Alpha Male Chapter Thirteen - Revelations by LoganLuvr
Ari could feel the jet descending. She bent down, and began fastening the straps to the stretcher, carefully. She felt Logan's head, he was a little cooler than before, but still fairly hot... and he was still unconscious. She sent thoughts of peace and quiet, assurance and reasserted her presence strongly.
The landing was very smooth, and soon Scott, Jean and Ororo were ready to move Logan out of the jet.
They came up in next to her, and picked up the stretcher, bringing them out into a huge, open room. Ari looked around in wonder. The whole room seemed to be made of metal. It was all a dark-bluish gray and smooth. Cold.
They walked through a round door with a large X on it, exactly like the one Logan had drawn on the paper with the phone number. She breathed a sigh of relief... at least she could be sure Logan had been here before. In the hallway, she saw much the same as in the room before. It was all the same metallic finish and bright white lights lined the edges. She couldn't imagine where they could be, she had never seen anything like this in her life. She licked her lips nervously, and blew a stray hair away from her eyes. "You're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy." she said quietly.
Jean looked over at Scott and winked. They smiled at each other. Storm turned toward her, still holding an edge of the stretcher. " I am Ororo. It IS ... Ari, ...isn't it?" she asked, in her smooth soft voice."Yes, nice to meet you," Ari said quietly, fascinated by the interesting and beautiful woman who had spoken to her. Her hair was completely white, which certainly helped Ari feel better about hers.
They reached the infirmary quickly, and Scott and Jean eased Logan off of the stretcher onto, what looked to Ari like a cold, hard table. She frowned a little, not wanting him to be uncomfortable. At least a blanket would have been nice. She walked quickly to his side, and picked up his hand, holding it tightly in hers. Jean glanced over and raised an eyebrow, and Ari thought for just a moment she might have seen the slightest hint of jealousy in her eyes. She immediately set Logan's hand down, confused, and sighed thoughtfully, it was true that she didn't know anything about Logan's life here.
Jean was working with Logan, taking his vitals again and hooking him up to what appeared to be very top of the line equipment, some unlike any Ari had ever seen. She took samples of his blood, through the IV catheter, and then hooked up a new IV bag. She was quick and efficient. Ari was feeling more positive about Logan's recovery.
- Jean, How is Logan doing? -
- He's still unconscious, but he's stable, Professor. -
- Good. I'm sending Rogue down to retrieve Dr. Jacobs. Would you see that she comes up to see me, please. -
- I'll do my best, sir. It may be difficult to pry her away from Logan... it appears something has her glued to his side. -
The Professor smiled. - I'm sure you'll do your best, Jean. Thank you. -
Jean looked away for a few moments... Ari wondered what she was thinking. She certainly was beautiful, and Ari wouldn't have blamed Logan for being interested in her. What man wouldn't?
Just then, Jean looked over at Ari, and gave her a strange, condescending little smile that made her very uncomfortable. - Oh, well... - Ari thought, lifting her head defiantly, - I'm used to people not liking me. - Logan had been unusual in that way... liking her. Most people didn't understand her, Jean, apparently was one of them.
The door opened behind her and another beautiful woman walked in... Ari wondered, cynically, if beauty was a requirement for entering the building. She was much younger, probably under twenty, and she had a long white streak down the front of her auburn hair. It seemed that everyone and everything here was strange. The girl walked over to the table and looked at Logan lovingly. She reached out one long gloved hand and picked his dog tags up off of his chest and brought them to her lips, closing her eyes. Apparently, all of the women here were in love with Logan. The girl sighed a log, deep sigh, then walked over, held out her hand and drawled, "Hi, ma name's Rogue. Ari.. isn't it? The Professor sent me down to get you... he'd like to see you now."
Ari shook Rogue's soft gloved hand in awe, and slowly started shaking her head. "I'd like to stay with Logan..." Rogue cut her off quickly. " Oh, it'll only take a few minutes. Logan will be just fine here... won't he, Jean?" she said winking. " Jean has taken care of Logan several times when I... well, let's just say when he had a couple o' accidents."
Ari looked up at Jean, not wanting to go. "Go on, I'll let you know if I need you. The Professor shouldn't be kept waiting," Jean said reassuringly.
Rogue looked down at Ari's clothes questioningly. Ari looked down and stammered, "I... these... I wore this to bed last night... Logan's been so sick...and...I didn't have time to change." Rogue smiled comfortingly, "It's fine, Ari... ya' can change before we see the Professor." "But..." Ari stammered, looking longingly at Logan again.
"C'mon and get your bag. We'll make it quick." Rogue said, taking her hand and leading her to the door. Ari followed reluctantly, and grabbed her bag as they went out. Her mind was reeling as Rogue led her through grey halls to a huge elevator and then out into a completely different part of the building, full of jabbering teenagers and beautiful warm comfortable furnishings. Rogue stopped in front of a wood door. "This was Logan's room," she said softly, running her fingers lovingly across the door. "The Professor said you could use it .. for now" she looked up at Ari slowly, "....until Logan gets better." she cooed.
