Indomitable Will, Tender Heart - 8
Author: Taryn
Email: Write
Me!
Rating: Strong R (language - this chapter)
Disclaimer: Don't own them, yadda yadda. See Chapter 1...
Author's Notes: For the record, the town where Marie
lives
is
a real place. Cobleskill is in mid-state New York; 191 miles
northwest of Westchester (3 hours and
20
minutes by car), 40 miles west of Albany (also the capitol) and has a
2000
Census
population of 5,772....plus or minus our two favorite mutants!
-----------------------------------------------------
Marie finished her shower and toweled off, brushing her teeth and then
dressing
quickly in a pair of cargo pants and her favorite comfy gray sweatshirt
with
a hood. After drying her hair and pulling it back on each side
with
a clip, she slipped on some thick wool socks and wandered down the hall
to
find Logan.
He was sitting on the windowseat in the living room, a can of Molson's
next
to him and his head bowed over the copy of "1984" in his lap. She
noticed
he'd borrowed the notepad and pen that she usually kept by the phone
and
there were several things written on it in bold black strokes. He
glanced
up when she walked in, closing the book and draining the can of beer.
"Thanks again, darlin'....that really hit the spot."
"You're welcome. So - are you enjoying the book?"
He nodded, standing up and stretching with a lithe grace, reminding her
once
again of the uncanny similarities between the Wolverine and her big,
black
cat.
"Yeah. I kinda remember parts of it, so I think I musta read it
before....a
long time ago."
"Hmm....well, that's not too surprising. I mean, it is a
classic.
It was also made into a really terrific movie starring John Hurt and
Richard
Burton as Winston and O'Brien."
His expression grew thoughtful. "Richard Burton....ain't he the
guy
who was with Elizabeth Taylor?"
"Yep. They were married twice and starred in several movies
together,
including 'Cleopatra'. He died shortly after '1984' was
released....in
1984! Isn't that strange?"
Logan was smirking at her and Marie looked at him, puzzled.
"...What?"
"You got a lot of that kinda book-stuff stored up in your head, don't
ya?"
Her smile was sheepish. "Embarrassing, but true. My friends
at
school used to tease me about it, but that didn't stop them
from coming
to
me whenever they needed a trivia question answered." She
shrugged.
"Maybe that's why I've always felt so at-home with computers and
libraries....it's
like we both have these big databases full of information stored inside
us.
In my case, though, most of it is pretty useless!"
Logan stared down at the book in his hand, his expression suddenly
clouding.
"The stuff in your head ain't useless. It's what makes ya who ya
are.....and
if ya ever lost it, you'd probably do just about anythin' to get it
back
again."
Marie swallowed. Oh, God....he's referring to
himself. Poor
guy. I wonder just how much he can't remember? She
put
on a cheerful smile. Time for a subtle change of subject....
"So, um....what were you writing? Cuz, if you need something
bigger,
I've got a few legal pads and some notebook paper in my desk --"
He shook his head. "Nah....I was just makin' a list of the
supplies
I gotta get to fix up your guest room." And because I'm
a low-life asshole, you're
even gonna
have to cover the cost up-front until I can get the money together to
pay
ya back. Christ....
She blinked. Right....supplies. I forgot all
about
that. "Oh....okay. Like I said, there's no rush
or anything,
but,
um, if you're up for a drive, we can stop and get whatever you need at
the
hardware store in town. Besides, I've got someplace I'd really
like
to show you."
Logan frowned, but tore off the piece of paper and pocketed it.
"Uh...yeah,
sure. Lemme just use the bathroom first."
He quickly brushed his teeth and splashed cold water on his face.
Raking
both hands through his hair in an unsuccessful attempt to tame it, he
fixed
his mirrored reflection with a scowl. Give it up, bub.
She says she likes ya, but the truth is -
Marie
likes everybody. It don't really matter what she thinks of ya,
though,
cuz ya sure as hell don't deserve somebody as good as her. She'll
figure
that out soon enough and then you'll never see her again.
With
a ragged sigh, he opened the door and went to join her in the front
hallway.
She had her coat on and waited patiently - keys in hand - while he
shrugged
back into his jacket.
"Ready?"
"..'Guess so. Where we goin'?"
"You'll see." Marie smiled mysteriously over her shoulder as she
ushered
him out the door, locking it behind them. He blinked rapidly
against
the glare of the brilliant sunshine on the new-fallen snow, but a quick
sniff
of the air told him their currently fair weather wasn't likely to last
long.
