She slept until early the next afternoon. As soon as
she was up, Wolverine prepared a large meal and insisted that she eat
as much as she could. Her face was pale and she was thinner than he
liked. When she had finished, he said,
"Darlin', I've got to go back inta town, ta let the
Professor know what's happened." Her already pale face blanched further.
"You don't hafta go, but I want ya ta stay inside until I get back."
"All right," she answered. They put away the dishes
then she watched from the window as he drove away. She went to her
room and took the box that held the psi-dampener from her closet.
Wolverine had given it to her the day after they arrived, but she had
never done anything with it. She got the tools from the shelf in the
kitchen and proceeded to take the unit apart, examining it minutely.
She wanted to know exactly how the hated device worked, though she
wasn't quite sure why.
"Wolvie!" Jubilee shouted when she saw Wolverine on
the telephone screen. "When're you guys comin' home?"
"I don' know, darlin'. You takin' care o' yerself?"
"Of course. I'm not a little kid, ya know."
"I know, darlin'. Is the Professor around?"
"Yeah. Hang on a sec." The screen went dark for a
moment as Jubilee transferred Wolverine's call to Professor Xavier's ready room.
"Logan, is everything all right? I read an article
this morning about an attempted robbery."
"Kid's shook up, but she'll be okay. She c'n take
care o' herself." He took a drag off his cigarette, then dropped it to
the sidewalk, crushing it under foot. "This's set us back a mite,
though. When I told her I was comin' inta town, she looked like I'd
asked her ta step inta a meat grinder."
"I see. I was hoping the two of you would be
returning soon. I received a ... disturbing call a few days ago."
Wolverine waited for the Professor to go on. "An old colleague of
mine, Curtis Richardson, called. He was quite unpleasant, insinuating
that I had stolen his research and demanding that I return his lab
materials. It was only after I cut him off that I realized he may have
been speaking of Star. His specialty was genetic engineering."
"Was?"
"Yes. The medical board revoked his license for
unauthorized experimentation with human subjects."
"Then ya think he's Star's 'Doctor'."
"The probability is high. The man has no ethics. I
have been trying to locate lab facilities that he may be using, but I
haven't had any luck so far."
"Let me know when ya find it. I wanna be in on this one."
"I will, Logan. Rest assured."
"Tell Jubilee I'll be seein' her soon."
"I will." Wolverine cut the connection and walked
across the street to the diner where Maudie and Harry were cleaning up
the wreckage. Maudie dropped her broom to embrace him as soon as he
entered the building.
"Is Star all right?"
"She's just fine, Maudie. Just didn't feel up ta a trip ta town today."
"Well, let me fix something for you to take back to
her. The kitchen wasn't damaged at all." Maudie disappeared through
the swinging door to the kitchen before Wolverine could answer her.
"How you two doin', Harry?"
"We'll manage. 'S not as bad as it looks, really.
Replace the glass an' patch the holes in the walls an' you'd never
know the place'd been shot up." He paused and leaned on his broom. "Ya
know, we came up here ta get away from the violence of the big cities,
but I guess ya can't run away from human nature." He swept up a pile
of broken glass, then said,
"I'm glad your girl's okay, Logan. I was afraid that goon 'd hurt her."
"She'll be fine, Harry."
"I know she will. She's a tough little gal, 'spite
of what Maudie thinks. No slouch in the guts department, either. She
deliberately distracted those guys. If she hadn't, they'd a started
shooting before they did. As it is, its a miracle nobody got hurt." He
grinned, "Nobody that counted, anyhow." Maudie bustled in with a large
bag and a small box filled with food.
"Good lord, Maudie. That's enough ta feed an army."
"Nonsense. Its just a few sandwiches and one o'
Harry's apple pies. You know how much that girl likes his pies.
Anyhow, it'd just go to waste here. It'll be a couple of days before
we open back up. Take that long to get the glass in."
"All right, Maudie. Thanks."
"Any time, Logan." Wolverine took the food from Maudie, then said,
"Listen, if you folks need any help gettin' the place fixed up again, just let me know."
"Shouldn't be any problem. The insurance will cover
most of the damage, and the place needed a new coat of paint anyhow.
Now you get on back to that little gal of yours. Don't want that pie
to cool off too much." Wolverine smiled. Harry had probably spent most
of the morning making that pie for Star. The talk about it 'going to
waste' had been pure bull.
Star was sitting at the table in the kitchen, the
electronics of the psi-dampener neatly placed around the nearly
dismantled unit. She was examining a circuit board when Wolverine
walked in with Maudie's packages. She put the circuit board down and
took the box from him, placing it on the counter.
