Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Friday, December 18, 2009
6:30 A.M.

James Howlett, aka Logan, aka Wolverine, woke up to an almost freezing room. The pilot light must have gone out again on the furnace. He rolls to the side of his bed and sits up. The soles of his feet touch the floor and it is even colder than the room is.

“I just had to forget wearing socks to bed last night,” he says out loud to himself.

Logan reaches into his dresser, grabs a pair of tube socks, and slips them on. He decides his breakfast will be his coffee in the small kitchen when he sees it’s snowing out. His thoughts strangely roam and wonder if Marie’s gotten him a gift for Christmas. Today was the last day they will be in the classrooms, and next Friday was Christmas. If he was going to do something for her he had to do it right away.


Beginning Art
First Floor Classrooms
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Friday, December 18, 2009
6:30 A.M.

Anna Marie Caldicott, aka Ms. Rogue to the students, arrived early and was sitting in her classroom, with lights on and the blinds pulled, plotting what to get her friends for Christmas. She had a model of a Ferrari 410 Super America Edition in 1/18 Bordeaux in burgundy for Pete, to add to his collection of cars. She decided to get Hank and Ororo a Sex-In-A-Bucket-Kit. Marie decided to give it to them privately after their annual x-mas party on Wednesday, the 23rd. For Jubilee, a gift certificate to a big chain bookstore. She even got Kitty a back massager, because she spent long hours working in the communications office. Marie knew Remy was a fencer through Jubilee, she thought he might collect swords too, so she bought him a Goddess Fantasy Sword. She laughed to herself…

No collection would be complete without a sword with a dancing Goddess on the hilt and she thought it would be funny to see Jubes get jealous of Remy holding another woman in his hand. For Bobby and Kurt, tickets to their favorite bands, and for the recently returned Charles Xavier, now walking, she thought about a ski trip for him and Moira. On second thought, with the scowl on his face this morning, Marie decides to make them other plans at lunch. She couldn’t stand it if he had a skiing accident and lost his legs or his life from her idea. She starts to think about a gift for Logan when said man knocks at her door.

“Come in.”

“Mornin’ Marie, somethin’ wrong?”

“No, whah?”

“Well, when you’re closed up in your classroom with the blinds pulled, it either means you’re workin’ on a lesson plan, I’m gettin’ a quick bit-a smoochies, or somethin’s up.”

“FYI, Wolvie, there’s nothin’ wrong, sugah. Ah just needed some time to myself before ah got started on mah work for taday.”

Logan leaned on a corner of her filing cabinet and tried to spy on what she was working on. Marie caught him and hid the list in her desk, mentally making a note to hide it in her briefcase after Logan left.

“Makin’ a list and checkin’ it twice, ninja girl?”

She had to smile. He’d started calling her that after she beat his best random challenge in the Danger Room. He even had the settings so high he wasn’t sure he would get out without a flesh wound or six.

“What business is it of yours? As far as ah knew, you’ve been a naughty boy this year.”

“So, what will that get me?” Logan arched the eyebrow toward her.

“A lump of coal in your X-Men uniform if ya don’t get goin’. Now git, Logan.”

“Yes, Mrs. Claus,” Logan teased.


Beginning Art
First Floor Classrooms
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
1:00 P.M.

Marie with a nice warm deli sandwich in one hand, and the telephone receiver in the other, was talking to her travel agent. Her lunch had to be inside today because it was just too cold out and staying warm was key. She ran into Professor Xavier in the smaller kitchen earlier when she went for hot coco. She did some good recon and found out the Professor had no plans for Christmas yet.

“What about ah… Hawaii,” said the agent.

Marie doesn’t hear Logan knock and enter, overhears her answer.

“Well Hawaii for Christmas would be lovely. Ah think he deserves it, go ahead and book that. Ya have his information still?”

“Yes, Marie. I’ll call if I need anything else.”

“Thanks Kaye, bye.”

“So who are you going to Hawaii with Marie?”

Marie jumped in her chair at least a foot.

“What do you want now,” she asked angrily.

“The reason ya missed lunch with me, and who are ya goin’ ta Hawaii with?”

“Ah’m notbut, I may reconsider, and ah was busy gradin’ papers. Ah didn’t wanna get stuck with alla this for the holidays. Would you?”

“Nah, I have the students grade each other’s papers. Make them do the work.”

“Oh you… Git. Mah next class is comin’ in soon.”

As he turned and walked away, Marie happened to catch a view of his ass as it walked away from her.

‘Yeah ah’d love ta get ya on some tropical beach, in nothin’ but board shorts hangin’ low on those hips. Okay, maybe no board shorts,’ Marie thought as she smiled then blushed.


Martial Arts 101
Gymnasium Level 1 Underground
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
1:20 P.M.

Logan carries off the leftover Chinese from the small kitchen and tried to finish his lunch while working on his thoughts for the Martial Arts 201 class. A thought crossed his mind; here Marie was making her list… What about his list? He had a model of a Corvette, instead of another Indy race car for Peter. He would make sure he baby sat the kiddies because of the gift he was giving Ororo and Hank. He bought Hank and Ororo a two-night stay at a local B & B. For Kurt, a new submarine game for his PS3; he bought Yellow a pair of toe socks as a gag gift. The year before, she got him a six pack of Molson’s because she ran out of time to get him a gift. She didn’t realize that it was the best present for Logan that he could ever remember getting, other than Marie.

He bought Kitty and Bobby, tickets to their favorite sports teams’ games. Remy was getting a 20 year old bottle of scotch, which Logan decided he needed for putting up with Yellow, and for Chuck and Moira; he bought box seats to Varekai by Cirque Du Soleil. He had hopes that maybe Moira would run off to join the circus and stop wanting personal martial arts lessons. Now, what to get for Marie? He considered not buying her anything, just telling her that he loved her evermore while they made love for the first time. Logan wasn’t much of a talker of mushy stuff and still hadn’t said that he loved Marie even after she controlled her skin, before the cure failed. Good thing she hadn’t taken it. She did kiss him on occasion, stole moments to touch him above the belt buckle to show she still wanted him around, and told him that she loved him, every day.

Yes, they had been doing that slow delicate dance for five years and he was starting to feel that time was up for holding back. She could touch, why wait? He felt that would be a gift they could both share but, he changed his mind citing, that he just wasn’t ready. What if their friendship soured because he said it? Things were going good the way they had them. Then Logan’s mind began to wander and a mental picture of Marie in a bikini like the one that black woman wore in James Bond’s Die Another Day. Then he remembered that was what he was going to get himself for Christmas, the Complete James Bond set.


Marie’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
5:20 P.M.

The Professor had let everyone go early at 3:00 p.m. It was only a half an hour early but, greatly accepted by everybody. Marie tossed her happy holiday good-byes to everyone and immediately headed for her pearled; forest green painted and rebuilt 1994 Corvette C4 Nitrous to finish her last minute shopping. While sitting in traffic, she heard an old Eartha Kitt song on the radio.

Santa Baby,
Just slip a sable under the tree
For me
Been an awful good girl
Santa Baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa baby,
A '54 convertible too
Light blue
I'll wait up for you, dear
Santa baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight

Marie began to think it over. The song was pretty catchy; she had been a damn good girl all year, especially waiting for Logan to get his act together. She already had a Corvette so she didn’t need another car. A sable would definitely be nice but, she wasn’t into collecting furs. Her man was almost all fur… Just the right amount to be wild, naughty, and still look up kept. PETA would be on her ass as well if she did.

Think of all the fun I've missed
Think of all the fellas that I haven't kissed
Next year I could be just as good
If you'll check off my Christmas list


Marie considered herself off the market, because she realized that the only one she was made for was Logan. She decided to hang on to their friendship for as long as took him to realize that she wasn’t going away. She realized a while back that Logan’s three issues were his age difforence between them, and a fear of attachment and abandonment. If Logan did not commit to Marie then he wouldn’t have to feel the abandonment like he felt when he found out his father wasn’t his real father. In a way, Marie felt that Logan just didn’t want to commit so that he wouldn’t feel trapped. She knew Logan couldn’t bear losing her and vice versa.

Santa Baby,
I want a yacht and really that’s not
A lot
Been an angel all year
Santa Baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight

Just what she needed, a boyfriend with a yacht, and just her luck, the Professor probably owned one she could borrow. However, the thought of Logan and her going sailing didn’t sound like a bad idea, at first. A little rest, fun, and lots of sun sounded good to Marie but, Logan couldn’t swim that well in deep ocean water.

Santa honey,
One little thing I really need
The deed
To a platinum mine
Santa Baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight

She’d settle for the deed to his heart. Marie laughed at a mental image of Logan trying to come through her chimney and getting stuck. Although, adamantium could cut through brick...

Santa cutie,
And fill my stocking with a duplex
And checks
Sign your 'x' on the line
Santa baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight

Oh that would be so nice if she had a duplex where she could have a studio downstairs and her show room upstairs would be one whole floor. He could pick her up after a showing and go out on the town. It would be nice to be able to sign Mrs. Marie Logan-Howlett on her checks if they decided to get hitched.


Come and trim my Christmas tree
With some decorations bought at Tiffany's
I really do believe in you
Let’s see if you believe in me

It almost brought a tear to Marie’s eye as she thought about how much she believed in Logan, much more so than she did of herself at times. She wondered if Logan believed in her as much as she did of him.

Santa Baby,
Forgot to mention one little thing
A ring
I don't mean on the phone
Santa Baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight
Hurry down the chimney tonight
Hurry...tonight

It would be a miracle came true if Logan asked her to marry him but, she knew he needed baby steps right then. It would be a dream came true if she could raise a litter of kiddies with Logan, maybe even a whole branch of trained X-Kids of their own. By the time Marie got through traffic and to her room, she had a plan in form and ready to carry out but, a change of clothing was necessary. Marie rushed into her room; into her room so fast she didn’t notice that there were roses on her bed, shaped like the letter I.

The next minute Marie was out the door and off to go shopping to complete Logan’s gift. She just left her cat Tigger, orange tabby, at her neighbor Jubilee’s room. She’d pick him up later; Jubilee wasn’t expecting her until near 8:00 p.m. anyway.


Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
5:40 P.M.

Logan left earlier than Marie from his class in the gymnasium. He got home and he too changed from his school instructor’s uniform, into clean and dry sweats, relit the pilot light on the heater in his room. He turns up the thermostat. Satisfied, he moved to his leather chair and took a seat. Looking across the room at the small leather sofa, he picked up his portable phone, and dialed Marie’s room number. As Logan waited for her to pick up, he wondered if she had seen his handiwork on her bed. She didn’t pick up at all and he figured she was out last minute shopping at some mall. He hung up and decided to try her cell. Logan dialed the number and this time she picked up.

“Caldicott,” Marie answered out of one of Logan’s habits she’d absorbed.

“Are ya free for dinner?”

“No, actually. Ah have plans with someone,” Marie teased.

“Really? Anyone I know?”

“Yes, he’s got orange hair and is always happy to see me.” Logan didn’t buy it.

“Tell Tigger I said hi. So, what are your plans?”

“Ok ya got me. Dinner, a movie, and ah’m wrapping presents.”

“Are ya the ok type or the Martha Stewart type?”

“Oh ah’m a disaster. Ah use a lot of tape. Ah guess ah’m ok. Ah had the rest wrapped, all except two. Ah wanna do those myself.”

“Hmm, sounds interestin’. Ya wanna share the dinner and a movie part?”

“Yeah, ah’ll wrap the one gift and ah cain’t wrap the other because...” Marie stopped talking long enough to sign the slip and take the new purchases she made.

“Because what,” Logan asked trying to find out what Marie had to say.

“What? Ah’m sorry, ah was distracted.”

“Ya said, ah’ll wrap the one gift and ah cain’t wrap the other because…” He mocked her accent.

“Oh, because it is yours.” She wants to be Logan’s so bad she can taste it.

“Is it that big?”

“Ya could say that.”

“When can I expect ya?”

“Ah’ll be there at eight. What are ya cooking anyway?”

“Haven’t decided yet. I’ve got to run to the store in this bone-freezing cold.”

“Ah’m not lickin’ ya ta warm ya up if ya turn into an icicle. Ah know how ya think,” Marie teased.

Logan had a sudden mental picture of Marie licking certain parts of his anatomy. He coughed and thought of something quick to say.

“Gotta go, baby. See ya at eight.”

“Bye Logan. Drive safely.”


Marie’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
7:00 P.M.

Marie put her purchases away in her closet. She showered, and as she changed her clothing, Marie noticed the smell of roses. How did the smell get there? Then suddenly she looked at her bed and saw the rose petal, ‘I’ in a deep burgundy color on her bed. Unless, Remy flirting with disaster or Bobby suddenly had an interest in her again, the only other possibility that could have done it… Logan. She wondered if he was playing a game with her to get her to reveal his present to him, so she decided to go along with it to see where he might take her. A little perfume in all the right spots and she was on her way. Marie went to Jubilee’s room and asked her to watch Tigger a little longer; Logan had asked her to dinner and a movie.

It was okay with Jubes because her adopted mutant daughter from California, Chloe Davis 15, was bonding with him and watching, The Aristocats. Chloe was singing off key the loudest she could, just like a little kid, ‘Everybody wants to be a C-A-T’. Chloe had a few learning disabilities and when Jubilee rescued her from a secret lab in Death Valley, California, they hit it off. Jubilee raised her from the age of 9. Of course Jubilee made Marie promise to get all the juicy details of the date later. Marie rolled her eyes. She had been trying to play matchmaker to get Logan and Marie together since almost the time Rogue and Wolverine came to be at Xavier’s School for Gifted Students. Marie hoped she would give up soon after she heard what happened after tonight. A happy Marie left and started for Logan’s room.


Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
7:40 P.M.

Logan almost didn’t make it home in time. He had gone into the store with an agenda, get food, and get home. It almost worked; he got what he wanted in his cart until these women started chasing him all over the store. He wanted to growl and pop the claws to scare them away but, some of them may have been turned on by it, and he didn’t want to be calling Marie to say he missed their dinner date because he was in jail on attempted murder charges. He barely made it out with his clothing on. He went right to his room; none of dinner had to be cooked, it was already warm. Logan quickly stepped in the shower. Then changed into a navy blue cable knit sweater from his travels and a pair of jeans; his usual boots completed the style. His hair was slightly damp and air drying after a little toweling. Then after he had combed it back into place, a little cologne in all the right places, and there was a knock on the door.

“Marie, come on in,” Logan said as he opened the door. “You look beautiful darlin’.”

“Thank you, oh handsome one.”

“So did ya get all your shopping finished?”

“Yes, have you?”

“Yeah. Ah just have ta wrap your gift.”


Logan’s eyes visibly widened and Marie knew, like a child that cain’t wait for Christmas day, Logan would try to pry her for clues but, this Marie wasn’t going to say a word. God, she hoped Logan wouldn’t try to be under-handed and trick her into giving up her secret.

“Who says ya need wrappin’ darlin’? I’ll take ya as ya are right now.”

“Ah do, sugah. Ya won’t regret it, ah promise,” then changed the subject. “So what’s for dinner, Wolvie?”

“A surprise. Ya want somethin’ ta drink? I have a bottle of Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider on ice in the bathroom sink. I can get ya hot chocolate or coffee downstairs…”

“Ooh, save the Martinelli’s for after dinner. Ah’ll have some hot chocolate.”

“Two hot chocolates coming up.”


Logan took Marie’s arm and led her down to the small kitchen. She took a seat on a stool and waited for him to begin.

“How’s Tigger,” Logan asked as he took out some Hershey bars from his private bin in the fridge and started to melt them in a small pan, with a whisk.

“He’s fahn. He’s been playin’ with Jubie’s daughter. They were watchin’, The Aristocats, with popcorn and coke when ah went ta ask Jubes if she could watch him a little longer.”

“Which movie is that?”

“The one where these cats get kidnapped and then wander all ovah Paris.”

“Right, never seen it,” Logan poured the milk into the pan and began to whisk the two together.

“Need help, sugah,” Marie asked.

‘Can’t a Wolverine make hot chocolate? A Rogue could,’ she thought to herself with a smirk.

“Nah, got it covered, just waitin’ for it to cool.”

A couple minutes later he came out from the island with two perfectly warmed hot chocolates. Logan handed one to Marie and took a seat at the table.

“What took so long? Ah was about to send a cold Rogue in to help the frozen Wolverine.”

“Just taste it,” Logan said, killer eyebrow flashing with a smile as he took another sip of his own cup.

Marie took a sip and it was like her taste buds were being sensuously caressed by warm velvety chocolate. She let out a small moan at the sensations the warm drink was causing. Logan just sat there and watched her have a joy-gasm over his hot chocolate.

“Ohhh, this is so rich. This is bettah than instant hot chocolate!”

“Yup, see, a Wolverine can make hot chocolate, without help.”

Marie blushed. Oops! She must have said her comment earlier about Wolverine needing help with the hot chocolate out loud.

“Do ya wanna carpool ta Hank and Ororo’s Christmas party?”

‘What Ah’m really not tellin’ ya is that Jubes is helpin’ meh with your gift,’ Marie thought to herself.

“Ah can’t. Jubes is picking me up when she leaves.”


‘Oh, Logan crash and burn, must get away before she sees hurt,’ Wolverine told him.

“Oh, um ok.” Logan could smell a lie somewhere in her statement.

“Sorry, sugah.”

“It’s ok. I understand. Let’s go start dinner.”

“Need help?” Marie teased.

“No, I’m fine,” he smiled as he took her arm and took her back up to his room.

When they got back, Logan opened the door for her and led her in by gently pushing on her lower back. Then he pulled his bed spread off the bed and put it on the floor, before he went barefoot. He turned on an over head lamp and went for the bags of warm food in the bathroom, sitting on his hamper. He sat down on the blanket.

“I thought we could have a picnic and pretend it’s warm enough to be outside. The light above is our sun. I bought three pounds of fried chicken all the rest of picnic fixin’s I know ya like.”

“Oh Logan, that sounds wonderful sugah,” Marie said as she toed off her shoes and joined him on the floor.


Marie stood after dinner while Logan went to find a movie in the school’s massive movie library. She went to the window to watch it snow. It looked peaceful and quiet out. Her mind began to drift back to warm and sunny Meridian, Mississippi when she was happy. A bittersweet smile developed across her face. She seemed lost in thought of what happened during the years before she became a mutant, her smile long gone, when Logan snuck up behind her.

“A penny for your thoughts,” Logan said leaning against the other side of the window frame.

“Save your money Logan. Ah don’t want to be a rich woman. Ah already am.”

“What are ya thinkin’ of, darlin’?”

“Ya don’t wanna know.”

“Yes, I do or I wouldn’t have asked.”

“Just drop it okay, ah don’t wanna discuss it raht now.”

“Fine. Did you get Chloe her gift in time for Christmas?”

“Oh yeah. I just hope she’s kept her greedy hands out of it until it’s time. Ah gave it ta her mama but, ah’m sure she’s already been searching for it.”

“What did you get her?”

“Ah decided ta give her a trip ta Disneyland in California. She’s going with Jubes and ah. That’s why Jubes
offered ta take meh ta the party ta give mah holiday greetin’s and then we’re goin’ ta the airport.”

“Oh. I’m sure you’ll have a good time.”


Logan’s wheels were turning; he had to pull off his plan in a hurry. Dinner left overs put away in a personal refrigerator in his room and they sat on the sofa in front of, It’s A Wonderful Life in his room. The flat screen television hung over his dresser. He curled his left arm around her as they watched the movie. He felt her snuggle into his side under the bedspread to keep warm. Even with the heater on, it was still very chilly. As the movie went on he thought, ‘what if Marie had never been born?’ He just didn’t want to think about it. He would still probably be lonely and on the road, still seeking the 4-F Method, fighting, fucking, food, finding his past. What if he had never been born?

Maybe Ol’ Buckethead would have succeeded in destroying the planet and that was a scary thought.

Marie couldn’t imagine what a world would be like without Logan and vice versa. Maybe Magneto would have gotten to her sooner? Maybe people would still be dying because he succeeded in killing her on Liberty Island after making her use the machine. It got late and before she got sleepy enough to fall asleep, she decided it was time for her to go. She got up as the credits rolled. She crossed the room and put on her coat. God, she didn’t want to go but, she had plans for tomorrow.


Logan walked her to his door and opened it. She was about to cross the threshold and he stopped her by swiftly taking her lips softly into his. He deepens the kiss and God, he didn’t want to let her go but, he had plans as well.

“What was that for, sugah?” He says nothing and points upward. He knew Marie didn’t have to look, she groaned. She knew it was mistletoe he was pointing to.

“Night Logan; thanks for tonight.”

“Night Marie, your welcome,” he waved a hand up, ‘good-night’, as she entered her room, paused, turned, waved back before she closed her door.


Marie’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
9:00 A.M.

Marie was up before dawn, a workout tape in the machine she started her day. She worked out for a good hour then hit the shower. She took a long hot shower, got lost in a daydream of her and Logan sharing a shower. Later, she dressed in jeans and a white shirt, sans bra and underwear. She made sure she figured out the right time zones and dialed her soon to be lover’s cousin, several times removed’s phone number. Marie had somehow managed to find who Logan’s mother’s family was. She really liked Lara Wyle from their conversations on the phone so far. Logan was shocked that she was able to do such things without his knowledge and what information he shared with her had been limited. Logan also talked with them, just not as often as Marie did.

They live in California, her and her husband, Frank, and they both were mutant friendly because Lara could actually talk to cetaceans, chiefly marine mammals, including dolphins and whales. She worked for Sea World in San Diego. Frank had an internet business that allowed him lots of free time, money for travel, and a gorgeous house near by the ocean on some cliffs but, not so close that the house could be destroyed by a landslide. They hadn’t gotten around to any other family that Logan had that was still alive. Marie had only just found her on the 17th of December after three years of extensive genealogy study, of course without Logan’s knowledge, and all with memories she’d absorbed from him.

“Wyle residence,” answered a male voice.

“Hello, is this Frank?”

“Yes, can I help you?”

“Yeah, ya can. This is Marie Caldicott from New York, ah was wonderin’ if Lara was available.”

“Oh hello Marie, yeah she’s right here. Hold on,” Frank said and passed the phone to Lara.

“Good morning, Marie, how are you? Is everything ok?”

“Everything’s good. Ah was wonderin’ if ya’ll could help meh with somethin’?”

“Does it involve my long lost cousin?”

“Of course.”

“Then I am at your disposal. What do you need?”

“Well, ya see Mrs. Wyle, ah’m plannin’ on seducin’ your cousin for Christmas. Ah have waited long enough for that tall, hairy, drinka water Logan of yers ta get his butt in gear, so this southern, born and bred Marie is takin’ matters into her own hands.” Marie heard laughter on the other end of the line.

“It’s about time, I guess after the story you told me when we first talked.”

“Ah’m just tired of waitin’, and ah want babies with him, mah clock is tickin’, ya know what ah mean? So, ah’m plannin’ ta give him mahself for Christmas.”

“What exactly do you need from me?”

“Ah’m plannin’ a trip out there with some friends who are lahk family ta meh. We’re goin’ ta Disneyland. Ah was wonderin’ if ya’ll could pick ‘em up and bus ‘em to the hotel? Because ah have ta stay here in secret before ah bring Logan out there. He doesn’t know ah’m still goin’ ta be in town and that he’s goin’ ta Disneyland too.”

“Sure Marie, I’d love to. Then we could have dinner here at our home when you get here and I can meet my lost cousin.”

“Logan and ah will be comin’ the same day after they arrive.”

“Great. It will be a wonderful visit I think. It will be good to see him.”

“Thanks, Lara.”

“Call me if you need anything else.”

“Ok, see ya’ll soon.”

“Bye Marie.”


Marie hung up and called Ororo.

“Hey ‘Ro. It’s Marie.”

“Hi Marie, what can I do for you?”

“Ah just wanna let ya know, plan B is in effect.”

“Oh good. I got off the phone with our travel agent and our part is set.”

“Great, ah will call mah agent and get the resta plan C ready.”

“Ok. I’ll see you bright and early on Thursday then.”

“Right. Bye, Ororo.”

Marie hung up and finished putting her gifts in a carry box for the party. She then called her travel agent Kaye, and officially changed the Professor’s gift, and ordered more tickets.


Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
9:00 A.M.

Secretly, Logan had been in contact with Frank, tried to call him but, the line was busy. Instead he got dressed and headed to the kitchen to make coffee. After his first cup, he tried calling his cousin’s husband again. It started to ring and then the connection picked up.

“Hey Lara, it’s Logan.”

“Good morning, Logan. What can I do for you?”

“I was trying again because the phone was busy.”

“Oh. Sorry. I was on the phone earlier and forgot to hang up the receiver.”

“Is Frank available?”

“Yeah, he just went out to the patio. Hold on, I’ll get him.”


Lara Wyle walked out to the patio with the phone. Something was up and she just knew it.

“Frank darling, it’s Logan for you.”

“Really? I’ll be right there.”

“Yes Logan, what can I get you?”

She didn’t stay to snoop in on the conversation. This was going to be the first year she finally was able to have living family around her. Her mother had died a year ago and she had felt so alone even with Frank. Frank and Lara were older and in their late 50’s and early 60’s. They had children but, they had been tragically killed in a school bus accident. She never really had any desire to find more family because she still had her mother. Now that her mother had been gone a year, it had been a total shock when Anna Marie Caldicott called from Westchester, New York, to say that she had a cousin that Marie thought she should meet. Then Marie had filled her in on the whole sordid story and it read like a fascinating novel. The more she heard the more she wanted to meet Logan and Marie.


“Do you know anyone with a yacht?”

“Why?”

“I want to rent one and take Marie to Maui.”

“I’ll see what I can do. I’ll get back to you.”

“Thanks, I’d really appreciate it.”


Lara walked back to the patio as Frank hung up.

“Well?”

“He wants a yacht to take Marie to Maui.”

“I knew it! Mark my words Frank Wyle, Marie and Logan will be married by next year.”

“What makes you say that?”

“A woman’s intuition and a hopeless romantic’s know-how.”


Westview Mall
Westchester, NY.
12:00 P.M.

“Hank, glad you could make it. Did you get what I needed?”

“Right here, Logan.”

“Hank… This is… This is above and beyond…”

“Sorry, Logan. If you cannot accept it, then do, for Marie.”

“It’s not that. I just… Well never mind. Thanks from both of us. All I have to do now is get Marie to stay out of her room for a while.”

“Want me to call Ororo?”

“No, she’d suspect something’s up. Nah, I’ll get Jubilee to do something with her.”

“I should get to the store. I only needed to get her Kenyan coffee.”

“See you around Hank and thanks again.”


Logan, on his way back to his car calls up Jubilee.

“Yellow, how would you like to help pull off the best Christmas gift ever?”

“Is it for Marie?”

“Yeah. Have you gotten anything for Remy yet?”

“No, not exactly. What did you have in mind?”

“Take Marie shopping with you, my treat.”

“For what? Is this a trick question? All though the idea has merit.”

“No, nothing like that, and if you spend too much, I’ll gut you from here to the Mariana Trench.”

“I’m not taking her perfume shopping because of your sensitive schnozzle. What are you getting her?”

“I know. Call and take her to lunch. A trip to Maui, if I can borrow a yacht. Play spy for me would you and find out what she’s getting for me.”

“If you want a spy, call Kitty. Don’t worry. How long do you need?”

“Just an hour or two, would be perfect. Thanks pal.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”


Marie’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
1:00 P.M.

“Hello, Marie?”

“Jubilee, to what do ah owe the pleasuh?”

“Are you free for lunch?”

“Sure. Give meh a minute ta change.”

“I’ll pick you up in ten minutes,” Jubilee said as she caught sight of Chloe and had her read the note she was going to leave for her that she was going to be out with Auntie Rogue for a while.

“Ah’ll be ready.”

Right on time, Marie opened her door as Jubilee was walking up. She was putting on her heavy coat over her sweater, jeans, and combat boots for trudging snow. They headed out to the garage and Marie climbed into Jubilee’s truck and put on her belt.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had time to go out together, I thought it might be nice to have lunch for a change.”

“Where did ya wanna ta go? Ah’m starved.”

“Worked up an appetite have you?”

“Well yes. Plannin’ the best gift ever for yer best friend can take a lot out of ya.”

“Speaking of gifts for best friends, what are you planning to give him?”

“Ah, ah, Jubes. Ah know yer working for the opposite team.”

“You got me. Never fool a telepathic Marie, right?”

“Yes, especially this one. Ah have been tryin’ to be fair and not readin’ his mind to check out mah gift.”

“Can you give me a hint?”

“Can do bettah, how would ya like to go to Disneyland as a Christmas present with Chloe?”

“Sure but, what’s the catch?”

“What ah’m about to tell ya can’t leave this truck.”

“Or?”

“You’ll have a highly-sexually-frustrated-and-angry-lahf-suckin’-Rogue-Ninja-Girl after you.”


Jubilee laughed hard, Marie smiled a little. Jubilee pulled out of the garage and out onto the road. It took almost an hour to drive through the snow to pull into Wok Burger. A place where you could get your Chinese food and a damn good burger according to Jubilee.

“Ah thought you didn’t eat this stuff?”

“Why are you complaining? It’s my treat, and I’m in the mood for a good burger.”

“Ah am plannin’ ta propose ta Logan at Disneyland and ah want all of our X-Men friends and family ta be there, ah want ya ta bring Remy if he can make it.”

“Not that, I’m against it but, shouldn’t Logan be doing the one knee thing?”

“ah’m tired of waitin’ and ah want ta give myself ta him forever for Christmas. And ah mean all of meh.”

“Wow Marie,” Jubilee was taken a little by surprise, the wind knocked out of her.

“What if he doesn’t accept?”

“Iffin he don’t then he’s the biggest idiot in this entire planet and ah get out of his lahf, ah will leave the school for good. Transfor ta Europe or ta another X-Men branch or somethin’ if ah have ta.”

“I agree; it would be the biggest mistake of his lahf. Now let’s go eat.”

“Ah have yer word on this?”

“Yes Chica, anything that I can do...”

“Ah know. Thanks.”


Marie’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
1:10 P.M.

Logan watched as Marie and Jubilee left in Jubilee’s black truck painted with lightening patterns on it. With Marie safely out of the way he went to her room and let himself in. Tigger was over at Jubilee’s with Chloe. While in Marie’s room, he began to spell, ‘love’ as large as he could with red roses but, then he changed his mind. He put a little humor into it by spelling, ‘L U V,’ on her bed. Then he begins to hide clues to his gift in semi-plain sight. Frank had called him back on the way to Marie’s room and the yacht would be ready for him in California when Marie and he arrived. It took Logan exactly an hour and a half to complete his mission. He called Jubilee on his cell.

“Hello?”

“Don’t say anything, it’s me. Mission accomplished. She’s free to come home now.”

“No, there is no José here. I think you have the wrong number,” Jubilee said and hung up.

“Who was that,” Marie asked as they turned the corner back onto the road towards Westview Mall.

“Wrong number.”


Marie’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
4:00 P.M.

Jubilee Le Beau finally got Marie home after a fun afternoon and she went home to her room to call Remy. She smelled roses before she even opened the door. Marie entered the room and saw, ‘L U V,’ in brighter fire-red roses across her bed. ‘Luv? This person needs a spellchecker,’ she thought to herself. She slipped off her coat, headed for her closet to slip into her flannel pajamas. She knew it had to be Logan… He and Jubilee had to be working together.


Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
4:30 P.M.

Logan didn’t have to wait too long for Jubilee to give her report. He opened the door and was ready to drill her for information. Jubilee walked in looking a little confused like she was about to break him some bad news. He got them both a beer.

“Well?”

“Well what? I ain’t gonna spoil this one buddy. You are on your own. I don’t want Marie after me.”

“Awww, come on. What happened? I’m dyin’ here.”

“And here I thought you had advanced healing. I told you to get Kitty if you wanted a spy. I just asked because I wanted to know what the school will be like to be in when we get back from vacation to classes.”

“What makes you think things are going to be bad?”

“I’m going to give you the best piece of advice I have ever given you and ever will. So Logan, Wolvie buddy... Don’t fuck up this time, because I swear, it’s the last one you’ll ever get with her. Please excuse the language.”

“What do you mean last one? What the fuck is goin’ on? Is Marie goin’ somewhere?”

“I can’t say. I’ve already said too much. Just do what I said, if you don’t it will be THE biggest mistake of your life and you won’t be able to fix it. EVER, NEVER, EVER… And I’ll disown ya myself.”

“Could you be a little more vague?” He tried to use the ‘eye brow’ on her and she totally ignored it.

“I should get going. I promised Remy I’d call him later tonight.”

“Right. Thanks for your help anyway.”

Logan noticed that Jubilee didn’t even touch the beer. He began to process the information, trying to read through the lines. Marie’s gift was going to be big but, then so was his. He couldn’t stand it if he lost Marie forever. ‘What was that all about anyway?’ He thought. He knew Marie could move on since she had control of her skin, look at her and the Ice Prick, and she almost took a dangerous cure for him. Whatever Marie had planned, he wasn’t going to keep his feelings from her any longer.


Marie’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
7:00 A.M.

Ororo arrived promptly at Marie’s door.

“Hey Ororo, come on in. Ah need ya to help me get this into your van.”

“You know, Hank seemed to be acting strange this morning.”

“Really?”

“I think Logan’s taking him hunting for Christmas. He was up so early.”

“Maybe, or Logan’s tryin’ ta torture him for information on mah gift.”

“I think it’s so nice of you. Little Charlie’s going to have a ball. I hope Logan does it right this time Marie,
for all our sakes.”

Little Charles ‘Charlie’ McCoy was born on Valentine’s Day five years ago to his loving parents, Mr. Hank McCoy and Mrs. Ororo McCoy. They got married a year before that. Charlie was born a pure bred mutant through Hank’s testing, they found out early. He would take after his father and be blue skinned with blue fur. When he was born, he already had a full head of white. So, he had some of his mother in him too.

“Meh too, Ororo, meh too.”

Marie and Ororo loaded up the folding boxes full of presents and headed for Ororo’s place. A full six hours away from the school. Ororo usually stayed at the school during the week and went home on the weekends because the drive was so long. With Marie helping to drive it didn’t take them as long but, they had hit bad patches of traffic, so it slowed them back down to when they were originally due to arrive. Hank stayed in Washington to continue his work and stayed at the house on the weekends as well. He had a small apartment in the city to save on fuel costs.


McCoy Residence
Washington, D.C.
1:30 P.M.

Marie helped keep little Charlie occupied in the kitchen while Ororo started reheating the pre-prepared cooking.

