Spider Monkeys Prefer Banana Daiquiris
by
Misty
DISCLAIMER: Would anyone who owned these guys come up with this whacked plot? Not on the likely.
DISTRIBUTION: Reality is Nothing but a Collective Hunch, general list archives. Erm, not sure why you'd want this, but if you do, email me.
NOTES:
~Okay, here's the deal. This is all my Nancy's babe's fault. I mean it. I mean, one minute we're chatting, and then next she throws this fact at me : "Spider monkey's prefer banana daiquiris." And suddenly I got this image in my head and the plot bunny ran at me and gnawed at me and wouldn't let GO! It was horrid! I had to write it!
~ I know next to nothing about spider monkeys, or any monkey in general. So, don't take any of this too seriously. Cause I sure didn't. Just have fun with it. Cause it is NOT my regular stuff. Not even close. But then again my other stuff is pure angst, so I guess this is my way of copin'. ;-)
DEDICATION:
For Nancy, who inspired this story. For Diebin, Nickle and Mel, who read and liked and laughed, and made me feel good about this totally weird fic.
read on, amigos.
Yeah, okay. It's stupid. It's a stupid thought and I have no idea why the hell I'm thinking it, but it just flashed in my head as I was standing there and what I learned from it is that I should keep my big mouth shut.
It's women. Women with their woman smells and their woman smiles and their hair the way it is and their softness....
They get you in trouble.
It pisses me off.
It happened so casually. Of course everytime I get in trouble over a woman it always happens casually, or unexpectedly, cause if it didn't I would be prepared for it, like I'm damn well prepared for everything else.
Women and their skin and their monkeys. Damn.
See, I was sitting at our usual table in the lunchoom, my feet on the table, and my cigar in my mouth, glaring and growling and doing the usual thing I do that keeps the kids scared of me and the other "X-men" wary, and the woman amused.
By woman, I mean of course, the only three that count. There's Jean, and if I have to tell you how gorgeous she is you need your head checked. There's Ororo, or Storm, as everyone likes to call her, with looks like a Goddess and the grace to match, and lastly there's my own little gal. There's Marie.
Now there is a complicated mess I don't want to get into. See, thing with Marie is that technically, she's only twenty. And I have no idea why, but for the last couple years, she's been the woman of my dreams.
Woman. Marie. The kid. The Girl. Did I mention her mutation is the fact she can kill someone with a touch?
Yeah. Complicated. And I'm not getting into it.
So like I was saying, for some reason or other these three seem to think all my growling and snarling is some big act, and that I'm mushy like a teddy bear inside. You have NO idea how much that irritates me. Because I'm Logan. I'm the Wolverine. I'm a bad ass.
Who somehow or other got talked into baby-sitting monkeys. Three of 'em. By the said women.
Damn women. And damn Scott too.
Don't know why, but he should be damned. If I have to watch monkey's he better be damned into something.
Cause I was sitting in the cafeteria, and I was doing fine with my growling and snarling and not even paying attention to Jean and her talk about her lab monkeys that had been rescued and that just came in and how no one could watch them or anything, because Marie had just walked into the room.
Now there's something you gotta know about me. When Marie walks into the room, hell might as well freeze over because I sure as hell 'ain't paying attention to anything else. And it's not my fault. It's the kid's walk. She's got this walk and when her hair's swinging and those tight blouses she wears makes some other things bounce and she's wearing that little scarf with that shock of white hair, I mean, hell, wouldn't YOU get distracted? It's not my fault!
Damn woman and her scarves. And Jean's monkeys.
So I'm sitting there staring at Marie, who's got her little college books under her arms, and when she turns, she catches my eyes and she smiles and damn it feels good.
And then I felt someone staring at me and I saw it was Ororo, who was raising an eyebrow with this look that said, "You big softie."
So I growled and turned away and dug the cigar deeper in my mouth and then there was a swat on my arm so I raised it to try and scratch and the next thing I hear is, "Oh, Logan! That would be wonderful, thank you!"
