[Reviews - 20]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story |
Printer Chapter or Story |
ePub eBook Chapter or Story |

Has been viewed 701 times

- Text Size +




Author's Chapter Notes:
Logan and Ororo set Forge straight.
Chapter 23 “ Face-Off

Relationship Status “ married

Slowly, Logan released his claws and advanced on the unsuspecting tinkerer.

The two occupants in the room remained still, as if frozen in time. The muscles of Logan’s jaw were working furiously and his body was taut with constrained violence. His gray eyes held a demonic gleam as he took in the scene before him.

Forge, sensing the precarious position he now found himself in, scrambled out of the way of the maniacal mutant advancing on him. He immediately took up a defensive stance, ready to defend himself and Ororo against the angry predator who kept him in his sights, ready to pounce. Staring into the frantic eyes of the fuming feral, he wondered what the hell he could have done to piss off the Wolverine. Forge trembled slightly, at the thought of six blades being impaled in him. One thing a person never wanted to do was make the unstable mutant angry.

As if snapped to attention out of her stunned haze, Ororo shot up from her seat and hurriedly made her way over to her husband, intent on stopping him from causing any carnage. One look at him and she knew it wasn’t going to take much for him to turn completely feral.

“Logan?” She uttered cautiously. “Darling?”

His voice was raspy and harsh. “Ya okay, ‘Ro?”

“Yes I am,” Ororo answered softly, calmly. “Now, would you please put those away?” She asked, gesturing to his claws.

“Hn.” He grunted and drew back his claws, his eyes never wavering from his prey. Within a blink of an eye, he reached out and jerked her towards him and quickly spun her around, assessing her for damage.

“What are you doing to her, you animal?” Forge yelled, strolling to Ororo’s side and yanking her away from the Wolverine. “Rory are you alright? This idiot could have…”

Logan’s ferocious roar shook the very foundation of the building. The sound was so threatening, so deathly, that the tinkerer jumped. Before he knew it, he was being spun around and the breath gushed out of his body when Logan’s fist landed squarely in his stomach. Forge landed on his back on the floor and before he could regain his breath, Logan had straddled his chest and held his right fist up with the claws protruding.

“If ya ever, ever, touch my wife again, I’ll kill ya, Maker.” His face was an inch from the quaking Forge and the words were gritted through his teeth. “If ya even look like ya’re thinkin’ of touchin’ her, I’ll kill ya. Ya got that, bub?”

Wife?! The one word resonated with Forge as he laid on the floor, a lethal Wolverine pressing into his chest.

Apparently, the mutant was crazier than he thought. “Get off of me,” Forge said with misplaced bravery. “You’re damned crazy.” He struggled but couldn’t budge Logan.

Logan slowly eased his clawed fist down closer to Forge’s face. “Never said I wasn’t, Maker?” Logan taunted.

Forge laughed nervously. “What the hell is your problem?”
Logan shrugged negligently. “I could fulfill my promise ta her and gut ya right here, right now.”

“Get the hell up off of me,” Forge persisted, though his voice wavered and he began perspiring profusely. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Ya wanna test me, Maker?” Logan drawled. “One word from her and I’ll fillet ya.”

“Call him off Ororo!” Forge screamed, as Logan pricked his skin with the tip of a claw.

“Logan!” Ororo cried, for the first time since he entered the room afraid that he would deliver on his promise to gut her ex-fiancé. “There is no need for that!”

With the slightest movement, Logan moved his clawed hand and rammed it into the floor, mere inches away from Forge’s face. The blood drained from his face as the metal gleamed.

“Ya bet wid me, Maker. Ya’ll lose ev’ry time.” With disdain, Logan retracted his claws, stood up and stepped over the whimpering, inert form.

“That was not necessary, Logan,” she persisted.

Logan snorted. “I had ta let him know, ‘Ro.”

He looked at his mate, saw her disappointment and then sulked away like a scolded child. The last thing he wanted was for her to be disappointed in him. But when he had seen Forge’s close proximity to her, something inside him had snapped. Every single hurt that the Maker had inflicted on her had come to the forefront, making him see nothing but red. He saw every tear his mate had shed at the hands of Forge and he wanted, no needed to make him cry. It was his way, the only way he knew. No one hurt a member of his pack without paying the price. He had a right to seek retribution on behalf of his mate.

When Forge’s words asking her for another chance had washed over him, he knew that all bets were off and he had to let the mutant maker know he was infringing on the Wolverine’s territory. She was his and the Wolverine did not share. He wanted to inflict lasting pain on him that would leave no doubts as to whom she belonged too.
Forge was oblivious to the fact that he’d just committed two cardinal sins against the Wolverine. He had trespassed on the Wolverine’s territory and he had hurt the Wolverine’s mate. And for those acts against him, his beast was thirsty for blood. However, everything else was secondary to his mate’s needs. And right now, his mate needed him to let her handle the matter.

Ororo saw his dejected posture as he moped off. She wanted to go to him and comfort him, but she also needed him to know that violence or threats of violence weren’t the way to solve every conflict. As much as she was hurt by Forge, he didn’t deserve to be beaten to a pulp. Besides, beating Forge up wouldn’t serve a single purpose, because at the end of the day, she’ll still belong to Logan and nothing would ever change that.

Forge stood up, his smirking eyes never leaving the feral. He dusted his pants off before looking at Ororo warily.

“Ororo, thank you.”

She swiveled heated eyes towards Forge. “What are you thanking me for?”

“For calling off your guard dog.”

Logan’s growl echoed in the room. “Don’t tempt me, Maker.” His fists clenched at his sides to keep from smashing them into Forge’s smirking face.

“Do not get ahead of yourself, Forge. If I truly wanted him to tear you apart, there would be nothing to stop him from doing as I ask,” Ororo replied haughtily.

