I'm not going nowhere
I wish I could say to you
It's gonna be alright
* * * *
Logan was shoveling the food into his mouth so fast that Marie wondered if he could even taste what he was eating. He didn't stop until he was done, and when he was he swiped his mouth with the back of his hand and sat back.
“Thanks, darlin'. Just what I needed.”
Marie smiled and took his plate away. Logan stood up and rolled his shoulders, then headed for the door.
“Wait, are you going?”
“Yeah, I uh... gotta get back to tracking Sabretooth. Don't want to lose his trail.”
“Right.” Marie looked disappointed.
Logan shrugged on his coat and nodded at her. “Catch ya later, kid.” And he was gone. Marie leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Inside she was torn – part of her wanted Logan to come back, the other part was furious that he had left all those years ago without saying goodbye. She slid down to the floor and held her knees to her chest. The phone ringing almost made her jump out of her skin. She grabbed the receiver off of the wall and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Hey Marie, it's Hayley.”
“Oh, hey, what's up?”
“Can you cover for me tonight? Something's come up...”
Marie's shoulders slumped. “Hayley - I had plans with Jake...”
“Please? I'll take your shift on Saturday! It's really important.”
Marie was quiet for a moment. She sighed, “alright. When did you start?”
“Three. And thank you so much! Gotta go, hun. Thanks!” She hung up before Marie could say anything else. Marie glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost noon. She had time enough to do the dishes and grab a shower before heading out. She rolled her sleeves and got started.
* * * *
“I asked for a Blue, not a Budweiser!” The man slammed his bottle on the counter, breaking Marie from her stupor.
“Oh, I'm sorry... I'll get you a new one, sir.” Marie bowed her head and turned away.
“Marie, what's your problem today?” Sarah asked, grabbing the right beer and handing it to the man. The man snatched it and walked away shaking his head. “That is the fourth customer that has had a problem with you tonight.”
“I'm sorry, Sarah. I just... I have a lot of things on my mind right now.”
“Your boy up to no good? I warned you about letting him stay home alone at night.”
“No, it isn't Jake.” Marie sighed and pushed her hair out of her eyes.
Colleen appeared at the bar. “Can I get another whiskey on the rocks, please?” She slid an empty glass across the counter. Marie reached up to the liquor display and grabbed a bottle.
“Honey, that's the tequila,” Colleen frowned.
“Right...” Marie replaced it and grabbed another bottle. It slipped from her grasp and smashed on the floor. “Damn it!” Marie cursed loudly, rubbing her temples.
“Marie, why don't you head home?” Sarah said sternly, “I can handle this myself.”
Marie looked at her. “Are you sure?”
Sarah pursed her lips and surveyed the crowd. “Yeah, I'll be fine. Now get out of here before you hurt someone. I'll clean this up,” she motioned to the glass on the floor. Marie nodded meekly and went to the change room before Sarah changed her mind.
Resting her head against the cold metal of the locker, Marie tried to quiet her racing thoughts. After a moment she changed out of her uniform and grabbed her purse. She went out the back door, and walked quickly. The sun had just set on the horizon – but the sky had not yet turned black. She wondered if Logan would be back – or if he was gone again. Jake would be home, maybe she would get to see him before he went to bed for once.
A cool breeze ruffled her hair and she pulled her jacket closer. Up above she could hear the pulsing of helicopter blades. She looked up, but couldn't see anything in the dark sky. She rounded the bend in the road and caught sight of her house. The lights shone through the living room windows. Marie's mood lifted. It looked like Jake was still up.
As she got closer, she could make out the screen door. It was open, the wind making it bang against the wall. The inside door was open as well. Marie frowned. Jake didn't normally leave the door open. He was smarter than that.
She picked up the pace, jogging when she reached the driveway. She stepped into the door and nearly tripped on the overturned coat hanger.
“Jake, honey?” Marie called out. She stepped further into the house and peeked into the living room, nearly fainting when she took in the sight.
Blood was splattered on the walls. The television was overturned, coffee table was split in half. Claw marks raked across the couch, and stuffing was strewn about on the floor. The curtains flapped from the breeze coming in through the broken window. Marie's heart raced in her chest.
“Jake!” She yelled. She stumbled through the living room towards his bedroom. The door was closed, and inside his room was in the same state as before. The bed was unmade, his laundry was in a heap instead of in the empty bin in the corner.
At the sound of glass crunching behind her, Marie spun and swung a fist. Strong hands grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
“Easy, easy!” Logan growled. “Marie, it's me.”
“Logan!” Marie cried, “what happened? Where's Jake?”
“No time to explain, come on.” Logan turned and began pulling her through the house. She followed him to the door.
“Where are we going?”
Logan didn't answer, he just pulled her into the cold night. Outside the door was his motorcycle. “Get on.”
