter's ass, which was his knee-jerk response.  He
knew he could barely move and definitely couldn't move
from the bed.  Anger still flared in him strongly,
though. He wouldn't have been surprised that Scott
wanted to be in charge and would try to run the camp
while he was out, but he was surprised that Scott had
apparently been so tactless and forceful about it to
upset Marie like this.  And he definitely should have
more sense than to do anything that smacked of Jean,
even a little bit.  A growl escaped Logan's lips
before he could stop it. 

"I'm sorry.  I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have said
anything because I know you still need to get better,
and I know I should be strong enough to just - just
handle it all, but I can't.  I can't.  I'm sorry,
Logan."  She was shaking and crying now, and Logan
cursed himself a fool for just laying there like some
lump basking in Marie's attentions when he should've
been paying attention to what she needed. 

"Don't be sorry.  I'm glad you said somethin'.  We'll
figure out what to do, but I swear, Marie, he's not
gonna get away with anythin'.  He's not gonna hurt us,
no way."  He felt her nod against his shoulder and
took encouragement in that.  Sleep tugged at him, but
he fought it.  He needed to comfort Marie now.  "It's
gonna be OK, darlin'."
Hank fidgeted.  He'd been thinking over how to broach
this topic with Holly for the past few days, and still
hadn't managed to come up with anything that didn't
sound stupid or salacious or both.  He cursed himself
and tried harder to think of what to say.  He knew he
had to say something, and very soon - the humans were
all well enough to travel, save the young girl with
pneumonia, and she'd accepted an offer of marriage
from Paul.  Hank actually thought they'd make a good
match - they were both quiet, low- key, and Hank knew
Paul to be a good man whose primary motivation was to
help the young girl and to have someone to start a
family with of his own.  It wasn't the most normal
thing he'd ever heard of, but then again, this was no
longer the normal world.  Paul was taking her to his
cabin today, with instructions from Hank for her
continued care, and the rest of the women and children
were preparing to leave soon.  Yes, Hank thought, it
must be now.

"Holly?  Do you have a moment?"  She'd been camping
out in one of the tents, and had come in to check on
the baby.  She was doing well, the fever having broken
several days ago.  Hank suspected some virus or
infection - the child was in poor health and ill-fed,
and that never lead to a strong immune system.
However, she'd fought whatever it was off, with the
help and care of Holly, for the most part.  Holly
positively hovered over the child until she was out of
danger.  She was rocking the infant girl now, just
enjoying the child's company and taking the
opportunity to give her some affection.  The baby
still didn't have a name, but Holly had definitely
stepped in as her de facto mother.  The child's
natural mother had seemed quite relived to relinquish
all responsibility for the child to Holly; she had
told several of her compatriots that it was up to
Holly, not her, whether the child should come along
with them to San Diego since Holly would be the one
caring for her if she did.

"Sure, Hank.  What's up?"  She smiled when he seated
himself at the end of the couch opposite her.  That
was good, he thought, she was becoming more and more
comfortable around him.  That could be a good sign. 

"I wished to speak with you regarding your immediate
plans.  I was hoping - well, I was hoping to offer
some options for your consideration."  She looked at
Hank with polite interest.  Hank took a deep breath,
telling himself that it was now or never.  "I know
that you are planning on keeping the child with you
since there has not been an adoption placement made so
far.  It will be a very dangerous trek to San Diego
with such a small child."

"I know," Holly sighed, "But I just couldn't do
anything else, really.  Someone's got to take care of
her.  She deserves at least a chance, you know?"  She
beamed down at the beneficiary of her kindness, who
cooed back at her in return. 

"I concur.  Ah, there are some other options, options
other than journeying to San Diego, that you may want
to consider."  Holly's expression was now curious,
quizzical.  "You see, ah, the, ah, settlement has only
myself for - for medical assistance, and you being a
nurse would add greatly to the, ah, medical assistance
available."

"But they said - wasn't the vote that we all had to
leave?  I mean, I didn't think they'd make an
exception for me just because I was a nurse."

"Correct.  Correct.  Quite right.  You are correct."
Hank squirmed, then gathered his courage for a final
push.  "Only one exception was provided for, that
being, ah, marriage."

"Right," Holly answered blankly.  "So unless I get
married, it doesn't really matter that I'm a nurse.  I
mean, I hear you, I know you need help, especially
with the population here growing like it is, but - "

"Holly, I am suggesting that you marry me."  Hank got
the words out in a rush, then let out a long, relieved
sigh in their wake.  Noticing that she was simply
staring at him, mouth and eyes both wide open, he
clarified, "Not - not that I would expect you in any
way to live with me as my wife.  Not - not as man and
wife, no.  Well, of course you would have to live with
me here, at the cabin, but spring is an ideal time to
build on an addition - a - a rather large and very
private addition, of course, one spacious enough for
both you and the child, should you -should you like to
stay here and - "

"You're - you're talking about marrying me and
adopting this baby?"  Holly's expression clearly
conveyed her disbelief.  "You're seriously suggesting
that we get married and that you - you take on me and
a baby?"