Following her over to the dark-green Land Rover parked in the
driveway,
he started to open the passenger door when she abruptly held out the
keys
to him.
"Wanna drive?"
He cocked an eyebrow at her but accepted them without question.
After
unlocking the door and letting her in, he made his way around to the
driver's
side, giving the car an admiring glance. Although he'd been
a passenger in the vehicle once already, he hadn't exactly been in the
state of mind to appreciate it.
"Nice wheels."
"Thanks!" Marie smiled as he started the engine.
"This was a present from Professor Xavier when I moved here. You
can take the man out of England..." He
backed
out of the driveway and - at her instruction - began heading east, away
from
town. "At first, I thought it was a lot more car than I actually
needed,
but the 4-Wheel Drive has helped me out on more than one occasion, so
Charles
obviously knew better than I did." She quirked a grin. "Not
too
surprising, I guess, considering he is a telepath!"
Logan smirked. "So...does the Prof buy expensive cars for all of
his
former students? Or just his favorites?"
An odd look ghosted across Marie's face, but she recovered quickly,
turning
to look out the window. "Well, he does nice things for all the
students,
of course, but I think he felt a little closer to me than to the
rest.
We developed a kind of father-daughter bond right from the start....due
to
my, um, circumstances."
Giving himself a mental kick for obviously touching upon a delicate
subject,
Logan only grunted in reply, and they drove in silence for a few
minutes;
civilization - or what passed for it around these parts - rapidly
disappearing behind
them.
The surrounding countryside was growing increasingly rugged, with steep
snow-covered
hills and deep ravines on either side of the road. He spotted a
sign
up ahead of them which read "Cobleskill ~ Making History Everyday" and
glanced
over at Marie.
"Cobleskill, huh? I was wonderin' where we were." That was
only
partially true. He didn't mention that he rarely bothered to
catch
the name of the towns he passed through. What was the point? Same
day,
same town, new day, different town.....none of it really mattered much
to
him. The places he found himself in and the people he met were
always
cut from similar cloth. Or, at least, they were until now....
Marie grinned. Adopting her best 'tour guide' voice, she said,
"Oh!
Well, then, let me be the first to officially welcome you to the
Village
of Cobleskill, New York. We're located near the foothills of the
beautiful
Catskill Mountains, with a population of around 5,500 or so. The
town
center has one hospital, three banks, one library - which you've
already
seen - four schools, two grocery and various other stores, five bars,
ten
churches....and, as if that weren't enough, we're also the proud host
of
the Sunshine Fair every August."
He chuckled. "Sounds like a happenin' place."
"Well, it's not exactly the Excitement Capital, but that's probably why
I
fell in love with it. I had more than enough 'excitement' by the
time I got to Westchester -
and
even after - to last me for awhile."
"Westchester?" Huh. 'Wonder what her idea of
'more
than
enough excitement' is?
"That's where Xavier's School is located, about three and a half hours
south
of here. I lived there for nearly three years, before moving here
sixteen
months ago."
Before he could respond, she pointed to a fork in the road up
ahead.
"We need to go left there."
After two more miles and a steep incline that forced Logan to use the
Rover's
lauded 4-Wheel Drive, Marie instructed him to pull over next to an
ancient
looking split-rail fence bordering a densely wooded piece of
land.
They both got out and Marie waited by the fence as Logan pocketed the
keys,
pausing a moment to look around and sniff the air.
"Is that super-sniffer of yours picking up anything we should be
worried
about?" she teased. He shook his head, the barest hint of a smirk
on
his face.
"Nah....just habit. 'Can't smell a thing except nature." He
took
another appreciative sniff. "That's pretty rare these days."
"..And that's precisely why I brought you here. Come on....I
think
you're really gonna like it." She turned and climbed over the
fence, quickly disappearing into the
woods.
After one last scan of their surroundings, Logan followed her.
----------------------------------------------
Woods. Thick, almost primeval, forest as far as his eyes could
see.
He inhaled deeply, the pungent smells of damp earth and small, furred
animals
filling his nose. His hearing, as well as his sense of smell,
detected
a large body of water rushing urgently, somewhere nearby.
