Alpha Male Chapter Twenty-One - Seperation by LoganLuvr
I will remember you...
Will you remember me?
Don't let our love pass you by,
Wait not for the memory.
Ari woke up on the floor, curled up into a ball, next to the door. She was stiff, and sore from head to toe. She sighed, immediately remembering what had happened last night. Sitting up, groaning and stretching, she realized she had to face facts. She no longer had the luxury of believing that Logan was going to be alright if she just ignored the problem. He had retained too much, and she was just too damn close. She had to figure out a way to convince the Professor to let her leave. She knew that he had a lot he wanted to work on, and she would have enjoyed seeing how much he could teach her about her gifts, but it wasn't worth the risk to Logan. He was the most important consideration, and nothing was worth what her staying here could do to him. She sighed and got up to take a shower. It was a pretty grim way to start out your morning.
Logan woke to a rap on his door. His heart leapt in anticipation as he whipped on his jeans and ran to the door, but he was disappointed to see that it was only Jean coming to check up on him. She pouted when she saw the disgruntled look on his face. She could see that his mood today wasn't going to be an improvement over yesterday's. " How are you feeling?" she asked, one brow raised.
" Peachy!" he growled, turning away from her and striding angrily across the room.
She sighed, rolling her eyes, " No, really Logan... how are you feeling... "physically". She followed him into the room.
He walked over and picked his T-shirt off the ground, his dog-tags jingling as he bent over. He certainly is something to look at, she thought to herself, as he pulled his shirt over his head deftly, and leaned to get the flannel one next. She swallowed, licked her lips and sighed as she watched him bend down to get it. He turned and his eyes narrowed, wondering what the Hell she was thinkin' about. Her face was red, and she seemed nervous, her heart rate was accelerated. He smiled and chuckled wickedly. " Still can't handle seein' me without a shirt on, can ya' Jean?"
She rolled her eyes and looked away, smiling sarcastically. What could she say? He knew her too well.
He walked toward her menacingly, " What's wrong, Jean? Forget you're a ... "married" woman?" He knew he was being mean, and he didn't give a shit. He hadn't slept much after he'd left Ari, he was tired and cranky... and he wasn't makin' any excuses for himself, either. Jean turned to him angrily, " Logan, get over it... whatever it is, just GET over it."
He sighed and walked away from her, cracking his neck angrily. " Ya' wanna' know how I feel Jean?... I feel great ....." he turned toward her, spreading his arms out wide, bowing slightly ..." good as new... congratulations, Darlin'...... ya' did a great job."
Her shoulders dropped, and she breathed in deeply, she was concerned... this was bad, even for him.
" Logan, what is going on with you? It bothers me to see you this upset... Is it Ari? ... I could try to talk..." Logan cut her off sharply, pointing an angry finger at her. "No!... Don't you talk to her! " He frowned at her deeply, considering for a moment, then shook his head roughly. " There's nothin' you can do. I don't know what the Hell's goin' on with her, but you just stay out of it."
" Okay, I won't ... but someone, maybe the Professor..." Logan eyed her, suspiciously, cutting her words short.
" What's goin' on with her and Xavier ? " Jean raised her eyebrows, then frowned, " Nothing, what in the world do you think is "going on" ?" He growled and watched her closely for a reaction, something to give him a clue.
" Ari was fine until we got here... I don't know what the Hell happened when we I was out of it, but now she won't talk to me, she won't even let me see her. What's he been talkin' to her about... Has he been tellin' her stuff... about me? What's he tellin' her? " Jean pursed her mouth and sighed, she knew somethin', he could smell it. " I know you know somethin', Dammit! " He was coming toward her and, judging by the look on his face, she knew she'd better give him something.
" Logan, when you were sick, ... dying... Ari healed you." He was staring, frowning at her, trying to understand what she wasn't able to tell him. She sighed, " Anything that Ari might know about you, she learned from you, not the Professor. " He narrowed his eyes, frowning deeper. " What do ya' mean she learned it from me? I was unconscious... What? Was I talkin' in my sleep? " he asked sarcastically.
