Indomitable Will, Tender Heart - 11


Author: Taryn
Email: Write Me!
Rating: Strong R (language - this chapter)
Disclaimer: Don't own them, yadda yadda.  See Chapter 1...
Author's Notes:  Steak & Shake is a real restaurant chain and if one shows up in your neck-of-the-woods, I highly
recommend you give them a try. (Terri spoke highly of them in one of her fics as well)!  The stuff is a heart attack waiting to
happen, but hey....nobody (except Logan) lives forever, right?  ;-)  Extra thanks go to Karen for helping me tweak the last
part of this chapter - she keeps me on my toes, making sure that everything I write is coherent (more or less, but if not that's
my fault - not hers) and I really do appreciate it! 
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Marie snuck worried glances at Logan as she drove.  They hadn't spoken at all on their way back through the forest, prefering to conserve their energy for the mostly uphill trek.  Once they'd reached the Land Rover, he'd been even more winded than she was and had simply handed her the keys with a grunt that sounded like "Your turn."  Now they were nearing the town centre and Logan appeared to be dozing, his body lax against the passenger door and one heavily-whiskered cheek resting on his shoulder.

Marie swallowed hard, desperately trying to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that her mutation had actually done more of a number on him than he'd been prepared for.  Though she'd tried to warn him about just how powerful her gift was, she had a sneaking suspicion that Logan had probably figured it wouldn't be any worse than a nasty jolt of static electricity.  Since he was obviously used to healing from most anything, she knew he could be more than a bit cavalier about putting himself in the line of fire, and - likewise - he would've gone ahead with the transfer of his powers to her even if he'd known what he was in for.  Still, she sincerely doubted he'd ever encountered anything quite like the whammy she'd given him and that, coupled with the fact that - while she really wasn't all that knowledgeable about how his healing factor normally worked, she was painfully aware that it seemed to have been compromised somehow and, therefore, probably wasn't functioning at 100% - well, she was feeling more than a little responsible for his current lethargic state.

Sharing his healing factor with me was probably the worst thing he could've done, especially when he's still recovering from whatever happened to him before.  Oh, God....I hope I didn't set him back too far!  While silently cursing the fact that the accident had been entirely her fault in the first place, she knew full-well that there really hadn't been any other choice but for him to heal her and that beating herself up over what was already done wasn't going to do either her or Logan any good.   Now I've just got to concentrate on fixing the damage I've caused....in any way that I can.  He risked his life for me, and you just don't run across people every day who are able - or willing - to do that for you.  I only hope he doesn't wind up paying too steep a price!

With a resigned sigh, Marie swung the car into a vacant parking spot and killed the engine.  The quiet jolt and sudden lack of rhythmic movement caused Logan to grunt and stir from his position against the door.  As he slowly turned his head to look at her with unfocused eyes, Marie smiled cheerfully but was unable to keep the concern entirely out of her voice.

"We're here.  Logan?  Are you, uh, feeling okay?"

"Yeah.  'Just a little tired."  He grunted again and struggled to sit up, his movements still a bit uncoordinated.  "Mmmph. Are we back at your place already?"

"No, um....we're at Wal-Mart."

"Wal-Mart?"

"Yeah.  You know, when I first moved here, I realized that what I'd always suspected was true: no matter how far out in the boonies you live, you can always count on having a Wal-Mart and a McDonalds within walking distance."

Logan was rubbing the back of his neck, his expression thoughtful.  "Huh. 'Never noticed.  'Don't shop or eat at those kinda places very often."  Fact is, I usually go outta my way to avoid 'em...

"Really?" Marie shook her head in amusement.  "I mean, you haven't lived  til you've inhaled a Quarter Pounder at MickeyD's after bargain-hunting at Wal-Mart!"

A grin was tugging at his mouth.  "I'll take your word for it, darlin'."

"I just, uh, need to run in and get a few things."  She cocked her head, studying him with worried eyes.  "Do you mind waiting out here in the car?"

"Nah, you go on ahead.  I'll be fine."

"Are you sure, Logan?  You look a little pale...."

He shook his head, sitting up a little straighter in his seat and striving for what he hoped was a reassuring tone.  "Yeah, I'm okay. 'Got a headache, it's no big deal.  I'll just wait here til ya get back."

