“Ah’m goin’ t’ do it.”
Logan’s eyes practically bulged out of his head when he heard that. He turned to glare at Marie, unable to believe what he had just heard. Never in a million years would he have thought that Marie would actually agree to allow Erik to turn her into a mutant. They had hurt him because he was a mutant and now Marie was going to put herself in his situation.
“Are you quite certain, my dear?” Erik inquired, setting his fork down on the table and placing his elbows on the table, his hands clasped in front of his face. “You are under no obligation whatsoever. Your loyalty to his young man has been more than proven.”
“This has nothin’ t’ do with loyalty,” Marie insisted, glancing over at Logan with a slight smile playing on her lips. “Ah saw what they did t’ Logan. Ah watched them hurt Logan just ‘cause he was a mutant. Ah don’t wanna see that happen again. Not t’ Logan or anyone else. Ah want t’ help yer cause.”
“But you can help without mutating your body,” Erik pointed out and Logan, unable to find his voice, nodded in agreement.
Marie glanced down at her lap, fiddling with her hands. “Ah know that Ah don’t hafta. Ah am well aware of the fact that Ah don’t hafta do this. Ah want t’, though.”
“No!” Logan shouted, once again in possession of his voice.
All eyes were on Logan then. While a large part of him wanted to shirk away from the sudden attention, he faced them all down, the bulk of his focused on Marie.
“Logan, this is somethin’ Ah wanna do,” Marie told him, placing a hand on his arm.
“But if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t even be considering this,” Logan growled. “You don’t know anything about this thing that he wants to do to you. For all you know, you could end up with some horrible mutation that will wreck your entire life. I can’t let you do that.”
Marie’s face softened at his words and she reached up to cup his cheek. “Ah’m touched that yer worried ‘bout me, but this is mah decision, Logan. An’ Ah’ve decided that Ah wanna do this. So that next time, if somethin’ happens t’ ya, Ah can do more than just watch ‘em hurt ya.”
“You shouldn’t have to do that because of me,” Logan insisted. “I’m no one. I’m sure as hell not worth risking your life over. I’m no one.”
“That’s not true, Logan!” Marie cried, her already large eyes growing even wider. “Yer not a no one. Yer Logan an’ Ah care ‘bout ya a lot.”
Logan backed away from her, pushing himself from his seat. “I won’t let you do that for me, Marie. I don’t deserve it. I never will.”
In the ensuing silence, Logan stormed out of the dining hall. He was about ready to snap and didn’t want to take his anger out on Marie. Not when she really hadn’t done anything to deserve it. Marie was only trying to help him. It was in her nature to help and that was exactly what she was doing. Logan just wished that he could make her understand that he wasn’t worthy of that kind of help. He would never be worthy of Marie. The sooner he could make her realize that, the better off she would be.
“Watch where you’re going, runt,” the gargantuan blonde-haired man that had been introduced to him as Victor grumbled as Logan crashed into him upon stepping into the hallway.
“Sorry, bub,” Logan grumbled, continuing down the hallway without a backwards glance.
Logan stalked wordlessly down the corridors towards the room that he was sharing with Marie. He heard light, rapid footsteps behind him and sped up. He knew that if he allowed her, Marie would convince him that her becoming a mutant was a good thing. Logan couldn’t allow her to put herself in danger like that. She had kept him safe and now Logan was going to return the favour.
“Logan, Ah know that ya can hear me. Please turn around so that we can discuss this,” Marie pleaded as Logan stormed down the corridor.
“What’s to discuss?” Logan shouted back, not stopping or facing her. “You want to do something that could destroy your life for all we know and you’re not letting me talk you out of it. So why bother talking?”
“Because Ah want ya t’ understand why Ah’m doin’ this. Really understand.”
Logan shook his head as he stepped into their room. “It doesn’t matter whether I understand or not. You’re still going to do it. No matter what I say, you’re going to do it so it doesn’t matter whether I understand your reasons.”
Logan barely noticed that the bed had been made while they were gone before flopping down on his back. He flung one arm over his eyes and the other across his stomach. Logan just wanted to block out the world. Pretend that Marie hadn’t just agreed to become a mutant.
Hearing the swish of the automatic door opening again, Logan brought his feet up on the bed and desperately tried to ignore Marie’s scent as it drifted across the room towards him. She smelt like sunshine and flowers, a combination that Logan found completely intoxicating.