"Yes, well, I know it seems a bit unusual, and I
assure you that it is only my desire to - to secure
additional medical help for the settlement that has
prompted this offer.  I am in no way expecting you to
- to - to, ah, perform the ordinary wifely duties.
Ah, I mean, the duties one would perform in the
ordinary course of wife -of being a wife.  Or a
mother.  I shall - I shall continue to parent Jules
and you shall be free to parent this child.  Of
course, I shall offer you assistance with that if you
so desire.  But I do not have the, ah, ordinary
expectations for our marital relationship.  That is to
say, I, ah, have no malicious intentions - or - or
sexual designs on you and I realize that marriage to
such an obvious mutant may not be - be something you
would consider, but I - I would like to offer it as an
option for your consideration nonetheless."  Holly
simply stared at him for several long moments.
Finally, Hank prompted, "Ah, would you like to
comment?"

"Yes," Holly said slowly, rocking the infant once
more.  "Yes, I would.  First, um, I'd like to thank
you for offering.  It's really - it's really very nice
of you.  And next I would like to say, um, OK."

"OK?"

"Yes.  I mean yes.  I'd like to say yes, I'd like to
marry you - under - under those conditions.  I think
it's a good idea.  This baby - she needs a home, and I
- to tell the truth, I'd like a stable home too.  It's
been a while since - " she suddenly got choked up and
it occurred to Hank that the whole time she'd been
here, she'd never cried.  She'd always been the calm
one, the efficient one, the one in charge.  She never
talked about how she'd come to have been kidnaped by
those men or what had happened while she was with
them.  Hank felt the sudden urge to comfort her, to
hug her or pat her shoulder or something.  Before he
could do so, though, she gathered herself. "I'd like
to get married.  And I trust you to keep your word
about - about how that's going to be for both of us.
And I don't have any concerns about the mutant part of
it. I'm - I'm pleased to be marrying such an obviously
good guy."  She finished with a shaky smile, one he
returned. 

"Thank you.  I am pleased that you will be staying
with us.  We will need to have a brief ceremony -
Scott can perform it here if you like, and then sign
the certificate.  I think - I think it would be best
if I adopt her." Hank gestured to the baby in Holly's
arms.  "I certainly shall not interfere in your
raising of her in any case, but - but her being
formally adopted by me may be best just - just in case
anything should happen to you.  In that instance, she
would still have a place here." 

Holly pondered his words for a few moments, then
nodded.  "She'll need a name then."

"I suppose so," Hank sighed, absurd relief beginning
to wash over him.  "What shall you name her?"

"Oh.  Oh.  I - I don't know.  What do you think she
looks like?" Holly inquired with a shy smile.

"She looks like she will make a wonderful sister and
playmate for Jules," Hank opined, in a gentle tone. 

"Maybe - maybe we could call her Jane - you know, a
J-name to match Jules'."  Hank was oddly very touched
by the gesture.  "What's - what's your last name,
Hank?  I'm sorry, I forgot."

"McCoy," he supplied immediately, smiling to show that
he'd taken no offense. 

"Well, then she'll be Jane McCoy.  What do you think?"

"Very good," Hank whispered.  "Very good."


"Trust me, Marie.  It's gonna be fine."  Logan propped
himself up in bed to sit up a little straighter.
Marie helped him scoot up a little, and looked upon
him with worried eyes.  "Hey, I won't letcha down,
darlin', I swear it.  You know I keep my promises in
that department, right?"  Marie looked embarrassed,
then upset, while she hurried to nod her response.
"Darlin', don't - don't feel bad, I didn't mean it
like that.  I wanna take care of you.  I'm not mad or
anythin' 'bout what happened.  I'm just grateful as
hell that I thought to throw ya over that cliff, OK?
Just - just relax, Marie, and trust me.  I know
Scooter, I know him inside and out.  I'll talk to him
and take care of things."

"What if he tries something?  He could - he could
shoot you with his eyes or - or - get other people to
come up here too and - and I just don't trust him.  I
trust you, but I don't trust him."  Logan cupped her
face in his hands and leaned toward her until their
foreheads touched.  She calmed a bit with the touch,
but her eyes still darted away from his.

