“I’ll be fine,” Rogue said, rolling her eyes at the empty suite. “Tell him I got groceries. There’s nothing to worry about.”

She heard the growl from the other end of the phone. “Dude, back off,” Jubilee said and Rogue knew it wasn’t intended for her but the eavesdropper.

“Okay, Chica, give me a ring if you need us to airlift you out of there,” Jubilee told her. 

Rogue laughed, “It’s New York City, Jubes, what could go wrong?”

After hanging up the phone, Rogue took stock of what previsions the suite had. There were plenty of toiletries and bottled water if it came to that. Her food stores weren’t what she’d like as she added what little she could get to the other items. By the time this was over she would be sick of sandwiches. 

Turning on the tv, she watched the news for any updates. It looked like the shelter in place might extend for a week instead of the couple of days predicted. It was her own fault for missing the last train back to Salem Center. Maybe she should have taken one of those bags of essentials she’d been helping Xavier’s charity hand out. 

Too late to second guess any of it. There were other people that needed those things worse than her. Besides, she had an odd feeling about how this would turn out, almost a sixth sense. She smiled at her own silliness; it was no sixth sense but the fact that she knew a certain someone too well. 

---

Barely an hour after Rogue had called Jubilee, there was a knock at the door. Actually, it sounded more like a boot kicking at the bottom of the door, a dead giveaway who would be on the other side. Her heart gave a leap as she trotted over to open it. 

“My knight in leather jacket,” she said, getting out of Logan’s way so he could get into the apartment. 

He grunted at her, but let her pull the large cardboard box from under his arm. It was nothing. Coming to her ‘rescue’ wasn’t something he had even thought twice about. Shaking his head at her struggling to carry the box to the kitchen area, he set both to-go bags down by the entrance. After carrying the rest of the food to the counter, he made sure all the locks were done properly. 

“What’d you do, take Scott’s bike?” she asked, unpacking the food.

“He ain’t going to miss it,” he answered, disappearing into the bedroom with her bag. Scott might miss it, but it was safe and sound down in the building’s garage for the few days they’d be there. “Bike’s the best way to get here and get supplies before quarantine takes effect.”

“What are you talking about? It’s only a temporary shutdown,” she said.

“Started as a shelter in place. Been listening to the chatter since you came in to help. They’ve no clue what leaked from that lab, if it’s in the water supply, and if it’s even making those people sick.” Logan walked to the kitchen and opened the freezer to put the packages of meat away. “The city officials will panic and it’ll be a quarantine by morning until they figure it out.”

Wide eyes were her only response as she began to hand him packages. It was obvious that she was concerned she’d taken this too lightly, and he decided not to bring up his disappointment at her calling Jubilee instead of him. She was probably trying to avoid him telling her what she needed to do. It only made his decision to come in and stay with her easier.

“Where’d you get all this?” she asked, giving him the last of the wrapped meat. “Most of the stores were out of fresh meat.” 

“Know a guy,” he answered, putting the last set of steaks on the counter for supper. 

She nodded toward the liquor bottles, “Must know a couple of guys.”

Giving her a sly smile, he unlocked the door to the shared terrace. “Yep, never know when it will come in handy.”

“Doesn’t hurt to know the guy who knows the other guys, either,” she stated, watching him fire up the grill in the middle of the outdoor area. “How’d you find me anyway?”

Snorting, he gave her the ‘don’t be dumb’ look and went back in to rummage through the kitchen drawers. There was only one of Xavier’s properties that the college age X-Men had access to unsupervised. Rogue knew most of her peers thought it was a rule set down by Scott. Through Logan, she’d pieced together that it was a rule set down because of Scott and his brother’s wild party when they were her age. Scott knew the junior X-Men and was wise enough to not lift the rule.

“Okay, that was a dumb question, but why all the food?”  

“Like we were going to sustain ourselves on the bread and lunchmeat you bought with the last twenty dollars on your debit card,” he said, handing her plates and bowls. 

“I’ll have you know I had twenty-five in my account,” she replied as he picked up the steaks to take out to the grill. 

“Uh-huh,” was all she heard before he disappeared out the terrace door. 

Rogue stared at the other food items on the counter and realized they hadn’t put away her favorite ice cream he’d brought. He’d also gotten everything she needed to throw together the one salad he would eat, that she’d learned to make so he would eat a salad. She sighed, feeling the stress that had been building dissipate. It was good to have him there, not because of the food but because he was a solid, reassuring presence in her life. With him at her side, she had the confidence to do anything. 

---

After they ate, and the dishes were washed, they sat back out on the terrace to watch the last of the sunset. The city seemed tired. There was always a steady hum of city life that could be heard, even at the top of this structure. However, tonight it was quiet, maybe even a pinch darker than normal. The city that never sleeps might have been taking a nap.

Rogue looked up at him in the dimming light. What a difference a handful of years made. Not that he’d aged a day, but their friendship had. They knew each other inside and out, or at least as much as two people like them could. That wasn’t to say they didn’t frustrate each other at times, but they’d learned to look past the other’s quirks and work through any annoyances. 

