Gen X-Sitting
by
Zerelda X



X-Men and Generation X belong to Marvel. Charlotte belongs to me. No profit, no harm. Entertainment only.

Victoria's Secret is used without permission and has probably been mangled in the translation, but we're just here for the entertainment.

Adult Themes




"Well?"

Logan blinked. "Well what?"

"You haven't been listening," his mate accused him.

Guilty as charged. He was stretched out on their bed, watching her silhouette through the sheer silk of the shoji screen as she dressed. It wasn't easy to lure her upstairs after breakfast, but worth it when he succeeded. That screen was easily the best money he ever spent.

Charlotte moved around the screen, wearing panties with a deeply scooped camisole over that. Her hair flowed wild and loose around her body. She stood by the bed looking down at his nude body sprawled comfortably across the rumpled comforter. "Well, are you or aren't you?"

He drew a complete blank. "Tell me again," he coaxed, pulling her down to straddle his hips.

Her eyes unfocused for a moment at the feel of his skin between her thighs, a look he was watching for. His hands stroked over her legs and hips, pressing his hardness against her. His healing factor made him near insatiable at times. Not that anyone would ever hear her complain about it.

She shook her head to clear it, then poked his stomach with her finger. "The Massachusetts school." She touched the raven medallion he never removed, pressing the disk into the skin above his heart. The metal was warm from the heat of his skin, her fingertip tracing the bonding spell etched on its gleaming surface.

At his lewd grin, she knew she'd lost the battle to get his mind off track. She sighed as she leaned down to kiss him, not really sorry at all.

~*~*~*~*~


"The Massachusetts School," she prompted again later. "Emma asked if I would stay there for a few days while she took care of some personal problems. Do you want to come with me?" She lay on her back, his head pillowed on her breast, legs entangled. Her underwear lay in shreds on the floor. Her clothing always seemed to end up in pieces; she'd spent more money replacing her clothes this last year than most people spent on their first home purchase, she was sure. She wondered sometimes where he got that idea.

"Ya sure got chummy with the White Queen," he remarked. "Hank's got me scheduled for a physical this weekend. I can come down after that." He stroked lightly over her skin, watching the trail of goosebumps that followed his featherlight caress.

"It's just over the weekend, maybe it wouldn't be worth the trip for you. I'll be back Monday afternoon."

"Maybe, just maybe, I can get through three days without ya," he considered, his eyes glinting dangerously. "It'll be hard, though, not gettin' pushed outta my own bed, plenty of hot water in the shower, even gettin' to sleep through the night without you wakin' me up for fun an' games all the time-oomph!" She tickled his sides at his teasing words.

"Bishop will go with me," she said. Lately the big man had been playing her shadow. "We'll take the Harleys." She'd given Bishop his own motorcycle, having had one customized to suit his huge frame. His stilted 'thank you' belied the emotion he felt at being given a coveted gift. He rode it everywhere. He'd even been spotted in the garage sitting with it, polishing the chrome during the night when not on patrol. As a joke, Bobby had given him a copy of 'Easy Rider.'

"Motorcycle Mama," Logan teased, nipping at her bare stomach. His teasing turned serious. "Why don'cha put on yer leathers now an' I'll help ya take 'em off." he released one set of claws, turning his hand over to run the backs of the blades up her leg. He leered at her, inviting her back into the world where only the two of them existed, an invitation she could never resist.

~*~*~*~*~


Much, much later, Charlotte finally made it down to the garage, a saddle bag over her shoulder. She wore her black riding leathers and leather half boots, saved by sheer determination from Logan's frequent need to cut her clothing off her body. The leather fit her tighter than second skin, generally getting her a third and fourth glance when she was out in public.

Bishop waited for her by the bikes. He'd already gassed them up and checked the engines. He was like a small boy playing with toy cars, not that Charlotte would have ever told him that. It would not have been pleasing to the austere security officer to know that some of his teammates did not view him as a formidable presence.

