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Chapter Three
They had arranged to meet the next morning outside of the little motel Buffy had been staying at. She quietly sipped her coffee as she checked out and carried her bag outside. She couldn’t believe she had let him talk her into this. She should have just told him no and walked away, but she was lonely. She used to be surrounded by friends who loved and supported her. But she had gotten them killed because she wasn’t a good leader. If she had only been better, maybe they would have trusted her more and wouldn’t have kicked her out of her own home. If she had kept them together, maybe they would still be alive. Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea for her to travel with him. She would probably just lead him to his death. She seemed to have that effect on people. “Not rethinking this are you?” Came a gruff voice from behind her. “Maybe,” she said softly. “You shouldn’t. You look like you need the company.” “And you?” Logan got quiet for a moment and looked off in the distance. Until he had met Rogue, he thought he didn’t need anybody. But suddenly, he had an urge to start letting some people in. Just knowing that there was someone out there who cared for you made things just a little easier. “Maybe I need some company, too.” “Fine. Where should I put my bag?” He indicated the back of the bike where there were straps to tie it down with. He reached out to take the bag from her but she stopped him. “I got it.” “Just trying to help.” “I know, it’s just...I have this thing about people touching my stuff,” Buffy explained quickly. She didn’t want to have to explain why it was so heavy. Plus, the scythe was in there with all her weapons and she really didn’t want some man she barely knew to touch it. “Whatever. You travel awful light for a girl,” he said, as she finished strapping it onto the bike. “Don’t need much,” she said simply. Logan just shrugged and got on the bike. He waited until she climbed on behind him before starting it. He nearly groaned when she wrapped her arms around his waist. His mind instantly began wandering to other places she could place her hands. She was very beautiful and powerful. But for once he wanted to get to know her before he started anything with her. Buffy was thankful when he finally pulled out of the parking lot and started to head down the road. She could feel his taunt muscles underneath his shirt. She began cursing herself for wondering what it would feel like without the article of clothing in the way. She didn’t want to find this man attractive because she would either get him killed or push him away somehow, like she had with all the others; not to mention that she was still clinging to Spike’s memory. The blonde forced her thoughts to remain neutral as they headed out of town and further into the wilds of Canada. About mid-afternoon Logan pulled into a small motel that had an even smaller diner connected to it. They quickly checked into their rooms and met back up in the diner. They sat in silence after they ordered, until their food arrived. Buffy just stared in amazement at the amount of food that was placed in front of her traveling companion. “What?” “Are you really going to eat all of that?” She asked, gesturing to the six plates sitting in front of him. “Yeah.” “That stuff will clog your arteries.” Logan just grunted. “It’s better than that rabbit food you’re eating,” he said, pointing his fork at her salad. “I have to watch my figure.” “You need to put more meat on your bones; you’re too skinny.” “I’ll have you know...” “What? That you don’t eat enough?” He shoved his plate of eggs and sausage in front of her. “Eat.” “No!” “Yes. I don’t need you falling off the bike in a faint ‘cause ya didn’t eat enough.” “Just because I agreed to travel with you for a while doesn’t give you the right to boss me around.” “Eat.” “But...” As she opened her mouth, he shoved a piece of toast into it. She just glared at him as she chewed and swallowed. “Listen here....” And he did it again. “Wolvie...” This time it was a bite of sausage. Instead of retaliating, she sat there with her mouth shut and glared at him. Logan couldn’t stop the smirk that appeared on his lips when she reluctantly began eating the eggs he had given her. “So, where you from?” He asked, after he was sure that she was going to continue to eat. “California. A little town called Sunnydale.” “Never heard of it.” “Hence the ‘little town’. It’s a couple hours away from L.A.” “Why’d you leave?” Her eyes grew distant as she said, “There wasn’t anything there for me.” “But there is in Canada?” She shook herself out of wherever she had gone. “Let’s just say I’m passing some time until I decide to finish up some business.” “In Canada?” “Just as good as any place else. So where are you from?” “Canada.” He paused for a moment before