10- Disturbances
She was about to black out from the sheer spike of arousal that had coursed through her veins at his words. She'd been so surprised by his hard body against hers she couldn't even think straight. And apparently, neither could he, as evidenced by his almost kissing her. Thankfully, she'd kept a minimal supply of oxygen in her brain and had stopped him before he'd ruined the intoxicating erotic moment. She was beyond floored.
He was standing here, touching her in what she'd be afraid to admit, was the most intimate touch she'd ever had. Even after so many months with Bobby, he'd never been this close to her. It was a struggle not to swoon.
And when he told her that her skin wasn't a problem, it was all she could do to keep all her inner demons from surfacing. In a matter of two sentences, he'd managed to get past her biggest insecurity, touch. And she'd thought he was going to try and kiss her again...until the blasted phone rang and she came plummeting back to earth.
After the first ring, they stood there, staring. She thought he might actually ignore it completely when the second ring went off. But he let his chin fall slightly, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He took a step back from her. But not before whispering, “We're not through here.” She nodded absently as he stiffly walked to his phone and snatched up the receiver at the end of the third ring with a resounding, “What?”
She took a deep breath, trying to settle herself, and watched him listen. He was looking at her with those intense feral eyes even as he briskly answered, “Yeah, Kurt.”
Something seemed to suddenly catch his attention and she could see his stance shift to all business.
“You got a hit? Where?” His eyebrows came down and he glanced at her, his mouth thinning. “And it's a positive match? What's the margin of error?”
Her curiosity was piqued. She watched his hand come up and rub his face and she started to think she wasn't going to like this phone call.
“When did this all happen?” A pause.
He looked at her again. “And you're sure about this? There's no way it could have slipped through their notice?...No, Kurt. I understand. You're right. I'll handle it. I owe you one. Right.”
He placed the receiver down, holding it there for a moment.
She started to feel a knot grow in her stomach. “What happened?”
He turned his body toward her, staring at her with those feral eyes. But they didn’t hold the same heat as a moment ago. Instead, there was a fierceness in them that was mirrored by the set of his jaw.
“That was one of my contacts. One of the guys I've had lookin' and listenin' around to see if anyone was lookin’.”
She felt panic start to form at her neck, crawling down her spine. “Lookin' for what, Logan?”
“For you.”
XXX
They stood in Storm's -- formerly Xavier's -- office. Thankfully, the only people gathered around now were her, Logan, Storm and Hank.
“There's been a hit on an old BOLO in Jackson,” Logan stated. “Three different complainants. All looking for a teenager, brown hair and eyes, slender, 5'6'', probable mutant. Wanted for armed robbery.”
Well, she hadn't been expecting that.
“I don't understand, what's that have to do with me? I never held anyone up.”
Hank sighed sadly and shook his head. “Often times, my dear, I'm afraid authorities classify mutants using their gifts on humans as force with a deadly weapon. It sounds, and please correct me if I'm wrong, Logan, but it sounds as if the nurses you had an encounter with three years ago put in a complaint with local authorities.”
Logan nodded. He half-stood, half-sat on the edge of the desk, arms crossed and one foot slung over the other.
“Appears to be. Armed robbery's different than assault with a deadly weapon though. It involves stolen property. Usually in excess of $1000.” He glanced over at her, as did Hank and Storm.
Oops! Cat's out of the bag... She felt that blasted blush creep up her neck again and she looked down at her shoes, clearing her throat. She didn't notice the amused grin on Logan's face.
“That being the case,” Storm pointedly said, “it means they traced her back to Mississippi, at the very least.”
“They would make the connection and look through medical records for the same blood type Rogue gave at Alcatraz.”
“But I'm not from Jackson. It's three hours away from Meridian.” She was trying to put up something that would stop the flow, stop them from knowing her name.
“They'd easily widen the search, my dear.” Hank looked resigned. “Eventually, they'll find medical records from your previous physician, find your name and address. They'll also know, once they find you left, that you ended up here in New York, since that's where you went originally for the 'cure'.
“They'll have scouts out here looking for you. All it takes is one person to recognize your description,” Logan growled.
“But nobody out here knows my real name,” she said desperately. “No one here knows where I came from, who my parents were, nothing. All my school information is through the online school, at a P.O. Box out of state like the other students...”
“I found out,” Logan said softly. “With the right connections, they will too.” He looked at her and his gaze softened. “It's only a matter of time.”
She felt the panic spread until she started to feel dizzy. She turned and walked a couple of steps, swinging back around and looking around desperately. It was like her whole world was ending.
“I have to leave...” she felt the familiar sting of disappointment. “I have to get out of here, before they get a chance to find me.”
Logan stood from the edge of the desk and crossed over to her.
“Hey.” Her grabbed her face and brought her attention up to him. She hadn't even realized he was wearing gloves. “You're not running. You've worked too hard to make a life for yourself here.” He looked so earnest it made her want to cry. “You're safe here at the mansion. OK?”
