“You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me! He’ll kill us!” Marie cried when Logan told her of his proposition. “Ah agreed ta go with ya, but Ah didn’t agree ta do that!!”
Logan merely rolled his eyes “Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much, kid? You’re overreacting.”
“Ah’m not overreactin’, Logan,” Marie insisted.
“Yeah, you are, kid,” Logan told her as he steered her through the garage with a hand to the small of her back. “Now calm down. If you’re not careful you’ll start broadcasting to Jeanie then we’ll get caught.”
Grumbling under her breath about how completely wrong it was, Marie allowed Logan to lead her towards Scott’s beloved motorcycle. It wasn’t so much the taking of the bike that worried her, but the mode of transportation itself. Traveling on the bike meant that the two of them would be in very close proximity with each other.
For a couple thousand miles.
Marie would be sitting pressed up against Logan’s back for thousands of miles.
“Ah really don’t think this is such a good idea,” Marie murmured even as she handed Logan her back pack to attach to the back of the bike.
Logan smirked in her direction as he strapped both their bags in place. “Are you going to give me the actual reason for your flighty attitude about this or do I have to guess?”
“It’s just that... well, ya see, Logan... Ah’m kinda.... Ah’m just nervous that Ah might accidentally tough ya,” Marie finally admitted, her eyes once again darting to the ground.
Kneeling in front of her, Logan stared up at Marie’s downcast face. There was a soft, almost tender smile on his face. “You’re not gonna hurt me, kid. We’ll be all nice and covered up from the cold so you don’t have to worry about touching me. I would never put you at risk like that on purpose.”
“But what if Ah--”
Logan placed a gloved finger over Marie’s lips, silencing her instantly. “There’s no but’s, Marie. Aside from your face, you’re covered from head to toe right now. And before we even leave, you’re going to put a helmet on. That means you’ll be completely covered. It’ll be all but impossible for anything to happen. Feel better?”
To her complete surprise, Marie actually did feel better after explaining her predicament to Logan. She had been deathly afraid of hurting Logan and now the possibility was being taken away from her. Logan would be safe from her lethal touch and so would she. Granted, she was still going to have to sit with her body pressed flush against that of the man she was completely in love with, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. This would give her an excuse to touch Logan and not have to worry about what Logan’s reaction would be. It was either hold on to Logan or fall off the bike. It wasn’t much of a choice in Marie’s books. Even without her feelings for Logan as a factor it wouldn’t have been much of a choice.
“Is the only reason we’re takin’ Scott’s bike is so that ya can annoy him?” Marie asked as she straddled the leather seat of the bike. She placed her fists in front of her, leaning forward as she watched Logan retrieve a black helmet from the closet.
Logan glanced at her over his shoulder and gave her a devious grin. “You have me in your head. You tell me.”
Delving deep into her “inner-Logan” Marie tried to rationalize things his way. It wasn’t very hard and Marie couldn’t help but share his grin. “Too bad we’re not gonna be round ta see it. Poor Scooter’ll never know what hit him.”
Grinning from ear to ear, Logan stalked back towards her, helmet in his hands. “That’s the point, kid. That’s the point.”
Handing Marie the helmet, Logan flashed her another swoon-worthy smile before hopping onto the bike. Strapping the helmet into place, Marie flung her hair behind her shoulders and wrapped her arms around Logan’s waist Snuggling close to Logan’s larger body, Marie got comfortable for their journey. She felt Logan shifting around as he prepared to start the bike when he suddenly stilled completely.
“I really don’t think you should leave yet, Logan.”
Marie groaned, her eyes falling shut at the sound of Jean’s voice. Despite Logan’s claims both in her head and from his own lips, Marie knew that he only flirted with Jean to get a rise out of her, Marie’s teenage ego wasn’t so easy to convince. She was perfectly sure that Jean would talk Logan into staying.
“Look, Jeanie, me and the kid are leaving. End of discussion. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to get going.” Logan stated calmly, his body tensing as he spoke. Almost imperceptibly, Marie began to run her fingers over his taught stomach muscles in a soothing motion.
“Logan, you were in a coma for a week. You’ve been awake for barely an hour. Don’t you think you should stay here for a little while and rest?” Jean rationalized.
Without even hesitating, Logan shook his head. “No I don’t. I heal fast, Jeanie. Remember? I’m fine and now we’re going.”
