Problem Solved by aranenumenesse
Summary: “Any time, anywhere Marie…”
Categories: AU Characters: None
Genres: Shipper
Tags: None
Warnings: None
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 14 Completed: Yes Word count: 14675 Read: 121173 Published: 07/18/2007 Updated: 06/22/2010

1. Chapter 1 by aranenumenesse

2. Chapter 2 by aranenumenesse

3. Chapter 3 by aranenumenesse

4. Chapter 4 by aranenumenesse

5. Chapter 5 by aranenumenesse

6. Chapter 6 by aranenumenesse

7. Chapter 7 by aranenumenesse

8. Chapter 8 by aranenumenesse

9. Chapter 9 by aranenumenesse

10. Chapter 10 by aranenumenesse

11. Chapter 11 by aranenumenesse

12. Chapter 12 by aranenumenesse

13. Chapter 13 by aranenumenesse

14. Chapter 14 by aranenumenesse

Chapter 1 by aranenumenesse
Author's Notes:
I'm going to hunt down each and every bunny that's wobbling in to my way. Then I'm going to feed them to my cat. How on earth can I get anything sensible done when this happens? I can just hope that this isn't a sign that I'm completely, utterly crooked and messed up from the head.

Story takes place some time after X3. Marie's with Bobby and she and Logan get trapped together in a middle of a mission.
”Oh, no… Nononono, this is not happening!” Familiar, heavy twisting feeling tightened her breasts and she could feel warm liquid trickling down her stomach and sides. She yanked off the top of her uniform to protect the leather. White undershirt was already soaked through.
“What the hell are you doing?” Her grouchy companion asked when she tried to find a way to stem the flow of milk from her aching breasts. She ignored him. Sometimes imagining things not related to the baby helped. She closed her eyes and leaned against the slick metal wall, trying to find something, anything that would take her mind off from the fact that she had missed two nursing already, and that would fool her body to diminish the milk production temporarily.

“Having a leak? Need a hand with that?” She heard Logan’s voice from her right. She kept her eyes shut.
“What would you know about these things?” She hissed. For some reason she had been increasingly antsy towards Logan ever since she had had the baby.
“Well, I know something. I have dated chicks with babies.”
“Yeah, right…”
“Remember Camille?”
“Remember? That was last week, Logan!”
“She has a six months old son. And I practically lived with her the last month. So I do have some insight to these things. That shit you’re trying to do, won’t help you.”
“Wha…”
“Camille tried that. Wasn’t working. Wasn’t working with her friends either. They had to start nursing more often and wear those milk collectors 24-7. Well, everybody except Camille…”
“Well, do tell me… What made your precious Camille so different?” She hissed, opening her eyes.
“I took care of the excess milk.”
“Ewww! And I somehow feel that Bobby wouldn’t appreciate much if I let you paw my breasts…”
“Well, duh. It was just a suggestion. You’re leaking all over the place. And what has it been, nearly six hours since your kid last ate. Must be hurting like hell already.”
“Yeah. But it can’t be that long anymore. I mean they know where we are, and Scott promised to pick us up ASAP.”
“Yeah. Right before the comm. went down. Were in here for the duration. They know where we are, but it’s kind of hard to pinpoint our exact location through that debris…” Logan said, pointing towards the metal roof of the elevator.

Building had collapsed when they had been scouting lower levels. Rest of the team had gotten out in time, not a scratch on them, but they had gotten trapped in to an elevator on their way to the upper levels.

She stretched her hands and winced when the movements made her breasts jiggle. It was damn near impossible to zipper up the uniform if she was wearing a bra so she had gone without it, a decision she was starting to regret with every passing moment. She cupped her breasts, trying to alleviate the nasty feeling of stretching skin and muscles.

“They will be here soon,” she said. She wasn’t sure of whom she tried to reassure, Logan, or herself.
“And it takes time to clear off the rubble before they can get to us. Few more hours at least. Maybe you should lie down?”
“I’ll suffocate on my back and don’t get me even started what hell it would be to lay on my side or stomach.”

Suddenly the radio Logan had thrown to the corner earlier rattled and blared to life.
“Rogue? Wolverine? Are you there?” Scott’s voice came trough loud and clear. Logan picked up the radio they both had thought was dead.
“We’re here, Cyclops. Come and get us.”
“There’s a small problem. Landing gears of the Blackbird got tangled up when we took off. I needed water to land, and…”
“Let me guess. You’re currently nowhere near us?” Logan huffed.
“Nope.”
“What’s your ETA?”
“You guys have to spend a night in there.”
“Fine. But you’d better be here first thing in the morning…”

“No! I can’t… Nate needs food and… And…” She stuttered, dead on sure that she was hearing things. Soon the radio would rattle again and Scott would laugh at his little practical joke and tell them he was already cutting the roof of the elevator. Soon. Except radio stayed silent, no matter how long she kept staring at it.
“I’m sure they can figure out something for your kid to eat. I’m more worried about you. How are you feeling?” Logan asked.
“The same. Why?”
“You have to get that milk out of you somehow.”
“Whu… Logan! We already talked about this!”
“You’ll get sick! Camille was sick like a dog when she started to vane her son. Besides, you’ll stop lactating if your body thinks you don’t need to do it anymore, and your kid as sure as hell needs your milk.”
“I know that! But it just feels so icky and…”
“Icky? You’re telling me that Drake hasn’t gotten a taste?”
“Uh, no. I don’t think he even would like to try.”
“Well, it’s your loss… Camille seemed to like it.”

Logan was sleeping. She was unable to find comfortable position. She had tried everything and finally resigned to staying awake. It couldn’t be much longer anymore. Right?

She sighed and leaned lower against the wall. Her breasts were practically bursting from pressure, and slow trickle of milk had turned to a steady stream. She felt icky and sticky. Her nipples were hard as small pebbles and skin was stretched taut. And the elevator was hot as an oven.
“Uh… Logan?” She whispered. He cracked his eyes open.
“How much longer?” She asked. He shrugged his shoulders.
“Umm… I… I have been thinking…” She didn’t know how to say it. Please, suck me would have probably done the trick, but it sounded somewhat dirty.
“Changed your mind?” Logan asked.
“Perhaps. It still feels wrong, but…”
“Hell, it’s not like I’m trying to get in to your pants. I’m just worried about you. And worried about Nate. What’s he going to eat if mommy stops giving milk?”
“How… How do we do this?” She asked. Again Logan shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, there really is only one way. You should know that.”

She closed her eyes and tried not to think about it. Tried her earnest to imagine it was Nate instead of Logan, but it wasn’t working so well when she could feel stubble scratching her skin and teeth nibbling her nipples lightly every now and then.

“Oh… God!” She hadn’t been prepared of what it would actually feel. Nursing Nate had taught her that it brought forth strong maternal feelings and for some reason made her stomach flutter, in a good way. Afterwards she felt wholly relaxed and contended. This was something else entirely.

Hot and hard lips around her nipple, tongue laving and teeth grazing the sensitive skin, coaxing her breasts to release their load. Feelings spread through her whole body, then started to gather somewhere at the pit of her stomach. Instead of soothing they started building a fire.

“Sorry, should have probably warned you about that…” Logan murmured with mischievous glint in his eyes, moving on to second breast when she moaned and clamped her thighs together. She blushed. She knew he could smell the scent of her arousal, no matter how deeply it was buried under the stench of sour milk.
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll get soon back to Drake, and I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to take care of that problem…” Logan smirked, changing breasts again.

As soon as the worst pressure was relieved she could relax. She let her head fall back and closed her eyes. Let her hands wander, her fingers combing Logan’s wild hair as he suckled. Her thighs had fallen apart, and she could feel Logan’s knee between them when he was leaning to a better position. She sighed and thrust against his knee, moaning from the friction. Logan didn’t seem to mind, merely grabbed her hips and moved her to a better position and continued his assault on her breasts. Soon she was grinding against his thigh, panting and moaning and arching her back, thrusting her breasts against his face.

It wasn’t supposed to feel good. It wasn’t supposed to make her hornier than a weasel in heat, but she cried out from disappointment when it was over and Logan pulled away from her, slouching against the opposite wall of the elevator, his eyes half hooded and licking his lips.
“Better?” He asked with a raspy voice. She shook her head. Her breasts were still aching, and that same ache was throbbing through her whole being, and it had nothing to do with milk anymore. But it had everything to do with the man sitting in front of her, small speckle of milk clinging to the corner of his mouth and his chest heaving, his whole body tense under black leather he wore.