" No, Logan, ... I was told not to tell you anything." His eyes widened, " Why? " Jean swallowed and bit her lip, he could tell she was fighting the urge to spill her guts, but he knew she was very loyal to the Professor. She took a deep breath, " Ari asked us.... she begged us, not to talk to you about any of this." She shook her head sadly, " Logan, if you are going to get any answers, you're going to have to get them from her. "
Logan shook his head in disbelief... none of this was making any sense. Ari had begged them not to tell him? Shit! What the Hell had happened? He shook his head, more frustrated than he'd been in a long time. First things first... he had to get rid of Jean. He looked over to her, trying his best to smile. What came out on his face was sort of a maniacal half smile that disturbed Jean more than ever. " I'm fine, Jean... you can go now. Don't you have somethin' you should be doin'? " She sighed, he was obviously fine, physically, she had no excuse to stay, but she hated to leave him alone like this. No one really knew what Logan was capable of, under the right circumstances. She wasn't really afraid for Ari, Logan seemed to genuinely care for her, but she didn't like the look he got in his eye when he talked about the Professor. " Logan, I'd like to check your blood, just to make sure it's okay, why don't we go do that now? It won't take long, and then I'll leave you alone, I promise. " Logan dropped his head down onto his chest, exasperated. If it would satisfy her, what the Hell? " Give me a minute. " She sat down on his bed and waited while he brushed his teeth, put on his deodorant and got ready. Jean sat there patiently, smiling and silently complimenting herself for coming up with a distraction. He would be less likely to do something rash now.
" Let's get this over with, " he said, motioning toward the door. She got up and went out ahead of him.
Logan looked longingly at the door of his old bedroom, and sighed as they walked past, Jean thought he almost reached out and knocked on it. She shook her head; she didn't agree at all with the Professor on any of this. Jean thought that Logan had a right to know what had happened when he was unconscious. It was obvious that he cared for Ari deeply, what in the world was wrong with her, anyway? If she cared enough about him to do what she had done... Jean's face redenned at the thought, then what was wrong with talking to him about it? It was ridiculous. They walked to the infirmary in silence.
Ari had a hard time deciding what to wear. She had gone over and over the possibilities of this day in her mind, and had decided that her best option was to get as far away from Logan as she could. She had noticed a heavily wooded area on the property, not far from the mansion. She had missed being in the woods, and she was dying to see what she was capable of, now that she had a better understanding of what she was. It was early spring, and still fairly cool, but she was used to the weather in Canada, and what was cool here, seemed warm to her. She chose a comfortable pair of old jeans and a t-shirt, with an old sweater on top. She knew that the morning was going to prove to be rough on what she wore. She got her hunting knife out of her dufflebag, and tucked it into her jeans, under the sweater. She frowned, she hated wearing a watch, but she had to. She had promised the Professor she would come to his office for lunch again, to work on her abilities. She put it on, and looked at it, she had four hours to kill. She was hungry, but she didn't dare stick around for breakfast. She took a deep breath and peered out the door, making sure the hall was clear, and then silently and quickly headed for the woods.
Logan sighed and grimaced, he could've wrung Jean's neck for making him miss Ari. He was standing at her door, knocking, but he already knew she wasn't going to be there. He had caught a whiff of her scent in the hall, and she wasn't heading this way. He tried the knob, - Damn! - it was locked this time. He decided his best bet was to find out from the Professor when to expect her back. He had calmed down a lot, thanks to Jean's little diversion, he smiled, he knew that taking his blood had only been an excuse to give him time to get control of himself. The blood-work had turned out well, apparently he was almost back to normal...he frowned, shaking his head... sometimes his healing ability even amazed him. He knew how close to death he had been, it was all coming back to him in bits and pieces, but he clearly remembered giving up and deciding to quit fighting. He remembered laying down, and trying to fall asleep, for good. He shook his head again, maybe that's when Ari had "saved" him. He didn't seem to remember anything after that... other than the new things he knew about himself... like the fact that he was an animal... he really WAS part animal. It was still a strange thought to him, but it was comforting knowing it.
He ran through the list of other new things he'd learned... that most of his aggressive tendencies, his rages, his feral urges... they could all be explained so easily. He frowned as a thought came to him. Jean had said that Ari had healed him. She had said earlier that they had given him her blood, and she had also said that anything that Ari might know about him, she would have learned from HIM, not the Professor. One of the new things that he had learned was that there was someone out there who was like him... someone who would always be with him... light bulbs were clicking on all over in his mind. Click. Ari was the one... the one who was like him... who would always be with him. He stopped walking and leaned against the wall, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. It was all beginning to congeal in his mind, everything was beginning to make sense. Click. They gave him Ari's blood, not Jean's or the Professor's ... or anyone else's ... Ari's. Click. Ari was the only one who would have been able to explain the nature of his animal side to him, and she had already been in his mind, prior to his passing out. SHIT! Of course, she was a telepath! No wonder the Professor had been so interested in her abilities. Click. Whatever she may know about him, she would have learned from him... she had begged them
not to tell him... SHIT! - She may know everything about me! -
Logan's mind was reeling... a thousand different possibilities and scenarios were whirling around in his head, he turned around and went back to his room to think.
