Logan walked down the small path that led from the mansion to the shores of Breakstone Lake, following her scent. He didn't want to be down here, following Alex, but after the latest training session it was a matter of necessity that he talk to her.
Something was bothering the woman and normally he wouldn't care, but she had lost her temper and almost attacked him. Not like that was any different from most of the women he knew, but she was a member of the team and they couldn't afford to have teammates attacking each other. As far as he was concerned, she could keep attacking him, he'd welcome the challenge, but the team mattered more.
He found her sitting on the banks of the lake, staring out across the water. At least she wasn't a roof person, he thought as he slowly approached her, making enough noise to not surprise her. Stopping next to her, he pulled out a cigar and struck a match against his boot heal, not even glancing down at her.
Alex heard someone approaching, but didn't turn to look. It was probably Summers coming to give her a lecture about the little scene in the Danger Room. At this point she didn't want a lecture, but she knew deserved one, or even worse. She had lost control of her emotions, lashing out in anger only a heartbeat away from attacking Logan.
When he didn't say anything, she glanced up; expecting to see Summers standing there, but instead saw Logan. Logan. The last person she wanted to deal with right now. He was the reason why she had lost her temper and had lashed out. Anger spiked and she reined it in. She wasn't going to lose control again.
"So what's yer problem with me?" he looked down at her, blue eyes meeting green.
She arched an eyebrow. "Problem?"
"Yeah problem. The only thing I've done to ya is save yer life an' I get in return is the cold shoulder an' attackin' me. I might begin ta think ya want m' body the way yer actin' since only the women who want it, attack me. But, if ya ask nicely, I'll let ya skip that part an' let ya have it."
Alex glared at him, wanting nothing more than to wipe that smirk off his face. Her hands clenched into fists, the anger building inside of her just waiting to be unleashed again. Want his body? Nope, not in the slightest, unless you counted wanting to use it to release some anger by beating on it.
"So what's yer problem?"
"Look, Logan. We don't have to like each other; we just have to be able to fight next to each other. Can we just leave it at that?" she managed to say between clenched teeth.
"No, we can't. We ain't goin' ta be just fightin' next to each other. I need ta know if I can rely on you ta watch my back when I need it. Fightin' next ta each other just doesn't cut it. So what's yer problem?
"I'm a professional soldier, Logan. I don't have to like someone in order to watch their back. You watch mine and I'll watch yours."
"Then maybe ya should start actin' like one." A long draw on his cigar sent smoke curling up around his head. "The X-men are a team an' a family. This problem that ya have with me is goin' ta affect them. Can't have that. So what is it?"
Her eyes narrowed and she stared at him, anger threatening to slip from her control. "You killed ...." She stopped suddenly. -He- didn't kill her parents, his counterpart did.
Logan absently puffed on his cigar, waiting for her to continue.
She stared into his blue eyes for a few moments. The color of his eyes alone drove the fact that he wasn't the one who killed her parents into her brain. A deep breath allowed her to reassert some control over the turbulent emotions inside of her. "I didn't realize until now that it wasn't you." She sat up a little straighter. "I'm sorry for the way I've been acting toward you. Please accept my sincerest apologies."
"Knock of the polite crap. Now what's yer problem Alex? If ya can't or won't tell me, don't expect me ta like it."
"I don't care if you like it or not. Do you think I liked it when my parents were killed right in front of my eyes when I was five years old?"
"What in the hell are ya talkin' 'bout?"
"You....No. Your double in my world killed my parents right in front of my eyes." She took a deep breath, slowly letting it out and with it more of her anger. "I know it wasn't you, but it doesn't mean I have an easy time dealing with you. Irrational I know it is, but I guess even I have irrational moments from time to time."
He bit off a remark about her naturally being irrational because she was a female. She was at least attempting to apologize and trying to be civil. He sat down on the ground next to her. "Want ta talk 'bout it?"
She stared out across the lake, watching the sunlight play upon the surface of the water. "Where I come from, mutants serve the government. Military or civil service, either way they serve, or they die. Not all wanted to serve and they were hunted down and killed. Rabbits we called them. My parents made the decision not to serve when I was two. We went into hiding, but were found three years later. My parents were killed and my sister and I were separated and thrown into foster homes. The man leading the squad that killed my parents was your double."
"So ya have a problem with me cause my double killed yer folks?"
"When I saw you down in the medlab when I woke up, I thought you were a ghost. When I was younger, more naïve and believed everything I was told, I ran across Logan while on a mission and by then he was a rabbit. We had standing orders to kill rabbits. One of us walked away from there alive. I had my revenge, justice, whatever you want to call it. Seeing you brought back everything at once. The pain of losing my parents, the pain of being separated from my sister, the fear of being alone and the rage that I had inside of me, it all came back. Irrational, I know, but emotions are just that. I'm sorry, Logan. You don't deserve to be treated the way I've been treating you. Please accept my apologies and believe me when I say I will try to be more amicable toward you."
He nodded, finally understanding in part, her problem with him. "It's a start. Ya can make it up ta me tonight at Harry's."
"Harry's?"
He shrugged. "A place we go ta kick back a bit. Ya haven't been out since ya got here two weeks ago."
"I'll consider it."
It wasn't a no, but it wasn't a yes. Logan blinked. Why in the hell should he care if she said yes or no? He was just trying to make peace for the benefit of the team, not trying to find a date. Shaking his head, he stood up and offered out a hand. "C'mon. Summers wants us all in the Danger Room in five."
"Already?"
Logan nodded. "Seems like our last one was cut short."
Alex looked away and sighed. "So, you were the lucky one who got stuck coming to tell me?"
"I volunteered."
Alex turned to look at him again. "Why?"
He shrugged. "Wanted ta see what yer problem with me was. Ya comin'?" He offered the hand again.
Alex stared at the offered hand. He was right and she hated to admit it. The transference of the problem that she had with his double to him would affect the team and could possibly cause someone to be injured, or even worse, killed. The only solution was to get over it and she would, eventually. He was also right about her not acting like a professional. It just wasn't like her to lose control so easily, not after spending so many years in the military. Years had passed since the last control slip, but here she was having problems on almost a daily basis. Why?
Her eyes slowly moved across his palm to his forearm and up his arm. Muscles rippled under skin and dense black hair and she found herself taking a deep breath. Eyes moved from his arms to his broad chest. The black tee he wore was stretched tightly and the outline of well defined muscles moved under the fabric.
Alex blinked when she found herself staring at his chest and biting her lower lip. What in hell was she doing? Shaking her head, she pulled herself up off of the ground, ignoring the offered hand. Whatever the hell was wrong with her, she wished it would just go away.
A quick glance at Logan and she turned to walk back to the mansion. A good Danger Room workout was just what she needed. Hopefully it would help to get her mind refocused and get her centered again. She didn't like feeling so out of control of herself.
Logan watched her walk towards the mansion, the corners of his mouth turning up. Her eyes traveling over his body didn't go unnoticed; neither did her biting her lower lip. He was having more of an effect on her than she was letting on, and that pleased him. It made her seem more human, something more than the stiff soldier she wanted everyone to believe she was.
