TITLE: Going Home
AUTHOR: Amelia Saxe
EMAIL: ascully@flashcom.net
GENRE: X-Men: the Movie, Wolverine/Rogue
SUMMARY: Uh, Logan reflects on times past
RATING: PG--a few words that my grandmother wouldn't like me to use.
DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em, Marvel does. Although I wouldn't mind
getting my hands on Logan. Mmmmmmm, Logan..
Going Home
Canada-6 years after Logan left
The problem with being a mutant with a super healing factor was that
it was all to easy to believe that since you could withstand
punishing
blows from an opponent, you could withstand the elements and extremes
in temperature with little protection. One mutant with this
particular notion was quickly being disabused of that idea.
"Damn." Logan muttered as he gathered hi leather jacket around
him and hunched down lower over the center of his bike. Well, not
*his* bike really, it was just on loan. Logan grinned as he imagined
what Scott's reaction had been when he discovered that theft. The
grin quickly disappeared as another icy blast hit him. What he
wouldn't give for an enclosed vehicle right now. Hell, he'd even
take
his old truck. Of course, it was well north of him, impossible and
impractical to get to, especially considering the condition it was
left in. Logan continued on as his mind drifted back to his truck,
its destruction and the events leading up to it??t;br>
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Canada-6 years ago
The whiskey burned down his throat as he leaned against the
fence enclosure. He dimly heard the "promoter", a charming man named
Mac, try to entice another fighter into the ring, as the last one was
dragged unconscious from the floor. Logan shook his head slightly.
What the hell kind of name was Mac anyway? Through the din, he heard
another challenger come forward and step into the ring. He downed
another shot. Suddenly, pain blossomed through him as felt his body
pummeled and kicked. Then the rage came.
Logan honestly didn't remember all to clearly what happen
after that. He supposed he must have dealt with the fighter rather
quickly and brutally because there weren't any more opponents that
night. Logan shrugged as he pulled a shirt over his head; he had
made
a decent amount of cash. He moved over to the bar, ordered a beer
and
looked briefly at the cloaked figure sharing the bar with him. The
cloak moved and he found himself looking at a startlingly young
feminine face. Logan grunted slightly as he looked away. The kid
was
obviously lost. She was way too young to be out here alone.
Probably
some runaway who didn't know what the world was really like and was
learning the hard way.
His eyes flicked up to the t.v. when he heard the announcer
talk about the new mutant registration bill being debated in America.
Senator Kelly. What a bastard. Mental note Logan, see all of
America while you can before they hunt you down like an animal there.
He looked over to the girl again. She was looking at him with a
wide-eyed stare, with a touch of??e? Why was she looking
hopefully
at him? He saw her gaze shift to a point over his right shoulder.
Logan had heard the two men moving up behind him before and a small
sniff confirmed that on of them was the last fighter he had dealt so
efficiently with. Probably didn't like getting the crap beat outta
him. Baldy's angry words confirmed it. Logan turned slightly and
bit
out an angry warning to forget it and move on. He turned back to his
beer and dismissed Baldy from his mind. He concentrated on his beer
and the sudden appearance of a soft, floral, feminine scent. The
girl??She suddenly screamed.
"Look out!"
He reacted without conscious thought. He spun suddenly,
knocking the knife out of Baldy's hands. The rage came up again, but
Logan carefully controlled it and didn't allow it to flow through him
unchecked. His outermost claws framed Baldy's neck nicely while his
middle claw extended slowly towards the man's Adam's apple. Logan
almost smiled at the terror on the man's face when he felt the barrel
of a rifle by his ear and heard the bartender's policy on "freaks".
A
moment's consideration and Logan swept his lift arm up, claws
extended, slicing the rifle in two and bringing them up under the
barkeep's chin. The anger was singing through his blood, urging him
to finish the job as he glanced between the two men. Freak? He'd
show them a thing or two about freaks?? eyes fell on the girl
at the
bar again. This time her stare didn't hold hope, it held terror.
Jesus, what was he doing? These bastards weren't worth it. He
dropped his arms suddenly and strode past the girl and out the door.
The cold hit him almost immediately. As he walked out to his
truck, he berated himself. 'Great Logan, now that you've ruined
another job, where to now?' He opened the door, slid in and started
the engine. He rubbed his knuckles absently, then look down at them.
Not a mark. He'd find another job soon enough. He shifted into
gear
and began to move.
Half an hour on the road, he heard his trailer shifting behind
him. Hoping the damn thing wasn't loose, he stopped the truck and
climbed out. He walked back, looking around, when he heard and then
saw movement next to his bike. As he walked up, he caught a faint
scent that was familiar. As he jabbed the lump, recognition took
hold. When he threw back the blanket, he wasn't surprised to see
that
young face peek around the hood of that green cloak. He took his
cigar out of his mouth.
"What the hell are you doin'? Get out." he ordered angrily.
"Ah needed a ride. Thought you might help." she said in a
soft, lilting voice as she climbed out.
"I can't."
"Where am ah gonna go?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know or you don't care?"
Irritation grew within him. He stuck the cigar back in his
mouth. "Pick one." he spat. He turned around and walked up to the
truck door. He heard her call out behind him.
"Ah saved your life!"
"No, you didn't." he replied as he slammed the door and
started to drive away. As he continued on, he replayed her last
words
in his mind. She didn't really. Even if Baldy had stabbed him, he
would have easily recovered. Still, he *had* dismissed the other
man,
wasn't even paying attention to him, despite the fact that every
instinct and experience warned him against that. Her warning rang
out
in his mind. With a sigh, he slowed down and parked the truck.
She didn't waste any time getting to him.
