FIC: One-Way Ticket On A Runaway Train - Chapter Two
Summary: Logan’s home and isn’t too pleased to find Rogue gone. He and Scott exchange more than words and then the search for Rogue begins.
Special Thanks to: Melissa for help with the fight scene.
Chapter Two: Lost & Found
While Scott’s first impulse might normally have been to charge downstairs and check out his beloved motorcycle, he decided that he couldn’t face Logan at this moment, under any circumstances. So he slipped out of Rogue’s room, remembering to take her note with him, and quickly returned to his own room. He was hoping to feign innocence when Logan undoubtedly went to her room and found her gone.
Downstairs, meanwhile, Logan was just entering the front hall, where he was met by the Professor.
“Welcome home, Logan,” Charles Xavier greeted him.
“Chuck.” Was Logan’s terse reply as he headed toward the main staircase.
“Logan, it is six o’clock in the morning, she’s probably still asleep,” Charles said, obviously referring to Rogue.
“I’ll wake her up nice and gentle,” he retorted mischievously.
“I think you’ve missed my point.”
“Yeah, and what point would that be? Maybe you should clarify yourself,” Logan snapped gruffly, not appreciating the delay in getting to his Marie.
“Fine then, I will. I don’t think that you should come barging in here at dawn and go charging upstairs to do heaven only knows what to a young girl you abandoned a year ago. It is totally inappropriate behavior and I will not allow it to happen. Rogue is my ward and it is my job to protect her,” Charles stated firmly.
“Protect her? From me? That’s a good one, Chuck,” Logan snorted rudely.
“Are you telling me that you have honorable intentions towards Rogue?”
“My intentions towards her are none of your business,” he replied.
“Yes, I am afraid they are, as long as she’s under this roof.”
“Maybe I just wanted to say ‘Hi.’ Maybe you’re blowing this outta proportion.”
“Logan, are you honestly telling me that you do not have impure thoughts about Rogue? Your rather strong projections would seem to indicate otherwise.”
“Impure thoughts? Is that your uptight, lame ass way of asking me if I have fantasies of fucking her?” Logan challenged.
“Vulgarities aside, yes, that is exactly what I am asking,” Charles replied.
“Look, Chuck, she called me a couple of days ago, told me her big news and I decided to come back and see if I could turn some of my better fantasies about her into reality. If that shocks you about me, too fucking bad.”
“Then I should warn you that you might not receive the reception that you were hoping for. Rogue was very hurt by what she perceived as your lack of enthusiasm for her wonderful news. So if you are expecting her to fall into your arms just because you decided to grace her with your presence, you may be sorely disappointed,” he warned.
Logan stopped in his tracks and turned to look intently at Charles.
“She’s upset with me?” he inquired.
“Yes, Logan, she is. May I suggest that you wait until she seeks you out instead?” he suggested.
Logan gave that suggestion all of ten seconds consideration, before bounding up the stairs anyway. If Marie was mad at him, the quicker they straightened it out, the better.
“She’s in your old room,” Charles yelled up the stairs to the quickly retreating Canadian.
Logan took the stairs two at a time and was soon standing in front of his old room, apparently now Rogue’s room. Debating on what he would say and then deciding to simply ‘wing it’, he knocked softly at first and then more insistently when there was no reply. Turning the handle and opening the door slowly, he stepped into the room, which appeared to be presently unoccupied. He inhaled the soft warm vanilla fragrance that was inherently Marie’s, and then he suddenly became acutely aware of another scent lingering in the air - the smell of sex. The occupant of this room, Marie, had recently had sex. He sniffed the air for a clue as to the other participant, and his blood ran cold - Scott! There was no mistaking his pansy-ass cologne, Polo by Ralph Lauren.
Right now all Logan wanted to do was shove a claw straight up Scott’s ass.
He turned, stomped out of the room and went down the hall to give Scooter a special wake-up call - Logan style.
Kicking the door of Scott and Jean’s room open with a heavy boot, he didn’t wait to be invited in. Scott sat bolt upright in bed and contemplated for about two seconds whether or not he could feign innocence. Quickly assessing the cloud of anger clearly splashed across Logan’s face, he decided that plan wouldn’t work.
“LOGAN!” Was all Scott was able to get out before the larger man had him yanked out of the bed and flung across the room. He landed with a thud against the chest of drawers, hard enough to tip the contents off the top and onto the floor.