Remy waited, too, gracefully slumped over his own motorcycle, a lit cigarette forgotten in his hand. He was upset, Charlotte could feel the emotion waving off him. Rogue, most likely. They'd seemed to be sparking off each other a lot lately.

"'Bout time, chere," he groused, "Logan got to come up for air som'time."

"I didn't realize you were coming with us," she responded with a smile, feeling too good to take issue with his tone of voice. She fastened her bag on the bike and reached for her helmet hanging from the handle bar.

"T'ought it time I got away for awhile. Bishop tol' me you goin' to de school. Doan' mind, do you?" Underneath the belligerence was the need for someone to want him around.

"'Course not," she smiled at him. "Silly question."

"Is Wolverine coming?" Bishop asked, frowning.

"No. Hank's got plans for him this weekend, and I'd just as soon not be around for it. I don't know what you men have to complain about, medically you've got it easy."

Both men looked away, not wanting to turn that particular crank. The males in residence had no defense against the female body after Charlotte arrived, they discovered to their collective chagrin. What man could win a one-up argument with someone who could always say 'I gave birth.'"

They climbed on the bikes, Bishop leading the way. It would take about 4 hours to get to the school. They'd make it by dinner time if they hurried.

~*~*~*~*~


Jubilee and Paige waited outside the school near the front gates.

"I don't know if this is such a good idea," Paige said for the umpteenth time.

"'Course it is." Jubilee said for the umpteenth time in response. "It's Friday night, Frosty's leavin' for the weekend. Time to kick up some fun. If we ask Charlotte first, then Frosty'll go along with it. They're *friends* now." That whole situation still amazed Jubilee. Emma Frost didn't have friends; she had enemies and people she put up with.

"But to go out to one of the clubs, wouldn't that be calling attention to ourselves? Miss Frost doesn't like that." The future would-be leader of the X-Men had already cultivated the sober, responsible attitude that marked the current leader of the X-Men, Scott Summers. Not that it endeared her to her classmates any more than the 'When I Was With The X-Men' stories Jubilee told. "And what if we get into trouble?"

Jubilee let out an exasperated breath. "That's why we get Char to take us. She an' Wolvie can handle anythin'. We'll all have fun, dancin' an' listenin' to music. She's a lot of fun to hang with, better'n Frosty."

The rumble of motorcycles got their attention. The gates swung open to admit the three riders, then swung closed behind them. Jubilee led the race to follow them to the garages.

"Where's Wolvie?" she cried as soon as Charlotte removed her helmet, shaking out her braided hair. "Gambit!" she yelled almost in the same breath and threw herself at him before he'd cleared the seat. She knocked him off balance. Charlotte caught him and his bike telekinetically and set him back up.

"P'tite, you must be growin'" he grunted, returning her enthusiastic hug. Here was at least one female who was glad to see him.

Bishop was already moving his bike inside to find the choicest spot to park his baby. He returned a moment later for Charlotte's, removing the saddle bag and handing it to her.

"Hi, Paige," Charlotte greeted the other girl who hung back shyly.

Paige didn't feel as comfortable with her X-Men idols as Jubilee was. "Hi, Ms. Ashcroft."

"Hey," Jubilee bounced over to Charlotte and flung her arms around her. The girl had been slow to accept her as Logan's mate, but with Thomas' help, she grew to like Charlotte a lot. She found Charlotte easier to talk to than any of the other X-women, knowing that she would always get a straight answer to her questions from Charlotte.

That Charlotte liked her, just as she was, and didn't try to change her or offer tactful suggestions on her appearance like some of the others did, and had Thomas with his gorgeous friend Matthew to be her big brothers, and unlimited credit, was just icing on her triple layer, double fudge ice cream cake. With whipped cream and sprinkles.

"There's a new club in town," she told Charlotte. "It's a PG 13 club." She looked at her hopefully.