What the hell?
Yeah, that's what your thinking, that's exactly what I was thinking. I froze immediately, and jerked my head to see Jean staring at me with this smile that made me think I just been reincarnated into Jesus Christ or something.
"What?"
Scott blinked, at least I think he blinked. Can't really tell with those visors of his, but I had surprised him. And I liked that. Irritating Scott is really a great old past time once you get used to it. It's not that he's a bad guy. It's what you do to guys like Scott. You irritate them if you're a guy like me. Law of the world and that sorta thing.
"You want to do it?" he asked slowly.
"Do what?"
And Ororo crossed her arms and said simply, "Watch Jean's monkeys tonight."
WHAT?! "Jean's got monkeys?"
And Scott laughed. The damn guy actually laughed. And I glared, and the social order of Xavier's little school was once again restored.
Jean raised an eyebrow as her and Ororo exchanged this look, and I guess she could tell I had no idea what she was talking about because she explained again, "Logan, I asked you if you would take care of the test spider monkeys tonight. I would but I have a lecture, and Scott and Ororo both can't do it. You're the only other person I trust."
The cigar promptly fell from my mouth. "Monkeys? You got monkeys and you want me to watch them? Tonight? Oh hell no."
"Logan." Aww damn. She's got the pout. Shit, shit shit. When Jean pouts.... oh damn. I averted my eyes to Ororo and the damn teacher just raised an eyebrow.
"Logan, it would be of great help. Those animals are important." And then SHE began to pout. And damn, she had never done that before. And damn it looked good on her.
I was getting cornered, and fast.
"I... can't... tonight... I have something to do."
"Ah, hell Logan, what's one night?"
I glared at Scott. If he even thought about pouting he was getting a claw in the face.
"It's monkey watching. And I-"
From the corner of my eye I saw Ororo exchange a glance with Jean and immediately I got suspicious. See, the thing with women is, they always got something up their sleeve. When they smile, it's not ever a real smile, cause all it really is is them saying, "We'll see." And I knew a 'we'll see' look when I saw it.
So I shut my trap and glared when she raised a hand, and then called out, "Rogue! Would you come here for a second?"
Awww... shit.
And then it was like a deer caught in the headlights. Be strong, Logan. Be strong. And Marie came up and she was smelling like that strawberry shampoo she liked so much and then she pulled out a chair and sat right next to me and her sleeve brushed mine and I knew I was a goner.
I just sat there, like a dumb ass frog in a frying pan while Jean said to her, "Logan's agreed to watch my monkeys! Isn't that wonderful?"
"Really?" Damn she had the sweetest little honey drawl. And her face lit up and she turned and flashed me her Marie smile and damn... I nearly whimpered.
Be strong, Logan. Be stro-
Her hand was on my thigh. Her hand was on my thigh.
"Yeah. Just for tonight."
"That's so great, Logan." And she squeezed.
And I jumped up, nearly pushing the chair over. Damn woman and their damn innocent squeezes and their damn monkeys.
And my damn monkey.
"Yeah, sure. whatever. I gotta go."
I ran out of there like a damn dog with my tail between my legs.
When I was a safe distance away, I realized exactly what had happened.
Damn those three women. And Damn those monkeys.
I had just become an official asshole.
And a monkey watcher.
"Hey." My eyes opened to see Marie in the doorway, leaning against it, this look of concern on her face that made me realize just how much of a kid she once was, and isn't anymore.
I used to protect her.
Now it looks like she wants to take care of me.
And damn male pride or not, it's not that bad a plan.
"Yeah."
"You alraht?"
"I'm fine," I grumbled, standing straight up and putting the cigar in my mouth.
She was quiet for a minute, and then suddenly smirked. "So... monkey watching? How'd they sucker you into that?"
Oh, Marie, if you only knew.
I just shrugged. "Hell, I ain't got nothing better to do. Might as well do Jean that favor."
