Immunity
Chapter 1: Canadian Gold?
by
Dark Ferret
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, so please don't sue me.
The mutant known as Rogue awoke with a start. Her dreams were full of disturbing images, men in uniforms, a cold metal table, needles and champagne. More often than not, she would awaken at dawn, heart pounding and sweaty. She looked over at her alarm clock, almost 3am. It would be pointless to stay in bed and try to get more sleep. She closed her eyes tight for a minute then opted to go downstairs to get a drink of water. Rogue swung her legs out of bed and instinctively reached for her robe. Thinking twice she choose to go as she was instead. No one roamed the school halls at night. For once she was going to be normal.
Rogue slipped on her pink bunny slippers and smiled. They were a gift from Kitty and Jubilee, her friends. Her friends. She was still amazed at how they slept so peacefully in their beds, while she languished in insomnia. As she padded softly past the student rooms, she couldn't help but smile her sad little smile. They tried, really tried to make her feel like she belonged, loved even, but she could never really belong. She loved them all for trying but even among outcasts, she herself was one.
Fighting a sudden wave of sadness, Rogue headed quickly towards the school's enormous communal kitchen. She opened the fridge and was reaching for a bottled water when she caught sight of a six pack of Canadian Gold. She smiled, Scott may be an uptight guy, but every now and then he got a pack just for her, under the pretense that they were for him. When he first caught her sneaking a beer on the roof, he had lectured her on the perils of teen drinking for an entire hour! But he must have understood that the need was not her own. In a move that removed his 'asshole' status from her mind forever, he simply told her not to get caught be anyone else.
Rogue leaped up to sit on the cold counter to enjoy her beer. She drank it almost entirely in one drag. Long and smooth, just like the Logan in her liked it. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the fridge. She may like chugging a beer like Logan, but it certainly affected her differently. All of a sudden her heart ached for him. At Xavier's School for the Gifted, she went on with life as expected. She kept herself busy and smiled for everyone to see. At night however, it was different. Alone to her thoughts, she always thought of him. His unruly hair, his bare chest, the way he had touched her and lived. Twice. She smiled and unconsciously moved her hands to finger the tags she wore around her neck. She had worn them every day for the last eighteen months that he had been gone. Despite the pitying looks she got from everybody, she felt that Logan would return for them, if not her, someday.
More depressed than ever, Rogue grabbed another beer and headed for the library. Nothing like despair to start off your day. But by the time she hit the soft leather sofa, she knew that it wasn't despair that she felt in her heart. It was hope. Rogue knew deep down that he would return. What she didn't know was that he was about fifteen miles away, heading straight for Xavier's School for the Gifted on his stolen bike.
Logan's heart was pounding. As he returned to the school, he contemplated on where he had been. His long trip north had revealed little information about his past. Secret government documents of experiments on mutants, decaying labs and more questions than answers were the only things he had found. He had lived like always, day by day and only for himself. But something was different now. He had ignored it for months, focusing on his search for the past. But it was hard. He was solitary by nature, but for once he wanted more.
Logan had followed the X-men on the news. They were loved by some and hated by others, but they were never far from his thoughts. He really didn't believe in what Xavier preached, but as the months rolled on and Magneto escaped to cause one mess or the other, he knew that he could not just stand by and watch anymore. Storm had once told him he needed to choose a side, and he was ready. He was returning to Westchester to offer Xavier his help. Although he would never tell the geeks, he admired their commitment to saving the world. It was a stupid, idealistic commitment, but hey, every now and then kicking Magneto's ass could be therapeutic.
As he turned to the off ramp of the I-95, Logan's stomach joined in the acrobatics his heart was engaged in. There was something else. Something he shied away from in broad daylight at all costs for months. He was also coming back for something else. A girl he hadn't seen in over a year and a half. Thoughts of Marie kept him awake more nights than he would have liked to admit. It shamed him to think of her in such a way, but he couldn't deny his feelings any more. He cared for her, that much was easy to admit. It was how deeply that scared him. She had trusted him, accepted him, and cared for him. She had also almost killed him. Twice. But that didn't change the fact that she had given him a chance. No one had ever done that for him, and so he owed her.
Unfortunately he hadn't been ready to give it all back that easily at the time. She was seventeen and he had been given a lead. Prick that he was, he picked up and left. He hadn't called or written because it was not his style. But he had always thought of her. Her shy smile, her big brown eyes, the way she had of getting straight to the point. Innocence and sadness, she wore them like she wore her gloves. That thought scared him again, what if she didn't want him back, what if she had given up on him. That would kill him for sure. But he had debated this argument with himself many times before and decided to return anyway. Besides, he thought, there's no going back now. The gates that still registered his voiceprint opened before him.
Logan saw the Mansion loom ahead. It was only now that it occurred to him that everyone was asleep. All the lights were off, so he decided to park 'his' bike in the garage house and come in through the back. As expected, he found a spare key under the mat and let himself in.
"That was too easy" he said with a smirk, "The geeks are getting careless."
His plan was now to crash on a sofa until morning. He had been riding for hours and needed to rest. Besides, he didn't want to be fussed over right now. That thought was interrupted by the scent in his nose.
He knew with certainty who it was but he tracked the scent quietly, wondering what she was doing up so late at night. He walked into a library where he stopped short at the sight before him. It was Marie, sprawled on a sofa, her long legs dangling over an armrest. Her auburn hair fanned around her face. The white shocks clearly visible in the dim light.