“Logan’s cousin, Lara is goin’ to pick ya’ll up. Then they’re goin’ to bus ya’ll ta the hotel,” said Marie as she handed Ororo the eggs from the refrigerator. “Ah’m not sure if Remy’s gonna make it come with us. At the very least he maht make it for New Year’s.

“How nice of them.”

“Once Logan an’ ah get there to California, anh’m hopin he don’t chicken out on me. Ah’m hopin’ that it will be fun gettin’ ta meet his family. It will be fun gettin’ ta know each otha if we’re goin’ ta be family. Ah just cain’t believe ah found what ah found and that she and her hubby have been so wonderful ta us.”

“It makes sense but, what if Logan doesn’t take the hint at the park?”

“Like ah told Jubilee, if he don’t get it this time ah’m gone, he can fly himself back ta New York.”

“If you do go, I’m going to miss you a lot. We all will. You know how to Instant Message?”

“Oh yeah, ah’ll keep in touch.”

“Auntie Maariee, don’t go!”

“Ah’m not goin’ anywhere yet sugah squirt, at least ah hope not.”

“Well, for all our sakes, I hope he accepts. Ya know, we should take the students with us. Make it a real big family thing. Hank knows a few people and might be able to ask a favor. Maybe we could shut down the park, just for us. That way Logan won’t have to stress over large crowds. And it will be sunny and warm, a break from the cold.”

“Ya may be on ta somethin’ ‘Ro but, how we gonna git enough planes ta bring us all?”

“Remy has a couple planes he won in a few hands of poker, I found out from Jubilee. A lot of the students that don’t have somewhere to go for Christmas could come with us.”

“Great. Ya’ll can take one of the ones from Remy, and Logan and ah can take the hired one ah got.” Marie smiled.

“Well, now that I think about it, I think it would be too expensive to shut down the park. We just might have to go with the public as is.”

“Well if we hafta, don’t worry ‘bout Logan. Ah’ll keep him relaxed and happy. It’s not that hawd to do when he’s near meh.”

“Who woulda thought the Wolverine was a giant teddy bear?”


Marie’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
1:45 P.M.

Logan and Hank worked on finishing Logan’s plan. Logan took over the room and began spelling out, ‘Y O U,’ on the bed. Then he put Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider in her personal refrigerator. Hank stayed watch at her door, because it was better that he stayed out of Logan’s way so that his mission could be accomplished before the party started. They still had a few more errands to run on the way to his home.

“Logan, are you sure this is going to work? What if she doesn’t come home tonight?”

“It will work. I just know it… Okay well, I don’t know for sure but, it has to. What time does your party start? We need to hit the road like, now.”

“Five o’clock, I think.”

“Good. My truck is loaded up so I’ll go get ready and then I’ll take ya home.”


McCoy Residence
Washington, D.C.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
5:00 P.M.

Marie and Ororo finished setting up the table as the doorbell rang. The Professor and Moira arrived first. Then Jubilee and Chloe, Kurt came with Bobby, Kitty, and Peter. Hank and Logan showed up, the last sheep in Xavier’s Flock of X-Men. Logan wore a strawberry red dress shirt, top button open, no tie, black slacks, and boots. Remy couldn’t make it because he was in New Orleans keeping an eye on the mutant scene. Things were getting more unsettled in the human/mutant battle, down there. Marie carefully kept away from all doorways because of the mistletoe everywhere, especially when she spotted Logan coming in the door. Buffet dinner was the way to go this year. Ororo and Marie had set up the most beautiful table.

Dinner conversation was light, mostly sticking to mutant affairs and things they all needed to be aware of coming down the political steam train. Hank and the rest of the gentlemen moved on to talking about football and who they thought should be in the Super Bowl. Before the women got too bored, Moira helped Charles to remember his agenda. Then they tackled discussing changes the Professor might be making after the first of the year. They all gave their input to help him narrow down the ideas to which would be most beneficial for the school.

After dinner, they all gathered around the McCoy’s tree to pass around gifts. The Professor passed out his first. Gift certificates to a fine dining restaurant experience in New York City at Le Cirque. Ororo and Hank gave out trips to African safaris. Bobby, Kurt, Peter had gotten together and gotten Logan, Hank, and the now walking Charles Xavier, passes to go paintballing. Logan chickened out for the time being and gave Marie an emerald and diamond necklace he bought on the way to bringing Hank home. Marie gave out her gifts early because she was supposed to be heading off to the airport. No one knew other than Jubilee and Ororo that she was actually going back to the school and Logan’s room. She gave out the trip to Chloe in front of the others, and the other trips to Disneyland in secret, with a little speech.

“Ovah the years ya’ll have put up with Logan and ah’s relationship as it stands, and this is how ah wanna repay ya’ll. Now, ah must say good naht because ah have a plane ta catch. Merry Christmas, everyone.”

“We should be going too,” Jubilee said, “I’ve gotta get this young lady to bed and it’s a long drive.”

“Be right back everyone,” Ororo said.

Marie and Ororo went out to the porch and Marie got into her vehicle. She could see Logan watching her from the living room window, and she felt his thoughts projecting through to her mind. He was wondering if her leaving was the gift that Jubilee had talked about, and was hoping that he hadn’t screwed things up. Trips to Disneyland? Wait. He didn’t get a gift from Marie. Everyone else got a trip, but him. Something was off. He had been distracted by Charles at the time so he hadn’t noticed. Marie tuned him out and the slight guilt she felt for not giving him his ticket with the others soon disappeared as she adrove down to the end of the drive way. Then Jubilee and Chloe followed behind her and they headed back to the school.


Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
9:00 P.M.

They get to Logan’s room and Marie let herself and Jubilee in. Chloe helped to set up the folding boxes, setting each one inside the other, like tchotchke dolls. Marie went into Logan’s bathroom and changed into a fire-red nightgown. She fixed her hair, romantic style with lots of ringlets down the back of her hair. The rest pulled up and back, while she let her streaks hang in the front, framing her face. Then she did her makeup.

“Whoa Marie! That is hot, chica. Logan’s going to love the split up the side.”

“Did ya remember the small oxygen tank?”

“Yeah. Where did you get that? I might go shopping there for Remy,” Jubilee helped Marie into a rather small box, partially filled with green velvet pillows. “He loves looking at the latest advances in gadgetry, anything really that gives him an advance in stealing.”

“Ah got it out of an onlahn catalog. Are we all set?”

“Yes. Now I’m going to close up all the boxes and lock up Logan’s room like we weren’t here,” Jubilee said.

Marie started using the oxygen tank. There was enough air for her until Logan got there. Jubilee did as was told and headed home. In case of emergency, Marie had a very sharp switch blade if she needed air.


McCoy’ Residence
Washington, D.C.
10:00 P.M.

“How come you came back so early,” asked Logan.

He hadn’t known that she had come back into the house, put the left-overs into containers, and into the refrigerator… He had been busy visiting with the others until they had all left. He had been sitting with Hank, smokin’ by the fireplace. He, his favorite cigar, and Hank, his favorite pipe, a couple windows open to get a cross breeze. They both knew Ororo hated it when they smoked indoors.

“Logan, it’s late now. Why, did you think I was going to drive Marie to the airport? She said she forgot something at home and decided to take a cab from the school. I checked on Charlie, took care of the left-over food, and dishes. Oh, and I think I saw Santa heading to the school on my way back inside, earlier.”

Logan’s eyes seemed to light up and he suddenly has a wide smile complete with the eyebrow move on his face.

“I thought you were taking her to the airport, that’s all. I knew it was a long drive. Look, it’s getting late. I’m goin’ to go home and catch the three a.m. airing of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

“Good night Logan and Merry Christmas.”

“You too, Ororo,” Logan said good night to Hank.

All the others had left earlier. Something had made him stay longer. He thought Marie had been catching her flight so he had gotten lost in watching the fire as it blazed in the English style, large open fireplace. He felt bad that he hadn’t asked her to stay with him for the night. He headed home in his truck and using his own special enhancements, made it home within three hours instead of the almost six hours of driving. He hoped that Marie would call to thank him for the gift in her room.


Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Friday, December 25, 2009
1:30 A.M.

Logan smelled Marie’s scent in the air as he got closer to his room. He wondered if she had stopped by his room before she took the cab to the airport. He unlocked the door, opened it, and flipped on the light to a big surprising huge wrapped box in his room, complete with a big red bow. His eyes went big as saucers and his eyebrow arched. Oddly, Logan stopped to listen. He could hear a heartbeat and movement inside the box. Then the movement stopped and the heart began to race a bit. He wondered if Marie had gotten him a pet but, no, it smelled like Marie…

How had this gotten in his room? Marie would be at the airport by now. He could call her cell but, he thought she probably had turned it off because of in-flight regulations. Logan looked up to the big tag hanging from the box and flipped it over to read.

“Merry Christmas, Santa Baby,” Logan read aloud.

Logan knew this present was from Marie and it was big but, what could be so big to fit in a box of the same size? He pulled off the first lid and found another box, just a little smaller than the one before it. Finally, he reached the fifth and last box but, it looked too small for Marie to be hiding in. Little did he know; his Marie was able to fit inside He pulled off the last lid and opened the tissue paper. There is Marie, sitting against the back of the box, legs spread, and against the pillows in the box; her index finger hanging from her bottom lip, eyes dark and seductively looking at Logan.

“What the...” Logan’s eyes are near bugging out once more and his slacks were suddenly painfully tight.


Marie reached out a playfully posed hand to Logan. He helped her out of the box and set her down, her matching fire-red three inch heels to the on the floor.

“I… I… I thought ya were goin’ to the airport?”

“Ah couldn’t leave without givin’ ya part of yer Christmas gift, now could I sugah? Ya are the only Santa Baby ah wanna be spendin’ Christmas with.”

“No, indeed not. What exactly is my present and why is it in halves?”

Marie hit play on the CD player remote she had hidden between her breasts to distract him. She tossed the remote to the bed, and then she took Logan’s hand, led him backwards to his bed as the strains of the karaoke version of Santa Baby, by Eartha Kitt began to play. She took her place in front of Logan, who was on the end of his bed and staring intently at Marie.

Santa Baby,
Just slip a sable under the tree
For me
Been an awful good girl
Santa Baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa baby,
A '54 convertible too
Light blue
I'll wait up for you, dear
Santa baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight


Logan couldn’t believe it. Marie was singing the song to him and she was pretty damn good. She was really having fun with the hand motions. Her movements were teasing, tempting him, and Wolverine was very interested in just taking her, right where she stood.

Think of all the fun I've missed
Think of all the fellas that I haven't kissed
Next year I could be just as good
If you'll check off my Christmas list

Marie’s torture was almost too much to handle. Logan was about ready to explode. She puckered up just for effect and Logan pictured those lips other places on his body. He hoped Marie hadn’t been kissing anyone else, or he’d have to hunt them down. He hadn’t smelled anyone else on her so for now she was safely his, almost. They had been doing a delicate dance around each other for almost 8 years, give or take a few months. Everyone knew Marie was in love with him for years but, no one wanted to force the hand of fate and make Logan realize what he was missing. Now that he finally realized what he’d been missing in all that time, he wondered why he had been in denial for so long. Once he told her that he loved her, he supposed in his mind that would make them officially an item.

Santa Baby,
I want a yacht and really that’s not
A lot
Been an angel all year
Santa Baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight

Logan’s mind went reeling, Marie in the bikini he bought her for the trip… Maybe she knew? He laughed at Marie’s hand motions for a sailboat.

‘Oh baby, Marie’s gonna get a yacht this year all right, complete with a Wolverine to sail her,’ Wolverine thought to himself.


Santa honey,
One little thing I really need
The deed
To a platinum mine
Santa Baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight

Marie is having a blast and out of the corner of her eye she noticed Logan’s raging hard-on.

‘Just hang in there Wolvie, just a little longer,’ she thought.

Santa cutie,
And fill my stocking with a duplex
And checks
Sign your 'x' on the line
Santa baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight

He watched as Marie moved closer, slipped down slowly to sit upon his right leg, and she gave him a big wet sloppy kiss on his cheek. She giggled as it left a big lipstick imprint on his cheek that he saw when he happened to catch his reflection in a mirror.

‘Marie, it’s yours… Anythin’ for you baby,’ Logan thought.

Most of all of Logan’s fantasies were coming true as Marie continued stimulate his senses. She even implanted a few more for perusal at another date. Definitely something to keep him company on the nights when he had to be on a mission or he was away from the school. Something to remind him of what he left behind so that he would get his business or the mission completed as fast as possible to get back to her.

Come and trim my Christmas tree
With some decorations bought at Tiffany's
I really do believe in you
Lets see if you believe in me


Marie switched knees and placed another big wet sloppy kiss on the other side. Her knee rubbed against Logan’s erection as she switched sides and he groans in her ear.

“Ah really do believe in ya Logan, always have.”

Santa Baby,
Forgot to mention one little thing
A ring

I don't mean on the phone
Santa Baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight
Hurry down the chimney tonight
Hurry...tonight

Marie stood up, moved in front of Logan, began to point at her ring finger, and tapping her right foot. To finish the song, she hopped on his bed and gave him a, come hither look, crooking her finger towards him as well. She thought Logan was being rather bold when he asked her…

“So, what’s my Christmas present?”

“Ya get ta unwrap this ninja girl, partnah. The other half comes lata.”

“I think I’m going to like this Christmas a lot.”


Logan stripped down to his Christmas tree and candy cane boxers, a gag gift from Jubilee a while back. He watched her eyes intently as she began to laugh.

“Ho, ho, ho Santa… That candy cane in yer pocket is happy ta see meh.”

“Yes and it’s ready for deployment.”

Logan pulled Marie up off the bed to stand in front of him, kisses, sweet and hot follow. The minute his lips touched hers, a spark ignited and a warm tingle shots downtown to her core. He caressed the straps off her shoulders, play bit her shoulder, and then he came back for a deep and slow kiss. He held her in his arms just tight enough to know she was safe and not to the extreme where she couldn’t breathe. He broke away first, sat down on the bed, pulled Marie to stand facing him. Logan slowly continued to slip the nightgown from her body, holding at her waist, all the while kissing her stomach, and licking around her navel. He paused a moment to look at Marie with appreciation.

He wondered if at some point in the early morning that he was going to be coming inside that body, and oh how he was going to appreciate it when he did. Signs were looking up for Logan and Wolverine was very pleased.

“God Marie, I can’t believe I have you here, you are so beautiful.”

“You’re not hard on the eyes eitha, Logan.”

Logan opened his legs and sat Marie into his lap in front of him, her back faced him.

“Whadda ya want me to do to ya right now?”

“Touch me,” Marie in breathless anticipation whispered.

He reached forward from behind and cupped Marie’s breasts in his large hands. Marie moaned as Logan felt them, the grooves of his work hardened skin appreciating the baby’s bottom texture, and squeezing them ever so slightly. He began to smell the essence of Marie start to fill the air, and the scent of her arousal was sweeter than any he’d ever encountered. Most of the time, he never had the time to stop and smell the roses per say, as the Wolverine was busy letting off more carnal energy.

“They’re just perfect, darlin’,”

Logan then caressed the undersides of her breasts to the nipples, where he teased them a little with his fingers.


“Ggglad ya lahke ‘em, sugah,” Marie stuttered at the feelings Logan was calling to attention.

The anticipation was slowly driving her crazy. Marie couldn’t believe she had waited this long for his intimate touch on her body. If she knew how good this felt then, she wouldn’t have waited so long. She felt Logan move on to the nape of her neck, just breathing on it. She shuddered and felt goose bumps rise up all over her body. He lifted up her hair gently and stroked her neck softly and then he brought his mouth closer to her neck. Out of the blue, Logan sank his teeth into it, pulling her hair a bit roughly to give her that, ‘you’re mine,’ impression. She felt the pain but, she knew that the Wolverine was marking her as his. Fortunately, she was right there with Logan’s mutation to stem the bleeding.

Then she felt Logan’s tongue licking up the few small trails of blood. Marie hoped that he wouldn’t beat himself up too much later for hurting her. She knew it was all necessary, if she was going to take Logan on, she would also have to deal with the animal. He moved on to her left ear and began to suck on the lobe. She gripped on to his knees, for support.

‘Oh Gaawd, Logan’s gonna kill me. Just suck it up Marie, paybacks are hell,’ she thought to herself.

“Ya don’t know how manah days ah have fantasahzed ‘bout ya. How manah places ah have fantasahzed ‘bout ya bein’ on mah body.” Marie almost melted into his lap.

“Then why did you wait so long, darlin’?”

“Because ah knew ya weren’t ready. Ah didn’t wanna have ya goin’ on some mission and nevah comin’ back ta meh, because ya were distracted bah meh pushin’ a relationship on ya. Ah didn’t wanna let myself put ya at that kahnda risk. Ah knew ya weren’t ready ta any kahnda permanent commitment. That’s why ah think that you’ve always been close but, ya hold yahself at arm’s length.”


Logan couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Sugah, ah’ve known for so long that we belong togetha. Ah’ve wanted ta push ya into somethin’ ah’ve known ya weren’t ready for but, on the otha hand ah wasn’t ready for a relationship eitha. Since end of mah relationship with Bobby… When ah realized ah almost lost ya because of him, ah knew then ah wanted no one else but you.”

“Since we’re makin’ confessions… I can’t hold it in anymore. Anna Marie Caldicott, I… Love… You,” he said as the reality of what he had said hit him, tears began to flood his sight. “I said it… I am settin’ myself free from holding it in. I love you and I need you.”

“Ah love you too, sugah,” she said and he watched salt water fill her eyes as well.

Logan whispered softly to her, “Thank you.”

Tears streaked down from both their eyes. Logan couldn’t believe he said he loved her. He felt so free, like adamantium covering his bones suddenly disappeared. He took her wrists into his hands and began to nuzzle and nip at them. He kissed them and then blew softly on them and Marie groaned.

“Ohh Gawwd Logan, ah want ya now.”

He allowed her to stand up, turn, and the nightgown fell to the floor. Logan stood up and scooped her up into his arms.

“You don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to hold you and carry you in my arms like this,” he said.

He gently laid her onto his bed and rolls her onto her stomach, which she quickly corrected to being on her back. Logan cat crawled up to Marie and settled himself on top of her.

“Close your eyes for a moment, Anna Marie Caldicott,” he lovingly whispered and then planted a perfect kiss right on her lip Logan whispered then plants a perfect kiss right on her lips.


Logan’s words went straight through her, right to her heart, because he used her given name. Marie instantly lost herself in the sensations of the moment. His arms around her tight, their lips fusing together, tongues swirling around each other in a dance, their chests pressed so close together that she could feel his heartbeat. He lingered his tongue against her lips, sliding it in and out of her mouth, and running it along her tongue. Marie never knew Logan could be so erotic; no wonder women caved at the knees when he walked by.

‘Not anymore,’ she thought. ‘He’s mine.’

He broke away and began to place soft, hungry, chaste little kisses on Marie’s neck. Trickling down her jawbones, up and down her neck, and then he moved in for her jugular notch. He kissed the spot, lapped his tongue in the cavity there, and blew upon the wet spot. It sent shivers down Marie’s spine and arched her body up to Logan’s chest.

“Ugh yeahh, Logan. Don’t stop.” He smiled wickedly at her.

Marie needed to touch Logan badly. She needed to show him the same kind of feelings that he was making her feel. She wrapped him up in her legs before she caught him off guard, rolling him to his back on side of the bed, and straddled his waist.

“This Christmas present wants to pleasure her receiver,” Marie teased as she caressed his cheek and whispered, “Close your eyes.”


Then Marie captured Logan’s lips with her own and pulled his hair a bit rough to show him that, ‘you’re mine,’ sense while she stroked her groin to Logan’s boxers. If she was going to be his mate, she needed to show some of her own dominance to show him that he was hers as well. She knew he felt the heat of her body and groaned into a kiss from her. She gave him a strong bite on his neck but, she didn’t break the skin. Then she licked Logan’s neck from the base, over the bite, to behind his ear, he cried out his pleasure. She continued, placing butterfly kisses from his shoulder and across his clavicle stopping at his jugular notch; her favorite spot on a man. Marie moved on to his left shoulder, back across his clavicle, and once again stopping at the jugular notch. She went to town on that spot with her tongue and Logan bucked up to her, and she felt him getting harder below her.

“God Marie, what you do to me.”

Slowly, Marie began her treasure trail from his jugular notch. Her inner Logan’s anticipation of her mouth upon his nipples was driving him crazy. She nipped and kissed each new place she stopped in. His body seemed familiar to her but, this time it, it was like she was experiencing it for the first time. And really, it was a first time for her because she didn’t have to worry about sucking him dry of his mutation with her skin. She smiled at him when she thought about what their relationship would have been like if she had made moves on him like she was the first time she saw him in that dive bar in Laughlin City. Since Logan had been a soldier, Marie looked at him with a wicked grin, what she was about to do would bring a whole new meaning to Be All You Can Be…

Just to keep him guessing, instead of going to his nipples, she kept on moving south along the little trail of hair on his chest, stopping at his belly button. She flicked her tongue around it, and then out of the blue she catapulted up to his right nipple, sucked on it like a baby does of its mother’s breast. He cried out his pleasure again as she softly rubbed her hand over the opposite peck.

“Ohhhh darlin’, baby that feels so damn good.”


Then Logan watched Marie delicately kiss her way across his broad chest and repeat the same motions, belly to his left peck. She massaged them both again sending shockwaves to send him into a higher state of arousal, and then she went back down to his belly button. She paused for a moment and then she blew softly upon her creation, in the shape of an arrow, and Logan shivered.

“Would ya mahnd if ah gave yer buddy and his two best friends a nickname,” Marie seductively asked as she cupped his genitals.

“Huh? Um, I guess not,” he gave her the eyebrow, and wondered where she was going with her idea.

‘God Marie’s going to kill me someday with her sweetness,’ Logan thought alone.

“Ah think that ah’ll call ‘em Marie’s Toys, because ya know of course that these are mahn after ta-naht...” Marie came up and passionately kissed him.

“It’s a deal if I get to call these, Logan’s Toys,” he flashed her his killer smile as he’s cupped both of Marie’s ample breasts in his hands.

“Fahn by meh, sugah.”

“Continue on, ninja girl.”

“Well since these are mah toys, ah’m goin’ ta have some fun bondin’ with them. Findin’ out what makes them tick, and what makes yer buddy happy ta see meh. Now, it’s tahm ta show yer prick, a little trick, because sugah, you’re comin’ down lahk a brick,” Marie laughed, “Ah think that’s the first poem ah’ve evah spoken off tha top of mah head, in yer bed, no less.”

“I may have to keep you away from Jubilee, she’s wearin’ off on you too much baby.”

“Nevah, sugah, nevah.”


Suddenly, there’s a loud knock on the door and they both looked at each other like, ‘Who wants to get it?’

“I’ll go, you hide in the bathroom,” said Logan as he got up and slipped on a robe from his closet, as another impatient knock came, “I’m comin’, I’m comin’.”

“What the f… Do you want?” Logan said as he opened the door and there was a stranger there.

“Hi, I’m Carol Ashby, one of the holiday chaperone’s Charles Xavier hired. I have to take my daughter to the ER. She’s developed a really bad fever. Marie said that if there was an emergency I could bring my dog, Bingo here, you could watch him, and the students. I didn’t want to leave the kids and him alone.” Logan got this deer in headlights look and then kicked into action.

‘I’m gonna kill Marie… Slowly and with my tongue,” he thought.

“Yeah sure, I’ll take him.”

He wished he knew where anyone was. Both the school nurse and doctor were out of town. The other X-Men were also away from the school but, close by in case of attack. The children would be alright through the night. Ororo and Hank would be making a visit much later in the morning.

“Thank you, thank you,” Carol was so overjoyed, she kissed Logan on the cheek as she handed him the leash, “I’ll let you know when I can take him home with me again. Thank you again, bye.”

“Sure, no problem. Bye, I hope your daughter feels better soon,” he said out into the hallway.

Logan sighed and closed the door behind him. What were they going to do with Bingo? Bingo, a short hair, Jack Russell terrier puppy with a wicked streak when it suited him, definitely trained to potty in the bathroom, whether there’s newspaper down or not. He turned out the room main light and turned on the one near his bed.

“Oh Maaariee, looks like we have a visitor… You can come out now…”

Marie had slipped back into her red nightgown in the bathroom and she opened the door, creatively slipping her left leg out like a dancer, on the wall. Then she poked her head around the corner of the doorframe. She couldn’t wait to get back to business with him but first, the dog.

“Ohhh sugah, looks lahk he can sleep on the flo-ah… And you can come outta those boxers now…” Marie teasingly replied. “Put some newspapers down in the bathroom for him and he’ll be fahn.”


“Now that I can handle,” Logan dug a blanket out of his closet and arranged it on the floor for Bingo.

Bingo went over to inspect. He stepped inside the blanket and circled a couple times before he found the right spot. Once he lay down; he then brought down another blanket to cover Bingo and keep him warm. Then Logan crossed over to Marie and took her hand, leading her back to bed.

“Now, if the good lawd’s willin’ and the creek don’t rahz, we can get back ta where we were,” said Marie.

“And where was that exactly,” Logan said, planted kisses on her neck as he had her trapped in his arms.

She suddenly reached forward and rubbed her warm palm against his groin inside the robe.

“Raht here, sugah.” Logan groaned at Marie’s touch.


Marie unknotted the sash before she stroked the robe down Logan’s body. As she went down on her knees, Logan leaned back and grabbed a pillow for her to be comfortable.

“Can’t have you marking up those beautiful knees.”

Pillow in place, Marie began to kiss his belly again. She slowly pulled down his candy cane and Christmas tree boxers, kissed the flesh between his legs and his hips, the tender skin of his groin.

‘Oh damn, Marie… Ohh baby,’ Logan thought to himself.

“Ohhh… Ahhh Marie… You’re killin’ me, darlin’.”

Marie continued to pull down his boxers, and she placed warm and sweet kisses on his thighs. Her hands caressed the slightly haired skin from his thighs up to his rear-end, grabbing and massaging his cheeks. She slid a finger up and down his crack as she kissed at the base of his manhood.

“Am ah doin’ this raht,” Marie asked teasingly.

“Baby, you’re doing just… Ohhh…”


Logan felt like he was going to melt to his knees. He felt the pressure on his flesh intensify and Marie had barely started. The sight of Marie knelt down between his legs was a memory he’d not soon forget. He could just imagine being in the classroom, in his chair, and start daydreaming about her on her knees. His hands instinctively wanted to touch Marie, so he began to massage her scalp a little while keeping her in place. Marie began to make a circle of kisses around his base. Then she gingerly took his erection into her hands, and softly licked at the ‘V’ soft spot, just above his sacks. Logan jerked forward instantly.

“Oh God, Marie that feels… Damn good.”

“Ah’m gonna make ya really fly. These toys are tha best Christmas gift, so huge and tha perfect sahz ta play with.”

“What in the hell made me wait so long for this, oh Marie, you have permission to smack me if I ever wait another five years to feel this good,” he said.

By the heavens, all his fantasies were coming true. Now he was going to have to come up with a new set.

“Ah maht take ya up on that offah.”

“You are so beautiful Marie, I wish I could have gotten my head out of my ass sooner.”

“Logan, it’s all in tha past now, sugah. Ah don’t thank we woulda been ready fer it then. Ah’m glad we took tha tahm ta get ta know each otha bettah.”

“Believe it or not so am I.” She went back to licking and she cupped his sacks in her small hands before she lapped her tongue over both.

“You taste prettay good, sugah.”

Logan cried out his pleasure, not caring who might hear, “Marie, so good.”


Marie craved the salty taste of his skin. She began to lick his shaft like a big stick ice cream, her favorite in the summer. She knew from her inner Logan that the real Logan was about to almost lose it. Inner Logan also informed her that he was definitely going to get her back for her ministrations. Then she licked his head like a lollipop and slowly ran her tongue over the eye, looking at her. She knew Logan was close to the edge, he began to sexily grunts and groans. Marie then took him into her mouth again and she held his hips down to restrain him from thrusting into her throat. She let him go and decided to show him another little trick as she took him back into her small warm hands. A trick she’d gotten from Jubilee one rainy night, during a girl talk session.

“Watch this Wolvie,” she teased.

Marie licked her lips as she unlocked her jaw and then caught his eyes as he looked down. Then she suddenly took all of him, deep throat. She heard Logan growl and then roar something akin to something from a lion perhaps? She held his base as she began to pump him at a good pace. Since Jubilee’s tip was working, she wondered if she should ply her for more little things she could surprise Logan with.


Logan didn’t know how much longer he would be able to stand up on his feet. He damn near fell when she took him down the rabbit hole of her throat. God, he’d never be able to wash that scene out of his brain.

‘God this is really happening. She actually can handle all of me. It’s not like I ever doubted she could but, hot damn that Marie can do it,” Logan thought to himself.

‘Hell yeah, she’s a keeper, old man,’ Wolverine chimed in. ‘I approve. When do we get to claim her?’

‘No, bloody hell idea… But, the trip gettin’ there’s gonna be one hell of a fuckin’ great ride.’

Suddenly, he was distracted as Marie began to hum something and the vibrations drove him crazy.

“Wha… wha…t’s that? Oh God Marie,” then Logan listened carefully. It’s was a song he’d heard on the radio once, Bruce Springsteen’s, I’m On Fire, “Oh Marie… Baby, you have to stop. I’m going to…”


Logan watched her quickly stop and helped him take some of the edge off for him. He sighed as he felt himself come back from the cliff she had been about to send him over. Then she stood up, licked his lower lip before she kissed his lips passionately hard. He fully kissed her back, devouring and savoring his pre-essence on her lips.

“Oh Logan,” he heard her in a breathless whisper and sighed.

He scooped Marie up into his arms and placed her softly on the bed. Then he brushed his fingertips down the sensitive skin on the side and under the curve of Marie’s right breast before squeezing the whole thing. It made Marie’s nipples so eager for his touch; she practically shoved them into his hands. He repeated on the twin and her gumdrop nipples were standing at attention. Logan stimulated them with different types of touches. He rubbed his thumb over them, pinched them lightly, licked them, and nibbled on them gently. He sensuously toyed with her breasts, until her nipples were so erect it hurt. He whispered all the things he wanted to do to her in her right ear.

“Marie, I love touchin’ your body so much.”

Logan kissed her ribs, every scar from her past, and sexily grunted all the way toward her belly button. The vibrations from his grunts made her giggle. Then he flicked his tongue around the belly button. Marie thrust up to his face and he knew he was on the right track.

“Logan, you devil,” she said as she mussed his hair with her hands for effect.

“It’s only fair, Marie.”

“Ah can take what-evah you dish out Wolvie.”

“We’ll see… I’m goin’ muff diving…”

He slipped down to her thighs and began to leisurely kiss and nip at the skin. When Logan began to lick her outer lips she thrust up from the sensations he knew she felt.

“I want you so bad, Marie. I can’t wait to taste you.”

“Gawd, you’re makin’ meh so hot, Logan.”


Logan slid inside her with his left long fingers. Gently, he used his right middle finger to circularly rub her just a hair higher at her pearl. As she began to get moist down there, he watched her throw her head back and began to moan Logan’s name, and some other incoherent sayings. He decided she was happy with that move so he surprised her by adding another finger and he became slightly more aggressive as he felt the animal try and break free. He saw her grip his sheets as he looked into her face; he could see the raw desire in her eyes and how much pleasure he was giving her. Logan flicked his tongue against her love button gently and then licked it a few times with a flat tongue, as if he was licking an ice cream cone, before he gave it more pressure with the tip of his pointed tongue. He didn’t let all the moaning and bucking distract him from his duty.

“Yes! Fastah Logan,” he heard Marie yell at him as if she were a drill sergeant.

“Yes ma’am,” Logan mocked and then picked up his pace since she was so receptive to his fingers.


Marie filled with warm fuzzies all over again. She was almost completely wound tight when Logan, out of the blue, gave her his left index finger. She immediately began to suck on it and treat it as if she were going back down on his member with her mouth. She knew the things she did to his finger would make him painfully hard all over again. Then as he held her open with his right hand, he began to flick his tongue over her sensitive ball of sunshine.

“Oh! Aahhh Logan,” Marie thrust up again and her feet rested over his shoulders.

“Yes baby?”

“Gawd, ah need you.”

“Soon, baby soon,” she heard him say before he laid another big kiss on her and it reminded her of how good his lips and tongue felt on her mouth.

Then Logan took his wet left index finger back and slipped them inside her flower. Marie almost came right then. He came up to her and leaned over her to whisper in her ear, she thought just to be a delicious tease.

“Do you like it, Marie? Should I go… Deeper? Should I lick, finger, or rub you?”

His warm sensuous breath in her ear sent chills up her spine and she wanted to take him right then and there. She decided then that she loved it when he talked dirty to her.

Marie was breathing heavy as she responded, “Yes! Deepah! Fastah! Mo-ah!”


Logan then pulled back, gave her his left index and middle finger. A few more strokes and she began to buck up against him. She came off the bed, her body arched firmly against his, and then she fell back against his pillow. He then explored her core deeper, probing faster as she came down from her first orgasm of the night. One he hoped of many during their time together. With both of them sharing his healing factor, it was definitely a possibility.

“Oh Mah Gawd, James Logan Howlett, ah am gonna get you back for that someday.”

“Like that huh, Marie?”

He knew that Marie inevitably became so wet again and Logan began stroking her faster. In and out at a constant pace, reverting from her sheath back to her ball of nerves. He used his tongue on her sensitive ball whilst he continually pumped his fingers inside her.

“Oh Gawd Logan… Ah thank ah’m gonna come.”

“You are so beautiful like this Marie. I never want to forget this look on you.”

Logan stoked her, as he licked her sweet gumball of spirit, he used his right hand to stroke her flesh between her love canal and her back door, and suddenly Marie came for the second time of the night. Her hair wild and this animal look in her eye. He noticed that they changed color.

“Oh Gawd Logan! Yesss,” she screamed, “Gawd, ah love you, Logan… And Wolvie too.”

He stroked her a few minutes more to let her ride out the wave and then he brought his hand up to her mouth. She licked his finger, slowly tasting her on his skin, and then he kissed her passionately.

“I love you too, ninja girl.”

“Ah want ya now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Ah want ya on this beach now, sugah.”


Logan repositioned himself and then as a last bit of fun, he held his erect flesh with his right hand and used it to rub her jewel of the south. He circled around her sheath and made like he was going in for the kill but, he didn’t. He looked her in the eyes as he slowly stroked himself up and down her flesh, from her jewel down to her flesh before her back door. Then he whispered teasingly into her right ear…

"What do you want me to do with it?"

“Ah want you now, bad Logan.”

“Should we um… Use something,” he asked as he nipped and kissed her neck.

“Ah wanna feel all of you. Ah’ve waited so long… Ah don’t want some plastic tube keepin’ meh from you.”

