~*~
Rogue sat in the garden staring blankly out at the forest beyond. She had been spending a lot of time doing that over the last week. It was just about the only place on the property where she could be alone with her thoughts and right now there was a lot to think about. Despite her best efforts, Rogue couldn't get Logan's last comment to the professor out of her mind. It still hurt after seven days and it hurt a little more each time the words in his voice echoed through her head. She could not wait until he returned to the mansion as she already had a few ideas on how to punish him and prove at the same time that she was *not* a "little girl".
Waking from yet another intensely sexual dream starring his own little rogue, Logan sat up with a harsh growl. The loud snap of metal against metal split the silence of the cheap motel room he'd taken for the night. The sharp, intense pain helped to clear his mind to a degree but Marie was always there, ready to pop up again without warning.
Logan released a deep, bitter exhalation as he threw back the thin blankets and carefully rose from the bed. With a shake of his head, he made his way to the bathroom and slipped into the shower before turning on the cold tap. Another morning waking up harder than adamantium is strong had led to yet another cold shower.
Working to control his physical response to the dream images, Logan tried repeating his chosen mantra over and over in his head. {{She's just a little girl. She's just a little girl. She's just a little girl.}} There was only one problem with that, he knew that she wasn't a little girl anymore. Rolling his eyes in response to another voice in his head, he responded with a mental growl. {{Okay, so compared to me she is a little girl but then compared to me Chuck's a little boy, so fuck you!}}
Even as his body began to shiver with cold, Logan remained standing under the freezing cascade of water. There had to be some way to control the urges he was feeling aside from drowning them in a cold shower. There was another way and Logan knew it but he was not prepared to take that step. "I'm not gonna ruin her life," he vowed aloud to himself as he turned off the water. "You deserve so much better, Marie, I won't do this to you."
After drying off quickly in the small bathroom, he made his way to the bedroom and dressed. Logan knew that he couldn't stay gone much longer but he was worried about how he would react with Marie so close. He hadn't been back to the mansion since telling Xavier off about the so-called mission that sent the team to Chris's house. It was after discovering how the whole alternate universe turned out that Logan's dreams of the woman, known to most as Rogue, started to get out of hand.
"Only one way to know for sure," he muttered as he pulled on his jackets and headed for the door. Hell he could stay gone forever but that wouldn't solve anything and while running seemed like a good idea a few days ago, now Logan knew it wouldn't last. It hadn't lasted when he went to Canada, running from the only people he ever knew for sure cared about him. Mostly though he was running from the young woman who'd gotten under his skin and made him want to be more than was.
Logan knew that sooner or later, he would have to return to the mansion and the sooner the better if he wanted to smooth things over with Marie. He'd seen her as he stormed from Xavier's office and the look of sheer pain on her beautiful, young features and in the depths of her incredible brown eyes ripped at his heart more and more every second. Despite having seen the pain and knowing that he'd been responsible, he had still been unable to stop. Causing her pain of that magnitude made him hate himself more than he had in all the years he could remember and self-loathing was almost as popular as hating the unknown bastards that had made him into the man - or lack thereof that he was.
Hell he hadn't even known what he was saying until it was out of his mouth. He had been so pissed that he couldn't even see straight, how in the hell was he was supposed to have been able to think? It had been instinct to lash out and Logan knew better than anyone that when he was that feral everyone was at risk. When he was like that, *he* was the only one that mattered, everyone else could go to hell. That was part of what scared him so much about his feelings for Marie.
With a heavy sigh, Logan moved from the motel room and climbed on the motorcycle he had once again stolen from Scott. It would take him most of the day to get home and as he put his mind on auto-pilot, at least as far as his driving was concerned, Logan used the time to consider how he would go about fixing the damage he'd done.
It was well into the afternoon when the scenery began to look familiar again, there was only one thing wrong with that - it wasn't the scenery near the mansion. With a loud, rumbling growl, Logan pulled the bike over and once again found himself parked outside a carefully concealed house in the middle of nowhere.
