"This is highly inappropriate Logan," Scott gulped down harder than he'd anticipated when Logan looked over his shoulder to wink at him as if their plans for the day were anything, but nerve racking to put it mildly.

"Oh come on Slim. It's the one place where people won't question the sunglasses," Logan decided turning around to reach for the towel that Scott clenched tightly around his waist, "besides you said you needed some time to unwind."

"Unwind yes, but we both know the only reason I agreed to this was because the mission we have been on the last few days has been…" Scott opened his mouth to say anything to refute what they were about to enter into with one another, but Logan prevented him from protesting.

"Chuck asked us to dedicate everything to completing this mission. You know as well as I do Slim that there's no turning back now," Logan wiggled his brow suggestively, "unless of course you're afraid there might be reason for concern getting out there on the sand with the others."

"There's plenty of reason for concern," Scott mouthed drawing in a nervous breath when Logan waved his hand dismissively.

"After a few rounds of volleyball you won't even notice that anyone is naked out there," Logan decided reaching for the towel Scott had clung to in the hopes of hanging onto any sense of modesty in the moment when he and Logan were undercover at an exclusive couples retreat posing as a very in need of therapy couple. Then again that part had been easy for Scott as he and Logan had no troubles pretending to a therapist that there were deep seeded issues between them in their relationship. That part had actually felt very close to home, yet when Logan had agreed to meet the others on the beach for a coed naked barbeque on the beach, Scott had attempted to politely refuse. Their therapist Ted had then piped in telling Scott that repression was going to hinder his progress. Logan agreed and now as Logan ran off across the beach with Scott's towel in hand, Scott found himself wanting to kill the man Charles had somehow deemed structured enough to follow through on their mission. However, as Scott watched Logan strut across the beach, tossing Scott's once protective towel over his shoulder, he found himself met by doubts.

"Here goes nothing," Scott decided knowing full well if he refused to head out to meet the others, then there would be questions. Questions would lead to more questions and then he and Logan would be outed on their mission, undoubtedly unable to finish through with what Charles had requested of them.

"Damn it Logan," Scott cursed drawing in a breath and puffing his chest out when he stepped out of his hotel patio and onto the beach where the others had already gravitated towards the water. The entire scene had been far too hedonistic for Scott's tastes as he'd found himself catching the way that the others were pretending not to check one another out. There were hands and legs brushing up against one another, laughter swelling in the air around him and as Logan sat down next to the cooler with an oversized beer can in hand, Scott found himself wanting to strangle Logan for taking away his safety blanket in running away with Scott's towel—that was now carefully spread out beneath Logan's bare bottom.

"Come on over here Slim," Logan patted the towel beside him, making no mistake to flash Scott that same lecherous grin that he'd carried with him for the last few days anytime they were expected to engage in 'therapy' with one another. However, Scott failed to see the therapeutic value in a nudist session out by the water in the hot sand where…

"We were wondering if you were going to join us Scott," one of the women from their therapy group addressed him with a wide grin. She held up a beer can, pushing it out past her exposed breasts to offer it to him, "Care for a drink?"

"I already have one for him right here," Logan wiggled his brow suggestively before nodding down to his lap. The words caused Scott to tense up when he fought the urge to bring his hands over himself to cover his body. However, with everyone watching him he tried to pretend that he wasn't well aware of how on display he was. Naked and exposed to the group, Scott felt the weight of even their therapist's eyes upon him when the man who had spoken to Scott about opening up was now staring blatantly at the root of Scott's masculinity with a long, slow perusal.

"Actually," Scott cleared his throat and pointed to the water, "I think I'm going to go for a swim."

"I'll join you," his therapist decided when Scott fought to voice his protest in the matter. Instead he smiled back at the man behind gritted teeth.

"Sure," Scott replied catching the sudden scowl that carried over Logan's lips when Scott turned away to the water bound and determined to find a way to pull himself together before he wound up blowing their mission altogether.

xxxx

Thirty five minutes. Thirty five fucking minutes, Logan mused to himself with a scowl. That's how long it had been since Scott Summers had paraded out onto the beach in only the skin that God had given him. It seemed almost a pity for Scott to spend so much time hiding it behind those damned turtlenecks and prim and proper slacks that Scott had an affinity for, which was probably why Logan had cajoled Scott into playing social for naked beach volleyball. Scott had been vehemently against the idea in citing that naked volleyball wouldn't bring them closer to the truth about the group they had infiltrated. When Chuck had given them the mission, he'd insisted that it would be dangerous, but nothing had prepared Logan for the fear he would feel in realizing that Scott hadn't returned from his swim with Ted—their swarmy, sleazy, buff, bronzed, self-help guru, who Logan strongly suspected was the leader of the anti-mutant activity in the area that had been behind some horrific mutant deaths in the area. Although they hadn't been able to prove it, there was something about the guy that came off as too ready to put himself out there that made Logan suspicious of him. Now thirty six minutes after Scott had made his retreat into the water with Teddy boy, Logan found himself hating the guy even more.

