A/N: I wrote this one shot while having writer's block for another story I am currently working on and after seeing The Last Stand twice in one day.
There he was. In the backdrop of the setting sun, he looked magnificent, but then again, she had always thought that and more about the enigmatic Canadian. He stood on the balcony outside of Charles' library, enjoying his cigar, dressed in his trademark white sleeveless tank and worn denim jeans. Like her, he was barefooted. The cigar smoke wafted over to where she stood within the French doors, providing her with an odd sense of comfort and peace. The evening was a balmy one, especially for mid-April and there was something unique in the air tonight. Something that was rife with such power, such force, that she felt compelled to be in his presence.
Broken and battered, they had returned from Alcatraz eight months ago, fully expecting him to leave them. Xavier, Scott and Jean were no longer with them and they were all reeling from those losses acutely. They had all dealt with the losses and emptiness the deaths brought in their own ways, but for the most part they were surviving and trekking through the motions of life okay. But the way Logan had dealt and continued to deal with it was a mystery to her and too many in the mansion. He had always dealt with loss and pain the only way he knew how…by leaving, going off to somewhere isolated, where he would have free reign to unleash his pain and rage. But when he stayed, they were all thrown for a loop. Especially her.
Ororo didn't know what to make of his decision, so she spent the next eight months fearing the day he would leave, not only the school and the children, but her. The day never materialized and she spent many a times wondering why he had chosen to stay. It wasn't like him to stick around and lend a helping hand, especially after having to do what he had done. She sighed inwardly. She was eternally grateful that he had stayed, providing support, ensuring that the school continued to run smoothly and offering them a sense of stability and security.
Call it selfish, but she was damn glad that he had elected to stay with them, after having to kill the love of his life…Jean. As far as she was concerned, he did what needed to be done…the only thing that, frankly, only he could have done. That person…that thing, was no longer Jean, it was not the woman she had loved as a sister all these years. That thing was the destructive, life draining force known as the Phoenix. Her sister was forever lost to them once that being took over. That thing had taken her surrogate father and brother away from her…killed them as if they were of little consequence to the world.
There were no doubts that Logan had loved Jean, he made it clear that he did. The mutual love for the beautiful redhead was always a bone of contention between him and Scott. Ororo knew that a part of him had died when he had no choice but to sink his adamantium-laced claws into the Phoenix. Unlike her, he believed that some part of the woman he loved was still within the Phoenix and he could have saved her. But, as much as he had hoped to prove to them that he was right, in the end, he had no choice but to end the life of whom he believed was the woman he loved. It was an incredible burden to bear and from what she could see, he had borne it well.
A part of her had always resented Logan for loving Jean. For loving a woman who had made it clear that she was already in love with a wonderful man and had no intentions of leaving him. Why couldn't he see that and accept it? Why couldn't he see her? Why couldn't he see what she felt for him and had felt for him from that moment they rescued him and Rogue from Sabertooth's clutches? She felt incomplete and envious as she was forced to sit back and watch him pursue Jean with a passion.
Ororo had long ago admitted that she was in love with the amnesiac enigma and the primal dynamism that was Logan. The man resurrected desires and feelings in her she had long thought were illusions, never to be attained. What she felt for him was so powerful, so daunting and so out of this world. But for her, it went deeper than just love. There was a connection between them…a connection as old as time. Once she saw past the brusque and unpolished layers of Logan, she was able to see that he was in possession of a loyal, gentle heart and an intelligence that spoke volumes.
However, the fact that he was too caught up in his professed feelings for the redheaded doctor, made her believe that the only recourse available to her was to bury those feelings and desires and settle for being his colleague and friend. She gave up on ever having that friendship morph into something more and become an extension of the love and adoration she had for him. She gave up on ever having those sexy predatory eyes of his look at her as if she was the only one that truly mattered to him. Life had dealt her so many blows, what was another one to add to the list? Unrequited love was a painful thing, but she endured it.