For all her claiming to be a klutz, Marie was surprisingly agile,
sliding
down steep inclines with a sure-footed grace and clambering up rocky
outcroppings
with confidence in spite of the thick gloves on her hands and the snow
accumulation
on the ground. While he wasn't particularly light on his feet,
probably
outweighing her by more than a hundred pounds, Logan managed to keep up
with
very little difficulty. Now that he'd gotten a few hours of sleep
and
plenty of solid food, he could feel even more of his strength
returning.
His senses were sharp and his mind was more clear than it had been
in.....well,
in quite awhile, anyway. Maybe all that had been required was a
dose
or two of some serious protein and some decent shut-eye to drag the ol'
healing
factor back from whatever corner it had been cowering in? He had
his
doubts that he was ready for a cage-match just yet, but - with any luck
-
he hoped everything would be back to normal soon.
Marie suddenly came to a stop just ahead of him and he welcomed the
opportunity
to catch his breath, swiping at the perspiration on his face with the
back
of one hand and looking around appraisingly. They were standing
on
the edge of a craggy ridge, with a panoramic view of the snow-dusted
ravine
below them. Glancing down through the trees, he could just
make
out the bank of the river. Marie smiled at him over her shoulder
and
he braced himself against the steep pitch as he began his descent
behind
her. Slow and steady, the only sounds the crunch of the snow and
twigs
under their feet and the occasional bird call, they carefully hiked
downward.
Once at the bottom, Marie deliberately picked her way over to an
outcropping of large, jagged rocks that extended over and
above
the rushing water. She clambered up easily before turning and
extending
a hand to him. Logan raised an eyebrow at her offer of
assistance, but swallowed his pride and
grasped
her hand in his, finding an adequate foothold and boosting himself up
next
to her, grateful they'd finally reached their destination.
He hopped up on a triangular rock that was jutting out next to him,
splaying
his long legs out around either side of its sharp center edge.
From
this lofty vantage point, he was six feet away and slightly above where
Marie
was settling herself on a large boulder. It gave him a slight
physical
advantage, should someone- or something - try to approach them.
There
was no danger lurking, nor did he truly expect any, but you never could
tell.
No matter how isolated you thought you were, civilization was never
quite
far enough away for his comfort-level. Vague, unrecalled
experiences
from long-ago had ingrained in him all too well that it was always
best to be prepared for anything.
Finally, his gaze swung to meet hers and he realized she was watching
him,
her eyes bright. Her scent drifted to him on the stiff breeze, smelling
of
the wind and soap and that soft, citrusy scent that reminded him
vaguely
of lemons. Rather than being intrusive in this wild place, it
seemed
to fit right in, blending naturally with the fresh snow and the tang of
the
river spray. Her cheeks were flushed pink from their hike and one
of
her white streaks had come loose from the hairclip, dancing languidly
around
her face. She tucked it behind her ear and his fingers ached, as
if
wishing they were doing the tucking -...or untucking...-
"So - whaddya think?"
"What?" Pay attention, bub....she's talkin' about the
scenery -
not how beautiful she looks or how good she smells.
"Oh...yeah.
I like it." He grunted appreciatively. "Very scenic."
She started to say something but her attention was suddenly focused on
a
point beyond his shoulder. Logan stiffened instinctively, but the
look
in Marie's eyes was one of awe. Still gazing past him, she
whispered,
"Logan....look!"
He turned, following her gaze over his shoulder as a Bald Eagle
appeared
high above the treeline. It appeared to be an adult male, its
wingspan
easily more than six-feet wide. The bird soared directly
overhead,
not much more than a silhouette against the bright sky, splendid and
wild
and fearless. They continued to watch him in silence for a few
moments,
until his great wings picked up a shift in the air current and he
glided
out of sight behind the next ridge. Finally, Logan cleared his
throat.
"...Friend of yours?"
Marie laughed. "I've seen eagles around here before, but none of
them
have ever come that close." Maybe he senses a kindred
spirit,
down here with me? A shiver ran up her spine and she
shook
her head in wonder. "Isn't he just magnificent?"
"Yeah, he is." And so are you, darlin'. I guess
what
they
say about 'birds of a feather' is true....
Breaking the spell that had seemingly been woven around them, Logan
reached
into his pocket and unwrapped a cigar. Biting off the end, he
fired
it up and released a fragrant cloud of smoke into the air, savoring
both
the taste and the aroma.
"..Did I, um, do okay with those?"
Blowing a perfect smoke ring above his head, he smiled. "Ya did
great.
They're the next-best thing to Cubans."
