Logan growled loudly, trying to vent the pent up anger from his confrontation with Emma. Not only did she disrespect him in front of his friends but she called Ro and Anna out their name again. They didn’t have anything to do with what was going on between them but because he was spending time with them, Emma included them in her crosshairs.
He would check on them later once he was in a better mood. Right now, he wasn’t in the mindset to speak to anyone. The raging beast had to be released and the safest place to do that was in his cove, Logan thought as he mentally slide the door open, setting the beast free.
How am I going to deal with this girl and its only day two of living here? Ororo thought as she floated on a night breeze. Her mind was racing so much that it became hard to concentrate. Looking down, she spotted a clearing in the woods and decided to sit there for a while to try to clear her mind.
When she landed, she suddenly went on the defensive. Something about the space didn’t feel right. She felt a very strong presence. She knew she wouldn’t be able to see anything in the darkened woods but she turned in a circle trying to see anyway.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind to take to the skies again, she found herself being tackled to the ground. When she looked up, she gasped as her eyes took in Logan’s face. His grey eyes had been replaced by black orbs, his calm face a mask of rage. She caught a gleam of something out of the corner of her eye. When she turned, she noticed three metal claws extending and retracing from his fist.
She was startled when he leaned down and sniffed her. After a moment, she heard him whimper and then he nuzzled her neck.
“Lo-Logan,” she whispered and got a low growl in response. Swallowing, she tried again.
His senses were alive with the scents of the night. Feeling more at home under the cover of darkness, his stepped into the darkened woods, instant relief and calmness washing over him. He was about to run when he heard a sound. Looking toward the clearing, he sniffed and picked up a new scent. Lavender, vanilla, shea butter, and toothpaste. He neared the edge of the woods as the girl with white hair landed in the middle of the clearing.
He growled in his throat, relishing in the slight rumble in his chest. Mine, he thought, remembering the scents from the party. Mine, he thought again as he watched as she looked around the woods, sensing his presence. He felt the slight tug of his other self trying to get him to recede but he wasn’t done. Dammit, he needed this and his other self owed him. He was going to go meet the one who made his other self smile.
He could smell her fear but yet her face was defiant. He sensed the strength of this woman and knew she would make a good mate. All he had to do was get closer. He wanted to see how she felt. Launching from his perch, he collided with her, taking her to the ground. She feels good, he thought, growling low as she whispered his other side’s name.
“Logan,” Ororo whispered, her voice stronger. Remembering what she learned about predators, she knew that she had to stay calm and try not to fight back. The latter was hard considering she was face to face with a man, who she knew was strong and agile.
She also knew that the person above her was the Wolverine, the alter ego Logan told her about as they finished the tour. He had taken them down to the Danger Room and explained what the room was used for. He also told her how some of the residents used the room to vent their anger in a controlled and safe place.
“Do you use it to vent your anger?” she had asked.
“Yeah,” he replied, gazing down at the silver room through the windows from the observation deck, “I have to come and calm the savage beast within.”
There was a pregnant pause before Anna said, “Yeah right, Logan. You the calmest guy I’ve ever met.” He just smiled and said cryptically, “I wish that was true.”
She wanted to him to explain what he meant but decided to do it later. Now that she was in a compromising position with who she figured was the beast, she wished she had asked him her question.
“Logan,” she said a third time and the Logan above her shook his head and nuzzled her neck again.
“Smell good,” he mumbled against her neck, licking it gently.
“Logan, please,” she said, struggling against him, forgetting not to be scared. His words had triggered a bad memory of a night from her past. The fear she felt then resurfaced, causing the onset of a panic attack. She had to get him off of her. NOW!
“Logan, no, please,” she pleaded as tears of frustration started to fall from her eyes.
The Wolverine sniffed, picking up the salt from her tears and the slight smell of rain. When the information registered in his brain, Logan forced him back, becoming himself once more.
He leaned back and looked down at her face, her eyes solid white. Before he could say a word, he felt himself being lifted by a strong gust of wind, throwing him across the clearing. He twisted in the air and landed on his feet as the rain fell in stinging sheets. He turned to see Ro take to the skies, heading back to the mansion.
Needing to make sure she was okay, Logan raced after her, ignoring the booming thunder and the dangerously close lightning that struck the ground around him. He made it into the mansion just as the wind picked up. He could hear pounding footsteps on the landing above him and headed in that direction. When he reached the top of the stairs, he saw Hank and Jean rush into Ororo’s room.
Before he could turn the knob to open the door, it opened and Remy was startled by his presence but quickly recovered, holding his hand up to stop his advance.
“Now’s not the time, mon ami,” he said, reading the concern on Logan’s face.
“I need to make sure she’s okay,” Logan replied, not fighting against his friend as he gently pushed him back.
“She be fine. Hank, Jean and Anna wit ‘er now. Let’s go get ya out of dese wet tings,” he replied, knowing that he had to give his friend something to do to keep his mind off of the white haired beauty.
Logan, reluctantly allowed Remy to lead him away, glancing back at the closed door.
“What happened out dere?” Remy asked Logan as he reentered the bedroom from his bathroom.
