Marie looked at the man who lay sleeping beside her. Today is my twenty-first birthday, and he promised to take me to his favorite bar tonight. He's thinking maybe a drink or two and I'll be drunk. But I've got a different plan. Logan had given her more than his memories the two times he had touched her. She had also somehow gained his alcohol tolerance. She had discovered this back at her 19th birthday when she and Bobby had "procured" a bottle of vodka from Scott. Tonight, Marie thought, I'm going to out drink Logan.

---

Marie pulled on the shirt that always drove Logan crazy. Low cut, dark burgundy, silk. Marie had thrown Logan out of the room they had shared for the last year and a half since he had come back. He had missed her 18th, 19th and 20th birthdays and she had insisted that Logan was going to take her out. This is going to make it that much more fun, Marie thought pulling on her gloves. He'll never know what hit him. Marie looked at herself in the full length mirror. Knee high black boots, knee length black skirt, burgundy shirt, black opera gloves. Oh yeah, he'll never see it comin', she thought tying on her scarf. Marie checked her hair one more time after placing the large silver hoops in her ears then headed down to meet the Wolverine.

---

Logan watched as Marie came down the stairs. Damn this is going to be a long night, he thought. Marie took her time walking down the stairs and Logan enjoyed every minute of it. Although she was completely covered, the skin tight shirt left little to the imagination. But even sexier than that was the little slip of skin Logan saw between the skirt and the boots that made him growl as Marie walked toward him.

"You know I'm not riding on the back of your bike like this, right?" she said more as a statement than a question as she placed a hand on Logan's chest.

"Course not," Logan choked out, trying not to stare down Marie's blouse too much. "We'll, umm," think quick Logan, she's expecting something nice, "take, umm, Scooter's new car."

"Then let's get going," Marie said smiling before heading to the garage, leaving Logan standing there with his tongue hanging out.

---

The ride to the bar was excruciatingly silent. Marie kept waiting for Logan to say something, but he kept his eyes on the road the entire way there, although Marie could swear Logan was watching her ever time she'd lean over to turn on the radio. After which he'd turn it right back off. Ok, so it's going to be a quite ride, she thought after it had happened about ten times. I can play that game, she smirked.

---

Why the hell is she so quite? Logan thought. She's never this quite. Marie reached up to turn on the radio again. Logan tried his best not to stare. Why not? the Wolverine asked himself. Why shouldn't you stare? You know she wants you to. She wouldn't dress like that if she didn't. Logan told the voice in his head to shut up as he reached over and turned the radio off again. They rode the rest of the way to the bar in silence.

---

When they reached the bar, Logan ran to the other side of the car to open the door for Marie. When they reached the door, he again opened the door for her. And as they walked up to the bar Logan placed his hand on the small of Marie's back, just to let every other guy in the bar know that she was his, for the night at least.

"So, umm, kid, what do you want to, umm, start with?" Logan asked as he flagged down the bartender.

"How about some of that Canadian beer you like so much?" Marie said spotting a jukebox on the back wall in the mirror.

"Two Molson's Canadian." The bartender turned around and pulled two out of a cooler, handing them both to Logan.

"You got a quarter, Logan?"

"Yeah. What for?" he said fishing one out of his pocket.

"Just hand it over. You'll see in a minute." Marie turned, taking her beer with her, and walked towards the back of the bar. She reached the jukebox and looked over the songs till she found the one she wanted. She pressed the buttons, F5 and headed back to where Logan was standing. He suggested a table and she followed. About the time they had sat down and Logan had placed his arm behind her on the cushion, the song she had selected started playing. She hummed along as he sat blank faced at her choice. He would not let her know that it was the song that laid out very clearly his feelings for her. Because although they shared a room, he had never said in so many words how he felt about her.

What a beautiful mess, what a beautiful mess I'm in.
Spending all my time with you,
There's nothing else I'd rather do.
What a sweet addiction that I'm caught up in,
Cause I can't get enough,
Can't stop the hunger for your love.
What a beautiful mess I'm in.