Not giving the younger man a chance to recover, Logan grabbed him by the front of his pajamas, yanked him to his feet and pulling him to within inches of his face, said menacingly, “You got exactly thirty seconds to convince me not to gut your fucking ass.”
Scott struck hard on Logan’s wrist with a balled fist, getting the larger man to release him. Shoving hard, he pushed Logan away far enough to get his foot up to kick him. Momentarily caught off-guard by the younger man’s sudden growth of a set of balls, Logan took a direct hit in the chest. He was on his ass for all of ten seconds before he recovered, stood back up and charged at Scott. Side stepping to avoid Logan’s left hook, Scott caught him in the solar plexus with a sharp jab. Not even flinching, Logan backhanded Scott on the right side of his jaw. Falling back against the door, Scott realized it would take brute force to stop the Wolverine. Clinching his fists tightly, he lunged at Logan, in essence doing a double punch to the other man’s solar plexus again. Having the wind knocked out of him, Logan staggered back into the far wall with a loud thud. With a fierce growl, he launched himself across the room and punched Scott in the face. Large and powerful due to his size alone, add adamantium-coated fists to the equation, and when Logan hit someone, they felt it - hard.
They continued pummeling each other until Xavier wheeled into the room and demanded a halt to the fiasco. Both men were bleeding, except Logan’s wounds were healing rapidly, while Scott looked like he’d been dragged behind a truck over some rough terrain.
Having uncharacteristically probed the minds of both men, Charles knew exactly what was the cause of their fight. He’d also severely underestimated Logan’s intense feelings for Rogue that weren’t completely sexually oriented. Even without the quick glimpse into his mind, his actions convinced him that Logan was in love with Rogue. A development that quite possibly even Logan wasn’t aware of prior to this moment.
“Scott, where is Rogue?” Charles inquired.
“I don’t know,” he replied between gasps, “I woke up and she was gone.”
“What the hell did you do to her to make her take off, you sick fuck?” Logan snapped.
“I didn’t do anything to her, Logan. You’re the one who rejected her. You’re the one who was in such a hurry to get back to your bimbo-de-jour that you couldn’t take the time to be genuinely happy for her. She came to me and we made love. It was completely mutual. Deal with it,” Scott said bravely.
“You took advantage of her, you prick!” Logan shouted.
“You should talk. What the hell were you planning on doing to her, if not taking advantage of her crush on you? People in glass houses, asshole,” Scott responded.
“Well, at least I don’t pretend to be sitting on a moral high horse. I’m surprised you didn’t break your neck when you fell off.”
“You’re just jealous because you climbed back on that slut instead of coming home straight away and you didn’t get to be first.”
Logan was about to move toward Scott again, when Xavier wheeled his chair directly between the two combatants.
“This arguing is not going to help us find her. You two can settle this later.” Turning to Scott he asked, “Do you have any clue where she may be?”
“She left me a note, saying she needed some time to herself, not to worry and that she’d contact us to let us know she was okay,” he answered, while still cautiously keeping an eye on Logan’s location in the room.
“A note. Lemme see it,” Logan demanded.
“Fuck you, it’s addressed to me, not the entire population of planet earth,” Scott retorted.
“So what are we supposed to do? Sit on our delicate behinds sipping tea and hope she’ll call? This is bullshit,” Logan snapped.
“Logan, I will attempt to locate her with Cerebro immediately,” Charles offered, “Meanwhile, Scott, once Kitty and Jubilee are awake, question them and see if they can offer any insight as to where she may have gone.”
Logan stomped past Scott on his way out of the room.
“This ain’t over yet, pretty boy. Not by a long shot,” he threatened menacingly.
Scott glanced over at Charles, who just shook his head despondently, the look of disappointment in Scott’s behavior, etched clearly on his face. While Scott didn’t care what Logan thought of him, his failing in the eyes of his mentor wounded him to the core. He hung his head in shame as the Professor left the room quietly without saying anything further.
Charles made his way downstairs to Cerebro to begin what he’d hoped would be a successful search for the errant Rogue.
