“You cold?”
“No, I’m fine,” she answered, leaning closer against Logan.
He chomped on his cigar and held it between his lips as he tucked his arm around her and pulled the blankets tighter as they sat side by side on the newly built bench swing.
The bench had been a joint project that they’d done in the past week. She’d never asked what had happened to the old one, to be honest she was surprised to find the bench was the only thing missing, the only thing damaged. She could picture him clawing at it in his emotional rage after her ‘death’, the first thing he’d spotted when he’d made his way back home, the first thing to release his anger on.
The new swing smelled sweet under her nose, the fresh wood smooth and plain. Brand new and stronger chains held it up, the sparkling metal disappearing up in the rafters as night fell around them.
The moonlight spilled onto her one naked calf that peeked out from the blankets, the rest of her naked skin covered and hidden from the cool night air. Mischievously, she un-wrapped her one hand from the warmth of the blankets and enjoyed gazing at the gold band on her hand, her ring finger dancing in the night. A similar gold band was on Logan’s left hand, she’d noticed it on his finger after their night on the Summer’s porch. The second time they had awoken in bed together he suddenly had had the ring on him, which meant he’d been carry it with him the whole time.
Thinking back on it, when he had first charged into the Summer’s living room there had been a chain dangling around his neck and there were two gold rings attached to it. At the time it hadn’t meant much to her and afterwards he never visibly wore the necklace.
When she had asked about her ring, the smile on his face had been what she could only refer to as being ecstatic. The Wolverine being ecstatic was unheard of to most, but she was glad she was one of the few to see him at his most content.
He’d been gentle when he’d placed the ring back on her finger, his fingers rubbing soothingly against hers. The kiss had been sudden, his mouth latching on to hers before the ring had even been secure.
The dim orange glow of Logan’s cigar began to fade and he put it out, his suddenly free hand sneaking under the covers and settling on her thigh.
“Your hand’s cold.”
“Really?” he sighed contently and smirked at her. “It will be warm in a second.” His hand teasingly moved closer towards the inside of her thigh and up.
She rolled her eyes at him in playfulness and he reached over pulling her head down on his shoulder as he kissed the top of her forehead.
“Logan?”
“Yeah darlin’?”
“What ever happened to the others?”
He was quiet as he played with her hair, his fingers curling around her white streaks.
“You really want to know?”
“Of course, they were my friends.”
He sighed. “They didn’t always treat you right, baby.”
“I wasn’t exactly a bucket of sunshine either.”
He snorted and continued to stroke her hair.
“You remember how we went back to warn them about the war and they ignored us, said they’d stay and fight.”
“Yes,” she hissed almost darkly, recalling the arguments that had occurred between them all. “But you still gave Scott our contact number if they changed their minds, if they needed help.”
“That’s right,” he murmured. “We stayed long enough to help prepare them, help get the children to safe houses, help get them out of the country but there was only so much we could do, I wasn’t willing to risk you not after…you’d been captured once - not ever again.”
“It was months until we heard from Scott. The mansion had been destroyed and he and Jean were on their own.”
“Yeah, that was hell of a surprise. To be honest I figured Scott and Jean would be the last two people to run away into hiding. I guess the war shook them up real good, realized they needed to be practical, needed to survive. They had all spilt up, thinking it would make their chances better,” he added.
“So what happened, we never did hear anything when…when I was around.”
“They’d never been real sure but Scott was pretty certain Bobby had been one of the casualties when the mansion had been attacked. He’d taken an offensive position, ensuring the last of the children he was protecting got away in time to the check point.”
“You knew of the possibility and you never told me back then?” she snapped in surprise.
“Darlin’, we couldn’t even been sure, we waited in hopes that he’d make contact.”
“Logan, I deserved to know that…”
“Why?” he snapped suddenly, his eyes flashing at her in the night. “Because he was your boyfriend once,” he spat. “He wasn’t your fuckin’ boyfriend Marie. You didn’t even love him. It was my fault anyways that you ended up with him; I was too busy with my ass stuck up my head. He treated you like shit. He was the worst when the cure happened and…”
“Even so,” she interrupted him calmly. “I would not take his death lightly; he was still a friend one time, a team mate. He had his faults and he was a good man in the end.”