“Look at me,” Logan said gently and as she complied, he slid into her slick home.

He looked deeply into her beautiful eyes, and for a time he swore he was drowning in them as he fell deeper and deeper to where he’d always belonged, her heart.


Marie ignored the slight pain as Logan opened the door and slid deeply into her soul. She knew the little pain was worth it if the pay-off was going to mean that she was one with Logan. She was now a woman in almost every sense of the word. She had a few more levels to climb on the ladder of womanhood before she’d done it all. Time seemed to stop for her in that moment as she felt her body adjusting to his large size. It felt like there wasn’t enough room but, her body knew otherwise; she felt so full and whole. Then Marie lifted her thighs and locked her legs high upon his lower back to get the best angle for them both.

“Ah’m home,” said Marie as tears of joy slowly slipped from her eyes.

She wrapped her arms tight around him, one around his back and the other over his shoulder. She lazily drew circles on his back with her nails.

“Now, move it or lose it, sugah,” she teased once she knew she was fully adjusted to Logan’s rather large size.


Logan began to soar as he moved at such a fast pace. He felt it as she reached and grabbed his taut, fine butt cheeks. His whole body began to ache with the exertion of energy he put forth; a good kind of ache, a kind of ache that only a mate could give him relief from, not a hand.

“Oh God Marie, you feel so good, tight, warm.”

“Logan… Oh Logan, sugah.”

‘Take her,’ Wolverine demanded in his mind. ‘Harder, faster! Make her ours.’

Logan felt himself losing control over the animal as he began to growl and his fear was palpable that he would hurt her once the mammal was loose. He snarled and did something the beast inside him wasn’t expecting, he rolled, surrendering his body unknowingly to his soon-to-be-engaged partner.

"Whoa gawd Logan, a little warnin’ woulda been nahce, sugah!" Marie got out with what air she had left.

Then she tried to regain more air in her lungs so that she could fulfill the position he put her in above him.

"Faster Marie, now!" Logan growled.

His pleas made her acquiesce to his requests. She felt his hands grip her hips to guide her ride on the saddle of his lap. She had no idea that since he’d given her the dominant position above him, he couldn’t thieve the control back from her. In a way, it was like the animal was making her prove that she could be his mate.

"Logan!" Marie wantonly moving against him, feverishly, accommodating his size totally inside her every time she came down to his frame. "Sugah!"


"Rrrraaahhhh!" Logan roared as he continued the fight and didn’t let the animal take over.

He began to thrust up into her intensely like he was trying to keep his spine away from a white hot poker. Power and strength propelled him into Marie, every time in felt like he had found home, like Marie had found hers. His submission earlier encouraged her; her hands grasped his, and he felt love, support coming through her grip. Logan smiled as his eyes seized upon her body, flushed, sweat sliding into places he wanted to explore someday, it didn’t matter when, she was his now. Her disruptively bounding orbs, striving sinews, a glimpse of her beautiful face lost in love, and the moment they were creating together triggered his cannon to fire true into her.

He suddenly felt like he was flying through the air. The sudden release of all of the nerves in his body was an awesome experience, especially as he felt all of his pent up energy leave his body, almost through his hair follicles. The French didn’t call it, ‘Le Petit Mort,’ for nothing.

"MARIE,” Logan yelled and then growled as he let his orgasm overtake him.

The orgasm so explosively intense because he’d saved himself for Marie after Jean’s first and second deaths. Because wherever Jean was in the spirit world, he wanted to prove to her that he still wanted to be a ‘good guy,’ especially for Marie. He still believed that she could do so much better than him but it was her choice to love him. He couldn’t control Marie any more than he could control the weather, and that was Storm’s job.


Marie felt him exploding like a firework inside her but she couldn’t rest, she was so close to finding her own paradise… And then she found her own deliverance when she felt Logan’s fingers pressing against her only fleshy orb below her belly button, moving in a swift circular motion.

"LOGAN,” she cried out as she continued to pant, her heart beating outrageously fast.

She heard Logan growl and figured that he needed time to form his thoughts, to be able to gain his self-control. When she ceased the ride and regained a slower breathing pace, the reality of what they had just done hit her, right smack dab in the face, like a lemon meringue pie in an old comedy skit. Out of the blue she felt a kind of sudden joy wash over her; she was free, a sense of relief that the waiting was over. And then just as sudden as the joy washed over her, sadness flowed. Marie couldn’t look at him. Maybe it was her southern upbringing, guilt over what she had just done, and she wasn’t married to him. Her internal voices were giving her negative thoughts. She tested them, no; she wouldn’t allow herself to feel the shame of not exactly keeping her promise to her parents and to God that she’d wait until she was married to have sexual relations. She was a grown woman and could make her own choices.

What they had just done was worth the five years of waiting for him to get his adamantium laced ass in gear. In her eyes she held an appreciative expression and deep love for him as she slowed her breathing back to a normal pace. She hoped that he wasn’t reading her emotions through her face. Her sweat laced hair hung around her shoulders and down her back as she sat up, her lovely white streaks framing her face. Marie decided she needed a minute alone in the bathroom to compose her thoughts to something better. So, she started to move off the bed until she felt Logan’s hand on her ass.


Logan watched her and allowed her to begin to move away but, before she could get far, he cupped her right butt cheek in his large, warm hand because he didn’t want to stop touching her. Wild eyes regarded her for a moment after she curled up to his body on the left. He read the expressions on her face. She was unsure of herself, if he was still going to love, honor, and respect her now that she was no longer a big ‘virgin’; she was going to have to get used to being a ‘woman’. Logan knew she was unsure of what happened afterwards, just as he was unsure of what the future held for them. He assumed she was thinking along the line of, would he panic and leave her? Would he think her terrible in bed? Would he change his mind about becoming a couple? He had to put a stop to it before the doubts took her to a darker place.

“Come ‘ere darlin’,” he said softly. “What is it? Did I hurt you?”

He noted that she couldn’t raise her eyes to him so he gently grasped her arm to turn her toward him.

"Ah mean ah know what we did and all but…"

"It wasn’t what you’d been dreaming of," Logan asked unsure of how to handle a post-coital Marie, new territory thresholds being crossed there.

"Mah dreams don’t compare to what we just did… Ah feel lahk ah lost all mah self-control. Gawd, what must our friends below us must thank."

"Yeah well, I don’t care what they think. I care what you think. If it makes ya feel any better, I lost some charge over myself too. The animal almost fully got loose. Damn… Marie, it was so good, I can’t form the rest of the words to say how great it was, darlin’."


He repositioned his body up higher on his pillows, his hand now holding hers. Logan suddenly slipped into what he thought was his caring lover mode… He’d forgotten that what they had done had been her first time. It wasn’t exactly just sex and it felt like it was a level above lovemaking for him.

"Baby, look up here," he asked of her and when she did he could see that his thoughts had been right.

“There ain’t nonthin’ wrong with makin’ noise.” He sat up all the way and leaned in closer. “You know that I love you, I don’t care if they get to hear you, and I sharing that love. Hell, I almost wanna tell the whole damn world myself but, that would take me away from you for centuries… I don’t want to ever be apart from you again.”

“But yer ears…”

“Darlin’, I don’t mind hearin’ you scream my name, that kinda noise I could live with.”

“However, I don’t just wanna be makin’ noise in bed, I wanna be a good man for you, Marie. I thought I was tryin’ to be one for Jean, it wasn’t that in reality, and somehow, deep down I knew it. I just couldn’t admit it to myself at the time. Sweetheart, I want to meet your parents someday. I want you to be able to take me home to meet your mama and pops."


Her eyes enlarged in revelation. Was he about to spoil her surprise and ask her ‘that’ question that she had been waiting five years for, first?

"I have been with thousands of women and I don’t want you to feel like you’re just a notch in my bedpost. This is new for me; You’re changin’ me into a one-woman man. You’re changin’ me into a good man and I want to see where our journey is goin’ together. You know I don’t mean to be an ass sometimes but, I do. I have a reputation to keep up.”

“Yer rep is safe with me, sugah. Ah’ll even letcha fight with meh so they can talk, we can have make-up sex, and they can keep talkin’,” she smiled, her mood lightening again.

“You know about the animal, he’s all action and raw. Someday when we both think you’re ready, I want to introduce you to him, the Wolverine. Not right now though. Right now, I wanna take you back to bed and get more play out of my Christmas present. Think you got enough in ya to do it again, darlin’" He asked as he gave her the eyebrow.

"Of course," she closed the distance between them, looped her arms around his neck. “Ah have ya in mah heart. Ah can heal from anythang remembah? I love you."

"Good, I love you too," Logan pressed his lips to hers, kissed her, and devoured her mouth eagerly before he kindly took her back to bed for the rest of that early Christmas morning.


Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Friday, December 25, 2009
7:00 A.M.

Marie felt an arm across her waist and a warm breath gently blowing against her nape as she woke up to the chill in the air of the room. She checked her internal clock; an hour until they had to be at Westchester County Airport. She hoped to be landing around lunch; she had a feeling they were going to work up an appetite on the way to California... See Logan wasn't the only one who had an ace up her sleeve. Marie had been planning with Jubilee to get Logan good; he’d never be able to top his ninja girl. Jubilee had talked to Remy. A good friend of Remy’s would be flying the X-Men and the students left at the school for the holidays, instead of taking a commercial flight. Then another good friend of Remy’s would fly his personal jet to get Marie and Logan to California, once again instead of taking a commercial flight. Because, good luck getting him through a metal detector, and letting Logan watch Marie go through one of those assaulting pat-downs.

God what a night they had together; all in all they went at it three times before collapsed because she wore him out. Then she’d gotten some sleep as well, spooned together under the covers. Logan was still deeply sleeping. Good for her that he didn’t snore, she smiled. Suddenly, Marie felt Logan move; thrust his hips and other bits against her behind.

‘Poor Logan, he must be dreamin’ again. Gawd, ah hope ah’m not too sore ta move. Ah don’t wanna wake the Wolverine up but, we’ve gotta get ready ta go. Heaven help meh, he's makin’ meh hot all ovah again. Suck it up Marie and make him pay for it later," Marie thought to herself.

Marie slipped out from under his arm to the floor without a thud. She let his hand cop a feel as she slid out of the bed. From her haunches she quickly, quietly snuck into the bathroom, while he continued to hump the bed in his deep sleep. She found her packed backpack in the bottom of his hamper. She brushed her teeth and made herself beautiful again before she came back out to wake Logan up. Marie came out and quickly hunted down her nightgown. Slipping it on, she stole his robe before going down to the kitchen to make coffee. While it percolated, she hunted for a quick breakfast for the two of them.

‘This ain't breakfast,’ Marie thought as she suspiciously eyed the fruit and nut bars in the carton.

She put the box away when she remembered that breakfast was going to be served on the flight to California. She saw Logan slowly reach out his hand for her as he was coming back into consciousness.


"Maaarieee," Logan suddenly woke up when he felt a cold pillow next to his. He feared that last night had been just a dream. “Maaarieee, where are ya?"

"Raht heah, sugah," Marie said.

"Is it just me, or can you be any more beautiful than you are to me right now?"

She leaned in across the bed and kissed him on his forehead, teasing, "It's just you."

"Am I going to get a proper good morning kiss," Logan asked hopeful, as he flashed his killer smile.

"Not ‘til latah, we don't have tahm now. So, git yer bum outta bed and git dressed. Coffee is on its way.”

"Yes ma'am," Logan mocked her and then it registered, "We goin’ somewhere?"

"Ta get yer otha Christmas prezzie."

"Marie, it's the twenty-sixth. Christmas is over."

“No, it’s still tha 25th. Ah musta short-circuited ya last naht. Will you git, before ah have-ta kick yer beautiful butt, again.”

“Oh all right," and Logan got up out of bed, went into his bathroom, and naked as the day he was born.

He figured Marie might want to see what she was turning down to leave the warm bed.


Twenty minutes later, Logan opened the door and a puff of steam exited before he did. He came clear of the bathroom, a towel a piece around his shoulders and hips, as he tried to finish drying his hair. In that time he noticed that Marie had changed into her jeans and a half green, half black t-shirt that read, ‘Rogues Rule and Wolverines Drool,’ a gag gift from Jubilee that she had made especially for Marie. She handed Logan his coffee as he read her shirt. The famous eyebrow went up.

"Cute, Marie. I'd drool over you any day."

"Feel bettah?"

"Much."

"We need ta get goin’ soon. We need ta be where we're goin’ at eight this mornin’. Ah've packed yer bag and all ya need ta do is throw on somethin’ that yer gonna be verah comfortable in. Ah’m gonna go see ta Bingo’s care."

"In a hurry are we?"

"Yes, as a mattah of fact, 'we' are. Meet ya downstairs."


Marie took Bingo’s leash and him downstairs. She called Carol and she would be right over to pick him up. If they couldn’t stay to watch him, the carrier was in the Janitor’s closet. He had plenty of food and water in there until she could get there. She just had to get her daughter settled before she could make the half an hour drive it took to get to and from the school. Marie took him for a quick potty break outside and then out him in the carrier. During the early morning about 5:00 a.m., Ororo and Hank came to the school with little Charlie, and gathered the students that were left at the school for the holidays. They were told by Professor Xavier that they needed to quickly, quietly get to Ororo and Hank downstairs, quietly pack a bag, for no one wanted to wake the Wolverine. They were going on a special mission for Ms. Rogue. They did so well that Logan had no clue what was going on. Of course, getting distracted by a beautiful Rogue didn’t help either.


Logan dressed and made it to the garage where Marie was finishing loading up her Corvette. She climbed in behind the wheel and buckled her safety belt. He watched as Marie made a secret phone call saying,

“We’re on our way. Yeah, details to follow.” He climbed into the seat and buckled in.

"How come you're drivin’? I am capable of drivin’ you know."

"Ah know and ah don’t wanna take the scenic route. Besahds, ah know how ta get where we’re goin’.” She said, making reference to his male sense of direction getting them lost.

She started up the car and backed out carefully. She got them on the road just about exactly when she expected to leave the school.

Westchester County Airport
Westchester, NY.
7:00 A.M.

All the X-Men and left behind students were assembled. Professor Charles Xavier and Dr. Moira Kinross-MacTaggert were the last two to arrive. They boarded the huge 747 and the crew served them breakfast once they were safely in the air.

"So, I assume we're just waiting for word from Marie and Logan," asks Charles before he sipped some coffee.

"Right, Marie's supposed to call me soon," said Ororo while she fed little Charlie some cheerios.

“Could someone fill me in on the agenda please,” asked Hank.

“Marie didn’t catch a plane last night. Jubilee, Chloe, and I helped her ambush Logan last night.”

“I would appreciate the details, if you can spare them. I get the feeling I’m going to need to fill out acquisitions for a wedding at the school soon,” Charles said.


Westchester County Airport
Westchester, NY.
8:00 A.M.

Marie had to resist Logan’s urge to get her off while she was driving, the whole way. He pouted when he didn’t get his way but, she promised to make up for it later. So he seemed happy with that. Soon, she pulled up to a metal chain link fence in the parking lot, a little over fifteen minutes after they’d left the school. Fortunately, it had been a short ride to the airport. God help them if she had allowed him to do what he wanted while they were driving, they would have crashed her beautiful car for certain.

"We're heah."

"Aww Marie, you didn't have to get me a Leer jet for Christmas. I love it," and Logan being sarcastic, tried to hug her from the small seat next to her.

“Ah didn’t get ya a plane, sugah. It’s our transport,” Marie said as she put up a hand to stop him.

She got out of the car and locked up her side of the car. She grabbed their bags while Logan locked up the other side of the car. Marie handed him his backpack and started walking to the plane. The shades were all drawn in the back of the plane where there was a full bedroom. The pilot came out to the top of the stairs and met Marie and Logan there.

"Welcome, I'm Carl, your pilot. We’re ready to take off as soon as you are settled."

"Hiya Carl, this here’s Logan and ah’m Marie."

“Breakfast will be served by Candi once we've leveled off, that’s Candi with an I, not a Y, her choice, not mine. What can I say, she’s my wife, and I put up with it."

"Good, because you've now got a starving Marie on your plane," said Logan as he took the leather covered seat closest to him and quickly put his seatbelt on.

"Ah'll get ya for that," teased Marie as she handed his and her bags to Carl.

“You can try,” he said and gave her the eyebrow.


Ten minutes later they were up in the air, and Marie could tell that Logan was uneasy as they taxied on the runway. She’d forgotten about his fear of flying… Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea? It was either put him through it or drive two extra days to California but, then it would be way past the holiday. Logan still was uneasy as they taxied on the runway. She saw his hands white knuckled as they took off and they held on to the seat as if it were a life raft. He swore up one side and down the other as they suddenly went free fall for 10 seconds as they lowered the nose of the plane to level off. Marie put her hand over his to calm him down, softly rubbing between his knuckles, and soothingly telling him that they were in no danger. She was pleased to see his facial features relax a bit.

Soon, Candi with an I, came by and told them it was safe to move around the cabin. Breakfast would soon be on its way. Marie worried Candi was going to be this gorgeous bimbo blond with melons for a chest serving them. She was pleasantly surprised when an auburn haired woman, in her late 40’s came out. She was pretty but, she didn’t feel threatened by her presence. God help her though if she tried to flirt with Logan though.

"What say we go explore tha plane, sugah, after breakfast," Marie asked Logan as she unbuckled her belt.

She could see the unspoken protest in his eyes.

"No, we cain't… Not raht now. There’s a surprise in the rear of the plane when you’re ready,” she got up out of her seat and planted her butt into Logan’s lap. “Besahds, ah still have-ta give ya a proper southern good mornin’."

"That's right," he said, flashing his killer smile.

The distraction was working; his body relaxed more as she was in his lap. Marie cupped Logan's face, kissed him soundly and passionately, and then still in lip lock; she wrapped her arms around him. Finally, Logan broke the kiss.

"Oh yeah, that's what I was hungry for besides one other thing…" He smiled.

"Good mornin’, Logan," Marie said and went back in for another lingering lip lock.


San Diego International Airport
San Diego, CA.
5:00 A.M.

Ororo McCoy took the floor, addressing the students and the team over the intercom.

"Good morning children and chaperones, once we get off the plane, Logan’s distant cousin Lara and her husband Frank are coming to pick us up. According to Ms. Rogue, by bus, we will travel to the hotel.”

“Wanna see Mickey,” Little Charlie sleepily piped up while in his father’s arms.

"You will sweetie," said Ororo. “I would suggest that we all try and rest so that we don't have too much jetlag when we get to the hotel parking lot. We have rooms at the Grand Californian Hotel and we're supposed to check in early, as soon as we can get there. The whole 7th floor is just for us of the east tower is just for us. Ms. Rogue and Mr. Logan will be on the 8th floor above us. Then we are supposed to meet Ms. Rogue and Mr. Logan at three p.m. on the drawbridge to Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Ms. Rogue will have Mr. Logan’s attention and he's not supposed to notice we're there, so we’ll have to be downwind so he can’t smell us. Everyone got it?"

Everyone replied in the affirmative. The crew helped pass out pillows and blankets for the students that wanted to sleep. Professor Xavier thought it interesting of the floor assignment numbers; seven was the number of completion and eight was the number of infinity according to the Holy Bible. Infinity seemed to accurate to associate with Logan and Marie because they both would live for a very, very long time together because of his mutation and her absorption of the same, or apart if Logan was impossibly insensitive and turned Marie down. Now that he knew the plans, he hoped that the planets would align to bring them both the most extreme happiness known to Earth. After all, they were heading to the happiest place on Earth…


San Diego International Airport
San Diego, CA.
6:00 A.M.

An hour later, the plane with Marie and Logan landed. The bed in the back of the plane came in handy. Marie used it to keep Logan busy by kissing him senseless and other fun methods to distract him from the fact that they were flying; just like their clothing did once she locked the door. Of course, Candi made sure they were back in their seats before landing per regulations. Frank had sent a limousine to pick them up; awaiting next to the plane once it stopped rolling. Then the couple got off the plane. The driver got out of the car and stood at the hood with a sign that read, ‘Caldicott-Howlett.’ Logan thought it odd, clearly understanding the hyphen and Marie grinned.


"Isn't that funny," Logan said as he read the sign.

‘Someday Marie, someday,” he thought to himself.

Logan offered her his arm as they walked to the car.


“Yeah, real funny,” Marie said as she looked at the sign wistfully.

‘Someday Logan, someday,” Marie thought to herself, as she waved the driver over.

He took their bags and then he opened the back door for Marie. She slid in and Logan followed suit. The driver shut the door, put their backpacks into the trunk, and got on the road.

“Now where we goin’?”

Marie nodded at the driver and he started the engine.

“Just trust me.”


Grand Californian Hotel
Anaheim, CA.
7:00 A.M.

Ororo McCoy, the self-appointed tour guide, went to the front desk and asked for the manager. She checked the 38 students plus eight adults and one baby into their rooms according to Marie’s plans. Then she called a meeting as the rest of the group slowly dragged in after such a long flight.

“Ok everybody, I know some of us are tired but, the park is about to open in an hour. I have our tickets here. Marie and Logan should be here at the hotel soon. Now, it’s up to you. You can either sleep or go to the park but, everyone has to be at the drawbridge at three.”

“I want to see everything,” said Chloe.

“I slept with Chloe, so I am ready hit the park,” Jubilee said.

“Bobby and I slept as well so we are ready to go,” Kitty offered.

“So does everyone just want to go now, is there anyone that wants to take a nap,” Ororo queried.

“I believe most of the students slept upon the aircraft,” Charles said. “We should keep the momentum going and get them into the park. We may return for naps later, if we aren’t too busy having a great time.”

“Yes, I believe that is wise,” Hank said, hoping that the students would run their legs off.

“Here’s your tickets then, keep your cell phones on. About two o’clock, I’ll be checking in, see where you all are so that we can meet up. Other than that, Hank, Charlie, and I will all see you at three.”

“What about emergencies?” Peter asked. “Like what if they spot us or we don’t make it to the bridge in time?”

“Well, I think Marie has a plan to move in an opposite path from us so it will be hard to run into everyone. Logan already knows we’re here anyway. He was there when we got our tickets. He doesn’t know about all the students with us though,” said Ororo as Hank handed her a sleepy little Charlie.

“And as for making it to the bridge in time, I’m making it an order for the team to complete the mission. As for the students, I would hate to have to give them detention for a week or extra chores if they are absent from the bridge. We’ve waited for this for too long, some longer than others. We all better be there,” said Charles Xavier sternly admonished. “I would hate to see this all fall asunder.”

“I agree,” said Hank.

“Vis is going to ve a blast. I’ve never veen to zee Disneyland,” said Kurt.

“I came here twice as a kid, with my family, before I started at Xavier’s school,” said Bobby. “Come, I’ll show you around.”


Grand Californian Hotel
Anaheim, CA.
8:00 A.M.

Marie and Logan made good time to the hotel. She checked them in early. There was no sense in spending $4 to 6 dollars for a locker when they could have a room to flop in later and have a place for their stuff, they freshened up a little. She laughed when she saw that Logan had tried to wear a cap on his head to hide the hair to look like a tourist. So, instead, he gave himself a quick haircut after getting it wet, and then put the cap back on. She figured watching him was like a female asking, ‘Does this make me look fat,’ and when the man does, she goes and changes her clothing until she’s satisfied. When really, all he meant was I don’t care what you look like, baby, I just want to be with you. Marie gave her approval anyway once all the rest of the shorter hair had been carefully tucked in or snipped.

“I look like a damn tourist, don’t I?”

“Ya look lahk a hockey fan to me, yer missin’ a camera. Was there a certain look ya were goin’ for?”

“Nah, I just didn’t wanna stick out too much.”

“Sugah, we’re mutants, we’re always gonna stick out. Look at poor Hank. People are gonna think he’s Sully from Monster’s Inc. all the tahm we’re heah.”

“You have a point. What’s funny about that, he went as Sully last year when they took Charlie out for trick or treatin’.”

“Anyway, we should git goin’,” from there they headed for the main gate to Disneyland.

The crowds weren’t awesomely big, they were huge. Most of the Disneyland goers were students from schools all over the U.S and their chaperones. Most were there to experience all there was to behold of a Disneyland Park Christmas. Thousands of people were going to be too much for Logan to be around anyway. Some kids still half awake, others pacing around their parents, or chaperones already getting irritated at their charges because Suzie lost a favorite button or Jimmy lost his ticket. Marie held Logan’s hand in her small one. Fortunately, she slept in the limousine on the way but, she definitely considered a nap later if there was time.


Disneyland Park
Anaheim, CA.
8:30 A.M.

As Logan and Marie entered the park, she sadly sighed to herself, as she’d never been to Disneyland with her family. Then she realized that Logan was just about family, and smiled. Suddenly, she had a vision, of a little boy that looked like Logan and wondered if he had ever been to Disneyland at all before they met. She figured that it was seriously highly unlikely. He wouldn’t have been the type to come and willingly put himself into crowds of people this large for a long period of time. It would be a pure sensory overload for him; it was already looking up to be that way already, she hoped he wouldn’t get a too bad of a headache.

Marie felt a kind of sensory overload herself. So many places to look at new things and she had to get them all down in her memory, as many as she could. She pulled out her camera case and a printed out schedule from her backpack that she had planned in advance so they could see everything they wanted to see in the park. She put her hair up in a ponytail and grabbed her camera out of the carry case.


Logan couldn’t help but be assaulted by smells coming from every direction. The weakest coming from the flowers carefully planted around a giant face of what he assumed was a mouse; then next, the sweat, perfumes, deodorants, and colognes. The strongest was a burning wood and coal smell. He looked up and saw an old train engine pulling into the train station above them. Now there was a piece of history. He wished he could remember why but, he felt drawn to the train. It felt familiar. He had no idea that from his past that he used to ride on them several times, especially during the American Civil War and rode them several times during other wars he’d been in with his estranged family member, Victor Creed. So much sensory overload began to hit him. A slight panic where to turn next hit him but, he calmed down because he knew Marie was next to him.

Then he turned to look at Marie after he turned his, ‘Go Canucks’ cap backwards, and he noticed she had this funny look on her face.

“What’s so funny?”

“Now, ya look lahk a tourist,” she said and then surprised him with a camera shot aimed at his face.

“You wanna take the train?”

“Sure,” she said and then took his hand.

They crossed under the tracks closest to Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Logan took the staircase two at a time and Marie kept up but, they missed the train. The one that left before they had reached the station only let off a few but, practically emptied the station for the train coming in behind it, the one Logan and Marie would be on. While they waited at the gate for the next train, he wrapped his arms around Marie from behind. Then he nuzzled her neck and inhaled the new perfume she put on in the hotel room.

“Mmm, is that new?”

“Took ya long enough ta notice, sugah. Yes it’s new, ya lahk it?”

“Very much baby, can’t you tell?”

“Oh Logan, behave,” Marie playfully swatted at his right shoulder. “We’re in public.”

“I’ll wait until we get on the train, darlin’,” Logan whispered in her ear, a little growl rattle in his tone.


Marie almost melted at the knees when he kissed and blew on her neck. He knew what he was doing. Logan felt her slipping, so he held her a little tighter, still making love to the back of her neck. The next train came chugging into the station and Logan felt drawn to the train again. He took Marie by the hand and ran to the car near the very end, by the caboose. He stepped up into the car and pulled her up with him. The seats ran the length of the car; they weren’t short seats but, the long kind where you could stretch out your legs from there until next Sunday if you wanted to. He sat on the longest seat in the back closest to the left sidewall of the car, bent his leg to rest on the seat, his back to the wall that connected to the caboose. Then he pulled Marie down on top of him. She sat there between his legs, leaned against his chest. He wrapped arms around her again.

“I love you,” Logan said warmly into her ear.

“I love you too,” Marie said then leaned her head against his left shoulder, her ear resting near his neck.

“How far do you want to ride?”

“All tha way, sugah,” she lazily said with a dreamy look in her eye before she winked at him.

Logan felt an ache start to grow down below his belt buckle. The train left the station just about empty of riders. He hoped to have a car to them but, no such luck. Not many babies but worse, chatty teenagers talking about absolutely nothing that made sense to him because of the speed they yapped on. Most of them talking to each other, on cell phones texting, or cell phones period; the conversations loud and one-sided, all exceedingly annoying to him. He looked at the parental units known as chaperones were already exhausted from carrying the bills for those phones, the shopping bags full of things kitschy things their charges would bore of in three days, and from the guilt for spoiling them rotten. But, they considered being at Disneyland, ‘Quality Family Time’.

The conductor called, ‘All aboard,’ and the engine roared to life, chugging, chugging, as it began to pull the public laden cars. It chugged past trees heading to an unknown location to Logan. The rocking of the train, the tropical rain forest smell came to him from the jungle themed landscaping they rode through, caused him to have a sudden memory flash of the jungles in Asia. He saw Victor and his gun, in a uniform. Logan closed his eyes, then he saw a gun in his hands, and his body covered in a uniform as well. He heard someone’s voice yelling, then more voices, women and children screaming, gunshots, and then he opened his eyes. The memory flash gone in an instant as a voice told them that they were about to arrive in New Orleans Square.


Marie looked up at Logan when she heard his heart beating faster through his neck. He didn’t look well, his eyes were closed, and he had an almost deathly pallor to his face.

“Sugah, ya okay? Ya don’t look alraht.”

“I don’t know. I’m fine now, nothing to worry about,” she knew he was putting another wall up to either block out the memory, kept her from finding out more.

“Ya sure? Just please don’t shut meh out.”

“It’s nothing, I’ll be fine,” he kissed her temple.

She didn’t like it when he kept secrets from her. She decided to ask him about what happened later when they got home. If he was having visions, memory flashbacks, or nightmares, she wanted to know. The more she knew she helped him to piece together his history so that they could improve on their future. By finding out more about his history, she had been able to find Lara and Frank. Little did she know that another huge secret would be revealed in some important information she would get from Lara…

Soon the train pulled up to New Orleans Square and instantly Marie felt at home. The area looked so southern with the antebellum mansion and the moss in the willow trees; in the wrought ironwork of the buildings, and the smell of magnolias in the air. True it was geared more towards Louisiana but, she still felt more at home here than she did at times at the school. She remembered a report she did in high school in Meridian on New Orleans and how it was the jewel of the south for pirates, buccaneers, and smugglers to hide their bounty of stolen goods. She moved to get off the train after it stopped. She pulled Logan up with her and they got off the train. They went down a short bit of steps to an olive green painted gate. They went through and Marie headed off to the right with Logan in tow when she found the restrooms nearby.

“Ah need a ladies lounge visit. I’ll be raht back. Logan, if ya want ya can go on wanderin’ and I’ll catch up with ya in a minute.”

“I want to stay with you,” Logan said.

Marie felt like he was almost acting like a lost puppy without her. She knew he was protecting her, not wanting to lose her in such a large crowd of people. She could disappear and he would have a hard time finding her in the potpourri of scents. She smiled and she had an idea as she looked off to the stores to her left.

“Wanna get somethin’ ta play with when we get back ta the room?” She said pointing to the store with feather plumes and beads hanging from around the doorway. “Now git, lone Wolverine.”

“Ahh, oh baby, I’m gone,” he said as she could see that he caught her imaginary thought balloon.

She watched Logan head off to the stores and she went to take care of her needs in the restroom. A quick washing of her hands about ten minutes later, and she went on a little shopping trip alone. She stopped in to Royal Street Sweets, a shop with old-fashioned hats and masks. Marie found her a nice, shimmering blue and green mask, with red plumes and rich purple coils. She purchased it, thought it would go great with the black teddy lingerie that she found Jubilee packed for her in the backpack. Just for kicks she bought variably sized Mardi Gras beads that matched the mask for Logan to play with.


First off, Logan wandered and ended up at the Blue Bayou Restaurant according to the map from his back pocket, and put in a reservation for 9:30 P.M. that night. Then he wandered into Cristal d'Orléans and bought Marie a red crystal rose and had them engrave ‘For Marie, I love you… Logan,’ and the date they met in Ororo’s rose garden for their first date, to be delivered to their room later. What drove the X-Men crazy about the pair, were that they had started dating, after that night but, the unresolved sexual tension between them grew to another level. No one wanted to rush them to cross that invisible boundary into that unsecure part of a new relationship, except for maybe Jubilee. Everybody just ignored her, because she was sex crazed and missing her husband, Remy Le Beau at the time Logan and Marie started dating.

Then he orders a special crystal train engine, like the ones he had seen earlier, to be shipped later to the school when they were completed. It would have been terrible if it had been broken anytime on their trip. Next Logan wandered into Jewel of Orléans, where in the exquisite collection of rare and estate jewelry was held, he found a special ring for Marie. Once again, he felt drawn to it, he couldn’t explain it. He’d bring it up to Marie or Xavier later to see if they could provide some insight. He had just gotten it into his pocket and headed for the front door when Marie came right in the same door with a couple bags and a large round, old fashioned, pink and white striped hat box.

“So, what’d ya get meh, sugah?”

“Just got ya little somethin’ to open back at the room,” Logan said kissed her forehead. Then he spied a parasol cart and blocked from her view before she could see it. “What size do you want, large or small?”

“Ah’m gettin’ hungry, get meh a large somethin’ and ah’ll meet ya at Pirates of the Caribbean,” Marie said, he was glad that she was thinking the opposite of what the question was about.

She headed off down the street to get in line. As soon as she was out of sight he braved a group of people walking slowly by the very place he was trying to get to.

‘Patience, patience. This is for Marie,’ he had to keep reminding himself.


Logan laughed as he thought of Marie eating a large parasol. He walked up to the female employee vender and she instantly blushed at Mr. Hotness of the Year according to Jill’s Playground Magazine. It was a magazine that was like a cross between playgirl and Cosmopolitan. It had naughty pictures, tips for masturbation for girls only, and quizzes in the back.

“C… C… Can I help you, sir?”

“Yeah, one of each, large and small size,” Logan said, smiling in the way that made your knees melt.

“One of each, sir?” She asked as he pulled out his wallet.

“I can’t decide. So, I’ll take one of each, both sizes.”

“Okay, sir, and would you like anything painted on them? A name? Doves? Flowers,” she asked, seeing the money rolling in on this commission.

“Yes, on the all the large write, ‘Marie,’ written in gold lettering if you have that color.”

“Sure, I’ve got it. Would you like anything on the small ones? When would you like to pick these up? It takes about an hour for the paint to dry.”

“Can I have them delivered?”

“Sure, if you’re staying at the hotel, I’ll need your room number and they will be delivered there.”

“Actually, I need them delivered to this address,” Logan said as he wrote the school address on the slip of paper on her clipboard.

