Ororo awoke the next morning, smiled, and stretched sleepily without opening her eyes. The bed felt curiously empty, and when she opened her eyes and looked around in the bright morning light, she wasn't surprised to see that Logan was no longer in bed.
The heavy drapes were flung open, casting pane-shaped puddles of sunlight on the quilts atop the bed. The bathroom door stood open as well, and from within she could hear the faint sound of water splashing. She sat up, leaning on her elbows as she looked around the room.
"Logan?" she inquired softly.
"Right here, darlin'," he replied from the bathroom, poking his head through the doorway with a brief grin. His face was lathered with shaving cream.
"Eeek!" she laughed. "Mad dog!"
He grinned wider and growled at her, then disappeared back into the bathroom with a chuckle.
"I'm glad to see you're in a good mood this morning," she said.
"You put me in a good mood, darlin'," he called back.
She rolled over in the bed and tucked one hand under her head, adjusting herself slightly. There...that was better. If she scooted down on the bed just a little, she could see his back through the bathroom door.
This was nice, watching him shave...homey, even. It made her laugh, and Logan quirked an eyebrow at her in the mirror as he rinsed out his razor in the sink.
"What?"
"Nothing." She laughed again, softer this time. "It's just...I like watching you shave."
"Oh, yeah?" he asked. "Don't know why I bother, though...damn shit grows back too fast to make much difference."
She smiled and snuggled down deeper into the blankets. "It's nice, though," she replied. "It makes us seem...almost domestic."
Logan chuckled, regarded her for a moment in the mirror, then returned to his shaving.
"Domestic, huh?"
"Mm-hmm."
"So..." he said, fixing her with his dark eyes in the mirror. "I guess all that remains is for you to move your toothbrush in here."
Damn his eyes...there was no way she was going to take that bait. She laughed instead. "Watch it, mister...I just might take you up on that."
He grunted a little, but whether it was a laugh or simply a patented Logan-grunt she couldn't say for sure. She watched him finish the last of his shaving, then rinse off the razor once more. He came out of the bathroom then, wiping the last traces of the shaving cream from his face with a towel. By the Goddess...the man was walking pornography. Wearing only a pair of tight, faded jeans, Logan walked across the room and sat on the edge of the bed beside Ororo, leaning with one hand on either side of her as he bent down for a slow, leisurely kiss.
"Mmm," she murmured, enjoying the taste of his lips and the scent of his shaving cream. "You smell good."
"So do you," he murmured, sucking lightly on her bottom lip. He leaned back again and regarded her, his dark eyes glinting in the sunlight as he watched her face thoughtfully.
"What?" she asked after a few moments.
"You know," he said, letting one hand trail lightly over her bare shoulder. "I was only half-kidding about the domestic thing."
She relaxed against the pillow and looked at him. "What are you talking about?"
He shifted the blanket over her breasts slightly, exposing one perfect nipple. That devilish grin she loved so much flickered over his face as he lowered his lips to her skin. "Well," he murmured, kissing her nipple softly. "I was just thinkin'...maybe you're tired of playing musical rooms."
Ororo sighed, only half-listening...the other half completely engrossed in the touch of his lips on her skin. "What?" she repeated, watching the dark tangle of his hair as he bent and kissed her again.
Logan turned his head to the side and rested it against her chest, one hand drifting up to cup her breast. "You always gotta make things hard, don't you?" he asked, his voice gentle with laughter. "I'm askin' you to move in with me, 'Ro."
Ororo froze, unsure that she had heard him correctly. "Move in with you?" she repeated, her voice barely audible.
Logan lifted his head and looked at her. "Yeah...what do you think?"
"I..." Ororo was pleasantly stunned. Logan...candidate for World's Most Independent Man...was asking her to share his room?! But then..."I don't know, Logan," she said, not because she wanted to but because it needed to be said. "It wouldn't be setting a very good example for the students."
Logan snorted.
"No, really," she said. "Oh, Logan...I would love to. But what would the students think? Or the professor?"
"They'd probably think the same thing they think about Jean and Scott," Logan replied. "They don't care, 'Ro."
"Jean and Scott are different," Ororo said.
"Like how?"
"Like..." Ororo's voice trailed off into unsure silence.
"Oh, c'mon, darlin'," Logan said. "What do you think those two are doing when they're in that room together? They're sure as hell not playin' Parcheesi."
Ororo burst out laughing, drawing a grin from Logan. He stretched his body out full length on the bed, trapping Ororo's legs beneath his own as he covered her body with his. "Besides," Logan continued, brushing a tendril of hair away from her eyes. "According to Rogue, the whole mansion knows about us, anyway."
