Leaving Marie to her packing after breakfast they discussed the whole episode of last night at the table, Ororo, Scott, Kurt and Hank listened as Peiter, Jubilee, Damask and Bobby explained what had happened. The whole being singled out by security, separating them, breaking them up into smaller groups, the attack on the road and the lack of police. Scott went to talk to the professor and get his advice, Ororo and Kurt got the morning coffee ready for the workers and took it out into the snow. Hank went to sort out the tack in the stables, while he took a few moments to talk to Peiter and the others.
“What you did was stupid, you know that and I’m not going to repeat it. You left yourselves open to attack, you didn’t keep yourselves aware out there. Just because its Christmas doesn’t mean that the world suddenly loves us, it’s more dangerous than any other time. People get panicky and stressed out you know this, adding mutants to the mix didn’t help. Next time you want to go shopping we go as a large group, not in small easily split groups. After the holidays you’ve all got extra training, you’re going to learn how to spot these dangers. I’ve touched on it with Peiter but there’s still a lot to learn that’s all I’m going to say about this. I let you go and it’s my responsibility to train you in self–defence and I’ve lacked in a very important part of it and for that I apologise.”
The stunned silence that met his ears made him fill the empty space. “Now that you’ve had your dressing down I’m going to give you the rest of it.” The faces went pale around the table. “For the rest of the week you’ll be helping out on the food front here in the kitchen, all of you. You’ll be the bus boys and cooks. And that includes Christmas Dinner.” Jubilee was about to complain when he added the remaining part. “If this isn’t to your liking I suppose I could always ask Cyclops what he wants you to do seeing as you’ve now got the van to pay for too? Maybe he’ll want the stables clearing out more often, now that we’ll be using the horses to work the slope. Perhaps the patrols will need to be more often with less rotation, especially as the weather is coming in.” He let his gaze stop over Jubilee who had made it quite clear that the cold wasn’t something she was used to yet. “So any arguments?” The overall silence from the table confirmed his judgement, they’d do it and be happy with getting off so lightly.
“Don’t forget our contest later Jubilee, I’ll be waiting in the games room at 8, just after dinner has been sorted out.” Looking at the clock on the wall and the mess that their breakfast had left he nodded to the sinks, “You’d better get started, the other kids will be down soon for breakfast and the dishes haven’t been done yet.” Leaving them to the mess, he faced the snow and the cold with a smile.
*******************************************************
It took till the mid-morning to get the teams of horses working steadily and safely but when they were it went smoothly like clockwork. The trees were cut at the top of the slope, chains attached to them and the horses pulled them down the slope safely, down to the group who were ready to chop the tree into logs. When everything was moving quickly and safely he decided it was time to take a break and get a little sleep. Leaving a woman in charge of the horses, he walked through the snow to the tent that had been set up by Kurt and Ororo earlier. Settling into a small folding chair he closed his eyes for a while, hoping to gain some sleep to ease the ache in his bones.
Drifting into sleep he felt a brush over his mind, soft and gentle almost tender reminding him of someone, someone who’d been lost to them. Too tired to take anymore notice he fell into sleeps embrace, welcoming the peace and warmth he found within it.
All too soon he felt hands shaking him and he woke to a worker handing him a cup of coffee and a warm sandwich of beef. Smiling his thanks he took the food and had a look around the tent. Everyone was in here, including the horses, their size heating the tent with their sweet straw scent. Pushing out of the chair, walking to the open flap and watching the snow fall on the grounds. The clouds were heavy with it still, the ground at least two inches deep as it was, by the end of the day they’d have half a foot at least. It wouldn’t stop work for a while but it would make it difficult with their workforce having to travel to and from the site everyday. Maybe they’d better stay here tonight, do some hunting for the holiday’s and then go home for the remainder and come back after the holiday’s. He’d go and clear it with Scott and Xavier first before he mentioned anything out loud but it would make sense even if it was just a few of them.
Taking a good drink he took the time to think about the last few weeks, they’d been busy, hectic almost. Even with the school being nearly empty the halls still seemed crowded and the walls full of voices. Watching the snow drift gently to the ground he watched Hank make his way over to the tent, leading a small group of pupils. Everyone of them carried something wrapped in paper, they moved into the tent and he could hear the children wishing the workers a happy Yuletide. He heard the sounds of laughter and the joy inside the tent sent a cold shiver down his spine, why he didn’t really understand but Christmas was never his favourite holiday. He always avoided it if at all possible, trying to be out somewhere where it didn’t matter what the date was, it was just another day.