“Have you… Are you… Are you okay from down there?” He asked. She whimpered and bolted straddling his lap, grinding down against his rock hard erection.
“I’m good…”
“Good… Move a little…” He huffed, pushing her off from his lap and standing up, tearing off his uniform in a hurry. It fell to a black leathery puddle around his ankles when he crouched down and hoisted her up against the wall, lowering the pants of her uniform.
“Don’t have condoms… Does it matter?” He asked, tip of his cock poised at her entrance. She shook her head. It didn’t matter. She opened her mouth to tell him that it was okay when he suddenly plunged in, sheathing himself fully in to her wet heat, his mouth latching over her weeping breasts again. Instead of words a scream, born from pure pleasure tore from her throat. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, her fingers clutching his shoulders in a death grip, blunt nails marking his skin. She could hear him spewing curses, his teeth no longer nibbling, but actually biting her nipples.
“Oh, fuck… Marie…”
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to… I’m coming soon… You’re so fucking hot and wet…”

Hot gush of his come tilted her over, and she could only scream, every muscle locked, her core milking Logan eagerly until they slowly separated, both falling on the floor on their respective sides of the elevator. She closed her eyes and just lay there, trying to steady her breathing. She could hear Logan doing the same.
“Thanks…” She managed to huff.
“Any time, anywhere Marie…”
Chapter 2 by aranenumenesse
Shower felt like heaven, peeling off sticky layer of dried milk and evidence of her little fuckfest with Logan. It wasn’t like she had cheated Bobby. Logan was just a friend, and friends took care of each other. Right? She raised her face towards the steaming hot water, letting it slick back her long, tangled hair. Droplets kept hitting her breasts that were still slightly sore. First thing she’d do when she got out of here she’d go and find Nate, then spend some serious quality time with him. She had been tempted to go looking for her son and husband when she had walked off from the hangar of the Blackbird, but Logan had managed to talk her taking shower first. She’d have to thank him about it later.

She reached for a bottle of shampoo and lathered her hair, keeping her eyes closed. She heard the shower room door opening and closing. Bare feet hitting the floor. Soft gurgle of a baby. Nate. And probably Bobby.
“Hi honey! Missed you both so badly! Just let me rinse off the shampoo…” She ducked under the shower, washing off last traces of her ordeal quickly.

When she stepped off from under the shower and opened her eyes she gasped from the surprise. It was Nate, all right, but with Logan. Cuddled against his bare chest, small fists curled tightly around his muttonchops.
“Thought that the little guy could use a snack. Bobby’s not home and Jean and everybody else was busy…”
“What do you mean? Bobby’s not home? Where the hell is he? He was supposed to take care of Nate!” Suddenly she was steaming from anger, reaching for the baby who let out a startled coo and snuggled against Logan.
“Easy there, little guy…” Logan murmured, handing the baby to her. She stepped under the shower with Nate who giggled now, delighted from the surprise, and latched on to her left breast with hungry mouth. Her right breast started leaking instantly, but the water from the shower cleared the mess instantly.

“I mean what I said. He’s not home. Ororo said that he took off last night. Nate spent the night with Scott and Jean. Nothing to worry about. He was in no danger,” Logan said, leaning against the tiled wall of the bathroom, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Maybe Nate wasn’t in danger, but Bobby’s a whole different story… Can’t wait to get my hands on him. He’ll never know what hit him…”
“Calm down, kid. He probably had a good reason to go. And besides, Jean and Scott liked to watch after Nate. Told me to ask if the critter could come to them for sleepover more often.”
“Good reason, my ass! Only reason I agreed to come to that freaking mission was that I knew that Bobby could spend more time with Nate! It’s not like he’s been the father of the year, and I thought he was going to try this time!”

Nate scrunched up his perky little nose and let out a small, annoyed scream. She switched breasts and the baby calmed down instantly.
“Not father of the year? What the fuck are you babbling about, kid?” Logan grunted, shifting his feet and tilting his head, his brows knitting together in confusion.
“Have you ever seen Bobby with Nate?” Marie asked.
“Uh… Yeah? I must have seen. Several times. I mean… Nate’s almost six months old…”
“No. You haven’t seen Bobby with Nate simply because he hasn’t been with Nate. Sure, he pretends to be all lovey-dovey, cuddling up with us when there’s people around, but god forbid if I ask him to go out with Nate or even change his diaper…”
“Come on… You’re pulling my leg, right? Drake’s been all over you two ever since Nate was born. I have seen it,” Logan smiled, reached with his hand and ticked baby’s feet. Nate let go of her nipple, head turning around little awkwardly and kicked, letting out a loud burp and showering Marie with generous amount of half digested milk.
“Thank you very much….” She hissed, sticking out her tongue to Logan. Logan smiled, then serious look fell over his face.

“You’re telling me that Drake’s shit for dad?” He asked. She nodded.
“Even worse. I don’t think he hates Nate or me. But he’s never around. And when he is, he’s… I get this feeling that he’d rather be somewhere else. And I thought last night was different. That he had gotten his head geared to father-mode at last…”
“Fuck. Sorry about that, kid… Why haven’t you told about it to anybody?” Logan asked, reaching for Nate so that she could finish her shower. She couldn’t help noticing how natural it looked when Nate squirmed over his chest, dangling partly over his shoulder and cooed softly when Logan started patting his rear end carefully.
“To who? And what would I have told them? Should I go to professor and whine how Bobby won’t play with me anymore?” She snapped turning off the shower and snatching the towel Logan handed to her, rubbing her skin vigorously, avoiding her breasts because there really was no need to stimulate them anymore.
“So… I’m guessing your breasts weren’t the only reason for what happened last night?” Logan asked, ducking her hands when she tried to reach for Nate.
“I’m good. Nate’s good. Could you answer to my question?” He asked, walking after her when she marched to the locker room.
“What if they weren’t? It shouldn’t matter! What happened, happened!” She nearly shouted. Nate flinched in Logan’s arms.
“It matters. I did it because I thought I was helping you out. If it was some sort of cheap payback for what ever Bobby has done or hasn’t done…” Logan hissed, his eyes narrowing and darkening.
“It wasn’t! It was good! It was good for both of us, and Bobby had nothing to do with it! God! What kind of bitch do you think I am, Logan?”
“I don’t know anymore, kid. And it worries the hell out of me…” With that said he stormed out, still carrying Nate with him, leaving her alone, dripping cold puddle on the floor.
Chapter 3 by aranenumenesse
Author's Notes:
I'm blaming certain, whiny 5 year old chick for this. You know who you are. I'll sic Logie on you... And wasn't that just lame. You'd probably like that.
She found them from the kitchen. Logan was sitting on a barstool, sipping beer. Nate was trying his earnest to chew off an ear from his favorite stuffed bunny.
“Babynapper…” Marie growled, snatching the baby from him. Logan harrumphed, looking definitely calmer than few minutes ago, but none the less angrier. She went to the fridge, diving in like her life depended on it, trying to juggle with Nate, huge plate of leftover casserole, milk and a bowl of carrots. And was failing miserably. Large hand reached over her shoulder, grabbed Nate from the back of his playsuit and the baby went sailing through the air, giggling wildly and ending back to Logan’s lap. She plunked the plates and bowls she had collected to the counter and whirled around.
“Jesus! What is it with you? Are you turning in to some sort of Mary Poppins with claws and bad attitude?” She huffed. Logan just shrugged his shoulders, still sulking, but she caught a glimmer of smile hiding under growliness. She turned her back to him and the baby and started making herself a meal. Well-balanced, huge meal, from all the important food groups, filled with all the important vitamins and nutrients to replace what she was pushing out through her nipples with increasing speed. Sometimes being walking milk automate really sucked. Like right now. She took the plate and tall glass of milk, eyeing Logan’s beer longingly. Even that was forbidden.

“Makes only sense for me to hold Nate. You need your both hands while you eat. I need only one to drink,” Logan grunted, taking a swig from his beer, raising the bottle so that Nate couldn’t get his pudgy fingers on it.
“Yeah… I guess so…” Marie huffed, shoveling a forkful of cold casserole to her mouth.
“I’m just so used to doing everything with Nate,” she mumbled.
“You shouldn’t be. Now… What’s this shit about Bobby you were talking about earlier?” Logan asked. Nate was plucking the buttons of his shirt. Marie shrugged.
“No shit. Complete truth. I noticed it long before Nate was even born. I thought Bobby was just nervous. All new parents should be nervous, right?”
“Wouldn’t know, but I guess so…” Logan pondered, reflecting light patterns on the far wall of the kitchen from the rising sun with the beer bottle. Nate was staring at them fascinated.
“He’d get out at nights. Clubbing with his friends. And I let him. Wouldn’t have been fair to keep him away from his friends just because I couldn’t party like I used to.” Logan grimaced and shook his head.
“You make it sound like it was somehow your fault that you got pregnant.”
“It feels like Bobby’s blaming me. Like it was my fault that the condom broke. But that’s beside my point…”
“Yeah. So… Bobby’s hitting clubs with his friends while you play the obedient little housewife and soccer mom?” Logan asked. Marie nodded fishing a small piece of paper from her pocket.
“I found this from the floor when I went to get some clothes from our room. I guess Bobby dropped it when he left last night…”

Logan picked up the paper, then just stared at it, one eyebrow raised and let a small whisper through his teeth.
“What? What is it?” Marie asked.
“This bar… Hole In One… Marie? Do you know what kind of place this is?” Logan asked, his gaze never leaving the paper.
“What kind of place… Oh, my God! Logan! I don’t think Bobby’s doing drugs, I’m sure I would have noticed if something like that was going on…”
“It’s a gay bar.”
“A what?”

