THE ILLUSIONIST WOMAN

eight. A Getaway

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

XIMENA HAD MEANDERED HER way to the second floor balcony of Professor Xavier's Institution. It had been a day, more precisely -- fourteen hours, since her spontaneous rescue mission into Logan's mind-dream. Four in the morning looked good on the sky, but not on the bag under her eyes. Ximena was distraught, disturbed even.

The last memories of doing such a number on someone's mind left a deep sadness within her. Ximena was still mourning, even after all this time.

Wrapping herself in a quilted blanket, she stared out into the slowly brightening night sky. There was a chill about the air and for the first time in a while, she didn't seem to care.

For the second time in the span of a week, she thought about Daniel. And it hurt like hell.

"What are you doing out here?" The deep voice of Logan unnoticeably sent shivers down her spine. "It's cold." They hadn't formally spoken since she helped him. As soon as she woke them up, Ororo ushered her away to check her airways like the maternal figure she was.

Ximena appreciated, but now she couldn't help but want to be alone. Not that Logan knew her thoughts like Jean would, or even Professor Xavier.

Glancing over her shoulder in the night, she took her time observing his face and taunt muscles as he leaned against the doorway. An air of nonchalance surrounded him, but she could tell by a certain rigidness in his jaw that he was still dumbfounded by what happened.

"You're up late... or early, depending on how you look at it." Ximena bit her bottom lip, looking to her feet before meeting his eyes once more. "You look better," She hopelessly offered.

"Yeah, well. The ability to heal will do that to you," He shrugged, brushing off her compliment.

However, the Doctor tilted her head knowingly. Her voice a soft whisper in the early morning. "I didn't mean physically. I meant --" She tapped her head, lips quirking before melting into neutral just as quickly.

"You didn't answer my question."

Pushing off of the door hinge, he padded to her side. She felt the warmth radiating off of him and suddenly realized she was cold. Tightening the grip on her blanket, she averted her gaze to the night sky. Her rounded brown irises warming like honey in her sorrow. "It would be easier not to... I heard you've been asking for me all day. What's that about?"

Logan arched an eyebrow before stuffing a hand in his pocket to precure a cigarette. He fiddled with it between his thumb and forefinger, taking glances to the quieted woman beside him.

"I wanted to know what you saw. I wake up I've got nothing up here," He knocked he head with a fist. "Last thing I remember is Jean putting me under and you saving me from drowning."

Ximena sighed, knowing she couldn't be the one to tell him all the shit he went through. The experimentation. The torment. Her body stiffened with the tension as her head bowed. Seeing her conflicted expression, Logan gently grasped her shoulders, turning her towards himself.

His eyebrows furrowed as he urged her to meet his insistent stare. Such a forlong expression didn't fit well on Ximena's face. He thought she deserved to smile. "What did you see?" His dark eyes implored her, sliced into her soul till she couldn't help but be vulnerable to him.

"I don't think you'd want to know. At least, not until you have more information to do something about it."

"Mena --"

"I'm serious, Logan." She interrupted him, glancing down to his chest where his dog tags were in his day-dream. She wondered where they were now. "Whatever I tell you, would only make you angry and restless."

"I'm always angry," He conceded honestly, allowing his large hands to slide down her arms slowly. Ximena flickered her chocolate gaze at the movement, let herself feel the electrifying sensation. Like a magnet skirting against a peace of metal, she found herself stepping closer to him.

It was in this moment that Logan really took a good look at Ximena. Her melancholy orbs, teetering on the precipice of tears. The dark bags underneath her eyes. The down set turn of her plush lips. His fingers unconsciously curled around her forearm, holding her steady. "Hey, what's wrong with you? And answer my questions."

He gave her a stern squint of his eyes, though she found it amusing. Taking advantage of his open arms, she wiggled herself in between them fully.

Logan was caught off guard by her small frame laying her head against his chest, but he went with it. His arms slowly enclosed her, internally loving the feel of her body against his. There was something about his and Ximena's connection that made crossing boundaries with her unnoticeable -- effortless and comfortable.