As they moved on, he saw her pull back her hood. He looked
over to her, saw her face for the first time, and realized that he
had
to revise his first impression of her. She was young, but had an
astoundingly beautiful face, with delicate features framed by rich
auburn hair. The girl was??redible. When he realized the
direction
his thoughts were taking, he mentally kicked himself. Jesus, what
was
she 15, 16? He need a woman, a real, *legal* woman worse than he
thought. He noticed she had taken off her gloves and was rubbing her
hands together. He grimaced. 'Of course she's cold, jackass!' She
had just spent the last half hour next to an ice-encrusted bike. He
reached down to put on the heater. He moved his hand over to grab
hers and put them by the vent when she shrieked and jumped.
"No! Don't touch me!" she yelled as she shrank away from him.
He looked over at her, startled. Where had that come from? Had she
been hurt before? Logan was surprised at the anger he had for
whomever had done this to her. "I ain't gonna hurt ya kid." he said,
trying to reassure her. Her next words soothed him only somewhat
though.
"It's just that when people touch my skin, something happens
to them..."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. They just get hurt." she explained.
Understanding dawned. "Fair enough." he said. Another
mutant, like himself. That explained the hope in her eyes in the
bar.
She must have seen him fight, realized what he was. He was like
her,
someone who could understand her.
"You got anythin' to eat?" Her voice broke into his thoughts.
He glanced over at her and managed to hold back a smile. She
was a cheeky kid. He was giving her a ride out of the goodness of
his
heart, and she had the nerve to hit him up for food. He reached over
to the glove box, grabbed some jerky and tossed it to her. He noted
how quickly she devoured the food. When was the last time she ate?
He saw her looking around at his "home". "What?"
She swung her head back. "Nothing, nothing." she answered
quickly. "It's just that my life doesn't seem so bad now."
Cheeky? The kid was damn rude! "If you prefer the road--" he
began.
"No, no! It's okay." she said instantly. "It's??y."
He saw the fear in her face that he might kick her out anyway.
Was he scaring her that much? He suddenly realized that it was very
important to him that she felt at ease with him. A little small talk
was in order. Unfortunately, he wasn't much of a conversationalist.
He looked over at her and was again taken by how beautiful she was.
The fear had gone out of her eyes and she was looking curiously at
him, her face searching.
"Were you in the army? Isn't that what those tags mean? That
you were in the army?" she asked haltingly.
He looked down at the dog tags resting on his chest. The
metal tags with the name "Wolverine" stamped into them were the only
thing he had on him when had woken up 15 years ago with no
recollection of who he was, except for the name Logan, where he was
or
what he was doing there. This was too personal for him to discuss
with some runaway, no matter how pretty she was and he tucked the
tags
into his shirt. He saw her face crumple in disappointment at his
action. He was surprised again at how much it pained him to see how
he hurt her. Before he could analyze this much further, he heard her
voice.
"I'm Rogue."
His eyebrows shot up. "Rogue? What kind of name is Rogue?"
he asked.
"What kind of name is Wolverine?" she asked archly, one
eyebrow curving up, her southern accent kicking in.
This time he did allow himself a small smile. The kid was
cheeky, not rude. A Southern belle, he decided. Raised like
Scarlett
O'Hara not to take any crap from any man. His smile widened
slightly.
"My name's Logan," he said.
She smiled shyly in return. "Marie," she answered. Lord, she
was beautiful when she smiled. She was going to wrap men around her
little finger when she grew up. 'She seems to be doing pretty well
with you, Logan' a voice in his head jeered.
She continued on, "You know, you really should wear a
seatbelt??p;quot;
Logan's eyes flashed in annoyance. Cheeky? No. Rude? Yes.
"Listen, kid, I don't need tips on auto safety-"
His words were cut off by a sudden crash and her scream as the
truck hit a tree that had suddenly fallen onto the road. Logan was
launched out of his seat, through the windshield and flew through the
air. 'Son of a bi--' he thought before he landed, knocking him out
briefly. When he came to, he groaned and pushed himself up. He was
getting too old for this. He stood up slowly, turned and started
moving back towards the truck. He could feel his internal injuries
healing up as he continued walking. Logan saw Marie struggling in
the
truck as he walked up and go still as she caught sight of him. He
felt the cuts on his head closing up as she continued to stare.
"Kid, are you okay?" he asked.
To her credit, she didn't ask about his remarkable survival
and recovery. "I'm??pos;m stuck." she said.
He started toward her when he stilled suddenly. Another
scent?? claws extended themselves as he put the scene together
and
readied himself for an attack. A roar from his left alerted him and
he swung around in time to get caught full in the chest and go flying
backwards. Logan caught a glimpse of huge, blonde creature before he
slammed into a tree. He landed, and before he could fight back he
was
sent flying when this enormous beast hit him with a tree trunk.
'Please God, let her be safe,' was the last thought he had before
crashing onto the truck and letting the darkness claim him.
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Canada
Logan shook his head slightly and smiled as he drove the bike down
the
road. It would be good to see Rogue??ie??what did she
call
herself now? Logan felt slightly guilty at not keeping in touch with
her for the six years he had been gone. What would he have said
anyway? Hey kid, found the place where horrible experiments were
conducted on me by, of all people, a secret Canadian governmental
group? Hardly. Besides, he was coming back now.
He would see Jean again and find out if she was still with Scott. He
would talk to the Professor about what he had found. But most
importantly, he would see how the kid was. Logan was surprised at
how
protective he still felt about Marie, but then shrugged it off to her
age when they first met. She was so young, it was only natural that
he would want to help her, he told himself.
The wind hit Logan again, but he didn't feel it for once. He was
going home.
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