“Are you sure that’s what’s best for Rogue?” Jean asked, changing tactics.
Logan growled slightly, his body tensing even more. “She’ll be safer with me than you.”
“That’s unfair, Logan, and you know it. The Professor did everything in his power to keep you and Rogue safe from Magneto,” Jean declared shrilly. The sound of her voice almost hurt Marie’s ears it got so loud. She didn’t even want to think of what it was doing to Logan’s ears.
“Look, Jeanie, I just don’t trust you guys to keep Marie safe while I’m off in the wild blue yonder. Not when everyone around here is scared to get within five feet of her. That’s not the type of environment that I want Marie living in,” Logan told the Jean, shocking both women completely. “I don’t want her worrying about keeping her distance from people because she gets near them. That’s why she’s coming with me. I seem to be the only one in this place who’s not afraid to touch her.”
Marie had to admit that Logan was right with that statement. He really was the only one who wasn’t afraid to go near her. Even Jean had continually gotten edgy when Marie would go down to the med lab to see Logan. She pretended that it didn’t both her, but the residual effects of Logan’s powers told her otherwise. She could smell the nervous fear on Jean-- and everyone else for that matter --whenever she got close.
“Logan, Rogue’s mutation is very severe. It’s only natural that people would keep a safe distance from themselves and her. It’s just like going near a wild animal. No matter how friendly it looks, there’s no telling what will happen when you get close.”
“Ya bitch!” Marie shouted, flipping up the visor on her helmet and glaring at the older woman from over Logan’s shoulder. “Ah’m not some stray dog that ya need ta keep away fer fear of rabies! Ah’m the same as the rest o’ ya! Just cause Ah got deadly skin doesn’t mean Ah go round dressin’ scanty like Jubilee! Ah’m careful! Ah don’t wanna hurt anyone!”
Logan was off the bike in an instant and stalked menacingly towards Jean. Growling low in the back of his throat, he stopped only inches away from her, glaring at her frightened face. “You listen to me, Jean. You may be some high class broad who can read minds, but you don’t know shit. You say you’re all for mutant’s rights, but it seems to me that you’re just as bad as Senator Kelly. You just want control.”
With a final snarl, Logan turned and marched back to the bike. He reached out and gently ran a finger down Marie’s cheek, shocking her with the tenderness of the gesture. Sliding back onto the bike, Logan turned and glared at Jean again.
“Say goodbye to Chuck and the rest of the geeks.”
With that, Logan fired up the bike and started out of the garage. Keeping one arm around Logan’s waist, Marie used her free hand to pull the visor back down. She was still in a semi state of shock, unable to believe that Logan had just defended her like that. To Jean of all people! Even with all Logan’s memories zipping through her mind, Marie couldn’t think of a time when Logan had been so passionate about something. Anything.
For the first time in a very long time, Marie was actually sure about her future. While it was true that she had absolutely no clue what was going to happen to her or Logan in the soon to near future... or even in the long run, but Marie didn’t care. She knew that Logan would protect her no matter what. That gave her a peace of mind that she thought she’d lost that dark day back in Mississippi when she’d discovered her powers for the first time.
Snuggling up against Logan, Marie prepared herself for the long ride ahead. The plane ride from Northern Alberta to Westchester hadn’t been that long, but she knew that it would be infinitely longer on the back of a motorcycle.
“This is definitely gonna be an interestin’ ride,” Marie whispered to herself as she let her eyes fall shut. She wasn’t going to fall asleep, that could be disastrous, but she planned on relaxing as much as possible. The battle inside her head wasn’t completely over and Marie found it helpful to just let her mind go blank from time to time. When she wasn’t thinking, David, Erik and Logan were all silent for at least a little while. While it was true that Marie didn’t mind Logan’s presence in her head, she hadn’t learned how to let only a specific voice into her head.
I certainly hope you know what you’re doing, Rogue, the Professor’s voice said suddenly.
Without even the slightest flinch at his unexpected presence, Marie nodded her head. Ah know exactly what Ah’m doin’, Professor. Ah’m goin’ ta Alkali Lake with Logan ta help him search fer his past.
And are you sure that is wise?
Marie’s answer was immediate. There was no need for her to think it over at all. It’s the wisest thing Ah’ve done since Ah hopped in the back o’ Logan’s trailer back in Laughlin City.
I certainly hope that you’re right, Rogue.