It was the third time in a little over two weeks they'd moved. Rumors were already circulating that one of the mutants they'd rescued was fitted with a tracking device. Hank believed it was possible; a subdural implant the size of a microchip would do the trick. It would be hard to detect electronically if it wasn't actively transmitting.
There were other ways to find a transmitter if one was present. A little old-fashioned detective work would be simplest, but he and Hank would start eliminating all immediate possibilities tomorrow. After that, they'd broaden the search.
Logan returned to the secluded corner of the bombed out factory where he'd left his bedroll and pack. He could smell Marie, pain, and the little fire she was feeding pieces of wood into before he reached the spot. This was the first time since her rescue that she'd sought him out. Really the first time she'd been near anyone in the month since being pulled from the lab.
She squatted near the fire poking at it with a bent piece of rebar. He didn't think she'd spoken a word since he'd dragged her from the clutches of the scientist. Never said a word as he pulled her along behind him, fighting off the influx of security, and still didn't speak when they rendezvoused with the others.
"Hey, kid."
She didn't look up from the fire; she resisted the urge to throw herself at him like the old days. She wasn't that naive little girl anymore. He'd done so much for her, once again risking his life, his freedom to save her and here she was about to ask him for something else.
"Not a kid."
He nodded, she'd barely been a kid when they first met and war didn't leave many innocent individuals. They didn't all end up jaded like him, but she was closer to his disillusion now than most. It had taken a lot of intel, a lot of persuasion at the end of the claw to find her secreted away behind layers of security. He knew what happened deep in the bowels of such a place and he'd been impressed she was able to leave the facility under her own power.
Leaning against a still intact doorjamb he watched the smoke filter out through a large hole in the wall. A year in the lab hadn't made her forget her survival lessons as she'd built the fire next to the wall to throw the light and heat back into the surrounding space. No matter what they'd done to her, Marie was still in the woman before him. He'd do what he could to help nurture that. For now, giving her time and space was the best answer.
Thanking him might be the right thing to do before asking her favor. But she knew that more than a month later it would ring hollow. Only God knew what he'd done to find the scientists' favorite lab rat. After watching what he'd done to get her out, a thank you would never cover the cost.
He was waiting on her. He liked to tell people he lacked patience, but she knew that was a lie. She'd been with him when this war started, knew when there was a goal, he was good at planning and delaying gratification for results. He rarely rushed into anything that he hadn't scoped out and preplanned. The thing he didn't like was beating around the bush.
She looked up from the fire, letting her eyes adjust as she stared at him. He was going to wait her out, let her make the first move the only bit of comfort he could afford her in this war. "It's me."
"No." Logan didn't want to believe it, but given how heavily guarded she'd been he couldn't dismiss the possibility altogether.
"Can't know... that," she said, feeling the anger she'd kept at bay seeping in. They'd used her, experimented on her, modified the sentinels to better kill mutants with their discoveries. Would they really let her just slip away?
They both knew she'd been in each group cut, regrouped and recut, only to be on the run again. "Use me-"
"No!" he growled, cutting her off. Logan wouldn't have her used as a decoy. He had made a promise to her and he wouldn't purposely break it.
She could see his resolution to not have her used; yet they would eventually have to make it clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that it wasn't her. Not only to each other but to the rest of the group. With all of his heightened senses, surely there was some way he could detect it on her. "Search me."
"It's not that simple." He wished it were simple, they could have solved this the first time it happened. Instead, they were left to slowly eliminate each person individually or for Hank to cobble together something to pick up the electronic signature.
"Please?" She needed to know. If it was her and she was putting everyone else's life in danger she would leave; didn't want to be responsible for others ending up where she'd been. However, she couldn't bring herself to leave Wolverine, after all he'd done, until she was positive.
It was the despair in her voice, the only sign of emotion she'd had that made him acquiesce. This was something he couldn't wait out; he knew all of his efforts to help her would be for nothing if this wasn't put to rest. "It'll be intrusive."
She stood, nodding. Hands on was something she'd gotten used to over the last year. Surgical gloves and scalpels having their way with her. She forced down a wave of nausea that threatened to overtake her, denying herself the luxury to let her emotions rule her.
Logan was already pondering how they would accomplish this task, as her skin would prevent any prolonged touching, any true examination by feel. Then again he hadn't exactly looked for a small device before, he might be able to do it from sight and hearing alone.
