Six months after Jean returned from two years ‘dead’, she and Scott were married on a beautiful day in late October. The leaves had changed colors and everything was vivid and stunning, shades of golden yellow and rust red and burnt orange gently swayed in the wind while Kurt conducted the service. Ro and I served stood up for Jean as brides maids and Logan, of all people, took the title of best man and naturally, he focused on the ‘best’ part, which gave everyone cause to laugh even as we shed tears of pure joy for the happy couple. It really was, as Kurt had said, magically, that fate had allowed a second chance to love to come their way and afterwards, as they shared their very first dance as husband and wife, they looked at each other with such love and devotion it made me weep all over again as I stood quietly and watched them while Logan did the same and I suspected he was secretly wishing he that he was in Scott’s place even if he had ceased in flirting with Jean out of
respect for the friendship he and Scott had formed during recent years.





For a while, after Jean had ‘died’, Scott had been a mess and together, me and Logan had pulled him from the edge and several times we had lugged a drunken Scott up to his room after he passed out in the kitchen, but Logan never bitched.



He just did all that he could to comfort Scott, to be a friend to him…it came as a shock to some just how grounded Logan could be and how well he adjusted to life at the mansion and being on the team, but I wasn’t at all surprised, because I had Logan in my head and I knew he understood honor and loyalty.





Logan was a good man in his heart and his soul, I knew that and respected it and it was one of the many, many reasons I loved him with all that I was or would ever be.





With Scott pretty much tittering on the edge for a long time, Logan kind of became the go to guy for not only me, but for all of the other X-Men and kids at the mansion as well and he was good at listening and offering advise, even if he did growl and act all bad ass as not to damage The Wolverine’s precious reputation.





He was there for Jubes when she found out her aunt died.





He was there for Kitty when her parents called to say they were getting a divorce.





He was there for me, after my run in with Carol, to hold me while I cried and work with me on meditation skills that helped me get the new voice in my head under control and those same skills helped me find the switch for my skin.





And, believe it or not, Logan was actually a friend to Bobby, during those months when he felt lost after John ran off with Magneto and when John returned a year after Alkali Lake, Logan was the first, aside from Bobby, to welcome him home and help him with getting resettled.





Yeah, Logan had become a respectable man, though I dared not say as much to him, cause I knew that he would freak out, but he was at home at the mansion and during one of the many late night talks we shared so often, he told me he had decided to just leave all the past in the past. He didn’t think he would ever find anything, he wasn’t all that sure he wanted to find it…the future held more appeal, and I could see as he said it that some of the tension I had always sensed in him had faded and he seemed to be almost at peace.





And then the unexpected happened.





The event that rocked us all.





Jean Grey turned up not only alive and well, but more powerful than ever and just as in love with Scott as she had been the day she ‘died’.





I knew, by then, about the kiss she and Logan had shared in the woods, I knew she had made it clear to him that her heart belonged to Scott and always, always would and as a result, when she came home, Logan welcomed her with a hug and told her it was good to have her back, but that was it.





He didn’t flirt.





He didn’t stare.





He seemed to accept reality for what it was, but seeing him at the reception, I started to wonder if his feelings for Jean still lingered and if they did, I wondered when I would finally realize that Logan would never see me in the same light he saw Jean.





He would never see me as a woman.





I was just ‘kid’ to him.





And that hurt like hell, but I didn’t let my pain show, I just focused on being happy for Jean and Scott and when Jean threw the bouquet I caught the damned thing, of all people, but I just smiled and acted like I was happy.





And I got a good laugh when Remy, who had caught the garter, dropped down to one knee and proposed.





“De Remy would make de Rogue happy.” He winked and offered a suggestive smile I couldn’t help but return, even as I shook my head, but before I could respond, Logan answered for me.





“De Remy is gonna get gutted by De Wolverine if he don’t get off his knees and get the fuck away from De Rogue.”





Remy, well aware that Logan could and happily would gut him, jumped up and went off to flirt outrageously with Ro or Jubes or Kitty or any other female that crossed his horny little path.





I turned to look up at Logan, still holding my flowers.





“That was not nice.” I grinned at him teasingly. “It’s not everyday a girl has a handsome, if somewhat unusual mutant ask for her hand and you just chased him right away from me, Logan.”





He raised an eyebrow, as he always did, when he was about to say something on that sarcastic side.





“If I even thought you were considering marrying that swamp rat I’d turn you over my knee and blister your bottom.”





