Terri's Peep Hut ~~ Fiction Archive

Early Birthdays and Late Presents

Title: Early Birthdays and Late Presents

E-mail: xgrrl26@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Darn.

Archive: WRFA, Peep Hut, Dolphin Haven - anyone else, please ask and I'll say yes ;)

Feedback: Please? With a bunch of candles on top? Good, bad, and ugly welcome..............

Summary: Marie turns eighteen, but not on her birthday. Kind of.

Comments: This was inspired by a birthday plot bunny from Khaki asking for a fic where either Rogue doesn't tell anyone that it's her birthday or everyone forgets. I hope she likes this birthday fooflet :) And look - it's even early - Khaki's B-D is Feb. 8th. You know, I've heard that all she wants for her birthday this year is a nice bunch of plot bunnies ;)

-------------------------------------------------

Somethin's up with her and nobody can tell me it isn't. I know the difference between when she's 'just bein' weird' and when somethin's really wrong. Those two kids, her roommates - what the hell do they know, huh? They always think she's weird 'cause of the people in her head thing. Somethin's up with Marie and I gotta find out what it is. I'm gonna try the direct approach first.

"So, kid, what's wrong?"

"You're all moody today or somethin'. You have been all mornin'. What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing." Uh-huh. Right. Tell me another one. So much for the direct approach.

"OK. What're you doin' this afternoon? Wanna do somethin'?" Maybe if I can observe her for a while, I'll be able to figure it out. She had breakfast with me at seven, like she does every mornin', but she didn't eat much and she left real quick. I know she don't have classes - she's been done with school for months - and I know she wasn't workin' for Hank; I went to the lab and checked, plus, he said she asked for the day off. I also know she didn't leave the mansion - her little friends said they've seen her in the halls durin' the mornin'. Maybe she was paintin'. Sometimes she gets moody when she paints, but usually not like this. Hmmm.

"I - I was thinking of just being alone for a little while, you know, just have some time to myself. You - you don't mind, do you?" Hell, yes, I do mind. I mind a lot. I don't wanna have her bein' off by herself when there's obviously somethin' up. But I know her well enough to know pushin' ain't gonna do any good here.

"Nah. But I was kinda hopin' you'd be around for dinner. It's Friday." The day we usually order pizza together and eat up in my room. It's kinda like a thing for us. Happens every Friday.

"Oh." Hey - it looks like she forgot. She looked and smelled surprised there for a second. She *did* forget about Pizza Friday. Damn. Somethin' *is* wrong. She likes Pizza Friday. She really, really likes it. It's always made her pretty happy before, and she never forgets. Damn. "Um, I guess I'll be around."

"You sure everythin's OK?" Noddin'. Yeah, right. "OK. I'll see ya up at my place at six, then, huh?" Noddin' again. Tryin' to smile but not quite makin' it past a twitch of the lips. "If you change your mind about the alone thing, I'll be workin' out in the danger room. Just come get me." More noddin'. It's gotta be somethin' serious, I think. I gotta find out what it is, I gotta. Dammit. "OK, see you later."

I thought about followin' her. I was tempted. But she said she wanted to be alone, and I can respect that. She always understands when I wanna be by myself and she never gives me shit for it, even when I can tell she kinda wants to be around me. So I didn't follow her. Besides, she's comin' for Pizza night any minute now. The pizza's already here and it's six on the dot. I don't think she's ever been late before, so she should be here any second. Yep. Any second now. Any -

Aha! That's her knock, I'd know it anywhere. Whatever the hell is the matter, it can't be all that bad if she still made it here on time. "Come in, kid."

Whew. She looks a little better. She's smilin', at least. Maybe she did just need a little time to herself or whatever. Shit, I dunno how the head thing works. Maybe she needs to be by herself for a while to get everybody in order or somethin'. "Hey, Logan."

"Hey. Food's here. Come on, have a seat, the picnic's all set." The first time we did this, she called it a bed picnic - kinda cute, huh? I still think of it that way. "How was your afternoon?"