Marie bit her lip and shrugged.  "Well...okay, then."  She pulled down the vanity mirror on the car's sun-visor, anchoring her windblown hair with the clips as best she could and thumbing a smudge of dirt off her cheek.  Saying a quick prayer that her damp and disheveled appearance wouldn't attract too many stares, she leaned over and grabbed her wallet from inside the glove compartment.  "I won't be long...."

Logan watched her go, his body automatically responding to the sway of her hips as she weaved her way in and out of the parked cars and disappeared inside the store.   Heh.  Good to know some parts are still in workin' order, even if the rest of me feels like I got run over by an eighteen-wheeler.  With a groan, he laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes again.   Christ.  This is worse than comin' off a three-day bender with a bad case of bourbon!   While he'd readily admitted the headache to Marie, he hadn't seen any reason to mention that he also had double vision, a queasy stomach, and his entire body ached as if he'd been beaten.  There was nothing she could do to alleviate how he was feeling and he knew she'd only blame herself for his discomfort.   She's been through enough shit....I ain't gonna whine about it and make her feel any worse than she already does.

Truth be told, he wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again, if need be.  While Marie had obviously received the lion's share of his gift - and it wasn't lost on him that it truly was a 'gift' in that instance - he felt nothing but immensely grateful and relieved that the transfer had been successful.  He would bear the lingering pain and weakness gladly - and silently - for she'd already done so much for him and it gave him a no small sense of satisfaction to finally be able to give something back....to do a good deed for her, for a change.   Hell, it was the very least I could do....

A sudden chill wracked his frame and Logan groaned under his breath.  Pulling his jacket closed in an effort to ward off the cold wasn't much help - his shivering wasn't from the weather.  Shoving his hands in his pockets, he swallowed hard and tried to make himself more comfortable in the passenger seat, hoping that a little more rest would be enough to talk his healing factor out of abandoning him entirely before Marie returned to the car.

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Marie was absentmindedly watching the clerk ring up her purchases while at the same time trying to fend off the sudden and overwhelming urge for a shot  - Shot?  Just leave the whole damned bottle! - of whiskey.  It had become embarrassingly apparent that she'd gotten quite a bit more of Logan in her head than she'd anticipated.  The first inkling had come when she'd realized - too late - that she was unconsciously following a female customer throughout the men's clothing department because the woman was currently ovulating.  The scent wasn't noticeable to anyone else, but Marie could feel the Logan in her head  - No, not Logan....the Wolverine - responding in a very primal way.  When the woman finally clutched her purse a little tighter and glared at her suspiciously, Marie flushed red and apologized, politely 'explaining' that she really, really loved her perfume and could she please tell her what kind it was, so she could buy some for herself?

Now she was nursing a headache of her own and she wanted nothing more than to get back to the car and check on Logan.  In spite of his reassurances, she was more than a little concerned about him.  Signing the credit card slip, she thanked the clerk and scooped up the two large bags, turning around to leave and Ooomph! --

"..Bethy - Hey!  Um, what're you doing here?"

"I'm on my break and I suddenly had a craving for a Snapple and a soft pretzel."  Her friend sized up her tattered appearance with a critical eye.  "God, girl....what happened to you?"

"Oh, nothing..."  Marie self-consciously raised a hand to smooth down her hair, wondering if she'd missed any dirt smudges on her face.  "I was out hiking earlier today - over by Walton's Pass? - and I kinda slipped and fell.  You know....Marie The Klutz strikes again!"  She laughed but Beth didn't join in or come back with one of her usual sarcastic quips.  Uh, oh....something's definitely up.  Her smell (her smell?), it's....I think she's - scared?

"Marie...." her friend pulled her aside, away from the other shoppers.  "I don't want to alarm you, but....well, you can't leave just yet.  We need to find a security guard...."

"What?  Uh, why?"

Beth's expression was grave.  "Remember that guy from the library?  The big, scary-looking one?  Well...." her grip tightened on Marie's arm.  "...I saw him in your car!  He's hiding in there, right now, waiting for you!"

Oh, God....she saw Logan!  How can I explain this to her without betraying his confidence?  Marie swallowed hard.  "Uh, Beth --"

"..And - get this - he's not even hiding in the back, like most rapists do.  Nope, he's slumped over, pretending to be asleep in the front seat, just like he belongs there!  Can you believe the balls on this guy?  He's obviously a real psycho!"