"I thought you got rid o' that thing." She shook her head.
"No. I needed to understand how it works, but hadn't been able to bring myself to touch
it."
"Ya finished now?"
"Yeah," she smiled and swept the pieces into the
case, placing the whole thing in the closet with the tools.
The next few days were quiet. They went to town on
the day Harry and Maudie reopened their diner. Star asked Harry to
show her how to make an apple pie and he happily invited her into his kitchen.
"Now I know you've got some things to pick up,
Logan. Star'll be fine here. Harry'll keep her busy for a while.
Besides," Maudie said, "Harry reloaded the shotgun."
"All right, Maudie. I'll be right back." Wolverine
walked down the street to Mary's dress shop.
"Hi, Logan. Hang on a second." Mary disappeared into
the back room of her shop. She came back a moment later with two
brightly wrapped packages, one much larger than the other. She wrapped
them together in brown paper.
"I want you to see this the same time she does. I
think you'll both like it. Oh, by the way, I talked to Dave the other
day. He still had your measurements on file. You tux should be ready
in time for the dance."
"Thanks, Mary. I forgot all about it."
"I know."
"Where'd I be without you?" Mary just smiled at him.
He put the packages in the back of the jeep and went into the diner.
Later that afternoon, with the still hot apple pie in the back with
the packages and supplies, they drove back to the cabin. He put the
packages in his room. She didn't ask about them.
The next day was Christmas Eve. He started to
explain the celebration to her, only to discover that Maudie and
Jubilee, through her letters, had already done so. He brought the two
packages out and placed them next to the fireplace, well away from the
fire itself. The next time he noticed, there were three packages.
It had been a very dry autumn in the mountains and,
while the weather had steadily grown colder, there had been no snow.
That night it snowed. The silence of a snow blanketed world awakened
him and he got up to look outside. He was immediately aware of a cold
breeze blowing through his partially open door. He hurried to the door
and opened it all the way. The living room was freezing, the front
door standing open. He checked the other bedroom and the kitchen, but
Star was not in the cabin. The snow was several inches deep outside
but no tracks were visible. How long had she been gone? He dressed
quickly. Even he could only tolerate the cold for so long. As he
reached for his coat, he noticed hers hanging on the back of the coat
rack near the door. He shrugged into his coat and grabbed hers. It
couldn't be more than ten degrees outside. And without her coat, she
wouldn't last long. He had to find her quickly, but the snow had
completely covered her tracks and she was damned hard to scent in the
best of circumstances. He closed the door behind him so the cabin
would be warmer when he returned with Star.
Why would she have gone out? It had to be the snow.
She'd undoubtedly never seen it before. Which way, he thought, which
way would she have gone? He moved toward the back of the cabin, where
she'd played with the raccoon. He saw a faint indentation in the
snow, nearly invisible, but there none the less. A footprint. He
hurried through the trees, looking for other signs of her passage. He
found more prints, not quite so obscure. It began to snow more
heavily, but the tracks were becoming fresher. He was gaining on
her.
He finally found her in a clearing well behind the
cabin, kneeling in the snow, her arms out and her head thrown back in
a position of supplication. Or wonderment. Her eyes were closed. She
was dressed only in a thin night shirt, her feet and legs completely bare.
"Star," he called. She didn't respond. He moved
closer and touched one outstretched hand. Her skin was cold, and she
didn't respond to him. He wrapped her coat around her, pulling her to
her feet. She didn't resist him, but she didn't help either. He picked
her up, and carried her back through the woods.
The cabin had warmed up considerably, but was still
cool. He took her directly to the shower and, holding her with one
arm, turned the water on. He let her coat fall away from her body,
then supported her while the warm water streamed over her. She had
finally started to warm, though she was still cooler than he liked,
when the hot water ran out. He shut it off and peeled her wet clothing
from her. He wrapped her in a heavy towel and carried her to the
living room. He put her down on the couch and quickly built up the
fire in the fireplace. He rubbed her arms and hands then turned his
attention to her legs and feet. She was still very cold. She wasn't
unconscious, but she didn't seem to be aware, either. He grasped her
arms and shook her gently.
"Star, c'mon girl, wake up." Nothing. He shook her
harder, but she still didn't respond. He stripped his wet shirt off
and pulled her into his arms, turning with her toward the blazing
fire, hoping she would come back as her body warmed. Finally, she
stirred in his arms. He looked down at her and she smiled.
"Oh, Logan. It's so beautiful."
"What is, girl? What 'r you talkin' about?"