"Hmmm. Bad ass Logan watching monkeys. You big fluff."
Damnit. I'm NOT a teddy bear inside. I'm not. I'm bad ass Logan who wins cage fights and-
"I think it's sweet."
"Hmmmph." I snorted, looking away as she came forward.
Nice thing with this smell of mine. Even if I can't see her, I can smell her, and I knew exactly when she was about a foot away from me.
Her fist hit my stomach softly, making me look down at her. "Logan, it's not going to kill you."
"They're monkeys. Damn monkeys, Marie."
She raised an eyebrow, and smiled. "They're cute. Ah've seen 'em. Real sweethearts."
I leaned back against the wall, looking down at her. "So what're you doing tonight? Feel like pairing up?" Oh damn, Logan. Look how low you're gone. You're asking Marie on your first date to go monkey sitting. Yeah. That's classy.
"Mmm. Ah would, really. Sounds like a lot of fun." Sarcasm. But she winked, and then kept going, almost wistfully. "I have a class trip tonight. College thing."
"Oh."
No Marie tonight. And just those damn monkeys.
Damn the monkeys. All of them.
She leaned forward and suddenly I felt myself suddenly breathe a little faster.
"Right... so... I'll see you later."
The little girl just looked at me, nodded, and then turned away. "Talk to you later, Logan. And you know? It was sweet."
My eyes narrowed as she turned and walked back into the cafeteria.
Damn.
I sighed raggedly. I had to get over that kid. She was becoming the one weapon around here that was a sure fire thing against me. And Ororo and Jean knew it.
I was so screwed.
~*~
"Okay, if you need some more food, it's in here. They're in plastic colored containers and Manny has the red one, Scooter has the pink, and Charlie-"
"Woah wait." I raised a hand up as Jean looked, hefting the monkey that was clinging to her to the other side of her waist. "You named one of them Scooter? You named your monkey after you're boyfriend?"
She just smirked at me, and then suddenly leaned forward and before I could stop it the monkey was suddenly in my arms.
I gave it this glare, and it only did this monkey screaming thing and put it hands on my face.
"See? Scooter likes you!"
I glared as much as I could manage with the monkey covering my mouth.
"Mmhmmalsdfafhmmm."
"What?" She leaned forward, pulling the monkey's hand off my face.
"I said don't you have cages for them?"
"Yes, right there." She moved me over to the other room, where two other monkeys were howling and screeching in these big metal cages with blankets and stuff. "You put them in there at nine. They need to sleep. Oh, and here's the diaper bag-"
"DIAPERS?!" I must have scared Scooter cause the thing did a beeline out of my arms and straight into Jean's. "Woah, woah, woah. No one said anything about diapers."
"Logan, they're like children. It'll be fine. They just had dinner and they've all just been changed. It's a just in case, bag."
Just in case my ass.
The bag was thrust into my arms, at the same time Scooter was, and suddenly she was leaning forward and kissing my cheek, and all I could say was...
"Have a good lecture and everything... Jean. Your monkeys will be fine."
She smiled and patted my arm. "I know, Logan."
DAMN. Maybe I am just a big old softie.
As the door clicked closed, I looked up, and growled for good measure.
NAH. I still got it. I'm still Logan, I'm still-
Aww shit, the monkey was howling.
"I scared you, didn't I?" I asked it, as it climbed up around my shoulders and then held on to my head. "Good. At least I scared someone."
The other two monkeys were watching me, and I could have sworn they were sizing me up.
I stuck the cigar in my mouth and I glared at them.
They screeched and howled and I only raised an eyebrow.
What the hell.
I opened the cage doors.
Okay, if you're ever stuck baby sitting spider monkeys, here's a tip. Don't open the doors. Let them rot in the cage. I mean it.
Because fifteen minutes later I had all three of those things on my lap after they had turned the room into a war zone, and all I could do was sit there and glare cause one of them had taken my cigar and was using it for... well I'm not putting it in my mouth, I'll just say that.
Damn Jean's monkeys.