They all had expected him to cave to the weight of his grief over killing the woman he loved and hightailed it out of Westchester. But the day of his departure never came and Ororo was more confused than ever. Why did he stay? This was the question she continuously asked herself, only to come up without any answers or ideas as to what had made him stick around. After eight months of wondering, she had finally decided to seek him out and find out his reasons for staying, or risk having the fear of him leaving eat her alive.
"Ya just gonna stand there, darlin'?" His gruff voice sent a thrill through her.
Goddess! Get it together Ororo, she silently admonished herself.
"I did not want to intrude," she replied softly, quite proud of herself for mustering a coherent sentence.
At the sound of her husky voice, the feral Canadian turned away from watching the myriad of colors lighting up the evening sky signaling the setting of the sun. He slowly withdrew the cheroot that provided him his evening dose of nicotine to address her, but was stopped dead in his tracks. His power to breathe suddenly left him, as her exotic beauty enveloped him in that joyous feeling he got whenever he saw, heard or scented her. She was barefooted as he was, dressed in an aquamarine sarong wrap dress, her hair which had grown out from the short bob was now styled in a high ponytail.
He had known the exact moment she had stepped through the doors and refused to venture any further. There was no escaping that potent scent that was all hers. But underlying that scent that calmed him and constantly called out to him, was something else. Something that he, in the time since he had join the ragtag band of superheroes, had never even thought that he would scent roiling off of her. Ororo was afraid. Hell, he knew the scent of fear well, at times relishing in the power he had to induce it in his many enemies. But 'Ro, as he had come to call her, was not his enemy and she was the one person he didn't want to evoke that feeling in. She meant the world to him. Hell! She was his world. It had taken him a long time to accept that and now that he did, there would be no letting go.
His realization came during their battle with Stryker at Alkali Lake. The awareness was like a great shock to his cocksure posturing. He had long thought that Jean was the only woman for him, even thought himself was head over heels in love with the redhead, so it was unnerving and downright frightening for him to admit otherwise. During the time period between their battles at Alkali Lake and Alcatraz, he had a lot of time to reflect and to come to terms with a lot of the choices he had made in his life. Since then, it has been one realization after another.
The hardest truth for him to grasp had been that he didn't love Jean in the way that he had thought. That had been a major eye opener and game changer for him. He had spent many a nights agonizing over the whys and hows of that realization and every time came up with the same answer. An answer that he was hard-pressed to acknowledge at first. Then something happened, something that spun his world off its already unstable axis. Something that had practically forced him to see that he had no choice in the matter, but to admit that Ororo was the one he truly desired.
His bestial half, having enough of his human half's games, finally forced him to take his hard head out of his ass, by signaling its intentions to claim the wind rider as their mate. With that forcible wake up call, Logan was able to come to terms with the fact that while he did indeed feel love for Jean Grey and more than likely always will, it wasn't the type of love that consumed his every waking moment. It wasn't the type of love that set his soul on fire and his beast to howling with glee. It wasn't the type of love that would provide sustenance to his damaged spirit.
That type of love he craved was reserved for and belonged only to Ororo. He had secretly loved and admired her from that first glimpse he had barely managed to get of her before passing out after his battle with Sabertooth. Nothing could have smelled so divine, so heavenly and at that moment, he had believed that God did in fact have mercy on his tainted worthless soul. Then came that defining moment when she stood before him, completely unafraid and challenged him, proclaiming that she had chosen a side. From then on, the more he got to know her, the more he became convinced that she would never see him as he saw her and that she deserved better than what he could give her. She was the epitome of class, grace, elegance and intelligence, while he was the epitome of everything else…nothing but an animal. So, to deal with the situation as he had deemed it, he did two things. He fought his love and desire for her like a man possessed and he, on occasion, left the mansion, using his quest for his past as an excuse to escape her allure. But no matter how many times he left, he always came back and it didn't take him long to figure out why he always came back. It was her. Ororo was the one who brought him back each and every time. Her own primal nature always lured him back to her and every time he was powerless to stop it.