“Logan, please let me explain,” Marie begged as she sat down next to Logan on the bed. She placed her hand on his arm and Logan could sense her surprise when he didn’t pull his arm away.
“What’s to explain,” Logan grumbled softly, his anger turning into confusion. “You want to give up your life, put yourself in incredible danger, for no reason at all.”
“Ah do have a reason,” Marie murmured, smoothing her hand up and down his arm. “An’ Ah happen t’ think that yer a very good reason fer doin’ this.”
“I’m not a reason, I’m a fucking science experiment,” Logan growled, pulling his right hand away from his face and holding it very close to Marie’s face. The claws sprang free, mere centimeters from the tip of her nose and Marie jumped back, a frightened yelp escaping her. “Is this what you want, Marie? Do you want them to cut you open? Stick metal in you? To them, all you’ll be is a mutant. A new test subject that they can cut up and experiment on. Do you really want that?”
Instead of running away in fear like Logan had half expected her to do, Marie grabbed hold of his wrist and stood up. She didn’t walk away. Marie only stood up long enough to swivel her body so that she could straddle his waist. As she looked down at him, Marie’s face was filled with so much concern and love that it threw Logan for a loop. The claws slid back in without him even being fully aware of it. All that Logan knew was that he’d never been looked at by someone in such a way. There had been lust in the eyes and in the scent of all the other females in the compound they were at now, but there was no lust in Marie’s gaze. It was love.
“Ah know that what Ah want t’ do is very dangerous, Logan,” Marie told him softly. “Ah’m not foolish enough t’ think otherwise. Ah also know that bein’ a mutant isn’t a curse like ya seem t’ think it is. It’s a gift. Ah want t’ share that gift. Ah also want t’ have the ability t’ protect ya if we get in some trouble again. Ah felt so helpless watchin’ them do all those horrible things t’ ya yesterday. There was nothin’ that Ah could do an’ Ah don’t want it t’ stay that way. Ah wanna be able t’ stop them from hurtin’ ya.”
“Marie....” Logan moaned, squeezing his eyes shut tight.
Logan could feel Marie’s body weight shift as she leaned forward. Eyes still shut, he sensed Marie pressing her hands against the mattress on either side of his head. Her face was inches above his and it was all that Logan could do to remain completely still.
“Please tell me that ya understand, Logan,” Marie whispered, her breath warm against his skin. “Ah’m gonna do this with or without yer blessin’, but Ah’d prefer it if Ah knew that ya were on mah side.”
Everything in Logan’s mind was screaming at him to tell her that he didn’t understand and that he never would. The rational part of his mind could not warp itself around that fact. However, the more primal, the more emotion-driven side of him understood completely. Were he in her position, Logan would do everything that he had to in order to keep her safe. Even if it meant altering his genetic make up.
“I get it,” Logan murmured at last, his hands sliding up her legs to rest at her hips.
Quite suddenly, Logan found himself locked in an intense, soul consuming kiss. Unsure of what to do with his hands, Logan simply grabbed onto her hips tighter, pretty sure that he was leaving behind bruises. Not that it mattered, though. The way that Marie was clutching at his shoulders was equally punishing.
Releasing one of his shoulders, Marie cupped the side of his face, kissing him lightly on the lips. That caught Logan’s attention and he opened his eyes to find Marie staring down at him, the love in her eyes drowning out everything else.
“Ah know that this prob’ly isn’t the best time t’ tell ya this, but Ah love ya, Logan,” Marie murmured, stroking his cheek lightly with her thumb.
Logan grinned, turning his face into her touch. “I already knew. Every time I look at you, I can see it. Which is good since I love you too. I don’t know how or why, just that I do.”
“Ya don’t need t’ know why, sugah,” Marie assured him, her smile lighting her face up. “Most o’ the time there’s no reason. It’s just somethin’ that yer heart decides without tellin’ ya the reason.”
Releasing her waist, Logan slid one hand to the back of her head, pulling her face down to his. In case something happened that he couldn’t stop, Logan wanted to make sure that he could remember the way that Marie felt in his arms. The way that she tasted. The way that she smelt. He just wanted to soak up her entire essence and pour it into himself.