Jubilee and Kitty were her best friends, Logan was something else entirely. She shared things with him that she wouldn’t consider telling others. The two of them were often paired for missions because they seemed to know what the other was thinking. She was the only person he bothered to tell that he was leaving the mansion to clear his head and the only one he ever allowed to tag along. 

“You know I love you right?” she said on a sudden impulse. It was true; something she’d known for a long time, something they’d never discussed even in their most intimate of moments. And there had been many over the years. She knew they’d fallen into a comfortable place where neither one of them was going to do anything to change that, it wasn’t a bad place but she knew they could be more than comfortable. 

Logan simply rubbed her arm absently, and she snuggled further down into his side. He might act nonchalant about it, but she’d seen his brow wrinkle and that put a smile on her face. It wasn’t often that she perplexed him and she knew he was trying to work out if she meant platonically, which would be no surprise to him, or romantically. She would let him figure it out on his own. 

Marie’s relationship with him was something he’d quit trying to quantify a long time ago. She’d mainlined his personality, all his dark tendencies and had come through relatively unchanged. Her acceptance of him, without trying to change him, was rare in his life. 

He was rather selective in whom he considered his friends and most of those he could count on one hand. Marie had never fit into the friend category, not properly like others. He could tell from the beginning she would be something different, even special. 

It never bothered him before now that he hadn’t analyzed her presence in his life and what she might want. He had always been confident that she would let him know. Maybe this was a wake up call.

Then again, what if it wasn’t? He didn’t want to end up pushing his need for more onto her. This was the first time in his remembered life that he felt so unsure of what to do. 

“Think I’m done for this evening,” Rogue said, getting up and walking inside. She saw him stretch, then stand up. Knowing him, he’d double-check everything on the terrace before following her inside and refilling his drink. 

Picking up her bag, she pulled out her things and stacked them up neatly on the long, low dresser. If Logan was right, and he usually was, they would be there for a while. Not long enough to put everything in the dresser, but rummaging around her bag would grow old pretty quick. She grabbed his bag from just outside the door and put it next to her things so he could unpack later. 

Looking back through her clothes, she realized that she’d never packed PJs in her to-go bag. It was for emergencies with a couple of days' worth of essential clothes and toiletries, even a few MREs for a reserve food supply, but no sleepwear. Well, she could still get out of her clothes and sleep in her underwear. 

Moving to the bathroom, she washed her face and folded her clothes nicely at the end of the counter. Her mind turned to sleeping arrangements. When she came here with others, they drew straws or flipped a coin for who slept where. Tonight would be different. Logan would insist she take the bed and he’d find a place on one of the sectional couches. 

The bed was big enough for both of them. The want rose up in her and she wondered if he’d figured out how much she loved him yet. Staring at herself in the mirror, she cursed her mismatched bra and panties. Today she’d gone for comfort without a thought of needing to entice a man to bed her. 

That problem was easily taken care of, she’d had control for some time. Adding her underwear to the pile of clothes, she glanced in the mirror again. Would he take the hint, or would she need to be even bolder? “Bathroom’s all yours,” she declared, stepping into the bedroom. 

Logan had checked the entrances and finished off his drink when she relinquished the bathroom. He didn’t need his bag, he’d unpack it in the morning. Actually, he didn’t need to use the bathroom at all, but it would be a good excuse to check the bedroom and make sure the door to the terrace was secure. 

He walked into the bedroom to Marie standing by the bed naked. Her eyes were full of desire and she looked so gorgeous he almost missed a step. Catching himself, he strode on past her toward the bathroom. Was he really going to be this stupid?

Here he’d been so positive she’d tell him that he’d almost missed it. She knew him too well. Even though they had some personal talks over the years, she knew he preferred action. This was a sign even he wouldn’t miss.

Turning on his heel, he approached her in two easy strides. He stared down at her, feeling like he should say something, but suddenly his ability to speak was gone. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips before they curved up in a mischievous smile. 

Grabbing for her, he drew her in and kissed her hard. She was struggling to keep up with him and he finally let her up for air as he kissed his way down her jaw. A shiver ran through her when he got to a particular spot on her neck. He could hear her heart racing, and his own was matching it. His need for her had been pushed back for so long that now it rushed forward unabated. Every little gasp and moan she made drove him on. 

Rogue tried to walk them back to the bed, but his mouth on her skin was too distracting and she was only successful at a few steps. Instead, she began to work his belt buckle to hopefully move them on to something more intimate. It wasn’t long before he pulled back and took her frustrated fingers in his hands, looking at her. 

“Marie, are you sure?” he asked. 

She wanted to laugh and ask him what he thought the point of her being naked was, but didn’t. Instead, she thought of all the times at the mansion when they’d been on the verge of a kiss and had been interrupted. All the intimate talks and flirting that had gone nowhere because they weren’t truly alone.  