Marie exhaled a sigh of relief. "Oh, good....I'm glad."
There was an almost pregnant silence between them. The air was
heavy
with it. While the scenery was indeed beautiful, it seemed to be
holding
Logan's interest with an iron fist. Puffing on the cigar, he
absently
rubbed the knuckles of one hand, his gaze focused on the rushing water
below,
but Marie could tell his mind was elsewhere....
She sighed. Admittedly, talking about themselves - about their
pasts
- would be harder on him than on her, but there were things about
herself
that she still didn't find easy to share. Well, I guess
it's revelation time....
Her hands were in the pockets of her coat, and she was looking at him
with
an anxious - nervous? - expression on her face. He tapped
the
ash from his cigar, chomping down on it again.
"...What?"
"Nothing, I-- " She bit her lip. Hell, she's real
nervous.
I wonder what kinda bad shit's happened in her past? Whatever it
is, it ain't her fault....she
oughta
know that. "Why don't we just, uh, take turns....you know,
we
could ask each other questions about the stuff we want to know....that
way
you can answer just a little bit, or a lot....okay?"
Logan nodded, scanning what little he could see of the horizon through
the
trees to avoid meeting her earnest gaze. "Yeah, okay."
Marie squared her shoulders. "Right. Well, um.....why don't
you
ask me something first?"
"Hmph." He shifted his position on the rock before
responding.
"Where'd ya come from? I mean, where did ya grow up? Cuz
sometimes
I'd swear I'm hearin' a southern accent....?"
"You can take the girl out of the south, but I guess you can't take the
south
out of the girl, huh?" She nodded, smiling. "I was born and
raised
in Mississippi....lived there until I was almost seventeen."
"Why'd ya leave?"
"Hey....it's my turn!" At the mock glare she shot his way, he
grinned.
"Sorry, darlin'. Ask away." My part's gonna be
over-with
pretty quick
though, cuz I ain't got a lot of answers for ya.
"Okay....you already said you think you're Canadian, so I won't ask you
about
that." Wow, this is harder than I thought....I gotta stick to
the
easy
stuff, so it doesn't make him uncomfortable... "Hmm - I
know....how
old are you?"
Logan shrugged. "Dunno."
Marie couldn't help frowning at him. "You really don't remember
your
age? Well, okay.... ..then what about your birthday?"
"Hey, that's two questions." He fixed her with a mock glare like
she'd
given him. Marie didn't smile, though. Instead, she looked
concerned, awaiting his response.
"..'Got no idea how old I am. My healin' factor don't let me age
like
other people." He shrugged again, puffing savagely on the cigar.
"Dunno
my birthday, either."
"Oh." She mulled that over for a long moment. This was much
harder than she'd initially thought it would be.
He cocked an
eyebrow
at her. "Can I ask somethin' now?" At her nod, he blew
another
smoke ring. "Why'd ya leave Mississippi and come up north?"
She glanced out over the ravine, her eyes focused on the rapids below,
but
a different scene was playing out in her mind. "Well, um...after my
mutation
kicked in, my parents couldn't handle the fact that their daughter was
a
freak, so....I, uh, kinda figured it would be best for everybody if I
left."
"Your own parents didn't want ya when they found out you were a
mutie?"
His voice mirrored the angry expression on his face. Marie didn't
even
bother to remind him that it was her turn to ask a question. She
took
a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Yeah, pretty much. My dad was really upset, but he probably
would've
let me stay. My mom....she just went ballistic. 'Told me I
was
unclean and God was punishing me, and lots of other stuff. I just
packed
up a few things and took off two days later. I mean, what's the
point
of sticking around when you're not welcome anymore?"
Her tone was matter-of-fact, but there was the unmistakeable sheen of
tears
in her eyes. Logan clenched his fists, struggling against the
urge
to pop the claws and rip into something. God help me if I
ever
meet up with either one of her folks....I'd gut 'em just as soon as
look
at 'em. With some difficulty, he forced himself to
remain
calm.
"So then what did ya do? Ya headed north and...."
She nodded tightly. "I used to dream about Canada when I was a
little
girl. It probably sounds pretty silly, but having been raised in
the
south and never seeing snow, Canada just seemed like this magical,
foreign
winter-wonderland to me, you know?"
"It ain't silly, darlin'. If ya wanna see the white stuff, that's
definitely
the place to go." He quirked a grin at her. "They don't
call
it the Great White North for nothin'."
