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Chapter Two
“The slayer,” she called back. The slayer of what, he wondered. Whatever those two things she had fought were, they weren’t normal. That was the only thing he knew for sure. That and there was something about her that drew him like a moth to the flame. Despite the fact that he had borrowed one-eye’s super bike, he had taken his time to get to Alkali Lake. He had spent the past month thinking over the events that had happened at the school. Logan was having a hard time believing that Rogue had worked her way into his heart so quickly. Maybe it was because she looked as lost as he felt. He just knew that he would return to the girl who he loved like a sister, no matter what he found. He doubted that she even knew that he carried a communicator with him and talked to the Professor once a week. He just wanted to make sure that she was happy. He had made a promise to her to take care of her, and he intended to keep it. The time on the road had also given him time to think about Jean. Logan finally admitted to himself that while he did find her attractive, he hit on her mainly just to piss Scott off. The kid definitely needed to relax. By the time he had reached this small town in Canada, his funds had begun to run short. He had easily found the bar that sported cage fights the night before and had set off to earn some money. He hadn’t won as much as he had hoped and so he had returned for another night. The moment he had walked in he could sense that there was something different about the place. As he walked by the bar to deposit his coat in the back room, the sense grew stronger. It wasn’t until he was in the cage and scanning the crowd that he discovered the source. His eyes rested on a tiny blonde drinking a beer at the bar. There was just something that made her stand out from the crowd. He quickly continued his scan when he realized that she knew he was looking at her. Logan could feel her eyes watching him fight, as if she was trying to figure him out. That is, until he took his shirt off because he had gotten hot. He felt her eyes bore into him for a minute, then suddenly they were gone. He looked to see her turn away from him. She kept her attention firmly on the counter behind the bar for the rest of the night. She didn’t even acknowledge his presence when he sat down for a beer before calling it a night. He took the opportunity to study her. She was obviously from out of town. She had an air about her that said she had seen and done more in her short life than anyone in that town could even think about experiencing. It was her scent that really got him though. She smelled of vanilla and femininity but had an undercurrent of controlled power. It was like nothing he had ever experienced, at least to his knowledge. He wondered briefly if she was mutant, but dismissed it since he had never been able to sense one like that before. When she had left after their too brief conversation, he turned to the bartender. “So how much did she drink?” He asked curiously. The bartender just shook his head in amazement. “Nearly three bottles of Turkey 101 and at least thirty bottles of beer.” Logan raised an eyebrow in disbelief. A girl her size shouldn’t be breathing, let alone walking straight and sober. He quickly paid for his beer and went out the door to make sure she made it to her motel safely. He turned to the sound of her voice when he heard her say, “The one and only.” It was then that he noticed that her scent had altered slightly. The undercurrent of power had grown, but it was still controlled. The shorter guy she was talking to told her die, and Logan nearly attacked until he saw her move with the ease of a seasoned warrior. She neatly avoided him and took his partner down a notch. But he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw them turn to dust. While he had seen his share of strange and unusual things, this had topped the chart. Whatever had happened wasn’t natural. She brusquely answered his questions and walked away with the hint of a challenge for the next evening. It was enough of a hint that he found himself returning for a third night of fighting, something he rarely did. He had learned early on that he attracted too much attention if he won more than two nights. He much preferred fighting for money, rather than his life. Logan had been fighting for over an hour and still hadn’t sensed her. He was beginning to think that she wasn’t coming, which he found oddly disappointing. It had been a long time since he actually got to fight someone talented and what little he had seen the night before told him she might be. He was about to throw the match and leave when he felt her enter. He turned to see her walk to the bar and then felt his current challenger kick him in the stomach. He returned his attention to the fight at hand. Deciding he was ready to move on, Logan placed a calculated punch on his opponent’s jaw, knocking him out. As the guy hit the floor, he turned his eyes back to the bar. The blonde met his gaze unflinchingly. He swore there was a small smirk on her face as she made her way to the cage. He coolly watched her talk to the announcer. She argued with him briefly. Logan guessed they were arguing over the fact that she was a girl. Apparently she won as they both entered the cage. A hush fell over the crowd as the announcer declared her the next challenger. The same thought flowed through their minds, how could a tiny wisp of a girl even think she could defeat such a large man. The blonde boldly walked up to him and spoke in a voice so quiet that only he could hear with his sensitive