Time seemed to stand still inside the silent cabin - the only sign of its passing, the steady march of moonlight across the bare wooden floor. Kiara lay on her back, eyes closed, with her head resting on Logan's outstretched arm and her hands resting on the other arm that sprawled possessively across her stomach. Her breathing had long since deepened into sleep, but Logan fought against his growing exhaustion with everything inside him. His heart ached with the feelings and emotions so familiar, and yet so agonizingly foreign, that flooded him. The feeling of finally having come home, of finding a part of him he hadn't even realized was missing.... it brought such intense, overwhelming love rushing into every cell at just the thought of her. But with it also came renewed pain... pain at the knowledge that they had shared a life together and he couldn't remember it... Couldn't recall what made her smile, what made her laugh... coudn't even remember how they had met. And it tore away at his insides... filled him with what he damn well knew to be senseless guilt. Guilt at his inability to remember anything substantial about the woman who, with a touch and a kiss, had made him feel more alive than he ever had in fifteen long years. And he was loathe to miss even one second more. So instead, he lay quietly, struggling to keep heavy eyelids from sliding shut, and nestled his face in her soft hair. Memorizing everything that he could - the feel of her warm body pressed against him, the way her lips moved as she slept (wonder what she's dreaming this time...), the gentle sound of her breathing... All of it. All that he could...
Finally, the press of the cold floor into his hip and shoulder brought the reluctant realization that remaining on the floor would be one hell of an uncomfortable way to spend the rest of the night. With a barely audible sigh, Logan forced himself upright, pulling Kiara in tightly against his chest as he rose. She stirred once, whispering his name, and his heart tightened at the sound of it, even as she drifted back into sleep. Making his way silently across the cabin to the tiny alcove, he set her down on the bed and slid in beside her, pulling the blankets up to cover them both. As she nestled into him and sleep became impossible to fight any longer, he wrapped an arm around her and whispered a soft "love you.." into her ear before letting his eyes close into deep, undisturbed sleep...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The tantalizing aroma of frying bacon and eggs brought Logan up out of his slumber with a twitch of the nostril and a groggy smile on his face. When his stomach let out what seemd to be (to him at least) a defeaning growl of hunger, he winced in embarrassment. Which only worsened when the stifled giggle from the stove let him know that Kiara had heard it.
"Hey, I haven't eaten in at least a day," he grumbled as he stood and struggled to pull on the jeans that had been left on the floor, the cool air of the cabin lending a definite degree of urgency to his task. Looking up to catch Kiara frozen in the process of turning the eggs, eyes riveted on him, he raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Besides, I need to recharge after last night..." Kiara's face turned a lovely shade of pink, as she whirled back to face the stove. He almost laughed out loud, until the scent of her fear and uncertainty finally reached him across the room. The grin on his face died as he moved rapidly to close the space between them, coming to a halt to stand directly behind her. Inches separating them...
"Hey.." he said quietly, wanting to reach out and wrap his arms around her, comfort her, but suddenly feeling uncertain in the light of day.
"Yes?" Her voice was strangled and it didn't take superhuman senses to hear the unshed tears in that one word. A firm hand on her shoulder turned her to face him, but she kept her eyes focused on a spot somewhere beyond his left shoulder. Those warm amber eyes were now guarded, filled with emotions he couldn't put names too, but the sharp scent of her fear and uncertainty cut at him. Putting a hand under her chin, he gently forced her eyes to meet his. To see the sincerity in them as he spoke.
"What's wrong?" Hesitation on her face...
"I don't know what I feel... Last night... I needed you in a way that I have never needed anyone for as long as I can remember, not since... since the experiment. I feel you inside my heart, as if you've always belonged there, and yet I don't know a single thing about you. No more than a name... no more than a feeling inside... no more than a nightmare that hints at so much more... I don't know what it all means, or where I stand... and it frightens me." Her admission seemed to break down something inside her, and a single tear stole its way passed eyes suddenly clenched shut. Logan lifted a trembling finger to brush away the dampness and then cradled her cheek in his hand.
"I don't know either... All I do know is that we belong. We *fit*. It may take time to piece it all back together, but it's time that I'm more than willing to spend..." Kiara opened her eyes at the catch in his voice. Amber eyes met emerald eyes in silence, in shared communion of the realization that neither was alone in their uncertainties. In the realization that neither was alone, period. Not any more. The acrid smell of burning meat brought Logan back to himself and a glimmer to his eye as he smiled.
"I hope you have some more of that, because I'm starving.... and it's burning..." With a startled curse, Kiara turned back to the smoking pan. With a rueful laugh, she scraped the now charred bacon from the metal and placed it back on the stove.
"You're in luck - trader bartered some extra bacon and fresh eggs for some rabbit pelts a few days ago. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise?"
"Otherwise you'd have to hunt yourself some breakfast, since all I have besides those is some canned vegetables..." Her eyes twinkled when she looked over at him, placing fresh strips of bacon into the hot pan. He laughed and shook his head, sitting down in the chair nearest the stove.
"Well then, thank god for luck," he laughed again, even as his stomach let out another demanding growl. "Cause I don't think I could survive that long..." With both voices joined in laughter, the tension drained away from the room and was replaced by a warm contentment. Kiara went back to frying breakfast on the stove and Logan simply sat and watched her. Drank in the sight of her until it felt as if his soul couldn't possibly hold any more. And then she'd smile softly to herself, and he knew without a doubt that it could. So he sat and watched. And she didn't seem to mind...
All references to characters belonging to the X-Men Universe are (c) and TM the Marvel Comics Group, 20th Century Fox and all related entities. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, duplication or distribution of these materials in any form is expressly prohibited. No money is being made from this archive. All images are also (c) and TM the Marvel Comics Group, 20th Century Fox and all related entities; they are not mine. This website, its operators and any content used on this site relating to the X-Men are not authorized by Marvel, Fox, etc. I am not, nor do I claim to be affiliated with any of these entities in any way.