~*~*~*
Six weeks later:
All leads to find the missing mutant turned up fruitless. As she was eighteen, the police refused to classify her as a runaway and because she’d left a note, no foul play was suspected. Rogue had somehow managed to successfully block Cerebro from tracking her down. A skill she had undoubtedly attained while training with Charles. She’d cleverly withdrawn enough cash from her bank account so that she wouldn’t have to use her credit card and leave an electronic and easily traceable trail. It was like she’d simply vanished off the face of the earth. The fact that she hadn’t called as promised, worried everyone at the mansion who cared for her. Logan had ventured out blindly, figuring if he turned over enough ‘rocks’, eventually he’d find her, but returned each time, alone. Scott was trying to locate her using resources on the internet. Charles had posted a reward on-line for any information leading to her location, but countless tips failed to produce any solid results. The frustration level was off the charts. The gym equipment was taking quite a pounding as Logan tried to let out his anger on something besides his intended target, Scott. He tried to disguise the fact that his heart was broken by being more aggressive, foul-mouthed and bad-tempered than usual. Everyone in the mansion gave the Wolverine as wide a berth as possible and generally steered clear of him unless absolutely necessary.
Then one day almost seven weeks after she’d disappeared, they caught their first real break. A mutant they were trying to recruit named Remy Le Beau claimed to have seen the girl they were seeking. Le Beau gave them the name of a contact in Phoenix who would be able to lead them directly to her. With a warning to everyone, Logan climbed back on Scott’s prized Harley and informed them that he, and he alone, would retrieve her. Jean advised Scott to let Logan handle the situation his way. They had been back together for the past month, each forgiving the other for their temporary indiscretions.
Driving almost continuously, three days later, Logan arrived in Phoenix and wasted no time in seeking out Le Beau’s contact. The man provided him with an address, with the advice that the girl’s shift didn’t start until later in the evening. So around ten o’clock that night Logan pulled up in front of the address scribbled on the crumpled piece of paper. He was just about to double-check the information, when a poster-size photograph by the front door of the establishment caught his attention. It was Rogue. Only the photo identified her as Lolita. Pulling open the door with a swift tug, he stepped into the lobby of the Body Factory Strip Club.
He pulled out his wallet and threw the ten-dollar cover charge at the old woman guarding the front desk.
“Two-drink minimum, buddy,” she informed him in a voice ruined from too much whiskey and too many cigarettes.
Logan just nodded in acknowledgment and continued inside to the main showroom, a typical club he’d seen in a hundred different towns. Smokey, loud and infinitely tacky. Then again, ogling naked women didn’t really require a fancy setting, did it?
Music commonly referred to as ‘bump and grind’ greeted him as he threaded his way to the bar. It was still early in the evening, strip club wise, but the place was full of men already more than halfway to intoxication. Logan sat down on one of the bar stools made of ugly green vinyl that was ripped, and asked the bartender if he stocked Molson’s. He was in luck, as they did, and the bartender put the bottle in front of Logan.
“Ten bucks,” he demanded.
“For a beer? Christ,” Logan muttered, as he pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, “I want my change, that ain’t no tip.”
The bartender slammed a ten-dollar bill down in front of Logan. Before he had a chance to retrieve it, a slim hand covered the bill and a voice over his left shoulder asked,
“Buy a thirsty girl a drink, handsome?”
Logan turned to see a tall, thin blonde who couldn’t have been more than seventeen, if that.
“Are you even old enough to drink, darlin’?” he asked.
“I’m old enough to do a lot of things, stud,” she whispered in a breathy voice against his ear, as she ran a hand suggestively along the inside of his thigh.
He turned to her and flashed her a quick grin. “I’ll just bet. What da ya want?”
Turning to the bartender, she said, “Steve, gimme a champagne cocktail.”
Steve handed the girl a fluted glass of the bubbly liquid and told Logan, “Fifteen bucks, buddy.”
Logan realized the little game they were playing in this joint. It was a typical scam. The girls would get the customers to buy them expensive drinks, probably watered down, so they could drink a lot of them all night long without getting drunk. He came to the conclusion that everything in this place was gonna cost him a proverbial ‘an arm and a leg’. Good thing he had plenty of cash to throw around if necessary.
The blonde had parked herself between Logan’s legs and was caressing his cheek. “You really are quite yummy,” she told him, as she brushed her tongue over lips.
“When’s ‘Lolita’ gonna be on?” he inquired, pushing her away gently.
The blonde looked dejected and said in an irritated voice, “You’re all the same. Everyone always wants to see her. Keep it zipped, big boy, she’s on next.”
Logan mumbled a “thanks” and turned toward the main stage, effectively ignoring the blonde, who skulked away annoyed.