Logan shelled out $300 dollars out for the parasols and for the shipping costs to get them to the school. He was glad he had filled his wallet by going out on a two week fight circuit of his own making at the end of November, early December. It also helped him pay for his Christmas presents. The employee vendor gave him a receipt once she had everything written down and asked him for his autograph on his centerfold after she had pulled the magazine out of her tote bag with her lunch. He was quite shocked at the photograph and wondered where it had come from. There was only one he could think of, Jubilation Lee Le Beau. She was going to have to answer for this surprise when they got home. He graciously signed it with a scribble that looked like Wolverine and three claw marks under it. Then Logan went on his merry way, when he saw Marie coming back towards him.


“Hey sugah, the rahd is too busy raht now. Ya got ta see this. This is cool. Ah just found this machine that gives out passes fer tahms ta come back and ya git ta cut through tha lahn fastah ta a separate line.”

“Fast passes, yeah. I saw ‘em on the map.”

“So, where’s tha food?”

“Actually, I was hopin’ to take ya to lunch pretty soon so, I didn’t get anythin’.”

“Oh. We don’t have-ta be back heah ‘til 10:45, so let’s go ride somethin’ else,” Marie said.

“Got somethin’ you could ride right here, baby,” Logan whispered in her ear.

“Latah sugah. What do ya wanna do now? If we do all tha wet rides, then we can drah off in the sun without havin’ ta change, because it’s goin’ ta be chilly later. Ah brought a sweatshirt fer both of us if we got cold latah in mah bag, ah also brought a towel from tha room.”

“As much as I’d like to have you in a wet t-shirt darlin’, it’s too early. Let’s wait until before lunch. Then we can cool off and eat.”

“Fahn by meh.”

“I’m goin’ to the Indiana Jones ride, you wanna come?”

“Nah, ah’m goin’ ta hang out in Tarzan’s Tree House, and wait fer mah Wolverine Tarzan…” Marie winked and blew a kiss to Logan.


Marie watched him catch it and head off to get in line. She watched him go, just long enough to sneak past him into the Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost. She bought him an, ‘Indy,’ Hat, a whip, and a jacket in his size. She decided to have it shipped to the school instead of having it delivered to the room and then she would have the room to do more shopping. The hard part would be hiding all the packages she was having shipped to the school from Logan; that was if she could remember everything she had bought. Then she wondered how much Logan had bought. Once she had her receipt, she headed to the tree house. Marie climbed to the top and called Ororo’s cell phone.

“‘Ro, it’s Marie. Where are ya’ll?”

“We’re about to disembark from the Jungle Cruise. Where are you?”

“Ah’m at the top of Tarzan’s Tree House and Logan’s in lahn fer, ‘Indy’. How’d it go this mornin’?”

“Just fine, Charles made it clear that we hall had to be there at three,” Ororo said.

“Yeah, ah just hope this all goes well. Ah’ve been tryin’ not ta let mah tummy get buttahflies.”

“It will Marie, just believe.”

It’s A Small World
Fantasyland
10:00 A.M.

Bobby sat uncomfortably through the ride just because Kitty wanted to. If it were up to him he’d freeze every single one of those damn annoying, singing children.

‘Geez, the things I do for her,’ he thought.

Kitty had been trying to talk him into having a couple kids ever since they eloped in Las Vegas. It got worse when Ororo and Hank McCoy had Charlie. Whenever they needed a sitter, Kitty stepped up and volunteered them, citing that it would be good experience. He spent most of the time watching Sports Center on ESPN while she changed diapers and carried on feedings, that should have been a sign right there but, she didn’t get it, or she ignored it. He made a final decision for him; he just wasn’t ready for children, not now and maybe not ever.


‘I think I’m making progress in changing his mind about having kinds someday. Maybe he won’t say no after all,’ Kitty thought and she snuggled in closer to Bobby.

Poor Kitty had no idea Bobby was so deeply anti-fatherhood. She was very pro-motherhood. When he had thrown it up to her that he didn’t want his children walking through walls when they were in bed together doing God knows what, it made her reconsider her position. However, after she’d thought about it, she wanted to move to Connecticut, have a nice house, and the family business could be about ice skating or ice sculptures. Someday, she’d turn him to her way of thinking; she just knew she would.


Kurt in the back of the boat with Peter and another student were just eating up everything they could process as they looked around the ride. They looked for and found their countries in the slew of mechanically animated children.

“It zee zmall vorld after zoll, itzee zmall vorld after zoll,” Kurt sang at the top of his lungs in exuberance.

After they got off the ride, some young child thought Kurt was Stitch of Lilo & Stitch, because of his teeth. The child was clearly confused but Kurt decided to use his mutation because he had no idea what a Lilo & Stitch was. He waved at the child and then suddenly bamfed out of sight, clearly far enough away so that the child and it’s parents couldn’t see him. He waited for the others by the restrooms just behind Alice in Wonderland.


Star Tours
Tomorrowland
10:00 A.M.

“Chloe, I can’t go anymore, chica. Three consecutive times is enough for me,” said Jubilee.

“Sorry mom. Would you like to rest while I go one more time?”

“Go Chloe, go. I’ll be fine. I’m going to text your dad while I wait for you.”

Jubilee watched as Chloe went back into the building to ride Star Tours one more time with the rest of the wild bunch of teenagers. The first time around she felt almost like throwing up, still felt that way now after her last ride. She had been feeling ill all morning. She hoped she hadn’t gotten food poisoning but, she also began to wonder if she might be pregnant. Luckily, she was now out in open air where she could take in the fresh air. Maybe she could negotiate getting away from Chloe and her classmates for a while and rest, at least until it was time to meet up for Marie and Logan; then maybe she’d feel better. Jubilee sat in the shade and whipped out her cell to text Remy. A reply came quicker than she’d hoped.

[@LAX. Will B There A.S.A.P., Chérie. XOXOXO R.]

[Good BCuz I’m sick w/o Y.O.U., XOXOXO Your Jubie Doll.]


King Arthur Carrousel
Fantasyland
10:00 A.M.

“What have you been keeping yourself busy with lately,” Charles asked.

“Mostly work, Charles. I’m sorry I haven’t seen you very much. I’ve been working with Hank on some secret research for Marie. She asked us to secretly help her to find a way for her to have children and to be able to lower the risk of passing her mutation on. Logan has no clue. Our focus is on being able to find a way to genetically provide a way for the mutation to be turned off if the child should inherit her mutation,” said Moira as he took her hand as they rode on the bench on the carrousel. “I meant to call you about it but, she gave us special instructions not to share with anyone.”

“It’s my fault. I should have called more often but, you know how busy I am at the school. I’m sorry.”

“Charles, I feel the same way. I am sorry as well. Please keep what I said between us. She wants to be able to surprise Logan. Oddly, she’s alright with her children having Logan’s mutation.”

“Your secret is safe with me but, we should talk to her when we return, about the findings so far.”

“We have been working almost two years and we are getting closer but, only God will determine what mutation the child may get. It’s going to take many more long nights with Hank and I working together long hours to get there.”

“I understand but, please don’t forget to come up to breathe,” Charles said as he wrapped an arm around Moira and kissed her temple.


Tarzan’s Tree House
Adventureland
10:30 A.M.

Marie waited in the shade on a bench, admiring the view of the Rivers of America across the park. She could just barely see much through the tree branches and leaves. The tree was overdue for a little trim. She began to worry that it was already 10:30 a.m. already.

‘Ten thirty and six seconds, where is Logan,’ she thought to her as she counted down the minutes before they had to be at Pirates of the Caribbean.

The line had been long when she had gone by earlier. She was hoping that maybe Logan would get out of his line and come to her, his queue line was now over a two hour wait.


“Right here, darlin’,” Logan said as if he could read her thoughts.

She started because he realized that he had surprised her, “There ya are. Ah was wonderin’ if ya were gonna make it in tahm.”

Logan took her into his arms and gave her a sweet lingering kiss. When he let her go he thumped on his chest like an ape and roared, just to make her laugh. It worked and then he got serious as he held her again.

“When I saw that it was over an hour wait, I started to miss ya, and two hours seemed too long to miss ya, so, I got out of line. Let’s get down off this tree and go to Pirates.”

“Ah missed ya too,” she wrapped an arm around his waist as they began to descend the tree on the other side.


Pirates of the Caribbean
New Orleans Square
10:45 A.M.

Logan led the way with Marie’s left hand in his right, through the doorway to the much shorter special Fast Pass queue line.

“How many,” the pirate costumed ride attendant asked.

He watched as Marie handed the guy the two Fast Pass slips.

“Up to the last row there.”

The couple moved to the spot as directed. The next boat arrived and emptied. Inside the building it was dark with a southern swampy décor and atmosphere, banjo music playing, and sounds of crickets and bullfrogs. Over in the corner to the left there was an old cabin and to the right lay the patio for the Blue Bayou Restaurant, where small fire lit lanterns and strings of light bulbs over-head were enough light to eat by. Logan took Marie’s hand and she stepped down into the boat. He could see her being a bit picky as to where she sat, before she sat. He wondered if she was looking for the non-wet spots on the traction covered seat. He climbed in next to her and sat, immediately felt his left thigh getting wet, and he groaned.

“What’s wrong?”

“My jeans are wet.”

“How bad?”

“I’ll check outside.”


Suddenly, the boat lurched forward and Marie shuffled in closer to Logan’s right shoulder. The boat was oddly floating, and she had no clue that it was on a track below the black smelly water. She eased a little as he put his arm around her. Then she heard talking, looked up to see a moving and talking skull, and she giggled. They were about to pass under it when Logan whispered in her ear. People suddenly started screaming as well.

“Hold on tight.”

Marie complied, putting her hands on the rail before her, seconds before they both were plummeting down a wall of water.

“OH MY GOD, LOGAAAN,” she screamed as they went down the slide, and she couldn’t see his smile in the dark.

They leveled off and went around another corner to the left.

“Why didn’t ya warn meh sooner, sugah?”

“Hold on tight,” Logan whispered again.

“OH MY GOD, LOGAAAN,” Marie screamed again as they went down the second slide, her left hand in a death grip on his knee, and she couldn’t see his second smile in the dark.


The boat leveled off on the track, the children in the boat started oohing and ahhing at things they saw. Logan felt his heart flying as he felt the fun of the moment hit him. He had only warned Marie to hold on because he heard rushing water ahead. He couldn’t see because it was dark so, he couldn’t tell if the rushing water was coming from up above or below them. Still, it was exhilarating to him to hear Marie screaming out his name.

“It’s ok darlin’, you can let go now,” he whispered in her ear.

“There ain’t any more of those drops, are there?”

“Not that I can tell, only two,” Logan said and Marie let go of his knee, his arm around her, he kissed her temple.

“Good ‘cause, ah’d have ta kill ya slowly if there was anotha one.”


Marie tried to enjoy the rest of the ride. She laughed at the auction scene where the women were being sold.

“Are ya goin’ ta kiss yer wench, let ‘em know ah’m yers… And they cain’t have meh.”

“Darlin’, I am at your service,” she felt Logan caress her right cheek before he pulled her lips to his.

The kiss he gave her was more than she had anticipated. It was hungry and possessive, like she belonged to non-other than the Wolverine. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ignored the sights and sounds around her. Silly as it was, the pirates weren’t real anyway, just audio animatronic figurines. Lingering in the kiss from both parties and soon the ride was over, the boat started to incline up a chain link track as water rushed down the ramp. When they reached the top the two were still engaged in a heavy kissing session. They broke it off when their boat bumped the boat in front of them in a queue like of boats to come back for discharge and reload of more park guests.

“Where we goin’ next,” asked Logan as they pulled up to the dock where they would disembark.

“Ah’ll check tha map once we git outsahd.”


Once the boat stopped, Logan stood up and helped Marie up onto the platform. He followed her as they went through the exit doorway and down the ramp leading back to one of the small New Orleans streets. Now he fully felt the cold on his thigh where the denim of his jeans got wet. The wetness stretched from his left buttock to his knee.

“Well sugah, since yer all wet now, how ‘bout Splash Mountain?”

“Fine, lead on.”

Logan spotted Pieces of Eight and pulled Marie along into the side street store. The store was filled with kitschy made Pirates of the Caribbean merchandise. On the walls hung pirate flags, fishing nets, and posters for the movies of the same name as the ride. To the far side of the room they had glass stones shaped and cut to look like rubies, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds, amethysts, and topaz gemstones. Next to that held a display with chocolate shaped to look like coins, only coated with foil, and a pirate stamped on the head. Children ran in and out of the store playing with everything they could get their hands on, which at least weren’t breakable. Over by the barrel near the other exit, two young twin brothers were having a pirate plastic sword fight with swords from said barrel. Then their parents came to get them and bought the swords just to keep them moving along. Logan picked one up out of the barrel and held it in his hand.


Out of the blue, he stopped in his tracks as he had another flashback. This time he was wearing a black gi and he was sword fighting with someone. It looked to him like it was just for practice but there were several men around him with swords ready to attack. He felt someone take his other hand and he came out of the flashback. He looked down and saw Marie there with his hand in hers and her face full of concern for him.


Marie bought a couple eye patches, skull caps, was looking at fake earrings to clip on your ear when she turned to ask Logan something, and he was frozen in one spot. He was still as an English Pointer with the plastic sword in one hand and looking at his other hand rather oddly. He had that deathly pallid look to him again. She wondered if maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to bring him to California. She quickly went to him and took his free hand to keep him from releasing his own six knives already attached to his hands in case he was having a bad flashback. If that happened, the whole journey to California would be a disaster. She gently took the plastic sword out of his hand, put it back in the barrel, and looked up into his face. He looked so lost it almost broke her heart.

“What is it sugah?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is it tha sword?”

“I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

“Come, let’s git ya outta heah. Put these in yah bag for me would ya?” She asked Logan, he did, and then he let her lead him on to Splash Mountain.

Marie was deeply concerned with Logan’s health now that by watching him she figured out that he was having flashbacks of his past. In one day he’d had two so far and she decided that they needed to talk to Charles when they returned home. She wondered if his mind had built new neural pathways to some of the parts of his brain that held his memories, which could be a blessing and a curse, depending on the type of memories and how Logan processed them.


Enchanted Tiki Room
Adventureland
11:00 A.M.

Hank, Ororo, and Charlie went through the turnstile at the entrance of the Enchanted Tiki Room into the Garden of the Gods and Goddesses of Hawaii. They found a place to sit and Hank went to buy a couple pineapple spears to snack on. While he was away, there were voices of male and female Gods and Goddesses telling their stories about what parts of the Earth they rule over to the guests on the benches outside the Tiki Room doors. He returned with the fruit and Ororo shared hers with Charlie, Hank shared his with Ororo. The fruit so cold, juicy, and fresh that it tasted like it had been flown in from Hawaii that morning. Soon the time came and they all went in. Ororo put them in the middle of a seat in the back near the exit if Charlie got too scared. Not that it would be scary at all with birds and flowers singing from the ceiling.

“Everybody, now. In the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room, all the birds sing words and the flowers croon,” one of the birds guided the group of guests.

“In the Iki, Iki, Iki, Iki, Iki, Iki Woom, all the birds sing worms and the flowers boom,” sang little Charlie McCoy.

Hank and Ororo laughed at their son. Charlie did rather well with the whole experience. Even through the huge drum solos and rain storm. When the show was over they went out the back exit and down the steps towards Frontierland so that they could stay near the castle.


Autopia
Tomorrowland
12:00 P.M.

Bobby, Kitty and five students met up with Charles and Moira, and their six students in the line at Autopia. Somehow the adult partners got switched and Moira ended up with Bobby and Charles with Kitty. Charles was really having a good time getting to explore his new body and Kitty picked up on this. He didn’t have to ask to drive their car because she offered it up to him.

“Is it just me, Professor, or are we glad to be rid of those two for a little while,” kidded Kitty before she climbed into the passenger side of the car.

“Direct collision, counselor,” said Charles, smiling as he got into the driver’s side. “But, that’s just between us.”

See Kitty, just after high school went to college, attended law school, and graduated in May earlier in the year. She entered into the law profession instead of technology, so that she might be able to defend any mutant that had legal woes.


Mad Tea Party
Fantasyland
12:00 P.M.

Kurt, Peter, and students were spinning around in the teacups and laughing. They spun so fast that at the end of the ride their cup was still spinning. They all had to walk arm in arm out of there, trying to hold each other up.

“Anybody hungry,” Peter asked the kids.

“Yea-ugh!” They cheered back before another wave of motion sickness tried to come over them.

“Vee go find food and vee sit in zee shade for a vial,” Kurt said.

Charles Xavier had given the X-Men a stipend to be able to buy food and souvenirs for them to take back to the school. If they so wanted, the students could buy a gift for their friends to take back because they weren’t able to come. So Peter, the leader of his group of six plus Kurt headed towards the Village Haus Restaurant in Fantasyland, across the path from the Casey Jr. train ride.


Splash Mountain
Critter Country
12:00 P.M.

Finally, after an hour Marie and Logan got into a log designed type of boat on a track under seemingly indefinite river of water. She made certain that Logan was positioned in the front seat and then climbed in behind him. She snuggled in closer to his back because she was a woman with a plan. As the ride moved along, she began to slip her hands into his pockets, the lower she reached she found what she was looking for her, ‘toys,’ through the thin material. She heard him groan when she reached her target.

“Maarie, what do you think you’re doin’,” Logan asked over his shoulder.

“Playin’ with mah toys,” she whispered back, knowing full well that he could hear her over the music of the ride.

“Remember, you’re the one that imposed the, we’re-in-public-rule.”

“So? You gonna tra and stop meh? Besahds, no one’s gonna be able ta tell what ah’m doin’, sugah. Ya gonna get drenched and no one’s gonna be able ta tell ya came in yer boxers,” she said as she began to massage the bundle with her hand through his pocket.

“Oh god Marie, I’m not wearin’ boxers,” Logan whined.

“Just make shuah ya got mah arms trapped around ya before tha last drop.”


Then Marie made fast work of his zipper and left the top buttoned, as he felt her coming into his clothing, ready or not. Logan sucked in his lower lip and gritted his teeth to keep things quiet as she took his warm flesh in her hand. She began to stroke him and then they started down the first small drop. He saw it coming and grabbed Marie’s left arm tight. She began pumping him faster as they cascaded down the waterfall. When they reached the bottom, she slowed her hand, Logan wasn’t badly soaked, and he blocked most of the water hitting Marie because of his size. He couldn’t believe she was continuing to have fun at his expense as she kept her hand moving around his warm member.

“Hey Mmmaarie… Remind me to pay you back for this later.”

“We’ll see Wolvie,” then she stroked her thumb over his head, stroked his slit, while the other hand went to stroke the special butterfly.

“Oh yes darlin’, you can bet on it, especially for that little move,” Logan said and then gritted his teeth again when she hit another sensitive fleshy spot.

‘Hmm, dark private places to get Marie off in… Oh god what was that she just did?’ Wolverine thought while Marie drove the man crazy.

He tried to pull up the visual memory of the park map without much luck.

“Ugh Marie, I like that, baby,” Logan groaned.

Soon they were about to go down the huge drop, Marie had done her job well, and Logan was ready to finish this interesting ride. Three seconds after the log tipped down, they were on descent, and he had her left arm trapped close to him. Marie was snuggled tight into his back as her right hand continued to get him off. She sped up her hand, moving as fast as the boat down the last drop.

“OH MAAARIEEEE,” Logan came and suddenly a flash went off in his face.


The ride was almost over; Marie put her toys away and zipped Logan up, while she assumed he was trying to figure out what the hell the flash had been. She got out of the log first, helped Logan to stand, and get out because his legs were a little unsteady. She put her arm around his waist.

“God I can’t believe we, you, just did… That,” Logan said as they slowly made it to the exit.

As they exited the ride Marie noticed Logan up on a television monitor above their heads.

“Logan… Ah didn’t know ya had it in ya,” she declared as she started giggling and blushing.

“What’s so funny?”

“Just look, sugah,” Marie replied and pointed up to the monitor.


Logan looked up and never in all his life did he want to crawl up in a cave and die. His contorted face as he came in his jeans was forever immortalized on film, and he started to turn seven shades of red. At least the camera hadn’t captured his genitals on film as well. Marie was now laughing so hard at seeing him on the screen, and the more she laughed, the madder he got. Sure it was embarrassing but, what could he do about it? He couldn’t un-take the photograph. Maybe he was mad because the image on the monitor put a chink in his perfect bad ass reputation. Somehow, someway, he was going to get back at her for what he perceived as a royal set up.


Marie wasn’t too surprised when he blushed, stormed off away from the public eye, like a grouch. He marched off and sat on a bench outside across from where Country Bear Jamboree used to be. On a sudden impulse, she rushed over, bought the picture, and made damn sure they destroyed the picture on their computer systems to make Logan happy. The employee gave her the picture with a shaky hand because she had terrified him. Then she made sure she put it away from all eyes in one of the bags carrying her purchases. It was a personal picture and there would be hell to pay if it got out into public view.

“You’re not goin’ to show that picture to anybody are ya?”

“How’d ya know ah bought it? Okay, fine, no, but, it shore is a damn good piece of blackmail material, if ah get tha itch. Oh yeah this is prahm material. Ah think ah’ll use it next tahm ya decide ta put meh through hell in tha Danger Room, fer no reason.”


“I do that because I care about your trainin’.” However, Logan felt sufficiently warned of her intentions when it came to the picture.

‘You really oughtta get somethin’ on her,’ Wolverine thought in Logan’s mind.

“How ‘bout the Canoes before we hit Tom Sawyer’s Island?”

They left the bench and started walking, seemingly like they had made up and were fine but, no one messed with the Wolverine and got away easy.

“Ok, then ya have-ta feed this hungry Marie.”

“Deal. Tell ya what, head up the road, and I’ll meet ya there. I want to stop in here first.”

“Sure, sugah.”

Logan went into the Pooh Corner store and eyed this huge Pooh bear he’d caught sight of on the way to get to Splash Mountain. He forked over the $300 and he had the huge Pooh bear delivered to the school. He thought it might look good in a nursery of his own making once Marie got pregnant. They had done it several times already but, her hormonal make up wasn’t optimal yet, he could smell so. Someday it would be and he wasn’t sure he was prepared for that day yet but, someday he would have to be; having a couple ankle-biters with her seemed like a good idea. He could already picture Marie pregnant, barefoot in a pastel yellow sundress laid out, her head resting back on his right shoulder, and her back to his as she sat between his legs under a tree. Him reading to her and the kidlet-to-be her favorite story one sunny, slightly breezy afternoon. Logan didn’t worry himself with the possibility that she couldn’t get pregnant or the fact that passing their mutations on to their offspring would be at a greater degree because they were both born mutants, that time would come later.


Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes
Critter Country
12:45 P.M.

Marie climbed into a canoe and Logan sat in front of her. She wondered why he hadn’t sat next to her. Maybe he was still mad at her for setting him up and buying the picture. The boat full of people, they pushed off from the dock and the ride started. As they started paddling, Logan purposefully started getting Marie wet.

“Logan, stop it. You’re getting’ meh all wet.”

“Turnabout’s fair play, suck it up, Marie.”

“You wish, sugah.”

“Not too much water in the canoe folks or we’ll sink,” said the employed crew member behind her.

She really wouldn’t have minded getting wet but, she had on a white t-shirt with the saying, ‘Baby Likes To Rock It Like A Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train’, on spread banners in the design and short denim shorts. The saying was also a song by one of her favorite bands that she grew up listening to back in Meridian, called, The Tractors. Her bra began to sort of peak through the wetness of the shirt. Her socks and shoes were wet and she couldn’t put on dry socks because her shoes were still wet. Not to mention her short shorts were now quite wet.


Tom Sawyer Island
Frontierland
1:35 P.M.

Logan and Marie made it onto the island and they went up the left side of the island to an embossed metal map on a podium to check out what was on the island. He quickly spotted where he wanted to go, and he dragged her off to the nearest dark spot, Injun Joe’s Cave. There he pinned Marie to the wall in darkest, widest part of the cave.

“We don’t have long before someone comes to kick us out.”

“Just shut up and kiss meh, sugah.”

She locked her arms around him and he kissed her deeply, while he ground his groin to hers.

“Logan, yes.”

“Take meh,” he heard her moan.

He suddenly stopped and took her hand, moved them out of the cave.

“Logan, why’d ya stop,” Marie asked in a whimpering tone.

“I’m hungry and last I remember so were you.”

“But, that could wait,” she whined at the lost contact.

Logan thought he got her back pretty good, getting her wet and worked up but, the animal wanted him to do more. Soon they are back on the raft back to the mainland but, Marie was about to scare the begeezes out of him and he had no idea what was coming, although he was concerned because he kept sensing Marie in a nervous state. He didn’t like it when she was uneasy.


French Market Restaurant
New Orleans Square
2:00 P.M.

As Marie waited in line with Logan, she kept thinking to herself.

‘Just one mo-ah hour, just one hour. Damn, we cain’t dawdle after this we have-ta get ta the castle.’

She followed him to a table under the retractable canopy. They shared the stew in a bowl on his tray, and the chocolate cake. After they finished eating she decided to let him in a little on her plan.

“Logan, tha otha half of yer Christmas present is at Sleeping Beauty Castle.”

“Yeah, and?”

“The hitch, ya have-ta pick it up at three o’clock.”

“No problem. We’ll make it. Is that why you’re so jumpy?”

“Kindah. Ah just think you’re gonna love what ah got for ya.”


Suddenly, out of the blue Marie’s cell phone rang. Logan tried to focus his advanced hearing to find out who was on the phone.

“It’s ‘Ro, just checking in. We just grabbed a quick lunch, we’re heading over now, bye,” Marie hung up almost as soon as she answered it.

“Who was that?”

“Wrong number,” she said without batting an eye and he gave her the eyebrow.

Logan knew the instant she said, ‘wrong number,’ that she’d lied. He also noticed as he stood up that he could smell nervousness coming from her even stronger than before. Was she afraid of something? Were they in danger and he hadn’t been able to sniff it out? Something very secretive was going on and he wasn’t sure he liked it. Her heart beat quickened as they stood and he was worried she would give herself a heart attack if she didn’t calm down. He watched her take the tray to the trash can for the staff to clean it. He took her arm when she returned and leaned in to her ear.

“What’s wrong?” He said and then paused waiting for her answer.

“Nothin’. Why?”

“Marie, I smell somethin’s not right. I heard Ororo on the phone. Your heart’s racin’ and you’re lyin’ to me. It’s not like you to be so out of sorts.”

“Just get us ta the castle in tahm and yer gonna find out.”

“Fine but, I want the whole story when we get there.”

“Deal,” she said and he continued walking with her.


Sleeping Beauty Castle
Fantasyland
2:45 P.M.

The first group to arrive was Ororo, Hank, Charlie, and their batch of students. Then Peter, Kurt, Bobby, Kitty, and their students. Next came the Professor and Dr. Kinross-MacTaggert, and their charges. Chloe, Jubilee, and Remy came in from the East passageway from Tomorrowland through the castle. The very last group to arrive was Lara and Frank Wyle. Everyone was gathered in Fantasyland in shops near the drawbridge of the castle. A few of the students were look outs for Ms. Rogue and Mr. Logan on one side. Ororo and Bobby actually spotted them coming through the Adventureland entrance gate from the other side of the castle wall. Luckily, Logan wasn’t looking at the castle or he would have seen the whole X-Men team, students, his cousin Lara and husband Frank Wyle, who got Marie’s tickets Fed Ex’d two days before Christmas so they could be there, all hiding around the castle entrance waiting for Marie to get him into place.

Even Remy managed to fly in later that morning and met up with Jubilee and Chloe’s group, just in time to be there for the big event. Fortunately, some of the students were able to hide in the throng of people coming in and out of the castle. Some of them actually stopped and asked what was going on. Ororo, Chloe, and the students spread the word to other guests of the park. Some decided to stay and see the whole thing go down, which made it more fun. Those that stayed got to hear more of the details of their relationship leading them to why they were all there now. Kitty took care of setting up a video camera out of view but aimed at Logan and Marie as they got closer. Hank was in charge of filming and let Kitty handle the smaller camera while he had one on his shoulder filming because he was tall enough to shoot over the crowds. Both cameras were rolling following them as they came through the crowds of people to the compass rose in front of the castle.


Adventureland Entrance
Adventureland
2:45 P.M.

Logan looked at his watch and picked up his gait a little. They got side tracked by a large group coming in the same time as he and Marie were trying to make it out in time. At least, they didn’t have to run. He stepped aside and found a way to keep moving through.


Marie kept turning over the box in her hand inside her pocket while her other arm was wrapped through Logan’s. She was smiling from ear to ear; she just couldn’t help it. Then she tried to remember her speech that she had dreamed about ever since she planned to come to Disneyland. At least she hadn’t forgotten the speech with all the anxiety of the planet on her shoulders. If this didn’t work, she knew it would break her, and she would have to leave the school to start a new life elsewhere, somewhere Logan wasn’t.


Sleeping Beauty Castle
Fantasyland
2:55 P.M.

“Ok Marie, we’re here,” Logan said as he had his backside turned off center to the castle.

He wanted his present. He was tired of waiting and the suspense was starting to tug on his nerves. Especially since they’d arrived her heart sped up again. The nervousness coming from her was more palpable than ever before, in fact, it was so huge he wasn’t sure it was all Marie. Logan understood that Marie was nervous of how he would accept her gift. He decided that he would at least try to be gracious in accepting it even if he didn’t like it. He figured he could sell it on E-Bay if it was that disgusting.

“Logan, we’re five minutes early. Now breathe a sec while ah tie mah shoe,” she said.

He didn’t really notice that she went down to her knee on the center of the compass rose on the ground facing north as Logan was facing south, southeast. He was looking out from his location all the way back to the Christmas tree in front of Main Street Station at the other end of the park. It was a gorgeously sunny day, not a cloud in the sky, and a slight bush your cheek breeze speed to the air. He inhaled as Marie said and let it go.


Sleeping Beauty Castle
Fantasyland
3:00 P.M.

“She’s down on one knee, that’s the cue,” whispered Ororo, “Places and please be very quiet.”

Everyone nodded and slowly each of the various teams of X-Men and students, Logan’s family, and various Disneyland guests began to move in closer to the area. Slowly stepping out onto the bridge and finding places to watch, all along the drawbridge without blocking the rest of the public. They X-Men, students, Lara, and Frank began to form a half circle around Logan’s back. Fortunately, the wind that day was blowing north, northwest but, that was from a little help from Storm. Most everybody had their cameras ready at the bit to record their own moments for the couple. Hank had moved to the side out of view to catch the whole event on tape. Kitty panoramically filmed all the public with them and then turned back to Logan and Marie. On the other side other people passing by began to stop and look at what was going on because they couldn’t figure why such a large group of people was behind this couple.


Sleeping Beauty Castle
Fantasyland
3:00 P.M.

Marie was down tying her shoe and Logan remembered what happened the last time she was down on her knees. He closed his eyes for a moment and didn’t see her pull a special box out of her pocket. Inside it contained the ring she had specially made out of adamantium and gold. The base band made of adamantium as wide as a couple pieces of fettuccini and then a band of three gold strips concurrent, the thickness of a piece of linguettine. Between the three strips of linguettine there were three small stones, an emerald to represent her, the lapis lazuli blue stone with a small gold stripe across it to represent clarity, relief of stress, and the bonding of relationships, among many other properties, and the black obsidian represented their unknown future together. The adamantium showed through under the stones, representing his past and the gold represented his claws and their trials together. In Latin, she had a saying engraved, ‘Amor est ignis jugiter ardens,’ which meant, love be fire continuously burning, and in English she had engraved, ‘ Through fire we are one.’

“Logan, it’s tahm,” Marie said as she looked up at him.

“Where is my pres…?”

“Lookin’ raht at ya, sugah,” she said as she held up the open box with his ring in it.


Without warning, Logan suddenly became confused, the look probably showing on his face, and then he realized that Marie was on one knee, not both. Nervousness was coming so thick off of her that you could cut it, well with his claws but, stranger still, now he, out of the blue felt just as gripped by nervousness. The air seemed to be gone from his lungs and he could hear could hear both of their hearts wildly beating in his ears.

“Marie, what’s going on?” He asked and gave her his arched eyebrow of curiosity.

“Logan, ah’ve been through adventureland and lived in fantasyland with ya long enough, sugah. Ah’m givin’ you a choice at a fewtcha and a chance at tomorrowland with meh, a new frontierland fer us to trail blaze togetha. Ah’m givin’ ya mahself fer the rest of our lahves,” Marie paused, “So, James Logan-Howlett, what ah’m askin’ is, will ya take this gift and do meh tha greatest honah, and make meh the happiest Rogue, Marie if ya prefer, in the whole U. S. A… And Canada too.”


“Marie…” He said as he realized that there was some meaning behind the ring.

“Ah had it made from that bastard metal they put in ya. It means that it will last forevah lahk we will. The gold is three stripes for the three claws that ah saw at Laughlin City, and felt that ah should be securin’ a lahf anywhere you were.” So many things were running through his mind.


‘Oh mah gawd he’s not gonna accept,’ Marie thought as she could see the panic in his eyes.

She began to worry that she was pushing him too hard. After all, she just got him to admit that he loved her after waiting five years, just now getting into a deeper relationship after five years of dating, and doing a delicate dance with him seemed like she was rushing. Now here, she was proposing marriage all of a sudden, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea… Marie really began to doubt her decision to ask him so soon, maybe it was she who wasn’t really ready in the end? But, she was tired of waiting and she wasn’t getting any younger. What if they waited too long and she couldn’t have children? She didn’t want to think about that becoming a reality. She wanted to have children with Logan so that she might be able to pass on his surname to; to give him the family he never got to have his entire life up to that point anyway, until she’d found his cousin. Worst of all, she didn’t want to look desperate.


As Logan looked down at Marie his mind was a mixture of emotions, humiliation that she was asking him before he had the chance, love for her, and confusion as to why she was asking him so soon. It was still Christmas wasn’t it? They had only just told each other they loved one another earlier that morning and now here she was asking to get married. The man was beginning to balk at the idea of accepting. The Wolverine told him to follow his instincts. She had gone through so much with waiting for him for a long time. His first instinct was to run, but then the second was to stay with Marie. He couldn’t decide which road to take.

‘Whatever she asks, say yes Logan,’ Logan thought of Jubilee’s advice.

Maybe Yellow had the right idea. If he said something akin to no, Marie would be devastated but, he wasn’t sure he was ready to say yes. They really hadn’t seriously ever discussed marriage between them. Sure they’d had conversations about what they might want a wedding to look like if they got married but, to each other, hadn’t been brought up.


Sleeping Beauty Castle
Fantasyland
3:30 P.M.