"That's what I thought, too." Marie smiled, blinking back
tears.
"So, um, I headed north....and I was doing pretty good, too. It
took
me almost a month, but I made it all the way to Buffalo. I went
that
way because I thought it might be nice to see Niagara Falls before I
crossed
into Canada. Anyway, I got to Buffalo and then....well, then I
sorta
got....ambushed --"
"Whaddya mean, ambushed? What happened?"
She rubbed her arms through her thick coat, but Logan knew she wasn't
cold.
He took one last puff on the cigar before grinding it out against the
rock
and shoving the remainder in his pocket. Crossing his arms over
his
chest, he waited impatiently for Marie to reply.
"It's kind of a long story....but, uh, that's what we're here for,
right?"
She tried for a smile, but it was more like a grimace. God,
I
really hate talking about this, but maybe he'll feel better about
sharing
with me once he knows I've been through some unpleasant stuff too?
"Are you familiar with the Mutant Registration Act that the US
Government
tried to pass four years ago?" He nodded curtly.
He'd seen headlines about that. "Um....what
about the incident that occured during the U.N. Summit of the World
Leaders?"
Logan searched his memory, but nothing surfaced. Frowning, he
shook
his head. Clearing her throat, Marie continued. "Well, I
had
star billing in that little drama, even though I never auditioned for
the
role."
There was an underlying bitterness in her voice and Logan felt his
muscles
tensing. Again, he willed himself to remain calm as she went
on.
"A very powerful mutant, named Erik Lehnsherr, was worried that the
Registration
Act would pass. You see - he'd already lived through the Nazi
Occupation
of Europe as a young boy, and he was convinced that if Registration was
enforced,
mutants would suffer the same fate as the Jews during World War
II.
Anyway, Erik's mutation was the ability to control and manipulate
metals.
He developed a machine that would use an advanced form of
electro-magnetic
radiation to turn the World Leaders into mutants - literally
overnight!
The problem was; Erik was already in his sixties and he just
wasn't
strong enough to power the machine by himself." She swallowed
hard.
"That's why he needed me."
Marie rubbed her arms again, doing her best to ignore Logan's fierce
scowl.
"Erik needed someone with the ability to absorb the lifeforce from
other
living things. He'd obviously been searching for a mutant who fit
the
bill, and I think he must've read about me in the local papers.
See,
my mutation manifested during my, um, first kiss and the boy ended up
in a
coma
for almost a month. News like that tends to spread like
wildfire....especially
in a small town." She faltered, her breathing harsh, but set her
jaw
and continued. "Long story short; when I got to
Buffalo,
some
of Erik's people had managed to track me there. They kidnapped me
and
put me in the machine....it was attached to the base of Liberty's
torch.
Erik transfered his ability to me and then used me to power the
device."
She knew what was coming next, and Logan didn't disappoint. With
a
growl, he asked - no, demanded, "So how the hell did ya get out?"
"Um, well....that's where Professor Xavier figures in. He and
Erik, they
used to be old friends.....many years ago. They sorta went their
separate
ways when Charles began funding humanitarian causes and then especially
after
he created the school. Charles believes that humans and mutants
can
coexist, if each side is properly educated about - and tolerant of -
the
other. Erik said Charles was just one more misguided fool who
didn't
learn anything from the Holocaust."
Marie took a deep breath. "Anyway, Professor Xavier foresaw the
Mutant
Registration Act going before Congress. He also knew that Erik
was
planning something, set to take place during the Summit. Charles had
put
together
a team of his best former students, primarily to keep track of Erik's
activities
and to stop whatever he had planned, if need be. This team is
called
the 'X-Men' and they showed up at the Summit just after Erik
arrived."
Logan was clenching and unclenching his fists and she swallowed.
"The
X-Men are the ones who cut me loose from the machine and saved my
life.
I owe everything to them, and to Charles."
His posture was tense and his brows were knitted tightly
together.
"...Is that how ya ended up at Xavier's school?" Marie nodded.
"Charles took me in and gave me free room and board while I finished
high
school. And then, when he found out that my parents, uh, kicked
me
out, he even had papers drawn up to make himself my legal
guardian."
She smiled, remembering fondly. "I was so grateful to him, for
everything
he did for me, that when I turned eighteen I petitioned the court to
change
my last name to 'Xavier'. I really wanted to honor him, somehow,
and
that seemed like a fitting way to do it."