The door got knocked on, and I couldn't move, so I only growled for whoever it was to go away, and the door opened anyway.
My heart almost skipped when Marie ducked her head in. "Am Ah interuptin'?"
I bolted up, and suddenly forget there was monkeys on my lap, because I jumped when a whole bunch of angry screeching was heard as the monkeys slid down my leg, grabbing for my arms and missing and grabbing something else.
"OWWW!"
"Logan!" I held my hands to my crotch as I slumped back into the chair, my eyes wide and then shutting tightly against the pain.
Healing factor or not. Groin pulling HURTS LIKE HELL.
"What happened? Are you okay?" And her hand actually almost went down there.
She paused millimeters away when I gasped and when she realized what she was about to do. We both froze, and somehow or other I managed to breath out while looking into her eyes, "I'm fine."
"Okay." She jumped away and I jumped back and we both just kind of stared at each other like a pair of teenaged fools.
"So umm..." she pointed to the monkeys who had forgotten about the fact they damn near castrated me and were running around the room. "How's it going?"
"Heaven on earth," I growling, trying to resist rubbing the injured area. "Aren't you supposed to be on a field trip?"
"Well Ah was, and then it got canceled due to ... stuff... so Ah came down here.... are you sure you're okay?" she asked when I grimaced.
"I'm FINE, Marie." I must have said that a little meaner than it was supposed to, cause her little face looked surprised, and she swallowed, and nodded, and then just stood.
"You're probably busy, I should maybe just leave you alone-"
"LEAVE? NO!" My eyes widened and I stood and I must have looked like a desperate pansy but I didn't care. "Marie, don't leave. I need you." I strode forward, hands on her shoulders.
She looked a little surprised, and her voice was kinda strange and her heart was beating a little faster, I could hear it, and she said, "You do?"
"Do you know how to change diapers?"
She was totally silent for a minute, and suddenly she smiled, and laughed, and then leaned forward and hugged me.
Damn, I love when she hugs me. She's got this scent that just flows over me and into my face and it's all I can do not to crush her to me and hold her there as long as I can.
It's really sad, how whipped I've gotten.
Damn monkeys and their women.
Or women and their monkeys...
Or hell, men and their-
"Logan, what's that monkey doin'?"
"Huh?" I opened my eyes and leaned back to see what Marie was looking at.
My mouth dropped wide open.
"SCOOTER! YOU STOP THAT! You pervert!"
"Oh mah God!" Her hands went up to her face as I walked around her, grabbing the monkey away from the doll. "Is he doin' what I think he's doin'?"
I didn't answer, merely took the monkey and kicked the doll away.
Damn monkeys.
"You think maybe we should put the girl monkey in there? Just so... you know-"
I shot her a shocked look. "Marie, they're babies!" She shrugged.
"Just thinkin'."
I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at her as Scooter slid down my leg. "Besides, we don't even know which one is the girl."
"Well, Ah'm assuming it's the one that Scooter's making a beeline too."
I turned, and cursed, and jumped forward, scooping up the hormonal monkey and almost throwing it in the cage.
"You stay there and you... think about what you've ... almost done or something..." I grumbled, my face flushing as I looked up as Rogue gathered up another monkey in her arms, smiling at me with this tender smile.
Damn, did I tell you she's got a beautiful smile? What?! She does!
Oh.... shut up. I'm still bad ass Logan. Really.
She settled into a couch, and then smiled at the little spider monkey, who wrapped her arms around Marie and held her tight.
I didn't realize I had a stupid grin on my face until she looked up.
"What're you smiling about?"
"You."
And she blushed. She actually blushed, this beautiful little homespun girl blush. There was a tug at my pant leg and I saw another one of the animals looking, reaching it's hands out.
"Pick it up, Logan. It wants to be held."
I glared down at it. "It's not gonna pull a Scooter, is it?"
"Ah don't think so."
She raised an eyebrow, and I rolled my eyes, leaning down and gathering the little guy in my arms, before moving over and sitting down next to her.