"Oh, really?"
"Yup." Logan leaned down and kissed her lips. Ororo sighed and slid her arms around his neck, returning his kiss.
"I don't know, Logan," she murmured without conviction. Her legs slipped apart easily, and then Logan was under the covers, pressing his stiffening erection against her. Ororo giggled and slid her hands over the smooth muscles of his back.
"What?" he growled, his voice husky in her ear.
"Maybe this is a bad idea," she murmured, stifling another laugh. "It seems like every time we get in a room alone, we end up...well...you know..."
He chuckled. "Well," he whispered, tasting her lips again. "At least we won't be bored."
* * *
Ororo was surprised at how little fanfare there was...one day she was in her room down the hall, and the next she was in Logan's. Actually, it didn't happen as quickly as all that...establishing her presence in his room was something she didn't feel comfortable just doing...but over the next few weeks, she slowly infiltrated his space. Little things at first...like the proverbial toothbrush. Her shampoo...which she was surprised to find Logan sniffing now and again when he thought she wasn't looking, much to her amusement. Her hairbrush ended up on his dresser, then her books.
The clothes took a little longer...there was something that felt the tiniest bit...invasive...about putting her folded up lingerie in the drawer next to his boxers. Eventually, she realized the stupidity of going back to her old room every time she wanted an item of clothing, so one afternoon while Logan was in the gym she took the plunge...and moved all of her clothes into Logan's room.
Ororo was lying on the bed reading a book when he returned to the room that evening. He kissed her, then went to take a shower.
The shower ran. Ororo fidgeted and pretended to study her book.
The shower stopped. Ororo glanced at the bathroom door, fidgeted, and pretended to study her book.
Logan came out of the bathroom wearing a towel, wrapped and slung low around his hips. He was going to the dresser...
Ororo dropped her gaze, bit her lip, fidgeted some more, and tried desperately to hide behind her book.
The sound of the drawer opening had been very loud, and then there was a long moment of silence. Ororo closed her eyes, imagining the look on his face as he stared at her lacy underthings...
Oh, Goddess, this was too embarrassing...
Something soft brushed her cheek. She opened her eyes in surprise to see Logan standing in front of her, dangling an article of her clothing in front of her face. It was a peach lace teddy...one she had never worn and had bought on a whim while on a shopping spree with Jean.
Her face flushed. She couldn't look at him, but she could hear him already, before the words were even out of his mouth. What in the hell is this? he would grunt.
"Put this on."
Her eyes locked with his in surprise. "Wh-what?"
He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Put this on," he repeated.
"Why?"
A slow grin spread across his face. "So I can take it off of you."
And that ended any doubts she had about moving in with Logan.
Forge left the mansion shortly after that, citing that he had been there too long and was due back at his command post as a reason for his abrupt departure. Ororo knew better, of course...and she actually found herself feeling sorry for Forge...but it was obvious to everyone that Logan was more than happy to see the tall Cheyenne leave. His farewell to Forge had been terse and monosyllabic. Ororo's was polite...and as she watched the man who had once promised her marriage drive away, there was the tiniest pang in her heart.
It was then that Logan came up beside her and slipped his arm about her waist, standing in silence as they watched Forge's truck roll down the mansion's long drive.
And...despite the knock at her heart...she smiled.
* * *
The month of May sulked its way into June, and Westchester County was well on its way to one of the hottest summers on record. The day didn't even have the decency to wait until noon to get hot...even by 10 o'clock in the morning it was fairly broiling outside.
It was on one of those mornings, several weeks later, that Logan was in the kitchen, swearing under his breath at a toaster. Damn thing had shocked him again...it hurt like a mother, too. Every time he thought he had it fixed and would plug it back in to test it, as soon as he touched his fingers to the metal side it would zap him.
Dammit to hell...
There was a step behind him, and then the faint scent of vanilla filled his senses. Abruptly, his shoulders relaxed from their tense posture, and he straightened up and looked over at the beauty that had entered the kitchen.
"Hey, darlin'."
"Hey, yourself." Ororo came over to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Was that you I heard in here, swearing like a sailor?"
He chuckled, his foul mood temporarily brightened by the feel of her against his back. Damn, would he never get tired of touching her? He sincerely hoped not..."Yeah, that was me," he replied, turning around in her embrace and pulling her into his arms. "Hope you didn't want toast for breakfast."
She winced a little as he pulled her against his chest, and he relaxed his grip in a hurry. "What?" he asked her, light concern in his eyes.
"Nothing." Ororo gave a small laugh and rubbed the top of her breasts lightly. "I'm just a little sore this morning, that's all."