More people stopped to see what was going on while others kept moving on. Every one of the mutant students and staff were holding hands as they watched, crossing fingers, legs, and even toes. No crossing eyeballs or they might stay that way. Hoping that Wolverine would finally get his life in order and grab on to the only woman in the world that was perfectly made to be his partner in life, and on the X-Team. Logan hadn’t answered Marie yet and they were beginning to worry that he might not accept. Many prayers were being sent to the skies at that very moment, in several different languages, and to several different deities.


Sleeping Beauty Castle
Fantasyland
3:50 P.M.

Logan reached down and finally helped her up instead of making her wait any longer but, he still hadn’t made a decision yet. He had tears streaking down his face as he looked into her eyes. A brush of wind blew by his ear and he heard something, a voice he hadn’t heard in a very long time.

“Logan, she is the one you are meant to be with, I was never intended for you. Your heart belongs to her,” said the female voice.

He immediately recognized Jean’s voice but, didn’t understand where it came from. Then he heard another voice he hadn’t heard in an even longer time… Scott.

“Logan, don’t be a dick. I have my girl. Go get your own,” he heard as the wind kept blowing by his ear.

Then he heard another voice he didn’t understand who it was coming from but, it felt familiar.

“Accept James, she is the one,” the female voice said.

Then unexpectedly, Logan felt his hand being pulled to Marie’s, he tried to resist but, the force was too strong. What he didn’t understand, was that his mother’s spirit had been watching over him since the day he’d met Marie. She had been watching over him after her death. She was the one who drove the girl to leave home and go to the dive bar in the middle of snow buried Laughlin City to find her son. She had hoped to atone for her sins by seeing that James was happy. Victor wasn’t her son but, she did try to see that he was happy but, she failed because he was much too angry, much like his father late father. They also had the same kind of blood lust for killing. Fortunately, her James hadn’t been so dark in that respect. He cared for humanity, though he saw very little of it from humans, especially after what the government had done to him. He closed the box and slipped it into his jeans pocket. Abruptly, Logan pulled Marie into his arms.

“I love you Marie, yes. I will,” he whispered in her ear.


While he was hugging Marie, she slipped their audience a thumb up. Then the group surrounding them began to cheer and clap, Logan’s cousin Lara and Ororo, in tears. A few minutes later, Marie backed away to allow Logan to look up and notice, the entire X-Men team, students, the public, and his family were there around them. They surrounded them like a giant hug while the public that had stayed for the event moved on.

“Did you plan all this?”

“Ah did have a little help,” said Marie before she went to hug Logan’s cousin and the rest of their family.


Somewhere deep down he knew he should be annoyed with Marie for setting him up in such a grand manner and so soon after they shared their love. But also somewhere deep down, he didn’t seem to care at the moment. He decided not to put on the ring until they officially got married. Then Jubilee came around to shake his hand but, faked him out into a hug when he went to reach for her hand.


“Congrats Logan. I knew you had a brain in there somewhere.”

“You knew about all this?”

“Yes, I just couldn’t give it away. Thanks for listening to me for once, Wolvie.”

Remy just tipped his hat and turned his girl away from Logan before she continued to ramble.


“It’s about time, Logan,” said Charles as he walked to Logan.

“Yeah Chuck, I guess it is.”


Lara came over and hugged her cousin. “Congratulations. I was beginning to worry.”

“I’m going to need Frank’s and your help soon. I wanna to propose to her the right way soon. Twice cain’t hurt, right,” he asked.

“No, it couldn’t Logan,” Lara answered, her face beaming.

“Don’t say a word.”

“Your secret is safe.”


“I’m so happy for you, chica. You finally got your Logan,” Jubilee said as she hugged Marie.

“Yes, Jubes, ah did, and ah’m expecting you ta be there as a pretty matron of honor and Chloe can be a brahdsmaid.”

“Oh yes! We would love to.”


“We’re so happy for you,” said Ororo and then hugged Marie; then Marie hugged Hank.

“Watz, goin’ on,” asks little Charlie and Marie picked him up.

“Yer Auntie Marie is gettin’ married ta yer Uncle Logan.”

“Yay,” the little boy said and claps. Then he hugged Marie around the neck, she handed him back to Ororo.

Then Marie went to find Logan. She took his arm and turned to the others to make an announcement,


“We’ll see ya’ll latah.”

Everyone said their farewells for the time being, the X-Men, and teams of students spread out all over the park again.


Sword In The Stone Ceremony
Fantasyland
4:15 P.M.

Marie and Logan watched the ceremony start. A little boy and a little girl went up and couldn’t get the sword out. A Disneyland employee dressed as Merlin asked the opening ceremony question.

“Is there anyone who wishes to seizeth this kingdom as rightful ruler?”

“He does,” and Marie pushed Logan forward, Logan turned to scowl at her.

“Do you sire, what is thy name?”

“Logan,” Marie yelled out. “You’ll have ta excuse mah fiancé, we just became engaged.”

“Well congratulations, now what better a wedding gift to a bride than a castle?”

Marie laughed out loud, and little did she know that in the crowd, Hank was filming, as Ororo and Little Charlie stood watching.


Logan jokingly grasped the hilt and pulled up on the sword in the stone. To his shock, it came out and the look on his face, priceless. He looked to Marie who was holding her sides as she laughed and then started clapping. Merlin took off Logan’s hockey cap and placed a crown on his head.

“All hail King Logan, long live the king!” Merlin loudly said into the microphone. “All hail King Logan, long live the king!”

Logan flashed the eyebrow at Marie as he held the fake sword and slowly he began to smile at all the attention. The ceremony ended and before Logan could leave, Merlin stopped him.

“Sire, please stop by City Hall to pick up your deed, before the park closes tonight at midnight.”

“What deed?”

“To your kingdom of course,” he said as he walked away with the sword to put back in the anvil.

“Logan, wait sorry, King Logan, what’s gonna be the first thing yer gonna do in yer reign,” asked a happy, smiling Marie.

“I’m gonna kiss my Queen.”

He took Marie into his arms, gave her a passionate and deep kiss.


Sword In The Stone
Fantasyland
4:30 P.M.

Hank caught that kiss on video as well.

“Ororo, would you mind if I followed them for a while?”

“Yes, a little but, I think it would be fun filming Logan and Marie. I will film and you go play with Charlie for a while. You don’t get to spend as much time with him as I do during the week.”

“All right then and we can meet up later.”

“I’ll call you when the tape runs out.”

“It will make great footage for their anniversary,” Hank said.

“Where’s momma going?”

“Mommy’s going to go play with Auntie Marie and Uncle Logan, you are going to play with Daddy for a while.”

“Oh-tay. I wanna see Mickey.”

Ororo kissed little Charlie and then gave Hank a kiss before catching up with Marie and Logan. Hank headed off with his son to Mickey’s Toontown. The charges they had intermingled with the other groups so that they didn’t have to take any one else with them. It was just Hank and Charlie on their own.


Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Fantasyland
5:00 P.M.

Marie started to massage Logan’s shoulders while they are in line, because she’s bored. Logan instantly started purring.

“Ye-ahh Marie, right there. Oh yeah.”

“Like that, sugah?”

“I’ll give ya a half an hour to stop that. Mmm, yeah,” he said as she hit a particularly sensitive spot.

Marie laughed and stopped as the line moved. Then she moved on to massaging his lower back, and right near his sciatic nerves.

“Marie, my Queen… You keep that up and I’m going to… God, that feels so good.”

“Do what?”

“How many,” the ride operator asked

“Two,” Marie said as Logan came down from the hazy heaven Marie had shot him up to.

From there Logan let Marie take over the driving wheel and sat back to enjoy the ride. Later on, he took over the spinning wheel at the Mad Tea Party. Ororo stuck with them and tried to keep herself hidden from view. After those two rides, Marie and Logan walked arm in arm towards Tomorrowland.


Mickey’s House and Meet Mickey
Mickey’s Toontown
5:00 P.M.

“See Charlie, there’s the bed Mickey sleeps in.”

Hank and little Charlie waited in line and the boy got to meet Mickey. Mickey signed an autograph for him in a little autograph book Ororo purchased and little Charlie gave him a big hug as Hank took pictures of all the moments for Ororo to share. It was fun to watch the little boy’s interest change and he is almost out the door when Hank called him back. Then they went to Chip ‘n Dale’s Tree House and Donald’s Boat. Hank took a nearby seat next to Goofy’s Bounce House to rest while Little Charlie bounced himself crazy, using up energy left and right. He would sleep like a peaceful happy child in the crib the hotel provided.


Autopia
Tomorrowland
5:50 P.M.

“Have ya noticed that ‘Ro is followin’ us with a video camera,” asked Marie as they waited in line to ride Autopia.

“No, where?”

“No, don’t look, sugah. Ah’m not sure what she’s up ta but, ah think we should have some fun and lose her on a rahd.”

“I suppose but, is it wise to make an African weather goddess angry?”

“Quite raht. She cain’t have much more tape. We’ll ditch her when the tape’s ovah.”


Out of the blue, Logan started to massage Marie’s shoulders, this time because he’s bored and turnabouts fair play.

“Yes Logan, whaddya want?”

“Who said I wanted anythin’? I’m just repaying a kindness to my kick ass ninja girl.”

“Right there, a little deepah, sugah,” she moaned when he hit the spot he was aiming for.

‘Oh there’s no way we’re stayin’ here ‘til midnight,’ Wolverine thought as Logan reminded him that the park closed at midnight that night.

“Like that darlin’?”

“Ah’m gonna give ya ‘til midnaht ta stop that… “

Logan laughed and started to rub her lower back as she was wrapped in close to him with one arm around her neck, and Marie felt herself become slightly wet while her back was to his front.

“Logan, ya have ta stop now, sugah,” Marie said and stiffened up her body.

“Why’d you freeze Marie?”

“Because we’re almost next and ‘cause ah’m wet,” she teasingly whispered into his ear.

He closed his eyes and tried to gain control of his body back before the situation became unpleasant.

Marie and Logan got separate cars, hers behind Logan’s. Ororo managed to get a car behind Marie’s. Logan shot his car out of the station and Marie was hot on his tail. Ororo kept up as best she could with a palm-corder in one hand and the steering wheel in the other, until Logan set a trap. Marie bumped into him and then Ororo hit Marie, very big no, no. She turned around and waved at ‘Ro. Then she and Logan take off again, as Ororo laughed. Logan and Marie were off the ride before Ororo could catch up at the exit. Her car would start but, it moved at a much slower pace, and by the time she got off the ride she could barely film them as she spotted them heading in the direction of Space Mountain.

Space Mountain
Tomorrowland
6:25 P.M.

The newly engaged couple was sitting in the space rocket as it left the space port, headed up the chain hill as the countdown was proceeding, until the blast off into the wild ride. The countdown reached zero and the next thing Marie knew, Logan was in her jeans as he rode next to her. His hand reached through to her apex and started to finger her in small circles faster than she thought he could with their bodies getting thrown around in what felt like several G’s. It doesn’t take much for Marie, she was squirming in her bucket seat as the ride, and Logan were sending her on a different kind of rocket ride to space. It didn’t take her long before she came in her underwear.

“OH HO GAWD LOGAN,” she screamed as they went around another fast bend.

Then the ride was over abruptly, colored lights flashing over their heads as they slowly came back to the disembark area. Marie quickly zipped her jeans up as they pulled into the spaceport. She considered having to take Logan’s arm to help her walk because she was a little dizzy and her legs felt like jelly. She put on a brave face and got out of the rocket shaped car. She nearly walked into a wall and then she felt Logan put his arm around her to give her some support.

“I gotcha Marie.”


“Ah’m fahn. Just walk,” Marie’s pissed Logan can tell.

So, Logan lifted up his hands in a surrender gesture and gave her some space. He went through the exit with their purchase bags, and there on the wall he noticed these pictures. Then the one with Marie’s post-orgasmic face popped up and he got an idea. If she was going to blackmail him, there was no harm in blackmailing her back. So, he got the number and bought the picture before she had knowledge of their existence. He sweet talked the female employee vendor behind the counter into destroying the picture saved into the computer. He went and sat down on some benches by the exit. He saw Marie as she came out of the exit and made a b-line for the women’s restroom. Fortunately, for Logan, the post-orgasmic Marie photo had already disappeared before she came out of the ride’s exit.


Once she got into the closest stall in the women’s restroom, she slammed the door and locked it. Marie was pissed as she started to change out of her almost dried short shorts she had on while they were on the canoe ride. Then she realized there was a problem with changing her panties…

‘Damn, ah’m outta undawear! Ah only brought two pair and the othah’s back at the room. Well Wolvie, ah guess ah’ll just have ta go without them. He bettah not tra anythin’ else. Ah don’t have anythin’ more ta change into… Unless… We need ta go back ta the room,’ Marie thought and wickedly grinned.

She changed back into her jeans she arrived in California in and the half green, half black t-shirt that read, ‘Rogues Rule and Wolverines Drool,’ gag gift from Jubilee. Marie came out of the bathroom in a slightly better mood and on a mission because she had seen the air hockey tables in the building behind Logan on her way into the restroom. Oh yeah, Logan was going down if Marie had her way.

“Miss meh?”

“Every second,” Logan said.


Starcade Game Room
Tomorrowland
7:30 P.M.

Marie challenged Logan to a game of air hockey. She didn’t tell him that she was the 6th grade champion air hockey player in elementary school. The standing bet if Marie won was that she didn’t have to pay for going to California Adventure after dinner. If Logan won, he didn’t have to pay for room service later.


Logan watched as Marie played so hard and fast that he wondered if there was even a puck chip on the table as she scored the first two points. He caught on fast using some of her tricks against her and scored two points of his own. Neither one of them noticed Kitty with the camera as they went into the Starcade Game Room. Ororo had texted Kitty to try and get to them because the battery ran too low. So Kitty caught the epic battle on a different camera and knew that they were going to have field day with all the footage they were shooting in the park. Suddenly, Logan turned his head to sneeze and Marie scored the last point.


“No fair darlin’, I had to sneeze.”

“Not mah fault Wolvie, ya owe meh a California Adventure after dinner.”

“Would you rather I sneeze on the table?”

“What, ya tryin’ ta say ya want another game?” Marie teased.

“Yes.”

“Too bad. Ah won fair and square.”

“No, ya didn’t. You took advantage while I sneezed.”

“What are ya gonna do ‘bout it, sugah?” She said as she really turned her southern sass on.

“You’ll see,” Logan pulled out a picture from one of the bags below the air hockey table and showed Marie, she was mortified that he had set her up on the ride to get his own blackmail photo.

“Oh all raht, one more game but, this tahm if ah win, ah want California Adventure, ah wanna go dancing at Downtown Disney, and a foot massage.”

“Deal, and if I win, I don’t have to pay for room service or the door cover charge.”


Starcade Game Room
Tomorrowland
7:50 P.M.

The camera Kitty had ran out of space to store the footage after Marie won the second game, so she got the little winner’s dance on camera. She won fair and square and Kitty had the proof. She called Ororo from her cell phone, met up with Ororo, Hank, and son Charlie on the train just pulling into the Tomorrowland train station.


Star Tours
Tomorrowland
8:00 P.M.

From the Starcade, Logan and Marie headed for the center of the park. They were about to pass by Star Tours and he stopped a minute.

“Do ya want to go on this,” Logan asked.

“Ah would lahk ta go back ta the room and change for din-nah.”

“Good, because I want to take you somewhere special for dinner. I got reservations.”

“For when?”

“Nine thirty.”

“Good, because ‘cause ah need a showah.”

“First one to the room gets a massage from the loser,” Logan said and took off running.

“Hey you cheetah!” Marie yelled after him.

Marie chased Logan up Main Street U. S. A. She even surpassed him as he lost her in the crowd and he didn’t know it. Both of them carefully wove in and out of the crowds. She could hear the hamster dance song in her head as she ran.


Grand Californian Hotel
Anaheim, CA.
8:28 P.M.

Almost a half an hour later Logan had no idea that Marie had beat him to the room. Southern tail can move faster than adamantium laced anything. Marie had suitcase in hand, as Logan came in seconds later, having thought he had won the bet. A few of their purchases were lying around the room. Fortunately, they were all wrapped up, so Marie had no idea what Logan bought and vice versa.

“Looks ta meh lahk Santa’s been heah, sugah. What all is this,” Marie asked as she reached for the jewelry box containing the necklace Logan bought.

Logan saved his purchase by snatching the box in time before she could open it, to Marie’s wide-eyed stare.

“No, darlin’, that’s not for you. It’s for Lara and Frank. I forgot to send their presents in time, so I got them somethin’ here.”

“Well, that’s all ya had to say Mr. Grinch. Ya didn’t have ta steal it from meh.”

“Sorry.”

“So what did ya buy meh? Ah know ya bought meh somethin’,” looking hopeful at him.

“Tell ya what, we don’t have much time, because we have to go back into the park. Why don’t you go take a quick hot shower, I’ll separate out my purchases, and change.”

“Fahn but, if ya aren’t joinin’ meh in five minutes, this Marie will storm yer adamantium ass without permission ta land.”

“Yes ma’am,” Logan mock saluted.

He still didn’t join her anyway. Why should he? He lost the bet so, he’d still be getting some action later. Why spoil the fun with an appetizer?


Marie showered quickly and was pissed again because he didn’t join her as she assumed he would. She charged out of the bathroom, still wet from her shower, not even bothering to wear a towel. Logan’s jaw dropped just before she pushed him hard to the bed and straddled his saddle. The poor man had been standing after just putting on a pair of black boxer briefs.

“Ah thought ah told ya wanted ya in the shower with meh…”

“I didn’t think we had the time to spend. I don’t want to be late for dinner. I’ll make up for it later, darlin’, promise,” he said and kissed the tip of her nose.

“You bettah Wolvie, or yer gonna find yerself all alone flyin’ back ta New York.”

“Yes ma’am,” Logan mock saluted again. “Now, are you gonna get dressed so that I can take my hungry ninja girl to dinner?”

“Oh ah’m goin’, ah’m goin’,” Marie said but not before rubbing her palm in the crotch of his boxer briefs.

“God Marie, you drive me crazy.”

“It’s mah job.”

Marie got up abruptly, fully got dressed in front of Logan, and the giant bear head on top of Grizzly River Run across the way from their room. She had forgotten to close the curtains; fortunately they were high enough not to give everyone a show. She slipped on a black garter belt and hose, sans a bra. Then she slipped on a pair of burgundy flats that matched her dress. Marie went to the closet and donned a burgundy party dress that cut off just below the knees. It had spaghetti straps and a high back zipper. She applied perfume in all the right places and slinked into the bathroom to do her make-up, just some simple lipstick, and eye shadow.


Logan couldn’t help but admire the mental vision she had created and he believed that he was going to have fun as he unwrapped the package later. When she went into the bathroom, he changed into his best pair of navy blue slacks, an open necked, dark gray dress shirt, and a black blazer. He decided to go sans boxer briefs because she got them wet and he had only brought one pair, just to surprise Marie. He slipped on a pair of socks, a pair of black loafers, a little cologne/aftershave, and he was ready to go.


Disneyland Railroad
Main Street, U. S. A.
9:00 P.M.

The crowds in the park seemed to have thinned out a bit as they easily made it to the train station with two minutes to spare before the next train was due in. They just made it in time as the arrival message began to play. They found the emptiest car and sat in a far back corner, she leaned back against him. He kissed her crown as he wrapped an arm around her black shawl, a fashion knitting project by Chloe. She couldn’t help but get into fashion because of Jubilee’s interest. Soon the train was on its way to New Orleans Square, where a surprise awaited the couple. Logan took the opportunity to bring his nose to his lover’s hair do to keep from having another vision as they rode through the jungle themed landscape. He inhaled just slightly enough to get the scent of her hair and not overwhelm his nose. He faintly caught the scent of her perfume and the scent of her hair was plenty to keep him calm. She wove her fingers with his and he felt her lips kiss the back of his hand as they rode in the dark to their dinner destination.

When the train pulled up to the station, Logan allowed Marie to get up and they walked together through the small green exit gate. He had his arm out and Marie had her arm in his as they walked towards the restaurant. The small streets lit up the night with small, multi-colored strands of light bulbs interwoven in the southern New Orleans styled wrought ironwork of the area. The air smelled of matured magnolia trees and whatever the smell was in the Rivers of America.


Blue Bayou
New Orleans Square
9:30 P.M.

“Howlett party of thirteen, your table is ready.”

“Excuse me, there must be a mistake. I only asked for a table for two,” Logan said.

“There’s no mistake, sir. Follow me please.”

Logan led Marie into the patio of the restaurant as he followed the waitress. He swung Marie around and she led him the rest of the way to the table in the far right corner closest to the wall dividing them from the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean ride. She stopped at a table full of their friends and family when the waitress stopped.


Charles, Moira, Hank, Ororo, Kurt, Kitty, Bobby, Jubilee, Remy, Lara and Frank sat around the table. There were a couple spaces for Logan and Marie to Xavier’s left, Moira at his right. The older students had agreed to watch the younger ones and Chloe took over watching little Charlie. The Professor allowed them to have a pizza party as long as they were in bed by 8:00 P.M. that night. They were cool with that.

“Glad to see you two could make it. Have a seat,” Charles said.

Logan and Marie are seated and Jubilee passed a champagne flute each to the couple. Charles stood and cleared his throat.

“Welcome, one and all to Marie and Logan’s celebration of engagement dinner, thrown for them courtesy of myself, friends, and family of the couple. So, enjoy the feast and you two, it’s about damn time, oh, and the school’s pool will be settled once we get back,” everyone laughed and smiled, including Marie, as Logan looked horrified. “To Marie and Logan.”

Then Jubilee sipped water and stood as everyone took their sips of whatever they were drinking.

“To Logan, who finally listened to my advice, and look what he got, the girl of his dreams. To the best-est friend of mine, Marie, thank god you took charge and got yourself a man that loves you more than life itself. To Marie and Logan, you two deserve each other, and may you live happily ever after.

“Here, here,” all cheered.


The food and company were great and everyone had a blast. Dinner over, Marie and Logan headed back to the train station to go around the park to Main Street, U. S. A. As they rode the train around through Frontierland in the dark, through a forest of various trees native to the frontier and dimly lit, Marie sat in his arms in the back of an empty car. The lights in the car were out with low running lights on the floor. Low clouds began to set in and you could hear the quiet rush of the leaves in occasional breezy gusts as they rode along, the darkness closing around them, transporting them in a way to another time once more. She could hear him purring as she held his hand in both of hers.

“Remind ya of home? Ah mean Canada…” Marie asked in almost a whisper.

She instantly worried when Logan didn’t answer right off the bat. She wasn’t worrying in vain because her inner Logan was telling her that she had good reason to worry. Her inner Logan was beginning to have his own flashbacks but, he obviously wouldn’t allow her to see them. Marie started to stroke the back of his hand with her fingers to bring him out of his haze. She could barely see that lost look on his face again.


Logan thought that smelling Marie’s hair would calm him down amply so that he wouldn’t experience another vision. He was wrong… This time as he rode through the trees, and Marie asked him about home, it triggered the memory of the night he and another older boy were running through the trees to escape the law and their tracking animals. He looked down and he saw bone claws. He was in pajamas and boys sized dark red robe. Then he felt someone rubbing on his hand and it brought him back to his current reality.

“Sort of, the smells are quite a bit different but, the trees and the river do,” he bent his head down to give her the low answer, at least the only one he could think of to please her.

“You had anothah one didn’t ya?”

“Yeah.”

“When we get back we should talk ‘bout it, sugah,” he heard her say but, at the time he wanted to tell her no because he wasn’t sure he was ready to handle all the emotions and interpretations of the flashbacks and strange longer visions he’d had.


When they went through the Primeval World of Dinosaurs Logan was relieved that no new events happened. Once they got off of the train at Main Street U. S. A., Logan walked with his arm around Marie’s right shoulder and her left arm was under his blazer, around his waist. They walked across the pavilion and there they got the bad news that dinner had run on a little longer than they thought. The lights were out and the gates were closed, California Adventure closed that night at 11:00 P.M.

“We’re too late darlin’. They closed at eleven. It’s a little after eleven thirty now,” he said looking at his watch. “Whaddya want to do now?”

“Ah could go back ta tha room but, ah wanna be out with you in this be-you-taful naht and not think ‘bout snow.”

“Should we go to that Downtown Disney you mentioned?”

“Sounds great, sugah. You can watch me shake mah rump since ah know ya don’t lahk ta dance.”

“Amen and pass the Molson,” he said as let her guide their path to the Downtown Disney area.


Y Arriba! Y Arriba!
Downtown Disney
11:55 P.M.

Logan handed over the twenty dollars for the cover charge for them both. Then they climbed the staircase to the club upstairs. It would only be open until two in the morning anyway. The building was a two story hacienda style Mexican restaurant on the ground floor and a dance club on the upper landing.

“Let’s see if you can keep up,” Marie teased as they she headed for the dance floor.

The D.J. had the place hoping. He knew that Marie wouldn’t expect him to go get out there with her, start the whole bump and grind against her but this was a new day for him. He’d told her that he loved her, made love for the first time with her, and gotten engaged in one day. The ‘Old Wolverine,’ was learning new tricks. He started to get his groove on. He kept up with her on the dance floor, whatever moves the dances called for.

Marie was totally shocked. She had never seen Logan dance as well as he was. She needed to know his secret. True, he was no professional dancer but, he was giving it an honest shot. When she asked him his secret, he just whispered that he was copying everything she did. So much for thinking that he had some kind of talent for dancing! Maybe, she wondered if she could get him to dance at their wedding… Now that would be a sight. Maybe she could hire a male professional dancer to teach them. Nah, Logan wouldn’t let another guy touch her now, and weren’t most dancers totally hot guys anyway? And really, the same for her when it came to getting Logan a female professional, she couldn’t stand to watch someone getting all touchy feely all over her man.


An hour later and the songs slowed down for the people to rest or drink up. They started to play a song by, Marc Anthony called, You Sang To Me. Logan had his arms wrapped around his girl, his cheek on her crown. Her hair smelled of Marie, vanilla, and magnolias because of her perfume and her hair care products. The scent was forever burned into his sensory memory. He hoped that memory never short circuited because with his long term memory mostly gone, he would lose memories of Marie, and that would be devastating to him. After Jean died the second time, and he had come back to the school, Logan had been working with Hank to rebuild stronger pathways to his long term memory. He did regain some capacity to have some long term memory back. What he hadn’t connected yet, was that with that memory work that they’d done was what was causing his flashbacks, visions, and nightmares. It just happened that being at Disneyland Park happened to be one hell of a major trigger hot zone.

Logan leaned in close to her ear and began to sing along with the lyrics while Marie’s arms locked around his waist.

I just wanted you to comfort me
When I called you late last night you see
I was falling into love
Yes I was crashing into love
Of all the words you said to me
About life, the truth, and being free.
Yeah you sang to me
Oh how you sang to me

As he lowly sang the words to Marie, the meaning really hit him deep in the chest. Maybe the reason he picked up that sad, lonely, starving girl on the road that day in Laughlin City was because he was looking for someone to comfort him, most likely from the pain he felt. The pain of the routine of his days wore on him like stone wheels grinding flour for a miller. Charles later said he’d done the same thing for 15 years and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever expected a different result to come, until that day when Rogue appeared. He’d lost his temper, finally had grown tired of the one night stands, and the fights in obscure dive bars. Logan believed he had even cut back a great deal on the alcohol as well. She led him to be free but, it wasn’t a conditional freedom. He could still be the man that he was but that was going backwards.


Girl I live for how you make me feel
So I question all this being real
‘Cause I’m not afraid to love.
For the first time I’m not afraid to love.
This day seems made for you and me
And you showed me what life needs to be
Yeah you sang to me
Oh you sang to me

When he’d woken up sleepy headed that Christmas morning, he felt like last night hadn’t been real. When he reached for her, he felt crushed, it hadn’t been real, until she spoke to him and gave him orders. That was the moment he felt real and alive, for the first time in a very long time he wasn’t afraid to love and once again, she had freed him from the bondage of negativity in his life. She sang to him with her body, telling him that life needed to be about love and family, that making connections with others was a good thing, even though they had lost Scott and Jean. They had even lost Xavier but, by some miracle of teleportation, he had returned to them. Logan had held some small hope that the same could be true for Scott and Jean but, that was not to be born. Some part of him still wished they could have been with them tonight, to share in the joy they were all feeling.


Y Arriba! Y Arriba!
Downtown Disney
Anaheim, CA.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
12:00 A.M.

All around the dance floor there were people at small tables drinking and trying to hear conversation over the loud music. Most pretended to hear what their partners, dates, lovers, or friends were saying. Then there was a packed dance floor around Logan and Marie as the song continued, several couples swaying, kissing, and bonding. On the ceiling, was a giant mural of the universe; shapes of planets and stars in silver.

All the while
You were in front of me
I never realized
I just can’t believe
I didn’t see it
In your eyes
I didn’t see it
I can’t believe it
Oh but I feel it
When you sing to me

As Logan danced, the song packed another punch to his heart from his brain, as if it had been trying to wake it up in order to see what it had been denying itself. In all the time he had looked in her eyes, he couldn’t believe that he had missed the signs that she wanted him. How could he have missed them? She spent time with him, found ways to touch or stroke him in her way, and very rarely kissed him. Their dates were always proper, as if she had been back in Meridian, and her parents watching through the window. A sweet chaste kiss at her door when he took her home to her room, and then a good night.


How I long to hear you sing
Beneath the clear blue skies
And I promise you this time
I’ll see it in your eyes
I didn’t see it
I can’t believe it
Oh but I feel it
When you sing to me
Just to think you live inside of me
I had no idea how this could be

He promised himself that he wouldn’t ever stop looking at Marie for signs that he had once ignored from now on. Logan wondered if she had always been there inside him, just unknown until that day when he met her in Laughlin City. He had no idea that finally telling Marie that he loved her could have opened a flood gate of joy and he knew that now that they had shared their love for one another that they were going to last. Because he’d be damned if he would let their relationship falter from neglect; he planned to work on it every day, every chance he got, and every day brought a plethora of chances.

Now I’m crazy for your love
Can’t believe I’m crazy for your love
The words you said just sang to me
And you showed me where I wanna be
You sang to me
Oh you sang to me

Logan never would have believed that if someone had told him over five years ago that when he met a starving hitchhiker in Canada, that he’d be marrying her someday. He would have told them that they were, ‘fuckin’ nuts, bub,’ and moved on. He never wanted to be parted from her again; she was where he belonged.


How I long to hear you sing
Beneath the clear blue skies
And I promise you this time
I’ll see it in your eyes
I didn’t see it
I can’t believe it
Oh but I feel it
When you sing to me
Just to think you live inside of me
I had no idea how this could be

Marie listened to Logan softly singing in her ear and his voice did things to her that she knew he would never know truly how they made her feel. The lyrics became more personal at the end of the song to her because in this case, Logan actually did live inside of her, in her mind, and forever in her heart. There were tears in Marie’s eyes as the song finished, and Logan finished singing to dip Marie. He rolled her back up and wrapped her in his arms in a huge bear hug.

“I never wanna let you go Marie, never again.”

“Same here, sugah.”


Logan’s hands held her face and he wiped the trails of her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. He kissed her with a tender kiss that could only make a heart cry out for more of them. They finally let go of each other as the tempo of the music picked up. They stayed for one more song and to finish off their drinks. Then he let her take his hand and she led him out into the night. The night was just perfect and Downtown Disney had closed up to customers hours ago but, there were still people out looking through windows and planning to go through the shops they looked at the next day. Their walk back seemed slow but they went faster than they had thought.


Grand Californian Hotel
Anaheim, CA.
12:45 A.M.

Logan opened the door and Marie sauntered in slowly before he followed suit. She went over to the window and closed the curtains for privacy, not that anyone would be looking in at that hour or that high up at them but, it seemed to help the room warm up a little. He took off his blazer and laid it over the back of a chair at a desk.

“Logan, don’t forgit ta fill out the breakfast menu card and hang it outsahd our door. Ya have thirteen minutes and ten seconds ta get it out there so that breakfast is delivered on tahm in the mornin’.

“Whaddya want for breakfast,” Logan said looking at the menu.

“Ah don’t know. Just order two-a everythin’ and we’ll decide what ta eat latah.”

Logan growled in frustration, checked off a bunch of stuff on the menu card, doubled it, and then hung it on the doorknob outside. Then he watched as Marie flopped down on the edge of the bed to slip her shoes off but, she couldn’t. He could tell by the way she looked, that she was tired. He felt a moderate bout of tiredness himself. His body ached as well, only be denied the rest it needed to repair. Logan crossed the room and took her left hand in his. He saw her shoulders slump from her tiredness as well.

“Need some help with the dress, darlin’?” He offered to help.


Quietly, she stood and he smiled as she turned her back to him. He leaned in and placed a sweet kiss on the back of her neck. He pulled down the zipper on the back of the burgundy party dress and slipped the material down her body. She caught him off guard when she turned, tugged on his gray dress shirt out of his navy slacks, and pulled it over his head. Bare-chested, Logan went down on his knees to slip off her shoes and toss them towards the closet. He placed a kiss on each of her thighs and stood. Marie surprised him again as she went for his zipper but he could see her heart wasn’t in it.

“Look Marie, I know we’re both so tired we can barely stand, how ‘bout we go to bed and pick up later?”

“Fahn bah meh, even though ah’d lahk ta fool ‘round with ya so bad you and ah both wouldn’t be able ta stand for a week, ah’m zonked. Besahds, you owe meh a foot massage latah too, so rest up.”

“That’s right, I do,” he said, giving her the ‘brow’ arch, “By the way, I thought ya might wanna know, Yellow’s pregnant. Night darlin’, sweet dreams.”

“Good naht sugah, same ta you, wait… What? What was that ya just said?”

“Jubilation Le Beau is pregnant.”

“How? How do ya know? She and Remy haven’t said a word.”

“You passed Sex Ed Marie, so, you know how… I could smell it. And didn’t you notice she wasn’t drinking any alcohol?”

“Oh, well, yeah. What does being pregnant smell like?”

“A strong current of certain kinds of hormones.”

“Hmm, maybe ah can ask huh on tha way home.”

“Good night, Marie,” he said trying to close the subject because he was exhausted.

“Good night, Logan.”

Logan and Marie finished getting undressed on their own, crawled in to bed, and wore nothing to bed. She spooned up behind his left shoulder and started to fall asleep quickly. He couldn’t believe how good her naked body felt bent up against his backside. Wolverine tried to make him reconsider going to bed right away but, the human won on exhaustion. He held on to Marie’s left arm across his waist and fell asleep soon after. During the course of the night, the couple rolled, and he ended up spooned behind her.

Grand Californian Hotel
Anaheim, CA.
5:32 A.M.