Her smile and now-lightened mood did nothing to appease Logan,
however.
His eyes were like burning coals as he jumped down from his rocky
perch,
stalking over to Marie on legs that were tightly coiled.
"You're not tellin' me everythin', Marie." He leaned in toward
her,
his face only inches from hers. It took every bit of control she
possessed
to hold her ground and not back away from him. "How bad was it?"
She stammered, "H-how bad was what?"
Logan's grip on her shoulders was firm. It would've been painful,
if
not
for the thick downy lining of her winter coat. Still, the
pressure
was enough to make her wince and keep her rooted to the spot.
"How bad were ya hurt?" At the guilty look on her face, his
fingers
tightened. "I know that Erik fucker musta hurt ya
bad.
I can smell the truth on ya." He leaned in again, the look in his
eyes
both feral and strangely protective. "Why don't ya wanna say it,
Marie?
Tell me what the prick did to ya. Just say the word and I'll hunt
his
sorry ass down. When I'm done with him, he'll fuckin' regret that
he
ever laid eyes on --"
"He's dead, Logan." Marie was staring at him, her voice a mere
whisper.
She'd never seen anyone in such an animalistic state before, and it was
suddenly clear why her mysterious new friend had been given the
nickname
'Wolverine'. "The authorities arrested him, but Erik died a few
hours
later. The transfer of his powers to me was too much of a strain
on
his heart. He didn't make it."
Whether due to the wary look on her face or the finality of her words,
Marie
didn't know, but something seemed to shift inside Logan. He let
go
of her shoulders and took a step back, scrubbing his jaw with the back
of
his hand. "Yeah? Well, too fuckin' bad for him. I
woulda
enjoyed guttin' him for ya. The asshole definitely had it
comin'."
His eyes were still intense, but the feral expression was rapidly being
replaced
by concern and....fear? Oh, God....he's afraid for
me! Afraid
that I was hurt beyond repair. I think - he feels powerless, like
he
could've - would've - come to my rescue, if only he had known.
And...maybe
he's even afraid that something like that could happen again...?
At that moment, she knew that she had nothing to fear from the
Wolverine.
He would never harm her. Rather, he would protect her with
everything
he had.....even his life, if necessary. She bit her lip in an
effort
to rein in the tears. While the thought of him being forced to do
something
like that made her blood run cold, she was still humbled beyond words
at
Logan's deep, heartfelt concern for her.
"So...how bad did he hurt ya, Marie?" Logan's voice was gruff,
but
much
softer now, though no less demanding. She knew she would have to
answer
him....tell him the truth. He would never settle for any
less.
After all, if she wanted him to be open and honest with her, she owed
him
at least that much in return.
"It...it was pretty bad - at least in the beginning. To be
honest,
the details are still kinda fuzzy. I must've blacked out in the
machine,
because I don't remember the X-Men pulling me out. I woke up
in
the medlab at Professor Xavier's mansion, where the school is
located.
The doctors there, Jean and Hank, told me I'd been in...a coma for
almost
ten days." Marie shuddered in spite of herself, but raised her
chin
and went on. "The bottom line, though, is: I
survived and got better and
everything
was back to normal - or what passes for normal where I'm
concerned,
anyway
- about three weeks later." A wry grin was tugging at her
mouth.
"Hey....it wasn't all bad --" She indicated the loose white hair
dancing
around her face. "At least I got a cool souvenir!"
Logan reached out and stroked one of the tendrils with a
fingertip.
"Yeah, I wondered about those." He cleared his throat. "I'm real
sorry
you hadta go through all that shit, Marie. I hope the way I acted
a
few minutes ago didn't scare ya, but -- ya gotta understand....I'm just
itchin'
to go find those fuckers and gut 'em for hurtin' ya like that."
Marie smiled, wondering if he realized he was still playing with her
hair.
"I know, and I appreciate the fact that you'd be willing to do that for
me.
It really means a lot. But that was four years ago and it's
behind
me now. God willing, I just want to make sure it stays
there....in
the past!"
Logan didn't return her smile but his eyes were soft as he took a step
back,
reluctantly letting her hair slip through his fingers. " I can't argue
that,
darlin'..." And if any of those other pricks who were workin'
with that Erik
guy
ever come after ya for a repeat performance, they're gonna get
introduced
to the business end of my claws.
--------------------------------------------------------
Posted April 2002
