'She opened the nut,
Inside was a dress
As brilliant as the Sun,
And all who saw her
Were dazzled by her beauty.'
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The squealing down the hall was driving him nuts, it was graduation today, Marie was among the squealing females who were making his ears bleed and as much as he liked the kid he wasn't going to hang around while they made his life a misery.
Shrugging on his leather he went to reaquaint himself with his bike in the garage. Passing the pungent smell of the girls rooms he didn't see the door open and a half dressed Marie come out. She almost bumped into him and he finally noticed that someone was in his way.
Dropping his gaze downward he realised who was stood there in a towel, hair up in another, her skin pink and glowing from a hot shower. Her voice when she finally found it was a little shaky, "Logan, what are you doin' here?"
He just quirked an eyebrow at her and moved past her, trying to get the scent of her skin out of his nose. It was making him think of things that didn't mix with the mental image he had of her. As he moved away he heard her voice carry down the corridor toward him, "You're gonna be here for the party aren't ya?" As the voice faded away as he moved out of range he knew he wouldn't be back until everyone was in bed. He wasn't going to deal with the fact that Marie was graduating, that she was now a legal adult, that she was old enough now. Squashing the thoughts down with a growl Logan went to get lost.
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Marie watched him leave, the sense of joy she'd had earlier just settled into lead in her chest. He'd never see her, never know she was an adult now, she'd passed her exams with honours (there's not many things a mutant with the problems she had could do *but* study). The ceremony was going to be the same time as the party, she had hoped that the free bar downstairs might have tempted Logan to hang around but no, he was avoiding her. With a heavy heart she went down toward Katherine's room where she had her dress hung up. She was going to do her hair for her as well, Katherine never flinched away from her skin, even though she knew she could kill her with a brush of her skin. Gripping her towel she went to find her future, her past already roaring away on a bike she helped pay for.
The door to Katherine's room was already open when she got there, tea was already steaming in the air and her face turned to look at the sorrow etched on Marie's face as she closed the door. "Never mind love, he's a man, no sense in that head, not the stuff he was born with anyway." She must have heard the engine pull away, it was distinct that sound, deeper than Scotts Harley, just like the man who rode it, deeper and more secret the more time wore on. Marie sighed as she plonked herself down in front of the mirrored table Katherine was waiting for her at.
Katherine hugged her through the towel, her touch always strong and sure, meeting her gaze in the mirror she winked at Marie. "Come on, lets make you beautiful. Let's make that man know what he's missing." The thought of her stood looking stunning filled her mind as she looked at the dress that was hung on the wardrobe just for her. The brilliant sunburst on the shoulder that wove down the left arm in golden glitter sparkled in the light. Downstairs in the ballroom she'd be a reflection of light, a celestial body made flesh and a grin spread across her face as she met the gaze of her friend in the mirror.
"Yeah, let's get me ready ta shine!"
Feeling a little more bouyed up Marie let the soft gloved hands of Katherine take care of her, someone here knew her worth and cared about her, even if the one person she'd wanted to had run away from her.
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He'd been nursing the same beer and chaser for an hour, Rosie was giving him the 'evil eye' and from the mood he was putting out he was scaring the rest of the regulars away.
Finally she snapped, moving her old frame down the bar she snatched the beer away and left him the chaser to down. "Get out of my bar Logan, your bad for business tonight, your like a bear with a sore head an your lookin' for someone to tread on a paw on purpose!"
He was about to argue but the look in Rosie's eyes was the truth, he'd been in a foul mood ever since he'd bumped into Marie in the hallway. Just the thought of her dancing with other people had made his blood boil but his mind wouldn't allow the picture of him with his arms around her either. So he was stuck, half wanting, half hating, frustrated and deadlocked and now Rosie his one place of comfort was being taken away from him.