"Fine." I can see the direct approach ain't gonna work any better now. "Did you have a good workout?"

"Yeah." Used the danger room. Blasted Magneto, Sabretooth, Mystique, Toad - everybody who's ever hurt my girl. Had a real good time. "I'm hungry."

"Me too." I can tell she's tryin' to be a little cheery for my benefit here. She gets a certain look about her when she's tryin' to buck up around me.

"How's your head feelin'?" Maybe some questions that aren't quite as direct as 'what's wrong' will work.

"Fine." Hmm. She's not eatin' much and she didn't look like she wanted to answer that question. She never talks about head stuff with me, except to say I'm OK up there. She don't say anythin' 'bout Mags or that kid she kissed or Carol. Not surprised she don't wanna talk 'bout it now, but I am kinda surprised that she didn't say the thing about me bein' OK in there. She almost always says that when the topic of head stuff comes up.

Let's try another topic. "So I saw the terrible twosome today - they said you got a letter from home." Maybe that's the problem. Shouldn't be - Marie and her mom have been writin' back and forth a little for the past few months, and Marie always says it's goin' OK and her mom's tryin' to be nice. Maybe somethin' happened there, though - that would make Marie look all bummed out like she does now.

"Yeah. My mom sent me a card. It was nice." Another little nibble on the pizza. No pertinent information. This is gonna drive me nuts any second now.

"Everythin' OK in that department?"

"Uh-huh." Pizza nibble. Sad eyes. Lookin' away from me. Think, Logan, think. Think of somethin' to say to get her to say what the problem is.

"You wanna watch TV or somethin'?" Oh yeah, that's a good one. Dumbass - you're supposed to think of somethin' to get her to talk, not somethin' she can do without talkin'. Real good.

"Not - not really. Unless you want to. That would be fine." Another one of those buck-up smiles. Christ. I'm gonna snap in a minute here.

"I kinda don't wanna. I kinda wanted to talk. You've been a little - I dunno - off or somethin' all day." Yeah, yeah, I know the direct approach didn't work, but if at first you don't succeed.

"No, you don't hafta be sorry or anythin', I was just wonderin' what's wrong. You know, so I can fix it, whatever it is." 'Cause I'm pretty damn sure I can do somethin' to make it better. Kickin' a little ass if somebody upset her, gettin' her somethin' she needs, havin' the talk 'bout how she's not a big freak among mutants - I've gotten very good at makin' all kindsa things better for Marie. She usually fusses a little when I do, usually says I don't hafta go to any trouble for her or get her things and stuff like that, but I can tell it works.

"Nothing's wrong, Logan, really. I'm just fine. I've - I've got a roof over my head for now, a job, and I'm pursuing my dream to be a painter. What could be wrong?"

"That's what I'm askin', kid. Somethin's up. I wanna know what it is." Maybe it's time to pull out one of the big guns. "You've always been up-front with me, right? Just tell me what it is."

Aha - progress. That got a big sigh and a thinkin'-it-over look. The big guns usually work, but I don't like tradin' on her feelin's about our relationship like that. They're usually for emergency situations only, but this was sure as hell gonna become one if I didn't figure it out soon. "It's just - it's stupid, really. It's nothing."

"It's obviously somethin' 'cause you've been actin' funny all day. C'mon, Marie, just spit it out." 'Cause then I can take care of it and Marie can go back to bein' her usual happy self again. I know I can fix whatever it is. Hell, I'm no expert at a lotta things, but Marie I got covered. Uh, unless it's some kinda female thing. I heard the terrible twosome say somethin' 'bout PMS. If that's what it is, I dunno how to fix it. Wait - wasn't there somethin' on some show 'bout chocolate and PMS and women's hormones and -

"It's - it's kind of a special day for me and I've been doing a lot of thinking, that's all."