She was going to be sick. Had to be that cold casserole. You shouldn’t eat too cold food, it’ll upset your stomach she could hear her inner mom preaching, but it was already too late. She hurried to the sink, made it just in time before her stomach expelled everything she had eaten just moment ago. Nice. How was your day, honey? Well, it was just fine. Peachy, in fact. Fucked like crazed bunnies with my best friend, then found out that my husband really doesn’t hate me, he just happens to be little gay. So I should rinse my mouth, go back to table and finish my meal.

She grabbed a glass from the cupboard above the sink, rinsed her mouth and the mess she had made in to the skink and walked back to the table with shaky legs, sitting down and pushing away the casserole. She wasn’t hungry anymore.

“Bobby’s gay.”
“Well, I don’t know if we should jump in to conclusions, but that would explain a lot…” Logan grunted finishing his beer. Nate gurgled from disappointment when he leaned back and pushed the empty bottle under the sink.
“Shit, kid. I think your brat’s trying to turn me in to alcoholic…” He murmured, reaching for the fridge and pulling out a new bottle from his stash, opening it and drinking just enough so that he could make more patterns on the wall for Nate. Marie let out a strangled chuckle.
“You’re too easy. He has to learn to deal with disappointments, sooner or later.” Logan snorted.
“Later. Little guy has time to do that later. But how about you?”
“What about me?”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Waiting until Bobby comes home and asking if he’s gay probably won’t work?” She sighed.
“Probably not. But it might. I could go and ask if Jean or Ororo could watch Nate for few hours, to give you some time to think this through,” Logan offered. She shook her head.
“What the hell there’s to think about? He’s either gay or just hates Nate and me. Either way it’s over. I can’t keep pretending that it doesn’t bother me when he turns away when I want to have sex. I can’t keep pretending that it doesn’t matter that only times he touches Nate voluntarily are those when he needs to show people what a good and caring father he is. And I can’t keep pretending that I love him. Not anymore.”

“Whoah, kid… Stop right there! Pretending to love him? Why the hell did you marry him if you don’t love him?” Logan asked. She shrugged her shoulders, watching Nate who was slowly falling asleep on Logan’s arms. Sudden stab of jealousy run through her, guilt close on its heels.
“I don’t know. I guess it was something everybody expected from us. Something we were supposed to do.”
“That’s the shittiest reason for marriage that I have ever heard. You got a breast pump, kid?” Logan asked. She wrinkled her forehead, quite puzzled.
“Go and get few bottles for Nate ready. I’m taking you out. We’re going to find Bobby, ask him what’s going on. If he’s not gay, you’re staying with him and I come home and take care of Nate. Who knows, maybe Ice Prick is just little jittery about the baby and everything…”
“But what if he’s gay after all?”
“Jean and Scott can take care of Nate for a while and you’re coming with me. You look like you could use a drink. Or several of those.”
Chapter 4 by aranenumenesse
Author's Notes:
For the sake of the story the Hole In One, and it's patrons are portrayed extremely caricaturist way. No offence intended.
“Fuck off, pipsqueak. I’m looking for somebody and you’re cramping my style…” Logan growled. Skinny, blonde man who had been practically humping his leg retreated fast to safe distance, casting longing glances towards him, and murderous glares towards Marie.
“I can’t see him…” Marie was practically bristling from nervousness.
“You have to stand up, shorty,” Logan smirked. She swatted his arm, then let out an alarmed squeak when Logan grabbed her from the waist and hoisted her on top of a table.
“Any better?” She heard him asking and nodded. Up here she could see over the crowd. Who would have guessed that the place would be filled to the brim in the middle of a day?

“I still can’t see him… It’s so dark in here…” She wobbled down from the table. Logan huffed.
“I’ll go and have a look.”

She had to struggle just to get back to the bar. She could only watch in awe when crowd parted around Logan, letting him through. She could see hands reaching out to grab him. Somebody stuffed a small slip of paper to the back pocket of his jeans. Logan shook his head but walked forward, disappearing fast to the maze of twisting and twirling bodies on the dance floor.

“I found him.” She was enjoying the sight and feel of tall glass of something that was decorated with a paper umbrella. She hadn’t tasted the drink yet, but it looked simply beautiful. Light green, topped with white, served from pristine glass, which had already started collecting moisture from the air. She grabbed the umbrella, crunching it and flicking it to side and grabbed the drink.
“And?” She asked with a shaky voice. Logan huffed and shoved his hands to his pockets, not even noticing how several men around him practically swooned.
“Lets get the fuck out of here. Were going to find somebody who can write you divorce papers.”
“He really is gay?” Marie asked.
“Found him from the bathroom. Drunk as a skunk, gobbling up another man’s wiener. So, yeah. I think he’s gay.”
“Oh. Well, that was kind of a relief…” She huffed, throwing back the girly drink she was holding, grimacing after remembering it was bitter.
“Relief?” Logan asked.
“Yeah. I would probably be crushed if it had been another woman. But a man… I can think all of this as a big, stupid mistake both I and Bobby made.”
“That’s one way to put it. Do we go and get the paperwork done, or do you want to talk about it with Drake first?” Logan asked.
“I think it would be fair to hear his opinion first.”
“Well, it’s your marriage… Feel like hitting few bars?” Logan asked. She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head.
“No. I think I’d rather go home. Play with Nate. Get myself a room and move my stuff over there before Bobby comes home.”
“Need a hand with that?” Logan asked. She smirked.
“I could always use some help from you…” She whispered, knowing he could hear the words, and more importantly, the teasing tone of her voice through the noise.
“Just remember, kid. I’m not the rebound guy. And I’m not in to revenge. Not in this matter. As much as I would love to rub Drake’s nose in to what we did in that elevator, it wouldn’t be fair. Not to anybody.”

They drove back home in silence. Nate was sleeping in Ororo’s room, so she could start hunting her new home right away. Professor handed her a set of keys and urged her to pick the one she liked. She could see brief flash of shame in his eyes before he turned away from her. Professor Xavier had known all the time. He had known all the time what was going on, and he hadn’t said a word. That made her wonder whether Jean also had noticed and chosen to stay in silence instead of telling her what was going on. It felt like betrayal, but she really couldn’t blame the telepaths for anything. They would have betrayed everything, themselves, the children they were supposed to teach and protect, they would have betrayed even her and Bobby if they had spoken out loud what they could pick up from their thoughts.

She shrugged off the gloomy cloud of sulking that threatened to land on her shoulders, and started looking for her new room. She had asked Logan to help her, but he had shaken his head.
“It’s your life. Your room. Your decision. When you’re ready, come and get me. I’ll help you to move your stuff, okay?”

So here she was, standing in a spacious studio, ideal for a living room. There were two smaller rooms attached to it, both fit for bedrooms. And it had a small but neat bathroom. And it had been cleaned up, probably just few hours ago. She could still smell the scent of disinfectant and wood polish. She shook her head. Was she really this transparent? Professor Xavier had known all along which room she would choose. She snatched the key of the room from the chain Xavier had given her, weighing it on her palm. Small piece of cold metal. How on earth it could feel this heavy? It felt like it was ready to drop to the floor through her hand at any given moment.

What if Bobby wasn’t gay after all? What if Logan had seen something and misinterpret it to something else entirely? What if Logan was lying? What if Bobby hadn’t even been in that bar?
“Better not start that. You’re getting paranoid, bitch…” She muttered, pocketing the key, hurrying towards professor Xavier’s office to return the rest of the set and claim the room before her paranoia got the better out of her.
Chapter 5 by aranenumenesse
“Need anything else?” Logan asked setting down Nate’s crib. She looked around. Crib. Nursing table. Rocking chair. A couch in the living room. A bed for her in the second bedroom. Logan had found the frame and the mattress from the attic. Closets filled with her and Nate’s clothes. Huge piles of diapers and bottles for Nate. Nate’s toys. Her personal items.
“You didn’t happen to see a bookshelf and a TV when you were in the attic?” She asked. Logan froze.
“Uh… I’m not sure. I can go and look…” She laughed and swatted his arm.
“I was just joking, silly! I need to go shopping anyway, I might as well see if I can find them from the city.”
“Are you going today?” Logan asked. She shook her head.
“It’s almost feeding time for Nate. And I’m going to wait until Bobby gets back home and go and have a chat with him.”
“Leave Bobby for tomorrow. He’s too drunk. He was barely conscious when I saw him.”
“Oh, what if he wasn’t just drunk? What if somebody had drugged him and…” Sudden worry crashed through her. Logan shook his head, sympathetic look on his face.
“I would have smelled the drugs on him. I’m sorry, kid. Your husband’s just as gay as it gets.”
“Who’s gay?” They heard Ororo asking.