She was about to grab the shot glass when his hand snatched it away in time, downing the triple distilled brandy she kept just for him in one fell swoop. Slamming the glass back onto the counter top, making a dint in the wooden surface. It was meant to intimidate Rosie, it did many other bar tenders on the way to here but not Rosie. She reached for the now empty glass, her face half smiling as she shooed him away from her bar, "Get goin you reprobate, go tell her how you feel, it'll get worse if you don't." He was about to go through the door when her words hit him, Logan turned to look at the older woman who was now wiping the bar down.
"Who said anything about a girl?"
Rosie just stared right through him, a small knowing smile on her lips she answered him. "Ya seem to forget *I'm* the one who listens to ya when your half cut to the wind Logan. If it's not the bike, it's *her*, bikes runnin' fine so it *MUST* be her. What is it? Graduation day?" The heat in his gaze that suddenly burned through the air to her own cool calm gaze made her head nod upward, as she hit the nail on the head.
"Just go you fool, if you don't you'll be kickin' yourself for it later." With her words ended Rosie turned away to see to the rest of her clients, leaving Logan half in and half out of the bar. The air outside was cool and crisp, autumn was on it's way and taking the long route home might not be a bad idea. Walking away toward his bike he saw the seat cover shining in the evening light. The leather custom made, a snarling Wolverine face picked out on it, the two lines above it's brows stained bright white. Marie had bought it for him, a reminder to him of her, every time he saw it just before he sat down on the thing he thought of her. Of her hair and the two white streaks she had in her own and how she got them, what he did to bring her back and the things he'd shared with her. She was the only person who'd seen all of him, knew the things he knew and she still wanted to be with him, to know him.
He fired up the bike, maybe he'd go direct after all, it wasn't such a bad thing was it to wish her well after coming third in her class? Not knowing that Rosie was watching him from the window of the bar as he pulled away a motherly smile on her face as he drove home.
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She was actually having a great time, everyone around her was enjoying themselves, the music was just loud enough to be bearable and covered from head to toe she could just relax.
She was dancing on the edge of the dancefloor when her eye was drawn to the bar, Katherine was tending and when she looked up she saw Logan watching her. His eyes all on her, the caress of his gaze almost like a hand on her. Turning her back to them both she let herself forget he hadn't been there for her acceptence of her diploma, hadn't heard her plans to go away to study. No he was blissfully ignorant and he'd stay that way, she wasn't going to put things out there that were never going to happen. Not anymore, she'd grown up, graduated....with honours. Wiping the tears away with the back of her glove she ignored his gaze and roving touch on her body. Concentrating on what she was feeling from the people around her who'd cared enough to be there for her moment Marie let herself forget he was even in the room.
When he'd entered the blasting noise he'd winced, but seeing Katherine tending bar he wandered over. Seeing him coming she'd just popped the tops on three beers and left them on the surface for him. He'd taken the first one and drained it when he'd caught sight of Marie, what she was dressed in and what it did to her body.
The dress was full, figure hugging but it flared out from her hips, a deep midnight blue at the bottom that faded to a cerulian blue at the shoulder. On the left shoulder a sunburst of gold glitter, spread out down her body, as if she'd taken down the sun and wrapped herself in it. The design followed every curve of her, the final rays of the sun littering the hem of the dress. It was semi-sheer so her creamy skin could be seen through the material in places but solid enough not to see underwear. In her hair were little sunbursts, pieces of gold pinning her hair up from her swan neck and shoulders, on her feet were two dark blue slippers perfectly matched to the dress.
It left him speechless, especially when she turned to see him looking at her, the front of the dress was perfect. As she moved to the music her movements made the sun seem to shimmer with her, as if the beat was the heartbeat of the universe and she was the only star in the whole of it. He reached for a second beer but Katherine had to push it into his grip because he wasn't even looking at what he was reaching for. When she turned away from him the look in her eyes had been dead, something had changed, something *he'd* done had caused this change. Looking to Katherine he just took the bottles with him and walked out of the room, he'd catch her later but for now he just wanted to be alone. He'd fucked it up, wrecked it by not being man enough to stay around, the cold look from Marie had been the truth. He'd lost her, just when he'd finally come to realise what he'd had in his hand from the beginning.