"So what's his name?" she asked.
"Uhhh..." I racked my brain, searching for the monkey's name, and couldn't come up with one damn word. "Charlie?"
"Charles?" She giggled, looking back at Scooter, who was making some interesting noises in the cage. "Charles and Scooter? And what's her name? Jean?"
"I wouldn't be surprised, kid." There was a little bit of silence, and I felt myself clear my throat. Okay. Marie and me... on a couch alone, 'cept for the monkeys. What was the next step. Arm around her? Sounded good.
I fidgeted a bit, and feeling like one of those stupid high school boys at the movie she once dragged me too I laid out this big, fake yawn and stretched my arm out and -
"Logan."
I paused, my hand in mid air. She was staring at me with this pained expression on her face, and my eyes narrowed. "What?"
"If you want to put your arm around me just do it. We're not twelve."
Ah damn, I love her.
My eyes widened and I paused and I froze, and I huffed, and I coughed, and the monkey howled, and I nearly howled with it.
I was in love with Marie.
Holy crap. How come I never figured that out before?
I gave her this wild look, and she sighed, taking my hand that still hadn't moved and bringing it down, pulling it around her waist.
And suddenly I had this beautiful girl in my arms that I loved and two monkeys in my lap and I was wondering how the hell I got to this point in my life.
Hell... I think I almost cried.
What a fucking pansy I'm becoming.
I looked down at her, and damn her eyes were so bright and so clear and my hand reached out and took her fingers and brought them up to my lips and-
Then the door knocked and I could have killed the person on the other side.
I mean it. My claws were out and everything as I glared at that door.
"OH!" Marie jumped up, putting her monkey in my lap and then heading to the door. "Room service!" she winked as I gave her this confused stare.
That Asian girl called Jubilee was on the other side, and I growled, sliding the claws back in. Can't hurt a girl. Damn.
Marie and her talked for a minute, and suddenly the door closed and Marie was holding this tray and a bag.
I raised an eyebrow.
"What's this?"
"Refreshments."
She was holding a bottle of vodka and this little girlie drink on the tray.
"You're not old enough to drink Marie."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Logan, Magneto LOVES these things. I got stuck with a real taste for them. Ah can't help it."
Well, good logic. Can't fault that.
"All right, bring it on." She smiled and set the tray down, settling down next to me.
"So what the hell is that?" I asked, pointing to the girly drink she had picked up after she handed me the bottle and the shot glass.
"Ah have very little tolerance for alcohol," she explained. "Ah mean the one time I went out with the gang and we-" she trailed off when my eyes narrowed. "Well it doesn't matter. This is banana daiquiri. It's good! Here, try it!" She put the girlie drink in my face and I scowled, sniffing at it like it was a skunk.
"No thanks."
"No really, it's good!"
"I don't want it."
"Logan."
"Nope."
She sighed, and then held the drink out of the girl monkey's reach. "Baby."
"Marie the monkey's wouldn't even drink that."
"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "And they'd drink that icky crap you call vodka?"
Our eyes bored into each other, and suddenly I had an inspiration.
Dammit, don't you dare say Logan don't have great ideas because this was freakin' monumental.
"So let's test it."
She gave me this blank look, didn't understand what I was doing until I unscrewed the bottle and grabbed one of the monkeys.
She grabbed my arm, her face just pure horror. "LOGAN! Are you insane! You can't feed them vodka?!"
I paused, looking down at the little guy that was staring up at me with these big eyes. "Okay, so we'll dilute it. Hand me that water bowl."
She gave me this dubious look, but after a minute of staring at me like I was insane, sighed and grabbed the bowl.
"If you kill them I'm tellin' Jean," she muttered.
"I won't kill them. Haven't you seen those nature shows? I saw this one program where the monkey's were actually alcoholics. Drank themselves to death." I snorted. "One little sip isn't going to hurt."