"Bethy...."

"It's okay, though....I'm here for you." Beth shuddered and began tugging on Marie's arm, steering her away from the exit and toward the customer service counter.  "C'mon....we'll just find one of those rent-a-cops and get them to haul his ass out of there.  After you press charges, that freak won't be seeing the light of day for a good long while.  God, when I think about both of us being alone with him in the library like that, it just makes my skin crawl --"

"Wait!  Beth --"  Marie dug her heels in and forced her friend to a halt.  "I-I can see why you'd think that, and I appreciate your looking out for me, but --"

"Huh?"  Beth was staring at her, wide-eyed.  "Wait a minute....don't tell me you're not gonna press charges!  Marie, that's how these bastards get away with doing this kind of thing to other women, time and time again!  Hello?  Someone's gotta break the cycle and teach them a lesson!"

Marie shook her head.  "No, no....it's just that....well, you've got it all wrong.  The guy in my car....he, uh, he's a friend and, um, I've just been helping him out, is all...."

"A friend?  Uh-huh.  By chance, did you fall on your head while you were hiking?"  The look on Beth's face clearly indicated that she felt Marie had finally lost it.  "Since when is that guy a 'friend'?  You didn't mention that you knew him two days ago in the library...."

"Uh, well, that's because I didn't really get to, er, know him until later that day..."

"What?!  Marie...." Beth's tone was slow and deliberate, like she was speaking to a child.  "Please tell me you didn't offer him a ride or something crazy like that...." One glance at Marie's expression and Beth knew she was guilty-as-charged.  Her eyes narrowed.  "Oh My God!  What were you thinking?  Hell, you don't even know that man!  Why, he....he could be a serial killer or a drug dealer or...."

"Beth, it's okay!  He's really a nice guy....he --"

"You can't possibly know that....I mean - you only just met him!"  Beth stopped short, as a horrible thought occured to her.  She looked around to make sure they weren't being overheard and then hissed, "Marie...you'd tell me if the sicko was, you know....holding you hostage or threatening to kill your family if you talked to anyone about him....wouldn't you?"

"Of course!  But honestly, there's nothing like that going on..." While they were talking, Marie had slowly turned them around and they were now heading out the exit and into the blustering wind.  The Land Rover was only two aisles away and she could see the shape that was Logan, slumped over in the passenger seat.  Oh, please....let him just be sleeping!  As they got closer to the car, she saw him shift slightly and breathed an inner sigh of relief.  Mustering up a smile, she stopped and turned to Beth, trying her best to look reassuring and confident.  "Look, he --" she paused for a second, unsure of exactly how much to say.  Her friend needed to be convinced, but she didn't want to intrude on Logan's privacy.  "...He needed some help, but he didn't want to ask for it.  I offered.  In fact, I insisted.  He's not 'making' me do anything, I swear!   It's just that....well, he doesn't have any family around here, and it just didn't seem right that he's all alone during the holidays, you know?"

She really didn't want Beth to accompany her the rest of the way but was trying desperately to be casual about it.  They were almost there and Marie really didn't think Logan would appreciate being on the receiving end of Beth's sizing-up at the moment.  Not to mention, having to explain that he's sleeping over would be all kinds of awkward...  She should've known, however, that her friend could be just as stubborn as she, herself, was, when the situation called for it.

"Jesus, Marie…." The blonde girl groaned in exasperation.  "Okay, fine.  You know what?  I still think you've finally flipped out on me, but…fine."  Beth stopped and crossed her arms over her chest, jerking her head in the direction of the car.  "So....introduce me."

"What?  Uh....I don't --"

"Hey, if he's your new best friend and all, then why not let me meet him?  That way, he'll know you've got somebody looking out for you...somebody who knows about him....and if he tries anything, I'll --"

"Bethy, I really, truly appreciate your watching my back like that - I owe you big time, girl! - but he's, uh, not feeling too well right now and I don't think he's quite up to meeting anyone.  Maybe later, though...okay?"  Marie made a pointed glance at her watch.  "Honest -- everything's just fine....nothing to worry about.  Really!  Look, I've gotta run, but I'll stop in and see you soon - maybe next week?"