hearing. “I won’t hold back if you don’t. I’m in the mood to dance.” Logan raised an eyebrow in surprise. Very few people viewed fighting as dancing, usually only those whose lives centered around it considered it so. Still, he didn’t want to hurt the beauty in front of him by letting it all out. While he had seen enough the night before to know she could fight, he doubted she’d be able to handle the full impact from his adamantium lined skeleton. He decided to sound like he humored her, “Whatever you say, darlin’.” She showed her disbelief in her eyes, but didn’t say anything. She took a couple of steps back and closed her eyes to center herself. When she opened her eyes, Logan nearly took a step back. Gone was the sweet looking woman. In its place was a predator. Logan decided to make the first move and he threw a punch at about one-quarter of his full strength. The blonde blocked it easily and shot him a withering look. He barely had time to register the fact that her scent changed before he felt the palm of her hand slam into his chest. He flew until his back hit the side of the cage and he slid to the floor. He was suddenly thankful for the metal that lined his skeleton, for without it she would have crushed his sternum. Taking a deep breath, he was awestruck by the amount of power radiating from the tiny figure in front of him. Realizing that she could probably take anything he threw at her, he decided to give her, and himself, the fight they had been looking for. As she threw a punch, he met her fist head on with his own. They met with a crunch and Logan could feel the impact all the way up his arm. The blonde didn’t even flinch, but a feral smile appeared on her face. “Finally decided to play, huh?” While he had been merely intrigued by her before, he was now mesmerized. He definitely needed to learn more about her. She did a back flip and kicked him solidly in the chin. The blonde had no sooner landed on her feet when he landed a kick in her stomach. The crowd could only watch in stunned silence as the two traded blows and kicks that could have maimed most normal people. After the first couple of minutes they shoved their disbelief aside and began cheering them on. Back and forth they went, neither one really getting the upper hand. Before long, true smiles appeared on both of their faces. Logan would have taken the time to drink in the change on her features, but he was too busy enjoying himself. “You’re not too bad. For a girl.” “Flattery will get you nowhere,” she replied, before vaulting over his head and landing a kick into the small of his back. They fought for nearly an hour, and then Logan noticed a change in her eyes. He saw boredom, and it was all the warning he received. She attacked so quickly that he never had a chance to defend himself. He found himself suddenly pinned to the floor with her hand wrapped firmly around his throat. “You have a choice, Wolvie,” she whispered in his ear. “I can cut off your air supply and knock you out, or I can call the ref guy over and you can call uncle.” Logan tried to decide which was the worse of the two. Either way, if one-eye ever found out he wouldn’t let him live down the fact that he got his ass kicked by a girl. Deciding she couldn’t disappear on him if he was awake he indicated the latter option. She called the ref over and she was quickly declared the winner. She stood and held out her hand to help him off the floor. The crowd began to disperse and he turned to the slayer and asked, “Buy you a beer?” “Sure, why not?” They easily made their way over to the bar and sat down. They sat in silence until the bartender brought them their drinks. He noticed her scent had changed again. The power he smelled on her had dropped back to an undercurrent. It was a phenomenon that he had never experienced before. While he could always smell someone’s fear and other powerful emotions, their base scent never changed. But her, it was almost as if there were two separate people in the same body. “You’re staring again.” “Sorry. It’s just...Who are you?” “I told you, the slayer.” “The slayer of what?” She looked closely at him. “You mean you don’t know?” Logan looked at her in confusion. “No, I don’t. Otherwise I wouldn’t have asked. The slayer of what?” “Nothing,” she whispered as she turned and faced forward. He sat there in silence for a moment before asking, “Mutants?” It was her turn to look at him in confusion, “Huh?” “Mutants. Do you slay mutants?” “Again with the huh?” “You don’t know about mutants?” He asked in disbelief. “No. Why?” “Never mind,” he muttered. “So, what do you do?” “Not much. I wander a bit. You?” “I wander a bit,” she answered with a smirk. He chuckled softly. “Where you off to next?” She just shrugged her shoulders. “Wherever I hitch a ride to.” “You don’t drive?” “No,” she said emphatically. “Me and cars don’t mix.” He studied her thoughtfully for a moment. Even though he had just met her, he somehow knew he needed her in his life. “You could travel with me,” he suggested softly. She jerked in surprise. “I’m not sure that would be such a great idea.” “Why? Afraid I might hurt ya?” “Obviously no, it’s just,” she paused for a moment. “It’s complicated.” “Come on. It would be nice to have some company for once.” He didn’t know why he so desperately wanted her to intrude on his solitary lifestyle. She seemed to consider it for several long moments, and then her eyes softened just slightly. “Sure.” He couldn’t stop the smile that graced his face. “My name is Logan,” he said as he extended his hand. “Buffy,” she said as she shook it. “You’re joking?” “’Fraid not.” Previous Part Looking For Tomorrow Menu Next Part |