He had only ever heard the song when Marie was around and only because she would refuse to change the station if the song came on. Which meant they listened to the country stations a lot because it got a lot of airtime. Logan wouldn't admit to Marie, but he really didn't mind listening to the country stations because it meant she smiled more as she sang along to the music. Besides, every now and then they played a Johnny Cash song.

---

"So what now?" Marie said, startling Logan out of whatever he was thinking about. She smirked as he noticed her beer was gone.

"Didn't you want to go slow with this?"

"Now why would I want to do a thing that?" she asked trying not to laugh.

"Well for one thing, you ain't got my healing factor, unless you know, you want to be back at the mansion by twelve, puking in the toilet."

"Logan, it's my birthday, I want to get drunk. You're supposed to be helping me do that. By telling me to slow down, you're just doing just the opposite," Marie said her accent thickening just like it always did when she wanted Logan to do something for her.

?Alright then,? Logan paused looking down at his own half drunk beer.

"Hey waitress!"

"What can I get for you two?"

"Two shoots of whiskey, each."

"Coming right up," she said as she turned to the bar.

"Satisfied?"

"Much better," Marie said, winking as the shots arrived.

---

"Two shots down," Marie giggled.

"And don't forget the beer."

"Come on Logan, come dance with me," she said pulling Logan to his feet.

"Now why would I want to do something like that?"

"Please," she pouted. "It's my birthday, and I want to dance. I never get to dance." She gave Logan the puppy dog look, hoping it would work. It did.

"Alright." It was a slow song. Marie knew better than to try and get Logan to dance to anything else. Logan didn't recognize the song, but it sounded like one of those state bands, Big Texas or Arkansas maybe. Holding Marie in his hands, it didn't matter though. As the song ended, he wished it didn't have to.

---

"So you really want to get drunk?" Logan asked after they had both had two shots of vodka.

"That's the whole point, sugah," Marie said, her speech only slightly more slurred than his.

"Then lets get out of here. We'll stop by a liquor store, I'll pick something up, go back to the mansion, and get really liquored up."

"Ok. Sounds like a plan." Marie stood up just a little too quickly, and reached for her head, like it would stop the dizziness.

"You ok?"

"Just fine," she winked. "Let's go."

---

At the liquor store, Logan had picked up several bottles. Bourbon, vodka, and one particularly amusing bottle of tequila. It was that bottle that Marie held in her hands right now. The others had been emptied in the last three hours.

"Oooookaaaayyyyyyy. This is it Logan, the very last bottle. Now we just need limes and salt, and kni-, oh wait, you come equipped," she giggled in her sing song voice.

Logan growled at her, "There is no way in hell that I'm using my claws to cut limes. And how in the hell do you know about the limes?"

"I'm from the south darlin', we start drinkin' at the age of three." she said very seriously as she wrapped herself around his neck and settled into his lap.

"Watch it."

"Now why would I want to do that?" she said slowly grinding herself into the warmth beneath her.

"Cause I might have to find a way to kiss you."

"And that'd be a bad thing," she said nodding her head slowly.

"You got that right," he growled. Logan watched as Marie slowly untied the scarf from around her neck. "You think I haven't been kissed the whole time you were gone? I mean hell Logan, a girl's got needs. An' you were gone for a long time."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, that its time you went back to school, Wolvie," she said as she draped the scarf on his face and leaned in to kiss him. It started light like a feather, but grew into something more. Something with hunger, passion, strength, something that let Logan know that his Marie wasn't a girl any more. When she stopped for air, Logan stood up, wrapping his arms around Marie and placed her on his bed.

This night was going to be fun.

---

The sun made its way in between the small slits of the blinds. Logan reached over and threw the closest pillow at the window.

Down the hall one of the kids turned up his radio.

A small moan came from the warm body beside him. Marie pulled the covers up over her head to keep out the light.

Logan sat up and tried to remember what had happened the night before. He remembered taking Marie to the bar for her birthday.

An empty tequila bottle sat on the dresser.

Marie had tried to drink him under the table.

She almost won.

Then the rest of the night came pouring back to him. The scarf lay right beside him. He picked it up and draped it over Marie's face before he kissed her softly.

"Mornin' sunshine," he teased.

"Tell that damn kid to turn off the fucking radio," was all she said before he kissed her again.