Beth pursed her lips, her expression guarded and her posture disapproving.  "Marie....you know I care about you, right?  So, I'm telling you this as a friend:  if you insist on helping out every stray that crosses your path, your good intentions are only gonna come back and bite you in the ass someday --"

Marie winced, acutely aware that if Logan was awake he could hear every word.  "Beth...."

"Girl, I know you mean well, but....I just don't want to see you get hurt.  Okay?"  Beth reached out and squeezed her hand, glancing over at the figure in the car.  "You're a big girl and all, but sometimes you're just too much of a bleeding heart for your own damned good."  She sighed heavily, worried for her friend but realizing that Marie wasn't going to budge.  "Shit.  Look - just promise me that you've thought this out and that you know what you're doing....please?"

Marie smiled, but in acquiesence, knowing that - good intentions notwithstanding - the damage had already been done.  "I promise.  He's not going to hurt me."  She squeezed Beth's hand in return.  "Thank you, though.  It-it means a lot."  She truly meant the words....it had been her experience that good friends weren't easy to come by, and she made every effort not to take the few that she had for granted.

"No problem.  Any time."  Beth pulled the collar of her coat up around her neck and turned to go.  "Oh, and Marie?  If I don't see you before then, have a Happy New Year.  And for God's sake, please be careful! "

Marie smiled and waved, releasing an explosive breath once Beth was out of sight.  Squaring her shoulders, she cleared the last few feet to the car, tossing the bags behind the back seat before climbing into the driver's side across from Logan.  After snapping on her seatbelt, she glanced over at him to see that he was watching her with hooded eyes and a stoic expression on his face.

"Hey..."

"Hey.  Didja get everythin' ya needed?"

"Uh Huh.  Thanks for waiting.  Are you, um, feeling any better?"

"Yeah."  He stretched, cracking his neck and shoulder muscles for good measure.  "Just needed to rest a bit.  I'm fine."

"Okay."  Marie doubted that a short nap was all that was necessary to bring him back up to par, but his color was better and now wasn't the time to pursue it.  She started the engine.  "Are you hungry?"

Logan nodded.  "Starvin'," he admitted.  "Healin' factors use up a helluva lot of energy."

"So I've noticed."  She smiled.  "There's a great place just around the corner, called Steak & Shake.  Their burgers are really good, and I highly recommend their 3-Way Chili.  We'll grab lunch there and then head back home, okay?"

He frowned.  "What about gettin' supplies at the hardware store?"

Marie bit her lip as she turned onto the main road.  "Right....  Uh, are you sure you're feeling up to it?  I mean, there's no rush or anything...."

"Yeah, I feel fine.  And it's real nice of ya to say there ain't any hurry, but I really wanna get started on your guest room."  He frowned and it looked like he was working up to say something more.  She realized belatedly that she was holding her breath.

"Marie?  I just wantcha to know that even though you gotta pay, up front, for the stuff I need to get, I'll find a way to pay ya back."  A low growl was building in his chest and his hands were slowly flexing in his lap.  "I- uh, I'm pretty sure I got some money stashed in a coupla places.  As soon as I remember where it is, you....you're welcome to it."  He gave her a sideways glance.  "Is - is that okay?  Cuz I promise ya that I'm good for it, and --"

"Logan...just stop it, all right?" Marie pulled the car into the parking lot at Steak & Shake and killed the engine.  Her hands were shaking and she struggled to keep her voice steady.  "How many times are we going to have this conversation?  You. Don't. Need. To. Pay. Me. Back.  We're friends, right?  And where I'm from, friends help each other!  For pete's sake, all I did was feed you a couple of times and offer you a place to sleep....but you - you just saved my life less than two hours ago!  If anything, I owe you.  So..." she took another breath, her eyes pleading with him.  "...can you please just stop feeling obligated to me?"

Logan scowled and looked down at his hands, as realization abruptly dawned on Marie.  "Wait....this is about Beth, isn't it?"  He didn't respond, just began absently rubbing his knuckles.  "My friend from the library....you heard us, didn't you."  It wasn't a question, because she already knew the answer.