As their lips and tongues danced together, Logan felt Marie tugging at the bottom of his shirt. He sat up, allowing her to pull the shirt from his body before wrapping his arms back around her waist and pulling her close. The feel of Marie’s hands dancing up and down his back and in his hair was mesmerizing. Logan tried to pour everything that he felt for Marie into the kiss, wanting her to know everything he felt for her that he couldn’t find the words to explain. Logan began to feel short of breath as he slipped his hands under the hem of her shirt to rub across her stomach. She arched against his sharply, creating an ache in the pit of his stomach. Following Marie’s lead, he removed her shirt the same way she’d taken off his. While he tossed her shirt to the floor, Marie undid the clasp of her bra and removed that as well.
Even though he had already seen Marie naked twice before, Logan was still completely transfixed by the sight of her bare skin. Lowering her onto her back, Logan nestled himself comfortably between her legs and began to press a series of kisses to her neck and shoulders. At the feel of her hands in his hair guiding his face towards her breasts, Logan didn’t try to deter her. Instead, he followed the path she set out, his lips playing with her left nipple when they found it.
The beating of her heart was so strong that Logan could feel it even though her skin. It was perfectly intune with his own heart beat.
“Logan.... Mmmmm.... Gawd, Logan. Please!” Marie moaned as he moved over to her right breast, nibbling lightly at the underside.
Assuming that he was doing the right thing, Logan continued to nuzzle her breast, taking the nipple in his mouth. Her breath was coming out in ragged pants by then and her scent had changed. Logan couldn’t get enough of it. He began trailing licks and kisses down her body, searching out the source of this new scent. Logan stopped to play with her belly button for a brief time, grinning as Marie squirmed when he dipped his tongue inside it.
When Marie’s jeans got in the way, Logan forced himself to sit up. Marie cried out at the loss and reached for him, her fingers brushing against his chest. Taking hold of one of her questing hands, Logan pressed a kiss to her palm before quickly removing her shoes and socks. The tiny part of his brain that was still functioning properly told him to take of his shoes and socks as well and he struggled to obey. Turning his attention back to the button of her jeans, Logan found that Marie already had them undone and was wiggling them off her hips. Logan helped her finish, taking her panties off with them.
Logan felt his breath leave his body as he stared down at Marie’s naked form.
“So beautiful,” he murmured, lying down again to pick up his exploration where he had left off.
“Logan... please,” Marie pleaded, capturing his face in her hands and pulling him back up so that he was stretched out overtop of her. Tilting her head up, Marie caught his lips in another kiss that sent his mind reeling.
Keeping on hand on his cheek, Marie trailed the other down his chest, scratching lightly, before stopping at the waist of his jeans. Before Logan’s mind could even register what was going on, Marie’s hand was in his jeans and her fingers were wrapped around him. Logan nearly roared at her gentle touch, but the sound never made it any farther than the inside of her mouth. Between Logan’s left hand and her feet, they got his jeans off him so that they were both lying naked on the bed, twined in each other’s arms.
“Marie....” Logan gasped as she began to stroke him, gliding his member through the liquid heat that was pouring from her body.
“Ah’ve got ya, sugah,” Marie whispered, wrapping her legs around his waist. Her hand left his erection only long enough for her to slid him into her body. Flexing his hips, Logan eased himself in the rest of the way.
Logan decided right then and there that he never wanted to leave her body. She fit around him perfectly, fluttering softly as she began to rock back and forth. Logan joined in the motion, cradling Marie in his arms as she tangled her fingers in his hair, holding his face against her the side of her throat as she bit into his shoulder. Wanting to taste more of her, Logan kissed a path from her throat back to her mouth, capturing her lips in a searing kiss.
Marie arched against his sharply, squeezing him tightly within her velvety sheath. Logan’s mind shut down then, his senses overloaded.
The only thing he was aware of was Marie’s voice when she whispered, “Ah love ya,” to him again.
“Thank you,” Logan moaned, straining against her.
Logan saw an explosion of lights behind his eyes then everything went dark.
When he became aware of himself again, Logan could feel Marie fluttering around his softening member. She was stroking his sweaty hair and pressed a kiss against the top of his head.
“I love you,” Logan murmured, lifting himself up so that he could kissed her swollen lips.
Cupping his cheeks, Marie placed a kiss on his cheek and forehead before pulling him down on top of her again. “Ah know ya do, sugah.”