Logan's eyebrows came together as he regarded her. "Did I hurt you?"
"When?"
"You know...last night."
"Yes, you did, you big brute." She reached up and took his face between her hands, laughing at the worried look on his face. "I'm only teasing, Logan...it probably has something to do with my time of the month," she added, blushing a little.
"Oh." He smiled then and leaned down to kiss her, and after a moment their arms tightened around each other as the kiss deepened. The kitchen fell away, and Logan let his senses lose themselves in the scent of her as he ravaged her mouth hungrily...dimly marveling at how it was impossible for him to keep his hands off of her.
"Oh, Jeez, guys...get a room!"
Logan and Ororo jumped away from each other almost guiltily, only to see Rogue standing in the kitchen door with a look of amused disgust on her face. She tightened her bathrobe around her and went to the fridge.
"What do you want, Marie?" Logan almost growled.
"Some breakfast...do you mind?" Rogue rolled her eyes in an over-exaggerated fashion and opened the refridgerator door, her head disappearing behind it as she poked her head inside. "There's nothin' in here tah eat," she said, her voice muffled. "Ah wish the professor would let us get Froot Loops."
Ororo chuckled and walked to the far counter, where the coffee pot was perking. She poured herself a cup and sat down at the table just as Rogue sighed and straightened up.
"There's eggs in there, Rogue," Ororo said.
"Ah know," Rogue sighed. "Logan? Ah don't suppose you know how tah make an omelet, do you?"
Logan had gone back to work on the toaster, and he looked up at Rogue now with a scowl.
"Nevah mind," Rogue said, waving an exasperated hand at him.
Ororo took another sip of her coffee, then set down the mug and stood up. "I do, Rogue," she said. "Hand me some eggs and I'll teach you how."
"Oooh...thanks, Miss Munroe!" Rogue said, abruptly dropping the casual behavior and snatching the egg carton from the fridge. Logan looked up at Ororo with a cocked eyebrow, and the two of them exchanged amused glances as Ororo got out a frying pan.
"Butter, too, please."
"Got it!"
"What do you want in it?"
"Ham an' cheese."
Ororo smiled and put the pan on the burner. "Okay," she said. "Why don't you start dicing it while I get this going?"
"'Kay."
The pan heated up after a few minutes, and Ororo dropped the chunk of butter into the pan. The butter was soon hissing softly.
Rogue glanced over at Logan as she sliced the ham into small sections. He was engrossed in dissecting the guts of the toaster.
"So," Rogue said, to no one in particular. "Have you guys met the new boy yet?"
"What new boy?" Logan muttered without looking up. He swore softly and pulled out a chunk of metallic toaster intestine.
Ah...so he was listening. Rogue grinned. "You know," she continued, shrugging her shoulders oh-so-casually. "The one that came in yesterday. From Louisiana."
Ororo cracked an egg into the pan. "You mean Remy?"
"Uh-huh."
"He seems very nice," Ororo added.
"Ah wouldn't know...Ah haven't talked to him yet," Rogue said. She pushed all the ham into a neat little pile on one corner of the cutting board, then she started on the cheese. "Ah've tried to say hello to him, but every time Ah see him he's got Kitty or Jubes hangin' all over him."
There was a petulant tone to Rogue's voice that made Logan look up at her with a lifted eyebrow. Rogue met his glance with a small frown.
"What?"
"Just met him yesterday, huh?" Logan asked, his lips quirking in a grin.
"Yeah...so?" she asked defiantly.
Logan shrugged and returned his attention to the mutilated toaster. "Nothin'...just sounds like you're jealous, that's all."
"Ah am not jealous, Logan!" Rogue snapped. She continued working on the cheese, a pretty blush creeping into her cheeks. "Ah told you, Ah don't even know him!"
"Right, right...sorry," Logan replied, shaking his head as he ripped out another piece of toaster entrails.
Ororo glanced up from the frying pan. "Logan, what are you doing?"
"Fixing the damn toaster."
"I see." Ororo looked at Rogue and rolled her eyes heavenward, prompting a stifled giggle from the younger girl.
"What?" Logan asked.
"Nothing at all, my love," Ororo replied with a smile.
Logan snorted and began bending a piece of wire experimentally. "So, what's the kid look like, Marie?" he asked. "Since I haven't gotten a look at the guy. Didn't even know he was here."
Rogue's blush deepened. "Well," she said slowly, as if warming up to a favorite subject. "He's tall, an' kinda slender..."
"Skinny."
Rogue shot Logan a withering glare. "No, he looks like he's got some nice muscles."