"I don't want you in here when he comes, OK?  You stay
in the bathroom.  Take the gun with ya, it'll make you
feel better.  There's no way he's gonna try anythin'
but I know you'll feel better with the gun.  You'll be
able to hear everythin' that's goin' on.  I'm just
gonna talk to him, and if he's all assholey, then
we'll wait.  We'll just wait until I'm better and then
I'll have it out with him, then I'll fight him.  I'm
not gonna let him do anythin' bad to you, no way, and
he's not gonna hurt me."

"He - he really doesn't like you, you know."  Logan
laughed, despite her dead serious tone, and he gave
her a quick kiss.

"I know.  I don't like him either, but he's usually
not this much of a prick.  Don't worry, darlin', it's
gonna be OK."  As if on cue, Scott's knock at the
front door interrupted them.  "Go on, get the door."
Marie parted from him, paused, and leaned back in for
a hard kiss before following his instructions.  Before
she could reach the door, Scott knocked again.  "Keep
your pants on," Logan called out, winking at Marie to
reassure her.

She opened the door, fixing a hard expression on her
face.  She wouldn't let Scott see her fear or any
potential weakness.  "Come in," she greeted him
simply, inwardly relieved that he appeared to have
come alone.  She moved to let him pass her, then
closed the door behind him.  Exchanging a look with
Logan, she watched as Scott headed to the bed.  When
he was seated, she gathered the handgun Logan had
spoken of and headed for the bathroom.  After Logan
heard her close, but not shut, the door, he spoke.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, huh?"  Scott
frowned, said nothing, and sat down on the edge of the
bed. "You go nuts while I was unconscious?"

"I'm sure you don't care for having humans stay here,
but the settlement voted to allow it."

"I ain't talkin' 'bout that and you know it."

Scott heaved an impatient sigh.  "Look, I apologize
for any distress I've caused Rogue - "

"Distress?" Logan put in, making it clear that he
thought Scott's choice of words did not come close to
conveying Rogue's emotional state.

"Yes, distress.  I know she's very sensitive and
easily upset when it comes to me and - "

"Why do ya think that is, genius?  I'd say she sure as
hell has a right to be."

Scott felt a pang of unease at that, but his long-held
resentment of Logan forged through any sentimental
feelings he may have had.  "Did you want to discuss
something or just yell at me?  Because I've got better
things to do than listen to you rant and rave.  I've
got a settlement to run."

"Yeah, my settlement.  You think you really wanna take
this place over, huh?  You wanna try bein' king for a
while?"  Logan seemed more than a little amused by the
prospect.  "Lemme ask ya somethin', Scooter - what do
you think is gonna happen the first time somebody gets
a hair across their ass and ends up stealin' their
neighbor's land or car or woman?  You think you're
gonna talk to 'em in your big leader voice and make
'em see the light?  Nah, you're gonna hafta *make* 'em
do whatcha say, and lemme tell ya somethin', you won't
do it.  You won't and even if ya would, you can't, not
anymore."

"My powers don't require a lot of physical strength to
be effective," Scott said levelly, "And things have
been running pretty well so far."

"Uh-huh.  For all of two weeks."

"Look, did you have anything else to say, because I
have work to do."

Logan gave him a hard, appraising look.  "Yeah, I got
a coupla other things to say.  You're gonna start
bringin' the new people up here.  You're gonna start
runnin' things by me.  You're gonna do what the hell I
decide, because this is my place.  And you're gonna
apologize to Rogue and live up to the word you gave me
a coupla months ago about not doin' anythin' to upset
her from now on."

"Well, gee, Logan," Scott said in a tone dripping with
sarcasm.  "Since you said that in your big leader
voice, I guess I'll have to do it."  He let out a
snort of laughter before continuing.  "You're in no
shape to *make* me, Logan, so just can it, and be
grateful that I - "

Scott's words were cut off by a solid left hook.
Rogue emerged from the bathroom at that, keeping her
distance and taking cover behind the wall, but
unmistakably aiming her handgun squarely at Scott's
chest.  He flashed back to the day the humans had
attacked their cabin, and how Rogue had felled the
sniper with a single shot.  He was afraid of her now,
for the first time he could remember.  He hadn't been
afraid when she'd killed Gary - that was justice and
it wasn't really her idea, it was Logan's.  He hadn't
been really afraid when she came to him and demanded
his help in rescuing Logan - that was desperation, and
some part of him knew that she wasn't so far gone that
she didn't realize hurting Scott would be
counterproductive to getting Logan back.  But now,
looking into her resolute brown eyes, he was afraid.
She could take him away from his son with a twitch of
her finger, she really could.  His eyes remained glued
to Rogue's - her expression didn't give an inch.
Finally, Logan's snarl drew Scott's attention away
from Rogue.