"Broken," she stated, stripping off her gloves. After all the years wasted trying to control her skin, it took less than a year in that hellhole to make her mutation give up the ghost. She hadn't quite decided how she felt about that.
He nodded, hands on it would be. She didn't elaborate as to how it happened, instead began pulling off the slip on boots she'd been rescued in. That was another thing he noticed; she'd continued to wear the uniform she'd been dressed in at the lab. He would have protested, but the gray color worked reasonably well as camouflage.
For a second Logan thought that he should turn his back to give her privacy as she began unzipping and pulling at the fabric of her top. She showed no signs of embarrassment, did nothing to hide herself from him. He decided the least he could do was spread out his blanket to give her something to put her bare feet on besides the debris on the floor.
She couldn't remember the last time anyone had shown deference to her condition, cared whether she needed anything for her comfort. She knew she should feel something by the gesture, but she'd spent so long trying to not let any emotions show, even the slightest bit of indication of the pain inflicted, that she couldn't feel anything now. Oddly that made her want to warn him so he wouldn't be forced to hide his shock.
"Scientists, they..." She wanted to say disfigured but she had no idea, only knew they cut her. Though at times she thought there was healing, she was never sure if that was her imagination or real.
"I know." He did remember the treatment one received in a lab. If only his healing factor hadn't worked, he would have scars of his own to share.
Logan prepared himself, but when she stood before him nude he had to swallow down the bile that was rising at the cruelty of others. He realized he wasn't going to be able to feel a small implanted device; her injured skin would make that almost impossible. Scanning her body, he could trace her time in the lab from beginning to end, half-healed scars to vivid wounds, small fine lines, and punctures to red, angry barely formed scabs.
Marie stared over his shoulder, her face expressionless. It was obvious to him that she wanted indifference, a clinical approach. He needed to get on with it, he could see the goosebumps raised up on her flesh but she refused to even shiver at the cold. Pulling off his gloves, he started with her head feeling for lumps, ignoring the brittleness of her once silky hair.
His warmth radiated out and helped keep her from freezing. He was so close she had to will herself to stay put. Closeness brought pain, or at least it had for the last year. She shut her eyes as he moved behind her, investigating a bump. He was being careful and she knew anyone else that was on the receiving end of this wouldn't get the same gentle treatment.
Warm hands moved around her neck and down over her shoulders. She knew his healing factor kept his hands from being work worn and rough, yet they weren't soft either. He smoothed them over her flesh, firm, and reassuring. Several times he leaned in closer, inhaling and listening. Once upon a time, such ministrations from Logan would have had her struggling to steady her racing heart, but now...She didn't have to steady her heartbeat. She'd practiced it too much to let it run wild.
She knew the girl she'd been a year ago, the one still infatuated with Wolverine, would have relished the touch of his hands, the way he almost caressed her body. That girl was gone, buried, she tried to tell herself. Despite her best intentions, her mind wandered, even though her body was in lockdown mode. It didn't hurt to think of what could have been as long as she didn't get lost in the thoughts.
Working his way down, Logan crouched in front of her, checking her legs. He had to push his hate to the side and focus on the task at hand. The way they'd defiled Marie made his blood boil. It would do no good to let her sense his anger, that was something he needed to deal with himself. He lifted her feet carefully then worked his way back up her other leg.
Her fingertips swept across his hair and he froze, his hands still on her thigh. He was going to mark it down as accidental, but a moment later, her fingers had settled for winding their way along his scalp. It set his blood to stirring in a different way. Yet she gave no physical indication that he could detect of sexual interest.
"How long?" It was a whisper, and without his enhanced hearing he might not have heard it.
His mind raced on how to best handle the situation. There was really only one way and that was to let her take the lead. "Awhile," he admitted.
She slowly traced the shape of his skull. She had no idea what she was doing, asking him another favor. But she remembered his prowess and reputation with the ladies and his touches had stirred a need in her. "Want something … besides pain," another whisper to herself.
"Marie..."
Logan exhaled softly. If he was truthful with himself, and he most often was, he'd entertained the thought once or twice. He understood her need as well; he'd been there a time or two also and it wasn't in him to argue the point.