"PG 13? Like the movie ratings?"

"Kinda. Chaperones are allowed. There's security everywhere."

Charlotte continued to look at her with a slight smile on her face.

"An' it's Friday night, we worked hard all week, we need a break," she pleaded. "Ask Frosty if we can go?"

Charlotte laughed. "I'll ask Emma about it, all right? But if she says no, that's the end of it, understand?"

A grin crossed the young girl's face. "Yeah. Whatever you say."

"So I hope your grades were good this week."

"Well, I guess that all depends on what ya mean by 'good'."

~*~*~*~*~


"Thank you for coming," Emma said to her a short time later in her suite. She was still packing. Charlotte lounged in a corner chair, having removed her leather jacket to reveal a deeply scooped tank that revealed more cleavage than she usually exhibited. Logan had objected to it while he made eyes at her bare skin. It wasn't something she usually wore, but when she visited Emma some extra plumage was needed, just to keep up with the revealing clothing the White Queen almost wore.

"No problem. They're good kids and I like spending time with them. Jubilee stopped me outside. There's a club the kids want to try. I said I'd ask you and we'd all abide by your decision."

"Well," Emma said thoughtfully, closing and snapping the locks on her suitcase, "I appreciate the fact you support my authority. I really don't care if they go, but I worry about them getting in trouble."

"I'll go with them, and I have Bishop and Remy as backup. Who knows, we might actually have some fun."

"Then I'll agree," Emma nodded. "Sean is visiting his daughter this weekend, so I really appreciate that you were able to come here on such short notice. Between you and Bishop things should be okay. Why didn't Logan come with you?"

"Hank's giving him a complete physical."

"Complete?"

"Yep. I didn't want to be around for that. He comes back muttering something about 'the finger'. I don't even want to know what that means. I probably would've escaped here anyway. Maybe next time you and I can hit the clubs."

"With your chaperone?"

Charlotte laughed. "I don't know why Bishop has become so shadow-like, and he won't tell me. Logan must know, 'cause he hasn't made a fuss about it. He does come in handy, though. With him around, I don't have to use my power to keep away uninvited attention. People take one look at him and turn right around." Looking at the clock she stood up. "You'd better get going if you're going to make your flight. You sure you don't need a ride in?"

"No, the car will be here in a moment."

After waving Emma off, she joined the students in the dining room. Remy sat at one end, with Jubilee and Paige dancing attendance. Bishop sat at the other end alone. The boys, Everett, Angelo and Jono, gave him a wide berth. Monet sat next to Everett, still and calm.

Charlotte took a seat next to Bishop. Jubilee turned expectant eyes on her. "Well?" she asked impatiently.

Charlotte looked for the water pitcher, getting up to get it.

"Let me, Charlie," Angelo offered. He grasped the handle and stretched his arm down to where she sat, pouring her a glass. He was the only one who called her by her nickname.

"Thank you, Angelo." She smiled at him. "Well, Miss Frost says you all can go to the club if you want to, on one condition."

Jubilee and Angelo whooped excitedly.

"What condition," Everett asked.

"The three of us go with you." She looked at the clock. "So, we'll leave around 8:00 pm."

"That only gives us two hours to dress," Jubilee said. She grabbed at Paige's hand. "Come on," she said to Monet.

Monet rose gracefully. "It's good to see you again, Ms. Ashcroft." She followed the other two girls.

Thanks for talkin' Frosty into it," Angelo said. Now I'll get to show the chicas my new moves."

"Miss Frost recognizes your need to move, Angelo," Charlotte said wryly. "She is also glad that you will have three very able-bodied caretakers to get you out of trouble when 'moving' gets you into it."

"Nah, no trouble tonight, promise." When the young mutant moved, he really meant it. He jumped up. "Only two hours, man, an' the girls'll get all the hot water."

The other young men raced him out of the room.

The three grownups found themselves alone.