Marie woke up with a giant urge for something to eat. She had eaten the night before at the engagement party their boss threw for them. She figured it was her inner Logan fueling this munchie craving. Maybe it had been the dancing the night before that had made her use up so much energy? Didn’t really matter, she was just plain hungry. As she became aware of her surroundings, she felt a heavy adamantium filled arm across her abdomen.

‘Oh no, ah’m trapped. Gawd, ah’d kill for one of those burgers from that place Jubes took me to back home,’ she thought as she tried to carefully move Logan’s arm.

It took a bit of work but, she got him moved where she could get up. Marie slipped on a robe provided by the hotel, grabbed her cell phone, and room key. She stood outside the room and from memory dialed the extension number for Room Service. So, she ordered a big, fat, juicy, well-done hamburger with fries and a strawberry shake. She waited out in the hallway corridor so as to not wake up Logan, who she assumed was sleeping like a baby. Twenty minutes later, the food arrived, she signed for it. Marie slipped back into the room, shut the door as quietly as possible, and then she barricaded herself in the bathroom by locking the door. She sat on the edge of the tub and began to eat. When she was stuffed it was almost seven o’clock, she slipped back into bed with Logan hoping that things would go on as normal like nothing happened.


Logan fully woke up when he felt the bed dip again. Marie was back and it was time to tease her. He pretended to be asleep as he reached across the bed and cupped her right breast. He scooted over closer, began to nuzzle her neck, using his breath and lips to arouse her.

“How was your snack?”

“Snack? What snack?”

“Marie, I smell charbroiled cow, well done, and vegetable oil. So, I assume that was fries, and strawberries in the air, and I know it ain’t comin’ from me.”

“Damn, the shake. Sorry.”

“I missed you.”

“Ah can certainly feel ya did,” as he knew she could feel him warm and hardening at her left thigh.

“How ‘bout we pick up where we left off last night?” Logan growled low.

“How ‘bout ya let meh go ta the bathroom, freshen up, and then ah’m all yers.”

“Fine but, if you aren’t back in five minutes, this Wolverine is going to pounce on his prey without clearance.”

“Okay,” Marie wickedly teased as she grabbed some clothing from her bag and disappeared into the bathroom.

He got up and opened the curtains. The sun was up and beautiful, just like his Marie. He looked out over the view of the bear head on the Grizzly River Run water raft ride in California Adventure. Marie opened the door at four minutes and fifty-one seconds, not that he was counting or anything. He smirked to himself.

“This room is a little too cold for mah lahkin’,” Marie commented as she came out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a pair of black panties and a matching bra from Victoria’s Secret.


‘Grrrrrrroooowwwwwllllll!’ Logan thought as he turned to come greet her. Wolverine whole-heartedly approved of her choice in attire.

“Come ‘ere then, let me warm you up, darlin’,” he wrapped her in his arms and began to whisper naughty things in her ears.

“I’m slippin’ off these lingerin’ stitches from your soft body baby. Yeah, I’m gonna feel your breasts as they whimper in my warm hands. Then I’m gonna taste your neck,” he began to playfully seduce her.


She gasped as she felt his words ignite a fire within her, his mouth placing kisses on her neck and sucking on the places his lips once were.

“Oh yes...” she moaned and wavered for a second.

“Don’t pass out on me, ninja girl. I'm just tryin’ to warm you up, baby,” he said.

She was barely conscious of the fact that was undoing her bra with one hand as he began to pull down her panties to the floor with the other. She felt his large hands cup her breasts, relished in the feel of their weight.

"Ah’m not yet… Mmmm, warm hands,” Marie sighed.

“Your skin… Mmm, mmm, mmm… Has a flavor I have a hunger for. I’m gonna hunt here… Around your neck… Or here behind your jaw… Maybe even behind your ear, down to your collarbones, caressing your thighs up to your lower back,” Logan said as he stopped to kiss and lick in those aforementioned spots.

“Gawd,” Marie cried out in a breathy moan. She had to slow him down or she was going to explode before the party got started.

She nuzzled her nose into his neck as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to her side of the bed. He set her down gently and almost in a flash, he took off the sweats he’d pulled out of his backpack while she’d been in the bathroom. She watched him as he kicked the pile of sweats over to his bag on the floor.

“Damn, yer fast! Gettin’ warmed up is so much fun even though it’s gonna be lahk 78 outsahd today,” she said in a bit of excitement. “Could ya hold meh for a while, a kindah full body hug,” Marie asked Logan.


Logan made sure she was comfortable and rested his body upon her. Kissing her sweet lips was like going to heaven and hell; heaven because her lips were perfectly made for kissing and hell because he couldn’t stay away from them for long. Fire on her lips consumed him on a regular basis, her lips were like a drug addiction or as close as he could get to one since he healed quickly. She made him feel lighter than air when she was with him which was hard to do since he had adamantium laced bones. Marie entwined her arms around him, ran her cold hands over the warm skin of his back, he jerked back.

"Damn, your hands are freezin’,” Logan complained, took them into his own and breathed warm air on them.

“Ya know what they say, sugah, cold hands; warm heart.”

Logan held Marie’s hands near his heart, hoping that his body heat would warm them up.

“Ya think mah hands are bad, you should feel mah feet!” Marie surprised him as she put her feet on his calves and gave him a shock.

"Darlin’, we’ll just have to cure that," he said as her eyes closed.

He let go of her hands and reached over her to grab a bottle off of the nightstand on her side. He wrapped a hand around her foot as he worked some of her favorite lotion, Peach Serenade into her skin. It had a strong peach scent as if they smashed a lot of them into one bottle, minus the pits of course. He felt her foot jerk a little when he found a sensitive spot on her foot and she giggled. He tried to move on with the other foot but, every once in a while he found that sensitive spot again to play with. With his slow and sensual foot massage, soon Logan could smell something sweet coming from her inner blossom core. He leaned in closer to that flower and suddenly he was hungry for her honeyed nectar.


Marie felt the rough pad of his tongue down ‘there,’ as she always dreamed it would one day be. She felt the roughness again stroking her jewel and sending hundreds of nerves a flutter. She gripped the sheets as he continued to wind her up into a coil.

"Please," she moaned, her feelings of the sensations from Logan’s attack on Space Mountain came roaring back to life.

She felt his tongue as he licked her heated walls and she thrust up into his face, her body craving more. Marie reached his head with her hands and massaged his scalp as she held his face to her core. Her cries of pleasure defied her ears, as she couldn’t believe that it was her making all the noise. She felt his nose play with her touchy ball of nerves as he dug his face into her as deeply as he possibly could into her core.

"Logan… Please! Oh… Gawd… Yes," she pleaded as she felt his tongue penetrate her repeatedly, driving her mad.

Her coil became as tight as her grip on the sheets. She clutched the sheets for dear life, any tighter and she might even rip them. She wanted him to cover her with his body again, waiting to feel his weight as it pressed her into the linens, and wanted to feel his warm shaft inside her, driving inside her in an old as time pattern.


"Please what, darlin’? God you taste good Marie,” he teased her and went back to lapping up his pre-breakfast appetizer.

Logan came up and licked a trail up her body, stopped at her breasts to suck on the beautiful, slightly light pink orbs with brown hardened nipples he found there. Then he came up to let her taste his mouth. He kissed her deeply and took her body to another level of pure pleasure.

"Damn torturah! Please, ah want ya insahd meh," she whiningly moaned after he broke the kiss.

“You sure baby? This train ain’t gonna stop until it reaches the other side of the mountain.”

Marie’s hands gripped his hair and pulled his head down hard, her kisses deep and demanding. She knew they would destroy Logan’s grip on his control over Wolverine because of the advice her inner Wolverine gave her. She heard him growl and knew the animal was coming out and had to claim her. She made sure that her legs were parted for him and she felt him settle his weight upon her. Her wetness made it so easy for Wolverine to slide home into her flower. Marie screamed out in pleasure as he totally filled her to her core womb, the pleasure so acute it was closer to pain. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist in anticipation of the ride he was about to take her on. She held him there tightly, inside and out, not letting him move at all as she began to milk him inside her.


“Marie, oh my god...” he moaned as he came up on his elbows to look at her.

Logan fought back to get control over himself and won but, the truce wouldn’t be for long, especially once she let her grip on his member go. Her hair smelled of magnolias, vanilla, gardenias, and a little alcohol. He figured it was a kind of perfumed hair spray she’d put in before they had gone to dinner. He carefully reached down and placed his index finger onto her love bead. She began to squirm and it slightly drove him a little deeper into her willing flesh. He put a little more pressure on the pearl and began to make small circles around it.


Marie bucked, sharply crying out Logan’s name, repeatedly. Her hands began kneading the muscles in his back, pulling him closer to her once more. She knew he could feel her inner muscles flex and release again.

"Please..." she begged again and thrust up hard to his groin, trying to urge him to let Wolverine loose.


Logan wanted to move faster but he left it up to her. He felt her hands wander down to his ass, grip onto his cheeks with her short fingernails, and she tried to push him deeper into her. He drew back and set a slow rhythm to get her used to his size again. Then he picked up speed, faster and steady. He knew she got his message that he was still in control. Marie suddenly surprised him by nipping at his ear. Wolverine roared to life. He growled and then let into her like Indy cars on the speedway, faster, harder, forcing her to hang on for dear life. The animal took both of them into another level of bonding.

Between panting for air and the sound of his body slapping up against her skin, he moaned her name. Every thrust felt like he was doing something right, like he’d found home. Marie gazed into his eyes, he to her, both burning with desire, and he felt as if he could fall into their endless depths to be lost for all time. She held on to him for all she was worth and the Wolverine relished in the hard driving rhythm; he brought her legs higher to grip him around his ribs. It changed the angle so he plummeted deeper faster, the slide of his warm shaft rubbing against her engorged pearl made her arch back, pant harder.

"Ah love you,” she screamed between gasping for air and meeting his thrusts.

‘God she’s fuckin’ tight and baby’s movin’ just right,’ Wolverine thought as he brought Logan closer to the finish line. The animal gave this parting thought as he gave Logan back control. ‘She’s mine but, she’s yours for now, bub.’

"Oh darlin’," Logan groaned as he stopped, rolled her up above him, and felt her skin slick with moisture.


Marie wiggled her behind on his flesh as she settled on top in the saddle. She leaned over to grip the headboard and she was off, riding hard and fast, not caring if she might temporarily break his saddle horn. Her breasts hovered tantalizingly close to his face, just waiting to be played with. She almost felt the sweat pouring out of her skin as they worked to the most amazing climax, the scent of sex and sweat pleasing her inner Wolverine. Swiftly, as if Logan had read her mind, she watched him come up off his pillows, and take her breasts into his mouth, one at a time. He teased them with his tongue, a little bite, and then he would suck on them.

“Aaah Logan, yes!”

‘Ah could dah happy lahk this!’ Marie thought.


‘Damn, she’s drivin’ me crazy!’ Logan thought.

She rode him wonderfully, as if she had been pulling on his memories, maybe she was? He’d never know because he wasn’t sure she’d admit her womanly secrets. Logan felt her essence dripping down upon his skin as he thrust into her. He gave her all he had and then he roared out her name so loud that he thought the world might know what they were up to. Fortunately, the floor they were on was virtually empty since it was the floor for newlyweds and their wedding parties, mostly empty bedroom suites inside of one main common suite.

"I love you, baby. Mmmm, my darlin’, Marie," he said.

As he kept thrusting a few more times, he howled before threw his head back, and came deeply into her. His orgasm triggered something in Marie because suddenly, she pushed him back down to the bed, roared as she threw her head back, and screamed his name, crying out her triumph like some wild animal over its prey. Her blood engorged inner flesh clamped down on him, almost like a vice. Her short nails weren’t as short as he thought, as they raked down his sweat-slicked chest, left bloody red tracks in their wake.

“Gaaah… What the hell, Marie,” Logan yelled.

He had no idea that inside her that his Marie wasn’t in control, the animal mate to his animal inside him had escaped. Logan watched her lick up the blood from his chest, savoring it like one might a fine wine. Something was off with her. She looked… Well, more feral like. She pulled him back up and brought his mouth to suckle her nipples like a kit. He heard her gasp as he felt her fingers comb through his hair. He found himself over her again as she abruptly, came back from the blackness.


Marie had no clue what happened to her either. She had blacked out for a time and came back to find red scratch marks healing on Logan’s chest…

“Oh mah gawd, Logan, what did ah do? Are you alraht?” She felt so horrified that she had hurt him that tears began to form in her eyes.

“I’m okay baby, I’ll heal. Are you okay,” he asked, his voice lush with concern.

“Ah don’t know what happened. Ah remembah suddenly feelin’ free and then things went blahk.”

“It’s okay darlin’, I’m fine, see, all gone,” he said and leaned in to kiss her.

“No, it ain’t okay. Ah hurt you,” she stopped him with her hands on his chest before his lips could claim hers.

“Okay, you want the truth? It surprised me, yes. Did it hurt? Yes, but, in a good way.”

Marie softened when she saw that Logan wasn’t taking her attack too seriously, he did heal after all. She needed to move on. He stole a few butterfly kisses to kiss away her tears, which made her eyes immediately fill with more; tears of love and tears of happiness.


There was no choice for Logan but to collapse upon her beautiful chest because she had sapped him of almost all his energy, not with her mutation though, he needed time to regenerate. He laid his head comfortably against her chest like a babe in her arms. He held her close and tight around her waist. Logan smiled as he nuzzled sleepily at her breasts, his breaths slowing and softly cooling her skin. He felt her kiss his crown as she began to gently stroke and comb her fingers through his scalp.

"Ah will always love ya, sugah, mah Wolverine."

"I’m gonna sleep here for the rest of the day in your arms, darlin’."

"Sleep mah love, ah’ll be heah when ya wake up,” she offered as he felt her smooth the errant hair away from his forehead.

Logan pulled the covers up around their bodies, fell asleep to the sound of Marie’s slowing and steady heartbeat in his ear, her chest rose and fell, their bonding more solidified.


Marie began to stroke in lazy circles on his back, felt his breathing slow, and even out. She decided to slip into a little slumber as well, warm and contented. There the two of them slept together for a few hours.


Grand Californian Hotel
Anaheim, CA.
9:00 A.M.

An hour later, Marie felt the weight of Logan on her chest missing and she woke up. Logan had only just gotten up minutes before to head off to the bathroom. She sat up and stretched her arms up over her head. Then she stood and grabbed her robe from where she’d left it. She dressed in the Army green colored robe from the hotel. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door to their main suite as she tied her sash. Breakfast had arrived. Two carts worth of food arrived with wait staff from the kitchen. They wheeled in both carts and Marie signed for it before she saw the staff to the door. Then she went back into the bedroom and flopped down on the bed as she heard the toilet flush. A couple more minutes later, Logan came out in his birthday suit and she tossed him his sweatpants.

“Geez, Logan, ya think we can eat all this?”

“You said to order two of everythin’.”

“Ah was kiddin’, sugah. Ah thought ya would just pick out somethin’ lahk what we eat at home.”

“I’m sure we’ll find room for it. If not, we can find a way to take it along for a snack later.”

“Perhaps.”

“What is on the itinerary for today?”

“We don’t have ta check out ‘til eleven but, ah wanna go do some shopping. We don’t have ta be at the airport ‘til three,” Marie said as she packed a plate for Logan and herself for breakfast.

“I’m gonna go check out ESPN Zone, check out the hockey score from the game last night. I’d planned to check on the score last night but, we went out, and I was too tired when we got back to check.”

“Bah the way, we need ta take all this stuff ta the bus. Then we can check out, shop, and then go directly ta the bus aftah.”

“Sounds fine to me,” Logan said as she watched him lay out the clean clothing he wanted to wear, and she started to pack up everything else. “Wait, bus? What have you got goin’ now?”

“Ah hired a bus to bring all-ah our friends and family heah from the airport. Instead-a takin’ a limo back, ah thought we could rahd with them.”

“You want me on a bus full of kids… Are you serious?”

“Well yeah. Ah figured we could snuggle together in the far back seat.”

“Right near the bathroom, right?”

“Oh crap, sorry. Ah forgot ‘bout yer nose. We can make shore there’s a room freshener.”

“Marie, you’re not solvin’ the issue. Addin’ a room freshener makes it worse.”

“Boogernuts. Just please grin and bear it, and ah’ll make it up latah. Make that growl and bear it…”


Logan went back into the bathroom to change, and Marie dressed again in that hot little pair of black under things Logan took off of her that morning, jeans, her old Army boots, and a forest green t-shirt. She packed up the rest of her things after slipping her boots on over her socks. She called down to the front desk and requested help to come carry their things down to the lobby where the bus would be arriving soon. It was due in at 11 o’clock in the morning.

“Sugah, ah called for help ta come and pick up our stuff. Ah’m gonna go check out. Come on down when ya get done in heah.”

“I was hopin’ you’d join me.”

“Ah wish ah could but, ah got things ta do, sugah. Ah’ll owe ya quite a bit when we git home.”

“You know I’m gonna collect, darlin’.”

“Oh yeah sugah, ah know, and ah’m waitin’ ‘til then.”

“I’m countin’ down.”


Marie rushed down to the front desk even though she could have express checked out through the in room television set. She was steaming when she saw a copy of the bill, and paid for the extra charges anyway. Ororo was supposed to have told their friends and family, that they were responsible for any charges if they bought anything. She assumed the pay-per-view porn channel charges were from Bobby’s room, although she didn’t know why, with Kitty in the room and all… She made a mental note to whip Bobby in their next Danger Room session if it was true. Maybe she needed to have a heart to heart with Kitty? She didn’t know for sure which would come first but, she knew she would have fun beating on Bobby in training.

Once Marie finished up the bill, she flopped into a big overstuffed brown leather chair in the center of the lobby. She waited for Logan to come down to the lobby. She sat and people watched before she called the number on her cell to find out where the bus location so they might be able to load the under-carriage with luggage.

“Ready ta go,” Marie asked Logan as he walked up to her, while the bellman took the luggage cart to his podium outside to watch over it.

She gazed at him, starting at his chest, moved down, and returned up, and to his face, his hair impossibly perfect. He looked smoking hot in his jeans, boots, tank, and red flannel over shirt, with rolled up sleeves. To complete the look he had the infamous eyebrow arched.

“Like whatcha see darlin’?” He asked.

“Hell yeah, sugah. Ah should make ya do a little turn on the catwalk for meh,” she kidded, him looking too sexy for his jeans. “Look, there’s Hank and Jubilee. Ever’one’s supposed ta be heah bah now.”


The newly engaged couple went across the lobby and met with Hank and Jubilee.

“So where is ever’body,” Marie asked.

“Hank and I were just discussin’ that chica. From the sounds Remy and I heard last night, either the Professor and Moira were busy or Bobby and Kitty got it on.”

The cluster of friends laughed at Jubilee’s comments.

“Well, ah know it was the Professah and Moira. Bobby was hittin’ the porn channel last naht. Ah just paid the hotel bill,” more laughing.

“What is this joyous eruption about,” Charles Xavier asked, as he walked with an arm around Moira.

“Nothin’,” Jubilee replied, turning red a little.

“If nothing is so funny, then why are we standing around? The bus is waiting.”

“Sorry Charles, we didn’t notice it had pulled up,” Hank spoke.


Grand Californian Hotel Driveway
Anaheim, CA.
11:00 A.M.

The rest of the X-Men crew arrived with the students along for the trip. Ororo took charge and checked everyone off the list so they wouldn’t forget anybody. Each person loaded up their luggage and immediately went to pick out their seats. Marie rushed to the back and claimed the three seats in the very rear of the bus for Logan and herself. She put her and Logan’s backpacks, and the items she wanted to hand carry home, up in the overhead compartment. Logan came to join her a few minutes later.

With everyone on the bus, Ororo stood up front to make an announcement.

“Now we have a little time to do some last minute shopping and then we have to get on the road. We have to be at the bus by one and the airport by three. Please be aware of the time. Please make your last purchases and get back here as soon as you can. See you all later.”


Logan was sitting in the back with Marie and quietly purring in her ear. He smelled they had a visitor and looked up to see Chloe Le Beau watching him and Marie.

“Can I tag along with you,” she asked.

“Sure,” Marie replied before consulting him.

He wanted to go shopping with Marie alone, not that he hated Chloe but, he just wanted to be alone with Marie. Somehow, he wasn’t about to let that stop him. He looked around for a solution but the gang had already splintered off to go shopping. He was stuck. Out of the blue, Chloe saw something and ran off.

“Chloe! Where are ya goin’,” Marie yelled.

“The Lego store, I’ll meet ya at Build-A-Bear Workshop,” Chloe yelled back.

It was better than Logan could have hoped for. Chloe took off on her own so he and Marie were alone again. He walked with her to Island Charters and bought a couple Hawaiian shirts for when he and Marie got to use the yacht, and a new leather jacket. Marie left to go to Sephora to purchase some make up. Logan promised to meet up with her at Illuminations.


Marie floated off to Sephora and purchased herself some new makeup, perfume, new cologne for Logan, and bath stuff. She moved on to Illuminations. A store filled with displays of various sizes and colors of candles. The store was still decorated for Christmas, faces of snowmen, reindeer, and Santa’s. So many aromas filled the air. She smiled when she spotted Logan coming into the store holding his nose.

“Heah, smell this,” Marie said as she handed Logan a mulberry candle.

“Mmmm, sweet like you,” Logan whispered in her ear.

Marie felt her knees melting.

‘Gawd, da all men have a one-track mahnd?’ Marie thought as she put the mulberry candle back and handed him a votive cinnamon candle.

“Hmmm, spicy like I want our love life to always be baby,” Logan whispered, again in her ear.

“Logan, please stop, ya ain’t gonna get any raht now and I cain’t change mah underwear. They’re back on the bus, so stop makin’ meh wet,” Marie whispered in Logan’s ear to get back at him.

She giggled as Logan groaned and followed her around the store like a lost puppy until she could tell he couldn’t handle all the smells in the store anymore.

“You know what, I’m gonna head over to ESPN Zone and I’ll meet ya at that bear place.”

“Fahn, see ya lata.”

Marie bought almost one of everything. Her basket had been over full when she got to the counter. She headed to Basin and bought more bath stuff in her and Logan’s favorite scents. She knew Logan was just going to go wild every time she walked by him after taking a bath the night before in them. She knew what his favorite scents were from her inner Logan. Whenever she used them in the past, Logan would hang out in her room, on her bed but, once she pulled the plug out of the drain, he’d be gone. Marie knew he was in her room because she could smell the lingering scents of cigars, earth, and something that was uniquely Logan. Now that they were engaged, all bets were off the next time she tried to take a bath. Maybe he’d stay the next time? Once she put her credit card away, she wondered when she might bring up the subject of moving in together. Maybe she should wait a few months? Maybe she should sit back and wait for Logan to bring it up?


While Logan was at ESPN Zone he bought Marie a jersey from each of their favorite teams. He bought himself a little something as well. On the way to meeting Marie, Logan thought about what he’d like to do for when he got the opportunity to propose to Marie the way he wanted to. Did he want to do it in a forest like setting or something like being on a beach in Maui? Did he want to make it a big production like Marie had or did he want a private proposal? He had many things to consider. How did he think Marie would want him to propose? Would he have to get down on one knee? Would he travel to Meridian and ask her parental units for her hand? Hell yeah, if it meant it made Marie happy. But what if, what if they didn’t want their mutant daughter marrying a man like him? After all, he was far older than she and he had a past he was still gingerly trying to piece together with her. Worse yet, what if they didn’t want her to marry another mutant so that they could so that they could try to breed her to make children without a mutation like hers? What if they said no and that they never wanted him to see her again?

Build-A-Bear Workshop
Downtown Disney
12:30 P.M.

As Marie walked into the store, she was taken by surprise. Logan and Chloe were already there at the checkout counter. Both had three tall boxes a piece. She wondered what was in them. She got in line with all her purchases and picked out ten animals, a cuddly Koala, a Polar Bear, a floppy elephant, two floppy kitties, two floppy bears, two wolves, and a floppy pony. Logan and Chloe took off to make one more stop before heading back to the bus. She was okay with that because she didn’t want Logan hovering over her as she completed her soon-to-be stuffed animals. Marie picked out the hearts, placed a wish and a kiss on each of them. Then she placed each one inside the animal before she had it stuffed. A store helper took all the animals up to the front counter to hold them for her.

She went off and hunted down accessories for her new animal friends. She picked out bridal and tuxedo outfits for the wolves, a little white tank top and jeans for the pony, and a bunch more simply adorable outfits she liked. Just her luck, out of the corner of her eye she spotted a small leather jacket and it was the last one, so she grabbed it. Marie then headed to the Birthing Station. She put in all the barcodes and gave each of her animals a name and a birth date. By the time she got to the counter, all her ten birth certificates, and a card full of stamps towards a free purchase the next time she visited were waiting for her. A store helper followed Marie out of the store.


Marceline's Confectionery
Downtown Disney
12:40 P.M.

“We have to get Marie some of those chocolate covered strawberries, they’re huge!”

“Yes, I see. Go, get yourself something. Hurry.”

Logan went up to the counter and flashed his killer smile at the sales girl.

“Gimme a dozen of the chocolate covered strawberries, six white and six dark.” Logan said and handed her a wad of American cash that would equal $100 dollars.

“Yes sir.”

“Hurry up Chloe.”

“Coming,” she quickly ran over with a small box of dark chocolate squares.


After Logan paid for their purchases they headed back to the bus. They got back with a few minutes to spare.

“Don’t tell mama I got this. I’m not supposed to have a lot of sugar,” whispered to Logan before they got on the bus.

“Sure, if you don’t mention the strawberries,” he whispered back.

“It’s a deal.”

The two shake and hug on it, then step into the air-conditioned bus and found their seats.


Grand Californian Hotel Driveway
Anaheim, CA.
1:00 P.M.

“Hank, could ya put these in the cooler for me?”

“Sure Logan, I’ll keep them wrapped in the bag so the box won’t get too wet.”

“Thanks Hank.”

Logan made his way to the back of the bus.

“It’s ‘bout tahm, sugah,” Marie uttered as Logan flopped down into his seat in the back, next to his fiancée, “Ah was ‘bout ta send Kurt out ta get ya.”

“Miss me, did ya?”

“What did ya get meh?”

“They’re for later.”

“Mmm.”

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Logan heard Ororo say.

The bus started up and they were on their way to the airport.


An hour they were mired in deep traffic. Logan was bored and Marie was sleeping on him. He gently lifted her from his shoulder and leaned her the other way to the window. He went up to the front of the bus while Marie slept against the window. He wouldn’t be gone long.

“How are you guys back there,” Frank queried.

“Marie is out. I covered her up. Listen, since I really wanted to take Marie on the yacht, can we make that a rain check for our honeymoon trip?”

“I’ll check when we get home. I’m sure I can try to arrange something.”

“Oh, I am so glad my cousin is going to get married, finally.”

“Well, I was going to propose this upcoming Valentine’s Day but she beat me to it.”

“Oh Logan, if I had known I might have waited before helping her,” Lara replied.

“It’s okay. I’m still gonna do something on Valentine’s Day. But, I’m not gonna to invite an army of friends and family to the event.”

“But Logan, you are still going to call me with the details. I insist.”

“Lara, leave the man alone, he wants it to be private,” said Frank.

“I’ll see what I can do about getting video of the event,” Logan offered.

“That’s my cousin. He knows what I like,” Lara stated with a smile a mile wide.

Logan went back to his seat and Marie rolled back over to lean her head on Logan’s left shoulder, her sleep still undisturbed. He smiled before he nodded off himself. The traffic was bad on the way back to the airport. Frank made some calls on his cell phone and arranged to have cots put up in the, because at this point, they might be getting back to San Diego at eleven at night.


Charter Bus Lines
San Clemente
4:30 P.M.

“Logan, I think we ought to stop and stretch a little,” said Ororo.

“Yeah. We need moah food and a good stretch,” Marie requested as she woke up from Logan’s shoulder.

“I’ll go let the driver know to get off at Avenida Pico,” Lara offered since she knew the area pretty well.

“But we cain’t stay long with tha traffic,” Marie said.

“Marie, don’t worry. Frank has taken care of the flight. We used to live here before we moved to Logan Heights. There are plenty of stores and I’m sure we can stock up.” Lara earned a smile from Marie.

All of a sudden a female burst of laughter came from the front. Bobby and Jubilee were having a thumb war and Jubilee won. Hank and Kitty, Peter, Charles, and Moira were well into a game of seven card stud poker. Frank played travel battle ship with Chloe. Kurt was sleeping with little Charles. The bus pulled off the road at Avenida Pico and turned to the left. It pulled into the huge parking lot at Walmart. As soon as the driver put it in park, Marie was up from her seat, grabbed her sweatshirt and wallet from her bag in the overhead compartment. Then she got off the bus and the sea breeze was a little chillier than she expected. She was glad she had grabbed the item from her backpack. She didn’t waste much time putting it on.

“We’re taking a few minutes here to stretch and get some food. If you wish to get something here to eat, that’s fine. Take one of us with you. The Professor has agreed to let you get something to eat at Mickey D’s here in Walmart,” Ororo made the announcement to lots of cheers.

The students were excited because this was a special treat. The Professor didn’t allow the children to eat fast food at the school. He would have preferred that they go to a restaurant but they were short on time. He needed to keep the children as healthy as possible just in case their parents came to see them or the government wanted an inspection. He didn’t need overweight, under nourished children at the school because it could cause the state to come in and close them down. Most of the students kept somewhat in shape because when they were older, they wanted to become junior X-Men and someday, full senior X-Men. It was decided to go to Mickey D’s inside Walmart because the bus would have a harder time getting into the one closer to the freeway entrance.


Marie headed off into Walmart with Ororo, Kitty, Jubilee, and most of the students at her tail. Lara and Frank stayed behind to watch the bus and make more calls to the captain of the flight to keep him updated on their progress.


Logan got off the bus and walked off to the International House of Pancakes and bought a couple things to go. The rest of the gang stretched went to use the facilities at one place or another. They had all given up on using the toilet when they ran out of air freshener. It was hard especially on Logan. His nose was getting tortured but, he found solace in burying it in Marie’s hair when he was about to go crazy because he couldn’t take it anymore. It seemed to work pretty well but, he was going to OWN Marie’s ass when he got back for putting him through the gauntlet of riding on the bus. He was re-examining the reason why he had agreed to such a stupid plan. Damn, because it made her happy and he had an extreme need to keep her that way because he didn’t like upset Marie. He put the food purchases he made on their seats in the back of the bus.

Then he decided he had time to light up. He went on the opposite side of the door and whipped out a half smoked cigar, and found his lighter in his jeans pocket. Soon the calming, deadly smoke was filling his lungs.

“May I join you,” Charles asked walking up with his own cigar.

“Free country, last I heard.”

“I wish it were, for us. We have another Senate hearing on the Mutant Registration Bill the first week of January.”

“How many more hearin’s you think it’s gonna take to finally kill it for good?”

“No bloody idea. Our continued effort to win people over to our cause, human and mutant alike is all we can do.”

“I really wish this chicken-shit back and forth stuff would end. American’s sent men to the moon, yet they can’t put an end to fighting for who’s the superior race.”

“I agree my friend,” Hank said as he walked up with his lit cigar in hand. “But they keep stepping in the way of their own history and it repeats like an echo in a canyon.”

“Too true Henry but, if we can get the states to come to a peaceful resolution, and then the world will follow,” Charles imparted.


About twenty minutes later, both Ororo and Marie look like they have been contestants on some supermarket shopping spree game show. They both had a cart of food and were rushing back to the bus with most of the children. Kitty and Jubilee brought up the rear. Marie had filled up a cart with snacks for her and Logan, and Ororo’s cart was for the rest of the bus. True, it seemed like a lot of food but, Marie wanted to make sure that their strength was replenished for when they got home so that Logan could have his way with her. Ororo bought more than she probably should have as well just in case the traffic lasted longer than planned. They did have a long flight home after all, someone might get hungry. Bobby and Pete brought the coolers off the bus and opened the drain plug to empty out the cold water from the melted ice.


Logan grabbed his strawberries before Bobby turned on his mutation and made new ice for the coolers. Then Logan safely tucked his strawberries back into the coolers before he helped Marie back onto the bus with the six bags of food she bought for them.

“Uh baby, I got somethin’ for us. It’s warmin’ your seat. Since you didn’t get anything frozen, this stuff can wait under our seats.”

“Shore sugah, what did ya git for meh?”

“Chocolate chip pancakes,” Logan answered her, flashing his killer smile.

“Ooh. Ya’re raht, this stuff can wait.”

Marie slid into the seat near the window; put the bags of food under her seat, before she put her table down. Logan placed a Styrofoam box on her table and then served himself up. He watched her take a sip of the something cold he gave her to drink.

“Ya got meh fresh squeezed orange juice?”

“Nothin’ but the best for my girl.”

“Damn straight,” Marie said, before pouring syrup all over her pancakes; the butter already melted in.

Logan smiled brightly even though he wanted to laugh but, he had a reputation to protect.


Then suddenly the bus started up. They get back on the freeway and by the time they did so, the traffic had lightened up a little until they got to Oceanside, and it backed up again to a slow crawl. Logan had finished eating and he had a sudden reminder of what was waiting for Marie back at the school. He had almost forgotten about what he had set up in Marie’s room. He was going to have to find a way to get all the decorations cleaned out before Marie went back to her room. He didn’t want Jubilee nosing in so he went to the next best sneaky person; he went up to go see Chloe. Logan knew that the Yellow One had trained her well.

“Hey Logan.”

“Hey kid, I have a mission for ya.”

“Really? Why?”

“You in or out?”

Logan could see wheels turning in her head as she was processing whether she was up to the challenge.

“In, what is it?”

“Could you make sure that Ms. Rogue’s bed is cleaned off, and every boat, coconut, lei, and grass skirt is put into a big trash bag? Then I want you to hide that bag in my truck in the garage.”

“Okay, why?”

“No questions. If you complete the mission, there’s a bottle of Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider and $100 in it for ya,” Logan whispered in her ear.

“I accept the mission and you can count on me, Mr. Logan.”

“I knew I could squirt and don’t tell Ms. Rogue anything. This is top secret. Call this number and ring once when you’re done.”

“Okay. My lips are sealed.”

They shook hands on it and Logan left.


“So what were ya doin’ ta corrupt mah goddaughtah,” Marie asked when he got back to his seat.

“Nothin’, I just made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.”

“What kindah offer?”

“Can’t say. She said to tell ya, it’s classified.”

“Ya cain’t do that ta meh. Ya know, ah’ll fahnd out.”

“You can try but, if she blabs, she don’t get the prize.”

“Ah was talkin’ ‘bout you.”

“You can try your best Marie but this Wolverine ain’t talkin’.”