“No!” Marie pulled her wrist free. “Not without some answers! Where is my son?!”
Logan growled in frustration. He picked Marie up and sat her on the bike. He climbed on behind her and started it. He sped the bike up her driveway and onto the road.
“Logan!” Marie struggled.
“It was Sabretooth.” He growled into her ear. Marie went still. Logan's body was tense behind her. “I tried, but I couldn't stop him. Now sit still and be quiet, I need to hear.”
Marie listened, but couldn't hear anything over the roar of the motorcycle. The trees sped past on either side of them in a dark blur, she was pretty sure Logan wasn't anywhere near the speed limit.
They drove most of the night in silence. Marie tried to get him to talk but he stayed quiet. By the time that the sun began to break through the darkness, Marie was having a really hard time keeping her staying awake.
“Logan, I can't keep my eyes open,” she moaned.
“Just hold on a little bit longer, alright?” He kicked the motorcycle up a notch. Houses began appearing on the side of the road again. Up ahead, a general store appeared. Logan slowed, and pulled into the parking lot.
“Where are we?” Marie asked, still clinging to the bike.
“I left my truck here. Just grabbing some things and we're heading out again.” He slid off the seat and helped Marie down. She followed him up to the doorway. The place was two stories tall, an apartment above and the store below. The windows were plastered with yellowed posters of movies that had come out years ago. Logan pushed the door open, and a bell jingled when it shut. Inside was dark and gloomy, and the place reeked of must. There were aisles with shelves, most of them were empty. There were a few cans strewn about, but they had a layer of dust coating them.
“Are you sure it's open? It doesn't look like anyone has been here in years.”
“Just stay close,” Logan whispered. He walked right through the store to a door in the back. He raised a fist to knock, but was interrupted by a voice on the other side.
“Come in, Logan.”
They stepped into the next room. The sun shone in through closed blinds on the far wall. The room wasn't too small, the two of them had to stand almost shoulder to shoulder. There were piles of junk around the walls, some spots almost as tall as she was. Marie couldn't make out what most of it was – but the thick smell in the air made her choke.
“Why, hello there,” a man's voice croaked from near the window. “Please, don't be shy.” He chuckled and then coughed. He was old. Really old. And really skinny. His skin was marred by liver spots, and hung loose from his arms and jaw. His plaid button-down shirt was dirty and had holes in it. He had some hair around his ears, but not much – his eyebrows were very bushy, though.
“I need your help, Abel.” Logan said, his lips in a straight line.
“Oh, I know, I know,” The man sighed, “You never come to visit for any other reason now, do you?” Marie wondered how this man could even look after himself, let alone help them.
“I'm looking for Sabretooth,” Logan said, walking over to a pile in the corner near the man. He started rooting around.
“Haven't seen him.” The man smirked.
“You know what I mean,” Logan growled, moving to another pile.
“I don't read minds, Logan. I don't-”
“Cut the bull, alright?” Logan sounded pissed. Abel was silent for a moment.
“He's east of here,” the man said, “Pretty far away. He's still moving, so I can't give you anything positive.”
Logan cursed under his breath and began pacing. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at Marie. “We need a place to crash.” He turned the Abel, “I'll give you a day old man, then we're heading out.” Abel just nodded once, then winked at Marie.
“You can stay as long as you'd like.” He chucked again. Logan growled at him. “Woah, easy boy. I ain't gonna touch her!” Abel laughed and slapped his knee. Logan shook his head and walked back to Marie.
“Come on,” he said, walking past her. “Let's get you to bed.” Marie followed him back out through the abandoned store and into the fresh air outside.
“Who was that?” Marie asked, following Logan around back.
Logan's answer was, “An old friend.”
They climbed a staircase at the back of the building. The stairs were narrow, and complained under Logan's weight.
“How does he know where Sabretooth is?”
“Isn't it obvious?” Logan looked over his shoulder at her and raised an eyebrow.
“...Right.” It had been so long since she had dealt with mutants that she had almost forgotten that they were around. “So, he's kind of like the professor?”
They reached the top of the staircase. Logan fished out a key from his coat and unlocked the deadbolt.
“Not really. He can sense the presence of mutants, he can't read minds.” He motioned for her to enter before him.
Inside was a sparsely furnished room. The floor was wood planks, and the walls a sunny yellow. A worn beige carpet lay in the middle of the room. There was a couch facing away from the door and an old television in the corner. Books were stacked in a crooked bookcase beside the TV.
“What is this place?”
“Abel lets me crash here from time to time.” Logan explained, leaning on the door frame. “There's a bed in the back room, bathroom is over that way.” Logan indicated the direction. “I'm going to get some things and I'll be back, alright?”