"You sure 'bout this, chere?" Remy asked.

"It'll be fun," she assured him. "Come on, we'll dance, we'll talk, we'll sing. You could use a diversion."

He raised his eyes to her, red on black demon eyes. "Maybe you're right. Can't wear leather," he nodded at her clothing. "Dey won' let you in."

"Perhaps I'll raid Emma's closet."

~*~*~*~*~


Charlotte watched the teens out on the dance floor. The music was loud and pulsing, the club crowded. They were lucky to get a private table near the dance floor.

Well, you couldn't call it luck, really. The manager saw them arrive in the limo and cleared a place for them. She tipped him handsomely for the special treatment.

Judging from the expressions on the kids' faces, they were having a good time. Remy wasn't happy when told the club served no liquor, but Jubilee managed to get him out on the floor where his grace and agility served him well. He moved in the current steps as well as the kids. All it took was one dance to get him started and he hadn't sat down since, moving from one female student to the other, and finally to other girls in the club.

Bishop waited outside. He had insisted on coming with them, but refused to enter. A word from her to the manager got him served with all the water and soda he could drink, plus a stool to relax on. 'Overhearing' bits and pieces around her, she learned he'd fallen into conversation with the bouncer and the two of them were having a good time dealing with the rowdies. Only Bishop could have a good time rousting kids at a club.

She'd danced herself a few times, Angelo and Everett taking pity on her adult status before moving off to younger partners. She didn't mind. She'd told Emma all along they needed to feel part of the teenage world. They were having a marvelous time.

Remy finally slumped in a chair next to her, holding an icy glass of sparkling water to his forehead. "Dey wear me out, chere."

She saw the glint in his eyes and wasn't fooled by his words. "You're having a good time," she told him. "And you are far from worn out."

He shook his head, his auburn hair picking up highlights from the lighting. He brushed the thick stuff back from his face with his fingers. "Some girl stole my clip," he complained.

"Probably wanted a momento from the really cute guy with the accent," Charlotte teased him. His charisma, charm power, attracted females of all ages. They often made fools of themselves over his handsome Cajun self.

A slow song, one of the very few, played from the speakers. Remy took her hand. "Now you come dance wi' me, save Gambit from de wolves." He tugged her up and out on the dance floor.

He gathered her up, one hand on the small of her back, the other holding her right hand against his chest. She could feel his heart beating underneath her fingertips, his breath stirring the hairs around her ear, the feel of his body through the tight denims she wore, the heat of his hand through the thin silk of her shirt. She could smell the musk and sweat of his body.

Over his shoulder she could see girls glaring at her. The students ignored them, too busy enjoying the music.

"It's working," she told him. "If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under by now."

"Huh?" He was concentrating on the feel of her in his arms, her vanilla musk perfume that made his head swirl, the softness of her cinnamon hair against his cheek. How come he'd never noticed it before?

"Your harem. They're not happy with me."

He glanced around. "Dey children, chere. Dey get over it." His body was on fire. He forced himself to think of Rogue and Logan, and the fact he valued his skin. This was just a reaction to Rogue's cruelty, he knew it.

The song ended, much too quickly for his taste, and a fast driving beat started. He kept hold of her hand and swung her into the next dance.

~*~*~*~*~


They closed the club down, the kids begging for more. Charlotte didn't accommodate them, there were laws about this sort of thing. She got them into the limo and back to the school, promising them they could turn on the stereo there and dance till dawn if they wanted.

The ride back cooled their overheated blood and they were all more than ready for bed by the time they got there. As it was, she'd be surprised if she saw any of them before noon the next day.

She did a bed check after they'd all settled in, Bishop doing an outside check. He just wasn't happy if there wasn't a perimeter to secure.

She knocked on Remy's door. Receiving permission to enter, she found him sprawled in a chair, clad only in his blue jeans, smoking next to the open window.

"Dey all asleep?" he asked.

"Yes. How are you?"

