The days were hotter than when they began the final trek to the mansion. The previous week had been spent smoking meat and resting. Their numbers increased as a small group of refugees from the city joined them.
That gold guy still drew her interest as he continually circled everyone. She thought maybe he was looking for someone in particular. It wasn't uncommon for the groups to inquire among each other for friends and family they hadn't seen. Eventually, she forgot about him as camp life settled into a noticeable routine and she became busy again.
Several times the woman with the bundle,...K something, had asked Rogue to hold the baby. Rogue had refused until the night before when the bundle was asleep and the woman needed to relieve herself. It was only a few minutes, and the baby slept peacefully. The whole experience brought odd feelings to the surface and Rogue gladly handed the bundle back.
When they moved out she walked mostly by herself, occasionally with others, as Logan spent his time scouting ahead. In the early morning, she'd walked with Kitty and her baby. Huh, just like that she remembered a name.
Rogue pondered the experience of holding the baby as she walked in the afternoon heat. Logan would be an excellent father, but she didn't think it would make up for her deficiencies. She wondered how long it would be before he sought out a woman that could be a good mother. She couldn't decide how that made her feel because all her feelings got swirled around and anger rose up.
Rogue had taken off her jacket, baring her arms despite their appearance. With the warmer weather she'd noticed others with scars, not as extensive as hers, but enough that no one would say anything to her.
Sometimes in the afternoon, the gold guy started walking with her. Though she'd seen him around camp, she didn't pay much attention to him after they began walking again. He seemed intent on talking to her and she let him, nodding occasionally every now and then. He didn't seem to care that she wasn't really interested and was thinking of other things. She knew Logan was watching her and the gold guy when they came into the night camp, but he never said anything about it.
Later, she noticed Logan's agitation. He seemed short with the others and frustrated with plans being discussed. When he ate with her he was terse in what little he said and almost hovering over her. She didn't mind the closeness, but it wasn't something he normally did. She wondered if he was holding his tongue until they were alone and she tried to think if there was something she'd done even though she hadn't seen him all day. Maybe it was the group or their route that was causing issues?
When she had them both tucked in under the comforter, she thought about it again. Rogue decided though she didn't like discussing feelings, it seemed better to head off problems before they became too big.
"Mad at me?" Simple and direct was always best for them.
"No," Logan said, squeezing her hip. He hadn't realized that he'd let his mood carry over to her. It wasn't her he was eagle-eyeing, it was that Foley guy. Something about him didn't sit right, he reminded Logan of a shark on the hunt.
Rogue knew there was nothing she could do to fix other problems for him. Her abilities were limited there and she best leave that to him. However, there was a way to ease his tension. "Make ya feel good?"
He chuckled at her. That indeed she would, he had no doubt with the way she was touching him lightly. She began wiggling her way down his body when he stopped her. She'd already unfastened his belt and her hot breath on his belly was making him hard.
Carefully he hauled her back up until he could kiss her full on the mouth. She pulled back, tugging at his lower lip. Looking up at her, he thought he saw a small pout forming. "Long day tomorrow," he said trying for some unknown reason to find an excuse, which was difficult with the scent of her hanging heavy between them.
Rogue let a leg fall to either side of his body. "Healing factor," she stated, kissing her way back down his body. She liked the way he shuddered when she touched him a certain way low on his groin.
Why was he trying to hold back, he thought as her warm mouth enveloped his hardened flesh. His hips were moving with her and he wanted to take all the pleasure she could give him and then some. Instead of letting her do as she pleased he felt the urge to hold her there, to take her in a way that would only satisfy his needs. The sex was liable to be demanding and he didn't know if she was ready for that; he was feeling the urge to mark her and he knew that was something she didn't need. "Marie, stop," he hissed through clenched teeth.
Stopping, she glanced up at him, big innocent eyes question him. Sighing, she crawled back up and studied him. It had better be worth it cause she was wanting to feel good too.
"Need sleep." It slipped out before the real reason could and it was a lame excuse. He winced a little at the white lie, here he was making another decision for her that she was more than capable of understanding. He would need to work on being blunter with her in the future if they were going to make this work.
She looked at him skeptically. He knew exactly how fast their slowest person walked and she knew that was what set the pace every day. Though she found it interesting that he cared that she might be overly tired in the morning. It also crossed her mind that there might be another reason he was giving a dumb protest, possibly one he wasn't comfortable sharing at the moment. "Quick?"