Logan rubbed his face. “See, darlin’, why do you gotta be like that?”
“Like what?”
“Always forgiving everyone even when they hurt you. Always, putting up with people when you shouldn’t and…”
“Are you talking about yourself, Logan?” she asked sharply.
The lines of his lips thinned as he clenched his jaw.
“Yes, Logan you have your faults but you’re the best person I know, have ever known.”
She rubbed his cheek softly. “It’s nice to know there’s a chink in the Wolverine’s armour, it makes you human.”
His body relaxed and he swung the swing lightly.
“After Nathan was born we found out Jubilee had died in a mutant riot in San Francisco. There’s a plaque in the square where it happened with her name on it now, in her memory and the others who died unfairly. The group of mutant fighters had gone to help destroy a notable lab that was experimenting on children who were thought to possess the mutant gene.”
She leaned her chin down as she felt the tears prick at her eyes. Jubilee had been the one person she’d known that had been so full of life. A lot of her memories from growing up at the mansion included Jubilee and they were always the happiest.
“I’m sorry, darlin’,” he whispered, his hand moving down and rubbing her back.
“Go on,” she sniffed.
“Storm had gone to Africa with a group of children, she’d hoped to gain aid in the country and in fact she’d been largely successfully. Africa turned out to be one of the countries that joined England in supporting mutant rights. We kept in contact with her briefly. She died about five years ago of natural causes.”
Logan didn’t seem to mind that she was crying all over him. His voice was becoming tired and low, he’d had time to mourn, unlike her but it didn’t mean it still somehow didn’t affect him.
“Beast survived, although not unscathed, he has the scars to show for it, but he’s moved up in politics and creating laws to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Angel lives in Europe somewhere, we don’t hear much from him but I know he keeps in contact with Scott every now and then, makes sure we’re all right.”
“What about Kitty and Peter?”
“They’re alive.”
“Really?” she spoke up.
“Yup, they’re married.”
“What?” she gasped, almost smiling in shock.
“Un-huh,” he smirked at her.
“They have two kids too, a boy and a girl. I can’t remember how old they are but they live in Northern Ontario. We saw them about two years ago; they come and visit every now and then.”
“That’s good,” she murmured, somehow finding the fact that they’d survived and found happiness, and started a family helpful in pushing away all the darkness that stained their past.
“I plan on calling them actually, I’m sure they’d like to know you’re alive and besides I’m sure you’d want to see them, wouldn’t you?”
She nodded.
For a moment he turned from her to gaze out at the land before them.
“What do you want to do, darlin?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, don’t you want to be out there doing something after all this time.”
“What, you mean like hitting the road?”
“Sure, we always had fun traveling together when we weren’t being chased and concerned for our mutant lives.”
“I have fun no matter, as long as I’m with you.”
He laughed heartily. “Now, don’t be lying to me.”
She punched him jokingly. “Alright, so maybe you can be an ass at times but you do have a fine ass.” She rose one eyebrow up at him enticingly. “I mean to say a fine sexy ass,” she purred and then squeaked as he growled at her and pulled her into his lap.
She laughed at his antics and felt true peace fill her as she stared into his eyes, knowing she had a bond with him, a life, a present, a future and even her past.
“If it’s okay with you, I’d kind of like to stay here on this land with you. We’ll have plenty of time to re-start our lives but Scott and Nathan don’t have that luxury and I missed out on the others and…”
He kissed her quickly and pulled back. “I understand.”
Reaching up he pushed her bangs back. “I couldn’t bare the thought of watching you grow old and leaving me. It use to paralyze me with fear, knowing someday all of you would leave me and I’d be alone. I won’t lie to you, baby, it’s going to be hard with Scott and Nathan and even Kitty and Peter, but I’m just glad I have you, all of you.”
“Me too,” she whispered and leaned in to kiss him.
“I love you, Logan.”
“I love you, Marie.”