Compelled to show resistance, Rogue took especially long to exit the car when they stopped at the Athabasca bar. So much so that Logan ended up striding round to her side and opening the door for her. He gave her a pointed look. She didn’t need words to convey that meaning. They were staying here and she was going to have to go along with it. “Fine,” uttered Rogue under her breath, rising up out of the seat and stepping out onto the thin layer of snow across the car park. Tugging the sleeves of her cotton shirt over her hands in a bid to protect her from the cold, Rogue trudged along into the bar after Logan, sorely missing her thick coat that had been left behind in their haste to flee the mansion raid.
Noticing Rogue lagging behind, Logan glanced behind him, then extending his arm to curl it about her shoulders and pull her up alongside his walking form. “You got nothin’ to worry about, kid.” Somehow, Rogue didn’t feel convinced, but allowed herself to be steered along towards the aging double doors at the entrance. Logan opened one with a flourish and ushered her inside out of the wind and the cold.
As before, the bar was well packed, a low hubbub of life occasionally peaked by raucous laughter from jovial groups. Logan led her on through the crowd stood near the door, Rogue being pulled along through the sea of men and smoke. Logan had only breached the crowd when Rogue heard that voice travel across the air once more. “Logan!” Susan quickly lowered the glass she had picked up for an order and despite the customer’s disgruntled glare; she quickly slipped through the hatch to greet the new entrants. She hadn’t changed; blonde curls framed her features, of which Rogue thought would look prettier without the make-up disguising her natural beauty. Attire still started too low and ended too high - a tight fitting vest top exposing too much flesh whilst a faded denim skirt led eyes to visible thigh.
Logan’s rested a hand reassuringly on Rogue’s nearest shoulder, but that did nothing to stop the girl’s bubble of hot anger in her chest as Susan immediately moved forward to kiss Logan.
The burning clench was eased as she watched Logan turn his head to instead have the scarlet lips harmlessly grace the stubble of his cheek. Rogue could hardly keep the smirk off her face as she looked up into pretty face of Susan, which looked thrown by the rejection. She quickly recovered from the nasty surprise, “So, you’re back then?”
“Yeah, probably gonna stop over for the night.”
“Do I have to go and pour the damn beer myself?” muttered the patron behind Susan; he was still waiting for the drink he had paid for. Susan ignored him completely.
A titter of false girlish laughter came from the woman. “Oh, of course!” she said to Logan, waving a hand towards him as though there were sharing a private joke. “I’m sure we can work out a freebie for you,” she added, a wink being given.
The customer continued to look increasingly irritated. “That guy wants a drink,” said Rogue pleasantly as she pointed to the man, despite wanting to go over and hit Susan over the head.
Susan slowly slid her eyes onto Rogue as though she had only just noticed her. “Oh!” she exclaimed in the same airy tone. “You’re back too, then?”
It was clearly spoken in a demeaning fashion, and just as Rogue was about to retort snappily, Logan’s hand moved off Rogue’s shoulder and he instead curled his arm around her. “Yeah, she is,” he said pointedly, his response for Rogue earning him a surprised look from Susan.
Now she did look flustered. Saying nothing, she quickly made to check the curls in her hair. “Gimme my drink or gimme my money back!” barked the abandoned customer. Susan jumped and quickly scurried behind the bar, apparently glad for the interruption now. Rogue glanced up at Logan, the pair exchanging a small smile before there was a loud voice that caught their attention.
“Look who it is!” roared Albert with a beaming smile as he came through from the back. “I thought I heard your voice!” Just like Susan, Albert hadn’t changed one bit. His round flushed face gleamed with sweat under the bar lights, rotund torso adorned in a blinding turquoise shirt that was better suited to Hawaii than Canada.
“Good to see you,” replied Logan, smirking as the pair shook hands. “Hope you don’t mind us droppin’ by again.”
Albert cheerfully grinned at them both. “Not at all, Logan, not at all.” Unlike Susan, Albert had given Rogue the same warmth and welcome he did Logan, like she too was an old, special friend. Rogue had felt a natural like for Albert the instant they first met, and now she was smiling up at him. “I must admit though, twice the same year? Ain’t like you.”
Logan shrugged his shoulders slowly, “Well, things change,” he said quietly, glancing down to Rogue. Albert looked between the pair for a moment, before a broad smile spread on his stubbly jaw.