Marie didn't have time to reply before he left, shutting the door behind him. Marie headed towards the bedroom, flopping face first onto the mattress. She kicked off her shoes and curled on her side, then fell asleep.
Logan returned hours later. He dropped his packages off in the doorway and surveyed the house. Marie seemed to still be in the bedroom. He opened the door and stuck his head in. Marie was sitting on the bed, looking at something in her hands.
“What's that?” Logan's gruff voice startled her. She looked embarrassed.
“It's nothing,” she forced a smile, “just something I found in my purse.”
Logan stepped towards her and looked closer. She was holding a crumpled piece of paper with a small blue hand print on it. Logan couldn't make out the scrawled writing at the bottom. Marie glanced up at him, her lips were quivering.
“Jake made this for me when he was in kindergarten.” She explained. Marie held it to her chest and breathed in a shuddery breath. Logan didn't say anything, he just sat beside her on the bed.
“Why Jake?” She asked, “What could they possibly want with him? How do they even know that he exists?”
Logan shrugged. “Maybe someone at the mansion opened their big mouths.”
Marie looked at her lap. “Nobody at the mansion knew.”
“Really?” Logan's eyebrows furrowed, “Why?”
“I was scared.” She paused, “I was embarrassed.”
“Nothin' to be embarrassed about, those kinda things happen all the time.”
Marie stayed silent, Logan noticed a pair of tears fall from her eyes. He reached out his arm and pulled her against him.
“We'll find him,” he vowed. “I do everything that it takes, Marie.” She looked up at him, her eyes uncertain.
“Why?” She sniffled.
“Whaddya mean, why?” He was confused.
“Well, I mean... you just walked in on my life out of nowhere – and now you're doing all this just for me? You don't even know Jake” she paused, “you don't even know me.”
“I knew you once,” he huffed, “And in case you forgot, I promised to protect you.”
“That was a long time ago,” Marie said quietly.
“I don't break a promise, Marie.”
She nodded and pulled away from him. Logan cleared his throat and stood up. “I'm gonna go make us some grub.” Marie wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She sniffed and ran her fingers through her hair.
“Why don't you grab a shower or somethin'?” Logan suggested, turning to leave. “Food will be ready when you get out.”
Stepping out of the shower, Marie's skin prickled with goosebumps from the cool air. She hastily wrapped a towel around herself and rubbed her arms. She dried herself and dressed, struggling to get into her jeans with her skin still damp.
Out in the living room, Marie spied several bags near the door beside Logan's discarded boots. She was tempted to look in the bags, but decided against it. The book case on the far wall caught her eye, and she raised an eyebrow. She made her way over to the bookcase, curious about what kind of literature Logan read. She couldn't picture him sitting down with anything other than a Maxim magazine.
On the shelves there were an assortment of books, most of them looked old and worn. She didn't recognize any of the authors, but the book that caught her attention the most was the most peculiar. It was more worn than the other books, the spine was creased and the cover was tattered. Marie pulled it from the shelf and examined it. The writing was in Japanese, which stumped her. The cover was just words, so she had no clue what it was about. After flipping through the pages, she placed it back into the shelf. Then something else caught her eye. Sticking out between two books was a stray piece of paper. Marie pulled it out and examined it. It was a child's drawing of Logan, she guessed. His hair was a wild scribble around his head, and he had a big grin on his face.
She heard Logan step into the room.
“Cute drawing,” Marie held up the picture. Logan scowled as he placed two plates of food onto the coffee table.
“Abel's granddaughter made it for me”
“Awww,” Marie smiled, looking at the drawing again. She slid it back in between two books and went to sit on the couch. Logan was already eating. There was a steak on her plate, with some steamed vegetables and rice.
“Dig in,” he said between mouth fulls of food. She lifted the plate inhaled. It smelled heavenly.
After tasting the food, she looked at Logan.
“This is good!”
“What?”
“Oh! Nothing, I just... I've never knew you could cook.” Marie smiled weakly.
“There's a lot of things about me that you don't know.”
Marie ate a few more bites and chewed thoughtfully.
“When did you learn to read Japanese?”
Logan paused, then swallowed. “I don't know.”
“What do you mean?” Marie asked. Logan didn't answer. Marie sighed, and went back to her food in silence.
She leaned back into the couch and licked her lips. “Thank you, Logan.”
“No problem.”
“No, not for dinner.” She slid her fork around on the empty plate. “For everything.”
Logan shrugged and stood up.“Want a beer?”
“No thanks.”
A knock at the door made Marie jump. Logan paced over and quickly unlocked it.
“What is it, old man?”
Marie could hear Abel's voice outside, but couldn't make out his words. Logan glanced in her direction.
“What's wrong?”
“They've stopped moving. We gotta head out.”
* * * *
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