Our First Christmas
by Darlin
"Do ya remember our first Xmas?"
Ororo looked at Logan's text then looked up, confused by the question. She was sitting in her car, defrost blasting, windshield wipers on, and stuck in traffic. It was Christmas Eve and snowing and she was running late after grabbing last minute items for Christmas dinner.
"Yes," she texted back after glancing at the stoplight which was still red.
Her phone tinged and she looked at it eagerly. Jubilee, wanting to know if they could have cheese taters for Christmas dinner. She laughed. What were taters? Her phone tinged again. Jean. Her cold was better after taking the last few days off and she thought she'd help with Christmas dinner.
"Are you crazy? And get everyone sick?" Ororo texted back.
"It's not like I don't have telekinesis! Or wash my hands!" Jean's angry text popped up almost immediately. Ororo wondered if she was telepathically, telekinesisly texting. Could you do that?
Maybe he wants me to go into details, Ororo thought then second guessed herself. She sure did remember their first Christmas! She was sure Logan, always the loner, was pining after Jean with the way he'd kept staring at her and how grumpy he'd been. But back then he'd always been grumpy. She hadn't liked that Logan, love struck and idiotically so. Who did that? That was always a sore spot with her. But at least he was over Jean now.
"Oh, alright!" she said out loud, then typed, "We were in Manhattan. You did not want to associate with any of us, Mr. Grumpy." She chuckled. She felt better when she was honest and didn't let Logan get to her.
Ting! Ting! And the light was green. She didn't bother to see who the two texts were from, she just put her foot on the gas pedal and turned the wipers up so they went faster. She hoped she'd get home in time to get some of the pies made before it got too late. She glanced at the time on the dashboard. Four o'clock. Mentally she went over what had to be done, who she could count on to do what she needed to get done that night.
At another stoplight she looked at her phone. Three messages now.
Jubilee twice texting, "Cheese taters plz plz plz!" ending both texts with a heart exclamation mark.
"Yes, if you mean cheese potatoes. I am making cheese potatoes for you, macaroni and cheese for Lucas, and mashed potatoes for the gravy loving men in the family," she typed and smiled. Family. That made her happy. She'd come a long way from being an orphan living by her wits on the streets of Egypt.
She saw Jean had sent her a sad face emoji and another one that Ororo didn't have a clue what it was supposed to be. It looked like chocolate ice cream which she hadn't bought. Had she forgotten that? She mentally went over her list then decided she hadn't.
"Ignore Jean," she told herself. Nothing from Logan. Oh, wait – ting! And there!
"Yeah. Remember more," he replied.
"Remember more? Remember more? What is wrong with him?" she cried. But after a moment she just shook her head. When she was able to stop she spoke into her phone, "Christmas tree decorating cookies hot cocoa new friends dinner comma love." And then, after she tapped send, she whispered, "I love you."
Her phone continued to announce new messages as she maneuvered through the snowy streets. Finally she was out of the little town of Salem Center and just a few minutes from home. She was feeling anxious now. More than the cooking and baking. What was Logan going on about?
Once she pulled into the garage and the door automatically closed behind her she checked messages. Kurt had sent her a bamf – Kitty must have figured out how to do that and Ororo loved it! She sent Kurt a happy face. Ororo didn't really do emoji's. She didn't see the point. Remy had texted, asking her to make sure she didn't forget something for his jumbo because he wanted it super spicy. Jumbo? No, he meant gumbo of course, just a typo! She laughed. And no, she hadn't forgotten any of the ingredients. His gumbo always reminded her of home too, her home with Remy when she'd been so small and alone, reliving her life as an orphan again. How things had changed!
She laughed and sent him a heart emoji and a simple "K". She loved him so much. She loved all of the X-Men so much.
"Hmm," she said as she saw Logan had replied but she ignored it and instead read the Professor's text.
"I know it isn't Xmas yet," he'd texted, "but I am wishing you a very happy Christmas Eve tonight, my dear."
Ororo smiled. She was sure he'd sent similar texts to all his 'dears' but it still made her feel warm and good and happy.
Hank told her the sweet potatoes were boiling and he was peeling apples and had washed all limbs and Bobby was helping him with the pecans. Betsy had texted that Warren was coming for dinner and she needed Ororo to help her pick out a dress. Rogue had texted twice, first saying that she didn't want gumbo. Ororo guessed Remy and Rogue were fighting because Rogue's second text was almost apologetic and as confused as she always was when the two were at it again – "I just don't want spicy gumbo, too spicy ya know?" Ororo thought that the problem with "Gumbo" was that he was indeed too spicy and you either lived with him that way or you didn't. Rogue couldn't seem to figure that out.
Ororo shook her head. "My children," she said and sighed but it was a sigh of content resignation.
She held her breath for a moment then pulled up Logan's text.
"Right; anything else?"
"Not really. What do you recall?" she typed, tired of playing games.
She was suddenly startled as the door to the garage that led into the kitchen opened and old students swarmed around the SUV she was in.
"Pop the trunk, Ororo," Sam hollered and so she did.
He directed his sister, Monet, Jubilee and Jono like the natural leader he was. And they grabbed the bags and took them inside. She smiled as she watched them acting so responsibly. She didn't know they were also hoping for treats and sneak peeks at presents, still kids at heart.
Jubilee got into the passenger seat beside her. "You coming in or what?"