The battle at Alcatraz was the ultimate turning point for him. At that moment when he was standing at the frontline, side by side with Ororo telling her that they work as a team, he had realized then and there that they were a team, not only on the battlefield, but off it as well. And he wanted that team dynamic to extend beyond their friendship. He wanted that team dynamic with her for the rest of his life in every way possible.
Killing Jean was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do in his life, but not as hard he had thought it would be. It had taken him a while to acknowledge that the Jean that they had known and love was no longer with them and the being that took over her body had to be neutralized. He had willingly accepted the job, knowing that he alone was the one to fulfill that mission. As he held Jean's body as the life drained out of it, he had made peace with many things, chief among them, the fact that she had loved Scott and never him. At that moment, he had accepted that his future was with Ororo and the school, continuing the fight for mutant and human coexistence Xavier bequeathed to them.
After Alcatraz, he knew everyone had expected him to bail…Xavier was dead and the school and world they lived in were in turmoil. His enhanced sense of hearing enabled him to hear the whispers that he was going to take off at any minute because he wouldn't be able to deal with the weight of the sorrow of killing the love of his life if he stayed. But he did stay, which had thrown all of them for a loop. And he knew that decision had the biggest impact on Ororo. He knew she was nervous, dreading the day when he would announce his departure. Hell, all he had to do was look at her, not to mention the anxiety she constantly emitted whenever he approached her. He knew he needed to put her mind at rest, let her know that he was not going to abandon her and that she was stuck with his stubborn, grumpy hairy backside for the foreseeable future.
Something in the air made the evening ripe for the conversation he knew was a necessity…a conversation that was long overdue in his book. He growled softly as she approached him. Her entire being was alight with something that called out to him and he heeded the call.
He noticed a spark in her chocolate eyes as she approached him. "Ya can intrude on me anytime, 'Ro."
She lifted a delicate eyebrow. "Is that so? I shall file that away for future reference."
The corners of his mouth quirked into that crooked smile that always sent her heart aflutter. He took the burned out stogie out of his mouth and placed it on the stone railing.
Ororo took in the air about him. There was something dangerous about him this evening. His predatory hazel eyes didn't miss anything as they roved over her. Instantly, she felt naked and heated under his intense gaze. The subtle flare of his nostrils lets her know that he scented her heat. Thankfully, he didn't say anything crude about it.
"Everythin' alright in there?" He asked, tilting his head towards the mansion.
"Yes," she sighed as she took a seat on one of two iron wrought chairs that were on the balcony. "They have been fed and are now settling in for a Disney movie marathon."
"What 'bout ya? Any plans fer the evenin'?" He asked as he walked to the furthest corner of the balcony. He had to maintain his distance from her. He was currently battling his beast for dominance as her delectable scent mixed with an underlying and unmistakable hint of arousal permeated the air. His jeans were tightening with his rapidly growing erection, cutting off the circulation. He wanted her desperately.
"No," she exhaled on a heavy sigh. "I have some paperwork to do, but that about sums up my plans for the evening." She watched him bend and rest his elbows on the railing. His pose provided her with an excellent view of his muscled backside and it took a supreme will of effort for her not to jump on him right then and there. "What….what about you? Any plans?"
"Other than a workout in the DR, nah."
"Goddess! We are two boring creatures." She watched Logan momentarily swiveled his head towards her and scowl. Her lips pursed with her attempt to contain her smile. She wasn't successful. "When was the last time that either of us left the mansion grounds to do something simply for ourselves?"
"I ain't borin'," he mumbled under his breath before piping up, "Ya got a point there, 'Ro. But we had our hands full after…" he trailed off, quickly glancing at her to see her reaction to his near slip.
She sighed. "You can say it, Logan. I am not going to breakdown at the mere mention of Alcatraz. I did enough of that already and I would like to think that I have reached a point where I am able to hear it mention without succumbing to my emotions."
Logan ran a callused hand through his thick raven locks. "It was touch and go fer a while, 'Ro. I can't say that I wasn't worried 'bout ya and the rest."