Shaking his head and cursing himself for returning there, he was about to pull back on the road when a familiar scent drew his attention. Chris was standing on the front porch, staring in his direction with a questioning gaze. She said nothing and did nothing, just stood there motionlessly watching him.
Logan released a low growl as he shut down the motorcycle and swung off the seat. He didn't say a word to the woman at the door until they were seated side by side in the large living room that he was spending way too much time in lately.
"Am I ever with anyone else?" Logan asked gruffly without even the common courtesy of affording her a glance.
Blinking, Chris released a soft snort before responding. "Sure...; Once in a while. In fact I just got back from one where you were engaged to someone else."
Logan clenched his jaw as he finally turned to face her. "Show me," he demanded sharply.
Her eyes widening at his tone and at the firm grip with which he took her hand, Chris opened her mouth to explain but he cut her off quickly. "Logan, there's...;"
"Show me!"
With a slight shrug, Chris rolled her eyes. "Fine, but don't get pissed at me when it's over, I tried to warn you."
"Fine," Logan growled, closing his eyes to prepare for the journey to another world.
Chris shook her head weakly before copying his actions and initiating the jump to the next universe.
Opening his eyes brought an immediate scowl to Logan's face as his alternate self stepped from the shower. With a quick glance at the woman beside him, he found her eyes to still be closed. "You ain't watchin'?" he asked softly, whispering despite the fact that the other man couldn't have heard him even if he screamed at the top of his lungs.
Without opening her eyes, Chris shook her head. "Nope, you're on your own with this one, Logan."
"Good," Logan returned sharply before focusing his attention again on the man with his face.
Logan stared at his reflection in the steamy bathroom mirror for a moment before turning toward the door. As he entered the bedroom, he grinned at his fiance where she lay stretched out on the bed.
"I wish you didn't have to go," she said in a seductively pouting tone, looking at him from beneath her lashes.
Pausing with his pants half way up his legs, Logan turned to look at her. She was such a beautiful woman, his fiance. Her long red hair and even longer legs and a body with amazing curves in all the right places. Logan loved her like he'd never loved anyone even if she was more than a little on the reserved side when it came to sex. There were some amazing things that she wouldn't do and conversely wouldn't let be done to her.
"Like I wanna go," he retorted. "Only reason I am is because it is *my* bachelor party. I'd much rather stay here with you, Jeannie."
"Right answer," Jean returned with a wink as she rose and headed for the bathroom. "I was just hoping you'd want to stay so I wouldn't have to go my bachelorette party."
Arching a brow sharply, Logan gnashed his teeth together. "Oh yeah, I'm sure you'll be sorry to see the stripper Ororo's sure to have for you."
Smiling the bathroom door, Jean shook her head. "Nope, no stripper for me. Can't improve on perfection and I've already got that so what's the point?"
"Good answer," Logan replied with a healthy grin.
"You just make sure that the stripper the guys get for you keeps everything to herself!" Jean warned firmly. "And vice a versa...;"
Finally pulling his pants up the rest of the way, Logan nodded. "Of that you can be sure, darlin'."
With a quick wink and a muffled, "I'll see you later," Jean disappeared into the bathroom.
Logan had just finished tucking in his shirt when the doorbell rang. "Later, babe," he shouted at the bathroom door before leaving the bedroom. By the time he reached the door, the bell had sounded three more times. With a perturbed expression that was mostly for show, Logan yanked open the door to reveal a gaggle of men who looked to have already started the party.
"Come on, man," Kurt cried impatiently, grabbing Logan's arm and pulling him into the hallway. "Let's get your last night of freedom going!"
"Yeah, Logan, we got things to see and women to do...;" Bobby shouted with a quick wiggle of his brows.
With a loud snort, Logan left the apartment, closing the door behind him.
"Let's move it out, men," Hank ordered as he clapped Logan on the shoulder. "You are in for the night of your life, my friend!"
Nodding, St. John agreed. "Oh yeah, man, you won't believe all the babes we got lined up for you...; Well okay, not *all* for you but you get first pick."
Rolling his eyes, Logan shook his head. "I ain't plannin' on gettin' laid tonight, Johnny, least not ‘til I get home."