Logan grunted, pleased at his mate’s words.

Forge’s eyes widened. Suddenly, Logan’s words rushed to the front of his mind. Wife. The idiot had called Ororo his wife. Ororo had more sense than to bind herself to the animalistic man for life. She was too elegant, too beautiful and too good for the likes of the uncivilized mountain man. Before things between him and Ororo went south, he knew that Logan had went back to Canada and didn’t plan on returning. He knew they were great friends, but he wasn’t aware of any romantic feelings between the two. Besides, Jean didn’t mention anything about these two being together. Jean was adamant that Ororo was very much single and was looking to reconcile with him. Apparently, he was missing something vital in this unlikely equation. Was Jean playing him for a fool? He knew all about her wanting the feral mutant. He also knew that she and Scott were no longer together. Was she using him to get what she wanted? He was about to find out.

An unknown force drew his eyes towards her left hand and sure enough, present on her ring finger, was a gold band encircled with sapphires. The same force compelled him to cast his eyes towards Logan’s left hand, and there for his eyes to see was his plain gold band. This had to be a joke of epic proportions.

Forge erupted into riotous laughter. Ororo and Logan looked at each other, each positive that Forge had lost his mind. It was a minute or two before the mechanical man calmed down. When he did, he laughingly provided an explanation. “I am simply laughing at the Wolverine’s joke earlier.” At Ororo’s and Logan’s blank expressions, he continued, “He called you his wife.” He dissolved into a second round of mirth.

“You heard him correctly.” Ororo’s emphatic statement immediately put a stop to Forge’s laughter. She walked over to where Logan was standing and draped her arms possessively around his midsection.

Forge’s mouth opened, then immediately closed when he found he had no rejoinder. How did one reply to such a bombshell?

“But Jean didn’t...” Forge mumbled.

Logan’s keen hearing immediately picked up on the Maker’s inaudible words. “But Jean didn’t what?!” He barked.

“Jean?!” Ororo exclaimed. “What does Jean have to do with this?”

Logan took a threatening step towards Forge, but a quick side eye from Ororo silenced him, letting him know that she can and will handle the situation. “Answer the question, Forge. How does Jean figure into this?” Ororo demanded.

Forge stubbornly remained silent, using the time to scramble for a reasonable explanation. He heard the low rumble of the Wolverine’s menacing growl at the same time he felt the dip in the room’s temperature. It was time for some answers. He grimaced. “Jean invited me to come back.”

“Why?” Logan snarled. “Ya got ‘bout five seconds ta come clean.”

Forge looked at Ororo for help. Seeing none was forthcoming, he spilled it. “Jean said that Ororo was single and was hoping for a reconciliation with me.”

It was Logan’s turn to dissolve into laughter. “And ya believed her? I thought ya were a smart man, Maker.”

“I had no reason not to believe her.”

“Ya’ve been had. She played ya fer a fool.”

“Well, allow me to clear up any misunderstandings or scheme you and Jean may have concocted,” Ororo stated unequivocally. “Logan and I are married. Make no mistake, I am very happy in my relationship and contrary to what you may think or may have been led to believe, I am not pining away for you.”

Forge simpered. “I did not come back only at the behest of Jean. Frankly, I was planning on returning before she contacted me. I was hoping that we could wipe the slate clean and start over.”

Logan growled. “Either ya’re hard ‘o hearin’ or ya’re plain stupid. I suggest ya hightail yer ass back ta where ya came from. My wife ain’t startin’ over nothin’ wid ya.”
Forge threw a smirk at Logan and then turned to Ororo.

“You’re too good for this animal. He’s not even worthy enough to kiss the ground you walk on.”

The sound of metal releasing was grating. “Sonofabitch!”

“Logan,” Ororo hissed. “Please.” Her plea didn’t go over well with his beast. He wanted to maim the jackass before him, who had the audacity to disrespect him and his relationship. However, the hardened glint in her eyes appeased him somewhat. He stepped back and let his mate handle her business.

Ororo turned to Forge, her eyes stormy and hostile. “Forge, before I lose whatever patience I have remaining, please get it through your head, that there is no going back for you and I. Logan and I are married. I have no desire to rekindle anything with you. So, kindly leave us alone.”

Logan grinned as he watched Forge’s face crumpled in defeat. “Ya finally got it, Maker?” He sneered.

Forge casted hard unyielding eyes between Ororo and Logan. After a long silence, his gaze came to rest on Ororo. The woman, whom without, he was doomed to a dismal future. It hurt his soul and his pride that she had married the uncouth Wolverine. This was a bitter pill to swallow and he knew that he was never going to accept it. Ororo belonged to him and no marriage certificate, vows or rings was going to change that. His only option now was to put on a fake smile and suck it up.

“I would be lying if I said I was happy for the both of you,” Forge scoffed.

“Thank you, Forge,” Ororo replied. “Thank you for saving me from a life of unhappiness and giving me the chance to open my heart to and love Logan.”

Ororo’s words were spoken with the intention of lashing Forge where it would hurt the most. His pride. Her words hit its intended mark spot on and Forge’s features became overridden with derision. The hardened glint in the Wolverine’s eyes made it known that it was in his best interest to leave, as he had worn out his welcome. He toyed with the idea of seeking Jean out and giving her a piece of his mind. However, he didn’t think it was worth the time and effort because he was sure Jean had already gotten what was coming her once she had learned that the Wolverine was off the market.

Without another word, Forge turned his back and stalked to the door, nearly tearing it off its hinges as he swung it open. “Good luck to you Ororo. You are going to need it being married to this savage.” His parting shot was flung over his shoulder as he stepped over the threshold, slamming the door shut.





You must login () to review.