Scenting Hank behind him he turned to face him, Hank was stood in the snow, his body slightly steaming in the cold air. His eyes were curious and he’d pulled his mouth into a lopsided smile.
“What?” Feeling slightly annoyed with the thought of being a source of humour for the man.
“You seem a little ruffled Logan are you alright?” Feeling old beyond his years he wiped his eyes and finished the coffee in his hand.
“Yeah just tired Hank, I haven’t had much sleep of late.” Hank held out his hand for the mug in his hands and he passed him the empty.
“Rogue has sent me to ask you to the house, she’ll be leaving in around an hour and she wants to see you first.” Looking at the mansion with all its lights on and the children walking back to the warmth he pulled his coat tight around him and passed Hank the sandwich too.
“Right, I’d better go then. Hank could you ask the headman if he’d stay on tonight with a few others, I want to get the hunt started tonight. The deer are starting to lose condition and I want them to get the most of the rights we’ve given em.” Hank nodded his approval.
“How are you going to do it?”
“We’ll use some feed from the stable, get in on the trail up on the north ridge, plenty of large deer that way. We should get a good haul tonight. Pass the word round.” He let Hank get halfway to the tent before he added, “Only good shots though Hank, I don’t want butchers or first timers. I want this done as cleanly as possible. No need for them to suffer any further than the winters going to do to them already.” Hank saw the depth of feeling he had for the animals he’d considered to be his. The school was Xavier’s, the classrooms were Hanks, the gardens were Ororo’s, but the woods were *his*. Their welfare was his concern and he wouldn’t have the animals in them suffer more than nature intended for them.
Turning on his heel he made his way across the tracked lawn to the mansion and the thing he’d been dreading all day. Saying goodbye to Marie.
Tides
*****
The snow seemed to get deeper the closer he got to the Mansion, almost reaching his knees by the time he got to the kitchen path. Shaking the loose snow off himself he watched the preparation of dinner through the windows. Bobby was peeling potatoes, Peiter was washing salad and shaking it dry. Smiling at his own creativeness as he walked in tracking the snow with him. Jubilee watched him walk across her newly washed floor and just huffed as he passed her, allowing himself a nice glow as he took the stairs two at a time.
Kitty was already packed with her cases next to the door ready to go down, everything neat, straight and sorted into size. He wondered about Kitty, what her family was like, how they’d managed to keep faith with their daughter even when she could do what seemed like impossible things. Knocking on the door he heard the frustrated cries of Marie coming through the wood as Kitty opened it. “Where is it? Damn it I’ve had it for a year now you’d think I’d remember where I put the damn thing!” Kitty just rolled her eyes and let him in, shaking her head at the flying scarves and gloves that were painting the air with various splashes of colour.
“Are you sure you didn’t take it with you to your new room?” Sighing she collapsed on the bed next to the almost frantic Marie. “It’s not the end of the world if you don’t find it is it?” Marie’s eyes almost bugged out of her head and the little vein on her temple throbbed openly.
“YES IT IS!”
He’d had enough of being ignored by now and coughed lightly. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw him stood there in the doorway, the small strangled squeak never made it past her lips. Her hands were still searching through a box of gloves when her hand touched the small box she’d been looking for. Smiling in triumph she pulled the small item from a velvet glove, shaking it into her hand she held the small wooden box blew off the fluff and walked across to him.
“For you.” Depositing the small box in his hands, turning the box over he saw the small delicate silver work embedded in the dark red wood. A wolverine, moving determinedly over the red background. “Open it,” his fingers a little stiff from the work outside it took him a while to do, the catch was small fiddley even. He opened the small box and found the metal chain inside, it was fine, small, too delicate for a man. Noticing his confusion as he held it up in his fingers, the metal felt familiar to him, very familiar. A smile playing on her lips Marie spoke, “Do you like it?”
He didn’t know what to say really, the box was beautiful, very detailed and fine work but the chain? “Do you want to put it on me then?” The light came on inside his head as he realised what it was, it was for her, her gift from him. “Have you guessed yet? What the metal is? I had to ask Xavier for the technical support to do it, but it worked out fine didn’t it? It took about a month to make but it was worth it.” The thin metal slid over her skin as he put it around her neck, the touch of it so damn familiar and then it struck him as he moved his hands through her hair.