softly saying, “I think.” “You think? Don’t you know where you’re from?” “Let’s just say, for as long as I can remember I have lived in Canada.” Buffy just gave him a skeptical look, but didn’t say anything. She just continued to eat the food in front of her. She couldn’t believe how hungry she was. As she finished up, Logan shoved another plate in front of her. “Eat.” “I can’t eat all of your food.” “I’ll order more. Eat.” Sighing, she began eating the fries. An hour later, Buffy was surprised to find her stomach truly full for the first time in a long time. She mentally noted that she should patrol that night to try and work off some of the food she had eaten. She didn’t sense any demons in the tiny little town, but it still wouldn’t hurt. “Where are you going?” She asked Logan as he rose from the booth. “Gonna pay the bill.” “Let me give you some money.” “I got it.” “But we ate so much. It wouldn’t be fair to let you pay for all of it.” “Take it easy, darlin’. You can get the next meal.” Without waiting for a response, he headed to the cashier and paid the sizeable bill. Buffy couldn’t help but stare at him in bewilderment. She had firmly decided that he wasn’t a demon. Her first clue was that he had never heard of the slayer; while damn near every demon had at least heard of the legend if not believed in it. Then there was the fact that the more she was around him, her senses registered him as human. However, he couldn’t be normal. While it was true that she held back slightly in their little dance the night before, she had used a good deal of her slayer strength and speed. But here he was, without a bruise to show for it. Plus, punching him felt like hitting solid steel. She had a feeling it had something to do with that mutant thing he mentioned, whatever that was. She just didn’t know how to ask him about it without making it obvious. Logan could feel her eyes on him while he paid the bill. It amazed him that someone as tiny as she was could have such power if she never ate. He was almost always hungry. Which brought his thoughts back to wondering exactly who was she? He didn’t think she was a mutant on the run, she just didn’t carry that aura about her. But something about her past wasn’t pretty. She neatly avoided any in depth questions he asked. He knew he was going to have to tell her something before they got the Alkali Lake. ‘Cause she was bound to wonder what they would be doing at an abandoned military base. ******* The next evening, they pulled into a tiny motel that survived on truckers passing through. According to Logan’s calculations, Alkali Lake was only a half-hour away, an hour at most. It was the closest town to his destination, so he figured it would be a good place to stay. Especially since Buffy didn’t seem to like an outdoor kind of girl. Buffy. He still hadn’t decided what to tell her. He wasn’t sure if he could explain about mutants, that seemed to be more like the professor’s job. Plus, he had no idea how she would react to the information. They walked into the small lobby and requested two rooms. “I’m sorry, but we only have one available room.” “Are you sure?” Buffy asked. “I mean, you could be reading your room list wrong.” “Lady I’m tellin’ ya. I’ve only got a double left.” Buffy turned to see Logan giving her a skeptical look. He didn’t look happy with the idea either, but they needed a place to stay. Not to mention her butt was starting to hurt a little, she didn’t think she could handle anymore time on the road today. “Fine,” she said with a groan. “I guess I can share a room with Wolvie here.” She stood in the doorway and stared at their tiny room with dismay. This was definitely one of the smaller rooms that she had stayed in over the past year, and this one even had two beds. It was, however, surprisingly quite clean. But the thought of spending one night in the same room with the hunk of salty goodness that was Wolverine was playing havoc with her libido. She wasn’t sure how much longer she was going to be able to travel with him. To spend all day riding that close to him was causing her mind to come up with all sorts of things to do to and with him. “You hungry?” The blonde steered her mind from the direction it was heading and said, “Guess so.” She was willing to agree to anything that would get either one of them out of that room. After dinner, they walked across the road to the bar. They played several rounds of pool before just sitting back and drinking for a couple of hours. It was late by the time they made it back to their room. Buffy took a quick shower before curling up in her bed with a stuffed pig. “What’s that?” Logan asked, pointing to the stuffed animal in her arms. “Mr. Gordo.” Logan went to say something, but bit it back. She suddenly seemed vulnerable lying there with her face scrubbed clean, holding a stuffed toy. And, were those