The club deejay announced the next act.
“Gentlemen. The young lady you’ve all been patiently waiting for. Our star. The incredible. The sexy. The deliciously sinful…Lolita!”
The crowd of inebriated men started yelling, cheering and whistling. Apparently, Rogue was quite popular, as the blonde had implied.
A new bump and grind song came blasting over the club’s cheap sound system, the red velvet curtains parted and then there she was, his little Marie. She strutted out to the center of the stage, her costume a schoolgirl’s uniform. Lolita. Yeah, Logan got it. He watched intently as she started to sway to the music, moving in ways he didn’t think she knew how. He’d remembered her mentioning that she took dance classes as a child. Although, he seriously doubted that this was what her mother had in mind as a career for her precious daughter. He watched her twirl expertly around the pole at the front of the stage, the skirt short enough to flash the audience with a preview of what was to come.
The song continued as Rogue started removing her costume. First came the striped tie, then the little black blazer with the school crest, followed by the white button-down shirt and finally the requisite little plaid skirt, until she was down to a black lacey demi-bra and matching thong panty. Logan nearly popped an artery when the bra hit the stage floor to a burst of wolf whistles, his knuckles turning white from gripping the neck of the beer bottle. She continued to sashay around the stage bumping and grinding, collecting money that was being stuffed into her thong, as the crowd went wild. Finally, the song ended and she took a final exaggerated bow and made a dash back through the curtains to a thunderous round of applause.
Logan just sat at the bar with his mouth hanging open. The bartender, noting his expression, leaned over and informed him that he could arrange a private dance with Lolita, in one of the back rooms, if he wanted. Logan just nodded in the affirmative. At least it would give him the opportunity to talk to her in private. The bartender gestured to one of the bouncers, who approached and indicated for Logan to follow him. Heading toward the back of the club, the bouncer stopped in front of a closed door.
“Fifty bucks you just watch. Hundred bucks gets you touching privileges. The other girls are willing to do more, but that’s as far as Lolita goes. Understand? ”
“Yeah, bub. I got it,” Logan said as he peeled off a hundred dollar bill and handed it to the bouncer as he opened the door, hating the thought that Marie had done this for other men, but relieved that at least she hadn’t completely prostituted herself.
“Tipping’s extra, by the way,” The bouncer informed him, as Logan entered the room and slammed the door in his face.
There was a cracked leather couch, a stereo system and nothing else in the dimly lit room. A few moments later Rogue entered from a door on the other side of the room, now outfitted in a baby-doll negligee of white filmy fabric that was so sheer, she might as well have been naked. She let out a loud gasp as she realized the identity of her private audience.
“LOGAN!”
“Hey, kid,” he replied casually, like they were back at the mansion, instead of in some shit-hole dive on the other side of the country.
“What…what are you doing here? How did you find me?” she asked nervously.
“Contacts. People in the know. After all, you do have some distinctive characteristics,” he said, indicating the white streaks in her chestnut hair.
Damnit. I knew I should’ve invested in a bottle of hair color.
“Okay, so now you’ve found me, what do you want, Logan?”
“I want my private dance,” he said with a serious expression.
“You’re serious?” she asked unbelievingly.
“I paid my hundred bucks. You can check with that ape bouncer who showed me in here,” he replied, trying to suppress a grin.
“Yes, Rocko told me you paid for the ‘feel good’ special. I just didn’t think…”
“What?” he interrupted her, “That I didn’t expect to get what I paid for? Darlin’ this place has already ripped me off enough. The least you could do is give me my money’s worth.” He settled himself down on the couch and made himself comfortable.
“Fine, Logan,” Rogue snapped, “If that’s how you want to play this.”
She marched over to the stereo and flipped a couple of the switches, jolting the system to life with trembling fingers. She glanced over her shoulder and let out an involuntary little sigh. Damn, he was still the handsomest man she’d ever seen. How could she possibly pull this off calmly? In the short time that she’d worked there, she’d danced for lots of men, but this was the man. Of all of her fantasies about Logan, even the truly lewd ones, none had included this particular scenario. This was total improvisation time.
“Oh, and no lame performance, either. I expect to get the full treatment,” Logan warned as the music started.
Black Velvet by Alannah Myles drifting out of the speakers as Rogue walked over until she was standing just a foot away from him.
“Full treatment it is then, sugar,” she said huskily, as she began to sway seductively in front of him.