"Ya didn't want her to meet me."  What was it blondie said?  Oh yeah...that Marie needs to quit pickin' up strays....  His tone was so low that if Marie hadn't retained a portion of his enhanced hearing, she wouldn't have caught it.  Her heart twisted in her chest - He thinks I'm embarrassed to be seen with him! - and she shook her head quickly, reaching for his hand.

"That's true....I didn't want to introduce the two of you -- but not for the reasons you think!  Beth - she's a nice person and she's been a really good friend to me but, well....sometimes she can be a bit over-protective, you know?  I mean, she's just a little, er, worried because, uh - that day in the library, you kind of...scared her, and --"

"I scared her?"  Logan's scowl was rapidly turning into something akin to a smirk.

Marie's smile was genuine this time.  "Yeah, you did."  At his cocked eyebrow, she punched him lightly in the arm.  "Don't even try to deny it....you were being a growly badass on purpose.  I suspect you do that a lot, just to keep people away from you."

He shook his head, fighting back a grin.  Busted.  "What about you, darlin'?"  He fixed her with an intense look, taking great delight in seeing her cheeks turn pink.  "Did I scare you, too?"

Marie fought the urge to squirm.  I wonder what his reaction would be if he knew I was too taking Logan-inventory to be scared? "You should know by now it takes more than a few scowls and growls to intimidate me."

"..'That so?"

"Yep."

He had to admit, if only to himself, that it was true.  This slip of a girl has more guts than mosta the men I've been up against.  She's right about never bein' afraid of me....saw right through me from the get-go, in fact.  Huh.  Even now, when she's got a damned good idea what all I'm capable of and how messed up I am, she still don't have any fear of me.  He was humbled by her unique ability to inspire him to be a better person than he was, while at the same time offering her wholehearted approval of the man he was right now.  He'd never experienced that kind of unconditional acceptance before - had never really even known acceptance of any kind, for that matter.  For her to give him that while not expecting, nor even wanting, anything from him in return shook him to his very core.  God help me, I think I could really care about her...hell, maybe even *love* her...for that.

His smirk faded and an odd look ghosted across his face, followed by an awkward silence.  Since having borrowed Logan's enhanced senses, Marie had a much clearer understanding of just how the predator in him was able to gauge his surroundings with such pinpoint accuracy.  His acute sense of smell was a major part of that, and she was suddenly aware that Logan's scent had changed.  While she lacked his expertise in determining what a particular smell indicated, there was something deep - something primal - inside her that was now responding to it and she struggled to keep her emotions neutral.  With a jolt, she realized that their relationship, or at least her perception of what it was, had just shifted.  As she looked at Logan sitting next to her, breathing him in and truly seeing him - as if for the first time - she knew without a doubt that she would do anything in the world for this man and understanding flooded through her veins, filling her very being with its undeniable truth:  I think.... Oh, dear God.  I - I'm...falling in love with him!

She swallowed hard, praying that the inevitable change in her own scent, let alone the sudden thudding of her heart, wouldn't give her away to Logan.  That would be all kinds of bad if he knew.  He'd probably freak out and run screaming for Canada!  You know he's not the type to stay in one place for very long or form attachments to people, especially not the romantic kind!   Face it, Marie....there's just no future for you and him.  If you pursue it, you're only going to get your heart broken.  Clearing her throat, she fished for her wallet in her coat pocket, hoping that the brief distraction would cool her burning cheeks.  She risked a glance at him and was both relieved and panicked to see that he was staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought.  Oh, crap....I hope he doesn't suspect?  Forcing a smile that she didn't feel, Marie strove to make her tone casual.

"Hey, um...they don't have a drive-thru, so I'm just gonna run inside and get our food.  We can relax and eat out here in the car and then, uh, stop at the hardware store on our way back to the cottage....okay?"

"What?  Oh...yeah.  Fine."  Logan turned his head to look at her, but she could tell that his mind was a million miles away.  Is that good or bad?  With him, it could be either...or both!

"..So, what did you want me to get you?"

He shrugged.  "Whatever's good.  Maybe some of that, uh, chili you mentioned?"

Marie nodded.  "Okay.  'Be right back!"