She was standing at the doorstep of her new home, holding Nate who was looking around with curious eyes. When the baby saw Logan, it let out a giggle and reached with chubby hands towards him. Logan moved to take him from Ororo and balanced the baby to the crook of his arm.
“None of your business, Storm. But thanks for taking care of Nate,” Logan grunted, dismissing their friend quite rudely by closing the door right in front of her face. Marie was standing next to the couch; eyes screwed tightly shut and her hands clenched to tight fists on her sides. He sat on the couch pulling her next to him and wrapping his free arm around her shoulders. Nate gurgled and reached for his mother. Marie pulled the baby from Logan, nearly crushing the small life with her desperate embrace.
“How the hell I’m ever going to tell this to Nate? He’ll want to know when he grows up who his father is. How am I going to explain to him what happened?” She whispered, raining small kisses on Nate’s hair.
“Wait until he’s old enough to understand and tell him that his old man sucked ass or…”
“I think I’ll take the option number two.”
“Or you could hope that Nate looks nothing like his real dad and find a replacement.”

“It wouldn’t be right. I can’t lie to Nate…”
“Think about it, kid. You said it yourself; Drake has acted nothing like a real father should act. He may have squirted his swimmers in to you, but that’s about the whole extent of his attachment to Nate. Find a guy who’s willing and capable of taking care of you both. I think it’s better for everybody in the long run,” Logan said, smirking to Nate who was trying to crawl over his mother’s lap to him.
“Where the hell were you when I decided to hook up with Bobby in the first place?” Marie huffed tiredly.
“Fucking Camille. Or Laurie. Yeah. Probably Laurie. Or was it… Shit. What the hell does it matter… I wasn’t here. But I don’t think it would have made any difference even if I was here,” Logan grunted.
“Why?”
“Had I been keeping my eyes on you instead of other women, I probably would have noticed something was amiss with Drake, but do you seriously think I would have told you that?” Logan asked.
“But I thought you were my friend. Are my friend.”
“Yeah. Friends do things for each other. But friends do not stop you from making mistakes and learning from them.”
“What about your promise? Back in that train? You said you’d take care of me.”
“I only told you what you wanted to hear so I could get you back to safety.”
“It was a lie?”
“Come on, kid. How the hell I was supposed to take care of anybody, when I didn’t even know how to take care of myself? I was a fucking drifter, a bum. And you were thrusting a pair of wings and a fucking halo to my direction. I only used what you gave to me and then left you to live your life.”

Logan stood up, taking Nate with him and walked to the window. She sat for a moment in silence. Then braced herself.
“What about now?” She asked. Logan turned slowly around to look at her.
“Was that a proposal?” He asked.
“I guess it was.”
“I have some things going on. I have to take care of them first. And you have to end it with Drake.”
“Was that a ‘yes’?” She asked.
“Yeah.”
Chapter 6 by aranenumenesse
Logan had left when she started nursing Nate. The baby was sleeping in his crib now, and she was twisting and twiddling her fingers nervously. She had left a message for Bobby on their bed, telling him that she needed to talk with him. If he weren’t too drunk when he got back home, he’d find her and Nate on his own.

Minutes ticked by, and formerly spacious room she had chosen as her living room started feeling cramped and suffocating. She walked to Nate’s room and sat on the rocking chair by the window. Rocked slowly back and forth, her eyes fixed to the clouds on the sky, ears perked up for Nate’s calm breathing. She closed her eyes.

Back and forth, over and over again. Bobby would soon be home. He’d come looking for her. They’d talk. Everything would turn out just fine. They could laugh it all off as a mistake, stay friends, Bobby would push no claims over Nate, and she could marry Logan. Logan could adopt Nate, and everything would settle down, as it should. Everybody would be happy.

Knock on the door interrupted her trail of thoughts. She stood up slowly. Would it be Bobby? She walked to the door and pushed it open.
“How long have you known?” Bobby asked, swaying slightly on his feet. She could smell the booze coming off from him in waves.
“Found out this morning. How long have you known?” She asked.
“Found out when you got pregnant. Do you want… Do you need anything? For you or Nate?” Bobby asked. For her relief he didn’t look angry.
“I don’t know… I really don’t know. This has all happened so sudden… But I want a divorce,” she stuttered. Bobby nodded, rubbing his forehead.
“I’m too fucking drunk right now. Can we talk about this later tonight?” He asked. She nodded. Bobby nodded, shuffling his feet awkwardly, his gaze falling to the floor, then jumping back to her eyes.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I wasn’t… I didn’t want to hurt you. I thought… Shit, I don’t know what I thought… But I’m really sorry,” he whispered. She nodded.
“I’m sorry, too, Bobby…” She croaked, then just waited until he turned and left before closing the door and collapsing on to the floor in a fit of giggles she tried to suffocate before she accidentally woke up Nate.

It couldn’t be this easy. It shouldn’t be this easy. There had to be something she hadn’t thought about. Something. Anything to crush her hopes for a better life. Bobby would change his mind. Logan would change his mind. She would change her mind. Anything could happen before it was all over and settled. Anything could happen even after that. And all she could do was to wait for it to happen.

It was well past dinnertime when she emerged from her room; Nate fed and placed to a wrap over her chest. Baby was gurgling and dripping milky goo all over her shirt. At least somebody’s happy, she thought grimly. Nate had no care in this world. If everything went according to plan, he’d think Logan as his father when he grew up. Bobby would be… Bobby would be just Bobby. Old friend of Nate’s mother. She could only hope that Bobby was okay with that. Why wouldn’t he be? It wasn’t like he had been that interested in taking care of the baby before. And no matter how big of a bastard this whole mess had made him look, Bobby wasn’t mean person.

It seemed that the whole mansion already knew about what was going on. She collected pitying looks, encouraging words and hugs as she went. No matter how hard she tried to avoid well-meaning people she seemed to stumble upon groups of them where ever she went. It wasn’t what she wanted or needed, and she had to restrain herself for not to start screaming at them.

She finally reached her destination. The door to her old room. The door to Bobby’s room now. She knocked on it. At first there was no answer, but when she knocked on it for the second time she heard a muffled noise.
“Coming, coming…” Lock rattled, then Bobby’s tousled head appeared to the crack between the door and the frame.
“Who is it?” She heard another man asking. Voice was coming from the direction of their bed. Bobby’s bed, she quickly corrected her trail of thoughts. Bobby turned back in to the room.
“My wife… Uh, could you wait for a moment? I’ll get dressed and…” He asked, turning back facing her. She nodded, and the door closed.

She leaned against the wall, stroking Nate’s soft hair absentmindedly. Baby gurgled and grabbed her fingers. It sure hadn’t taken Bobby long to find somebody else to keep him warm, she thought bitterly, but squelched that thought quickly. She had no right or reason to judge him.
Chapter 7 by aranenumenesse
“You want a divorce. Do you want anything else? Money? Anything?” Bobby asked. They were walking in the garden, gravel of the path scrunching softly under their soles. Marie shook her head. Bobby chuckled.
“Figured that much… I guess Logan’s going to adopt Nate?” He asked. She stopped dead on her tracks, just staring at him.
“How… How did you know…” She stuttered.
“Heard the mission log. You guys forgot to turn off the radio,” Bobby said. She blushed.
“I… I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean it to happen…” Bobby pssahhed and waved his hand.
“Don’t worry. At least I know you’re in good hands. Can’t say that I’m not jealous for you. The way you screamed, he must be an animal in the sack.” He cleared his throat.
“But that’s not what we were discussing about… You want Logan to be the father for Nate, right?” She nodded.
“Nate needs somebody reliable. I’m sorry, but you really haven’t been around that much…”
“You’re right. No need to apologize. Look… Do what you want to do. Bring me papers I need to sign when you have them ready. I have no claims over you or Nate. I just want to get this over with so that we can go on with our lives. Okay?” Bobby said, already backing away from her and Nate. She let him go when she turned to look in to the direction where he was looking and saw Logan walking over the lawn, somewhat grim look on his face.

