Watching the setting sun Holly smiled, the now familiar blue Honda sat beneath the stand of pines and the young couple that crossed the parking lot wore a familiar look. So many times they’d shown up together, once or twice they’d come with another couple but for the most part they came alone. Tonight obviously it would be no different; they sought solace from a place few within the walls of the diner knew anything about.


“Rough night?” Holly asked as they settled in at the booth.

“No,” the girl smiled softly, a loving look on her face as she glanced at the man to her right. “Just wanted to celebrate.”

“What are you celebrating?” Holly asked pouring two cups of coffee and resting one hip against the edge of the table.

The dark haired girl smiled and rested on hand on her abdomen,” We’re expecting a baby in about seven months.”

“Congratulations,” Holly exclaimed, “This definitely calls for a celebration. Bart, we need cake!”

“Cake,” Bart grumbled as he shuffled forward with the freshly decorated chocolate cake that he’d made. For some reason he periodically made one, and wondered about the couple that had originally courted their love in the bench this couple now sat in. “Gonna eat all my hard work.”

“Oh hush up,” Holly laughed as she glanced up at the sight of headlights flitting across the glass. “And cut two pieces. They’re expectin’,”

“Well if that don’t beat all,” Bart grinned, “Congratulations you two. Glad to see someone’s happy.”

Kitty smiled and nodded as the older couple moved off. She was ecstatic about the baby, but part of her wondered just how the others at the mansion would take it. While it had never been said, it had often been implied that babies were not exactly welcome additions to the team.

“Relax,” Piotr smiled, “If nothing else, we can leave. If Logan and Rogue can make it on their own so can we.”

Kitty smiled and nodded as her gaze drifted out the window to the battered explorer that was parked beside their car. It had British Columbia plates on it and the dark color made it well hidden within the growing darkness. Seeing movement from around the back of the car she paled with fear before laughing softly.

“Looks like we might have to share,” Kitty whispered into Piotr’s ear, “Look whose here.”

Piotr turned to look out the window and grinned as he recognized the panther like stride of Wolverine, “Looks like.”

The jingle of the bell over the door had Holly, Bart, and several other customers glancing up to freeze and stare in shock at the couple that stepped through the door. The woman’s dark hair was trimmed into a sexy, layered look, the streaks around her face curling ever so slightly, and a happy smile tilted her lips.

The tall man behind her wore a well worn jean jacket under a brown and yellow striped leather one. His gaze astute and assessing as it scanned the room before moving to the back of the room where Kitty and Piotr sat. The usual hostility and alertness still very much in place, yet there was a softening, an easing around his eyes and mouth that told everyone he was more than just content, he was happy.

The heavy tread of his steps and the soft click of the woman’s heeled boots seemed inordinately loud in the quiet room but nobody made a move. Nobody questioned it when they settled into the booth and eyed the young couple.

“Good to see you,” Kitty smiled softly at the young woman she’d known. Rogue’s eyes had a happy glow about them, the shadows, the fear were gone and she wondered why that was.

It couldn’t be easy for either of them living on the road, living fight to fight, pay day to pay day. Eying the pair, Kitty sighed softly, obviously it was easier than she thought because the young woman who stared back at her smiled easily, lovingly at the man next to her.

“How are you?” Rogue’s soft, lilting accent drew a grin from both Kitty and Piotr.

“Well,” Kitty replied looking at her lover, “We’re getting married tomorrow and we’re expecting a baby.”

“Good for you,” Logan drawled easily. “What’s Chuck got to say about it?”

“I get the impression that if he knew he’d have kittens,” Kitty shrugged, “But it’s our lives. Our choices that we have to live with. I won’t surrender who I am to a cause that may or may not last. Things are starting to get a little uncomfortable at the mansion. Especially since Dr Grey can’t get a pardon on the Canadian side of the border, so when we have missions that take us north she usually stays behind.”

“Kinda figured that out,” Logan chuckled at Rogue’s look. “What it’s true. Wheels ain’t any better than Buckethead with his ‘causes’. Just because he wears a suit and teaches a few classes doesn’t mean he’s right.”

“I know that darlin’,” Rogue grinned at him. “It’s just that I can see the similarities and it strikes me as funny that Chuck doesn’t understand what’s about to happen to him. He’s so driven to succeed to save humanity mutant relations that he’s forgotten to focus on the one thing he needs. The mutants in his care support.”

“So you think we’re right?” Piotr asked, “You think we can make it work without him.”

“We make it work,” Rogue shrugged and shifted as she rubbed at her stomach. Smiling secretively at Logan she snuggled deeper into his embrace, feeling the gentle kicking of the life within her body, nestled under her heart. “We’ll keep makin’ it work because we love each other. We just figured it was high time that we went back so to speak, that we faced the Professor and his team. I love Logan; I love our house, our car, our baby. It doesn’t mean that our life is easy, it just means we know what’s important.”

“Baby?” Kitty giggled, “Somehow I don’t think the Professor’s going to be too happy to have so many pregnant women around him.”

“Who cares? It ain’t up to him,” Logan drawled as Holly set two more cups of coffee down on the table.

“So how long you in town for?” Holly grinned at him.

“A week, give a take a couple of days,” Rogue replied with a grin. “I wanted to come out and visit our friends, family. And Logan wanted to come rub Chuck’s nose in the fact that we’re happily married, with a baby on the way, and no evil mutants on our tail.”

“Good for you,” Holly smiled and glanced at the two couples, “I’m proud of both of you.”

Watching Holly walk away Logan glanced at his wife and the couple across from them, “I gotta say this place sure does have a way of bringing out the romantics.”

Piotr grinned, “Not really. Kitty overheard you and Rogue talking about this place and followed Dr. Grey and Mister Summers one night. I think it’s a great place.”

Logan glanced down at Rogue who smiled and squeezed his hand, “So do we. So do we,” Rogue replied softly picking up her coffee cup and turning to look out the window, “Is the sunrise just as breathtaking?”

“More so,” Kitty replied softly, “It’s free.”

Laughing softly the foursome watched in comfortable silence as the darkness slowly passed until the light of dawn made an appearance and the sun began to climb into the sky. This place held a special magic that most never found – it had given Logan and Rogue so much, and would continue if the love and devotion from Kitty and Piotr were any indication for a very long time.