X-men: Mutant Awakening (Ch. 13)

Author's Note: I could have sworn I posted it last night! Apologies to everyone who was expecting a new chapter then. Big thanks to deathklat and Kindar for his help with suggestions, beta-reading and the like.

Chapter 13

Logan stood stupefied at the empty bed. Where the hell was Tad? Did I do something wrong? I was just teasing him... How did I scare him? I thought he was starting to relax with me...

Logan flinched as a loud rapping came from the door, and Brenda's voice call out sharply. "Let me in!" He hurried to unlock and open the door to see her run in breathlessly.  

Brenda caught her breath, took one look around, and ground her teeth in frustration. "Dammit. Logan -- you're coming with me. I know where he's gone." She made a beeline for Tad's pants, then dug out his keys and wallet. "I know where he's going."
Logan frowned, still confused but now there was something he could grab ahold - getting to Tad. "...Where?"

Brenda stared at him and growled in exasperation. "He went home. I saw where he was going in my mind - Now, come on!"

Logan shook off his confusion and hurried behind Brenda as she left the room.

* * *

Following her directions, Logan was behind the wheel of a car, and burning rubber toward Tad's house.

About twenty minutes into the journey, Brenda had snuck quick glances at Logan. His mood hadn't improved much yet, but there was something worrying Logan. She wondered what had made Tad so frightened, and it looked like Logan might have done something. "Logan - what happened back there? What did you do?"

Logan felt flustered because it was like he couldn't keep anything private around Brenda. He blurted out, feeling defensive. "Nothing! Stay out of it." 

Brenda bore the brunt of Logan's emotional chaos, and decided to swallow her next question.

"...Sorry." Several tense moments later, She fiddled at her shirt, and frowned. "Dammit, I hope he's alright..."

Logan gripped the steering wheel tightly. After a minute's silence, he spoke gruffly. "So, where does he live?"

Brenda frowned. Logan was being evasive but now wasn't the time to pry any further. "Pendelton. It's just a hour and half up this highway."

Logan blinked and stared at her with an incredulous expression. "That far?! Fuck that!" With a determined expression, he pressed down on the gas, speeding them down the highway at around 95 miles a hour.

Brenda was flattened against her seat as the car roared it's way down the highway. She was profusely thankful that there was nothing for Logan to avoid, and they weren't due to hit a town for at least a half hour.

* * *

Brenda made sure to warn Logan to slow down every time she began to sense individual people ahead of them. She figured they were probably cops and didn't want to risk them getting caught. She had no clue if Tad was still breathing or not, and hoped they weren't too late.

Logan had a scowl deepening on his face of annoyance at having to reduce speed, but he supposed that Brenda was probably trying to keep them from being flagged down. He viewed it as a minor nuisance, compared to feeling the urgency of getting back to Tad -- to make sure he was ... alive. Logan wasn't sure what he'd do when he got there.

At last, they reached the outskirts of Pendelton; Logan slowed down enough to drive slightly above the city's speed limits. He frowned, looking around. "Now where's his house?"

She gave directions and within five minutes they pulled up onto Tad's driveway. Brenda jumped out of the car, and nearly ran to the door. Fumbling into her pocket she dug out Tad's keys, and tried them until she found the right one.

Logan was not far behind her, and he itched to slice the lock right off then smash the door down. It was only when Brenda slid the key into the lock and turned it to her satisfaction, that Logan growled. "Well? Open the door!"

Logan shouldered past her, roughly pushing her aside as she swung the door open.

Brenda's protest died in her throat as she saw Tad laying facedown and not moving on the living room floor. She paled and rushed over to kneel at Tad's side. Once there, she tested for his pulse, and felt relief. Through her touch, she had felt flashes of emotions along with fragmented imagery that made no sense, but it told her one thing -- he was sleeping.

Logan felt relief flooding through him at seeing Tad alive and unharmed, yet a part of him was irked. What is it about Tad that keeps pushing my buttons?  He shook his head, then inhaled the scents of the house. Hmm, that's odd. You'd think more people would spend time here... The only scent here mostly is Tad's, but I recognize Ororo and Brenda's, and other than us three, no one's been here in ages.

Brenda gently turned him over, and looked up at Logan worriedly. "We can't just carry him out to the car like this. What would the neighbors think? He should be at the mansion so we can run a check-up, just in case."

Logan crouched down, and grunted. "Yeah, well, now's not the time. I'll put him in his bed. He'll be more comfortable there. Then you can ask him when he wakes up."

Brenda frowned at Logan. She didn't see any other way to make it look less suspicious to any nosy neighbors. "Okay. That makes sense. I should let the Professor know where we are."

Logan nodded his head, and slid his arms under Tad's body, and stood up. "You do that. Where's his bedroom?" Logan found it easy to pick him up and hold him. 

Brenda nodded, and walked to the phone. "Umm, he went right in the hallway, I think, last time I was here." She picked up the receiver, and punched the number for the mansion as Logan carried Tad away into the hall.

* * *

He'd tried not to knock down any pictures off the walls, as he found the bedroom in short order. Logan laid Tad down onto the bed, and stepped back with a reluctant sigh. The whole room was suffused with Tad's scent, and Logan didn't want to leave. It varied in strength in the other rooms but it still was always present in every room.

He tore his gaze away from Tad, then looked around the room, and noticed a computer, and assorted computer accessories on a desk behind him. An idle thought ran through his mind. His scent is fairly strong in here, but why didn't he just teleport in here? Maybe there's just more room in the living room.