“Ya know, some Rogues eat Wolverines for dessert,” Marie said as she began to rub his groin with her palm.

“Red light. Marie. Oh damn.”


San Diego International Airport
San Diego, CA.
7:00 P.M.

The bus pulled up to the 747 four hours late. The troops unloaded the bus and get on the plane. Logan said good-bye to his cousin and her husband, with a promise to call as soon as he has had a decent nap at home. Marie gave them a hug, big thanks, and a promise to call when they were coming back into town. Even though they had shared a meal at Disneyland, Lara made Marie promise to call when they had time to visit so that they could have a more in-depth visit and dinner together. There just wasn’t enough time to do it this trip. The flight crew put a partition up between sections of the plane, it was usually open air throughout but, this was Remy’s personal party plane. So, all the adult parts of the plane were covered up. Up in the front, he had first class leather seating. In the middle, there were all kinds of casino tables, gaming stations, bars, and bedrooms in the rear of the plane. Everyone sat in the front of the plane until they were in the air.

Logan was a little agitated and Marie she can sense it. Her inner Logan was reminding her that he hated flying anywhere.

“Just hang in there sugah, we’ll be home soon,” Marie whispered in his ear, Logan looked down at her.


‘How does she know what I’m thinkin’?’ Logan thought, contemplating another facet of his fiancée.

‘Because ah can read yer mahnd,’ Marie answered.

Logan looked at her with the curious eyebrow up, ‘And just how did that happen?’

‘The Professah an ah were workin’ on mah control and it slipped, just a little. Ah only open up ta receive ya when ya’re troubled or if yer projectin.’

‘I see. So what am I thinkin’ now?’

“Ah don’t need ta read yer mahnd ta know what yer thinkin’ raht now, Logan,” Marie said aloud.



Soon they leveled off and one of the crew made the broadcast that in the back they had cots set up for anyone that wanted to sleep. One by one, Marie watched as the kids went into the back and grabbed their spots. Then Marie thought about putting her head on Logan’s lap to catch some sleep herself until she got an idea. She stood and turned to face Logan.

“Not you too, Marie,” Logan said, frustration in his voice.

“It’s gonna be late when we git back. We’ve had a long day. You should tra sleepin’ too.”

“But you promised me later.”

“Ah was just waitin’ for them ta leave so ah could fall asleep on you,” Marie said. “Now come on Wolvie, lay down.”

Logan did as ordered, sprawling out on the cream colored, leather covered couch. It was over stuffed so it was very comfortable, stuffed just right. Marie tossed a leg up over his shins, climbed on top of him, before she sprawled alongside him on his right side. She snuggled in like a puppy digging in a couch, and made herself comfortable. She rested her head on his shoulder.

“Lahk this bettah?”

“Oh yeah. I like this idea,” replied Logan.

“Sleep sweet, sugah.”

“You too, darlin’.”


Westchester County Airport
Westchester, NY.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
12:00 A.M.

The plane was about to land and the Professor woke Marie gently in her mind before waking the others. She woke up and then she kissed Logan awake before moving to get up. Soon all the sleepy students filed back to their seats.

“Did you two rest? You’re in the same spot we left you in,” asked Jubilee as she came from one of the bedrooms she’d been in with Remy.

“Yes, very well thanks,” said Marie.

“Are we all going to be alright to drive home,” asked Hank.

“I think we are,” answered Peter, who would be glad to get rid of Kurt for once. His sulfur smell that he left behind every time he bamfed was getting on everyone’s nerves, not to mention his gas problem.


Shortly after, the plane landed, and taxied to the gate where they all had started their adventure to California. Kurt volunteered to bamf the luggage two at a time because some of the children were too tired and cranky when they were woken up. Logan and Marie had to figure and refigure how to get everything they bought home safely. Charles and Moira were the first to leave, taking a small group of kids with them. Jubilee, Remy, and Chloe took another small group, and the rest were destined to ride with Bobby and Kitty back to the school. Peter took off like Mario Andretti with Kurt in his car hanging on for dear life; oddly enjoying every minute. The faster Peter got Kurt back to the school; he’d be able to breathe again...

As soon as Chloe got home, she took the keys Logan gave her, and went about her mission for Mr. Logan and Ms. Rogue. She was in the process of getting rid of the trash bag with the cleaned up items in the garage when Jubilee caught her. She snuck up on her in the garage to find out what was going on. Chloe had lied and said she forgot her stuffed animal in the car but, she was in Logan’s truck. Jubilee didn’t ground her when she finally fessed up and said she was on a top secret mission for Mr. Logan and for Ms. Rogue, who happened to also be her godparents. She was a smart young lady and didn’t divulge any details, even to her mom. Hank helped Ororo by putting their bags into the van, while she strapped in a pooped little Charles into his car seat. Ororo then decided to drive them home. Big Ol’ Hank climbed into the passenger seat and strapped himself in. He rolled down the window…


“Marie, Logan, you sure you don’t need any help getting home?”

“I think we’ve got it Hank,” said Logan, although he wasn’t sure himself.

Then the McCoy family left the airport Logan and Marie were alone with everything out on the ground by Marie’s 1994 Jewel-toned forest green Corvette C4 Nitrous. Where were they possibly going to fit her ten stuffed animal boxes plus his two, the myriad of other purchases, a slightly dampened box of chocolate and white chocolate covered strawberries almost the size of Logan’s fist; well, more like Marie’s fist, and their backpacks inside her car?

“Okay, ah will pack mah car and then ah’ll let you drav mah baby back home.”

“Fine by me, darlin’, just get a move on before we get ambushed out here,” Logan didn’t like the smells around the airport parking lot and the longer they were out there in the middle of the night, the greater risk of attack.

“Well if ah left it ta you, we’d only have enough room ta rahd home on yer lap, and since it’s mah baby, ah thought ya maht want it ta get us home in one piece.”

Marie expertly packed the entire car within ten minutes.

“See, ah said, just leave it ta meh,” she proudly bragged.

“Really, and just how do ya plan on gettin’ this home,” Logan asked as he held up a small rectangular box.

“On mah lahp, ah course,” Marie said, smiling.

“Okay, now one small thing. When you decided to pack the car, you forgot to put up the top. You won’t mind riding with the top down, do ya?”

“Logan, it’s freezin’ and weah in the middle-ah wintah, nah, ah don’t mahnd,” she hoped he heard the sarcastic flair in her voice.

“I can warm ya up when we get back to my room,” he said with his killer smile. “You could spend the night…”

“No sugah, make meh some-ah yer hot chocolate from scratch and ah’ll do it. Ah’ll even help ya unload when we get back ta the school.”

“It’s a deal.”


On the chilly drive home, Logan’s cell phone rang once, and she saw him smile brightly before looking over at her trying to stay awake in cold. The night sky was so clear that the stars shined like diamonds in the sky. The air crisp and cold with the snow banked on each side of the road.

‘What was he smilin’ at? Ah think ah’ve got ah-cicles formin’ on mah ah-brows,’ Marie thought.

She wondered what had possessed her to agree to such a stupid plan; she could catch her death from the cold or hypothermia at the very least. However, she could recover if she could remember how to pull on Logan’s mutation without actually touching him. She had to remind herself that the hot chocolate was worth it and if not, Logan was going to have to spend hours warming her back up.


Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
1:00 A.M.

Logan pulled into the garage and shut off the engine. His hair was practically frozen and wind-blown backwards. He could barely move he was so stiff. Then he questioned his brilliance in not making Marie unpack the car to get the top up and then repacking it all. He looked over at Marie attached to his right shoulder. Her arms were wrapped around his right arm, her eyes were closed, and her lips were rather blue looking.

“Darlin’ we’re home, time to wake up,” Logan said.

He moved his shoulder a little to rouse her conscious… Problem was… She wasn’t waking up.

“Marie? Baby, wake up.”

Logan reached across his chest and felt her face. It was so cold. He couldn’t feel any sign of warmth. Panic started to set in.

“Marie, wake up darlin’. We’re home,” he shook her more and used his free hand to start rubbing hers clutching his upper arm.

‘Smooth move ex-lax. Now what are you gonna do?’ Wolverine chided him in his head.

He swiftly found a way to get his arm out of her clutches and got out of the car. He reached over, undid her belt, and put the strawberries on his still warm leather seat after vacating it. Then he rushed to her side and opened the car door. Logan scooped her up into his arms and left everything in the car as he carried Marie inside the school. None of the things they bought mattered if he lost Marie because of his foolish decision to drive with the top down. He took the elevator up to the Instructor’s Wing. He had to get her warm quickly before he would be a part of a post-holiday tragedy. He wasn’t sure how much time he needed to get her warm.


Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
1:20 A.M.

In the rush to get to his room to warm up Marie, Logan nearly took his door off the hinges by kicking it in. Once inside, he set her down on the end of the bed while he pulled back the covers. He put her into her side of the bed and tucked her in tightly on one side. He stripped down like the troops hitting the beach at Normandy and climbed into bed with her from his side. He wrapped himself around her in bed and tried to create body heat between them to help her get warm enough to wake up. He worried her lips were so cold, so he kissed them to bring some color back. Logan continued to kiss her until he felt her begin to kiss him back.


Marie had been dreaming while she’d fallen asleep in the cold. She pictured a beach on a private island somewhere unfamiliar to her. She was sunbathing nude on a lounge working on her tan. She could see Logan off at a distance from the lounge. She could see that he was having fun in the surf, catching fish with his claws, and just as naked as she. Marie had just been dreaming that Logan had strolled her way to claim his reward for catching dinner. Then she felt his lips upon hers… But something was wrong, they felt so real. At that point, she woke up to being kissed by the man of her dreams.

“Hey,” she said softly.

“Hey yourself,” he said softly.

“You were just in mah dream and now heah ya are. Want meh ta tell ya all ‘bout it?” Logan nodded.

The Wyle Home
San Diego, CA.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
7:30 P.M.

After finally getting to see Logan and Marie in person, on the way home from seeing the plane off, Lara Wyle began to contemplate finally letting the truth out about who she really was. She needed to go to Montana and reconcile with her past. Frank walked her into the house and before he shut the door, she’d made her decision.

“Honey, I need to go away for a few days. Is that alright with you?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Is something wrong? You didn’t say much on the way home.”

“I’ve come to an important decision and I need time alone to think about how I’m going to get through it.”

“Lara, you’re starting to scare me. What have you decided?”

“I have decided that it’s time to stop hiding behind the make-up and age enhancements,” she took a slow deep breath and exhaled before going on. “I have decided that it’s time Logan knew the truth about his family.”


Frank sat down on a chair in the dining room. He knew this was a big decision for his wife. He’d known about Lara covering up with prosthetics and make-up to hide her true age. He didn’t understand it but, he allowed her what she wanted because it made her happy. He didn’t mind getting older while she still looked in her early 60’s. They had shared many happy years together and he hoped they would spend many more. Now, he didn’t know how he was going to deal with a wife that looked like she was in her early 30’s without all the enhancements. What would their friends think? Maybe that he was having an affair? Would they recognize Lara without the extras? Was he ready for her to change? Yes. The answer was always yes.

“Are you going to need the jet?”

“I suppose so. I will make the arrangements later.”


“What about New Year’s? I will be back in time to go out if you’d like,” she smiled sweetly at her husband.

She couldn’t believe how she deserved such a wonderful man. He was husband number five but he’d never know that. When they met, she was just a divorced widow and that’s all she’d shared. Frank wasn’t the type to ask too many personal questions. He had been unbelievably kind to her when she had to tell him about her mutations and the fact that she was never going to age. He’d told her that as long as she loved him, having a few unique mutations didn’t matter to him. That he didn’t care if she grew a mermaid tail, he was going to love her for the rest of his days. She married him within that same week as her confession to him.

“Maybe, depends on the weather when you return. I don’t want to wander far if Logan happens to pop the question.”

“True. You think he might do it right away or wait until Valentine’s Day next year?”

“I don’t know. I saw something in his eye, so maybe he might do it soon.”

“I couldn’t think of a better thing to do on a New Year’s Eve, if I were them.”

“Yeah, I’ve got to let Lionel know we’re going to need to borrow his boat again later, once we know when the wedding date is, and we can plan accordingly.”
“I wonder what kind of theme they’re going to have for the wedding. I didn’t get the chance to ask Marie about her plans. I’m sure she’s been planning her wedding since she was a little girl.”

“What little girl hasn’t ever planned their wedding since they were young?”

“Would you like some coffee?” Lara said, changing the subject.

“Love some, decaf if you have it.”

Lara went through the swinging shutter-like doors into the kitchen and began making coffee. She’d plan what to wear for a cold winter in Montana. Somewhere just outside the Kootenai National Forest but before Tooley Lake, Montana, Lara had a home. Kind of like a sanctuary in the middle of nowhere, where she once had a garden and pretty much kept to herself until she met husband number two. When he died, she left Montana for a good long time, her past left behind in the snow.


Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
6:00 A.M.

Marie got up and slid out of Logan’s bed. She found her shoes and grabbed Logan’s flannel shirt to cover her assets before going to her room. When she went inside, she noticed that the rose petals were gone. She wondered how Logan cleaned up when he was with her most of all the time they were gone. She changed into a clean pair of jeans, a white bra and panty set, and a cream colored t-shirt, under Logan’s red flannel shirt. Then she headed to the kitchen to start the school’s coffee machine and Logan’s but, she found Jubilee had beaten her to it.

“Good morning, chica.”

“Mornin’ Jubes,” she said in a suddenly cheerful voice.

“So, what time did your fiancé finally get you get to sleep last night?”

“Uh, a little aftah three ah think. Mah coach was well inta the pumpkin stage.”

“Did you know Chloe was up late before you got home?”

“Naw, what was she up to?”

“On a top secret mission for Mr. Logan and Ms. Rogue.”

“Really? What kindah mission?”

“Somehow she had a key to get into your room and she started cleaning up the rose petals all around your room and bathroom. Then everything went into a black trash bag and she put it inside Logan’s truck before I caught her in the garage getting rid of the evidence.”

“What kindah stuff was it?”

“From what I could spy, there were the rose petals, boats, coconuts, leis, and grass skirts.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, chica, that stinker Logan went and planned to take you somewhere tropical for Christmas. I ran into Hank on his way down to the Med Lab and I pried a little info out of him since I knew Logan and he were sure buddy-buddy the few days before Ororo’s party.”


Marie felt like such a heel for not checking with Logan before making her plans for Christmas. Now he was probably out a couple thousand dollars for flights they weren’t going to be going on.

“Oh Jubes, ah’ve gotta make it up ta him. Ah didn’t even think ta ask if he’d made plans before ah made mahn.”

“I don’t think he’s too upset about it, Roguey. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

Maybe so but, she was going to try and make it up to him somehow…

“Hey could you and Wolvie take us to the airport this evening?”

“Yeah, sure, why?”

“Remy wants us to go and spend New Year’s with him in Naw’lins, as he calls it.”

“Oh sure Jubes, be glad to, but shouldn’t Remy hire a car and drive ya’ll?”

“He left early this morning to take care of some business. He’s meeting us at the airport where we took the plane to California.”

“Right, yeah, ah’ll let Logan know when he gets up.”

“I trust there weren’t many good nights being said when you got home then?”

Marie blushed, poured herself a cup of coffee, and leaned against the kitchen counter.

“Oh all right, chica. You’re off the hook for now. I’ve got to get Princess Chloe up soon. I’ve got some things to give you both and you’re definitely going to have to help her repack.”

“Just how big are tha gifts?”

“You’ll see.”

“Logan told meh somethin’ while we were in Cali. He said that you were, um, you know,” Marie made the hand gesture of a pregnant belly on her stomach.

“Really?”

“Yeah, he said he smelled it, and you weren’t drinkin’ with us during the toasting. He said you drank somethin’ else.”

“He’s right, chica.”

“Seriously?” Jubilee nodded and Marie felt like she could bust. “Oh Jubes, how wonderful!”

“We stopped at a twenty-four hour pharmacy on the way home to get a pregnancy test. I took it, before Remy left this morning. He knows already. We haven’t told Chloe yet.”

“Yer secret is safe with meh.”


The phone on the wall rang and Marie scrambled to get it in time. She didn’t make it because Chloe sailed right in to the kitchen and grabbed it first. She went back to sipping her coffee.

“Aunt Maybelle’s whore house, you poke it, you bought it. How can I help you?”
“What the…” Logan wanted to swear…

“Hello?”

“Mornin’, kiddo,” Logan said in Chloe’s ear.

“Morning, Mr. Logan.”

“Is Ms. Rogue with you?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Princess, could you please pass the phone to her for me?”

“Nope, I’m getting my breakfast,” she teased

“I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Hmm, all right. Take me to see the sequel to the movie they made about your life, ‘cause I know they’re gonna make one, on opening day in New York City.”


Marie looked at Jubilee in fear. The cat was out of the bag…

“Chloe!” Jubilee yelled at her daughter.


“What?!?” She answered back and got hard stares from her mother and her godmother.

“Okay, hey wait, they made a movie about my life?”

“Yeah, didn’t you know? It’s been huge! All over the world,” Chloe continued.


‘Shit, shit, shit, and shine-ola,’ Marie thought as she heard Chloe go on with Logan on the phone.


“No, I didn’t. Well, do we have a deal?”

“I can get snacks too?”

“Yeah, kid.”

“You promise to take me?” She asked knowing that she’d make him take her to the midnight showing when the movie came out.

“Yeah, kiddo. I promise.”

“Then, it’s a deal. Hey, Queen Roguey, it’s King Logan,” Chloe teased as she handed the phone off.


Logan heard rustling of slippers on tile in the kitchen. A ‘you’re grounded,’ and ‘we promised the Professor,’ came next. So, Jubilee, Chloe, Marie, and Charles knew about this movie about his life… He immediately knew that Kitty and Ororo had to have known about it as well. Just what had they promised Charles? He needed to see him anyway to go over the visions he’d had at Disneyland, now he had ammo to fire questions at him about this mystery movie. Logan thought about what Chloe had said… Huge, all over the world. Maybe he needed to get a copy of this movie about his life? What if it was all true? Then who supplied the information on his past? What if it was just made up? Still, there were probably some bits of truth to the plotline or they wouldn’t have made a movie about him. Obviously Marie, Jubilee, and Chloe had seen it. Who else had seen it? Who was playing him in the movie? He had no clue but, he’d find out. He barely recalled that earlier that year, back in May, Marie, Jubilee, Ororo, Kitty, and Chloe had gone out on a ladies’ night out to the movies. They said they had gone to see a movie with that dancing and singing Hugh guy but, they didn’t say what movie it was. He needed to see if it might trigger the same events like the visions he had at Disneyland, maybe then he could move on with his life…


What he didn’t know, was that the ladies went right in to see Charles later that morning when they got up from their naps. They had waltzed in on cloud nine about four in the morning so they needed to sleep first. At that meeting, they had let Charles read some things from their minds about what they had seen, and then they made a pact with him not to mention the movie or what it contained to Logan because it might be too upsetting to him to view it alone. It killed them all not to say a word but, they all found a way to keep busy and forgot it. It had been totally forgotten until Chloe went and spilled the beans. Marie was really going to have to watch over Logan to make sure he wasn’t alone and most of all not watching that movie. If the episodes he had at Disneyland were any clue to what he was going to be like once he got to see the movie, they were all in for a rough ride.

“Mornin,’ sugah. What can ah get ya?”

“Mornin’ darlin’, my defrosted snow queen. I would like two eggs over easy and a side helping of you, with whipped cream and chocolate syrup,” Logan teased.

Marie instantly turned sixteen shades of red. Then she turned her back to Jubilee and Chloe.

“Ah cain’t get ya that raht now. Is there anythin’ else?”

“How about ya tell me when you and the peanut gallery are ready to eat this afternoon? I’ll spring for lunch.”

“Mmm. Sounds good. Their flight’s this evening, so think ya can fahnd a place ta eat bah noon. We can leave early fer tha snow.”

“I’d like to come for ya now but, I’m still in my warm bed missing you and I don’t need that kindah mess.”

“Red light Logan,” she said, could hear Logan groaning.

“What’s this about a flight?”

“Jubes and Chloe need a lift to tha airport. They’re flyin’ with Remy ta spend New Year’s in Naw’lins. Ah told her we could.”

“Yeah, sure baby. See you later.”


Marie hung up and turned on Chloe.

“Chloe, ah’m so mad at ya, ah could scream. Logan wasn’t supposed ta know ‘bout that movie we saw.”

“I forgot. I’m sorry.” Marie softened a little when she remembered that Chloe had memory problems.

“What did Logan want,” asked Jubilee.

“He’s takin’ us out fer lunch ‘bout noon or so, so that gives us enough tahm ta pack and repack.”

“Oh cool! Last one to… MybedroomisarottenAunt,” Chloe challenged, ran off to her bedroom.

“You gonna chase her, chica?”

“No way, ah’m gonna start breakfast,” she smiled and Jubilee heartily laughed.

Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
7:00 A.M.

Logan finally got up out of bed and turned up the thermostat as best he could before putting on just sweat pants, sans shirt. He had to keep Marie’s Toys warm or Major P. Shrinkage would come to visit. He reached for what he thought was his silver iPod off of his night stand and put the ear buds on. He turned it on and found it was Marie’s, decided to tune into what his girl was listening to. He scrolled through her playlists and found one entitled, Hotness Training. The eyebrow went up in curious surprise as he hit play. The rocking sound of ZZ Top’s, La Grange began to play. The eyebrow stayed up at his hairline and a wicked smile from Wolverine appeared on his face. He began to exercise to warm up his slightly cold joints, doing sit-ups and push-ups as if they were the norm for the day. He finished his little workout to keep him looking great. Then he hit the bathroom to shower to wash the layer of perspiration on is body. A fresh set of warm clothes and he put Marie’s iPod back on to hear Aerosmith sing, What Kind Of Love Are You On. Logan decided he was going to copy Marie’s iPod playlists to his computer and download them into his. His mind turned to thinking up places to take his lunch guests as he made his bed. Then he flopped down on it with his laptop. He went on the net, looked up restaurants, and uploaded Marie’s iPod playlists to his computer. Then he fired off a couple emails to Charles and Hank.

To: mindclass at XavierSchool.net
From: theotherartteacher at XavierSchool.net
Re: WTF…

Chuck, what exactly did you make Marie, Jubilee, Kitty, Ororo, and Chloe promise not to tell me?!?!?!?!?!? I know about the movie… And apparently so does the world!!! Wolverine.

To: labratambassador at XavierSchool.net
From: theotherartteacher at XavierSchool.net
Re: Proposal Plans…

I need ya to call in some favors for me. I wanna propose to Marie where I took her for our first date. Yes, I know there won’t be roses, it will be cold, and covered in snow. Can you make it happen? Thanks… L.


He sat on his bed and was reminded of the strawberries he bought. They would have to be used up tonight before they started to turn bad. Logan started to form a plan for a romantic evening in Marie’s room as he went down to the garage to unload Marie’s car.


Marie’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
8:00 A.M.

“Come on Chloe, don’t use all tha hot water. Ah’ve got someone out heah ah’d lahk ya ta see.”

“But I already know Logan,” Chloe said as she opened the door to a Cub Condo Hugger from Build-A-Bear Workshop that Logan had dropped by while she was in the shower.

Chloe carefully pulled out an elephant dressed in a pastel yellow sundress with little pink and white flowers, and red sunglasses.

“Oh! What’s its name?”

“Well look at tha birth certificate silly.”

“This is Chloe Le Beau. Born December, twenty seventh, two thousand and nine. Made by Anna Marie Caldicott for her goddaughter Chloe Le Beau. Oh Aunt Marie, I love her!”

“Ah got her because ah don’t want ya ta ferget meh while you’re down south with yer daddy. An elephants don’t ferget. She has a special wish in her heart just fer you.”

“What does it say?”

“Ah, ah, it cain’t come true if ah tell ya.”


Marie gave Jubilee a lavender bath set; her favorite scent. Chloe ran off in the towel she borrowed from Marie’s room with the elephant that had her name. She quickly got dressed and left her new friend on her bed. She grabbed a Cub Condo Huggers, the one with the M on it and ran back to Marie’s room.

“Here, this is for you,” Chloe handed Marie the box.

Marie opened the box and pulled out a floppy pony like the one she made. It was wearing a cute pair of cut-off denim shorts, a red tie up top. It looked like Chloe dressed it up like Daisy Duke.

“She’s dressed like I dress in the summer sometimes. Her name is…”

“Don’t tell meh,” Marie said as she pulled out the birth certificate, “Wyldfiah. Ah lahk it. She’s adorable.”

“Hold on, let me get my camera,” said Mrs. Jubilee Le Beau.

Marie rushed into her bathroom, fixed up her hair, and added make-up for the picture. Chloe went back to her room to grab her elephant. They all gathered back in the bedroom. Marie and Chloe sat down on her bed with their animals in their laps.

“Ok you two, get your sillies out, and on three I’ll shoot.” Chloe moved a pastel lemon yellow blonde hair that fell out in between her eyes, and Marie fluffed her own hair.

“One, two, three, and click,” said Jubilee as she took the shot, “Let me take one more, chicas. It’s the last shot on the chip. We could put it in and have them done before we have to take off.”

“Good ahdea and ah want copies,” Marie said as she smoothed the hair on her pony.

“Ok, now put your sillies back in. This is a crazy shot.” Chloe messed up her hair; she and Marie do a half-hearted Charlie’s Angels pose. “Now hold. One, two, three… Click.”

At the last second before Jubilee took the picture, both Marie and Chloe turned their heads and stuck their tongues out at the camera. After the shot, all three were laughing so hard. Marie’s sides hurt.

“This is also fer you,” Marie said, handed Chloe a specially put together bath set almost like the one she gave to her mother.

“Oh cool Marie.”

“It’s got lotsa bath oils in cool shapes ah thought ya would lahk. Each of them has a different scent.”

“This is so rad Marie. Thanks!” Chloe jumped up and into Marie’s arms for a big hug.

“We better go get packed,” said Jubilee. “But first I’ll go reheat Chloe’s breakfast and we can go over your wedding plans chica.”

Marie took over her bathroom again and slipped into her shower, thankful that the pipes seemed to be still working the hot water through. Chloe took her shower in Marie’s room because she didn’t like having to share her shower with the other students and Marie said she could borrow her shower whenever she wanted. Marie dressed in layers because it was going to be cold out and straightened up her messy bed cover, while Chloe was downstairs practically inhaling her breakfast.


Dining Room
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
10:30 A.M.

Marie, Chloe, and Jubilee were all sitting around the Instructor’s Table, brainstorming plans of what Marie’s dream wedding should be like, when her cell phone rang.

“Hey baby, it’s me. I’m on the way back to the school. I decided go on a morning ride on Scott’s bike. See you in a half hour.”

“Be careful Logan, see ya soon, love ya, sugah.”

“Love you too, ninja girl.”

“Logan’s on his way,” Marie said worried. Even though he could heal, she hated it when he went out on Scott’s bike in the snow.

“Let’s go make ourselves up,” Jubilee said as she stood from the Instructor’s Table. She packed up everything in a notebook binder marked, Roguey and Wolvie.

Marie started her inner clock to count down the minutes it would take Logan to get back to her arms. When the half hour was up, Marie began to pace in the Rec Room, hoping her baby hadn’t gotten in an accident. Worse yet, that he’d been in an accident and recaptured. She started her inner clock again to start counting the minutes he was late. She knows that even though he is going to be late she would forgive him just about anything. She looked over, saw that Chloe popped in Cinderella in the DVD player, and sat to watch it with her mother while she paced.

“Marie, I’m sure Wolvie’s fine. He probably got stuck in traffic. He’ll be here.”

“Ah know, ah guess ya could say mah stomach is what’s makin’ me pace,” Marie said as she sat down on the corner of the couch next to Jubilee and Jubilee held her hand.


Suddenly, a deep couple of thuds hit on the front door, and instantly Marie ran to put her hand on the cold metal knob. She stopped a moment to breath and then she opened the door to Nannook of the North. Logan was so bundled up in his parka; Marie could barely make him out.

“Hi darlin’, can I come in?”

“Logan?” Marie asked a little dumbstruck. She wasn’t used to him being all decked out in winter gear.

“Yeah sure, Logan.” Came from Jubilee. “But ya know you don’t have to ask Wolvie. You live here.”

“Yeah, but it’s so friggin’ cold out there, I forgot my keys here to open the door.” Absently, Marie shut the door and finally snapped out of it.

‘He was here, he was okay, breathe, Marie.’ She thought.

“What took you so long? Marie’s been pacing,” proudly stated Chloe.

“Chloe!” Marie yelled.

“Sorry darlin’. I got stuck behind a snow plow. Anyway, are you ladies ready to go? By the time we get to where we’re headed it will be about noon, lotsa snow pack out there.”

“We’re starved,” Chloe said.

“Ah second that motion,” said Marie.

“I’ll help carry luggage if you all want to climb into the Suburban. We can blast the heater on all the way there.”

“Ok, we’ll take the keys and get in,” said Mrs. Le Beau.

“Meet you there,” said Logan.


Logan turned to Marie and quickly backed her against the staircase wall. He took off his thickly insulated gloves off and took her face in his hands before he deeply, passionately kissed her. Both could barely breathe when he let her go.

“What was that for, sugah?”

“I missed you this morning when I found your side of the bed cold and it’s a promise of things to come tonight.”

“Maybe we should let Hank and ‘Ro take Jubes and Chloe ta tha airport? Ah wanna get meh moah that kiss raht now.”

“Patience, darlin’.”

He kissed her between her eyebrows and then turned to pick up their lunch companion’s luggage. It was going to take at least three trips to load the SUV. He didn’t realize the weight was going to be so heavy.

“What the hell’s Yellow got in here, books?”

Logan went out and dropped off the first batch. When he got back, Marie pinned him against the same spot and kissed his warm, soft lips. She gently bit his lip before she let him go and Logan could feel the Wolverine growl his approval.

“I thought you said you were starving? If you keep that up, I just might forget about lunch all together.”

“Ah am but, not entirely for food. Ah missed you this mornin’ too.”

“We better get goin’ before they send out a search party.”


Soon Logan got in behind the wheel and quickly turned on the heater. Marie helped Jubilee and Chloe get settled in the back seat. Then Marie hopped into the passenger seat and Logan got the show on the road.

“So where are you taking us Mr. Logan,” Chloe queried.

“How about I surprise ya kiddo?”

“Well, since ya wanna be that way, we wanna stop and drop off this camera chip. We can pick up the pictures and chip on the way back after lunch,” said Jubilee she handed Marie the small two gigabyte chip.

“We can do that,” Logan said as he turned left out of the school gate.

A while later, they stopped, Marie went to drop off the chip at a developer, and they all went on to lunch in the city.


Hard Rock Café-New York
1501 Broadway
New York, NY.
12:00 P.M.

“We’re here. Wow Logan, I’ve never been here before. This is cool,” Chloe said as she climbed out of the front seat of Logan’s camper truck.

“Ah’m impressed, sugah. Ah thought ya wouldn’t come ta one of these because they serve mah kindah food.”

“As long as they got somethin’ that was formerly a cow, it’s my kindah place.”

“I’ve never been to one a-these either, come to think of it Wolvie,” said Mrs. Jubilee Le Beau.

The waitress found them a small booth. Jubilee sat on the right end and Chloe slid in from the left. Then Marie sat next to Chloe and Logan was on the left end of the half circle. They all looked at menus and before he looked at his menu, Logan happened to look up to see Marie’s tongue dart out, moisten her lower lip, and disappear. Then she sent her tongue out again, this time to her upper lip. Never once did she look at him. The acts immediately sent blood to the region containing Marie’s Toys. He gritted his teeth and focused his attention on the choices of dead cow.

The Jumbo Combo the ladies ordered had handmade onion rings, hickory-smoked chicken wings, potato skins, Santa Fe spring rolls, and Tupelo chicken tenders, and served with four different sauces for mixing and matching. After they ordered the combo and a couple sides of twisted mac and cheese, Logan headed straight for the meat. He ordered a couple orders of hickory-smoked bar-b-que ribs. He was going to be getting two full racks of West Tennessee style ribs, rubbed, basted with their authentic hickory bar-b-que sauce, and cooked to perfection. The meat was just going to fall off the bone, served with double orders of seasoned fries, ranch beans, and fresh coleslaw. Not to mention the two side orders of garlic toast. The animal was hungry… The poor man had to find a place to put it all.

Logan didn’t bother with Marie with the fact that she was eating fattening food because he’d look like a hypocrite across the table with his ribs. Besides, he knew they’d be working off some of those fattening calories later… As for Jubilee and Chloe… Maybe he could talk Ororo into finding a way to find a pregnancy exercise instructor to get her in shape for the birth? He’d make sure Chloe ran little errands for him to burn off the calories she was eating. Something fun to keep her interested and maybe a present was in it for her as well. If she was anything like Jubilee, he’d have to keep Chloe well supplied with gifts to keep her quiet.


“I see you have her trained Marie,” said Logan as he smirked at Marie, using the eyebrow.

“Why a-course, she’s mah goddaughtah and ah wanna teach her tha finer points of enjoying different kindah foods. Ah mean, come on Logan. It’s not lahk she gets them at home all tha tahm.”

“Yeah and besides. I made the cross country team for spring, so a girl’s gotta eat to get energy,” said Chloe.

“Chloe! Ya didn’t tell meh that, congrats, sugah,” he looked over to see Marie giving Chloe a half hug since she was right next to her on the padded booth seat.

“Congratulations, Chloe,” said Logan.

“Good, now I can stop holding that secret, now that the cat’s out of the bag. She made me pinkie-swear not to tell you, chica,” said Jubilee.

Hard Rock Café-New York
1501 Broadway
New York, NY.
2:00 P.M.

While they were at lunch, Remy called Jubilee and bumped up their flight because a storm was coming in to New York. It wasn’t going to be extremely big but, nonetheless, he didn’t want to get caught in it. So they decided not to go back to the school. They went and picked up their pictures and Jubilee’s chip. Marie grabbed copies of the pictures she wanted while they were there as well. Logan stayed behind in the Suburban keeping the heater on. He turned on his personal cell phone to check his email. He was surprised to get replies back from Hank and Charles so soon, and an email from Frank. The boat went back to its owner with the provision that Logan just needed to give Frank fair warning to get it back in time to surprise Marie for their honeymoon. He selected Hank’s email.

To: theotherartteacher at XavierSchool.net
From: labratambassador at XavierSchool.net
Re: Proposal Plans…

Done. I’ll even make certain that you will not have to go through the metal detector. Have you decided when you will need it? Get back to me as soon as possible so I can get the request completed within a timely manner. McCoy.

To: theotherartteacher@XavierSchool.net
From: mindclass@XavierSchool.net
Re: WTF…

Logan, watch your language… I have a 3:00 o’clock appointment free if you wish to speak. We should converse in person. Wheels.