It was Adamantium, they’d made a fine chain of Adamantium, looking at the small twist as it scooped around her neck he marvelled at its beauty. Fingering the small twist he heard Kitty smiling as she spoke, “You should have seen the amount of time it took her to plait her hair that thin. She spent days weaving the strands she found of yours in with it, then we had the whole worry of it being plated with the metal, whether it’d burn or not. Bobby helped with it, he cooled the hair so it could be plated. He was sooo cocky after that.”
Looking at Marie and the simple chain around her throat he felt his heart come up into his throat. She’d made a bond and forged it with something that he was, turning something he’d been ashamed of into something beautiful. Something so perfect and pretty, he watched the last light of the afternoon glinting from its surface. She could have been wearing a diamond necklace worth the entire national debt but it wouldn’t have meant as much as that small thin piece of metal around her neck.
“You see I kept it just in case you ever came back. I’d always have part you with me you see no matter what happened. I just wanted you to give it to me, but you weren’t here so I kind of gave it to myself.” Searching his face for some kind of reaction, she began to worry. “Logan you alright? I haven’t upset you have I?” She began to wonder when he didn’t move his eyes from her throat, from the silver glinting at her neck. “If it upsets you I’ll take it off.” Her hands moving to the catch at the back of the chain, his hands caught hers before they were halfway there.
“No you didn’t upset me, only surprised me.” His fingers holding the delicate chain in his grip he pulled her forward into his body and held her tightly. “I love you Logan, I’ll be back home soon and you can bet on that.” Her fingers played with the metal at her throat, “Besides part of you’ll be coming with me anyway.” Smiling at her words he kissed her quickly and held her tightly, breathing her into himself, imprinting her scent on his mind. Kitty coughed politely.
“Rogue we have to get going or we’re not going to make the plane.” Brushing tears out of her eyes she flashed him a smile and broke out of their embrace, the small box still clutched in his hand. “There’s a surprise in there for you if you look under the compartment lid.” Opening the box again he noticed the small catch in the large lid and pressed it. Another chain of hair wrapped up in the lid, brown and white, it shone out against the redwood of the box. Her scent billowed out of the small compartment, he’d always have her near him, as long as he kept the box. Snapping the lid shut he watched as she picked up her case, getting ready to leave for her holiday away from him. He didn’t want her to go, he needed her to stay here with him. The moment wasn’t lost on Kitty who decided to go and see if her father had appeared yet.
Standing a few feet apart they both laughed as they replayed the same thought in their head. “You running again?” Dropping her case she hugged him hard, squeezing him for all she was worth. Burying her face in his shirt wiping her tears into it laughing at her fear of leaving him alone. "You’ll be okay won’t you? You’re not going to hide in your room and mope are you? You’re not going to be The Grinch of the mansion?” Smiling as he looked into her eyes remembering the love and trepidation in them it was her turn to leave him and come back. Would he still want her when she came home? Kissing the top of her head he crushed her closer to him.
“Enjoy yourself Marie, phone me and tell me about it. Let me know when you get there okay? No matter what time you get in.” Feeling her hands running over his back and seeing the glint of metal, he purred deep in his chest. Feeling Marie snuggle upto the sound, letting it reverberate through her, knowing that he loved her and would love her no matter how far away she was. Pushing herself away from him she moved to pick up her case, he beat her to it. “Come on lets see if your rides here.”
They walked downstairs together, making each step count. Kitty’s bags were already at the front door and being loaded by her father and brother. Looking down at the small group as they packed, he felt her need to do this sharply. Yet he also understood that he couldn’t be part of this, she needed this time to grow, he’d be here when she came back. Watching as her case was packed by Kitty’s brother who smiled sweetly at her trying to catch her attention until Kitty pointed out the large man on the stairs and whispered who he was. The young man went pale and he noticed his behaviour changed quite quickly, growling just loud enough to be heard he watched the young man dive into the car. Kitty laughing as she followed him and waving her goodbyes, Marie looked back once, smiled and winked, then she too got in the car and was whisked away from him. If he’d felt that the mansion had been full earlier, now it seemed as empty as a tomb. She’d gone but his fingers caressed the small redwood box, she’d be back soon. It was only a week, she’d waited a whole year. Inside he hoped he could last that long.