"'Kay, chere."

She took the chair across from him. "It's not nice to lie to a 'path. You want to talk about it?"

"Dis not'ing new. Rogue problems. I never understand her."

Charlotte said nothing. She slipped off her boots and tucked her feet under her.

"She won' let me touch her, doan want me to touch no one else. She get mad if I pay 'tention to her, mad if I doan pay 'tention. Not easy lovin' dat gal."

"Is it worth it?" Charlotte asked softly.

"Som'times, I doan know."

"I'll tell you a secret about women. The only thing that scares a woman more than having a man who wants to touch her all the time, is not having any man want to touch her at all. She's scared to hurt you, and trying to protect you from your own urges and hers. And maybe she's feeling a little smothered. You are persistent."

"It's lonely, not havin' someone to share the night wit'," he whispered. A tear escaped down the side of his handsome face.

"I know," she answered quietly. "I have spent lifetimes being alone. It doesn't get any easier, you just get used to it."

He pushed out of his chair to his knees, burying his head in her lap, his arms around her waist. His tears were hot, soaking through to her skin.

For long minutes she held him to her, stroking his hair back from his face. He cried silently, not a sound escaping him. His misery surrounded them both.

At last he raised his head. She wiped his cheeks with her hands. His hand moved from her waist, sliding around her neck and bringing her mouth to his for a hot, hungry kiss.

It was his pain and anguish acting, she told herself, trying to untangle herself from his embrace without hurting him. She couldn't, he didn't even notice her attempts. She waited until he came up for air. His eyes were glowing and passionate.

"Chere," he whispered, his forehead against hers, his breathing erratic. He looked into her eyes and saw gentleness, understanding, but no desire. He pushed away from her.

"You reject me, too," he said savagely, yanking on his shirt.

She 'forced' him back into his chair, her limited TK holding him easily. He couldn't move a finger, glaring at her with hot anger.

"I didn't reject you, Remy. It's not me you want. I'm just a convenient body for you to take your frustrations out on. I'm not free to accept or reject you, unless you want to end up in one of your jambalayas. I am a poor substitute for Rogue."

After long moments he let out a sigh. "I'm sorry."

"I'm your friend, Remy, but betraying Logan's trust isn't a consideration. You told me yourself, you have to take it on faith." She released her hold, stepping behind him to massage his tense shoulders with strong fingers. "Friendship is also something you take on faith. Our friendship wouldn't survive the experience."

His head lolled back against the chair, her touch bringing him a chance to relax. "But-"

She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his temple. "Get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning."

He smiled at her as she left. He actually felt better.

~*~*~*~*~


Noon the next day found the students in the Biosphere, a portable stereo providing background music to the lively discussion rehashing the previous night's adventure. They were talking about the possibility of a repeat performance when the whine of a motorcycle got their attention.

"Charlie didn't say anyone else was comin'," Angelo commented, stretching his body around at an impossible angle to get a look.

Jubilee jumped over to the entrance, looking out. She saw Wolverine, with Del riding behind him, pulling up to the front door. "We got more company," she told her classmates. They all trooped out to see what was going on.

Charlotte waited at the front step, falling into Logan's arms readily. He swung her around, causing Jubilee to roll her eyes. Adults!

She took the opportunity to fling herself at Wolverine. "Where have you been?" she yelled.

He grinned at her. "Got done early, an' we got a guest."

"Did you do anything to hurt Hank?" Charlotte questioned, her face in mock suspicion.

"Naw, darlin', he's still breathin'," he winked at her. "Del showed up this mornin' an' we just decided to come on down."

Del heaved a sigh. "Next time I'll just take a plane. I thought 'Granddad' was going to kill me on that thing." She looked down at him from her greater height with affectionate tolerance.

"You know Jubilee, but you haven't met the rest of the students," Charlotte drew her over to where the rest of the group stood. "Gang, this is Del Bennett." She introduced the students.