She was quiet, and when I looked up, she was giving me this bewildered look. "You watch nature shows?"
I froze, and then coughed, looking away. "I was bored, okay?"
She gave me this smile, the 'we'll see' smile, and I just sighed. "Here, help me out here, okay?" I handed Charlie to her and then set the bowl on the table and carefully poured in a bottle cap full. I stared at it, and then shrugged, and tipped the bottle, pouring in a bit more. Grabbing another bowl, I turned to her.
"Now give me that girly drink."
Her eyes widened. "But Ah WANT my girlie drink!"
"Marie..."
"What? Ah'm not going to waste a perfectly good daiquiri on a bunch of monkeys, Logan!"
"It's for science."
"It's for your boredom and we can sure as hell do somethin' else to help that out."
"Oh? Like what?" I raised an eyebrow, and her eyes widened when she realized what she said. She stared at me and suddenly blushed, and handed me the glass.
"Good girl," I muttered, half disappointed. Sighing, I carefully poured half of it into the other bowl, and then leaned back, looking at the two little monkey's in Marie's lap.
"Scooter!" When Marie gave me THE LOOK, I just shrugged. Hell, if I was gonna do this, might as well be to the one I didn't like.
I opened the cage and took the monkey, who immediately screeched, and held on to my collar.
Sitting down, I set it on the table, and then leaned back, crossing my arms as I winked at Rogue. "He's a hormonal monkey. He's going to go for the vodka."
"Oh, really?" Was her choked laughter.
My eyes narrowed and I jerked my head back to the table.
The damn monkey was drinking the girlie drink.
I growled, leaning forward. "What kinda man are you?"
"Jean's monkey," Rogue managed to whisper between giggles.
I grumbled. "Yeah well figures." I turned, eyeing the other two.
"Charlie!" Marie's eyes widened, and she clung to the monkey tighter.
"You're not ruinin' another little soul, are ya?"
"What? It's not hurting Scooter, is it?"
She narrowed her eyes. "He's swinging from the ceiling."
"Monkeys do that."
"Do monkeys run around in circles and wobble alot?"
"Huh?"
She motioned with her hand and I turned.
"Damn. All that from a Daiquiri?"
"Ah think that's enough with the testin'."
Damn. Kid had to ruin all my fun.
"All right." I sighed, getting up heavily and picking up the wobbling monkey. The poor little guy was hit hard. He whimpered and buried his head into my arms, and suddenly I liked the poor guy a little more.
Sighing, I sat down, hand suddenly on it's head, giving it a pat. "We'll let him sleep it off."
She raised an eyebrow, handling the two other little guys who appeared to be dozing off. "You're having fun," she accused.
I gave her a startled glance, and then rumbled, "No I'm not."
She smiled, and then reached a hand up, running her fingers through her hair, the white shock strands mingling slightly with her darker ones as she leaned back, pulling her lets up underneath her as the monkey's seemed to rearrange themselves on her stomach. "You're smilin' Logan. Your eyes are bright and you're snarls ain't that real and you look happy."
I raised an eyebrow at her amusement, and I cocked my head, my voice low to keep the little pervert monkey from waking up. "Yeah well, maybe it's not the monkey sitting."
"No?"
"Maybe it's you." The room got so quiet then, and I didn't want to say anything, or do anything to spoil the look of utter surprise and shock and something else on her face. I felt my chest heaving, and I whispered hoarsely. "Marie? What are you thinking?"
She was quiet a moment, looking down at the monkeys and then back up at me. "I'm wonderin' if we're nuts."
And I felt this smile drift on my face. "We're baby-sitting monkeys. I don't think it gets much crazier than this. But I've never felt... hell Marie you do something to me."
She swallowed, shuddered, and her eyes closed and when they opened again and they were filled with tears, and damn, what that did to my heart. Cause they were shining with this emotion, with this adoration that until then she had never showed me.
"I love you, Marie."