"Works for me," Kurt snickered, "just means more for us!"
Logan released a loud, barking sort of laugh as they made their way outside to the waiting limo.
"Damn it, I wish I could talk you out of this, Marie."
The young woman with the thick dark hair and perfect body rolled her eyes. "Will ya jus' calm down, Jubes. Ah know wha' Ah'm doin'!"
Releasing a heavy sigh, the small Asian woman shook her head. "This isn't like the clubs, Marie. These private parties can be rough."
"Jubilation Lee, Ah managed t' protect mahself while hitchin' rides from Mississippi t' New York an' Ah did it without sellin' mahself a single time. Ah've worked in this strip club fer three years an' Ah ain't yet been unable t' stop somethin' Ah didn't want. Ah think Ah can handle one bachelor party," Marie concluded. "Sides, Ah ain't goin' alone."
Jubilee snorted softly, a wide grin spreading across her lovely features. "You gotta be the only virgin stripper I know, girlfriend!"
Marie returned the grin with a sharp upsweep of her eyebrows, "An' proud of it, baby!"
"I still find it a little hard to believe though," Jubes began. "I mean you have to agree that we see some amazingly good looking men come through here and some of them are very talented too!"
"Jubilee!" Marie retorted sharply before falling silent for a short time. "Okay, so Ah have been lookin'...; Jus' ain't seen nothin' that caught my eye yet. Ah wan' mah first time t' be somethin' special. Is that so wrong?"
Shaking her head slowly, Jubilee responded in a soft, slightly sad tone, "Nothing at all wrong with that, Marie. I just hope that tonight you're not forced into giving up on that."
Smiling sweetly, Marie moved forward and wrapped her arms around her roommate. "Ah'll be fine, sugah. Now come on, ya gotta get t' work an' Ah got a party t' get t'."
"Just be careful," Jubes begged, tightening her grip momentarily before releasing her friend.
"Ah will, sugah," Marie nodded as she moved to the door, "ya too."
Within half and hour, Marie had met her follow dancers and they were on their way to the party. As the organizers had requested a varying array of women, she was the youngest and by far the classiest, if one could classify a stripper in such a way. All of the women were pretty though and most of them were very nice.
As they made their way up to the door, the oldest of the women pulled Marie up short. "Listen, sweetie, I've seen most of the men here tonight in action before and you just watch yourself. If you get too far out of sight things can happen that you might not want."
Marie nodded weakly suddenly having a bad feeling about the whole thing but she was there and she needed the extra money.
"Now I told them that not all of the girls would take kindly to suggestions of extra duty but when you're dealing with drunk men, they can be real hard headed. You just be careful, Marie. I'm not sure I could forgive myself for letting you talk me into this if something happened to you."
"Ah'll be fine, Jade," Marie insisted with more confidence than she actually felt.
"I think you will, sweetie," the older woman returned with a wink. "Course now, you might just find someone you'd like to get to know better, like I said, I've seen most of these men before!"
Her warning made, Jade moved forward and rapped lightly on the door. It wasn't more than a few seconds when the door swung open to reveal a tall, attractive man with long red hair.
"Chere," the man greeted Jade with a glowing smile.
"Remiel, how's the ragin' Cajun doin' tonight?" Jade returned with a seductive smile as she placed her hand in his offered one.
"Oh Remy hung low an' ready to go, eh, chere?" Remy replied in a thick accent as he pulled her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her knuckles.
With a low, throaty laugh, Jade nodded as she entered the house past him. "I'm sure you are, Remy."
From the back of the pack, Marie watched as the man greeted each of the women in a similar fashion. When she was the only one left outside, Remy shifted his position to completely block the entrance.
"Aah, a new petite," he said smoothly as he sized her up thoroughly. "Remy never f'get such a lovely chere. Non, never f'get."
About the time Marie was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, Remy shifted back to the side of the opening and offered her his hand. Slowly she took it and after kissing her knuckles like he had everyone else's, he pulled her gently into the house and closed the door behind them.