"I really don't want to do this," Scott had attempted to argue with Logan one last time in the hotel room when Logan had taunted him. Logan, himself, had stripped down armed with an agenda and a need to see Summers naked and basking in the warmth of the sun, had attempted to convince himself everything ahead of them was for the mission. However, deep down Logan knew better than to believe that. He'd been dying to get Scott alone for weeks and when opportunity presented itself to get Scott naked, even if it was around a group of others, Logan had leapt at it. Now, unfortunately, Scott was still out there naked, but nowhere in sight when Logan set down the beer can he'd been practically crushing in his palm for the last ten minutes. Neither Scott nor Ted had returned from their swim and given that the light was starting to fade, Logan found himself worried about Scott.

"They should be back soon," Ted's assistant Mimi assured Logan with a small squeeze to his arm, "Ted likes to show off all the secret hot spots on the island and…"

"Where might those be?" Logan questioned tipping his head to the side to see the way that Mimi was watching him intensely.

"If I told you that, they wouldn't be secrets, now would they?" she wiggled her brow suggestively before allowing her gaze to drop down to Logan's blatant manhood beside her. Her eyes widened while her lips parted with an amused smirk, "Your husband is a very lucky man now, isn't he?"

"He's not going to be if he doesn't return soon," Logan snarled watching the way that she seemed to slide in closer to him. She brought one hand up over her breastbone to draw emphasis to her ample cleavage before she arched her head up towards him.

"Then again, his loss could be my gain Logan," she teased her index finger down over the swell of her breast, "Do you think I'm attractive Logan?"

"Sure, of course you are," Logan shrugged his shoulders when his eyes found their way to the water once again. He felt Mimi's hand drop down over his thigh with fingers curling into the inner muscle with a small squeeze. Drawing in a breath, he turned towards her again, seizing her wrist in his hand before he spoke up in a firm, warning tone, "but I'm very much in love with my husband."

"You wouldn't know it by the way the two of you were fighting in therapy the other day," Mimi noted with a wrinkled expression on her face, "The way you both were fighting about his former lover Jean—well, you'd think that you were both caught up in the idea of competing for her attention rather than focusing on one another."

"It wasn't like that," Logan frowned, "It was always about my wanting Scott to notice me."

"He married you, didn't he?" Mimi tossed back at him with a small laugh, "I realize that often tends to suck the passion out of a relationship, but…"

"No," Logan decided with a shake of his head, "if anything being married to him this week has made me want him more than ever."

"As opposed to being married to him last week?" Mimi questioned when Logan stood up and dusted his legs off.

"Mimi, where did Ted take Scott?" Logan frowned fearing for Scott's safety in knowing just how vulnerable Scott was without his clothing or backup in dealing with the shady self-help guru.

"I don't know," she replied focusing on his body before her. Her lips parted with a desperate breath when Logan placed his hands on his hips impatiently. She brought one hand up over the front of her chest to fan herself off when the others playing volleyball were laughing in the midst of their game, "He has a few places on the island where he…"

"Where he what?" Logan questioned catching the expression on her face. Instinctively he reached out to seize her by her shoulders, pulling her off of the ground and guiding her in closer to him, "Where is Scott?"

"Ted said he wanted to get to know him better," Mimi divulged guiltily, "He said that while Scott was reserved, he was certain he'd be able to open him up a bit and…"

"Where is my husband?" Logan demanded in a voice that caused her to take pause. He reached for her arm, guiding her to move in closer to him, "Mimi, you don't want to make me angry."

"Ted has this place just on the other side of the island where he sometimes takes one of the unhappy members of our group like Scott," Mimi divulged quietly, "He likes to warm them up with a couple of drinks and then…"

"What?" Logan caught the expression on her face when his thoughts turned to panic, "Where is this place Mimi?"

"It's across the water on one of the islands," Mimi blurted out nervously, "Ted takes this path over by the caverns to get there. You have to swim through the underground caves before you come upon a spring that…"

"Swim?" Logan replied with a small gulp, "Come on. There has to be another way out there. I'm sure if we can just get a boat, then…"

"Boats won't make it there in one piece," Mimi's words trailed off, "Neither will the authorities even if you tried to get them out there. By the time they arrived on the island, then…"

"It'll be too late for Scott," Logan realized.

