Agonizing hours of fake smiles and pretended politeness were finally over. She stretched her back and shuffled to kitchen, kicking off the torture devices she had had to wear. High heels just didn’t cooperate with her feet. She spotted Logan sitting out on the patio. He had discarded his tux, but was still wearing the white shirt and black slacks. Shirt was partially unbuttoned and he had rolled up the sleeves.
“Celebrating the fact that you managed the whole evening without popping your claws?” She asked, noting the bottle of whiskey that was already half empty. Logan grunted and took a sip, then handed her a slip of paper.
“Found this taped to my door when we got back.”
She started to read. Then froze. Her gaze flickered from paper to Logan who was staring at the decorative fishpond little further in the garden.
“Logan… I… I’m so sorry.” She handed the paper back to him. Logan shrugged his shoulders and took out his lighter. Held the paper in the air and lit it.
“Well, it was fun while it lasted…”
She watched as the flames ate greedily line after line, until all there was left were few scraps of ashes.
“I didn’t know it was that serious,” she said, sitting next to Logan, suddenly unsure of what to do or say.
“It was. It wasn’t like I was going to propose her, but I wasn’t fucking around either.”
“Oh. Then why did she write that she was tired of playing the second fiddle? I thought she believed when I explained her what happened at the ball?”
“I thought so too. Looks like we were wrong.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“Oh, shush. This isn’t your fault. I could have handled it little better myself. I think she was expecting me to ask her to the fundraiser with me instead of taking you,” Logan huffed, throwing his arm around her shoulders.
“Why didn’t you? I wouldn’t have minded…”
“But the professor would have. He asked me to take you. There was a possibility of an attack. FOH has been restless lately.”
“How nice. And here I was thinking that you wanted me to tag along because you actually enjoy my company,” she huffed in mock annoyance. They both sighed. The fountain in the fishpond gurgled and splurted. First crickets of the spring were tuning their violins.
“I do.”
“Huh?”
“I do enjoy your company. At first professor tried to propose that I’d go alone with Scott. Knowing him, and me that would have ended badly. I know how you still don’t like the crowds, so I thought I could take Cas with me, but professor shot that plan down. Told me to choose somebody from the mansion. His first candidate was Jean. I rather took you. When it comes to dealing with Scott and me, Jean’s kind of biased.”
“And I’m not?”
“Are you?” Logan asked, letting go of her and leaning back, resting the back of his head against the railing of the patio, crossing his arms over his chest.
“If you had to choose which one of us to stop falling from a cliff, me or Scott, which one you’d choose?” He asked.
“Duh. That’s a no-brainer. Of course I would grab Scott first. You’re too heavy for me to carry and even if you did got hurt you’d heal fast.”
“See what I mean? Everybody else around here would try to figure out a way to save both of us. That’s why I wanted you to come with me. You got your priorities straight and sorted out, kid.”
“Gee, thanks’ dad! Doesn’t mean that I’d like to abandon you.”
“Fuck. Don’t ever do that again.”
“Do what?”
“Gives me the creeps when you call me dad.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t think of you as my dad.”
“Good. I get to ogle your boobs freely, then.”
“As long as you don’t mind me ogling your ass.”
“Shit. We’re pathetic.”
“Come on! If you can’t check out your best friend’s equipment…”
“… Who the hell else are you going to check out? Right. Whiskey?”
She took the bottle Logan was offering and took a small sip, grimacing slightly. Leaned against the railing behind her back and kicked the fragile, ashen remains of the letter that he burnt.
“We’re good? No hidden urges to wring my neck because of Cas?” She asked. Logan reached for the bottle and flashed her a small smile.
“No hidden urges. If she had made me choose between the two of you, you would have won anyway. Fucking nobody gets to decide with who I spend my time with.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Oh, heck! I guess it's safe to assume that everybody who reads this has already realized that Marie isn't in high school anymore. I have conveniently overlooked a major plotpoint in X3 (I'm sure somebody has already wondered what the hell Jean is doing still running around). I'm going to change this to AU. Let's pretend that It was AU from the beginning, but everything that happened in X1 and X2 happened, shall we. Aargh! I'm not this slow in real life. I'm not. Really.