She watched Bobby’s retreating back until it disappeared behind the corner of the mansion before she turned back to Logan who stood now behind her and Nate. Baby’s hands rose instantly and tiny feet started kicking when Logan tickled him from his stomach. Logan smiled as well, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” She asked with trembling voice. This was it. The thing she had waited. The thing that would disrupt everything. She was certain of it. Logan cleared his throat.
“The thing I needed to take care of… Well, it’s taken care of. Everything’s just fine. I’m just… Oh, shit. Come here, both of you…” He stuttered, pulling them to his embrace. He was crying.

For a long moment they just stood there, Logan holding them both for dear life until he could get his feelings under wraps again.
“Me and Camille… It was already over. We ended it last week. It just wasn’t working. I was going over to her place, just to pick up some clothes I had left there. I stood there at least ten minutes and probably broke the goddamned doorbell before one of her neighbors came to tell me that she wouldn’t be answering that door anytime soon. She was robbed last week. The same night I moved out from there…” His voice trailed off and he grabbed Nate’s hand.
“She was robbed, raped and killed. And they killed Matt as well. Her son. Both dead…” He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“And I can’t help thinking that if I had stayed the night, just gritted my teeth and stayed that fucking night no matter what Camille said, they’d be still alive!”
“Oh, Logan…”

She didn’t know what to say. Logan had obviously cared a great deal about Camille, no matter why or how their relationship had ended. And now the woman was dead. As well as the baby.
“Logan… About Matt… He wasn’t… Was he yours?” She asked. Strangled chuckle left from Logan’s throat.
“God, no! No. He wasn’t mine. Biologically. But we had an agreement with Camille. If… If anything happened to her, I’d take Matt and raise him. I was going to talk about that with her. I was going to tell her that my situation had changed. That I’d have to talk about it with you first. Well, won’t have to do that anymore…” Logan’s voice broke and he pulled her against him once again, careful not to crush Nate between their bodies.

“I know this isn’t the right time, but… Does this change things between us?” Marie asked. She hated to do this, but she had to know. Logan let go of her and they started walking towards the mansion.
“Doesn’t change a thing. But…” She stopped walking. There was always the ‘but’.
“I know you’re still officially married to Bobby and just moved out to be by yourself, but… Could I bunk on your couch? This whole thing with Camille and Matt, it left me a bit jittery and…”
“Of course! Of course you can!” Marie laughed relieved. She had been expecting more on the lines of ‘I need some time to think things through’. She hadn’t been expecting Logan to ask move in with her.

“But why on the couch? Bobby wasn’t having any problems with us. On the contrary, he said he was only happy that I was getting together with you.”
“Fuck, Marie… I’m not afraid of Bobby. I couldn’t care less about his opinions. But this shit with Camille… I don’t know what it might drag up from my mind when I sleep. I want to be there, I need to know that you and Nate are safe, but if I have a nightmare it’s safer for you if I claw that ratty couch instead of you two.”
Chapter 8 by aranenumenesse
She laid Nate down to the crib carefully, once again marveling how easy baby he was. He was finally sleeping through the nights, and almost never cried. She tiptoed out from the room and closed the door. Walls were thin enough for her to hear if Nate woke up. And she’d be staying awake with Logan for a while. Closed door would tune out their whispers for the most part and give Nate the silence he needed for peaceful dreams.

Logan was sitting on the couch, his head lowered to the backrest, eyes closed. When she approached him he cracked his eyes open and smiled with watery eyes.
“What a way to start a life together. Your dear hubby weeping over another woman…” He croaked with a thick voice. She sat on his lap, straddling him. Combed back strands of hair that had fallen over his forehead.
“I would be worried if you weren’t weeping. She wasn’t just another fuck, was she?” She asked. Logan swallowed.
“I don’t know. Probably not. I really cared about her. And Matt… He was just a kid. Couldn’t even move properly on his own. Camille probably put up a real fight when those fuckers broke in. Made them work for their reward, but Matt… He was just a baby. There was no reason to kill him. They just did it because they could. What kind of a fucked up world is this? Huh? What kind of a people goes around slaughtering babies?”
“A fucked up world. But I’m glad that Nate and I have you to look after us.”
“Yeah… About that… You talked with Drake?” Logan asked. Apparently he hadn’t even seen Bobby outside with them.
“I talked with him. He’s happy with what ever I decide to do.”
“Just like that?” Logan frowned.
“His attitude kind of makes me wish that I had clawed him, even just a little, in that fucking bathroom…” He growled softly.
“But isn’t it a good thing…”
“It certainly makes things easier. And it shows how much he really cares about you and Nate. He couldn’t care less about you two. That little prick…”
“Just don’t hurt him. Please. At least wait until he’s signed all the papers before you lop off his hands, okay?” Marie asked, batting her lashes. Logan snorted a low chuckle.

After a moment they were both trying their earnest not to burst out laughing out loud in fear of waking Nate. She buried her face against his chest when she couldn’t stifle the giggles, and drowned them to his shirt. It felt good to laugh. Not that there was anything to laugh about when you were in the near future marrying a homicidal lunatic that was after your ex, and not in a good way, but she needed to laugh. And it felt like Logan had needed it too. Tense, rock hard muscles loosened a bit, and he curled his hands around her hips, his palms ending to rest on her buttocks.

She came up for air. Logan was sitting stock-still; his head tilted slightly sideways, lips parted and holding his breath.
“What is it?” She asked, instantly worried. Logan shook his head.
“Nothing. Thought I heard Nate waking up, but he’s sleeping. And we should probably follow his example…” He said yawning widely.
“Oh, it’s past your bedtime already?” Marie asked, faking wide-eyed worry.
“Funny. Very funny. This has been probably the shittiest day of my life. And at the same time the best of them all. So you have to forgive me if I’m little worn out.”
“Yeah. It has been a long day for both of us. I think I’ll go to bed, maybe read a while…” She started scooting off from Logan’s lap. He grasped her thighs.
“Not so fast. Get over here.”

She tensed from the surprise, but the tension soon melted away when their lips met and Logan kissed her. Just a chaste peck, their lips barely touching. She could more feel the salt from his tears covering his lips than actually taste it.
“I said we should… Never said we would…” Logan murmured deepening the kiss, pulling her closer against him. His tongue swept against her, slick muscle tasting the cavern of her mouth. His hands were kneading her buttocks.
“So, you’re after for a little fun…” She muttered between nips and licks.
“What the hell did you expect… Sitting on me like that… Get this contraption off!” Logan was trying to simultaneously peel off her shirt and bra, having tangled her necklace to the same mess.

She managed to squirm out from her cloth and silver prison just in time to be captured by Logan’s roaming hands and mouth. He was everywhere, kissing, licking, nibbling and caressing her, making the heat rise in her. When she tried to turn the tables he captured her wrists with one hand and continued his assault with the other. Moisture started gathering, pooling between her legs and rising upwards, making her nipples harden and leak. Hot and coarse tongue hurried to gather every drop, making her breasts tingle and her whole body throbbing from need.

She was struggling lightly against his hold from her wrists, not really even trying to get free, but more out of habit. With Bobby, when they still had had sex, she had always taken the lead. Not because she wanted to, but because she had gotten frustrated to his clumsy attempts of caresses. Logan grasped her wrists more firmly, soft growl rumbling from somewhere deep inside of him. Not a warning. She could see from his eyes that he loved every moment of it. Up until shrill scream from Nate’s room send them tumbling on the floor.

Logan regained his composure first. He rose from the floor chuckling.
“Brat… We’re going to have a little chat when you’re few years older and whining why you can’t bring your girlfriend for sleepover…” He muttered, opening the door and walking to the crib where Nate was crying.
“Uhh… Hi. Could you stop that screaming for a moment? I need to speak with you.”
“Logan, I don’t think that’s going to… Work…” Marie stopped on the doorstep, simply amazed. Logan hadn’t even touched Nate, baby was still lying on his back in the crib, but he had stopped crying and was looking at Logan expectantly.
“I was just about to make your mommy scream. In a good way. You kind of interrupted us. Usually I don’t tolerate interruptions, but I’m willing to make an exception for you. You had a bad dream or something? Because from the smell of things you’re okay.” She leaned against the wall and just watched. Nate was gurgling at his own baby language, as if he was answering to Logan.
“Just go back to sleep, okay? I’ll wait here until you fall asleep,” Logan said with a serious tone, laying on the floor next to the crib, pulling a huge, stuffed bear under his head as a pillow.

She started sneaking out.
“Marie?” Logan’s whisper stopped her.
“Come and get me if I fall asleep, okay? I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to sleep in here.”
“Sure.”
“And if you’re not too tired, maybe we should see if I can make you scream…”
Chapter 9 by aranenumenesse
Author's Notes:
Let's step slightly forward in time with this one, shall we? I think this whole mess has been sitting at my comp unsolved far too long.
She woke up with a jolt, her ears perked for Nate’s hasty scream that never came. She huffed and plopped back on to her bed. Wedding day. Scott and Jean were taking care of Nate. She’d be walking down the aisle with Logan in less than… Two hours? She scrambled up again, barging to the bathroom only to find the door locked. She could hear shower running.