Ororo looked up from her phone. "Or what," she stated.
Jubilee didn't know if she should laugh or what. Instead she just frowned.
"I'm . . . uh, texting."
"Like, really? You are getting out of hand, Storm! You better not have been texting and driving!"
"I texted at stoplights!" Ororo said defensively. "And your cheese taters are on the menu, Jubilation, as long as you behave."
Jubilee grinned then leaned over and hugged Ororo before scooting out. "Hurry up and finish texting, it's Christmas Eve, Ro!" she yelled as she followed Sam and the others into the kitchen.
Ororo was staring at her phone.
"Sex by the tree," Logan had texted.
She caught her breath then frowned and immediately typed, "Are you sure you're texting the right person, Logan? This is Ororo! Storm! Not one of your floozies!" She wondered if she'd spelled floozies right and spitefully turned her phone to airplane mode. Logan made her so mad sometimes! Sex under the tree? Recently she'd told him she'd like to do that and have a nice fire going but that most certainly hadn't been her!
"Ororo, are you coming in?" Hank called from the doorway.
Ororo let out a deep sigh and gripped the steering wheel. She felt like driving off into the snowy night. Instead she let go of the steering wheel and typed a reply because she'd turned her phone to WiFi almost as soon as she'd changed it to airplane mode.
"Maybe you were trying to text Domino!" she texted.
Hank came up to the car and she politely pressed the button so the window zipped down. He couldn't help looking at her phone.
"What can I do for you my friend?" Ororo asked.
Hank noticed her attention immediately drifted back to her phone. Unusual, he thought. Everyone else seemed lost in their phones on a normal basis, as if addicted, hypnotized or just plain addled, but Ororo had never shown the slightest symptoms before.
"My dear, my fellow hirsute teammate is requesting your attendance which is why we have begun Christmas dinner preparations without you. I am to escort you."
"Hmm?" There'd been no response from Logan and Ororo wasn't happy. Never text angry, she thought and decisively turned her phone off.
"May I?" Hank asked as he opened the door and held out a hairy paw to help her out.
Ororo absently allowed Hank to assist and lead her into the kitchen and through the house and into the elevator where she found Logan waiting for her.
"Logan."
"Ororo."
Hank backed away as the elevator doors shut on the two. He was quite confused.
"Domino?" Logan asked with an arched brow.
Ororo bit her lip as her hands balled at her sides. But Logan laughed. That only made her angrier.
"Sex is sex, darlin' an' sometimes it happens when ya least expect it. It ain't the same as makin' love," he said as he took her hand in his.
Ororo pulled her hand away. Logan had the good grace not to laugh this time despite how amused he was. He couldn't help grinning though. The elevator stopped on the third floor and he took her hand in his again.
"I got a surprise for ya, darlin', come on."
"I am not up for a surprise, Logan. Besides, I have to make pies – apple, sweet potato, pecan – oh, did I forget the pumpkin? Oh, tell me I did not! You see? I don't have time for this right now, Logan."
"I got Hank an' the others workin' double time for ya, darlin', ya been doin' too much, let 'em help out for a change."
"I do not believe Hank has ever made a pie in his life, or Bobby for that matter!"
"Darlin', do ya trust me?"
The two looked at each other. He saw her relax and felt her hand squeeze his as she nodded.
"Always," she said, her composure regained. Logan always had a way of making things right for her and so she let him take her where he pleased. But she was surprised when they stopped in front of one of the guest rooms.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"You," he said.
She was totally blown away by his answer. She was totally at a loss as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. She was totally out of her mind when he picked her up and carried her into the room. And she was totally speechless when she saw a large tree gleaming with tinsel and lights and ornaments of all colors there in the room near a blazing fire. There was a blanket in front of the tree and on the blanket a bucket with a bottle of champagne in it and two glasses beside that.
As he lowered her onto the blanket any residue of Ororo's anger was completely oblieviated.
"This is our first Christmas as man and wife," he said as sat beside her and moved a strand of her hair behind an ear. "This is somethin' we're always gonna remember, Ro," he added with a look that told her how important it was to him that they did.
"Oh, Logan I have been such a fool! Such a . . ."
"Nah," he said, "Ya got every right ta be a little jealous of how I used ta be but I wanted ta show ya that you're the only woman I'll ever want from now on. I wouldn't have married ya if I didn't feel that way."
"You knew I was jealous?"
He shrugged. "Kinda not too hard ta see that with the way ya look at me an' Jeannie when we're just sayin' good mornin'."
Ororo pressed her lips together. He was right. So right. "I'm sorry . . ."
"I'm the one who's sorry, darlin'! I gotta talk ta women, ya know that, but if you're jealous then I ain't doin' my job so tonight I'm doing my job right! The kids's an Hank an' Bobby've got everything under control in the kitchen so now I'm gonna take control an' make you feel like the beautiful African Queen that ya are – my African Queen."
"Oh, Logan, I love you!" Ororo cried, feeling as if she'd never be jealous again.
"I know, darlin' but not as much as I love you an' I'm gonna try an' show ya so ya always remember."
And Logan proceeded in showing her just what he meant and always would. Their first Christmas as man and wife by the tree with a fire blazing in the fireplace, her dream come true. Neither would ever forget.
~Finished~
A/N - Please forgive any mistakes. The story just came to me Christmas Eve so it may be rough. I hope you enjoy my little gift!