The boys stood in shock. Del was truly lovely, with her creamy skin, golden eyes and dark hair. A growl from Logan brought them back to their senses. Jubilee grinned herself. Maybe at long last her dates wouldn't get so much paternal attention from Wolvie.

Bishop stood on the steps above them, eyes only for Del. He wouldn't come to her, as much as he wanted to. Fortunately, Del had too much of Grandmother Charlotte in her. She didn't mind going to him. He hesitantly returned her kiss, eyes on the audience below, especially the frown on Logan's face. He drew her inside.

Logan snickered. Charlotte poked him in the side. "You do it on purpose, don't you?" she demanded.

"Just lookin' out for the girl, darlin'." He completely ignored the fact the 'girl' was probably older than he was. He pushed his bike around back to the garage.

Jubilee got right to the point. "Do ya think maybe we can go back out tonight to the same club? Now we got Wolvie and Del to go, too."

"Think about it," Charlotte told her, "Do you really want Logan sitting in a public place watching you and the other girls dance with one boy after another?"

She didn't have to mull that one over long. "I guess not," she conceded.

"How about dinner and a movie?" Charlotte suggested. "My treat."

Faces brightened. "Sounds good," Ev agreed.

"What about the mall for this afternoon?" Paige suggested.

While they all ran in to get ready, Logan found his way back out to where Charlotte sat on the front steps. He sat down next to her and lit a cigar. "How's it goin'?"

"Fine. We took them out to a club last night and had a good time. Bish got to be a bouncer for awhile. If he ever decides to leave the X-Men he could make a good living being a professional rouster." She looked at him closely. "How was the check up?"

"Hank never finds anythin', he just likes to update my files. He didn't even tell me to give up the beer an' stogies."

"Like you'd do that," she chided him. "We're going out to the mall now, dinner and a movie later. Interested?"

He thought about it for all of two seconds. "Naw. I'll hang around here. Gumbo came with ya, didn't he?"

"He's still in bed. The girls wore him out on the dance floor last night." She rose and dusted off her short skirt. Remy was one subject she didn't want to talk about this morning.

He eyed her legs with interest, reaching out to run a finger down her bare skin. "Sure ya don't want to stay an' play with me?"

"Letch," she teased. "There's plenty of time for that later. Why did Del show up? Did she say anything to you?"

He shook his head. "I got the feelin' she was comin' to see Bishop."

The relationship that sprung up between Del and Bishop worried Charlotte, more than she let on to Logan. She had no right to worry, and Del was a grown woman, but something nagged about it in the back of her mind.

"I'll call for the limo and then we'll all get going. You've got time to change your mind." she smiled. "I think I'll take the opportunity to refill my lingerie drawer, maybe with flannel this time."

He gave her a considering look. "I might go if ya let me pick out a few things for ya to wear. An' it won' be flannel."

~*~*~*~*~


Logan spotted the Victoria's Secret store first thing and steered Charlotte in that direction.

"I don't shop there," she protested, trying to pull her arm from his grasp without making a scene.

"Let's just look around," he grinned. "If we don't see anything we like, we can leave."

"We? Since when does a man look at lingerie and see something he doesn't like?" she grumbled.

Del found a comfortable spot to watch the coming show, settling on a bench outside the entrance to stay out of the line of fire.

Now that he'd made it into No Man's Land, Logan found he was enjoying the experience. At least enjoying the fit Charlotte was working herself up to.

"What about this one?" He held up a satin teddy in hot pink. Looking at it from side to side, he shrugged. "Try it on."

"No." The color hurt her eyes. "I'm not wearing anything that looks like butt floss."

"How 'bout this one?" He picked up a sheer white nightie covered with fluffy white feathers. "Kinda like this one." His grin was pure evil.

She closed her eyes briefly. This had to be a woman's worst nightmare. "You dragged me in here, now go sit down somewhere and let me shop." Surely they had some items that could be worn by ordinary women with normal lives.