Logan stood there for a full minute taking in the sight. It was definitely not what he expected. Her little camisole and tight cotton shorts were almost obscene had she been someone else. Marie was lost in her thoughts as she hummed a song with her eyes closed. What surprised him most was the can of Canadian Gold in her hand. Suddenly aware that he was intruding on her privacy, Logan cleared his throat and stepped into the room.
Rogue bolted upright. She stood with her arms at her side, awestruck at the sight before her. Suddenly wondering if she was dreaming, she clutched the tags resting on her chest. Logan took three steps forward and enveloped her in his arms.
Rogue held back at first, stiff with disbelief, but quickly molded into his body. They stood like that for what seemed like an eternity until she finally whispered, "Ah missed yah so much."
"I know darling, but I'm here to stay" was Logan's low response. He looked into her face, amazed at her beauty, when he suddenly realized that her eyes were green. She noticed his confusion and quickly fumbled out of his embrace. She was visibly flustered and he smiled.
"It's ah long story Logan, Ah'll tell yah about it latah."
Still confused and a little put down, Logan nodded and went to sit. "So are you gonna tell me what you're doing up this late drinking Canadian Gold?" He was clearly amused at her little secret.
"Well, it's yohr habit, yah should know." Was her quick response. "Some parts of yah are still pretty strong up heah." She laid a finger on her temple then quickly dropped it. "Ah'll go get yah one."
She heard him mutter, "I think I found myself a new drinking buddy" as she left.
That thought made her smile. In her wildest dreams she did not imagine that Logan would be back tonight. Despite feeling a little lightheaded already, she grabbed the rest of the six-pack by the plastic rings and rushed back.
Having removed his jacket and gloves, Logan was no longer interested in resting. Damn, was his first thought, when exactly did she grow up? The dreams he had been having of his little Marie flared up again when he watched her leave. She was truly amazing. Unlike Jean and Ororo, who were all slender and elegant, Marie was all feminine curves. His decidedly un-brotherly train of thought was interrupted as she handed him the beers and went to sit next to him. Suddenly realizing how little she had on, she moved down a little further from him.
Visibly disappointed, he told her, "You don't have to be afraid of hurting me, Marie."
She immediately looked down, turning slightly red, "Ah know Logan, It's just that some habits ahre hard ta break."
He smiled again. She hadn't meant it. Her accent on his name was intriguing.
"So, what exactly did yah find up north?"
His smile vanished, "Just bits and pieces." He was looking over at her long bare legs and added, " Enough to know that there was no reason to live in the past anymore." He hoped his interest wasn't as obvious as it sounded.
She nodded slightly, knowing that he would tell her the entire story when he was ready to.
"So what have you been up to?" Logan was trying hard not to notice her legs, but his gaze on her was intense.
Rogue looked down at her hands, suddenly very nervous. He didn't need to smell her apprehension to know that she was reluctant to answer the question. His heart sank at the realization that something big had happened. Something that he wasn't there to protect her from. She looked at him, gathering all her courage and smiled her sad little smile.
"Well, Ah've just started mah second yeah in college heah., and Ah'm training very hard ta be an X-man. Tha Professor says Ah can join in tha next mission, if Ah work hard enough. Tha kids heah are great, and Ah'm in charge of tha gahrdens." Her forced smile faded with her voice. He was obviously not buying any of it. Tears slowly flooded her eyes, as she tried hard to swallow the lump in her throat.
Logan could not believe the pain his Marie was in. His Marie. He watched intensely as she tried to smile, but the tears in her eyes betrayed her. Inappropriate or not he couldn't help but want to hold her. He moved to her, and carefully pressed her to his chest. Letting her cry for a long time, he simply held her.
Kitty came to knock on Rogue's door after she failed to see her at breakfast. Not finding her anywhere, she went to Jean and the Professor, who quickly scanned the grounds for her presence. A few minutes later they found Rogue in the library, curled up in Logan's arms on one of the sofas. His jacket was carefully covering her form while he slept with white strands of her hair tangled in his gloved fingers. At the Professor's orders they were left alone and the library was locked. Both psychics knew that neither had slept so well in a very long time.
Temporarily confused, Rogue woke up over Logan's in an embrace. She shifted slightly and felt his hard chest with her gloved hands. A moment later her eyes flew open and she scrambled to stand up. Logan had felt her little exploration, but had opened his eyes slowly, sitting up with a smile. While Rogue smoothed out her hair and rumpled clothes, he only smiled and stared.
"Good morning darling, sleep well?"
Slightly annoyed and very embarrassed with herself, Rogue answered with a hand to her head, "Yeah, but ah little hung over."
"Well , you know the quickest way to treat a hangover is with anoth."
"Don't even think about it, Ah've had enough, 'sides look at tha time! Scotts gonna kill me! Ah missed Calculus and "
In an near panic, Rogue was already halfway to the door when Logan caught up to her and gently swung her around, "Before you have a heart attack, are you going to be alright?"
His deep gaze was completely disarming. "Yeah Logan," she was searching for her words carefully, " It really helped ta talk ta someone about what happened. Ah'm happy that yoah back."
Logan beamed with pride. She had barely whispered the words, but he knew the truth in them. He wanted her, that much was clear the instant he saw her sprawled on the sofa, but there was big age difference. He was beginning to feel guilty again, when Marie leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his eyebrow. "Ah'll see yah latah, Ah really got ta get ta practice, but Ah'll look for yah"
She offered one last smile, turned and scrambled out the door, leaving Logan utterly turned on. He had never been so excited by one single kiss, and not to mention spent a night just holding a woman. Guilty thoughts were instantly abandoned with realization. She wanted him too. This was going to be very interesting he thought to himself, as he grabbed his jacket and went to see the Professor about a job.
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