xp_logs | Logan and Angelo: You've Got a Fast Car

On Saturday morning, Logan goes down to the infirmary to pick Angelo up for his day trip. They talk about mutations, Marie, and mutual respect. And, for the first time ever, someone gets to hear how Logan and Marie met, from Logan's point of view.

Marie had asked him to take Angelo out for a drive, explaining that he was her friend and he needed some time out of the infirmary, so Logan finished his morning walk in the woods and headed downstairs. He knocked on the glass of the recovery room door and hoped Marie'd explained the plan to Angelo, too.

Angelo looked up with a smile, having expected Logan's arrival - Marie had, indeed, told him what she'd planned. Standing up, he walked to the recovery room door and opened it. "Hey."

"Hey." Logan waved toward the hall, noting that Angelo was dressed and seemed to be expecting him. "You ready t'go?"

"More than", Angelo assured him. "This place is drivin' me stir-crazy."

Logan headed down the hall toward the garage passageway, expecting Angelo to follow. "Yeah, I was down here, coupla months ago, for a coupla days. Wasn't awake for most of it... Don't really spend much time in there when I'm awake, though."

Angelo followed without comment, nodding. ""Don't blame you - 's freezin' down here, for one thing."

Logan laughed. "Cold never much bothered me," he said, pushing through the doors into the garage. "But I could never sit still long 'nough for 'em. An', y'know, not much they c'n do to heal me I can't do m'self."

Another nod. "Yeah. Must be a good power t'have. Could've used it myself."

Logan eyed the selection of cars. "Got quite a collection here," he commented, heading for a brand new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII. "This'll do." He slid in the driver's seat. "Yeah, 's got its upside," he admits, thinking of his ability to heal Marie.

Angelo got into the passenger seat. "Could say that for most of 'em."

Hitting the release on the garage door, Logan glanced at Angelo just before he stepped on the clutch. "Might want the seat belt," he commented, then threw the LanEvo in reverse and slid out of the garage at 40mph, executing a J-turn and continuing down the driveway. "Yeah," he continued casually, "What's yours again?"

Angelo put his seat belt on without looking, gazing out at the road. "I c'n stretch my skin out, pick stuff up with it. Pretty simple, really."

Passing through the gates, Logan glanced at Angelo. He had a hard time imagining how that would work, but he nodded. "Huh. Sounds useful." He shifted into third and pressed on the gas. "So...where're we goin'?"

Angelo blinked, having been so relieved to get out of the medlab he hadn't actually thought about that part. "Er. Quick visit to the mountains?"

Logan thought about how to get where Angelo was suggesting, then shrugged. "A'right. Make y'self comfortable, 's a long drive," he warned.

Angelo nodded, leaning back in his seat. "Sounds good to me. Really needed some fresh air."

"I know how y'feel," Logan said, nodding. A long drive. In complete silence? He sighed quietly. "So, you'n Marie're friends, huh?"

Angelo nodded, with a grin. "Marie's been great. She's helped me a lot with... stuff."

"She's good like that," Logan agreed, sliding between an H2 and an Excursion as he made his way off the on-ramp and onto the highway. "Likes helpin' people."

Angelo smiled. "Yeah, she's good people." He paused, working up the courage to say his next words, since he didn't know Logan too well. "You're good for her, y'know. You make her happy."

Logan's eyes widened and he struggled not to whip his head around to stare at Angelo. "I...Thanks, kid. I try."

Angelo nodded. "She told me... she said you give her back gifts of herself." He shrugged. "As her friend, how could I argue with that, even if I wanted to?"

Gifts of herself. Logan couldn't find anything to say to that, so he drove in silence for a few minutes. Eventually, he said, "'s no more'n what she gives me."

"And she wouldn't have it any other way", Angelo replied softly. "'s how she is."

Logan nodded, in completely agreement with Angelo. "She's always been like that, was th'first time I met 'er, too."

Angelo smiled, remembering his own first meeting with Marie, and the talks they'd had since. "Tell me about it?"

In some ways, Logan guarded those memories jealously, as though sharing them would make them less his own. But glancing at Angelo out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the boy didn't mean any harm. "She was so small. An' so fearless. Watched me beat the ever-livin' fuck outta some jackass in a cage fight, up in Alaska, then tried t'save me from 'im when he got pissed..."

Angelo laughed. "Sounds like her, all right. An' this was before she got the super-strength, yeah?"

Logan smiled, remembering. "She was just a kid. No super-strength, just the skin... When I pulled claws on 'im an' the bartender pulled a shotgun outta behind the bar, she still didn't run off. When I took off, she hopped in back of my truck. Dumb kid," he laughed, shaking his head. "She jus'saw me push six twelve-inch metal claws outta my hands an' she thinks I'ma good ride."

Angelo grinned. "Guess she knew you wouldn't turn her away..."

Logan looked at him in amusement, switching lanes to pass a Ford Taurus going 55mph in the fast lane. "I did."

Angelo raised an eyebrow. "But here you both are..."

Logan shrugged, chuckling. "Got no more'n a quarter mile away an' stopped t'let 'er in again."

Angelo nodded, oddly satisfied by the answer. "Why?" he asked simply, curious.

Logan's smile fell away and he focused on the road. "She jus'saw me threaten t'kill a man with my claws an' she didn't run away. She wasn't afraid of me."

Angelo glanced at him, understanding. "I get you. She's... somethin' special, is Marie. Nothin' seems t'faze her."

"Leastwise, not for long," Logan agreed, remembering that Angelo hadn't been around when Magneto-- Erik, he reminded himself, out of respect for Marie -- kidnapped her, or when Jean had died. "She's stronger'n anybody I ever met."

Another nod. "Nothin' but agreement here."

Logan glanced over at his passenger and grinned. "You're a'right, Angelo. You'n me'll get along jus'fine, I think."

Angelo grinned back, pleased to hear it. "Yeah, I think so too. You're not so bad yourself", he added with a chuckle.