The late November morning was crisp, the blazing colors of an upstate New York autumn showing as burnished golds, crimsons and bronzes in the early morning sun. Rogue stood at the window gazing out onto the mansion grounds, sipping her first cup of coffee and fighting a yawn. She'd been up several times throughout the previous night but it hadn't been the night terrors she had experienced for so long courtesy of Logan's nightmares that disturbed her slumber. She paused to consider that, and after a moment's reflection realized that she hadn't dreamt of lab coats and water tanks, blood and pain in nearly two years.

She had been with Logan, completely and utterly in every sense of the word for 2 years now. The supposedly simple pick up mission that left her near death after an ambush by FoH had been the catalyst for Logan to admit he wasn't merely her friend and protector. When he'd knelt by her side in the Blackbird as she lay bleeding out all over the floor, he'd come to realize that she wasn't just his team mate, his ward or his peer. She was, quite simply, HIS. He'd snarled her name, yelled "You aren't going to leave me, kid!' then taken her mouth in a desperate kiss, waiting for the pull of her mutation, the searing pain as he gave her his healing. He gave her back her life.

When she'd bolted upright, she'd become aware of Logan's full weight on her. He'd lost consciousness during the healing kiss. Shuddering, Rogue held onto him, shaking in the aftermath of her near miss and from the onslaught of emotions she had picked up from him. Panic, desperation, determination and.......love. What he hadn't realized, what he hadn't been able to admit or accept even to himself, had poured into her through his touch and she felt almost intoxicated with the awareness of his feelings for her, as if his beloved bourbon was flowing through her veins.

She had been shaken from her reverie when he groaned and moved slightly.

Intense hazel eyes met hers as he pulled himself into a sitting position with a slight grimace. "Darlin, are you alright?"

Rogue smiled tremulously. "Ah'm fine now. Bettah than fine, good as new. Maybe bettah, thanks ta you."

The eyebrow rose slightly, then Logan smiled back at her before leaning back and dragging her up onto his lap. He buried his face in her hair, hands tight on her waist. "I'm glad to hear it. I.....I thought I lost you there for a minute, Marie." He paused, sighed heavily then tucked white streaked hair behind her ear. "Worst minute of my life, darlin'."

Rogue leaned back slightly, gently placing her gloved hand on his cheek as she stared into the warm depths of his eyes. Her brown eyes welled with tears as she read his face, saw the confirmation of his feelings in his eyes. As a tear slid down her cheek, she spoke, her query barely a whisper. "Are ya sure, sugah?"

He'd dropped his lips to hers in a brief kiss then growled low in his chest. "Never been more sure of anything. I'm sure I don't want to lose any more time, we've wasted enough of that already."

The sound of a door opening broke her reverie. Turning her head, she smiled as Logan entered their room carrying a plate of fruit and some pastry and set it on a table. Even after two years of marriage, the sight of him made her heart trip. With a glance at the corner of the room, she put a finger to her lips.

"I thought I'd bring you up some breakfast so you could eat here. The kitchen's a madhouse already, with Jubes and Kitty arguing over stuffing." He walked behind her, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. "Whatcha thinkin' bout, darlin'?"

Rogue sighed in contentment as she leaned against his broad chest. "Ah'm thinkin' that Thanksgiving is extra special ta me this year, sugah. Ya love me and show me that every day. We've got our X family here at the mansion, we'll all be sharing a meal togethah later today, givin' thanks for all we have."

She paused, tilting her head at the first mewling sound. Walking to the bassinet, she lifted her sleeping son in her arms, cooing softly as his eyes opened. Bright, gleaming hazel, just like his father. Looking over her son toward her husband, she smiled. "Now we have little Charles to be thankful for." Kissing her boy's dark hair, she felt complete joy and grateful beyond words for the blessings in her life.