He pretended to consider it. "Tell ya what, darlin', you go on in there an' I'll find some stuff for you to try on." He could have taught Dirty Old Man 101. Maybe the advanced class.

The look on her face nearly did him in, but he managed to keep a straight face and push her into the dressing room and hand her the nightie. "An' try it on."

He turned to the sales clerk. "What's yer name, darlin'?"

She looked at him. They got a lot of older men in here with young women, but this one was having little too much fun. "Marla." She smiled professionally at him. The sugar daddies always spent lots of money in here.

"Yeah, Marla." He pointed at the hot pink satin teddy. "Can ya find her that in blue, an' mebbe green?"

"Sure I can. What size?"

He turned towards the dressing room. "Char, darlin', what's yer size?" he called across to her.

An unintelligible curse rang back. His grin grew wider.

"Why don't we try a size six to start?" Marla offered.

~*~*~*~*~


Bishop stood outside the ladies shop, eyes scanning the crowd around him, expecting to see danger. He was disappointed at the relatively quiet mall.

Del's laughter drew him closer to her. He was unable to help himself. She watched Logan and Charlotte argue over a particularly sheer black lace catsuit. Bishop's eyes widened in shock.

Del looked behind her up into his face, his expression almost as entertaining as the battle of wills going on inside the store. She grinned. "You okay?"

"Women wear such things here?"

She knew 'here' referred to this period in time. "Yes, some women do. And if 'Granddad' has his way so will Charlotte."

"Do you wear those...personal things?"

Her brows rose at the intimate question. "Do you want to find out?"

His focus shifted immediately onto to her. She felt the emotions in him swing back and forth.

He may be from a futuristic hell, but his imagination worked just fine. He could picture her in his mind, wearing black lace, her hair unbound. He frowned at her and stalked off.

She grinned even wider. FutureBoy definitely tipped the libido scales that time. She was going to have to make lingerie shopping a priority in the future. She looked back to the entertainment to see Logan 'pushed' out of the dressing room. "Just wanted to make sure it fit," he said loudly.

~*~*~*~*~


Marla brought in several more outfits. Charlotte nearly groaned out loud. These were just sequined strings and postage sized bits of lame. Wildboy had lost his mind.

~*~*~*~*~


Jubilee, Paige and Monet spotted Del sitting on the bench and went to join her, carrying bags of loot from the different teen spots. They dropped on the seat gratefully.

"Wha'cha doin?" Jubilee asked.

"Watching the show," Del answered.

The girls looked over at Logan directing the clerk in his quest to seriously annoy his mate. The muffled groans and heated words seemed to indicate his success.

"What's he doin' in there?" Jubilee asked, her eyes wide.

"He's helping Charlotte pick out a few things."

They watched in amazement as garments flew over the dressing room door, accompanied with curses.

"Maybe we could use some popcorn."

~*~*~*~*~


The guys found them still watching. After some explanation, they joined the audience.

"Oh, man, she's gonna hurt him," Angelo remarked.

~Might be worth it, mate,~ Jono answered. ~I liked the purple one.~

Paige shot him a disgruntled look.

~But on you, luv,~ he hurried to assure her.

~*~*~*~*~


"Look," Marla told her privately, with yet another armful of garments, "I know old men are a pain in the ass, but this one's willing to spend money on you. You need to hold up your end of the arrangement, that's the only way you'll get what you really want."

"You think so?" Charlotte turned an angry eye on the clerk, who didn't realize her time on earth may just have come perilously close to the end.

"Yes. It's part of the game. You get what you can, then go on to the next old man. A little cooperation here and you'll be set for awhile. I bet he spends lots of money on you."

It was a near miss, but she managed not to brain-fry the sales twit for degrading Logan. She really couldn't be blamed, he was behaving badly. An idea tickled her warped sense of justice.

"Do you have any leather in stock?"