He snorted, she was good at quick and he'd lost any desire to continue his charade as she began running her hands up and down his chest. "Okay," he said in resignation.
Rogue had already rolled to her side away from him to take off her pants. He turned to her and pressed his cock into the soft curve of her ass. It amused her a little that for all his hesitation he was just as eager to have sex as she was. She quit struggling with her pants as his hand snaked around from her hip to tangle in her curls.
He'd pushed his cock lower between her thighs and was now rubbing the head against her opening. She didn't care for this position; she liked to see him when they had sex. There was still some uncertainty in her about what they were doing and how she made him feel. She could gauge their interactions better when she could watch for clues.
Logan could feel the unease Marie had with this position. It wasn't a physical fear but ambiguity of facing away from him, not being able to judge his reactions. He needed to reinforce the idea that she could trust him, that he did love her and wanted to be with her.
Rogue thought she would simply wiggle around, that was until the first kiss on the back of her neck right on top of a scar. Pausing she let him continue and he proved how well he'd paid attention to her as he continued applying a kiss to every scar on her back through her shirt. They were soft, reassuring kisses and she felt the stirring of emotions, not the usual anger or numbness but something else, just as strong, that centered on her thoughts of Logan. Readjusting her position, she guided him inside her.
He held her loosely from behind, one hand fondling a breast the other sliding across her wet folds. She grabbed hold of his arms, letting him do as he pleased as long as he continued kissing her scars. This brought up feelings in her she wasn't aware she possessed anymore and she quickly pushed them aside in fear that they might overwhelm her.
Her thoughts were lost in the rhythm he set, his fingers expertly working her clit. The coarse hair of his sideburns tickled her skin through her thin shirt as he worked his way up her shoulder nibbling now. He paused at her ear, breathing heavily. "Marie," he whispered, low and full of need.
Logan needed to know she was okay with this. He wasn't waiting, couldn't wait for her to finish. The need to be gentle and the need to fill her, to make her his, were warring in his body. Control was not something in his grasp at that moment.
She might have heard the strain in his voice if she weren't already convulsing around him. Or might have felt him slamming into her if she weren't already distracted by her own orgasm.
When she came back to herself he was clinging to her, breath stirring the small hairs on her neck. Even this, the way he was with her, so careful and thoughtful with her, made her think again of the feelings that wouldn't stay buried any longer.
They'd talked of his feelings for her and that she was okay with things the way they were. She wondered if this was how love started, how it grew. Being willing to do something for another even if it wasn't your first choice, doing it for them simply because they wanted it.
If that was the case, how much longer would he be okay with their current arrangement? Because even in this she was still being selfish. She was willing to admit she sought him out, stayed with him because he made her feel good, that without what he did for her, she might not stay with him. Logan still deserved better than that.
The next couple of days as they walked Rogue tried not to encourage the gold guy. He continued to seek her out and talk to her during the day and she didn't know how to make him stop. She didn't really care if it wasn't him it would be someone else, but the gold guy's presence irritated Logan and she didn't like that.
That was interesting in and of itself, she didn't want to do anything to intentionally irritate Logan. In fact, she had found herself trying to make things with him smoother. It was difficult but often just a few words of conversation seemed to help their relationship if she could call it that.
Like this thing with the gold guy. She could ignore it, play oblivious to the problem. But that would eventually create more tension and that wasn't fair to Logan. Withdrawing like she used to wouldn't solve anything either.
At the group's brief nooning, Logan came in to eat with her. He didn't usually come in for food when they were on the march, but this morning Marie had been puzzling over something. Just a few minutes with her wouldn't hurt if she needed a sounding board.
"My scars," she finally started. He nodded taking a drink of water. She frowned, "Get rid of them?"
Taking another bite of jerky, he gave her some time. Foley had finally gotten around to telling her what he wanted to do. Logan, himself, gave little thought to the scars anymore; Marie's scars were a part of her. He would love her with or without them. After a time he prompted, "That what you want?"
Rogue shrugged, her scars just were, much like the rocks that they walked around. Occasionally, bothersome, but always there. Logan never seemed bothered by the scars, but then again they never talked about them. "You?"