This time, as he watched her heading toward the front doors, it was his mind - as well as his body - that was responding.  The sudden, undeniable awareness that he was falling for her didn't bother him....and the fact that it didn't was what troubled him the most.  The animal inside him - the Wolverine - had no qualms with his revelation....almost as if it had simply been waiting for him to realize what it had already known -- what it had been sure of since the moment he'd first laid eyes on Marie.

And that, by far, was the hardest pill to swallow:  was he completely without honor, willing to lay it all on the line for a young woman who seemed to understand him in a way that aroused a feral hunger in the deepest parts of his body?  He knew there was no way in hell Marie could share his feelings.  Why the fuck would she?  I'm rough and stupid and she's young and beautiful and good.  She's got a real nice life here, with people who care about her - the last thing she needs is to get involved with a loser like me.  No past and even less of a future...I got a whole lotta nothin' to offer her.

Logan knew that - if it were up to him - he could somehow find the strength to leave.  He'd pay Marie back and walk away....for her sake, if not for his.  But he had no such illusions where the Wolverine was concerned. Whether through fate or circumstance, there was no denying it:  Marie was his and he was hers.  Therein lay the dilemma: what the Wolverine wanted it usually got....one way or another.

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Marie pounded the pillow into submission yet again, beyond exhausted but unable to get comfortable.  All she wanted to do was blissfully sink into oblivion, but when her mind was on hyperdrive like this, there would be no rest for the weary anytime soon.  Her brain was insisting on a replay of the day's events and she sighed in resignation, allowing her thoughts to drift to Logan, currently asleep on the living room couch.  She was slowly losing the remnants of his enhanced senses, but if she really concentrated she could make out his rhythmic heartbeat and steady breathing.  Marie knew that he was even more exhausted than she was, and she said a little prayer that his nightmares would cut him some much-needed slack tonight.   We may not have a chance at a future together, but I'll do anything I can to make his memories of the present - soon to be the past, and possibly the only one he'll ever truly remember - as nice as possible.  

After they'd eaten lunch, with Logan polishing off two bowls of chili, three double steakburgers and a large milkshake, she'd gone into the hardware store with him to get supplies.  When they'd arrived back at the cottage, Logan had headed for the couch with a few cans of beer and insisted that it was okay with him if Marie took her shower first.  When she'd finished, she'd handed him the bags from Wal-Mart as he was heading into the bathroom for his turn and, at his curious expression, explained that it was just some new clothing -- four t-shirts, three pairs of cotton boxers, a package of socks, four flannel shirts and three pairs of jeans.  No big deal....just a token of her appreciation for the person who'd saved her life and ruined his clothes in the process.  She'd braced herself for his protests but, instead, he'd caught her off-guard by simply asking how she'd known what size to get him?  The memory of her response ("I really didn't want to guess at what size pants you wear, so I peeked inside the ones you've got on.  Uh, last night.  You know....when you weren't, um, wearing them.") made her blush again, but at least this time the only witness was her pillow and not those smirking hazel eyes.  Alone now, in the darkness, she gave in to a grin as she remembered how smooth and satisfying the Molson's had tasted while sneaking glances at the bathroom door to reassure herself that he was still in the shower.  She'd stopped short of lighting one of his cigars however.....there were limits to what a sweet, southern girl could tolerate, after all.

After showering, Logan had taken the tools and supplies they'd bought, along with a few more cans of Molson's - if he noticed the smell of beer on Marie's breath, he didn't say anything - into the guest room.  When Marie had poked her head in a short time later to see if there was anything she could help him with, her heart did a small flip:  He'd taken great pains to move the furniture into a neat grouping at the far end of the room and thoroughly covered it with a drop-cloth to protect it from the paint and sawdust.  She'd swallowed hard as the sight dredged up bittersweet memories of her father's basement workshop, back in Mississippi, and of her mother bemoaning the fact that no matter how well he tried to cover everything, she was forever battling the residual sawdust that wafted upstairs and stubbornly insisted on coating every surface.

Logan had been busy removing the old door frame, the new lumber and items they'd purchased laid out on the floor in organized rows.  He was wearing one of the new pairs of jeans and a black t-shirt that she had bought for him and his hair, still damp from the shower, was slicked back away from his face.  She'd been breathing him in, memorizing his scent without realizing it, somehow comforted by the smell of soap and something earthy that was uniquely Logan.  Catching Marie's eye as she'd hovered in the doorway, he'd quirked a grin and asked if there was anything she needed?  She'd flushed and shook her head, managing to ask if there was anything she could do for him?  To her surprise and then amusement, Logan had choked on the swig of beer he'd just taken and - looking flustered - mumbled what sounded like 'uh, I think I got it under control - thanks.'

