Chasing The Rogue - Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven: The Truth Explodes
When Marie woke up the next morning the spot next to her under the blanket was noticeably vacant. She glanced around in a slight panic and was relieved to see that Logan was sitting at the edge of the river - staring out over the water. He looked pensive and she wondered if he was thinking about last night and more importantly, if he was regretting it. She didn’t, so she hoped he didn’t either.
Not knowing what to say - and “Hey, lover” seemed too crass, too familiar and just too much - she settled on clearing her throat and hoping he’d somehow manage to hear it. Of course his enhanced hearing picked up the sound and he turned toward her. She couldn’t decipher his mood, which worried her. He gave her a small, closed-mouth smile, which did nothing to help quell her fear.
She inhaled sharply and held her breath as he rose up and started walking toward her. Should she apologize? It wasn’t as though she’d taken advantage of him or vice versa. They were two consenting adults - one who’d been adult for a while and the other, although only just of age - still legal nonetheless. The knot in her stomach tightened as he approached her.
“Marie …” he started to say, but she cut him off - thinking that she already knew what he was about to tell her.
“Please don’t say that it shouldn’t have happened,” she said - almost pleadingly. She didn’t want him to view their making love as a mistake. If he did, it would crush her.
“I was about to tell you that I wish I hadn’t resisted you back at Lorenzo and Sophia’s,” he told her gently as he bent down and brushed a strand of hair off of her face.
Marie’s eyes filled with tears as she took his hand and pressed a kiss into the palm.
~*~*~*
John gave Logan and Marie a ride to the border village of Zamask where they’d be able to get transportation to Germany. He’d gotten his fellow jumpers to donate a few Euros each, so now they had enough money to buy two bus tickets to Berlin.
Though they'd been traveling together for a couple of days and had even made love, Marie realized that she didn’t really know anything about Logan. She decided to rectify that by engaging him in a game of ‘This Is My Life’ - where they’d exchange life stories. Of course she was going to be careful and not give him too many specifics, which would expose her true identity - she just didn’t realize that he was holding back as well.
“Last year my brother was killed in a car crash, so now my parents are kind of overprotective with me,” she told him. That piece of information was the truth. She didn’t elaborate and tell Logan that Kirk had been riding in the Presidential limo that was being chased by paparazzi. It was winter in DC and the car skidded on a patch of black ice, careened out of control, crashed through the guardrail of a bridge and plunged into the Potomac River. Of the four passengers, the only survivor was one of the Secret Service agents. Kirk, the driver and the other agent all perished. No formal charges were ever filed against anyone involved, but the agent blamed himself for the tragedy and left the service.
After Logan offered his condolences, he told Marie why he was adrift and on the road.
“I worked for this big corporation and there was an accident on the job. Pending a formal investigation, I was suspended. I’d already blamed myself for letting the situation get out of control, so instead of waiting for a committee to decide my fate, I quit and hit the road. I’ve been working at temporary jobs - mostly construction - to earn a few bucks here and there. Got bored in the US, so decided to try Europe for a while.”
“Do you like that kind of lifestyle?” Marie asked curiously. She’d never contemplated just going wherever she wanted - not that she ever could. Compared to Logan, she was a bird in a gilded cage.
“I did at first,” he replied - then added wistfully, “But lately it’s become a little lonely.”
Marie understood what he meant because even though she was constantly surrounded by people, she often felt alone. She put her hand over his and gently rubbed it reassuringly.
“Have you thought about going home and getting a conventional job again?”
“About a week ago I got a call from my old boss. They’ve concluded their inquiry and I’ve officially been cleared - so they want me back. I just don’t know if I can.”
“I’m sure that ultimately you’ll make the right decision,” she said confidently.
“Well, you have more faith in me than I do,” he replied sadly.
“Oh, Logan,” she murmured before leaning over and tenderly kissing him.