*********************************************************
The sun was beginning to set by the time he made it outside to the tent, most of the workforce had left. There were a few men and women left, each one carrying a rifle. Some were almost antique others were more modern, Hank was sat with a small group speaking quietly in a sing-song language part of him recognised but from where he had no idea. Nodding to a couple of people he walked upto Hank and put his hand on the large man’s back. As Hank turned his amber gaze into his, he felt himself choke down a growl. The challenge was still there in his eyes and the animal was reacting to it.
“Hank could you bring a bag of feed from the stables and meet us at the top of the ridge, you’ll be able to find the trail easily, even in this light.” Turning to the rest of the people gathered in the close confines of the tent he began. “Over the north ridge of the woods on the estate there’s a good hundred head of deer. Now the grounds won’t support them all and we do have local predators but they don’t take enough. The deer have it easy here and we need to take out the surplus males, the bucks. Any male with more than six points is open, no females and no young. I counted at least 20 large ten points the last time I was up here, there’s even a twelve point out there somewhere. So make every shot count and make it clean, I don’t want to be tracking injured deer all night.” His voice and eyes were met with understanding and feeling. They knew he cared for his lands and the creatures in it they’d do their best not to disappoint him.
Walking out of the tent into the snow he could see the colour draining out of the sky into the snow covered ground, painting it a shade of pink. Breath fogging in the fading light he felt the weight of his claws in his arms, he’d watch the hunt and dispatch any that were shot clumsily. He wouldn’t have any animal suffering tonight, not any that didn’t deserve it. Looking back to the group that was leaving out the small warmth of the tent, he could see the need written in their eyes. They needed this hunt more than the animals did, it gave them something that they thought they’d forgotten, pride.
Hank was walking back toward the hill with his load, making it seem small and easy to shift. He’d moved them before and he knew how much they weighed, he reassessed Hank’s strength as he shifted the bag from one arm to the other with the ease of a child carrying a toy.
With all the group behind him now, looking at the sky and the coming darkness he moved out into the woods. Setting up cross fires in the underbrush they poured out some of the feed and waited, it didn’t take long. A group of males walked into the firing line, all eight pointers they were shot quickly and moved under snow to keep the smell from disturbing any others. They finally dispatched twenty good sized males that evening, he didn’t even have to finish off any wounded deer. All cleanly shot, straight through the chest or head, he found himself being impressed with their abilities and watched as they all took turns pulling the carcasses back to the trucks.
He helped to load them onto the flat beds of the trucks and wrapped them in tarp to cover them from the snow that had started to fall. The first part of the hunt had finished, they’d be welcome to finish up after the holiday and get the remainder of the quota when they needed them. It was time for the work force to go home and finish preparing the deer, after they’d picked up their wages the woman who’d been looking after the horses walked over to him. Her face was uncertain and her scent betrayed her state of pride and confusion.
“We just want to say thank you, for everything. You didn’t have to do this for us and we just want you to know that we appreciate what you’re doing for us.” Her face was weathered and lines covered her forehead, eyes that had seen hunger and cold were trying to convey a softness that hadn’t been there for many years. Feeling the weight of her gaze on him, watching for his reaction he just snorted and walked away into the snow. Towards the garage where he knew Peiter would be waiting for him.
He heard the woman asking Hank if she’d upset him as he walked away and he didn’t catch the reply but he knew that Hank would explain it better than he could right now. He was in the mood to hunt, to track down his quarry and kill it. It just didn’t have four legs, it had two and drove a truck.
Smiling to himself as his blades slid out of his skin, lighting up his desire to kill, to rend and tear those who’d seen him as weak. Pulling them back in as he met Peiter he smiled as the young man turned, he wasn’t the only one looking for a fight, he could smell the anger burning off him. It lit the air around him like a corona, he wasn’t angry he was past angry and into cool rage.
Patting him on the shoulder, he looked up into his face. “If anyone asks where we’ve been or what we’ve been upto we went shopping okay?” Peiter looked a little incredulous at the story they were going to use. “What aren’t we going to the Mall?” A grin that wasn’t entirely human filled his face and Peiter matched it with one of his own, both smiles never reaching the coldness of their eyes. Climbing into the schools truck, he flicked the engine into life with a twist of his claw. “Lets go shopping.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Marie gets to go on her trip and Logan gets an insight into the people he's employed.