I rolled my eyes and shook my head.





“Well, since you ran off my possible future hubby, the least you can do is dance with me to make it up to me.”





“Oh, I got something better than dancing in my, darling.”





Darling?





Oh, shit I like that.





Far better than kid.





And something better than dancing?





Mind. Gutter. Out. Now.





Easier said than done as Logan caught my hand and tugged me along as I looked at the rest of the guest and noted that Scott and Jean were watching us.





They were smiling.





And did Jean wink at me?





And did Scott just give a thumbs up sign?





How many glass of champagne had I drank?





Could a person with a healing factor get drunk off champagne?





“Logan, are we leaving the reception?”





“Yeah.”





“I don’t know if we should…”





“Don’t sweat it, Scooter and Jeannie know.”





“Know what?”





He looked back at me and smiled that smile that makes a girl instantly want to push him to the ground and fuck him senseless.





Again. Mind. Gutter…





Oh, who the fuck am I kidding? When it comes to Logan, my mind can’t get

above the gutter level.





Can you blame me?





Man is sex on legs.





Sigh. If only he would have sex with me.





Shaking the thought from my head (as best as I could) I allowed Logan to guild me down a path in the woods to a large lake behind the mansion, a place where he and I had shared many conversations.





A place I liked to think of us ‘ours’.





Looking around, I realized there was a blanket spread out there, on the ground, a few feet from the water, but before I could process that, Logan led me there and set down, pulling me down so I was close to his side.





“Logan…”





“I got to tell you something, Marie.”





His voice was serious, more serious than I had heard in a long time and I instantly went cold as something inside me feared what was coming.





“Logan…please…you’re leaving…”





I could feel tears come to my eyes, but Logan reached for my hand as he shook his head quickly.





“Marie, this ain’t about leaving. This is about something else.”





“What? Is it about Jean? Are you upset about…Scott…”





“God no. I’m happy for Jeannie and Scott.”





“You loved her.”





“I liked her, I respected her, but I didn’t love her, Marie. You should know that.”





“I just assumed…”





I looked from him to the water that shimmered in the sunlight.





“I’ve only loved one woman in my life, and it Jean ain’t it.”





His voice was softer than I had ever heard it and I looked at him again, my heart wild in my chest…hope was coming to life in me but I was afraid to latch on to it even as Logan smiled.





“I love you, Marie.”





“Logan…”





“I have loved you for a long time, but I wasn’t sure how to say it, or even if I should say it, but I’ve realized recently that people are lucky to find love and not everyone gets a second chance the way Jeannie and Scooter did.”





“Logan…”





“So I decided I was gonna tell you flat out that I love you and I decided I was gonna find a way to be the man you want and need.”





“Logan, shut up.”





Laughing and smiling and crying, I finally had to cut him off.





“You insane and wonderful man, you are already the man that I want and need and I love you and I have for so long…”





It was his turn to shut me up, he wrapped me in his arms, hauled me into his lap and he kissed me long and hard and I melted into him.





For a long time, we just kissed, whispering words of love…I was in heaven…all my dreams had come true and it was beyond perfect as Logan eased back and

looked me in the eyes.





“Marry me.”





He didn’t word it as a question, but I knew he was asking and I grinned.





“You bet your metal lined ass I’ll marry you.”





It was my turn to kiss him.





And I was kissing him quite nicely until giggling and applause sounded and Logan

and I looked to see Scott and Jean a few feet from us.





I laughed.





Logan, being Logan, growled.





“We just wanted to be the first to say congratulations.” Jean explained.





“Yeah, and I just wanted to tell Logan it’s about time.” Scott grinned at me.





“Scooter, unless you want Jeannie to have to take you to the med lab and stitch your gut before you go on your honeymoon, get the hell out of here.”





Laughing, Scott took his brides hand and walked her back towards the mansion while I grinned and kissed Logan.





Cause we didn’t want to steal Scott and Jean’s thunder, we waited until the next day to tell the rest if the X-Men that were getting married and everyone was thrilled for us as plans for another wedding were suddenly in the works.





When Jean and Scott got back from their two weeks in Paris, she and I talked and we started wondering if we had a pattern on our hands.





Me and Logan got engaged at her and Scott’s reception.





Who might hook up at mine and Logan’s?





I placed my money on Jubes and Remy, or Bobby and Kitty, but Jean thought Ro and Kurt were headed down the forever path.





Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.





Maybe it’ll be all three.





When love is in the air, anything can happen.





THE END