"Special Day?" Ain't a holiday - I woulda known 'cause Chuck and Scooter always make a big deal of those for the students. Most of 'em are orphans, so their families ain't gonna be doin' shit. Ain't the anniversary of the day we met - that's not for a coupla more weeks, I know that one. Marie got me a buncha Cuban cigars on that day last time, I remember it well. Ain't the day I saved her life the first time - or the second, 'cause that happened one day later. I never told Marie it was 'cause of that, but I gave her some presents on both days, a nice scarf and some good leather gloves. Just followin' her lead with the present thing there. I think she sorta figured out why I gave presents on those days, but she never let on that she did. But if it's not any of those, what the hell special day is it then?

"Yeah. It's, um, my birthday." Oh, shit! Shit! Shit! Sh - uh, hey, wait a second.

"Chuck said your birthday was next month."

"I know. That's the day he chose when I wouldn't tell him when my birthday was. I just - I know it seems stupid, but I'd really like to limit the amount of information he knows about me. It's not that I don't trust him, exactly, but - well, I guess it is that I don't trust him. I just let him pick a day so that way he can figure out when I turn eighteen and he doesn't have to house, clothe, and feed me anymore. He's - he's not happy that I haven't expressed a desire to join the team, and, well, he's told me I need to find my own place soon after I turn eighteen. I know it's scamming him a little to let him think it's a month later than it actually is, but - "

"He said he was gonna put you out if you didn't join the team?" 'Cause he sat there behind that big wooden desk and gave me his word - his fucking word! - that he'd always take care of Marie. His word!

"Yes, but he wasn't being a jerk about it, Logan. I mean, he can't just support me forever, I know. It's just - well, it took a while to get over the whole Carol thing, and then, before I knew it, it was already creeping up on my real birthday, so I kind of just let it slide so I could find a place to live and stuff before - "

"You're livin' here, Marie, that's it. End of discussion. You're livin' here, I don't care what Chuck said."

"Um, Logan, it is his house."

"Fuck that. I live here, you live here. That's how it goes." And Chuck should damn well know that. I can't believe he fuckin' told her that and never said nothin' to me. He shoulda known Marie'd keep it to herself, she's like that. Dammit, I oughta -

"You live here because you're on the team, though, and I just - I don't want to do that. I want to paint, I want to at least try it."

"Which is what you're gonna do. Here. Or else, Wheels is gonna be short one teammate for his little mutie squad. Marie, why do ya think I'm even on the stupid team here?"

"You - you mean you're only doing that because of me?" Oh-oh. Oh-oh. That was a fuck up. I didn't mean to let that out. Now she's gonna feel even more indebted to me than she already does, and that's exactly what I didn't wanna have happen here. "Oh, Logan, no - no, you have to quit if you're only doing that for me. You're putting yourself in danger for no reason. I can find another place to live." Aw, now she's holdin' my hand and lookin' up at me with those big brown eyes. "I - I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you, knowing it was because of me that you - it's bad enough knowing you've gotten hurt on missions and - "

"Hey - I heal. I heal, kid. Don't worry." I hate that look on her, the almost-cryin' one. I can smell how upset she is too. Man, I fucked that up royally.

"Just because you heal doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. Don't you think I know that?" Shit. And now I offended her or somethin' on toppa makin' her upset. She's mad, like I was tryin' to pull somethin' over on her. Isn't anythin' I say gonna come out right today?

"I know you know that, Marie. It's just - there's no permanent damage done, so it's not that bad." Shakin' her head - well, I didn't think she'd agree with that one, but it's true. It's not such a big price to pay for all the things both of us're gettin' outta this deal. And I'm a man usedta makin' my livin' with my body, with my flesh and blood. It always heals. There's always more. "Marie, don't get upset 'bout that, OK? At least not right now. Right now, we got a problem 'cause I don't want you movin' out next month. I promised to protect ya, and I'm gonna, and in order to do that, you gotta be close by, and that's all there is to it."

"You don't have to keep that promise. I said - "

"I know what you said about lettin' me outta that, and you know what I said about that's not how it works. I promised, and I'm keepin' that promise, as long as we're both around. It's you and me, kid, and that's how it's always gonna be." That wasn't right either, 'cause now she *is* gonna cry.

"Is that how you want it? Is that how you really, honestly want it?"