"Ted is enamored by him," Mimi explained quickly, "I don't believe he'll harm him unless he resists in which case…"

"Fuck," Logan snarled turning his attention to the water before taking in a breath, "you'd better not be lying to me because so help me if you are…"

"I'm not," Mimi replied when Logan unsheathed his claws. Upon their release, Mimi stepped back with a horrified expression on her face, "I swear."

"Tell me how to get there and if you even think about warning Ted about my arrival…" he snarled back at her.

"I won't," she promised as Logan found himself facing the unsettling idea of making his way through the water to seek out Scott before something awful happened to him upon Logan's coaxing to mingle with the others.

"Damn it Summers," he mouthed under his breath realizing that once he found Ted's secret hideaway he was going to tear the man to pieces without hesitation. If Scott was somehow hurt in the time it took Logan to get out there, then Ted was undoubtedly a dead man plain and simple.

xxxx

Logan had never gotten used to the water especially after he'd found himself plagued by nightmares of nearly drowning, yet with Scott's life potentially on the line, he swam harder than he ever had in his life forcing himself to push forward in following Mimi's directions until he stood outside of Ted's front door. The place reeked with the scent of blood and death—indicating that Logan had been dead on about who had been behind the attacks, but what Logan hadn't been prepared for was the scent of Scott so strong outside the front door. That in itself caused the beast from within to burst through the front door ready to tear their sadistic host to pieces. Moving through the house Logan sought out Scott fearing the worst when he followed Scott's scent to a doorway near the kitchen. It had a lock on the thick, metal door that was closed securely with a padlock. Releasing his claws Logan prepared to slash it open when there was a sound from behind him. Spinning around he turned to see Ted standing before him with a gun in his hands.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ted warned aiming at Logan with a snarl, "The consequences would be disastrous for you mutant."

"Try me," Logan sneered allowing his claws on both hands to reveal themselves when he snarled at the man before him, "What have you done to Scott?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ted laughed wickedly. He licked his lips and waved the gun at Logan before motioning to the door, "On second thought mutie, why don't you open up that door and find out for yourself?"

Wearily Logan turned his attention to the door again thinking about the possibility of Scott trapped within the walls of the hidden prison Ted had kept away from the rest of the world. Remembering the horrors that had been inflicted upon the other mutants in the past, Logan couldn't help, but feel his heart pounding in his chest. His mind turned to the worst fearing that Ted had somehow subdued Scott and violated him in some way.

"Move Logan!" Ted snapped when Logan focused on the lock again. Taking in a breath, Logan pushed his claw against the metal padlock tearing it like paper with one slash before he reached for the doorknob.

"Open it!" Ted ordered pointing the barrel of his gun into the base of Logan's head near the back of his neck. While Logan knew full well that he would be able to recover from such a blow, he feared what would happen to Scott if he didn't comply to his captor's demands, "Start moving!"

"You won't get away with this," Logan replied knowing how clichéd it sounded in dealing with the man he was convinced he would single-handedly tear to pieces once he discovered Scott. Making his way down the stairs Logan's eyes adjusted to the darkness seeking out the scent of the man that he'd been worried about, but with each step Logan took the scent faded—somehow tapering off when Logan realized he'd somehow walked into a trap. Turning around he caught the wild expression on Ted's face when the gun was pointed at Logan's forehead.

"If you think you can outsmart me like your husband tried to do before—if he is in fact really your husband," Ted snarled with raw hatred in his voice, "then you've got another think coming to you Logan. As far as I'm concerned you and every other mutant can go straight to hell starting now."

Logan's eyes widened thinking about the weight of the moment when a sudden red jolt of force slammed Ted up against the wall causing him to drop the gun. Seconds later the man rolled down the staircase slamming into the concrete basement floor in the blink of an eye. Raising his chin up Logan discovered Scott standing at the top of the stairs with a thin line of blood running down the top of his forehead. His bare chest was puffing outwards as his plump, lush lips were curved downward in a tight scowl.

"You alright Logan?" Scott questioned pinching his eyes shut when it dawned in on Logan that Scott hadn't had his glasses.

"Are you?" Logan replied not bothering to pay any attention to Ted when he moved up the stairs to join a bloodied Scott.

"I'm fine," Scott confessed with tightly closed eyelids, "He hit me with something right before you arrived."

"But I could smell you were down here…" Logan began reaching out to touch the side of Scott's face, "When I followed your scent…"

"He tried to get me down there where he'd taken out the others," Scott confessed in a tight, pinched tone, "but I'd convinced him that I wasn't alone. I told him that you'd followed us and that you were waiting up here."

"But how did you know that I…?" Logan questioned pushing his fingers into Scott's damp, dark hair.