Logan gazed back at Tad again, and another thought at the back of his mind nagged at him. He shook his head and shut his eyes tightly in self-recrimination. It's my fault -- I was just teasing him. Dammit. I was just getting him to trust me... He opened his eyes after a couple seconds, then exhaled, shaking his preoccupation off. He leaned down slightly, and rested his fingers on Tad's stubbled cheek, then pulled his hand back forming it into a fist. He growled under his breath in frustration, then left the bedroom. Before reaching the living room area, he took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. He stepped into the living room and saw Brenda hanging up the phone. He stepped toward her and asked gruffly. "Well?"

Brenda smiled, and shrugged. "He's happy we're looking after him, and told us to stay here -- there's nothing that they need us for at the moment."

Logan nodded, and sat down on the couch, putting his feet up. He looked right at the TV. "Hopefully he's got cable or something. It'll be a slow day if he sleeps all day."

Brenda sighed. "Yeah."

* * *
Logan felt the onset of restlessness after a couple hours of watching TV, while lounging in a chair. Nothing seemed to interest him, and he could hear Tad's gentle snoring. He was hankering for some beer and maybe some snacks, so he left the chair without another word and wandered into the kitchen.

He looked around the spacious kitchen, then made a beeline for the refrigerator and poked his head inside. He grumbled, seeing that there was nothing in it other than some milk and condiments. Logan shut the fridge, and walked out from the kitchen, "Looks like we'll have to scrounge for grub if we're gonna eat at all."

Brenda pulled her gaze from the TV, and blinked at Logan. "Oh. I completely forgot about food. I thought he'd have some but I guess he must have meant to go shopping two days ago. No telling when Tad'll wake up." She stood up and leaned over to the TV to turn it off, then turned around with a speculative frown on her face. "Hmm. I guess one of us will have to go shopping."

Logan snorted, with his arms crossed, and nodded toward the bedroom. "So, I'll stay here and keep an eye on him."

Brenda grinned. "Uh huh, I see. I'll go. I've been here a couple times -- should be easy to find a store around here. Anything you want in particular? I was thinking some frozen entrees or snacks of some kind."

Logan knit his brows together in thought, then shrugged.  "Tad'll probably want some Diet Coke. Me? Just a few beers and whatever you like for food. I'm not picky."

Brenda chuckled, then started walking toward the front door, remembering to pick up Tad's keys by the phone. "Yeah, I've seen you shovel food sometimes. Okay. I'll get a few things." She paused to look at him with curiosity. "Hey, how'd you know he drinks that?" She suddenly looked slyly at him. "Were you eavesdropping the other night?"

Logan scowled in annoyance, and unbent enough after a few seconds of silence. "No! He wanted one when I offered to buy him something to drink."

Brenda grinned, privately amused at Logan's irritation then made her way to the door. "Uh huh, I see. I'll be back soon."

Logan watched the door shut behind her, and cursed softly under his breath. He realized he was completely alone with Tad in the other room. "Great. Now what?"

* * *

Logan found himself exploring the house for all of five minutes; he was idly poking around, and not really sure why he was doing it. Perhaps it was out of boredom, but he was also curious about what Tad's life was like. He saw photos on the wall of what was presumably Tad at a younger age with his parents, along with other possible family members. Tad looks like he had a happy childhood... I wonder what mine was like.

Turning left, he went through a short hallway going past the bathroom and stopped at a patio door just beyond it. Looking outside, he saw a small backyard hedged in with a tall wooden fence with a couple lawn chairs under a broad tree trunk. Sliding the door open, Logan stepped onto a small rectangular concrete platform, and gazed around the backyard.

Inhaling the fresh air, he reached into his pocket, and dug out another cigar. Starting it, he took a few drags, then headed to the lawn chair, and settled himself into it. Looking up and around, he smiled, and relaxed if only for a second. Time spent at the mansion rarely gave him time to just relax -- he was always training or teaching, or on a mission for Xavier.

Being here was a momentary respite from all that, yet he felt some dissatisfaction. Logan frowned, and laid his head back against the chair, looking up at the tree branches swaying in the wind. What am I looking for? Am I really attracted to Tad, or is he simply a look-alike from my past? Maybe I should find out. So much for promising myself to not get involved. He brooded, and smoked in silence for fifteen minutes before clearing the cobwebs from his brain.

Logan extinguished his cigar, and tucked it away before walking back inside the house. He started for the living room, then changed his mind and walked toward Tad's bedroom. Pausing outside the door, he rested his hand on the archway, and exhaled softly. He stepped inside, turned the chair at the desk around and sat in it, then watched him sleep.

Logan exhaled sharply after five minutes of staring at Tad, and wondering what the hell he was doing. I shouldn't even be in here. I hope I don't wake him up. Logan's hand slowly reached out to caress Tad's stubbled cheek with a feather-light touch.

The sensation of Tad's facial hair felt electric to his fingers, provoking an immediate tightening in his pants. Logan felt light-headed, and found himself leaning even further toward Tad, focusing on his lips. He idly wondered what it'd be like to kiss Tad. A moment later, Logan heard the door swing shut. A flash of irritation swept through him at her timing. Dammit, Brenda's back already. Of all the lousy timing...

A second later Logan thought to himself that it probably was a good thing. Taking a relaxing breath, he felt the tension subside enough to not be noticeable, so he stood up and left the bedroom.
Logan's ears caught a low whisper as he was turning the corner into the living room. "Logan." He paused with a frown. Did I wake Tad?  He stayed there a minute listening to Tad and could only hear the same breathing pattern as before. He shook his head, and continued into the living room.

* * *

Tad snored lightly, then shifted to his side wearing a small smile on his face.

(TBC)

(Previous Chapter) (Next Chapter)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Grizzly Science - Ch. 1