Logan snorted again.
"Reddish-brown hair, nice smile," Rogue continued, having decided to ignore Logan. "An' his eyes...Ah mean, they're really weird-lookin', but there's somethin' kinda nice about them, too. An' his voice..." Rogue sighed softly and looked like she might melt.
"What about it?"
Rogue smiled and pushed the cheese into another little pile, which Ororo was adding to the omelet. "Well, he's got this accent, you know," she said, oblivious to the young man that had just entered the kitchen behind her. "He's Cajun, an' he has the sexiest French accent...Ah mean, it's not really French, it's Louisiana French, but still...he's so cute, an' he's..."
"Right behind you," Logan finished for her.
"Ah...what? Ohhhh!" Rogue jumped and turned around, pressing her back against the counter in dismay. "Ah...uhhh...hello, Remy," she stuttered, her cheeks turning crimson in embarrassment.
The young man smiled, and Logan noticed what Rogue had meant by his eyes. They were a creepy red on black, a startling contrast to the easy manner of his smile.
"Remy see dat you know 'is name, but 'e don't 'ave de pleasure of yours, chere," the young man said.
"Ah...uhhh...Ah'm Rogue. Ah mean...no, wait. Call me Marie." Rogue waited a moment in awkward silence, then she stuck out her hand for a handshake. The Cajun's smile widened and he took her hand, but instead of shaking it he turned it over and lifted it to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss to her gloved fingers.
"Marie," he said, the name sounding exotic and beautiful coming out of his mouth. "C'est belle, non?"
"Um, yeah...somethin' like that," Rogue mumbled, feeling as if a colony of butterflies were dancing the mambo in her stomach.
Logan met Ororo's eyes for a moment, then he grinned and shook his head before returning his attention to the recalcitrant toaster.
* * *
He never did fix the damn thing. It had probably been a hopeless cause from the beginning, but it took Logan approximately an hour after the others had vacated the kitchen to figure out that there was no fixing something that far gone. By lunchtime, Logan reined in his impotent rage toward the inanimate object, and with a soft snarl dropped the mangled toaster into the trashcan.
He leaned against the counter and stared out the window over the sink, eyes squinting against the brilliant summer sun that poured through the glass. Now what? Ororo and Jean were gone for the afternoon...Jean wanted to go shopping, again, and had dragged Ororo along. He wasn't sure, but he thought Jubilee had gone with them. Rogue was still around, mooning over that Cajun kid...Logan snorted laughter at the thought. What was his name? Somethin' weird...oh yeah, Remy. The kid was a piece of work, all right...Logan had pegged him from the moment he laid eyes on him. Poor Rogue...it would figure that a girl incapable of touching anyone would end up falling for the boy. A boy with "heartbreaker" written all over him.
Logan pondered this for a moment, and then a rueful smile flickered over his face. Feeling the way he did about Rogue, maybe it was a good thing that Remy couldn't touch her. He wasn't in the mood to play over-protective-father-figure anytime soon. There were too many...other things...on his mind.
That thought made the smile fade from Logan's face as soon as it had appeared, and his expression grew solemn. He glanced about the kitchen quickly, almost without realizing that he had done it, and then he fished in the back pocket of his faded jeans and withdrew a folded scrap of paper. Careful fingers unfolded it on the kitchen counter, and as he smoothed out the lines he read the words printed across the glossy page for what must be the hundredth time.
It was an advertisement, ripped from a newspaper insert. A full-color picture dominated the center of the page...it showcased a background of folded red velvet, on which rested several items of graceful, expensive jewelry. They were mostly rings, all exquisitely beautiful even to Logan's untrained eye, but it was one small ring in particular that had caught and arrested his attention...that had made him freeze and then tear the ad out with nervous fingers.
Yep...a slow smile crept over his face, and he rubbed one finger over the printed ring. It was perfect...
"Loo-gan!"
"Shit," Logan muttered, and he crumpled the paper up quickly and shoved it in his pocket just as Rogue came barreling back into the kitchen. She stopped short as her feet touched the tile, her eyes narrowing with barely disguised curiosity.
He scowled. "What?"
"Did Ah just interrupt somethin'?"
"No. Why?"
She shrugged. "'Cause it looks like Ah just did."
"You didn't."
"Umm...okay." Rogue was silent for a moment, regarding Logan with that same avid look, but when he returned her stare evenly and without a flicker of emotion she faltered a little, a slow blush creeping back into her cheeks. Her hands clasped themselves behind her back, and then suddenly she was staring at the floor, rocking on her heels nervously.