She nodded dumbly and he pulled away enough to turn back to the others. “The trick is to cut off the connections. We may not be able to stop them from knowing she spent time in New York, but if we get down to Meridian and get those physician files from her old doctor, If they don't have her name, they have less to go on.”
Hank nodded. “Yes. I think that's the best idea. It should be done as quickly as possible. No telling when they'll run across the correct information. We'll need original paper files as well as back-up digital copies. It's imperative to get into their main database and delete all her history.”
“And her school. They carry immunization records for all the students,” Storm continued.
Logan nodded curtly. “I'll do it. You can drop me off this evening outside of town and I can handle the school and office by morning.”
Rogue's mouth dropped open. This was all going down tonight? “Wait. No...” She looked at him and couldn't believe what came out of her mouth next. “I'm going with you.”
“Rogue...” Storm began.
“The fuck you are,” was Logan's unapologetic response.
She glared daggers at him before turning to Storm. “I grew up there, remember. This is a small town where everyone knows each other. If we have to get in and get out, someone needs to be there who knows their way around. Plus, Logan doesn't know the first thing about computers. How's he going to wipe the database?”
“I'll drag Yella' or Pride with me. But you're staying right the fuck here.” Logan was furious.
“I'm afraid he's right, Rogue.” Hank chimed in. “It really isn't safe for you to leave at this point...”
“I don't care.” This wasn't happening without her. “I'm not sittin’ out on this one. If he thinks...” she pointed towards Logan, “...He can change my mind, he's got another thing comin'.”
She walked off towards the door, turning at the doorway.
“I'll be ready to go in twenty.” She shifted her stare to Logan. “Oh, and Logan? You try takin' off without me and I'll hand you your balls tied up in a nice pink bow.”
She turned and walked out.
XXX
She ran into the locker room, slinging her pack across the floor as she opened her locker. She'd shoved a pair of jeans, socks, underwear, bra, shirt, and boots into her bag along with a few toiletries. They'd be going down in the Blackbird in uniform, seeing as they were planning on breaking into two different buildings tonight. There wouldn't be a pick-up until the following evening -- out-of-state, to ensure anonymity -- so they were going to need a change of clothing.
She ripped her cotton shirt over her head and jerked off her sneakers. Practice had been informal today and she'd been wearing normal workout clothing. She reached into her cubby and pulled out her black tank top, afraid if she moved any slower Logan would actually try and get out of there without her.
By the time she was zipping herself up and tucking her necklace into her suit, she heard his voice bark out from the entrance of the hall.
“Rogue! Get your ass in gear or I'm leaving without you.”
“Jeez!” she spat as she she yanked up on her second boot, locking it in place with two snaps. She snatched up her gloves, gripping them between her teeth, and scooped her pack onto her shoulder. She started to run out while pulling up her hair, trying to pin it back. When she turned the corner, she ran straight into his chest.
He steadied her while giving her a glare. “'Bout fuckin' time.”
He was angry. She could deal with that. She quickly finished securing her hair back and grabbed her gloves from her mouth, placing one under her arm while she started tugging on the other.
“She ready?” she asked in reference to the jet.
He nodded. “Yeah. She's ready. So is everyone else.” He looked down at her. “Why you doin' this, Marie?”
She looked up from her second glove. He was looking at her, trying to figure her out again. She looked back down at her glove and felt anger tinge her words.
“When everything went down back then...” She looked up and she could tell he was following her train of thought. “I let it all happen. I let my father beat me, waited for my mother to save me, waited for someone to give me charity, to take me in. Anything.”
She snapped the last glove into place, let her hands fall to her sides and looked back up at him.
“Everything was happening to me. I had no control. I couldn't do anything. Whether it was because I was just a kid or because I was weak, it doesn't matter. I can't let that happen again. This...” she waved at nothing, “This is me taking back control. I need to go and do this because it's my life. It's my future. I'm not gonna let anyone take that away again.” She looked at him pointedly. “I have too much to lose.”
His jaw tightened and he reached for her face. She couldn't feel his skin through his gloves, but it still made every nerve ending in her face explode with sensation. His large hand traced softly over her neck and a thumb gently ran over her lips. She let out a small breath of air.
“You stay close to me. And do what I tell you. Got it?” His voice was soft but commanding.
She smiled. “Nothing to it, Logan. Already two steps ahead of you.” She turned and made off towards the hanger, him trailing behind.
He chuckled. “ 'Least it's a great view.”
XXX
They touched down by early evening in a field two miles outside of town. After a few last moments of debriefing, packs in hand, Logan and Rogue made their way off the jet into the humid twilight air. They watched as the jet pulled away and disappeared.
He turned to her. “Let's get going.”
They started off at a fast pace, staying off the side of the road to avoid being seen. Twenty or so minutes later the beginnings of town started to show themselves and Rogue started to recognize the old businesses.