He laid down on his bed, trying to get a grip on his building anxiety and to focus on exactly what Ari may be so upset about. She had been there for him, the whole time... at the cabin, in the jet... and while he was unconscious. Jean had said that she begged them not to tell him what had happened. It made sense that, if she had been in his head, and had explained things to him... he struggled to remember exactly what he had learned. He frowned, if he could remember what he had learned, what she had taught him... why couldn't he remember HER? Thoughts spun wildly in his head...- Focus, Dammit, Logan! - He concentrated hard, he could remember learning that when he was acting out his aggressive tendencies, it was only natural for him to do so... he had to stay in top form... he was the Alpha male. What the Hell? His head jerked up, that HAD to be Ari... who else would explain it that way? He tried to remember her, or the circumstances surrounding the explanation. Memories were coming to him, hazy and uncertain, but he definitely remembered the Alpha Male comment being made in reference to cage-fighting. Damn! She knew about that? The knot in his gut was growing harder with every new revelation. If she had been in his mind, she would know about his past, about what they had done to him... she would know what he was capable of... the things about him that haunted him... the women. Shit! There were so many horrid things hidden in his mind that as he thought of each new thing, his heart sunk lower and lower.
Ari was a quiet, shy woman... a lady. If she had seen what was in his mind, he had no doubt that was the reason she didn't want to see him... what woman in her right mind would? He frowned. There was only one problem.
Everything seemed clear as a bell, except for one thing. Last night he had felt Ari wanting him... he had felt her longing, her desire for him. That was the only thing that didn't make sense, and it was the thing he chose to hang onto. He would have to find her and explain what he knew and find out where things stood. He had to, he was compelled to... he didn't think he could stop himself from finding her... he needed her, more than anything he had ever needed in his life.... and that fact scared the Hell out of him. He lay in his room for hours, thinking about how he would go about explaining himself to her, everything depended on her acceptance of him, he didn't know why, but he knew he couldn't live without her. He was regaining control of his thoughts, but the more they dwelled on Ari, the less control he was having over his body. His body longed for her in a way that was unlike anything he had never experienced, his need for her was not just sexual... it was deeper than that, it seemed to grip his very soul. He had to have her... to take her and make her his. The thought brought his body into an immediate state of arousal. It surprised him, he hadn't even been thinking about her, sexually... but once he felt it, he couldn't help himself. He remembered her again, and this time, although it was still somewhat vague, with all of his new understanding of exactly how important she was to him, the thoughts of her coming to him, kissing him, wanting him... were almost too much for his body to take. His desire for her, his need for her had become so strong, so powerful, it was almost overwhelming. He had to have her... it was instinctual, deep, all-consuming. He knew he had to be smart... he had to come to her on her terms and convince her to forget whatever was bothering her about him. He knew she was meeting with the Professor, probably right now, so he decided to wait until late afternoon or early evening to find her. He was feeling very excited about it all, and he wanted to regain control of himself. He decided that some time in the Danger Room might be just what the Doctor ordered. He smiled, got changed and went down to find out just how "back to normal" he was.
Ari had been in the woods for hours. She was tired and very hungry, but she was excited and invigorated, too. She had no idea how much fun she would have, knowing what she was... discovering what she was capable of. She had always known that she was "exceptional"... compared to the volunteers and workers at the Preserve, but now that she knew... she sighed... there was so much she wanted to do... to learn. She had learned several things today, her senses of smell, hearing and sight were far above that of any human. She had thought that to be true, but now there was no doubt. Secondly, she found that the speed at which she could run, and her endurance levels... were also very strong points. Her instincts for hunting and tracking were unsurpassed compared to anyone she had ever known,
except for her father... she smiled. She might have even given him a run for his money, at this point. Ari was exhilarated, but she was also a bit nervous. It was almost time to meet the Professor, and she still had to get in, get changed and get to his office, all without running into Logan. Her heart sunk at the thought of him... she had been good and distracted for most of the morning, and it had been a real relief not to be in misery over him. She sighed, and quickly and quietly sneaked into the mansion and to her room.
Ari showered quickly and brushed the twigs and leaves out of her hair, smiling. She had so many new clothes, it was difficult to choose between them. She finally chose a pair of tight, sexy, form-fitting black jeans, and a long sleeved black shirt. The sleeves were so long they hung down over her wrists and halfway over her hands, but the saleslady had told her it was the style.... it was very nice. It was cut lower than she was used to, but she couldn't help thinking she looked pretty good in it, as she looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled, it was fun to have new, pretty things, even if other people couldn't see them all. She blushed, remembering what she had seen in the mirror earlier, when she put on one of her new black lacy bras and French-cut matching panties. She snickered. It was a good thing no one was going to see those. She finished dressing, and peeked out into the hallway. It was clear, so she headed out for the Professor's office, constantly glancing nervously about her for any sign of Logan. She reached the office unnoticed and tapped quietly on the door. "Come in," she heard him call, and she went in, sighing with relief.
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