"Well, yeah." Whoa. I didn't see that comin' - huggin' me for dear life. What, did she think that wasn't how it was or somethin'? 'Cause I know I haven't said that out loud to her before, but everythin' that's happened between us from the second I picked her up shoulda told her that she's my first and only loyalty, and that I wanna have her with me, you know, all the time. Hell, I didn't even spend two whole weeks away from her when I went lookin' for my past. Couldn't stand it. "Look, Marie, we'll figure somethin' out. If Chuck's gonna be an asshole about you stayin', then we'll go somewhere else. I can always make a good livin' fightin' - you know, in cages insteada in funny uniforms. It's all the same thing, really." Yet another wrong thing to say 'cause now she's cryin'. You know, I should have some kinda translator to Marie-speak so that some of this shit comes out relatively close to how I mean it. I dunno how I always manage to say exactly the wrong thing. You'd think that the odds would be that eventually, somethin' right would come out.

"Logan -" Aw, darlin', don't cry, it's gonna be just fine. "I don't want you to be on the team anymore, OK? I know it's your decision, and I'm not telling you what to do, but I want you to know I don't want you to be on the team. It would be different if - if you were doing this because you believed in the mission or the philosophy or whatever, but if you really are doing it just for me, then I think you should stop doing it. It's dangerous, and I - I don't want that for you. We can think of something else to do besides fighting. I don't want you to always be getting hurt. I thought - I thought this was better because you were fighting *for* something, but - "

"You're somethin'." And the only thing worth fightin' for I've ever found.

"Oh, Logan." More huggin', more cryin'. I kinda dunno what to do here 'cause that's a little bit of a mixed signal. She usually hugs me when she's all happy. "Just - just promise me something, OK?"

"OK." If it's to promise that she's gonna be able to stay here, well, I can't really control that. Chuck has the final say-so. But I can promise she'll have a roof over her head and whatever she needs to do whatever she wants. I can promise that, no problem.

"Promise me you'll think about leaving the team, OK? Just promise me you'll think about it."

You know, she's so serious 'bout that - I wonder if she really don't like it here. I wonder if she's just been stayin' here 'cause I'm here to protect her. I wonder if this whole thing is just some big screw-up - she's stayin' here 'cause I'm here, but I'm only stayin' here 'cause she's here. I'd be just dumb enough to have missed that. "Marie, I'll leave the team right now if you don't wanna stay here. That's not a problem. Unless you wanna live here, there's no reason for me to stick around. But if you do wanna live here, I can stay on the team a while. It's not a big deal." The question is - what does Marie wanna do?

"Then quit. We'll - we'll go live somewhere else, we'll find a way to manage. Quit." She's definitely serious 'bout that. I can see it in her eyes. Those big brown eyes that are just the perfect color and shape and - "Logan?"

Uh, right. "OK. I'll tell Chuck to take this job and shove it in the mornin'." And I'll add a few choice words 'bout him not keepin' his word to always take care of my girl. "Then we'll pack up, and move out." Her whole body relaxed at that - she really was serious. Well, good, then. It's settled. I'm gonna be an ex-X-Man, and Westchester ain't my permanent address anymore. "Where do you wanna go? Alaska still?"

Thinkin' it over. Noddin'. Yep, we got a winner. "Alaska still. And you could get a job, you know - a - a non-fighting job and I could get a job too and paint at night. What do you think?"

"I've never had a job that didn't involve fightin'." Little wince there. Wonder if that was the wrong thing to say. Maybe she's worryin' 'bout havin' to support us both if I can't -

"Then you're due for a new line of work. We can - we can think about it and figure something out when we get there, don't you think?"

"OK." I think that's it. I think we're settled. Conversation over. Whew. "Hey, happy birthday, kid."

"Thank you." Now there's a good smile. Warm. Happy. Just for me. I could get usedta those smiles. "We should probably finish up the pizza before it gets cold."

Right, pizza. Pizza Friday. "Yeah." And she's eatin' better now, lookin' better. Heh. Knew I could fix it eventually. And not only is it fixed, we're gettin' a ticket outta the X-Mansion and up to Alaska. Me and her, just the two of us. Alaska. Hmm. Just one thing missin'.