“Yeah,” she said with a nod. “There aren’t any prying eyes or ears here.” He bent over and began to pull off his boots when she tried to stifle a nervous giggle. At his raised eyebrow, she explained, “Kind of sexy with them on.”

“I could…” he began.

“No!,” she squeaked. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “No, I want…,” she paused as he straightened. Rogue cursed the tremor in her hand but drew up his shirt, letting her fingers skim his flesh. “I want all the skin to skin contact I can get.”

He smiled down at her, “Anything you want, Darlin’.”

She helped him pull off his t-shirt and let him undo that damned buckle. When it felt he was taking too long, she closed the distance and stood on her tiptoes for a kiss. He immediately pulled the belt free and brought her in close, running his hands across her back. Taking the opportunity, she undid the button on his jeans and pushed them down so he could kick them off.

This was something she’d been wanting for a long time. The feel of his smooth skin stretched over toned muscle. Her hands glided back up his hips to his ribs, and back down his abdomen, going lower still. She felt herself flush. There were countless individual sexual memories she had access to from numerous people, both men and women, yet the thought of this with Logan made her embarrassed. Despite those memories, they weren’t her experiences, and this all boiled down to just her with no real idea of what he wanted or needed from her. Maybe worse yet, beyond the basic act itself, she didn’t know what she wanted, what would be pleasurable for her. 

Logan’s mind was swimming in a sea of Marie. Her scent, her sounds, the feel of her skin under his fingertips; the only thing missing was the taste of her on his tongue. It was something he wanted to rectify as he picked her up and laid her on the bed. She was willing enough to let him kiss his way down her body until he got to her belly button.

“Uhm...Logan?” she whispered breathlessly. He grunted as he sucked lightly at the delicate skin just above her curls. She grabbed for his shoulder, adding, “Come back up here.”

For a moment he thought about ignoring her request, but all he wanted at the moment was to pleasure her. And if the way her body trembled was any indication, he’d get a chance at this particular act later. Crawling up her body, he settled himself between her knees and saw a nervous smile dance across her lips.

“I love you, Marie,” he stated, kissing her lightly.

“I know,” she teased with a spark of mischief.

She pulled him down for a kiss, relaxing her legs so they fell further apart. He entered her slowly, cautiously to the hilt. When she let him up from the kiss, he rested his forehead on hers. Damn, she was… and his mind drifted from his usual sex thoughts. She was everything he needed, what he’d been searching for, and he made a silent vow not to mess this up. 

Rogue wiggled around underneath him, hoping to spur him into action. She could feel him relaxing, but more than that was the lessening of tension that was always present and she realized this was as different for him as it was for her. “Don’t go all emotional on me,” she finally murmured.

Looking down at her, he raised an eyebrow. Slowly, he withdrew and slipped back in smoothly. She knew by his sly smile that she hadn’t hidden the wow factor of what he did. Not only that, but he repeated the movement with an added twist of his hips until she moaned.  

His smile turned smug, and she tilted her hips on his next thrust. Any show of superiority was replaced with a low growl and a clenched jaw. She stared into his eyes for a moment, watching him struggle with his self-control. He closed his eyes and began to turn his head away. 

“Show me,” she whispered against his sideburn. 

He didn’t turn back to look at her but gave a small impenetrable nod instead. Rearranging them every so slightly, he began a slow steady pace. It held the promise of pleasure that she hadn’t known before and she gave herself up to his movements. 

Her mind wouldn’t go further than the feel of each thrust of his body, the flexing of his muscles. She could see the toll this pace was taking on him. His breath was as ragged as hers, his heart pounding in his chest under her hand. The brief glimpse into his eyes that were full of desire and love, sent her over the edge. She was only vaguely aware of the grunt before a blinding pleasure swept over her. 

Logan tried to hold on, to ride through the waves of her orgasm, but with the first contraction, he knew the battle was lost. Spilling himself into her, he was helpless to do anything more than repeatedly thrusting into her until he was spent. He used the last of his strength and willpower to turn them so she wouldn’t bear the full force of his weight.

---

The next morning Marie stepped from the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel, putting her trust in the building’s water filtration system. Logan gazed up from the pillow and mumbled, “Don’t know what the hurry is.”

“Some of us like to get up and get going,” she retorted, moving toward the nightstand where she’d left her phone.

“No need,” he said, rolling over and pointing at her phone. He waited for her to read the quarantine alert on her lock screen, then answered her question before she asked, “Midnight.”

He got some satisfaction out of watching her try to calculate why she hadn’t noticed and the subsequent “Oh’ on her face when she realized what she’d or more correctly what they’d been doing. “What now?” she asked.

“Got an idea,” he replied gliding his hand from her knee up her inner thigh. Wetting her lips, she peered down at him coyly, “Is that so?”

Without warning, Logan grabbed her. In one smooth motion, he pulled her down and flipped them over, searing her mouth with a kiss. Maybe now he could follow through with that other plan, he thought as he began leaving a trail of kisses down her body while she moaned his name.