He didn't think he ever had such a divine bond with someone before. Not to this intimacy and so quickly. Truth be told, it frightened him. She was so short in stature, too far down for him to naturally place his head on top of hers. So he just let her embrace him, find comfort where his heart beat erratically against his chest.

Pressing her cheek onto the wrinkled, reoccurring white t-shirt, she sighed when he fully enveloped her.

He was warm, incredibly so. And the strength in which his arms possessed made her feel safe and secure. Serene enough to forget all her past struggles and worries. She needed this more than she realized. "You may not know because I don't think it's ever happened before, but you give the best hugs."

The brunette's voice was muffled by his chest and he chuckled at the sound. Somehow, that made Logan feel increasingly warm all over. He adjusted his grip, fiddling with the ends of her quilt with his fingers as he gazed over the school's lawn.

"Yeah, don't get used to it. This is a one off thing," He grunted, though his actions spoke differently.

A comfortable silence fell over the two. Ximena lightly closing her eyes as Logan instinctively started to sway side to side. She felt her lips curl into a small smile as her shoulders relaxed. "You called me Mena."

Logan pursed his lips, caught off guard by her confrontation. He bit his cheek, knowing she couldn't see his face before he chalked it up to shrugging indifferently. "Yeah."

"I don't mind it," She sighed sleepily, wrapping her hands around his back to sprawl them up his shoulder blades.

This, made him smile at the distant tree line.

...

SLIGHTLY REFRESHED AFTER GOING back to sleep, Ximena walked down the main dark wood staircase of the school to the ground floor. She had a bag packed and ready to go for her short, two-night trip. The students scheduled to have a free period instead of her art class until she got back.

She held the duffle bag in her hand, that is, until Scott showed up and scooped it out of her grip. "Hey, let me handle that."

Ximena brightened with a wide smile as his polite gesture, "Thank you, Scotty."

"So you have everything ready? Nervous?" She shook her head, running a hand through her long hair. Debating if she should tie it out of the way for her drive.

"I've dealt with much worse than bringing a child into the world. Nothing to be nervous about. See," She held up her hands, wiggling the fingers playfully. "No jitters. I'll be back before Jean gets tired of you and misses me again."

"What's with you and stealing my girlfriend." He comedically furrowed his eyebrows over his glasses, frowning down at her. Ximena wrapped her arm around his shoulders in comradery, leading him to the front door of the school.

"Until you're secure enough in your relationship that you won't have to worry about me stealing your girl friend, get used to it. Don't get into too much trouble without me." Scott pulled her into a short hug, patting her on the back lightly.

"Wouldn't dream of it. Same goes for you."

"Where are you going?" Logan walked up to the two parting friends, glancing suspiciously between the pair as if they had some monumental secret. After getting closer to Ximena this morning, he was feeling territorial and more so, jealous though he wouldn't admit it.

Ximena causally tucked her hand into the pocket of her patch work jeans. Feeling her cheeks slightly heat at the presence of Logan. "A friend of mine is having her baby tomorrow. So, I'm heading there for the weekend."

"Really," Logan briefly peeked at Scott, tilting his chin in a pointing manner. "Is he going too?"

She made a sound akin to a laugh and scoff, sending Cyclops a knowing glance before waving him goodbye. Scott nodded in passing, setting her bag back down. He held Logan's stare for a moment too long. The rivalry was ridiculous between the two and incredibly unnecessary in her opinion. "No, he's staying here with his girlfriend. Why?"

"Itching to it get out this place," He grumbled, though she personally observed it was more than he was letting on.

Nevertheless, she played on with his aloof mannerisms, folding her arms across her chest. "Can't get enough of me, can you? Do you have enough clean clothes to last you a couple days?"

Logan smirked, "I could easily go without."

"Mm, you would love that, wouldn't you? Go pack something, we leave in thirty minutes." She pushed his charismatic self away, rolling her eyes at his smirk. He was so sure of himself, it was infuriating sometimes.