She led them to one of the abandoned buildings on the outskirts. They needed to hide out until after dark and find a place to stash their belongings. He carefully ran her through the night’s plan, having her repeat everything back to him to make sure they were on the same page.
She listened dutifully but she was getting distracted by his form in leather. Long ago, in a bar in Laughlin City, she’d had her first sight of Wolverine in jeans so tight it looked as if he had been poured into them by God Himself. Back then, she'd been a crushing teen. But it was unavoidable, really, what did he expect?
A young woman now, she had an even better appreciation for his physical form, and couldn't help how her pulse quickened every time he sauntered around, looking as delectable as he did. She sighed. Nothing had changed.
“Marie, you listenin'?” She blinked and promptly turned crimson when she realized she'd been staring at his mouth.
“Um, yeah.” She cleared her throat. “Hittin’ the school first, then Doc Brown's.”
He smirked at her. One of his devilishly sly smirks that always made her think of a cat toying with his prey. She had been sitting on a crate, legs hanging while they were talking and she shifted uncomfortably. He slowly sauntered over, arms crossed.
When he stood right in front of her, he placed his hands on the crate at either side of her hips and leaned down to within inches of her face. “Where's your mind, darlin'? In the gutter?” He leered at her. He actually leered at her!
She caught her breath and couldn't help the whine of dismay. “The filthy gutter...” she admitted.
And the shit-eating grin that plastered itself across his face was the most erotic thing she'd ever seen.
“Fuckin' fantastic,” he growled and pushed his hips in between her thighs so he was flush against her. One hand wrapped around the back of her neck while the other ran up her stomach, caressing her rib cage. He leaned her back slightly with his body and she grappled at his sides trying to steady herself.
Unfortunately, the leather on leather made it hard for her to secure her fingers so she settled for just wrapping them up around the back of his shoulders. He breathed hot air onto her neck and groaned.
“You smell so fuckin’ good in leather, Marie.”
She smiled through her heaving breaths. “You're not so bad yourself, sugah'.”
He growled at the use of her endearment and pulled her in so close the juncture of her apex pressed right into his hardness. She felt heat rush up her face.
He chuckled. “I've been wondering...” he growled softly, slyly. “...just how far down that blush of yours goes.” The hand that had been cradling her neck moved around to the front of her uniform and slowly, torturously, hooked over the top of the zipper.
She heard the sound of its descent and felt the slow entrance of wet sticky air hit her skin. He stopped the downward movement just above her breasts and sucked in a breath. He'd been looking down at where his hands were unzipping her and she'd been staring at his face, inexplicably turned on by his gaze on her skin.
When he halted the motion, his eyes focused on something. She glanced down and noticed he was staring at the silver necklace she wore, the one he'd given her. He leaned down and pressed his lips softly over the pendant that lay across her skin. She let her head fall back and she arched into his touch, the hot air from his breath searing her skin.
When she brought her head back up, he peered up at her from his position just above her breast and looked more serious than she would have expected. He pulled her a little bit straighter, wrapping the hand he'd been using on her zipper to stroke around her neck. God, he could probably feel her pulse jackhammering in her throat.“You OK with all this?”
She thought at first he meant this rather compromising situation and she almost punched the side of his arm at the idea that he might stop. But the look on his face said he'd meant the bigger this, the them this.
He looked so earnest. They'd been part of each others’ lives for a while now. They'd fallen into a comfortable friendship that provided a desperately needed amount of emotional substance for both of them. They were each others’ constant. The possibility of risking that by exiting the realm of a platonic relationship and entering into a romantic one was something they both needed to consider.
She nodded slowly, bringing up her own hand to trace his bottom lip with her gloved finger. “More than OK,” she whispered.
He let out a burst of air like he'd been holding it and grinned.
“Good.”
He let his head fall forward a bit, groaning to himself. When he looked back up at her he smirked and then pulled her until she was sitting straight, releasing his grip on her and pulling her zipper back up.
She felt thwarted, utterly. He laughed at the expression on her face. “Not thrilled about laying on the brakes either, darlin'. But we can't let ourselves get too carried away or nothin’s gettin' accomplished tonight.”
She pouted. “I think you get a kick at leavin’ me all hot 'n bothered like this, Logan. Twice in one day.”
He groaned and stepped back. “Marie, I guarantee you, I'll be the one who suffers most from this.”
He walked over to the duffel he had crammed into a dark corner and pulled out the handheld flashlight. “Let's head out.”
She hopped off the crate and trailed behind him. His gait was stiff and she could hear him cursing under his breath. She smiled in satisfaction. Leather made for very uncomfortable clothing when worn too tight. Serves him right.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I'm so excited to have a BETA like doctorg. She has truly taken this story, and helped me make it something I'm so proud of. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. Now please read...I'll wait.
Chapter End Notes:
So great! I love it! Please let me know what you think or I'll cry. Seriously. Big, fat, tears. And snot...