“Logan! Let me in!” She banged the door.
“Can’t do that, darling. I’m not supposed to see you before we’re standing at the altar, remember?” She heard him chuckling. She kicked the door.
“If this fucking door doesn’t open at this instant, you’re not going to see me at all, not even at the altar!” She growled. Shower was turned off and she could hear water dribbling to the tiled floor. Then the doorknob turned.
“Better let you in, then…” Logan grunted.

Her threat about the altar was idle. There wouldn’t even be one. They had decided to have a small, modest ceremony. No church, no priest. Just the judge and them and the team X, excluding Bobby who had made it perfectly clear that though he was happy for them he wasn’t going to attend to the whole shindig.

She slipped in to the shower stall, behind Logan and wound her hands around his waist, grasping his cock lightly.
“Woah, girlie! Keep that up and we’re going to have to get hitched some other time!” Logan huffed and turned, wiping the shampoo from his eyes. She cuddled against him, warm water pelting over their bodies and nuzzled his chest. He finished rinsing off the shampoo and hugged her back, rocking slightly back and forth.
“You sure about this?” He asked.

She wanted to nod. She was sure. She was comfortable with Logan. Logan seemed to be comfortable with her and Nate. The sex between her and Logan was great. Everything was just so great and convenient that she just wanted to puke, because any moment now the other shoe would drop. It had to.

“Are you?” She asked instead of answering. His ribcage expanded under her arms when he took a long breath before answering.
“I’m sure, darling. It’s about time to settle down for me. But is it for you?” He asked. She tilted her head upwards to see his face. He was completely serious.
“I’d like nothing more than to share the rest of my life with you two, but is this really the face you want to see every morning when you wake up? You just broke up with Bobby, don’t you want to… Live a little? Have fun? Go to clubbing and do stuff on your own?” She started to answer but Logan shushed her.
“I will be here for you and Nate, whatever you decide to do. Are you absolutely sure that you want to share your life with me?” He asked.

She leaned against him, her ear pressed against his chest, sound of the dribbling water not enough to drown the steady beat of his heart.
“I’m sure,” she whispered, suddenly at the verge of tears. Logan’s hold from her tightened and she felt his lips brushing against her temple.
“I just want you to know one thing, kid. This is your life. You do whatever the hell is it that you want to do. You’re going to be a mother and a wife, not a servant for me.”
“And… And I want you to know something, too,” she whispered, swallowing rapidly, blinking back tears.
“You don’t have to marry me to be a part of my life. You don’t have to marry me to be with Nate. You’re my best friend, and as far as I’m concerned, you are, and have always been Nate’s father.”

For a long moment they stood under the shower, just holding each other.

“I don’t have to marry you, but I want to. There’s not a hell of a lot of what I got to offer, but what I got is already yours, and I want to make it legal. For your sake. For Nate’s sake. But we probably should stop this mushy blubbering. We have less than two hours before we’re standing in front of that judge. I’d hate to miss my own goddamned wedding,” Logan finally spoke reaching for the shampoo and started lathering her hair with it.
“Yeah. Speaking about which, what the hell are you still doing in here? You’re not supposed to see me before we get in to the courthouse,” She asked, swatting him playfully with the soapy sponge she was clutching.
“Hmph… I was just enjoying a nice relaxing shower when this crazy chick barged in and interrupted me…” Logan grumbled but stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel.
“Are you going to be alright in here alone?” He asked, wrapping the towel around his waist. She nodded.
“Good. Scott asked me to stop by before we left, you’ll find me from there if you need anything.”

She waited until she could hear the door to their room closing after Logan before she crumbled to the floor, knees shaking, unable to hold back the tears any longer. She was happy. Ecstatic in fact, but Logan would have probably taken it the wrong way if she had let go in front of him. The last thing she wanted or needed was to Logan start having doubts about her sincerity.
Chapter 10 by aranenumenesse
The ceremony itself was brief and quite official. The reception after it was everything but brief or official. Even Bobby made an appearance, congratulating the newlyweds, squirming under Logan’s heated gaze but giving Marie a warm hug.
“Hush. We got over it already. Don’t you think it would be time to let go?” She whispered when involuntary growl rumbled from deep within Logan after retreating Bobby. After six months they were finally able to treat each other as friends, but it looked like Logan wouldn’t be able to forgive Bobby anytime soon.
“Probably. At least for today…” Logan grunted, wide smile spreading on his face from the sight of Nate. Toddler wobbled towards them, supported by Scott.
“Come here, kiddo. Let’s go and see if we can snag some canapés from auntie ‘Ro…” Logan huffed smirking, grabbed Nate and hoisted him up on his shoulders. Nate shrieked from the surprise and curled his fists to Logan’s hair, wide and toothless smile showing his pink gums and dribbling generous amount of drool.

She watched as Logan waltzed off with Nate, goofing with the baby. She couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped.
“Not you too…” Scott moaned. She turned to look at him and Scott smiled.
“Well, I guess you’re entitled, he’s your hubby and all, but… Haven’t you seen all the other women in here? They’re just about melting to a puddle right about now.” She looked around. Scott’s assessment of the situation was quite correct. Even Jean stared at Logan and Nate somewhat googly-eyed.

She really couldn’t blame them.

“We, me and Jean, got Nate covered. You two can skip this party whenever you feel like it,” Scott said. She couldn’t take her eyes off from Logan who was currently trying to prevent Nate from chewing off his earlobe.
“How the hell did I get so lucky all of a sudden?” She asked. Scott shrugged.
“I guess lady luck smiles everybody every now and then…” He mused. Marie followed the direction of his gaze and spotted Jean who was chatting with Professor Xavier. There was something different about Jean’s posture. Her whole appearance looked somehow different.
“Scott?”
“We weren’t going to tell anybody before this whole wedding business was over. Didn’t want to steal the attention. But yeah. We’re going to have a baby,” Scott whispered, blushing slightly, enormous smile nearly splitting his face half.
“Oh… Oh-my-god! That’s great!”

She grasped Scott and hugged him, trying desperately not to make a scene, but it was hard not to scream and shout her happiness from the rooftops. She knew how long Scott and Jean had tried. She knew why they had been so thrilled from the prospect of taking care of Nate.

“What’s this? Do I have to warn you off from my girl, Summers?” Logan was back. She let go of Scott, straightening her dress and patting down her hair, trying to rein her feelings.
“It’s… Scott just told me something and…” She stuttered. Logan handed Nate to her and nodded, turning to Scott.
“I know. Congrats, Summers. Truth to be told I was beginning to wonder if I had to give you some tips, but looks like you cracked the puzzle all by yourself.”
“You… You knew?” Scott asked puzzled. Logan tapped his nose.
“I have known for two weeks already. I was just waiting for you guys to announce it. Could smell it on Jean when she did our bloodwork.”

“But now, if you excuse me…” Logan said, grabbing Nate and handing him to Scott before sweeping Marie with him on to the dance floor.
“I need my wife. And I need her to take the lead because I have absofuckinglutely no clue of how to dance…”
Logan’s whisper sent chills racing down her spine, and when he pulled her flush against him, his strong hands roaming over her back and buttocks, she nearly moaned out loud.
“If you keep that up I’ll have to teach you how to dance some other time…” She whispered shakily, leaning slightly further from him. Logan twirled them around, pulling her against him.
“I’m not really after dancing lessons. This is just a good excuse to grope you in front of everybody,” he whispered, giving her earlobe a quick lick.
“You’re evil…”
“Oh, you have no idea, darling… How about if we skip this party and have a ceremony of our own at the garden?”
“At the garden? Logan… Uh…”
“Come on, you’ll like it, I promise…”

She followed Logan outside. The garden was dark and empty, ballroom behind her filled with lights and celebrating people. She really wasn’t on board with Logan’s plan. Surely he wasn’t expecting her to drop her gown out here where anybody could stumble upon them?

“Where are we going?” She asked when Logan took her hand and started leading her through the darkness.
“You’ll see soon enough,” came his reply.
“Couldn’t we have just gone to my… Our room?” She asked.
“Nuh-huh… I have something else in my mind.”

She hated it when he turned all cryptic on her, but she had to admit that up until now only good things had come out when Logan wanted to surprise her.