Leaning in he put a kiss gently beside a patch of missing skin on her thigh and her fingers wound tighter in his hair. Then he placed a second kiss on her hip, lingering this time as his fingers tangled themselves in her curls. Marie had already moved her other hand to his shoulder for support.
She wouldn't let herself make a sound as his thumb skimmed across her clit. It felt good, real good, but she had buried all her feelings for so long she didn't dare acknowledge them now. Though she momentarily squeezed his shoulder for better grip to keep herself in one place.
Deliberately he brushed his lips against the skin of her stomach, inhaling her scent. His fingers slid over her folds as they became moist to his touch, one of the barely detectable signs she gave off of wanting this.
She bit back a gasp as his finger slipped into her. He was gentle and cautious; his fingers making her forget the pain. Even though he'd begun to place kisses in a descending pattern, she stilled his progression with her hand. She was trying to analyze the way the warmth of his face heated her and the feel of his muttonchop on her stomach when the orgasm hit her by surprise.
Staring at what was left of the ceiling, she tried to rein in her heart rate. Her breathing was already normal as it hadn't been ragged. He moved and a thought occurred to her about his need when she heard him inhale before he licked his finger.
He made no real move from where she'd held him, and she thought he might be considering something more too. She didn't know how to get from where they were to where they needed to be. The mechanics were easy enough; few people escaped their teenage years without a basic understanding of sex.
Finally, she decided on the simplest of solutions. Squatting down and then sitting, she used the hand already on his head to pull him down with her. She saw the desire in his eyes and began to tug his shirt off over his head as she spread her knees apart to accommodate him.
Logan knew they should've probably stopped and he even hesitated after unfastening his pants, but she pushed them down further and guided him to her entrance. Carefully he pressed into her, watching her for any reaction. She shifted but gave no sign of discomfort, only another one of her whispers, "Please."
Lowering himself, he rested his forehead on hers. "If we need to stop..."
Lifting the corner of her lips, she hoped it came out as a smile. She tried to replicate the way he'd touched her earlier. His slow steady pace made her wish she knew how to re-engage her emotions to show him that she liked what he was doing. It was obvious he cared about her and she wanted to do more to make him feel good too.
Logan stilled, his mouth hanging by her ear. He knew she'd hidden everything so deep that she was having trouble remembering how to be herself. That instinct was no stranger to him, he'd been there too, and he'd also struggled to remember the entire world wasn't cruel.
Her heart rate had increased as had her breathing, but she wasn't giving into the need. "You're safe, Marie," he breathed into her ear.
She exhaled and relaxed beneath him. When he started moving again, she began to explore his back with her hands. He made sure to grind into her and was rewarded with a soft sigh of pleasure.
The play of his muscles underneath his skin grabbed her interest. She let her hand slip lower to hold his ass and feel the muscles strain and release with each thrust he made. The tension in his body told her he was close and she turned her attention to the slow slide of his cock in her.
He captured her lips trying to make the kiss soft and gentle, repeating the rhythm of their bodies. Breaking the kiss he whispered, "You're so beautiful." Marie gasped digging her fingernails into his flesh and convulsing around him. Thrusting into her a final time, he filled her.
After a few moments, she wiggled out from under him. She'd already made it awkward, she needed to get a hold of herself. Quickly she dressed, wrapped herself in her blanket and lay down to sleep close to the fire.
Maybe she hadn't really buried that girl, she wasn't really two different people, it was just another side of herself she was afraid for the world to see anymore. But Logan was safe; he wouldn't force her to share the soft parts of herself with others. He would let her make those decisions.
Rogue heard him pull up his pants and rearrange his blanket for the night. Now might be an appropriate time. "Thank you."
Logan grunted in reply, resting on his back with his hands under his head. He let himself rationalize lots of things and this time he shouldn't have. The sex was good but didn't provide the comfort it was supposed to for either of them, for completely different reasons.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
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Story Notes:
There should be other things being posted, but this fits my current mood. Sorry. Thanks to Nebelwerfer42 for reminding me Logan has feelings and RogueLotus for her pointy stick. I'd be wandering the wasteland without you two.
Title borrowed from Three Days Grace song "I am Machine". The story comes somewhere after X1 with a healthy dose of ideas from DoFP shoved in for good measure.
Title borrowed from Three Days Grace song "I am Machine". The story comes somewhere after X1 with a healthy dose of ideas from DoFP shoved in for good measure.