“Right then,” he said, rubbing his hands together as though he had just been given a real treat. “You two come through to the back, getcha some drinks.” He turned, strolling back through the hatch, “Y’comin’ Susie?” Logan and Rogue followed on behind Albert, Rogue watching carefully as Susan shook her head.
“Not right now, maybe later, eh? Bit busy.”
“Right y’are,” said Albert jovially and proceeded into the back room.
A faintly lit room made up space behind the door at the bar. It had a lot more personal possessions dotting the area, with black and white photographs framed on the flaking walls. The centre of the room bore a scrubbed wooden table, matching chairs pushed in on each side. A worn leather couch sat against the back wall, facing a small portable television that sat atop an old drink’s cabinet. A second door led off elsewhere, to what Rogue presumed was other amenities. Pulling out a chair, Albert sat down, inviting Rogue and Logan to do the same.
Rogue certainly felt easier with Susan absent and it was becoming increasingly hard to keep the smile off her face. Albert noticed, for he leant back in his seat, scrutinising her with a small smile. “You’re lookin’ a lot happier since we last saw you.”
At this, Rogue felt herself blushing a little, glancing downward at the tabletop. “Oh, well..” she drifted off uncertainly, not quite sure how to respond.
Albert’s chuckles summoned her eyes towards him again. “Still a quiet lil’ thing, ain’tcha? Still, not a bad thing that.” He then started and quickly stood upright. “I forgot the drinks! Whatcha want you two?”
Logan smirked in a wolfish manner. “Do I need to remind you?”
Albert gave a knowing laugh, the pair grinning at each other for a moment at the shared joke. Rogue hid an amused smile behind her hand at Logan’s playfulness, but stopped when Albert’s questioning eyes came upon her. “Oh, erm.. I’ll have a orange juice, please.”
There was a thumbs-up from Albert before he sauntered off back into the bar to get the drinks. Left alone together for the moment, Rogue leant in towards Logan a little, smiling. “I like him.”
Logan chuckled, absently nuzzling her forehead with his cheek. “I know y’do. Don’t like Susan though, eh?”
Nose wrinkling slightly, Rogue shrugged. “Not really. But, y’know, I’ll be nice to her if she’ll be nice to me.” Logan laughed again, slinking his arm about her waist and hugging her towards him. The instant the door opened again, the pair slid apart, eyes falling upon Albert as he brought in the drinks. A glass of orange juice was set in front of Rogue, whilst matching beer bottles were brought for himself and Logan.
“Susie told me the good news,” said Albert after a sip of his beer.
Logan gave a bemused look as he slowly picked up his own chilled bottle. “Good news?” he asked quietly.
Logan’s apparent lack of understanding only caused Albert to smile wider. “Oh, aye,” he said, toying for the moment. The door sounded again and Susan made her way inside. Her eyes took in the table at large before she pulled out the remaining chair, sat out and lit herself a cigarette. Eyes continued to survey Logan and Rogue slowly, as though they were a mildly interesting television program. Logan himself was still watching Albert, anxiously wondering what the man was getting at.
Rogue made a purposeful little cough as a waft of smoke came towards her from Susan. The sound earned her an affronted look from the older woman, who sat back and slowly hooked one thigh over the other, attention now fully on Rogue. She gazed at her as she took a slow drag from the cigarette, pulling it gradually from her plump lips.
“C’mon, enlighten us,” said Logan, whose eyes had followed Susan around the table, but had soon snapped back upon Albert.
Albert grinned at him, glancing towards Susan who returned the look questioningly, as though she wasn’t sure what was being said. With the bottle being held, Albert gestured it at Logan and Rogue a few times, whom both blinked a little at the silent indication. “I always knew,” he said, chuckling to himself in a knowing manner. “Since the first time you brought her in with you, I knew there was gonna be something between you.. always a shame to see a pair missing each other’s signals. But I knew, yeah.”
“You did?” said Logan and Susan together, the pair sharing a similar expression of lifted eyebrows.
Albert beamed at them both in turn. “Oh, yeah.”
Rogue noticed Susan roll her eyes, hand moving the cigarette back to her lips. “I’m just goin’ to the toilet..” Rogue then said, feeling a little awkward now and in a very hot spotlight that caused her cheeks to burn.
“Use the one through there, lass,” said Albert, thumbing the door behind him. “Don’t need to go through the bar.”
“Thanks,” said Rogue quickly, slipping from her seat and hurrying on across the room and exiting to the bathroom.