Gravel crunched softly under the soles of her shoes. Logan seemed to be in no hurry, and his pace dropped when they reached the edge of the forest.
“I was thinking… The suite would have been just fine for few years more, but it would have gotten small for the three of us quickly. Spoke with Xavier, and he had an idea…” He said, pushing through the thicket, leaning lower and scooping her up in his arms.
“Plus I wanted to have a doorstep of my own so that I could carry you over it,” he finished and stopped in front of a cabin.
“Logan…”
“I had some extra stashed away. Xavier gave us the land. Hardest part was to keep this a secret from you. Like it?” Logan asked.

Like it? She loved it even when she hadn’t seen more than the front porch. Two story cabin built out of pale yellow logs, surrounded by thick firs and spruces. A swing on the porch.
“Is this… Ours?” She asked, her lips quivering.
“All ours, darling. If you’ll have it.”

She clutched Logan for her dear life as he cleared the stairs with swift strides and kicked the door open, stepping in.
“Welcome home, Marie.”
Chapter 11 by aranenumenesse
Amazingly enough the other shoe didn’t fell. Not before they had been married well over a year. Marie had quit in the X-Team and accepted Xavier’s offer to start teaching art for the younger students. Logan being Logan got in to scuffles and brawls at the missions as well as outside of them, shaking the after effects of them easily. Nate was growing up and suffering all the same illnesses and difficulties as other kids of his age. It wasn’t until the prescription of Marie’s birth control ended, and due to her busy schedule she couldn’t replace it before she realized that something was wrong.

They had discussed about having children of their own before, so it wasn’t a problem to let it slide and go on with their lives without any kind of protection.

Two months later she started to wonder, lying snuggled up against Logan, still all tingly and exhausted.

Three months later her wondering turned to worry.

Six months later when nothing had happened she turned to Jean.

“As far as I can tell there should be no reason why you shouldn’t be able to have more children. You recovered from having Nate well and everything is working as it should,” Jean said going over her charts.
“I’m sure that if you just give it some more time…”
“Time isn’t an issue. I guess I just expected it to work sooner,” Marie stuttered. Jean patted her hand reassuringly.
“Knowing Logan I don’t blame you,” older woman smiled.
“But give it just some more time. Or if you’re really worried, perhaps Logan should come and get tested as well?”

She thought about it. Logan tested? For what? She asked about it from Jean.
“Considering Logan’s mutation there really shouldn’t be any reason why you two wouldn’t be able to have children, but… There’s a slight chance… I’m so sorry, but I should really discuss about this with Logan before talking to you. Doctor-patient relations and everything…” Jean said. She nodded.
“I’ll talk about it with Logan. How soon you’d have the time to do the tests on him?” Marie asked, anxious to get some answers.
“How soon can you persuade him to come and see me?” Jean asked.

Logan was in the garage fiddling with his truck. She didn’t have the slightest of clue of how to ask him. Care to go and get your sperm counted, honey?

She watched from the doorway for a long moment. Staring at his denim-clad rear and rippling back muscles certainly did nothing in clearing her thoughts, and when he turned around, wiping his oily hands to a rag, his brows raised questioningly she felt like fleeing from the scene. To hell with it all. They had Nate. Wasn’t that enough already?

“What’s up, kid?” Logan asked, reaching for a wrench. She busied herself by adjusting Nate’s clothing, her thoughts running rampant and her heart hammering in her chest.
“Nothing. It’s nothing,” she huffed. She could hear the wrench clatter against the concrete when it fell, then Logan was suddenly standing right at her side, his worried gaze fixed to Nate and her, his nostrils flaring.
“Bullshit, darling. I haven’t seen you this nervous ever. What’s wrong?” He asked.

She fiddled with this and that, opening the top buttons of Nate’s shirt and buttoning them up again until Logan grasped Nate and took him from her. She was about to protest, it would take a small miracle to get oily stains out from the pale blue shirt, then decided just to blurt it out.

“I went to see Jean. She wanted to see you and do some tests.” For a long moment one could have heard a needle fall in the garage. Logan was barely breathing, his hold from Nate tightening to a point where the boy started squirming.

“Tests?” He finally asked.
“She tested me. There was nothing wrong. I should be able to have children. She said that we just might need some time, but she wanted to test you as well,” she explained, reaching for Nate. Logan let go of the toddler.
“So she wants to do what? Test my blood? Sperm?” He asked.
“I don’t know. She just said that she needed to do some tests.”
“Fine. How soon?” Logan asked, already relaxing.
“Can… Can you go today?” She asked hesitantly, not wanting to pressure Logan. Logan threw her a nervous smirk.
“Jean’s at her lab now?” He asked. She nodded. Logan ran a greasy hand through his unruly hair, then sighed.
“I’ll go and get cleaned up a bit first…”

She would have given her right arm to be with him. She knew very well that Logan wouldn’t refuse if she asked to go with him. She probably should have gone with him, but instead she kissed him quickly and thanked him, deciding to spend the afternoon out in the gardens with Nate. Having a full day off from work at the middle of the busy school week was something she didn’t have too often, so she wanted to enjoy it.

She realized that she really should have gone to see Jean with Logan when the afternoon hours ticked by and there was not a sign of him.

Jean told her that Logan had come and gone as soon as she had gotten the results of the tests. No, she didn’t know where he had gone. Jean had assumed that Logan would seek out Marie.

When the sun set and there still was no sign of him she was nearly out of her mind from worry. Nate was squirming at her arms, quite disgruntled from the way his mother’s attention was miles away instead of him.

She knocked on to the door. Rather sleepy looking Scott opened it.
“Hi. Uh… Could you guys watch for Nate for a while? Logan’s gone missing, and I really need to find him…” She started to explain. Scott took Nate from her, then glanced over his shoulder and leaned closer to her.
“He’s up on the roof. Has been for the whole afternoon. Told Jean not to tell you about it, but I think you really should go and see if he’s alright. Last time I saw him he looked… A bit pale…” He whispered with conspiratory tone.
Chapter 12 by aranenumenesse
Author's Notes:
Eep! This problem truly is far from solved. But thanks to all of you who have been bugging me about it. I think that I'm at the verge of finding a solution. :)
She found Logan from the flat roof of the mansion. He was just sitting there, staring at the full silvery moon. She walked to him and sat down.

“Guess what, darling? It’s not you. It’s me,” he said, tossing the words out like he was about to choke on those. She didn’t know what to say. Curiosity and worry were eating her alive, there were several questions to be asked, but she didn’t have the slightest clue of how to ask them. She waited silently for Logan to continue.

“Jean hadn’t even started properly yet. She came back with the damn cup and told me to sit down. That she had something to discuss with me…” Logan spoke with a low voice, keeping his gaze locked to the moon.
“She told me that she couldn’t do even the sperm count. Or that she could, but there was no point in doing that. It just… They died too quickly.”

She tried to wrap her arm around his shoulders but he shrugged it off.
“I asked her to find out the reason. At first she didn’t want to. I told her to do it.”

It took a long moment before he was able to continue. He kept staring at the moon, his face a blank mask.

“It’s my mutation. My cells, they divide faster than normal cells. Too fast. My sperm dies long before it reaches the final destination.”
“But I’m sure that…”
“Hush, darling, I wasn’t finished yet.”

Again they sat in silence. Logan kept staring at the moon and swallowing uneasily, obviously trying to find a way to keep going.

“There is a chance… A very slim chance that we… That you could get pregnant with me. If that happens, there’s very slim chance that you could carry full term. And that probably would be a bad thing.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I thought you wanted more children with me?” She asked perplexed. Logan snorted, and then finally turned to look her in the eye.

“I was born with active mutation. Healing, senses, bone claws, the whole fucking shebang…” His claws slid out from their sheaths silently and he turned his gaze, regarding them at the shimmering light of moon.
“You really don’t want to have children with me.”
“But… I still don’t understand… Why wouldn’t I…” She stuttered, realization dawning her slowly but surely.
“I wasn’t born like other kids. When the time was right I came out on my own. Instincts, I guess…” There was a casual tone in Logan’s voice, but there was nothing casual in his gaze as it slid over her body, stopping only until his eyes reached her abdomen. He placed his hand there, palm flat and claws out.
“Now I know what happened to my mother. I tore her apart. I love you too much to let it happen to you. And if there’s a chance… Even the slightest chance that it could happen to you… I can’t risk it.”

For a long while they sat side by side, in complete silence. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what to think. Only thing she knew for sure was that having children with Logan was suddenly the only thing she didn’t want.

“We could… I could make it sure that it won’t happen,” she breathed out. She knew that she’d have to convince Logan to follow her plan; otherwise she’d be doomed to spend the rest of her life without him.
“Yeah. Condoms worked really well for you and Ice-Prick. Pills are exactly as fool-proof as condoms. My pecker would heal from vasectomy faster than you can say ‘pregnant’. Abstinence… Well, it could work, but I’m not as sure as hell going without, not as long as I live with you…” Logan prattled on, bitter disappointment coloring his voice.
“I could get fixed.”