Marie shimmered and shifted, hoping to show Logan what he was missing, when she finally turned back round to look at the bar area he was gone. Katherine caught her looking and she just pointed upstairs, her heart hardened toward him at that moment. If he couldn't even approach her here, in front of everyone when he'd done the same to Jean and Ororo at dances then he wasn't worth crying over. Then why were her tears forcing themselves from her eyes, why did her heart feel as if it had just been torn in two? Closing her eyes she let the music take her away, tears running down her face mingling with the make-up on her face, streaking her skin so her face mirrored the rays of the sun on her dress. She'd lost him, she hadn't been enough for him, she doubted one women ever could be enough for Wolverine but she'd have given everything she was once to try.
Not now though, in a week she'd be gone to college, time to let her heart heal, he was a dream, a hero in armour that was all too human. And in fairy tales the maiden never wins her lover without suffering first, but she was too old for fairy tales and besides this was real life.
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Logan came back down when the house was quiet, walking through the hallways he made his way to Katherine's small kitchen. The one place where he could just 'be', to sit and watch what the little witch did in the small hours. Sometimes making cookies, sometimes sewing little packets of herbs, other times just sitting and talking. He needed to touch base, to find out what was going on and he couldn't go to the source, so Katherine was the next best thing.
When he walked in there was a mug of java waiting for him, by the smell of it a brandy chaser was already in it. Taking it up in his handshe sat himself across from the soft face of Katherine, she was sewing again, this time a pair of gloves from rabbit fur. She kept on in silence, waiting until he felt ready to speak, "How did it go?" The words once out were eaten up by the quiet of the room, Katherine looked up at him for a moment before answering him.
"It went as well as could be expected, Jubilee didn't explode, Bobby only froze his own hand as he took the diploma from the exam board member. Marie did well, she held her own up there, even did her speech."
Logan's head came up with that one, his face showing the eagerness to know what she'd said, Katherine put him out of his misery. "She's going to college Logan, she leaves next week. Not too far, Boston, she's going to do law, be an advocate for mutant rights." Katherine watched as the words hit home, seeing all the life drain out of his skin, ageing him in seconds until there was an old man sat with her. Resting heavy with the weight of the world on his shoulders, when he finally spoke again his voice was half what it had been.
"She looked beautiful Katherine, really beautiful."
Katherine nodded, her hands dropping the sewing to the table and reached out toward his own hands still clutching the mug. Making him look up at her as her fingers touched his, "She bought the dress for you to take her Logan, she refused others for you and you didn't even ask her to go. The most important day of her life and you weren't here Logan, she won't forgive that easily, if she ever will. She loved you, kept her heart open for you and you ignored her. It's always the same story, you never knew what you had until it's gone and she'd leaving in a week for five years. If you want to salvage a friendship Logan you'd better do it now."
Katherine's gaze went to the doorway, Marie was stood there, her ears heard everything that had been said. When Logan saw her there, tear stained and red-eyed he knew how much he'd hurt her. How much she'd cared, how much she'd needed from him and he'd let her down, run away from the one person he'd never wanted to hurt. But before he could get up Marie left, her tears flowing again if the salt in the air was enough to go by. He stood up, drained the mug and left, what was the point, she hated him and she was leaving for a new life. He wouldn't burden her with his worthless carcass, just before he left Katherine spoke to him, "She still loves you you know, it just hurts her to admit it." Logan walked away his reply ringing around his head but sticking in his throat strangling his voice.
'Yeah, I already know that.'
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
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Story Notes:
Another in the Fairy Tale series, hope you have fun reading, this one also has an O/C Katherine.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Logan gets to see Marie in her party frock.