There was a silence as she departed, in which Logan slowly played with his beer bottle, watched closely by Susan as she blew out a small exhalation of smoke. The woman leant back in her seat slowly, arms folding across her chest as she proceeded to take another drag. The door leading to the bar creaked open, and all eyes except Susan’s switched upon the young man whose head poked through. “Hey, Al, hope I ain’t disturbin’ you.. but there’s a guy out here who wants to talk to you.”
“Won’t be a sec, then,” Albert said to Logan. Taking a large swig from his beer, Albert stood to his feet, nodding to Susan and Logan before he moved to follow the barman out. As the door closed, Logan slowly glanced back towards Susan, who still hadn’t taken her eyes off of him.
“So, you and the kid, huh?” she asked quietly, blowing out a stream of smoke as her eyes rested on his calculatingly.
“Yeah,” said Logan slowly, eyes moving off of her and instead down to his beer bottle, as though if he watched her any longer he might not be able to stop doing so.
“Not like you,” she murmured softly, Logan realising she had stood and moved closer without him noticing.
He slowly sat back in his seat, glancing up at her questioningly. “What do you mean by that?”
“Pickin’ up some stray fourteen-year-old and then takin’ her back to your bed. Some folk would disagree with that.”
“She’s eighteen,” replied Logan coolly. “And I’m not ‘takin’ her back’ anywhere.”
A smirk flickered across Susan’s lips. “Good, don’t want you losin’ your touch with a real woman.” She leant down slowly; ensuring her breasts met his shoulder as she posed her head closer in a bid to catch his lips with her own. For a moment, Logan thought he was going to succumb to it, but he caught himself and quickly stood, the chair now in-between them.
“Stop it, Susie,” he said quickly, giving her a warning look.
“What’s your problem?”
“Like I said before, thing’s change.”
Susan slowly stepped around the chair, advancing upon Logan who slowly backed from her. He wasn’t quick enough, and Susan’s hands grabbed him by his shirt, using the leverage to pull her body up against his. “And some thing’s don’t,” she whispered in response, voice turning husky. When Logan made to respond, she pressed forward again to capture his lips. This time, he didn’t manage to evade the action and soon enough felt her driving a fierce kiss against his mouth. His downfall was that Susan knew how to work him. She knew what he liked and what could make him weak to her. Logan grunted softly, responding to her tongue’s frolics with his own. His arms slowly melted about her slim waist, hands roaming well-known paths about her familiar form.
Her arms snaked up about his shoulders, fingers delving into his thick hair and holding him forcibly against her lips, continuing to drive the fiery kiss deeper. Eyes falling closed, Logan pulled her tighter to him. He could feel himself losing to the drowning lust that Wolverine was rousing to. His fingers skimmed the swell of her behind before his hold tightened and he was thrilled to hear the soft moan against his lips. But suddenly, he found himself backtracking. What about Marie?
“Susie..” he whispered, pulling them apart forcefully.
Susan looked up at him slowly, eyes slightly glazed. “What?”
“I can’t.”
He saw a frown briefly contract her brow. “You can..” she replied, “Let me show you,” she reached up for another kiss, but his firm hold kept them apart.
“No.”
“No?” she repeated in a hushed tone, staring at him as though she couldn’t quite believe what he was saying.
“No,” he confirmed resolutely, pulling her arms off of his shoulders and setting them by her side. “Not this time, Susie. I’m sorry.”
“Because of her?” said Susan, eyes transfixed on him.
Logan nodded without hesitation. “Yes, because of Marie.”
Susan frowned, her eyes then narrowing. “What about me?”
“What about you?” Logan retorted. “Susan, we’re good friends with the occasional fling. That’s all we’ve ever been. But I can’t go sleepin’ around like I used to. Thing’s are different now.”
Rather than looking hurt, Susan looked irritated, like she wasn’t used to being denied what she wanted. “Because of some kid?” she asked, sounded insulted at this point.
“Yes,” said Logan sternly, a faint snarl tracing his words. “And nothin’ you say or do is gonna change the way I feel about her. I ain’t gonna let you ruin this for us, Susie.”
“You’ve changed,” Susan murmured quietly.
“I know,” replied Logan and he didn’t care. He was willing to change for Rogue, even though none of said changes had been intentional. Things were different now, he had Rogue and he wasn’t about to lose her for the sake of a roll under the covers. But just then, he heard a door open quietly and he glanced round to see Rogue stood in the doorway, staring at them both.
That’s when he realised she had heard everything.
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