"Not my decision," he replied honestly. She gave him an expectant look. This was the first time she'd indicated she needed him to express an opinion about her scars and he felt the need to oblige.
Turning to her, he put a finger under her chin to hold her attention. "Love you, Marie. Don't matter how you look or feel." He emphasized his point with an all too brief kiss on her lips.
She blinked at this display of affection where others could see it. Logan didn't do this kind of thing, sure he'd ruffled the hair of the smaller kids or patted the older ones on the back for a job well done. The adults received a nod of approval or sometimes a word of verbal confirmation.
Other couples held hands, hugged or even kissed in plain sight of the group. Rogue and Logan, though, kept any of that for private, as private as you could get in their situation. The only thing you might see them do was to eat together like now or sit next to one another. She was sure only a few had been observant enough to know that they were more intimate than that.
She nodded in acknowledgment and let all of this new awareness of them as a couple sink in. Now she needed to decide what she was going to do about the gold guy. She already knew the answer was no, the scars were superficial and Logan was okay with them. "Won't fix..." she trailed off and ended up just tapping her head for lack of words.
Logan understood that. Sometimes the deepest scars and imperfection would never be seen by other people. What was 'ailing' Marie no longer had a physical manifestation that Foley could 'mend'. Her healing would be a matter of her wanting to move forward herself.
Giving her a kiss on the forehead, he stood up; there was little time for this, no matter how badly they needed to talk, until they reached their destination. The rest period was over and it was time to get the group moving again.
Rogue watched him go. It fascinated her that just this gesture of continuing the trek from him was all the encouragement the group needed to finish their meal and head out.
Logan paused and turned back to her. "If you need me," he hitched his thumb toward the direction they would be heading.
She nodded and gave him one of her smiles. Picking up her bag as a method of dismissing him, she appreciated the sentiment. It took a bit for the smile to drop from her face. She couldn't remember the last time she knew without a doubt someone had her back. Logan wanted the best for her.
The gold guy found her shortly after the group was on the move. Rogue let him stay, waiting for him to bring up the subject so she could say no. Not just no on the healing of her skin, but that she didn't want his company.
"So about your skin-" he began.
She cut him off, "No." It was as forceful as she could make it.
He looked a little confused, almost like no one turned him down. Then he smiled, "It'll only take a couple of minutes."
His persistence bothered her. Shouldn't he be offering to help the little kid with the broken arm or the elderly lady that limped? Stopping, she turned to him as he came to a standstill beside her. Rogue tried to imitate Logan's raised eyebrow, that gesture usually got answers from people.
He pointed toward a place away from the others. "We can go right over there and afterward..." he raised both eyebrows like there was something else she was supposed to pick up on. The guy gave her an incredulous look when she didn't respond, almost like he'd drawn a picture and she couldn't see what was obvious to everyone else. "Then you can show me some gratitude."
Rogue narrowed her eyes at him as he thrust his hips at her. This was the thing that set Logan on edge about the gold guy. She didn't know if Logan knew specifically what the guy was trying to do, but his instincts about the guy had been right.
Balling up her fist, knowing she wasn't following any training she'd ever been given a lifetime ago, Rogue punched the gold guy in the nose. He let out a high-pitched squawk as he fell to the ground, hand flying to his face. She stood above him, fist still clenched. Surprisingly she felt calm, no big swirl of emotions. "No!"
They were beginning to attract attention, several small groups of people slowing to stare at the spectacle. The guy glanced around, embarrassment making his face turn red despite his gold color. Turning back to her, he pulled his hand away full of blood. "What'd you do that for?"
Finally Rogue felt the anger rising, "You're..." She pushed the feeling down, searching for the calm but she couldn't find it. This guy, after everything; the war, labs, camps, death and destruction, he was trying to use people for sex. The words came in a rush and she let them spill out, "Fucked in the head."
Without another word she walked away, head held high. She was readjusting her pack when she noticed Logan surveying the scene from a distance. There was a smile on his face as he watched her. She knew with his senses he'd probably honed in on the commotion and heard everything.
Pride, something she hadn't felt in forever, rose up inside of her. It may have taken her a while, but she handled this problem herself and apparently to Logan's satisfaction. Not that she was going to start decking random guys, but it felt good. She'd taken control of the situation and taken back a little bit of power in her life.
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