"I never expected you to be such a cold-hearted
bastard.  You really don't give a shit, do ya?"  He
was panting hard from the effort of punching Scott.
"You got the nerve to be a smart-ass about makin'
Rogue think you're gonna pull some shit, makin' her
hafta worry 'bout that.  After everythin' she's been
through, after her fightin' to help defend you, after
her takin' care of you when you were down, and your
kid too, you still got the nerve to tell me I gotta
*make* you be decent to her?  Well, fuck you, Summers.
 You wanna fight about it, we're gonna go right now."
He threw the covers off and swung one leg to the floor
with obvious effort.  Rogue let out a squeak and her
lips pressed together so hard they turned white.  "Get
your ass outta my house, let's go."

"No," Scott said softly.  Somehow, he'd forgotten -
forgotten how Rogue had cared for him and Christopher,
how she'd done it even though Scott could tell at the
time that it was very difficult for her.  How could he
have forgotten that?  What had happened to him?  He
was upsetting her, he had been all along, it was
written all over her.  It was plain as day.  And for
what - some desire to run this place?  For power?
Some petty desire to annoy or one-up Logan?  What had
happened to him?  Scott's head swum with a sharp
change in perspective; somehow, he'd let his anger
toward Logan run rampant, let his anger, period, take
over.  Maybe it was the trauma of finding out what had
happened with Jean, maybe it was the reminder of it
all that Rogue gave him every time he saw her, maybe
it was his never- ending tension with Logan, but
somehow, he'd managed to lose track of his compassion,
his honor.  The very things he prided himself on, the
very things he differentiated himself from Logan with
had somehow deserted him in recent weeks.  What had
happened to him?

"Logan - " Rogue's frantic call broke Scott out of his
thoughts.  She'd lowered the gun and was rushing to
Logan's side - he'd managed to stand up and make it
about half-way toward the door, but he was walking
with a lot of difficulty, almost dragging his legs
forward by sheer force of will alone.  Scott
remembered how he'd looked just two weeks before -
burned beyond recognition, twitching, disfigured.
"Logan, please, no don't!"  Rogue pressed herself to
him, supporting him.  Scott could see the tears in her
eyes.

"It's all right," Logan spoke softly to her, even
smiled down at her.  "It's OK.  You just stay in here,
darlin', I don't wantcha watchin' this."  He caressed
her hair and cheek tenderly, and she broke into sobs,
clutching herself to him.  "Hey, hey now, it's OK.
It's OK, baby."

"I can't take it," she sobbed, choked with hysteria
and tears, "I can't take you getting hurt again, Logan
please."

"I, ah, I don't want to fight," Scott said, rising to
face Logan with a stricken expression.  "I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.  I don't know what - I didn't mean to upset
you, Rogue."  She didn't part from Logan to look at
Scott.  "I'm so sorry."  Logan gave him a look that
could kill.  "I - I don't know..........I'm sorry."

"Get your ass outside," Logan said harshly.  "We're
gonna settle this.  It's too damn late for 'sorry'."
 Even as he leaned heavily on Rogue, he was undaunted.
 "I've had it, Scooter, let's go."

Rogue finally parted from Logan a little, just enough
to look up at him through pained, panicked eyes.
"Please, I can't lose you.  What will - what will they
do with me if you're not here to protect me?  Please,
Logan."  Rogue's desperation and naked terror
literally felt like a punch to the gut to Scott.  She
was talking about him when she said 'they,' she was
worried about what *he'd* do with her.  She saw Scott
as just as capable of hurting her as those men had
been, saw him as just like those men who'd hurt and
corrupted his beloved Jean.  Scott felt the bile
rising in his throat and he ran for the toilet.

He threw up until there was nothing left to throw up,
and only dry heaves came, then slumped to the floor
beside the composting toilet, and struggled to
breathe.  Tears warred with more heaves, and he let
himself slide down along the wall to rest his head on
the cool hardwood floor.  After a few moments, he saw
Logan looming above him in the doorway.  "What the
hell is wrong with you?"

"I don't know," Scott answered honestly.  "Please,
God, tell Rogue I'm sorry."

Logan eyeballed him, then made his face an impassive
mask.  "Go on home.  We'll have this out, Scooter, but
not today.  Go on home."

Scott slowly made it to his feet, then hung his head
as he rushed from the cabin, still reeling.  He could
hear Rogue's sobs along the way but he didn't dare
look at her.  Once he was out into the open, out in
the fresh air, he gulped it down as though he'd been
suffocating.  It took him a long time to calm enough
to make his way home.


 

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