“She met the Wolverine,” Logan said, his voice sounding defeated.
“No wonder,” Remy replied, looking away from Logan.
“What?”
“She has three deep gashes on ‘er arm. They had to stitch ‘er up a bit,” Remy replied softly but knew that Logan could hear him loud and clear.
“Fuck,” Logan said, angrily.
“We know it was an accident, mon ami,” Remy said, getting to his feet.
“Yeah but that still doesn’t change the fact that I hurt her, Cajun,” Logan said, dejectedly.
Remy didn’t reply. He looked at his friend and as much as he would have liked too, there was nothing he could say in response to his friend’s truthful statement. Or maybe there was.
“That may be true, Logan, but Remy tinks Ro knows it a mistake,” he replied, getting to his feet and going over to join Logan on the balcony. Remy watched as Logan glanced over at the empty balcony and sighed. “Give ‘er time, mon ami. She’ll come ‘round.” Remy touched his shoulder briefly before he left him to his thoughts.
Remy’s use of his name didn’t go unnoticed by Logan. He looked back over at the empty balcony and felt angry at himself all over again. Not able to stand being that close to her without being able to talk to her, he decided he needed to vent some anger. On his way to the Danger Room, he paused by her door, listening closely but hearing nothing. He guessed that Hank and Jean had left and now the girls were resting. His hands itched to open the door, just to see her but he knew it wasn’t a good idea.
Sighing, he continued on down to the Danger Room. Once inside, he made sure that the room was locked down, so that he would not have a repeat of what happened in the woods.
Two hours later, he emerged from the Danger Room covered in sweat, his shirt in tatters, his pants barely hanging on. He lifted his head, not believing his nose as his eyes fell on Ororo, sitting on the floor. She stood gracefully when he stepped out, wincing slightly.
“Ya should be resting,” Logan told her, unable to meet her eyes again.
“So I’ve been told. Repeatedly,” she replied, taking a step closer to him, “But I couldn’t, without making sure you were okay. Are you?”
“I should be asking ya that, not the other way around,” he said, taking a step back from her, still not able to meet her eyes.
“Logan, it wasn’t you,” she began and he looked at her and then glanced at the bandage on her arm.
“Well, it was you but it was an accident, right?” she asked, staying where she was, not wanting to crowd him.
“It shouldna happened,” he said remorsefully.
Unable to take the sad look in his eyes, she closed the distance between them and touched his cheek with her hand.
“Maybe. Maybe not. It happened. Now we move on,” she told him, “Logan, I know that you wouldn’t harm me. I know this may sound weird but it feels like you’re my protector and as long as you’re around, I will always be safe.” She paused and turned her eyes to her hand as she gently caressed his face, knowing that his gaze was still on her. After a moment, she looked back at him and smiled. “Almost like you’re my guardian angel.”
“Don’t know many guardian angels that cut the people they’re suppose to protect,” he replied softly, a pained look in his eye.
“True, but you’re still human so that’s gives you a pass to make mistakes,” she said, lowering her hand and taking his in hers, “As long as you don’t make the same one again, capisce?”
He gave her a small smile and she returned it with one of her own.
“Okay, now that we’ve gotten past that, how about we head to the kitchen and you make me one of your special sandwiches? I could really go for one right now. What about you?”
“Yeah, I could eat,” he replied.
“Great. Meet me in the kitchen in 15,” she told him.
“Why 15?” he said, confused as to why they just didn’t go then.
“Well, you’re a bit sweaty so I figured you might want to take care of that first before you get close to some food,” she teased, squeezing her nose to illustrate her point.
“Oh, ya ain’t funny,” he replied, remembering the Danger Room session, “See ya in 15.”
When Logan stepped into the kitchen, he found the ingredients waiting for him on the counter. He glanced and saw that Ro had set the table for two.
“Sorry. I’m famished so I figured I would help the process along a bit,” she replied, washing her hands and joining him at the counter, “Plus I wanted to learn how to do this so when the craving hit, I won’t have to bother you.”
“It wouldn’t be a bother,” he replied softly, making her smile.
He shared his method of creating the sandwich and together, with some input from Ro, they finished them and took them over to the table.
Taking a bite, Logan groaned happily. This version of the sandwich was better than his.
“Mmmm,” Ro moaned, closing her eyes, “This is soo good.”
“Didn’t think that sandwich could get any better, but it did,” he replied, taking another hefty bite. They fell in a companionable silence, enjoying their food. When she had her fill, she looked over at him.
“I was worried about you,” she began, getting his attention, “As much as I wanted to check on you after the party, I was too angry with Emma to be in her presence. I went out to the clearing to calm down and think, not knowing that you would be there as well.”
“Ro,” he began, immediately feeling uncomfortable.
“No, please hear me out,” she replied, “When you, rather the Wolverine tackled me, strangely I wasn’t afraid for myself but more for you. I wanted you to be okay but when he told me I smelled good, it triggered a memory from a bad dream and I panicked. So technically, it wasn’t you that caused me freak out.”