~*~*~*
They arrived in Berlin to find the Love Parade had already begun. Marie realized that trying to find Kitty amidst the massive crowd was probably going to be impossible unless she could find a landmark spot to meet. Once again refusing Logan’s offer to let her use his cell phone, she went off to find a payphone instead.
She found a phone and dialed Kitty’s cell. They arranged to meet by the Brandenburg Gate - which was less than a mile from Marie’s current location. Even though Logan hadn’t moved from where she’d left him, she still had a hard time finding him again.
She finally spotted him and pushed through the throng of people. He had his back to her and was on his phone as she approached.
“Rogue’s fine. I’ll deliver her to the extraction point within the next five minutes,” he was telling whomever he was speaking to.
“What the hell is going on?” she shouted, which caused Logan to abruptly turn around and almost drop the phone. She’d obviously caught him off-guard having a conversation she was not supposed to overhear.
“I can explain,” he started to say as he hung up and put the phone back into his pocket.
“Who are you?” she demanded - on the verge of tears.
“I’m Secret Service,” he confessed.
“Damn you,” she blurted out as she slapped him across his cheek before turning and running off.
Logan attempted to chase after her, but the crowd of people pushing and shoving their way down the boulevard kept blocking him.
“Marie!” he yelled, though it was futile - his voice drowned out by the noise of the festivities.
Marie was shoving her way through the crush of bodies, her vision blurred by tears. The mystery of his surreptitious calls had unfortunately been solved. He’d been working for her parents all along - spying on her and reporting back to them.
Her luck was about to go from bad to worse as a couple of American guys recognized her and started to harass her. Above her she heard the sound of a helicopter and looked up to see it had the official Presidential seal on its side. The Calvary had arrived. The crowd parted to allow it to land - and Marie saw Jean, followed closely by Scott - step out.
“Hey, can I ride in your steel coach, Princess?” one of the young men hassling her asked mockingly as he grabbed her around the waist.
Scott started running toward her, but Logan beat him there. He hauled the guy off of her and laid him out flat with a quick punch to his jaw. Then he scooped Marie up. Too stunned at being publicly mauled and conceding that she was going to be returned to her father, she didn’t struggle as he walked toward the other two agents. Marching past Scott and ignoring Jean as well, he placed her into the helicopter himself.
“Thank you, Agent Howlett,” Jean told him as she climbed back onboard - which he ignored and simply ambled away from them. Even though his general demeanor was enough to suggest that something was off, he was also projecting sufficiently for her to catch fragments of his thoughts. She debated on whether or not to mention anything to the President.
Once Scott was also inside and secured in his seat, the helicopter took off - leaving Logan behind. With conflicted feelings, Marie watched out the window until he was just a mere speck on the ground.
Three months later ~
Marie had settled into life at Princeton with relative ease. She was still constantly surrounded by Secret Service agents, but was resigned to dealing with them. Kitty had joined her at school, so at least she had a friend who understood the life of a child of a diplomat.
Now she was home for the holidays and helping to decorate the Christmas tree in the family’s private quarters.
“I don’t think I can lift you up to put the angel on the top,” Erik told her almost wistfully - remembering all those years he’d hoisted his daughter up in his arms so that she could place Raven’s family heirloom atop the tree.
“I’ll always be your little girl,” she told him as she kissed his cheek.
“Hot chocolate,” Raven announced as she entered the room carrying a tray with three steaming mugs.
“Is ours spiked?” Erik asked hopefully.
“Of course,” his wife replied with a smile.
“Nice example you two are setting … getting sloshed while doing something as innocent as decorating for the holidays,” Marie joked.
Suddenly changing the subject - and the lighthearted mood, Erik said, “Marie, I need to talk to you about Logan.” It was the first time his name had been mentioned since they’d returned from Europe. She hadn’t wanted to hear their excuses for having her secretly guarded and she didn’t wish to divulge just exactly how close she’d gotten to him - so she pretended not to be bothered when the whole issue was mercifully dropped.