kitties he saw on her pajamas? How could someone with her power look so childlike and innocent at times? Shaking his head, he walked into the bathroom. Buffy was nearly asleep when he came out and pulled back the covers on his bed. When she opened her eyes, she couldn’t help but notice the way his damp back glistened slightly in the low light. She closed her eyes tightly until he had turned off the light. She berated herself again for finding him so damn sexy until she thankfully drifted into a dreamless sleep. She was awoken some time later by the sound of moans and thrashing from the bed next to her. It only took a few moments for her sleep addled mind to realize that Logan was caught in the throws of a nightmare. Remembering how she sometimes lashed out without thinking when she would be jostled from a nightmare, she chose her actions carefully. She turned on a light so he would be able to see his surroundings when he awoke. The blonde then went to the end of his bed and shook his foot gently. When that didn’t work, she shook it harder and said, “Logan. Wake up....You need to wake up. It’s just a dream.” Buffy nearly screamed when he sat up with a roar and three claws extended from each hand. He stared straight at her for a few moments before blinking. “Oh my god. I didn’t hurt you did I? Please tell me I didn’t hurt you,” he practically begged while the claws slid back into his hands. All she could do was shake her head no. Logan dropped his head into his hands. “I knew sharing a room would be bad,” he mumbled. Buffy found her voice and asked, “Why?” He looked up at her in surprise. “Now that you know that I’m a freak you’ll be leaving.” For some reason, the thought of her doing that pained him greatly. She crossed her arms across her chest. “And what makes you think that you know what I’m thinking?” “Cause it’s what everybody thinks when they learn someone’s a mutant,” he said miserably. He had no idea why he was telling her all of this. The words seemed to leave his mouth without checking in with his brain first. “Well, I’m not just anybody,” she said softly as she sat down on the bed next to him. She looked him straight in the eye and said, “I’m not sure what this mutant thing is that you keep mentioning. But I do know that you’re not a freak, cause believe me I have met some of those.” Logan couldn’t help but look at her in wonder. “You really don’t know what a mutant is?” At her headshake he asked, “Where have you been over the last several years? We’ve been all over the news.” “Been a little busy,” she said vaguely. “So are you going to tell me what a mutant is?” “Wish the professor was here, he could explain this a helluva lot better than I could,” Logan said thoughtfully. “Some people are born with this gene that causes a mutation of some sort. It usually doesn’t become active until you hit puberty.” “And I thought getting acne was bad,” Buffy said jokingly. “So what does this mutation do?” “Depends,” Logan said with a shrug. “Everybody is different.” “What’s yours?” “I’ve got heightened senses and fast healing.” “Wondered about that,” she said to herself. “About what?” “Nothing,” she said quickly. “So what kind of heightened senses?” “I can see farther and hear better than most people. And I can track someone by their scent.” Buffy groaned and muttered something. He swore he heard her say something about vampires haunting her. Before he could ask about it, she began talking again. “So those claw thingies that came out of your hand, why do they have metal on them?” Logan rubbed a hand wearily over his eyes. “Dunno. Someone lined my entire skeleton with it. I don’t remember who did it or anything before that.” They sat there in silence for several long minutes while Buffy processed everything he had just told her. At least now she knew why he had no bruises and felt like she was punching steel because well, she was. But how awful would that be to not remember anything about your past? While she sometimes wished she could forget, she would never want to loose the memories of her friends. It was all she had left of them. He carefully studied her; she seemed to be taking all of the news in stride. Taking a deep breath he decided to take a chance. “Tomorrow I plan on going to an abandoned military compound to see if I can dig up any information up there. I understand if you just want to stay here and wait, or just hitch a ride with someone else.” Her eyes softened as she contemplated the choices he gave her. It wasn’t as if she had anything else better to do. Besides, he almost seemed as if he needed her, and it had been a long time since she had felt that. A slight smile appeared as she said, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go with you.” “Really? You don’t have to.” “I know, but two pairs of eyes are better than one.” Previous Part Looking For Tomorrow Menu Next Part |