By then Jade was back to check on Marie and with a smile she led the younger woman to join the others. As they moved down the hall to a back bedroom to change, Marie got her first look at the group in general and she had to admit that they were a pretty impressive group as far as looks went. Of course that judgement was made in a split second glance into a darkened room so she was reserving final judgement.
It wasn't long before the women were ready to go and one by one they took center stage and stripped for the howling group of highly intoxicated men. >From around the corner of the hallway, Marie watched the show preceding hers. Jade was an amazing dancer and she usually did the finale but this time she had insisted that Marie dance last. That fact only increased her case of nerves, not that she should be nervous considering how long she'd been making a living as a stripper. Still this was the first private party she'd done and here the only protection she had was the other women, not the burly bouncers that the clubs employed.
As she watched, it became clear just whom the party was for. In the dim light it was hard to make him out completely but he appeared handsome with dark hair and bushy sideburns that would have looked out of place on most men but seemed to work well for him. Marie was sure she wouldn't have a problem dancing for him and she planned to stay as close as possible considering he was the only one she hadn't seen try to grab Jade.
From his central place of honor, Logan sat back with his fingers laced behind his head as he watched yet another amazingly beautiful woman strip as she danced before him. Each of the women had been gorgeous and talented and yet he hadn't found one that excited him more than Jean did.
As Jade finished her dance and the music faded out in the wake of loud, drunken cheering, Logan clapped calmly as he gave her an appreciative smile. "Wonderful as always, Jade," he told her with a wink as she bent down before him to pick up a series of garments she'd discarded at his feet.
"You used to like it a whole lot more, Logan," she returned a little sadly. "Guess I'm getting old, huh?"
Logan shook his head firmly. "You're still the best, darlin', I'm the one who got old."
Jade's smile grew unexplainably as her eyes darted toward the hallway. "I'm not the best anymore, Logan, saved that for last."
A slight scowl darkened Logan's face at her words but there was no time to question her as she stood upright and walked away when the music started once again. The strong, diving beat was one that he liked immensely and at that moment he had no idea how much better the song could get.
Glancing around at his friends, Logan couldn't help but shake his head at the group, many of which were already paired off with the strippers. As he shifted his gaze to the other side of the room, Logan got his first glimpse of the final dancer and his heart skipped a beat as his throat constricted tightly. The woman was young, maybe twenty though probably not, with long brown hair and even fully dressed she was more exciting than most of the other's had been completely naked.
Moving to stand before him, Marie started to feel off layers of clothing as she swayed to the seductive beat. Up close the man was even more incredibly handsome than she imagined. Marie focused solely on him as she continued the dance, mesmerized by the way his amazing hazel eyes darkened as she moved. For the first time since she'd left her home and started out on her own, Marie was tempted to give herself, there was only one problem, he was marrying someone else. Working to keep that in mind, she continued the show until the last beat of the music was heard.
Logan was breathing heavy by the time the first few, incidental pieces of clothing hit the floor. By the time she was through, swaying before him with nothing on but a pair of long opera gloves, Logan was nearly incapable of rational thought. He had never wanted anything more in his life but he did his best to remember that he loved Jean and that he was marrying Jean. Even that wasn't helping much. Logan had thought that Jean was perfect, the most amazing body he'd even seen but this woman blew that right out of the water. Jean's perfection paled in comparison.
Closing his eyes to block out the gentle sway of Marie's incredible ass as she walked away, Logan released a ragged breath as he fought to regain control of his body. He hadn't been a saint by any means before meeting Jean but he could truly say that since meeting her, this was the first time he'd really been excited by another woman.
"What the hell are you waiting for, Logan?" Bobby demanded loudly. "Go get her!"
With a low sort of growl, Logan turned to the younger man with a hard glare. "I told you, Drake, the only woman I'm laying tonight will be Jean!"
Robert Drake shook his head harshly. "Shit if you don't want her, I'm taking her," he declared, rising to his feet and stumbling in the direction of the dressing room.
Logan hated the idea of incredible young woman with anyone but what was he going to do? He was getting married to someone else. The rest was up to her.
~*~