They entered a nice, well-furnished bedroom and Rogue immediately sauntered over and sat down on the bed, sighing deeply. Ari looked at her dubiously.... then remembered what a hurry she was in. She threw her bag onto a chair and pulled out some clothes. "I didn't bring anything nice..." she said, glancing at Rogue, worried. "Oh, just throw on anything... nobody cares what you have on around here. Logan never dresses fancy." Ari was in a hurry, and she didn't care if Rogue was in the room or not, she turned her back to her and stripped down to her underwear, exchanging her sport bra for a soft lacy one. She quickly donned a clean pair of tight-fitting black jeans, a form-fitting little red T, and put a Western-style cotton shirt over the top. She sat down in the chair and quickly pulled on her favorite cowboy boots, pulling her jeans down tightly over them, then stood up and put her hands up to her hair.
Ari was changing in record time. Rogue lounged on Logan's bed watching her unabashedly. She was undeniably a very beautiful woman. She had a gorgeous body; she was medium height, but with long soft legs. Her face was exceptionally pretty, too... and her eyes were a wonderful color... almost yellow, with long dark lashes. Rogue watched her dress with a raised brow, - What, no cowboy hat? Logan, you sure can pick 'em. - she thought, sniffing, more than a little jealous. When Ari was done dressing, Rogue watched as she quickly pulled the band out of her hair, shook her head roughly, and brushed the knots out of it with her fingers. She was obviously in a huge hurry to get back to Logan. Rogue frowned, noting how beautiful Ari's hair looked with such little effort. She rolled her eyes and stood up. "Ready?" Ari said,breathlessly, opening the door and practically shooing her out into the hall. Ari was a little worried about meeting the Professor, but she was much more worried about leaving Logan alone...well, without her, anyway... Jean was there... but she had promised... none of it was making her feel any better.
They reached the office, and Rogue tapped lightly on the door, then entered, not waiting for a response. Ari noticed an older-looking man behind a desk. He looked up at them , smiled warmly, and motioned for them to come in. When he started toward them, she noticed that he was in a wheelchair. He came across the room to Ari and held out his hand. "Ahh, you must be Ari... we spoke on the phone. I am Professor Charles Xavier."
"Hello, it's so nice to meet you," she said genuinely. "I want to thank you so much for all you've done. I know you must care about Logan very much to have gone to so much trouble."
"Oh, it was no trouble at all," he said reassuringly. " Logan has worked with us in the past. He is a very special man, a good friend, and we would do anything to make sure that he is safe. I am so glad you called us when you did." He moved back to the other side of the room, motioning for she and Rogue to have a seat. Rogue took a seat, immediately, but Ari was in far too big a hurry to get back to Logan to be able to sit down. She paced nervously, licking her lips.... Rogue decided she looked like a beautiful caged animal.
"Ari, I would like you to tell me what happened, what circumstances led up to Logan's illness." the Professor said quietly.
Ari took a deep breath in, and began the long story, shortening it as much as possible." Logan found a wolf pup yesterday morning..." She told him only about the illness, leaving out quite a few of the details that she considered to be private." ..... and then he started vomiting blood....I think he finally realized it was serious enough... he asked me to call you."
"Fascinating." said the Professor, bringing his folded hands down away from his chin. "How much do you know about Logan, Ari... you told me on the phone that you knew to be careful... what were you referring to when you made that remark?"
Ari looked at him warily. She wasn't sure how much HE knew about Logan, and she wasn't sure how much Logan WANTED him to know.
" I don't know what you mean," she said cautiously. The Professor smiled. "Ari, I don't know you, but apparently Logan trusts you, or he would not have led you here, to this place. I believe that he is right to trust you, I sense that you are a considerate and intelligent woman.... a woman who is deserving of our trust. I am going to tell you about ... who we are. I hope then, that you will trust me. Ari, have you ever heard a person referred to as .... a .... mutant?"
Ari glanced around uncomfortably, swallowing and licking her lips. " I've read articles, in medical books... I never really believed.." she paused, frowning
"I don't get out much," she said decisively.
He smiled again, and drew a deep breath. " Mutants are very real, Ari... in fact, your friend Logan IS one... as are all of the people here," he said gesturing to himself and Rogue. Ari's eyes widened and she licked her lips again. She looked slowly at Rogue, then back to him. "I did notice Scott... and, of course Logan ... I knew that everyone I met here was... different..." she frowned, silently chiding herself for using that term, not sure what to say next.
"Ari, Logan has no secrets from us. Anything that you can tell me about what you know, or about what you believe MAY be happening here, can only help Logan."
Ari sighed, blew the hair away from her eyes, and looked at him. She decided to trust him... completely. She sat down in the chair and contemplated what she should say. She leaned forward, took a deep breath and... glanced over quickly at Rogue.