She continued her little bump and grind routine, eventually climbing onto the couch and straddling his lap. Grinding her pelvis into his crotch, she rubbed herself against his erection. She then lifted the negligee over her head, tossed it behind her, and jiggled her exquisite breasts in his face. As Logan had paid the ‘touching allowed’ fee, he gently cupped the creamy mounds, flicking his thumbs over her perfect little nipples, making them harden instantly. He leaned forward slightly and ran his tongue over one, before drawing it into his mouth and sucking gently. Rogue let out a low moan and threw her head back, her long silky hair brushing his lap. Logan placed one hand on the back of her head and pulling her face toward his, crushed his mouth against hers. When she parted her lips slightly, he took the opportunity to invade her mouth with his tongue.
Their tongues met, clashed and tangled as they licked at each other feverishly.
This may have not been the reunion, after a year, that either had imagined, but they were simply going with the flow. Both enjoying it immensely, if the heated exchange was any indication. She clung to him tightly as he finally released her mouth and kissed his way down onto her throat, licking at the soft skin. Maneuvering them, he lowered her down onto the couch so that she was lying on her back, with him above her. He tugged his black T-shirt off and tossed it on the floor. She reached up and ran her hands over his bare chest, sighing audibly. Not only didn’t she protest when he slipped off the tiny excuse for panties, but she moved her hand down to the button of his jeans. He helped her divest himself of the jeans, and being that he never bothered with underwear, it was the last barrier between them. Logan casually tossed them on the floor along with the rest of the discarded clothing.
“Wait,” he breathed raggedly against her ear, “I need a condom.”
“No, it’s okay. I know you don’t have anything scary.”
“What about…” Logan started to say, but was interrupted.
“Not a problem there, either,” she answered.
Okay, so apparently they were good to go. They caressed, kissed and licked each other passionately, in full foreplay mode. Their hands and mouths were everywhere, with the pure joy of finally being together evident in their every movement. Eventually, Logan parted Rogue’s legs and pressed his throbbing erection against her soaked entrance.
“Please, Logan,” she begged in a whisper against his ear.
Needing no further encouragement, he lifted her bottom off the couch, guided himself into her and slid in to the hilt. Rogue wrapped her legs around his hips as he started the rhythmic thrusting and she raised her hips to meet each thrust. They rocked together in sync, the heat of their bodies warming the leather of the old couch.
“God, Marie,” Logan murmured against the silky skin of her throat.
“Logan. Oh, God …oh, God,” Rogue moaned back, as she writhed beneath him.
“I love you…. Marie…always have,” he confessed in ragged gulps.
Soon they were both close to the edge with Rogue slipping over first, screaming his name as the orgasm shot through her, with Logan following moments later, with a guttural growl, as he experienced his own release. They collapsed against each other, both completely spent. He buried his head in her neck and snuggled contently.
“I meant it, when I said I loved you,” he told her.
“I know. I didn’t think you were lying to me, just to get me in the sack,” she replied with a soft laugh, “Now, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
“I forget,” Logan said jokingly, “Oh yeah. I’ve come to take you home, of course.”
Rogue disentangled herself from Logan and sat up sharply.
“I can’t go back there. Ever,” she stated simply.
“Look, I know about what happened between you and Scott and I don’t care. I mean, yeah, I did at first, but now, I just want you home…with me. The rest can be worked out.”
“I’m not so sure about that, Logan,” Rogue replied quietly.
“Do you still have feelings for Scott? Is that it?” he asked nervously, not really sure if he wanted to know the answer.
“I never had feelings for Scott. Well, not in that ‘in-love’ kind of way. Never the way I felt about you. Still feel about you. I love you, not him. I always have, Logan.” There was a catch in her voice and her eyes watered.
Logan felt himself breath a sigh of relief at that news. She loved him.
“That’s good to know. ‘Sides, Jeannie went crawling back to him when her fling with that other doctor tanked and the moron took her back,” he informed her.
“That’s nice for them,” she said without a hint of malice or sarcasm.
“So. Scott and Jean are a couple. You and I are a couple. See, no problems.”
“Except for one,” Rogue stated mysteriously.
“Marie, what could possibly be such a big deal?” he questioned, and was about to be sorry that he did.
“I’m pregnant… and it’s Scott’s.”
Scott! Logan's world suddenly shattered into a million fragments.