"I know even if you infuriate me at times, you've always been the best man to cover my back Logan," Scott smiled behind his closed eyes. He leaned into Logan's touch, causing Logan to feel an uncharacteristic warmth press down upon him, "I knew you'd find me when I needed you."

"But with the water…" Logan thought about what he'd braved in facing his own inner demons to seek out Scott.

"I knew it wouldn't stop you if I truly needed you," Scott replied with a tiny shudder as Logan reached out to pull Scott into an embrace.

"If that bastard would've touched you," Logan took in a deep breath realizing that Ted's scent hadn't been upon Scott.

"He didn't have the chance," Scott explained with a sigh, "I knew what he was from the first night. I just needed to get him alone so that I could be sure and…"

"Scott," Logan frowned back at him, "I really wish you would've told me your plan considering that…"

"I didn't anticipate busting him like this naked," Scott admitted nervously when it was suddenly very clear that both Scott and Logan were wrapped up in one another's arms completely naked. As if respecting Scott's silent request Logan stepped back and cleared his throat.

"Yeah about that," Logan shuffled his feet, "I'm sorry that I got you into the situation to begin with considering that…"

"Charles is sending help. They should be here shortly," Scott explained in the same business as usual voice, "I need to find my glasses. You can work on securing Ted while I…"

"Where are they?" Logan inquired looking beyond where Scott stood.

"Near the back door. When I heard you up front, I led him in the other direction," Scott answered readily, "He hit me and somehow my glasses fell in the fight. He thought I was unconscious, but when I heard him with you, well, I decided to make my move."

"Ever the strategist," Logan half teased before giving Scott a long, appreciative once over, "although we should probably find you a towel or something before help arrives."

"Why worry about modesty now Logan?" Scott questioned with a hint of teasing in his tone, "Besides, I wouldn't want to deny you the opportunity to gawk at me like you were doing before. I can see how much it pleases you."

"Not nearly as much as the idea of getting you back to our hotel room naked like this," Logan decided brazenly reaching out to slide his arm around Scott's slender waist. Moving in closer to Scott, Logan's lips skimmed over the side of Scott's neck, "If you think for a second that I'm going to be able to go without touching you after seeing you this way, then you're sadly mistaken Scott."

"Oh I'm not mistaken," Scott answered in a simple, stoic tone, "once the authorities take care of him, I have some other very strategic plans for the rest of our night. After all Charles did say we deserved a night off for a job well done."

"Did he?" Logan arched a curious brow.

Scott nodded, "He said that everything would be covered. As for us, well, as long as you didn't tire yourself out on the swim over here, then we do have some intensive therapy sessions to look into."

"Does that therapy involve a little sexual healing between us perhaps?" Logan's voice hitched with interest.

"You're a smart man Logan," Scott teased when the sound of others arriving at the house stole the moment from them, "You figure it out."

Releasing Scott, Logan watched him turn to leave finding himself met with the thought of the explaining they'd have to do to the authorities. There would undoubtedly be questions and a briefing with Charles despite their impending break from duty, yet with Scott standing so close to him turned away to give Logan a glimpse of the body he'd coveted for longer than he'd cared to admit to, Logan stepped forward sliding his arm around Scott's lean, muscular torso to draw him back against his strong, powerful chest. Once Scott arched back into him, Logan's lips teased over the side of Scott's neck before he bit down gently into Scott's shoulder. The movement caused Scott to involuntarily arch his back when Logan's fingers curled underneath Scott's chin to coax Scott to turn around to kiss him heatedly. Despite the sounds of the sirens in the distance, Logan reveled in the feel of Scott's long, slender arms around his shoulders pulling him in closer so that they could brush up against one another with nothing but the skin they were in. With lips parting, Logan's fingers pushed down over the small of Scott's back, causing him to thrust his hips forward until their bodies were perfectly aligned in all the right ways to get Logan thinking about all the sinful notions he'd carried with him about time spent alone with Scott. Immediately Logan realized Scott msut've been feeling it too as the scent of his lust spiked through the air between them. As their lips parted, he realized that Scott was breathless and aroused when Scott bent forward to place his head on Logan's shoulder with an unsteady breath.

"Maybe it would be best for all of us involved to find those cover-ups after all," Scott deduced as Logan found himself readily taking in the lines of the man before him. Seeing Scott turned on by a kiss only fueled his fire in realizing that one way or the other by the time the night was over Scott would be his in every way imaginable. That thought in itself was almost comforting enough to coax Logan into dealing with the impossible authorities and explanations that would follow. Still in knowing that Scott would be his for the night, Logan stepped back and took one last, lingering look at his would be lover knowing that despite the aggravating week they'd put behind them in being married perhaps they could finally take the time to explore the honeymoon with one another in every way imaginable.