Maybe inviting him for a weekend trip wasn't the best idea. He was her responsibility, after all. However, seeing as her cheeks heated at the simple thought of his suggestive comment. She was dancing along the silver-lining of ruining the friendship.

...

AS XIMENA DROVE TOWARDS the forestry side of New York, Logan found himself relaxing in her car. Light music played in the background, definitely jazz. The Wolverine had figured out by now that it was her favorite genre.

She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel, humming to the same notes if the saxophone. Ximena was in her element, far more mellowed than she was in the early morning. Logan savored it and everything else about her that somehow had him completely enthralled.

They made conversation on the way to the house she was taking him to. He had no idea, just enjoyed the ride. Which he was accoustomed to from driving his truck from state to state. Although, it was a short away trip, Logan saw it as an opportunity to protect Ximena for once.

So far, she had been saving his ass on two separate occasions. He wanted to repay the favor, in whatever way she saw fit. Dirty insinuations included.

She told him about when she started to get into painting and the liberating joy she got from expressing herself on a page. He could tell, just by her emotional indifference this morning and the way she carried herself that she had been through a lot. Her mysteriousness drew him in. Logan wanted to know Ximena Dominguez in every possible way.

Pulling her Jeep up to the driveway of the Spanish Villa styled home, she put the car in park. The walls were created from an off white stucco. From the red roses out the front, the dark rust colored spandrels, brown shutters and terracotta tiles -- it was Ximena's house through and through.

Her haven before the institution. A location for anyone in need of seclusion and safety.

"This is your place?" Logan rolled down the window halfway and stuck his head out to get a good look.

"Welcome to Casa de Dominguez," She sighed in happiness; however, it instantly turned into a scream of excitement as a large group of people ran out of her house towards her car. "Hi, guys!"

"Who are they," Logan muttered warily, rolling the window back up in apprehension. He wasn't really a people person.

"I told you, my friend is having a baby tomorrow." Her lips pulled into a slow, amused grin. She knew exactly what she was doing. "While I stay at the school, I run a safe house for young mothers and families here."

Logan furrowed his eyebrows, somehow not understanding where she was going with all this. He watched, narrowed eyed as people started gathering around her Jeep. Taking her and his bags out for them. Though, it made him uncomfortable that they were messing with his luggage.

Pursing her lips, she laid a hand on his arm. "Listen, these wonderful people would be cast out of America with a drop of a dime because they don't have papers... They've become family to me and I let them stay here until they can sort everything out. I give them a fighting chance when everyone else shut them out without mercy.

We already face discrimination because we're mutants. The fire we're under can seem unbearable sometimes. Well, they... can understand exactly how that feels simply by the color of their skin." Her jaw clenched briefly before she relaxed. Brown eyes full of compassion as she met his gaze. "If you don't want to stay, I can call you a cab or something -- take my car back -"

"Ximena!" Logan shouted to stop her rambling, instantly gaining her attention. "I'm staying. I'll stay."

Her parted lips closed with a watery smile full of admiration. For him? He couldn't fathom why anyone would look at him like that. He felt the impulse to brush the hair from her face as it fell in front of her eyeline.

He did exactly that, curling it behind her ear. His hand lingering there a moment longer than necessary. "Besides, you still haven't answered my question from this morning."

Logan dropped his hand, making her eyes roll good-naturedly. "You are probably the most stubborn son of a bitch I've ever met."

"That's not the only thing that's hard headed, doll." Winking suavely, he propped open his door and shook hands with the first young man he came face to face with. Leaving Ximena still indignant with her lips parted in the car.

Let's say it took her some time to recover from that one.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

Unedited. 6/5/21

A little bit filler-ish however, we get to know Ximena a bit more. Where her priorities are, who she supports and what she loves. Also, the cute deja vu moment with Logan and Ximena in the beginning of the chapter -- be still my heart! Xx

Let me know what you thought of this chapter with a comment, vote!