She swallowed, and this gentle smile slid across her face as suddenly she moved over, pulling the monkeys and her on me and leaning her head on my chest. I pulled her close, kissing the top of her head as she sighed softly.
"I love you too, Logan."
And that was how I spent my night, lying there with those damn monkeys and Marie in my arms, talking in these low tones about all these particulars that seemed so damn complicated every other time we thought about them and at that moment seemed so easy.
Damn monkeys.
They had pulled off something it had taken me months to try and get up the guts to do.
And they had given me Marie.
~*~
I woke up when someone walked into the room, but I didn't move, not yet, cause I still felt the girl in my arms, and yah, there were still those damn monkeys.
I opened one eye to see Jean smiling down at me, arms crossed.
"You really are just a big old teddy bear."
I narrowed the one eye that was opened, and tried to shake a fist at her, but found I couldn't move without moving the still sleeping Rogue or the damn monkeys.
"I am.. not." I growled, the rumbling deep down to my chest. "I'm still-"
"Bad ass Logan, right." She shook her head, and just sighed. "I like it. How'd my babies act?"
"Lahk monkeys," Marie mumbled in my shirt, stretching slightly against me before looking up to blink at Jean. "Ah think Scooter needs a little castratin'."
Her eyes widened, and she looked shocked until I added, "She means the monkey."
"Oh." Jean shook her head, and then blushed, pushing her bangs back. "Well let's put them in their cages for the rest of the morning, okay?"
She leaned forward, and then she froze. "Why is there a bottle of vodka and a Daiquiri in this room?"
Marie's eyes widened, and then they met mine, and we both sat up.
"Ummm-"
"You were drinking in here?"
"NO!" Marie blurted out. "No one drank anything.I mean the only one that even took a sip was Scoot-" I pinched her and she yelped, eyes shooting back to Jean's face. "No one drank anythin', Jean."
"And if they did it was all in the name of science."
She raised an eyebrow, and then looked back down to the bowls. Leaning down, she sniffed once, and then sighed.
"Rum puts Scooter out like a light. Next time you should try that. Though spider monkey's prefer banana daiquiris. I prefer to use it more as a sedative."
Rogue's jaw was so slack I had to move my fist to her chin and close the gap in her mouth for her.
"Next tahm?"
Jean smiled sweetly. "Yes, tonight. Or I could ground you Rogue for having liquor when you're underage."
"No, no. Ah think I'm free. Really."
Her eyes turned to mine, and I raised an eyebrow, before shaking my head, and suddenly smirking. "You got yerself a couple of monkey sitters, Jean."
Jean smiled back. "Good, Logan." Leaning forward, she gently picked up Scooter, carrying him back to the cage.
My eyes slid to Rogue, who was slumped against the couch, shaking her head slightly.
"This has been one crazy night," she mumbled.
And I only shook my head and reached for her hand, entangling our fingers. "Ready to do it again?"
"Do Ah have a choice?"
"No."
She shrugged, and carefully gathered the two remaining monkeys, before standing to take them to Jean. She paused, and then turned. "Logan?"
"Yeah?"
"Bring the rum. Let's put the kids to bed early tonight."
There was a wicked glint in her eyes that brought a tightness to my groin and a growl to my lips. "You betcha, Marie."
She winked, and walked forward, and all I could think was that damn, I was a lucky bastard.
One night of monkey sitting and I had my girl. I had my girl and I had a promise, and I had a future.
"Ah hell, why wait?" I launched up, and then grabbed Marie's hand just as she was handing the monkeys to Jean. As I dragged her out of the door, I called over my shoulder, "Scuze us Jean, we're gonna go ... uh... take care of somethin' else. And it sure as hell ain't a monkey."
And Jean's eyes widened and Marie gasped and I just winked at old Scooter cause he was the only one in the room that seemed to figure it out.
Hell maybe I was one big softie, suddenly I didn't care.
Cause thanks to those damned monkey's and banana daiquiri's and pouts and teddy bears, I got Marie.
And I can live with that.
I can live with that for the rest of my life.
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