Everyone around here just assumes cause Rogue absorbed Carol’s powers completely and she’s got the strength and the healing and all that shit, I should just ease up some and not hover over her, cause she’s in a better position to handle herself now. Scooter, he tells me that Rogue is grown up now, she ain’t that skinny kid I found in Canada, she is an X-Man now, she’s confident and strong and sure of herself.





She’s a woman, Scott said.





No fucking shit, One Eye, she sure as holy hell is a woman and even though I ain’t said it out loud just yet, she is my woman.





She is mine. Period.





She has been mine from day one.





And cause she is mine, I watch out for her.





And shit, I need to get some credit cause I don’t go fucking nuts whenever we are on a mission.





I followed the new age shit and I didn’t put up a fight when she said she was gonna be on the team.





Well, I didn’t put up much of a fight.





I’m doing my best not to be all caveman, but hell, it’s hard, when you see the love of your life in a situation that could be deadly.





And, okay, from time to time, the strength and healing slips my mind.





But I try. I do. I respect her. I admire her.





I give her space.





I don’t gut Ice Boy and French Dick when they flirt with her.





I didn’t gut Scooter when I caught him looking at her ass.





And that’s something, cause that is my ass and Scooter needs to keep his eyes or eye or visor off that ass.





I do the best I can, but Scooter can just go find a way to fuck himself, cause when

it comes to Marie I am gonna always hover and worry.





I am always gonna protect what is mine.





And she is mine.





And I think it’s time I tell her I know that.





I know she is mine.





I know I am hers.





She’s known all this all along, but we ain’t ever said it.





But we are gonna say it now.





That’s why I’m standing outside her door smiling like a fool, cause I can hear her on the other side, singing in that off key voice of hers, which tells me she’s just got out of the shower.





Which means she is in that slinky, little knee length robe.





Her hair wet.





Her skin flushed from the heat.





And all blood is racing south.





Sometimes the skin tight jeans are a problem.





So I take a deep breath, pound on her door and she calls out for me to come in.





Come.





Suddenly that word is sounding so sweet.





Just as I expected, she’s standing before her mirror in that sinful robe, running a comb through her damp hair and she looks good enough to eat when she turns and flashes a smile at me.





Eat.





Another sweet wounding word.





I would try and get my mind out of the gutter, but who the fuck would be we kidding.





When it comes to Marie, my mind lives in the gutters.





It’s got a pretty good set up there.





“Hey, sugar, what’s up?”





She’s back to looking in the mirror, humming as she waits for my answer.





“Marie…”





I hesitate. I want to do this right.





“Logan?”





She winks at me in the mirror in that playful way and I’m gone.





“Marie, you’re mine. Understand? You belong to me.”





Real calm, she lays the comb down and she turns to look at me.





“Is that so, sugar?”





“Yeah. Yeah, that’s so. You’re mine. Have been since we met. And I’m yours, too.”





“Really?”





“Yeah. You see, you and me…”





“Come on, Logan. You started this. Finish it.”





“I love you, Marie, and I know you love me to, and we’ve taken time and I let you grow up, but you’re all grown up now and I don’t think we need to wait anymore cause, you know, we belong to one another.”





Fuck. Listen to me. I sound nervous. Me. The Wolverine.





If Scooter could see this he’d bust a gut laughing.





Course, I don’t care what Scooter’s reaction might be.





Marie’s is the only one I’m worried about and she’s smiling now.





“About time, sugar.”





“What?”





“I said it’s about time, I’ve been waiting for you to get it together and I am telling you I was just about ready to storm into your room and announce that you belong to me and have from the start.”





“Does that mean you love me too.”





“Logan, I have loved you since the day we met.”





And that sealed the deal.





I go to my Marie and I pull her in my arms and I kiss her soundly.





She loops her arms around my neck and I send her robe to the floor.





And life is good.





And Scooter is right about one thing.





Marie is a woman.





All woman.





All mine.





Scooter just thought I hovered before.





Now, I ain’t about to let my Marie out of sight and something tells me she’s okay with that.





After all, we both believe you got to keep an eye on what belongs to you.





THE END