Logan knew that look. He waited a minute, then he sighed and pulled out one of the chairs from the table, turning it around and straddling the back of it from old habit. "What is it, Rogue?" he asked.
"Well...uh..." Rogue floundered, then shrugged and pulled out the chair across from Logan, flopping down in it almost sullenly. Logan watched her as he pulled a cigar out of the breast pocket of his T-shirt.
"Ah can talk tah you 'bout anythin', right?" Rogue said finally.
He raised an eyebrow and leaned back, opening and rummaging around in the catch-all drawer behind him. Ah, a pack of matches. He opened it and struck one, lighting the end of the cigar now in his mouth. "Yeah, sure," he said around it. "What's the problem?"
"Well..." Rogue looked down at her gloved hands, fidgeting nervously. "You know Remy, right...?"
Logan groaned.
"Oh, come on, Logan!" Rogue said. "Don't look at me like that! You're the only one Ah can talk tah about this!"
"About what?"
"About...you know...guys!" Rogue said.
"Jesus, Marie...can't you talk to 'Ro or Jean about this?" Logan suddenly had a terrifying vision of Rogue asking about pills and diaphragms and foreplay and oh fuck...
"No, Ah can't!"
"Aw, hell..." Logan leaned his elbow on the table and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He supposed it made an awful kind of sense...after all, I'm the best at what I do, right? Logan fought the maddening urge to roar laughter.
"Fine...whatever," he said. "Ask away."
"Well..." Rogue blushed hotly, and Logan thought, here it comes, and then she asked, "Logan...how can Ah get a guy tah like me?"
Logan blinked. "What? That's it?"
Rogue looked indignant. "Yeah, that's it! What did you think Ah was going tah say?"
Logan chuckled and waved a hand in dismissal, feeling an almost guilty wave of relief wash over him. "Nothin', darlin'," he replied. "Just surprised me, that's all."
"Oh."
Logan took a long drag on the cigar and regarded Rogue with thoughtful amusement. "So," he said after a moment. "It is the Remy kid, huh?"
"Yeahhh..." She drew out the reply in a long exhale of breath, studying her fingers as if they were the most important thing in the world.
"You just met him though, right?"
"Yeah, but..."
Logan put the cigar back in his mouth. "But, what?" he asked dryly.
"He's...different."
"I thought you and Bobby were seein' each other."
Rogue made a little moue of disgust and shook her head. "Bobby's so immature...and, well...Remy's cuter," she mumbled.
"So's a dog."
"Logan!"
"Sorry," Logan chuckled.
"It's just...Ah know Ah just met him, but, oh Logan, he's so handsome an' charmin' an'..." Her voice trailed off wistfully, and Logan watched her sweet little rosebud mouth tilt at the corners in a dreamy smile. There was a soft tug at Logan's heart...Christ, but I love this kid, he thought.
"So, other than his handsome mug, what else do you know about him?" he asked finally.
"Well, he's Cajun, and...and..."
Logan lifted an eyebrow.
Rogue had the good grace to look miserable. "Ah guess Ah don't really know much about him at all."
"That's your first goal, then," Logan said, pointing at Rogue with the end of his cigar.
"Huh?"
"Get to know him, kid," Logan said. "Find out what he likes, and see if you two have anything in common."
She looked miserable again. "An' what if we don't have anythin' in common?"
Logan grinned. "Then the guy is probably boring as hell, and you're better off without him anyway."
She smiled a little in return. "You think so?"
"I know so, darlin'." Logan watched her through the faint cloud of his cigar smoke, and suddenly realized that Rogue had not been asking for advice at all...not really. She was asking for permission...almost a blessing.
Their eyes met through the smoke, and for one weird moment it felt as if they could hear each others thoughts.
It is okay, isn't it, Logan?
Yeah, darlin', it'll be fine. Logan grinned. And if it's not, I solemnly promise to kick that little punk's ass.
He knew she couldn't hear him...not really...but her smile widened shyly as if she could, and then she was out of her chair and beside him, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. He put an arm around her and hugged her roughly.
"Thanks, Logan."
"Any time, kid."
Rogue nodded, then turned and left the kitchen. Logan chuckled quietly to himself.
All references to characters belonging to the X-Men Universe are (c) and TM the Marvel Comics Group, 20th Century Fox and all related entities. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, duplication or distribution of these materials in any form is expressly prohibited. No money is being made from this archive. All images are also (c) and TM the Marvel Comics Group, 20th Century Fox and all related entities; they are not mine. This website, its operators and any content used on this site relating to the X-Men are not authorized by Marvel, Fox, etc. I am not, nor do I claim to be affiliated with any of these entities in any way.