"Hey, here." Heh. She had no idea this was comin'. Well, I wanted to get settled first. Took us a while to get to Alaska and a while for us to pick a good spot. Then it took a while to make some money to cover what all we needed. Now that I got a job, a regular paycheck, it was time. Time? Hell, I'm a coupla months late.

"Present." There goes the Marie look. I like that look. Part confused and part happy and all beautiful. I really like that look.

"I can see that. What's the occasion?"

"Is - it - oh my God, is it your birthday?" Um, darlin' - why would I give you a present on my birthday? "Wait a second - why would you give me a present if it's your birthday?" You know, she does have a lotta me up there.

"I wouldn't. It's a present for your birthday."

"But - but the real one was months ago and the fake one is over too." Shakin' the package a little. I know she'll like it. Had the guy in town who usually orders her art stuff in tell me what she was pinin' for outta that big catalog they got and I picked out a buncha stuff she's had her eye on. "I don't need presents." But she's still shakin' the package.

"Go on, open it." She's smilin' outright now, tuggin' at the ribbons. I put a lotta ribbons on it. After all, the only thing I got her for her real birthday was a pizza. Hadta make up for that a little.

"Oh! How - how did you know I wanted these? These are just the brushes I wanted!"

"Yep." Don't need to go tellin' her all my secrets, even if she is my girl.

"You're a man of few words today." Teasin'. Heh. Naughty Marie, she's definitely a naughty - uh, better stop thinkin' that.

"Well, few words but many presents." There's a big smile. Don't think I've seen her quite this happy yet. And she's been damn happy ever since we got here. "So you like 'em then?"

"Yeah, I like them!" Ooomph. She can give one helluva hug. "Thanks, Logan. I really do love them." Knew she would. "You know, you're going to have to tell me when your birthday is so I can get you presents too." God, when she's all pressed up against me and purrin' at me like that - I wonder if she has any clue what that does to me.

"I don't have a birthday. Can't remember when it is. Can't even remember what day I woke up in the snow. I just dunno."

"Pick one, then." Hello - that's a very pleasant squirmin' thing she's doin' all up against me. And the look in her eye is positively flirty. Maybe she does know what she's doin' to me. "So I know when to get you a present."

"I already got somethin' in mind for a present, darlin'." Hope this won't be too much, too soon. I mean, she is eighteen now, but still. I dunno exactly what she's thinkin' in that department. On the other hand, she's still rubbin' up against me and givin' me looks. That's a definite sign.

"Uh-huh. I want a kiss."

"Oh, really?" No, it's not too much - she didn't stop the squirmin' thing and God, she's even doin' it a little more now. "Did you have anyone in mind for this birthday kiss?"

"You are a man of few words."

"I'd like to be a man of a few kisses, darlin'." Heh. That was a good one. "Whaddya say?"

"I guess. Since it's your birthday present and all." All flirty and I think she's gonna - yep, she's kissin' me, usin' the edge of that little scarf she was wearin'. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely more like that, Marie. I never really knew what she tasted like before, but Marie-flavor is seepin' through that scarf and it's definitely at the top of my list now. More. More. Uh-huh. Like that. With - yes, open your mouth up. With tongues. Mmmm. Yeah. Kiss. Good. Marie. Soft. Uh-huh. Wait - wait a second - no, don't stop. "Did you like that?" And now she's lookin' at me all serious, no more flirt in there at all. If there's anythin' that makes me wanna lick her all over more than the flirty look it's that innocent one.

"Hell yeah. But I wasn't done yet." My turn to kiss her now. Very nice. "There. Now, that's a present."

"Same thing next year?"

"Yep. Every holiday, as a matter of fact. I could do with that present every holiday. And, you know, non-holidays. Fridays. Mondays. Thursdays. Days that end in 'y'. That'd be good." That got a laugh outta her. Life is good. I got a laughin', kissin' Marie all to myself. Life, and birthdays, are very good.