Logan smiled but, then looked at the clock. It was already after two-thirty. He wouldn’t be able to make that meeting, so he sent a text message instead.

[Out w/Marie, Le Beaus. Won’t make it back 4 3 P.M. Move 2 4? L.]

[Understood, meeting moved. C.]

He got Charles’ reply just before the ladies came back out to the SUV. Then Logan drove the ladies to the same airport that they used for their California adventure.


Westchester County Airport
Westchester, NY.
3:00 P.M.

Everyone said their good-byes inside the SUV because it was too damn cold outside the vehicle and no one wanted to be out in the cold with a long good-bye. Logan got their luggage out of the back. A small crew from the airport came and received their luggage. He watched as Jubilee and Chloe turned to wave to Marie in her window when they reached the giant ladder to the door of the 747. She waved back and Jubilee started up the steps with Chloe. Jubilee banged on the plane’s door when they reached the top. She stepped back when it came open. Then Chloe and her mom boarded her father’s plane with one last wave to Marie. Marie waved until they went inside. Logan fully pulled away from the gate when he saw the plane’s door close and roll away to prepare for take-off. Suddenly, Marie turned to him and wove her arms around his, looking devilishly seductive up into his face…

“Your place or mine, sugah?”

“As much as I’d love to take ya home and ravish ya like you wish, I have a meetin’ with Xavier at four, this afternoon but, then I’m yours darlin’, for the rest of the night.”

Marie was instantly worried. Was he trying to get to that movie faster than she’d planned? Hell yeah, but, he had the right. It was his life. He lived what the movie was about. She knew she couldn’t stop him from meeting with Charles or from seeing the movie but, she knew she’d be there to pick up the pieces of the man in the aftermath of his mental destruction. She said a silent prayer that the damage done to his mind wouldn’t be as severe as she thought it would be. Marie tried to cover up her fear by kissing him on the cheek. Then she rested her head on Logan’s shoulder.


When Logan had mentioned the meeting with Xavier, he had suddenly smelled a spike of fear in her scent. There was something she was hiding from him and he didn’t like it, one bit but, he let it go. The ride back to the school was longer than expected because the traffic had backed up worse than he’d planned. They pulled into the driveway with ten minutes to spare until four o’clock.

“I’ll see ya later in my room as soon as I’m done with Chuck.”

“Ah’ll be countin’ tha minutes, sugah.”

Logan headed out of the garage and in through the front door.


Headmaster’s Office
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
4:00 P.M.

Before Logan could knock, Charles had told him to enter. He went into the office and closed the door. He kept the animal in check but, its anger was bubbling to the surface. He was more disappointed than anything. He remembered their conversation after the attack on the school and the loss of Jean. He’d asked him why he couldn’t be straight with him and give him the answers he was seeking. Yes, the mind wasn’t a box you could just open but, Logan felt like the least Xavier could have done was given him more clues to help his mind discover the truth. Obviously, there was something in his past that Xavier didn’t want him to know. Was a part of his past so mentally damaging that maybe he didn’t want to know himself?

“Logan, please take a seat.”

He nodded and sat in a chair across the desk from Charles. There were so many things he wanted to get out at once. So many things he wanted to yell and scream over but, he didn’t know where to begin.

“So… You know about the motion picture made about your life.”

“Yeah, I found out from Chloe Le Beau.”

“What is it you wish to know?”

“Who, what, when, where, why, how.”


“I am making my opinion known that I don’t think this is a good idea Logan,” Charles said and considered Logan’s state.

“I ain’t waitin’ any longer, Chuck. You’ve put me off one too many damn times. What are ya keepin’ from me? What is so damn bad that you’ve kept me from it all the years I’ve been here?” He heard the pain and anger in Logan’s voice. “Not knowin’ my past is holdin’ me back.”

Charles knew that it would be wrong of him to hold Logan back much longer, because he knew that he couldn’t stop Logan from finding out what was in the film.

“All right Logan. We’ll start with whom… The writers of the film contacted the school to get information about you for an upcoming motion picture. They wanted to do a film about you since you were the hero that saved San Francisco. I sent them as much information as I had, to help build some kind of trust with humans about mutants; that we have faults but, we are just as human as they are. They wove the information together into what they deemed a credible story. I must also tell you that they have done films about how you and Rogue arrived, the attack on the school, the loss of Jean and Scott. They have already approached me about doing a story about Erik and I, and how the school started.”

“I’m no hero, Chuck, you know that. Still, why keep my past from me instead of givin’ me a friggin’ clue where to look,” he asked, the frustration clearly strong in his voice.

“Because William Stryker shot you, point blank, in the head… With an adamantium bullet.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means that he effectively erased your past from your conscious memory. The only way to access your mind presently is to allow me into your mind to help it build new pathways, and fill in the blanks. However, I do not think it is wise because it could destroy any control you have over the animal. You would lose your humanity and adapt a more feral state. It would be extremely dangerous to allow you to be around the students, so you would have to be held under sedation in the infirmary, possibly permanently depending on the severity of your feral state.”

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this sooner?”

“Because I felt that you weren’t ready for the truth, Logan.”


“What were you doin,’ sendin’ me on some wild goose chase of tidbits because you thought you could control me, like a dog fetchin’ a stick? Like bein’ immortal ain’t enough, now I need a challenge to keep me busy… And like an idiot, I came back to you feelin’ like you were gonna help me. I have been wanderin’ for more than 15 years lookin’ for answers!” Logan yelled.

He saw the calm in Xavier’s face but, he also saw the guilt. He could smell it. Logan was angry and now the animal was getting angry because of all the time wasted in tracking down clues. Time, he could’ve been spending with Marie. Logan’s knuckles began to burn with the pain of the blades trying to come to the surface, not quite breaking the skin but, giving him pain all the same. Marie… She knew about the movie. Why didn’t she tell him? Right, because of Xavier’s influence…

“It was not my intention to make you feel that way, Logan. And for that I am profoundly sorry.”

Logan could smell that he was telling a half truth. There was something hidden that he wasn’t being truthful with him about.

“Why didn’t you just read my friggin’ mind like I asked when I came back from Alkali Lake the first time? What was the real reason you didn’t want me to know about my past, and you better gimme the God’s honest truth, now!“ The animal let loose the claws this time as he sat in the chair, one set pointed at Xavier.


Charles knew that if he was going to gain any ground, he was going to have to come clean. About everything…

“Because there was no time. I had to deal with the attack on the President and the negative direction that the government was taking, I feared headed towards passing the Mutant Registration Act. I was petrified of losing such a skilled warrior and you have been an extremely valuable asset to the X-Men team.”

“Scooter didn’t think so.”

“I’ll give you that. You are a loose cannon. Your methods are unconventional and a bit controversial but, you complete the mission objective. You would be a valuable asset to Magneto as well because he could control you by your skeleton. Magneto was amplifying his Brotherhood of Mutants and continuing to cause a war between mutants and humans when you and Rogue arrived. I needed the most skilled warriors I had to go up against him. Can you stop a moment and imagine my position? If I told you everything about your past, it would have destroyed you, and you could have killed millions of people if you went into your feral state. The government would have immediately ratified the Mutant Registration Act. Magneto would have been right there, trying to kidnap you from under my nose and, recruit you. I couldn’t allow that to happen. So, I kept you in the dark and gave you what I could.”

‘So, you let him take Rogue instead, is that it?’ He could hear Logan’s thoughts because he was angry and projecting loudly.

‘Not exactly. I had to allow her to be taken so that the X-Men could stop him from his killing machine. I didn’t want to allow her to be taken. Magneto had me in a corner,’ he replied telepathically, and thinking of one of their afternoons playing chess.

“What the fuck! What if we hadn’t gotten there in time? What if she had died? What if I had died? What if his plan had worked? Damn it,” Logan yelled and jumped up from his seat.

Charles could see that he was looking for something to take his aggression out on. He needed to calm both the man and animal down before he needed to justify to himself the cost of a new office of antique furniture. He watched Logan pace the floor left six feet, turn right, six feet, and repeat.

“The point is, Logan, that it didn’t work and he was in prison for a very long time.”

“And he got out…”

“And if he would have allowed me to read him, I would have known that he was dying of prostate cancer. And now my old friend is gone.” Charles looked saddened. “He died a human; I think one of his biggest fears, aside from mutant concentration camps, the mutant registration act, and government labs.”


“Well, he can fuck himself in hell for all I care.”

“Logan, he had good in him once, just as you do. Unfortunately, his mutation manifested in one of the world’s worst periods in history and the Nazi’s used him as a weapon. You both are a like in those respects, both of you have been used as weapons against your will.”

“Don’t you fuckin’ compare me with him,” Logan pointed his claws at Charles.

“All right, then we’ll talk about Marie. I made Ororo, Jubilee, Chloe, Kitty, and Marie promise not to mention anything from the film because you were still getting over Dark Phoenix and Jean. You needed time to grieve. Adding on your past would have been disastrous and I explained that to the ladies. Marie made the ultimate decision not to tell you.”

Charles was quick to make an addendum to that last statement, and Logan lifted the eyebrow at him.

“I know where you’re headed with this train of thought. No, Marie didn’t intend to hurt you by not telling you about what she had seen. I know how much you care for each other and there was no malice in her decision. She has your best interest at heart, Logan. Remember, she has a part of you in her. She will have to discuss details of what lead her to keep it from you.”

“I want a copy of that movie as soon as possible,” the man had finally calmed the animal down as the claws went back inside his knuckles.

“Logan. I know you don’t want to listen to me right now but, please consider what you are asking. Do you want to ruin the happiness you and Marie have now? You’re about to get married…”


Logan sat back down as he began to consider his options. Could he do it, put Marie through the hell of watching his destruction…? After all, what proof did Xavier have that he would self-implode? What if he watched it and was fine? What if he watched it and was a total wreck? Would Marie still want him as her mate? Could she live with a feral and mentally challenged husband? She had been through so much with her past and waiting for him to get his head out of his ass, did he really want to ruin things with her now? He didn’t care if he disappointed people but, when it came to Marie… She mattered. He couldn’t lose her, he realized, it would crush him if she walked away now, regardless if he watched the film or not.

“I’ll wait for Marie. We’ll talk and come to a decision together. By the way, while I was in California, I had several flashbacks. I think there were several things triggerin’ ‘em, because they happened at different places Marie and I went.”

“I see, and what do you remember of these visions?”

“They might have been triggered by scent and whatever I was looking at, at the time. It started with the train I saw when we entered the park. I felt drawn to it when I saw it pull into the station. It felt familiar, like I had ridden on a train several times before.”

“Do you remember what aromas that you picked up before you felt that experience?” Logan closed his eyes and tried to remember the scents.

“Burning wood and coal. I had another when we rode through the jungle landscape on the way to New Orleans Square. I was lookin’ out into the landscape and there were bamboo stalks and trees of various kinds. The rain forest scent comes to mind and it reminded me of the jungles in Asia. Then I saw Victor Creed with a gun in uniform.” Logan closed his eyes again and hung his head. “I had a gun and in the same colored uniform. I heard a voice yelling and then a sudden flood of sounds, men, women, and children screaming. Then gunshots and I suddenly popped back out of it as the recordin’ played that we had arrived.”

“So far, it sounds like the visions you had are definitely memories. Please go on.”


“We had just finished that Pirates of the Caribbean ride and wandered into a store. I picked a toy sword up out of a barrel and held it in my hand. I don’t remember a scent involved here. I was wearin’ a black gi and sword fightin’ with someone. Couldn’t tell if I was practicin’ moves or in a real fight. There were several men around me with weapons ready to attack. I couldn’t see their faces but, they were in black from head to toe. Marie grabbed my free hand and I came back. I could see by the look in her eyes that another flashback had happened.”

“Interesting,” Charles said, knowing full well that Logan had remembered some of his time in Japan, Asia, and the American Civil War. “Were there more episodes after?”

“Yeah, after dinner. Marie and I took the train back around to the main gate. Low clouds had set in through the trees. The night felt eerily still but, a slight breeze rustled the leaves. Darkness closed in around us and I felt like I was home, in Canada I mean. Marie asked me as much and I smelled Marie’s hair. Then suddenly I was runnin’ through the trees. I was in my pajamas and robe. I don’t remember who I was runnin’ with but, the kid told me to run. We had to get away because something bad had happened.”

Charles wrote down a few more notes as he listened to Logan.

“Marie was rubbin’ my hand when I came back that time. I told her the smells were different than in Canada but, the river and the trees reminded me of that night I was runnin’.”

“What did you feel after each of the events?”

“Scared shitless. I was afraid I was going to lose control while I was having them.”

“Do you think you might be able to trigger them again?”

“I suppose, if I saw and smelled the same conditions as California. I haven’t thought about the episodes since they happened.”

“If you decide to, please inform me of any new episodes that come forth. I’ll see to it that you get a copy of the motion picture but, please come to see me before you view it. I might be able to help lessen the severity of the damage in your mind before you watch it,” Charles looked visibly pleased.

“Agreed and don’t keep anything else from me, especially when it comes to Marie.”

“Understood. Now, you have an evening to get started and I have to finish all this on my desk before I have to go invite Moira to dinner.”

He didn’t dare tell Logan the secret that Moira had shared in California about the genetic lab testing they were doing for Marie so that she might be able to not pass on her mutation to any offspring she might have with Logan.

“Right, I should go. I’m glad we got things straight. No more hiding, got it Chuck?”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Good afternoon, Logan.”

“Afternoon,” Logan said as he closed the door behind him on the way out.


The Wyle Home
San Diego, CA.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
9:30 P.M.

By nine-thirty, Lara had packed a small luggage bag on wheels that could double as a backpack if needed, and had made her flight plans. First thing in the morning, Frank would take her to the airport and see her off. Now, she and Frank were out in their back yard under the stars, sitting around their fire pit. She was sitting with her legs curled up under her, her back against Frank’s chest. Her mind racing with what if’s, doubts, and right, wrong.

“Do you think Logan will accept me for who I really am once he knows?”

“Lara, honey, don’t beat you up over it. If he doesn’t, then he’s an idiot and you’ve got me, and don’t forget you’ve got Anna Marie Caldicott to whip him into flying right.”

Lara smiled as she let the tiredness in her body spring forth.

“Yeah, you’re right. She reminds me of me, a very long time ago. She’s good for him; I could tell just watching them in California.”

“Is everything really all right with you?”

“It will be, once I go back to where my life here in the states started.”

“What’s there?”

“Memories and several lifetimes,” Lara told him a half truth.

She had to keep some secrets to herself… Because she wasn’t just protecting herself from people discovering her real age, she believed that she was protecting someone very special. She didn’t want anyone to find out about Lily Hart. Lara yawned about an hour later, decided that it was time to go take off her mask.

“I’m tired. I’m going to go get ready for bed.”

“All right, I’ll be along in a bit.”


Lara went into the house and into the master bedroom. She headed right for her antique make-up table. She pulled out the floral patterned, plush padded stool, and sat. She looked at herself in the mirror. A long time had passed since she’d lived without the modern age enhancements and make-up. Her mask hid her journey from cowboys and store keepers to an internet salesman. The brunette wig came off first, to show her shorter dark chocolate hair done up to hide it under the wig. Lara reached for her neck and began to peel away the rubber addition over her throat to make her neck look more aged. Next, went the rubber jowls and the rubber nose. She went on removing everything until she was bare. She didn’t look at herself in the mirror as she got up and went into the bathroom. She washed her face and padded it dry before she then took the time to really look at herself. She almost wanted to cry. Looking back at her was a one-hundred and sixty-four year old woman, with all the appropriate blessings that came with looking thirty–three. Lara suddenly felt even more tired but, it was over. She didn’t have to hide anymore, now that Logan and Anna Marie had found her, she felt that after meeting Logan, that he would take care of Lily if anything happened to her. Frank couldn’t because he knew nothing about Lily and he didn’t have Lara’s advanced healing mutation. Aside from her ability to talk with cetaceans she had advanced healing from her father. Lara slipped on her night gown and didn’t notice Frank had been standing behind her naked body before she put the gown on.

“Baby, you make me feel like a randy teenager,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and placed a kiss on the left side of her neck.

“And you make my heart glad. Come, let’s go to bed.”

Lara took Frank’s hand and led him to his side of the bed. She gave him a kiss and went around to her side of the bed. She slipped in between the sheets and turned off her light on her night table. Then she rolled to face Frank’s side of the bed. She watched her husband undress and slip between the eggplant colored flannel sheets. He took her hands in his, kissed the backs of her hands, and then a good night kiss. After the kiss, she curled up to his side, fell asleep listening to his breathing, and heart beat rate.


Marie’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
4:00 P.M.

Once Marie got upstairs, just sitting around waiting for Logan to finish his meeting with the Professor didn’t sound like a good idea to her. She knew it would drive her crazy. So, she went to her room and changed her clothing to a black full skin-hugging body suit made of a material so thin, it allowed her skin to breathe; more so than any spandex or tights. She decided to work off some of the anxiety by going to work out in the gym. Hopefully, Logan would come find her after the meeting, if things went well. If they didn’t, she tried to promise herself that she wouldn’t panic. She went looking for her silver iPod from the top drawer of her dresser. It mysteriously wasn’t where she’d remembered she’d left it. She started tearing apart her room looking, floor to ceiling for it. It was nowhere to be found. Marie decided to go look in Logan’s room because it’s where she spent the most time recently. She grabbed an iPod off of Logan’s night stand, thinking it was hers.

She was soon to discover it was Logan’s when she put the ear buds on. Logan didn’t talk much about his musical tastes and so she decided to check his playlists out. She scrolled through his playlists and found one named, Marie. Her inner Logan made her eyebrow go up in snooping surprise as she hit play. The slow sad song of VAST’s, Flames began to play. She listened to the first minute and the music did something to her. It touched her deeply inside and made her almost want to cry. She immediately changed her plans. Marie went back to her room and sat down at her desk in front of her laptop. She downloaded Logan’s playlists to her computer. She took his iPod back to his room and left it where she’d found it. She spotted another one on Logan’s dresser and grabbed it.

Then she went downstairs as she originally planned to do. What had Logan been trying to say with that song? She decided that she needed to listen to the whole song later to get a feel for the lyrics and music. Marie turned on her iPod and put it on Hotness Training. She began to stretch and warm up. Then she hit the treadmill.


Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
5:00 P.M.

Marie finished her workout and went to her room. She picked up Tigger and his travel supply of food. He had an extra food and water bowl over in Logan’s Room. She just made it to the room before Logan left the meeting with Xavier. She set him down after she placed a kiss on his head. Then he scurried off to his favorite hiding spot, under Logan’s bed. He wasn’t too happy with her when she had come in after they got back from California. He was worried about her and hissed at her when she tried to pet him. He was upset because she didn’t let him know she was going to be gone. Marie was a talker. She liked to talk to him when she was frustrated about this or that, so he’d gotten used to her voice. And when he didn’t hear her for two whole days, he worried. She got him over it with a couple cat treats, scratch the back of his head, and under his chin, and she was forgiven. Marie filled his food and water dishes before she opened the bathroom door for him.


Logan’s Room
Instructor’s Wing
Xavier’s School for Gifted Students
Westchester, NY.
5:10 P.M.

Logan finished up with the Professor and went to seek out Marie, hopefully in his room. He arrived at her room and smelled a recent flair of Marie’s scent slowly fading. He opened the door and she wasn’t there. It didn’t really matter anyway. He needed to prep things for later. Logan picked up Marie’s scent trail on the way to his room. It was strong and he stopped a moment, it also smelled feline, and sweaty. He opened his door to see Marie bent over, with her ass to the door, as she had just bent down to put the travel cat food bag in his bottom dresser drawer to keep it away from Tigger.

“I should come home to this view more often,” Logan teased. Marie suddenly stood up and turned to him.

“What view?”

Logan gave her the eyebrow and let his comment slide.

“Ain’t you gonna hit the showers?” He said picking up her sweat laced scent again.

He gave her a quick peck and went to his small in room refrigerator for those late night Molson cravings. He opened the door and noticed Chloe forgot the Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider, entirely all the better for him. He put it in a hand towel from the bathroom and put it on his bed.

“Ah thought we could take a bath tagethah latah. What are your plans for tonaht?”

“Top secret and you don’t have clearance.”

“Well fahn but, ah need ta know what ta wear.”

“You ain’t gonna be needin’ clothing, darlin’,” Logan wolfishly grinned.

“Weah goin’ out nekkid tonaht are we,” Marie teased.

“No. And don’t play twenty questions to get answers outtah me. I need to check my email and get us outtah here tonight.”

“Fahn, ah’ll go grab a change-a clothing anyway.”

“I’ll pick you up in a few minutes.”


Logan happened to look up from his computer on his desk to see her wiggle her buttocks at him before she left his room. He smiled and began to research more restaurants to make reservations for the proposal night. Since he had started at the beginning of December, he had been running out of luck finding a place to eat… Just about all the places he checked out and called were either closed for the holidays or they had a waiting list to get in. So, Logan turned to Hank once more.

To: labratambassador at XavierSchool.net
From: theotherartteacher at XavierSchool.net
Re: Proposal Plans…

Hank, I need help. I need to find a place to eat close to the proposal site. Everything’s closed or packed, got any ideas? Money is no option, palate is open. Please get back to me at your soonest. Thanks, L.

Logan was surprised to see a window pop up on his computer screen, an instant message window on X-Messenger, a program invented by the Professor to be able to give himself a telepathic break on days when he was too tired to listen in to thoughts.

HankLabRat: If you don’t have an aversion to Middle Eastern food, I recommend Mama Ayesha’s Restaurant. They have delicious food.

HankLabRat: I have already called and got you our table, after your email earlier. Ororo and I eat there quite a bit when we are in town. They have set me aside a table for when I visit. I will explain that you and Marie will be going in my stead.

Hank and Ororo spent quite a bit of time at Mama Ayesha’s Restaurant. The food was traditional Middle Eastern food and the place was always busy.

HankLabRat: I’ll get it to you by the end of today.

HankLabRat: TMI Logan.

ClawedCanuck: Fine, fur ball, we’ll go out to the Boat House tonight…

HankLabRat: My family and I thank you, old man.

Hank had given him the too much information warning because Logan not making it to breakfast meant one of two things; either he was having Marie overnight in his room or nightmares. And because once Jean and Scott had passed on, Hank took their room. Then Ororo moved in, they got married, and little Charles McCoy moved in. So any sounds coming from Logan’s room were right next door…


San Diego International Airport
San Diego, CA.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
5:00 A.M.

Lara saw Frank yawn as he handed over her luggage to Ivan, the Wyle’s hired crewman on their private jet. She waited for Frank by the plane’s open door, hugged him when he returned.

“Have a safe flight and I’ll be here to pick you up when you get back.”

“I will and I’ll call once I get settled.”

She leaned forward and kissed Frank good-bye before she went up the steps into the plane. She waved from her favorite seat by the window and soon the plane was in the air. Lara received a pillow from Ivan and she went back to sleep.


Missoula International Airport
Missoula, MT.
12:00 P.M.

Lara arrived at the airport and a rented Jeep Cherokee, with snow chains, was waiting for her by the hangar. Ivan put her luggage in the back and gave her the keys. She hit the road headed for the Triple R Ranch near Tooley Lake, where she usually rented three horses every time she came to visit her cabin. The cabin itself was inaccessible by car. She chose to build her home there that way to make it more difficult to find her if anyone should try to come looking for her, because the rocky roads were hell on the undercarriages of any type of vehicle. It was the kind of rocky road that you had to drive three miles per hour or rocks would fly up and damage vital parts, a horse could navigate it easier. The horses also gave her a sense of going back in time, reminding her of her history. About an hour in, she stopped for lunch and supplies, before she called Frank to let her know that she had made it on the ground. He reminded her to be careful driving in the snow. She finished her bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich with mayo on toasted rye bread before killing the last of her fries. Then she paid the bill and hit the road again to drive the three hours she had left to get to the ranch.


Triple R Ranch
Near Tooley Lake, MT.
4:00 P.M.

Triple R Ranch was a several generation family ranch. Brothers Robert, Randy, and Richard ‘Rick’ Rhodes ran the ranch now. Robert the oldest in his early forties, Randy the youngest still not yet eighteen, and Rick in his early thirties, all around referee in the middle. Lara pulled into the drive near the stables and got out, thankful she’d put on her heavy coat on her way in to lunch. She pulled out her wallet and turned to head to where she thought she could catch someone’s attention. Suddenly, Rick appeared from the barn headed for the main house when he caught sight of her.

“Howdy, can I help you?”

“I called ahead and made a reservation to pick up three horses today. I’m sorry I’m so late.”

“Um, no problem. Come on into the barn and I’ll get you set up.”

Lara could see that he was staring at her a bit like he knew her but, he didn’t voice his query. She had decided at lunch to use cash to pay for this trip so that no one would recognize her. She hadn’t gone as far as disguising her voice… Yet. She watched as Rick pulled out Midnite, Beau, and Geyser out of their stalls and saddle up each one. Midnite, a mare, was named so because of her raven black coat, mane, with the attitude of a twenty-five year old lady. Beau, a stallion, was Georgia clay colored, dark brown mane, and aptly named because you could just fall in love with him, like you would a beau. He’s a sweetheart and very affectionate. You could say he would be about as young looking as Logan, if he were a human. Geyser, a pure white stallion with the attitude of Chris Rock, if he were a horse. He is also aptly named because he pees anytime he wants, anywhere he wants, like the Old Faithful Geyser. He could be in the middle of riding on a trail; he’ll suddenly stop, take a piss, and then go on as if nothing happened. All three were quarter horses. She signed the paperwork and handed over the cash needed. So, with her trio of horses rented, she loaded Beau and Geyser with supplies.

“Here are the keys to my rental. I will be back on Wednesday to pick it up, is that all right?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll have Randy move it in here to keep it out of the snow.”

“Thanks.”

Once she mounted Midnite, Rick handed the reins to Beau and Geyser to her. She rode for two hours into the forest of trees, towards her cabin.


Lara Wyle’s Cabin
Between Tooley Lake and Kootenai National Forest
6:00 P.M.

Lily Hart arrived at the cabin from New Orleans the day before Lara was due to arrive. Right away, she was filled with happy memories. She pulled off the covers off of some of the important furniture, grabbed the broom, and set about cleaning up the cabin. She’d been worried about Lara ever since she’d sent her an email that she’d found James Logan Howlett and she hadn’t gone into much detail. She felt something was wrong with Lara. She felt extreme joy one minute and the next she felt a deep sadness. When Lara called her after Logan accepted Marie’s proposal, she told her to meet her at the cabin as soon as she possibly could get there. As she flew to Montana, the more she felt that she needed to go there. She had hiked in with snow shoes and a few supplies. She couldn’t stay for long because she needed to get back to her restaurant in New Orleans.

She’d made some soup and bread for dinner and put it into the pot-bellied stove to keep it warm. She felt that Lara was near. She poured some coffee into a couple mugs and sat down to wait at the table with a magazine she bought before her flight. When Lara finally arrived, Lily stood and came right out of the cabin, not exuberantly excited but, reserved and with a smile. Lara dismounted, tied the reins on the porch rail before she came up the steps, and gave her a huge bone bruising kind of hug.

“It’s so good to see you,” Lara said. “I have much to catch you up on.”

“Good ta see ya too, Sis. How ya been sugah?”

“I’ve had the most interesting adventure since I told you I found James.”

“James, ya found James? Ah’ve got tha coffee insahd.”

“Go on inside, I’ll get my supplies, and bed the horses.”

“Lemme help. It’ll go fastah.”


So, Lily followed her sister out to the small barn with the trio of horses. Lara put them in the stalls, took off the saddles and bridles off, before Lily began to brush them down. They didn’t speak a word to each other as they followed an unspoken routine. Then when Lily finished, Lara brought them each a horse blanket to keep them warm, food, and water. With Lara’s supplies, the two sisters walked back to the cabin.

“So, start talkin’ sugah, ah’m all ears,” Lily said as she sat on the couch in front of the fireplace ablaze with heat.

“I was contacted by Anna Marie Caldicott, who happens to now be his fiancée,” Lara said as she sat on the couch after retrieving her coffee mug.

“Really? What’s she lahk?”

“She talks like you but, she’s from Mississippi. She’s a wonderful young thing. I wish I could have met him a long time ago. So much time has passed.”

“What’s he look lahk?”

“He’s tall, muscular, fit. His hair is styled weird but, he has sideburns from the old ways.”

“What’s she…”

“Her crown fits right under his chin, and I guess you could say she bleeds southern girl upbringing. She’s fit as well. You know, curvy in all the right places.”

“Sounds lahk a perfect pair.”

“Oh they are sister mine, they are. They both are like us. She has skin that can absorb our gifts and kill with a touch. It’s under control now. He has advanced healing among other things…”

“Tell meh moah.”


“She ran away from home after accidentally putting a boy in a coma and found James on the road in Canada. They were rescued from someone named Sabertooth. They were rescued and ended up at a school in New York for people with gifts like ours. It’s called Xavier’s School for Gifted Students.”

“Really? Ah’ve heard ‘bout him from someone ah know… Um… A southern gent named Remy. Remy Le Beau. He runs a club next dough-ah.”

“You’re kiddin’ right? Oh my… Maybe it really is a small world after all?”

“Nah, he’s right next dough-ah. What’s wrong?”

“Remy Le Beau happens to be the husband of Marie’s best friend, Jubilee.”

“You’re shittin’ meh, really?”

“Yes, I met him in California. Anyway, I also met Charles Xavier.”

“Didn’t he dah a while back?”

“Yes but, that’s another story for another time. So, they were at the school. James accidentally stabbed Marie and she absorbed his gift to save herself. She ran away because of a misunderstanding. James rescued her from someone like us that could manipulate metal. She was near dead; he brought her back to life, and nearly died in the process. Anyway, to make a long story shorter, they danced around each other for a long time, dating and such, neither one wanting to take a risk jeopardizing their friendship, and taking it to the next level. Then on Christmas, Marie took things into her own hands and they slept together. Then later Christmas day, she jumped several steps ahead and proposed.”

“Wow, ya’re raht, this Marie sounds interestin’. Go on.”


“Well, he accepted and they just went back to New York yesterday. He’s planning to do it right and propose to her sometime soon we all hope.”

“Ah’d lahk ta meet James someday.”

“You should. I haven’t asked him yet but, if anything happens to me, I want him to protect you, look in on you. I won’t ask him to take care of you because I know you can handle your own messes but, I want him to check in on you ever once in a while, or give you help when you need it.”

“Lara… Nothin’s gonna happen ta ya,” Lily tried to assure her sister.

“Just hear me out. It will give me peace of mind and I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.”

“Ah heah ya but, ah am mah own woman. Ah haven’t survahved one hundred and sixty-four yeahs without learnin’ a few things.”

“I know, and I’ll make sure he knows that. I’ve also come to another decision. I’m not hiding under make-up anymore.”

“Good fer you, sugah.”

“James hasn’t seen me like this. Oh and by the way, he goes by Logan now. There’s more to the story.”

“Ah see, please go on while ah get us refills,” Lily said as she stood to head to the pot-bellied stove.


“Apparently, Logan can’t remember his past. He has amnesia about his history. Marie has been able to piece together what she could of the memories she absorbed from him, and that’s how she found me in California.”

“How sad…”

“Yeah, that’s not the worst. The U.S. or jointly with the Canadian government enhanced his bones with an indestructible metal called adamantium in hopes to turn him into an ultimate weapon. He has six claws about eighteen inches, I think. I haven’t seen them.”

“Oh mah gawd,” Lily said as she sat back down before handing Lara her refilled coffee mug.

“Yeah, he’s indestructible and with his advanced healing, he’s unstoppable. That’s why he’s trying to stay where he can’t be captured again. Now that he’s at Xavier’s School, the place is built like a fortress. Although, it wasn’t that way a while back. The school was attacked and Logan overhauled the security system there.”

“Ah can see wah you want him ta look aftah meh.”

“Logan is a part of a team called the X-Men and they’ve taken deep hits in the past few years. I put my name in for consideration,” Lara thought she might as well get her thoughts out on the table.

“Weren’t they tha ones that saved San Francisco?”

“Yeah.”

“Wah do ya wanna put yourself at risk like that? That’s lahk standin’ in front of ah freight train in the middle of tha naht.”

“I want to help make the world a better place for us, put my gifts to use.”

“No, Lara. Ah don’t think it’s a good ahdea. Ah can feel yer fear and doubt. If ya were sure, ah’d consider it.”

“I would like for you to meet Frank. Would you come home with me,” Lara asked, trying to change the subject.


“Ah know what yer doin’. You can’t avoid meh for long. Anyway, ah cain’t, Sis, ah’m workin’. Ah’ve got a caterin’ job for a New Year’s Eve Party at mah restaurant.”

“Well, as soon as you’re able then?”

“Yeah, sure, sugah. Ya nevah know when ah maht show up on yer dough-ah step. Probably, sometime aftah tha first. As fer now, ah’ll narrow it down to the first week of January or July. Ah left mah planner at home in mah rush up heah.”

“Just let me know and I’ll get the guest bedroom ready.”

“All raht. How do ya want meh ta meet James… Err… Logan?”

“I haven’t told anyone you exist. Frank doesn’t even know.”

“Ah know, an ah thank ya for keepin’ it that way but, now that ah have a chance ta meet moah family, ah’m jumpin’ at it.”

“When would you want to meet him and Marie? I could send them to New Orleans, you could go to New York, or everyone could come here. Maybe even to my home in California?”

“Ah don’t know. Ah don’t wanna go ta New York alone. You’d have ta come with meh. Ah don’t wanna have them come south. Ah don’t feel comfortable with havin’ them come here yet. We’ll go ta yer house.”

“Fine, I’ll make the arrangements when you say you’re ready to come out to San Diego.”

“Ah’ll get back ta ya when ah know mah set plans. Speakin’-ah Remy Le Beau, ah wondah wah he nevah mentioned Logan? He mentioned, da cher, Marie.”

“I don’t know, maybe they were an item once?”

“Well, in tha tahm ah’ve known Remy Le Beau, he’s a flirt and a playah so, ah wouldn’t be supprahzed if he was taken with tha filly.”


“Jubilee Le Beau better watch out if he’s such a cad.”

“Ah’ll have ta keep mah ah open fer her, ta keep him in lahn.”

“Somehow, I think Jubilee can handle him. I’ve met his wife. Besides, he’s got a family now. He should be quite the reformed player.”

“So, you ready ta eat? Ah have dinner reheated on tha stove.”

“Starving. I want to go to bed early tonight and we’ll go out for a walk tomorrow.”

“Sounds fahn ta meh. We’ll share tha bed upstayahs.”