Upon hearing her words Logan grew silent, then turned to look at her.
“Over my dead body.”
“But Logan…”
“You’d get neutered just so that we can have some fun between sheets?”
“No, I didn’t mean it like that. Logan, let me…”
“What the hell are you thinking, Marie? Getting fixed? Are you fucking nuts? That shit is irreversible! You couldn’t have kids, ever! Not even if you wanted to! And for what? It’s not worth it! I’m not worth it!”
“Me not having the kids is the whole point of it! If we shouldn’t have kids, why would it matter if I can or cannot get pregnant?”
“Uh…”
“Come to think of it, why would it matter? I’m not going to have kids with you. But I’m going to live with you. You honestly can’t think that I’d sleep around just to get pregnant!”
“Marie!”

She stood up and stormed back inside. She practically run to the suite she had been sharing with Logan for the past months. She’d have to find a way to convince him, or she’d have to let him go.
Chapter 13 by aranenumenesse
Author's Notes:
One more. I guess Logie's as eager to see what happens next as I am. But now I really have to go to sleep. Maybe I can actually finish this before I'm old and grey. :D
She was slowly drowning to sticky fluid. It was filling her nose and mouth, oozing in to her lungs and filling her to the brim. She could hear Logan, telling her to take it all. Take it all, because wasn’t it what she wanted, after all? He kept whispering, grunting and bellowing her to take it all and enjoy it, he’d got plenty to spare. She could feel him moving inside of her, his cock sliding back and forth in every orifice at once and semen flowing endlessly, and all she could do was to choke on it and feel it stretching her insides.

“You want it? Then take it!”


She woke up gagging and gasping for air.

Bedroom was empty and cold. Logan had moved out. Nate was staying with Scott and Jean for now. Just long enough for Logan and her to sort out the mess. Except that Logan thought that it was already sorted out. He had basically refused to have anything to do with her. He’d still look after Nate, he’d still help her out if she needed anything, but as he put it, he wasn’t willing to risk her life over something as trivial as sex.

Trivial? It wasn’t trivial for her. And as sure as hell it wasn’t trivial for Logan. And she couldn’t fathom for the dear life of her what was it that made him so sure that the baby would have his mutation. For all they knew a baby, if it was conceived, could as easily have the same mutation as she, or something completely different.

She reached for the bathrobe she had carelessly thrown on to the floor last night and shrugged it on. After that kind of dream she wasn’t going to sleep. She might as well go and make some tea to soothe her nerves.

The mansion was silent. At this hour everybody was asleep. Or at least they should have been. Light was shining from the small kitchenette she was heading at. It was already too late to turn back when she recognized the figure sitting at the patio just outside of the kitchenette. Logan.

She put a kettle of water on to the stove, then walked outside. Logan seemed to do his best impression of not caring, puffing his cigar and keeping his gaze averted. She stood there in silence, thinking how pathetic it was to freeze off her toes just to stay near him.

She was about to return to the kitchenette when Logan cleared his throat.
“How’s… How’s it going?” He asked with a silent voice. She shrugged her shoulders, then realized that he wouldn’t see the gesture since he still adamantly refused to look at her.
“Some days better, some days worse…” She whispered. Logan seemed to mull over her words. Then nodded.
“Same for me.”

That seemed to be the extent of their communication. Marie turned to leave again.
“I’ve been thinking…” Logan said with a louder voice. She stopped, not daring to look at him.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said back then. About getting fixed. Are you absolutely sure that it’s something you want?” Logan asked. He sounded defeated. Mortified, even. She didn’t know what to say.
“Kid… Marie? Do you still want to do it?”
“I don’t know.”

For that Logan turned to look at her. Relief was written all over his face.
“I don’t know anymore. I just want you, and back then that was the only option that came in to my mind,” she confessed and sat on to the bench beside Logan. Logan moved his arm around her shoulders, and she suddenly started choking on sobs that tried to escape.
“I don’t know anything anymore… I just know that I miss you and I want you back… I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up…” She hiccupped and hid her face against his side.
“I miss you, too. I miss Nate. I miss waking up with you.”
“Come home, then.”
“I wanted to. I almost came last night. But I don’t want to come back if it means that you let mutilate yourself.”

She turned to look at him.
“Mutilate?” She asked. Logan huffed and stole a quick glimpse from the rising sun, as if it had the right answer.
“I’m all for free will, women’s right to choose and all that shit… Well, truth to be told, I never really thought about it before you started talking about it… But I think that it should be up to you to decide what happens to your body. I don’t want you to do anything before you think it through properly. You getting fixed would make things less complicated, at least for a while. But what happens if one beautiful morning you wake up and feel like having a baby?”
“I’m quite sure that it doesn’t happen that way…”
“And what if that feeling doesn’t go away? What if you really want to have a baby of your own? A little brother or sister for Nate? And you can’t, because of me.”
“Uh… We already established the fact that it isn’t very good idea to have babies with you…”
“I’m not the only male on the earth, Marie.”
“Logan…”
“If you keep your thingies you can still have a baby. Or babies. And they wouldn’t be any different than Nate for me. As far as I’m concerned, he’s my son. Your babies, all of them, they’d all be mine, doesn’t matter who donated the sperm.”

She thought about it, glimmer of hope sparking up.
“What about me getting killed as soon as you as much as hold me in your arms?” She dared part jokingly. Logan’s hold of her tightened and he held his breath.
“I guess we have to live with that. If you really want me back, that is…” He finally huffed, turning so that they sat face to face.
“And I’m sure that we’ll come up with some way of preventing you having my baby. I just… I guess I freaked out when I realized what happened to my mother. I’m sorry that I walked out on you, Marie.”

That small glimmer of hope was quickly escalating. Was he really telling her what she thought he was?
“I know that I have no right to ask this, not after what I did, but… Will you take me back, Marie?”
Chapter 14 by aranenumenesse
She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. Snuggled closer to Logan and breathed in his scent. She was in heaven, there was no other way to describe her feelings, all wrapped up to Logan’s strong arms and legs, sound of his heart drumming in her ear.

“I should go and get Nate. Scott and Jean have worried over him and us enough already…” She whispered.
“It’s early. Let them sleep in.”
“Let them sleep in?”
“Well, let me sleep in with you, then.”
“Okay… That sounds acceptable…”

Staying in bed gave her the perfect opportunity to ogle Logan from extra close proximity. She could still see faint white scars crisscrossing his ribcage. She traced them with her index finger.

“Tickles…” Logan whispered and grasped her hand.
“They didn’t heal…” She wondered. Logan reached for a strand of white hair that grew on her forehead.
“They healed, just not as quickly as usual, that’s why there’s a scar. That bothers you?”
“No. Do you have more scars?”
“No. They’re special. Just like you.”

She snuggled even closer to him and buried her face to the crook of his neck. He was warm.

“Any closer and you crawl in to my skin, darling.”
“I wouldn’t mind…”
“I don’t mind either, come here…”

Logan twisted around so that she was buried partially under him, then started nuzzling her neck. She breathed deeply and held on for her dear life, wrapping her legs around his waist, effectively trapping him on top of her. She could feel his muscles relaxing. His breath was evening out. She yawned.

“Sleep a little longer?” Logan asked, his voice muffled by the curtain of her hair.
“Sleep a lot longer…”

Together they dosed off.

Few hours later she woke up to the blissful feel of warm skin against her own, Logan’s breath tickling her throat. He had fallen asleep still partially on top of her and her hand had fallen numb, but it really didn’t matter. If she had her way, they wouldn’t get up from this bed ever. Her cell phone sat at the bedside table. All she’d have to do was to pick it up, call to Scott and Jean and ask them to bring Nate home. She could use the same method of getting food and other necessities.

When Logan moved slightly and murmured sleepily in his dreams she actually contemplated to move in to bed with him. Then reluctantly discarded the idea. That wouldn’t be fair towards Nate who had already learned to walk, and loved nothing more than to wobble around under the watchful eyes of his mother and a horde of surrogate aunts and uncles.

“Logan, wake up,” she whispered, regretting the words already.
“Do I have to?”
“We have to. I was thinking… Maybe we could go outside and play with our son?”
“Do we have to?”
“Logan!”
“Okay… But later I will teach him how to fix cars. And I will teach him how to drink beer. And I will teach him how to woo ladies.”
“Woo ladies? It’s Nate’s first birthday coming up, not hundredth!”
“Fine. I’ll tell him how he’ll get bitches, then.”
“Logan!”
End Notes:
Long story short. Having this all open and unfinished is holding me back with my other projects. This is finished for now. I probably will return to this later.
This story archived at http://wolverineandrogue.com/wrfa/viewstory.php?sid=1785