“I appreciate what yer doing but no matter how ya frame the story Ro, I’m still the cause of ya freaking out and the marks on yo arm,” he replied, wiping his mouth and getting to his feet, needing some space. He walked over to the patio doors and opened them, stepping out into the coolness of the early morning.
She followed him with her eyes and watched as he stood out on patio, looking out in the darkness. Lord, help me help my friend, she prayed, getting to her feet and going to join him.
Silently, she took his hand. “Dance with me,” she said.
“Not in the mood, Ro,” he replied but did not resist her actions as she took his other hand and placed both of them on her hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and started moving.
Why is she doing this, he thought, trying hard to resist but finding that his body responded and started swaying in sync with hers.
Smiling to herself, she spoke, “All things happen for a reason and what happened tonight was no exception. I admit, I would have rather met the Wolverine under different circumstances but I don’t regret meeting him.”
“I’m sorry he hurt you,” he replied, still struggling with that fact.
She felt the tension in his arms loosen as he prepared to break the connection. Not wanting the dance to end, she said, “Logan, you need to stop beating yourself up about it. I’m fine.”
“Ya may be but I’m not,” he said, releasing her and taking a step back.
“Why can’t you let it go?”
“Because I’m not suppose to hurt ya, I’m suppose to help ya,” he snapped before taking a deep breath, “But no matter how hard I try, I still end up hurting people like the weapon created to be.”
“Created to be?”
He sighed. “My foster father sold me to a man who experimented on mutants. The Doctor as he called himself, was trying to create an army of mercenaries that he would lend to the highest bidder. So when he found out I healed quickly, he wanted to test the limits of my healing factor and I ended up with these.” His claws slowly emerged from his hand and he retracted them. “And my entire skeleton is covered with the metal so he basically created the perfect soldier. A healing mutant now with a nearly indestructible skeleton, trained to kill on command.”
“But is that who you are now?” she asked simply. He looked at her, a thoughtful expression replacing the sad look on his face.
She continued. “We cannot change our past but what we can do is make the most of our present and future. You are more than what they tried to make you, Logan, like I’m more than a poor homeless white haired, blue eyed mutant orphan. We’ve both overcome some very difficult situations to come to this point and now we have a choice…to be the best person we can be or be who the world think we should be,” she told him her voice filled with the emotion she struggle to keep in check, “When I looked into the face of Wolverine, I didn’t fear him, though he was scary as hell.”
“What I saw was my friend who needed my help and until he said I smelled good, that’s what I was trying to do,” she said playfully, trying to ease the emotional tension in the air, “So from where I’m standing, you’re alright, a bit scary when the Wolverine comes out and when you get angry but otherwise, a good guy with a big heart who cares for his peeps.”
He looked up into the sky and sighed. She could tell he was struggling with his emotions just like she was, the moment of brevity notwithstanding. When his eyes found hers, they shined with unshed tears.
“Logan?” Ororo asked.
“She’s the one person in the mansion who can make me go from zero to 60 in one second,” he told her, the tears drying in his eyes, “She was my first love. The first girl I ever kissed and my first in many other ways.” He looked up, sliding his hands down his tired face. “How do ya get past that? The pain of the betrayal? The loss of your first love?”
Ororo knew that his questions were rhetorical in nature and didn’t require her to respond. However, it seemed that Logan just needed someone to listen to him as he got his feelings off his chest.
“I wouldn’t know. I haven’t experienced it yet,” she replied.
“Ya not missing anything,” he replied, feeling jaded, stepping away from her, “Relationships are just a way for someone to pretend to care until something better comes along. Then they’re gone.”
“I don’t believe that,” she told him, “I believe that you have these experiences for a reason.”
“Yeah to show me that I can’t make a woman happy enough to keep ‘er from cheating,” he said dejectedly.
“Or it could have happened to show you what a “bad” relationship was and to prepare you for the one who is for you,” Ororo replied, using the quote gesture.
She watched him as he looked out into the darkness.
“Logan,” she began, taking his hand in hers and getting him to look at her, “You are a very special person. You are a handsome, loving, and generous guy who, from what I have seen is, cares about and takes care of his friends. A woman would have to be a fool to not see that in you. I mean, I see it and I’ve only known you what, two days?”
The pained look on his face tugged at her heart strings. “And you’re a good sport, dancing with a girl to make her feel comfortable in a new place, even at the expense of being teased by your friends. Especially since dancing isn’t your thing,” she said, finally getting a chuckle, “So you see, you’re just going through a tough time but time heals all wounds. And you never know, the person for you may come when you least expect it.”
She fell silent. They stood side by side, looking out over the dark grounds for a long time, each deep in thought, his hand still in hers. After several minutes, Logan sighed deeply.
“You okay now?”
“Yeah. Thanks for that. I really needed to hear it,” he said, squeezing her hand gently.
She reached up and wrapped him in a loving hug. He closed his eyes as a sense of peace seemed to flow from her arms into him. Ending the embrace, she gently cupped his cheek with her hand and kissed his other cheek. “Sleep well my friend,” she told him before stepping away and taking off before he could stop her.
“Nite, Ro,” he said to the wind as he watched her disappear over the canopy of trees.