~*~*~*~*~


"Okay, Logan. This is the very last thing I'm trying on."

He turned at the sound of her voice. She didn't sound mad anymore. Damn. She was so much fun when her blood was up.

The door swung open and she walked out in full view of the store, the doors, and the students outside the entrance.

He stood still.

~*~*~*~*~


"Madre de Dios!"

"What's she wearin'?"

"You mean what's she not wearin'."

~Paige, luv, ya think ya might wear somethin' like that sometime?~

"Oh, my."

"It's not Paige's color."

"Shut up, M."

~That's every woman's color.~

"I disagree. That shade of red cannot be worn by everyone."

"Shut up, M."

~*~*~*~*~


Logan forgot what he was going to say next. Forgot how to breath.

The outfit was nothing more than strips of red leather descending from a choker collar, crisscrossing her body with carefully placed scraps of leather, enough to just avoid a public nudity charge. Barely. It had to be the briefest bondage bikini ever made.

"Well?" Charlotte asked in a silky voice. She moved forward, her loosened hair around her shoulders. She stopped just short of his range. He'd have to move to touch her.

He swallowed hard, his eyes eating her up, realizing he'd been playing a dangerous game. She'd had the advantage the entire time, and he was happy to let her lord it over him. He scooped her up and back into the dressing room, the door slamming shut behind them.

Marla smiled. This happened all the time, too. It meant BIG SALE!

~*~*~*~*~


When the door closed, Del got up. "Come on, let's get some lunch."

"But-"

"Wonder how much one of those costs."

"Too much for you, Ange."

"Think of it as an investment."

"They're not gonna.....eewww!

"Lunch. Now."

~*~*~*~*~


Marla had the outfits Charlotte tried on packed and ready to go, along with the sales slip, when they emerged from the dressing room. Charlotte was fully clothed, carrying the leather outfit. "Add this to the bill."

"Already did." The clerk got out another bag.

Logan pulled out his wallet and handed over his credit card without a word, not even looking at the receipt when he signed the credit slip.

"Could we have this delivered?" Charlotte asked. After receiving an affirmative, she wrote out her New York address. "Send it there."

~Hungry?~ she asked him on the way out of the store.

A low growl rumbled through her.

Some days were good days. Some were better than good. This one was priceless.

~*~*~*~*~


"So, she comes out in this leather thing," Jubilee told Remy later, relating the incident with all the relish of a small town gossip. "Wolvie, like, loses his tongue. He grabbed her an' went back into the dressin' room. Ya couldn't hear anything, tho', Jono said she was shieldin' the noise."

"You kiddin', p'tite. Logan an' Char?" He was jealous. Something he'd never done. He was falling behind. The old people were getting more action in more places than he was.

"Nope. Then Wolvie bought all the stuff he made her try on."

"Worth it, man," Angelo added. "That outfit was primo."

Even the kids got a thrill, Remy thought to himself.

"Never saw Frosty wear anythin' like that."

He missed it all to sleep in. "Where dey now?"

Jubilee and Angelo snickered. "Where do ya think?"

~*~*~*~*~


Emma arrived back the next evening. Charlotte met her at the car and went with her to the head mistress's suite.

Del and Bishop had left this morning. This time Charlotte didn't expect to hear complaints about the ride.

"Everything all right?" she asked.

Emma smiled coolly. "As right as it's going to get." She didn't elaborate, and Charlotte didn't pry. "What about my students?"

"They're fine. No trouble at all. We went to the club Friday night, the mall yesterday, a movie and dinner last night. Today we just hung around here. It's been peaceful."

"Good."

"We'll be leaving in the morning," Charlotte added.

The White Queen nodded. "Thank you for all your help. May I call you again if we need a substitute?"

Hmm, wonder if Frederick's has a store in the area, Charlotte thought. She made a mental note to check it out. This time he could be the one trying on the weird stuff. "Absolutely."



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