“What about him?” she asked casually, trying not to sound too curious.
“As you’re transferring to Cambridge next semester, I thought you should know that he’s in London.”
“Is he pretending to be Kate Middleton’s friend while sneakily reporting back to the Queen?” she asked. Apparently her bitterness was not as suppressed as she’d thought and it was seeping through in her tone. Logan had dangerously overstepped his bounds by sleeping with her. She had an almost desperate yearning to believe it was because he’d really wanted her, which had given him the courage to toss protocol out the window - and not simply a ploy just to gain her trust. But then, when she recalled he could've taken advantage of her at Lorenzo and Sophia's - but he didn't - she was back to feeling conflicted and confused
Understanding that his daughter was still hurt - and not quite sure how to comfort her, Erik just said, “He didn’t want to be reinstated as an agent and officially resigned. He’s in England building houses for Habitat For Humanity.”
“Oh,” was all Marie could muster. Despite how it had ended, she knew deep down that he was the decent person she’d grown close to during their European adventure.
Erik didn’t need Jean Grey’s assistance to figure out that something had happened between his daughter and Logan. He was disappointed that Howlett decided not to resume his duties - because prior to the accident, he’d been one of their best agents. Even before the investigative commission had cleared him, Erik already knew that he’d tried valiantly to save Kirk. The limo had been outfitted in bulletproof glass and even an adamantium-covered fist couldn’t break it. The vehicle that had been designed to protect life became a coffin for everyone inside as it sank beneath the ice. Logan’s healing factor was the only thing that ultimately saved him. If his daughter had fallen for this honorable man, he knew she would always be in good hands.
Epilogue ~
Marie found herself in a field in Maidstone, Kent where a crew of men who seemed oblivious to the frigid weather was constructing a row of small modest homes.
The nearby pond was frozen over, but in an attempt to break the figurative ice, she said, “I was trying to get to the Love Parade in Berlin, but I think I made a wrong turn at Spain.”
Putting down his hammer and turning to her, Logan replied, “Are you really, really late for last year’s event or super early for this year’s?”
“This year’s. I just wanted to make sure I staked out a good spot along the route,” she answered, “I sorta left the last one a lot earlier than I’d planned.”
“Damn kidnappers,” he replied - referring to their first encounter in Prague - a smile starting to crease his handsome features.
Marie returned the smile - even as tears started to pool in the corners of her eyes.
“Did you miss me?” he asked as he moved closer to her.
“Not really,” she responded unconvincingly.
“I don’t believe you,” he whispered against her ear.
“Just shut up and kiss me,” she ordered.
“Are they gonna shoot me if I do?” he inquired - gesturing toward Scott and Jean who were standing stiffly next to the car.
“Only one way to find out,” Marie told him as she grabbed a hold of his shirt and pulled him toward her.
They melted into a passionate kiss.
THE END
Author’s Note: This story is based on the general premise of the movie “Chasing Liberty” - starring Mandy Moore as Anna Foster and Matthew Goode as Ben Calder.
I didn’t want to disclose that in my author’s notes at the beginning because I wanted to keep Logan’s true identity a secret from the readers - and that might have been compromised if someone was familiar with that movie’s plot or got curious and decided to do some research. In that film, the audience was privy to Ben’s real agenda - which I thought was a mistake by the scriptwriters. So I decided to withhold that revelation until the end of my story. If you hadn’t already guessed the truth before then, I hope in retrospect, you’ll realize that I sprinkled clues along the way. The Secret Service Agents that Scott & Jean portrayed figured quite prominently in the movie - eventually realizing that they were in love. But I didn’t want to include them in the main narrative of this fic for two reasons ~ In the film they followed Anna & Ben throughout Europe, but in my story I couldn’t find a way to explain how Scott & Jean always knew Marie’s location without tipping my hand that they had ‘inside info’ and also because I wanted to focus on Logan & Marie’s relationship. Thank you for reading my latest offering.