Title: "Her Happiness"
Author: Kat Lee
Rating: PG-13/T
Summary: Her happiness does not, and can not, rely on her desire for a normal life.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, names, codenames, places, items, fandoms, titles, and etc. are always © & TM their respective owners, not the author, and are used without permission. Any and all original characters and everything else is © & TM the author and may not be reproduced in any way without the author's express, written permission. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Sometimes, she just wanted a normal life with the man she loved. She wanted to be able to settle down, get married, and maybe have children. She wanted to be able to love her man when she chose instead of having to steal moments between saving the world and fighting for their lives. Instead, here they were on the road yet again.

They had just finished another mission, but Cable wasn't happy. He didn't have to say a word; he never did for her to understand him. She could feel his unease in his taut muscles and saw his anguish every time she looked into his one good eye. He'd have them in another war before the week, possibly even the night, was over.

She sighed and nestled closer into his broad back, settling in for both the physical and metaphorical ride. She didn't know where this adventure would take them. It didn't really matter as long as they got out alive, but she still longed for some easier days, for some moments spent just loving him without worrying about their lives being in danger. She'd be content just to have one night alone with him at this point to be able to make slow, sweet love in ease in a bed that was their own, feel him curl beside her after it was done, and kiss her neck and ear possessively but chastely too.

She just wanted some time alone with him to lead at least a taste of a normal, safe life, but her life had never been normal or safe. She'd tried talking to him once about it but had gotten a spill about great power and responsibility that made the stubborn man sound like his father, the X-Men's leader, Cyclops. She snorted as she was reminded of something Jean Grey had once told her and which she'd soon found to be true: If you married one Summers, you might as well have married the lot of them, because there'd never be a moment when they forgot who and what they were.

Nor, Domino thought, could she so easily forget who and what she was. She was a mutant, a thief, and an assassin. She had been when Nathan had first strode into her life, and she always would be. Her past merged with her present; her future would never be unmarked by either. Her teeth bared as she remembered how Copycat had made that so plain to her. She'd stolen her life, held her captive and pretended to be her with not just her friends but her lover, as well. She had touched Nathan with her hands, kissed him with her lips, and loved him with her body, and despite being a telepath, he had never suspected a thing.

Domino closed her eyes as tears welled up in them. There had not been a day since then that she'd been able to forget how easily Copycat had stolen her man and her life for a year. A whole year, she had been kept in chains while Copycat did her man with her body. Dom's hands clenched harder around Nathan's waist. She needed to shoot something, but there was nothing to shoot.

Sudden yelling caused her to look up as roaring and squealing bikes caught up with theirs. Rictor and Shatterstar took to Cable's left. Domino was surprised but pleased to see that Terry was driving hers and Jimmy's, but then the redhead wailed. Dom smirked. The Irish was totally drunk. But as their team surrounded them, and she looked to each one, her cheek pressed against Nathan's back, Domino slowly realized they already had a family. They were already raising children, even if they didn't have a normal life. They'd never have a normal life, but they'd always have each other.

Copycat would never again take what was hers, and that would have to be enough. She'd make it enough, Dom thought, kissing Nathan's back. She'd make it enough, and she'd never leave his side again. They would be happy. They would be together, and their life, no matter how fraught with danger or filled with gunfire, would also be filled with love. She smiled as Nathan gunned his motor and, in a rare flash of fun immaturity, raced the young'uns. To be forever loved by him would be enough to keep her happy.

The End