"Rogue," the Professor said, seeing Ari's hesitation. "Would you mind going to the kitchen to get Ari something to eat? I'm sure she hasn't eaten much today. Have you, Ari?" He looked up at her, winking. "No, actually I haven't eaten all day... that sounds great." Rogue stood, sighed, and walked toward the door. "Thank you." the Professor called out, smiling. When the door closed, Ari took a deep breath, licked her lips, and leaned forward.
"I am going to tell you things... things I've never told anyone before..." she looked at him, thoughtfully.
".. but that's not a surprise to you, is it?" He raised his eyebrows. " I get the feeling from you that you're used to getting people to tell you just about anything you want to know."
He smiled. " I do have that effect on people... Most people, " he said quietly, intrigued.
Ari licked her lips nervously. " I'm very worried about Logan... I'm going to talk to you, but you have to promise me that this won't take long. I will come and talk as long as you want, later. Right now, I just want to get back to Logan, okay?" The Professor nodded. " When I opened the door, yesterday, at the preserve headquarters, and Logan was standing there, everything in the world changed for me." She noticed his surprised and intrigued look, and continued. "When I smelled Logan..." he broke in, " smelled Logan?" he questioned. " Yes, when I smelled ... his scent...I knew immediately that he was different, special...." she swallowed. " ... that he was like me," she said softly, looking down. The Professor gasped in surprise. " Ari, what do you mean when you say Logan is "like you"?"
Ari sat back in her chair, trying to figure out a way to say everything she was feeling quickly. " I'm not sure about any of this... all I know is that I haven't felt this since my father died seven years ago...." she looked up sadly, " I had lost all hope that I would ever feel it again." She sighed, " I really don't know how to put it into words... but I'll tell you what I do know." She sat back in her chair, suddenly feeling very tired. " My father and I were extremely close... we knew each other, completely... if one of us was in pain, the other knew. When I was sad, he knew... when he was happy, I knew, and I was happy. Does this sound crazy?"
The Professor shook his head. " No, Ari, it doesn't," he said, seriously. "What does this have to do with Logan?"
" The minute I met Logan, I felt the same thing. I could FEEL him... I can feel his emotions, and his pain... physical pain. I believe that he can feel the same things about me."
The Professor was enthralled. " What makes you believe that, Ari?"
" I don't know... things he said, things he did... anyway, all of that isn't the most important thing..."
The Professor's eyes widened in surprise. "There's more?"
" Yes, a lot more," she said quietly. " My father and I have... had... he had.. I have...whatever," she said exasperated. " Go on," he said softly. " I have the ability to go into the minds of my patients... animals... and heal them.... from the inside out... I know the way I'm saying this doesn't make any sense." She buried her face in her hands in frustration. He urged her to continue. " It works best when they are completely unconscious. I can go in, see what happened, see the circumstances that brought them to this point... through their eyes, and then help them by sending them emotions... comfort, peace, hope. It is most helpful with an animal that has suffered a great loss, such as a mother who has lost her young, or an animal that has lost a mate." She looked deep into his eyes to see if he was comprehending what she was saying. " I could talk to my father that way, by thinking it. I could hear his voice in my mind... and he could hear mine. It's the same way with Logan. ... I mean, Logan hasn't talked to me, but I can talk to him. I have been doing it since this afternoon right before I called you. He was afraid to have me near him when he was out of control of his mind... he was afraid he would hurt me. I knew about his claws... I saw them yesterday, it's a long story... "
" Ari, weren't you afraid of him?"
" No, I couldn't be afraid of him... he's like part of me... He's the closest thing to "normal", for me, that I've ever known... since my father..." she buried her face in her hands again. " The only thing that is important about any of this is that somehow, Logan and I are alike. The only possible explanation of how Logan could contract a canine virus, is that he, somehow, is part animal himself. When I realized that fact, I started remembering things. My father used to vaccinate me for everything. I never thought it odd, but now it all makes sense. Every time a new canine disease would become a problem and there would be a vaccination available for it, he would give it to both of us. He said it was "just in case". Obviously, he had a deeper understanding of what was going on with us than I do. He must have known all along. I am immune to parvo because I have received the series of vaccinations against it," she looked up, suddenly... eyes wide. " Do you think it's possible that my blood could help Logan?"
Professor Xavier's sharp mind was reeling with information and astonishment. " We will have to ask Jean.... Ari, Can you enter the minds of people?"
" As far as I know, it was only my father... and Logan, of course, although I wouldn't have even tried had he not been so upset about me treating him... I had to do it just to get him to shut up and listen to me."
The Professor laughed. "That's our Logan! Well, we can worry about all of that later, let's go down and see how he is. We can talk to Jean, and get her advice. You don't mind if we talk to Jean, do you?"
" Anything to help Logan," she said.
As the Professor rolled his wheelchair toward the door ahead of her, he asked softly. " Ari, you DO know that you are a mutant, don't you?"
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