"There are no words," she said, her voice soft in
his head as she linked their minds and showed him. He was stunned by
the complexity of her awareness of the world. Every snowflake that
fell was a geometric sculpture, beautiful beyond words. He felt every
animal, sleeping or stirring, each a bright light. He felt the trees,
the plants, slumbering through the cold. He could feel the life in the
earth itself, old beyond measure, slow and steady but immensely
powerful. There was too much to assimilate all at once. He blacked out.
When he came to it took him a few moments to get his
bearings. He was aware of Star, her eyes anxious as she looked at him.
He shook his head sharply. Everything in the room seemed...dull
somehow, stunted. He felt oddly isolated.
"Is that how you see everything?" She nodded mutely.
"Can you...tone it down?"
"Yes."
"What happened to you?"
"The snow, it was so beautiful that I kept reaching,
I wanted to see it all." The towel had fallen away and she was
shivering violently. He put his arms around her, pulling her close
once more. Her skin was still cold. He leaned his back against the
couch, holding her.
"Show me again," he murmured. He felt her gently
reach into his mind and suddenly he could see again, though not so far
as before. The fire before them leaped and danced like a living thing.
The very air seemed alive. He knew it was still snowing even though
the windows were covered. He could feel every flake as it fell. He
stroked her hair and it was like silk, her skin as soft as velvet. She
looked up at him and her features were recognizable, though she seemed
to glow with an inner light. He bent his head and kissed her. The kiss
seemed to last an eternity and he could feel her body warming,
responding to him. He held her tightly and she clung to him, her
naked body pressed against him. His growing desire was matched by her
desire for him. He broke their kiss suddenly, pulling away from her.
"Logan" she whispered "I am not a child." She put
her arms around his neck and kissed him again. He didn't resist. Her
small breasts, bare against his chest, suddenly did not feel childlike
at all. He put his arms around her and pulled her against him once
more. Their minds still linked, they shared every caress, each touch
bringing them closer together, until at last, their bodies joined and
they were one physically as well as mentally. They made love before
the fireplace until at last, exhausted, they slept.
He woke as she gently withdrew from his mind. He
held her in his arms and felt a moment of regret. She looked at him
sharply, her eyes questioning.
"I'm s'posed ta be takin' care of ya, darlin'. Not takin' advantage of ya."
"Is that truly how you feel, Logan?" There was a
catch in her voice. He considered his feelings silently while she kept
her mind meticulously closed. After a moment he decided that his
regret stemmed from his previous losses and really had nothing to do
with the woman in his arms.
"No, darlin'. I guess not." He kissed her once more
and felt the unhappiness flow from them both.
Later, after they had eaten, he remembered the
dress. He gave her the two packages as she sat on the couch, watching
the fire burn. She stroked the box almost as if she could sense what
was inside. Perhaps she could.
"Go on an' open it." She tore the paper from the box
and opened it carefully. She stared at the carefully folded silver and
black cloth, her mouth open. She gently lifted the dress from the box,
running her hands over the cloth. She looked at him, her eyes shining.
"It's beautiful."
"Well, try it on." She scrambled to her feet and
held the dress before her. Then, with a sudden glance at him, she dashed for her room.
"Hey, wait a second!" She stopped short and turned
back to look at him. He laughed and tossed her the box containing the
shoes Mary had chosen. "Take this with you." She snatched the box out
of the air and disappeared into her room, the door closing silently behind her.
It was several minutes before she emerged, clad in
her new dress and shoes. She had brushed her hair and it lay
glistening about her shoulders. He stared at her, speechless. He got
to his feet and approached her. He gazed down at her and, finding his voice, said,
"You are absolutely the most beautiful woman I have
ever seen." She smiled radiantly up at him.
"Thank you, Logan." She twisted slightly and the
full skirt swirled about her legs. "I love it." She smoothed the
fabric with her hands. He put his hands on her waist and swung her
around, both of them laughing.
"I have something for you, too," she said suddenly.
He reluctantly released her and she turned to the third package by the
fireplace. He sat back on the couch, still marveling at her beauty,
and wondering how he had missed it before. She hesitantly extended the
package toward him and he caught her wrist, pulling her down next to
him as he took it from her. It was surprisingly heavy. At her silent
urging, he tore the paper away. It was a statue of himself, carved
from a single piece of dark wood. He touched it, amazed. The likeness was uncanny. She
had captured his very spirit in the wood. The statue almost seemed alive.
"Do you like it?" she asked at last.
"Darlin', I love it." He carefully placed it on the
small table near the door then pulled Star to her feet.
"Dance with me."
"I don't know how," she answered quietly.
"I'll teach you." Together, they danced.
[ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 ]
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