As much as she'd wanted to stay and watch his muscles rippling under the fitted t-shirt while he worked, after all the personal revelations and painful truths that they'd shared with each other - first in the morning and then after Logan healed her - Marie had felt it was best to simply give him some  space and time to himself.  While he could be heard cutting and hammering down the hall, she'd taken the opportunity to check her neglected e-mail on the computer system in her bedroom.  Not surprisingly, there was a message from Professor Xavier who had sensed her distress in the woods only hours before and was now requesting that she please let him know if everything was all right.  Although clearly concerned, his decision to send an e-mail rather than contact her telepathically told her he also realized the crisis had since been averted.  Marie twisted a platinum strand of hair around her finger as she considered just how much she should say about Logan in her reply. While she trusted Charles implicitly - indeed, she'd never kept a secret from him before - she simply didn't want to do or say anything that might be perceived by Logan as a breech of confidence, especially after working so hard to win his trust.  Biting her lip, she'd worded her message carefully, explaining that she'd 'injured' her ankle while hiking but that it seemed to be healing up just fine, thanks, and oh, by the way, she'd met a very nice guy and they were spending the rest of the holiday week together....she'd be in touch soon, have a Happy New Year, and please give her love to everyone at the mansion!

After finishing up the rest of her correspondence, Marie had headed down the hallway to check in on Logan's progress.  He wasn't in the guest room, although there was ample evidence of the progress he'd made.  Come to think of it, she realized she hadn't heard any sawing or pounding recently.  He wasn't in the bathroom either, so she'd made her way into the living room....and stopped short at the sight that greeted her.

At some point he must've gotten overheated from his efforts, because he was now clad only in jeans and was currently lying prone on the couch.  Her heart had been pounding as she'd padded softly over to his side, studying him with worried eyes until the shallow-but-steady rise and fall of his chest convinced her that he was only fast asleep, probably from utter exhaustion.   Poor guy....my 'gift' really did a number on him!   Marie swallowed a lump in her throat and briefly considered lighting the fireplace before settling for gathering up the throw from the back of the couch.  Blushing when she realized that she'd been standing there, drinking in the site of his bare chest for several long minutes, she'd finally covered him gently with the throw so he wouldn't get chilled.  As she quietly moved away, he'd stirred and mumbled, '..M'rie?"  Before she'd realized what she was going to do, she'd cupped his whiskered cheek in her palm and murmured soothingly, "Shhh, just sleep now" while promising to wake him in a little while for dinner.  There was a glint of hazel behind thick lashes and then he'd nuzzled his face against her hand as his eyes closed again.

Sometime later, sensing that his healing factor probably needed protein more than anything else, Marie had heated up the last of the beef stew and brought it into the living room on a tray.  Logan had been more than a little groggy and disoriented, and she'd had to force Winston off his lap before he could sit up, but he'd accepted the food eagerly enough and ate every bite, washing it down with another Molson's.  While she'd thrown a load of their combined laundry in the washer and did the dishes - politely declining his offer of assistance - he'd slipped his shirt back on and returned his attention to the novel he'd borrowed from her, Winston curled up contentedly in his lap once more.  At 11:45PM, after checking her e-mail again, Marie had found herself nodding off over the keyboard and yawning repeatedly.  She'd peeked shyly into the living room to see if Logan needed anything before she turned in, but he'd simply smiled at her and shook his head, wishing her "Sweet dreams"...a sentiment that, coming from someone who knew anything but, brought tears sharply to her eyes.  She'd managed to whisper back "You, too" and it wasn't long after she turned out her bedside lamp that she'd heard him heading first to the bathroom and then out to his makeshift bed on the couch,Winston no doubt serving as a willing foot-warmer.

The image of the Wolverine and her big, black cat curled up together brought a smile to her face in the darkness and Marie turned over, punching the pillows again for good measure, hoping that sleep was finally ready to embrace her and praying fervently that it would also be gentle with Logan.

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Posted April 2002



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