He was worried about her! The profundity of that statement caught her off guard. "I was worried about you too, Logan," she admitted quietly.
"I know ya were. But what's done is done and I've come ta terms with it." Logan sat on the stone railing and swung his legs around to hang freely in front of him. He looked down, noticing the lush grass a few feet below his feet.
"We have never really talked about it," Ororo replied softly.
"Eh. Wasn't enough time ta do that either. We had our hands full makin' sure the kids and school were safe and no more enemies were comin' out ta get us." Making sure you were safe, he added silently.
"You have been a tremendous help, Logan. I have never properly thanked you for that."
He turned his head to glance at her, waving off her gratitude. "No thanks necessary, darlin'. It had ta be done."
Ororo couldn't believe that their conversation had actually morphed into this. They had talked about it previously, but only fleetingly because as he said, there wasn't much time for them to actually sit down and talk in depth. They were in dire need of this conversation and she was happy that they were having it, as unexpected as it was. "Still, I was not able to accomplish a lot without you."
He nodded. The sounds of the evening took over as they grew silent. Crickets chirping, frogs croaking, an occasional hoot of an owl, the wind rustling the newly emerged leaves on the trees. After a few minutes, "'Ro?"
In an unguarded moment, she smiled lovingly at him as his gruff voice called out to her. "Yes, Logan?"
"Do ya think they'll ever forgive me fer what I did?"
Whatever she was expecting him to say, that most certainly was not it. She knew specifically who he was referring too. She had no idea that he had been thinking along these lines. But then again, how could she? The man was very skilled at keeping certain things bottled up. If he wanted you to know, then you will, otherwise, good luck getting him to open up. Slowly she stood and walked over to him. She perched her hip on the railing on his left side and wrapped a slender arm around his shoulders. She felt him stiffened momentarily before relaxing. Dear Goddess, her heart began beating wildly being this close to him. She quickly tampered down her growing lust. "I think…no I believe so, Logan. That thing was not the Jean we all knew and loved. That thing was set on destroying everything and everyone in its path. It killed Scott, Charles and Jean…." His sharp gaze leveled her. "Yes Logan, you did not kill Jean. Jean was dead to us once the Phoenix took over."
Her arm dropped from around his shoulders as he shifted slightly, to face her. His jean-clad thigh touched hers. Big mistake. He felt the heat through the fabric of their clothing, coupled with her delicious scent tickling his nostrils. His nostrils flared as he tried to tamper down his desire. "There's something else that happened that day that I never told anyone."
Her brows furrowed, her curiosity piqued.
He sighed, turning away from her. His mouth itched to taste some more nicotine, but he resisted the urge. He needed to come clean with Ororo. If they were to have an ounce of a future together, they needed no secrets between them. "Before…before I uh…," he stammered, then paused.
She gave him a small smile of encouragement. All he saw was compassion, coupled with an unknown emotion in her warm chocolate eyes. It was all he needed to unburden himself. "Just before I killed that thing, Jean came out fer a few seconds and asked me ta…."
"Ask you to what?"
"Ta save her."
Ororo was astonished at the revelation. She believed him. It gave her a measure of comfort to know that her sister didn't die in vain, that she had enough strength and courage in the end to defy the destructive force that had engulfed her very essence. "And you did, Logan."
He eyed her skeptically. "Christ, 'Ro. Ya don't know how much I've agonized over that."
"You would not be human if you did not, Logan." She squeezed his shoulders before standing to walk around the balcony. Her legs were falling asleep and being that near to him was wreaking havoc on her senses and heart. "At some point in our lives, we get put in impossible situations, having to make impossible decisions. At the end, we emerge as changed people, no matter what our decisions turned out to be."
He nodded, knowing that was the absolute truth. After that harrowing experience, he was by all accounts a changed man.
She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, savoring the caress of the gentle breeze on her exposed skin. "All of us here have changed, Logan. It was impossible not to change after all we have went through and the losses we have suffered."
Logan elected not to offer a reply. Even though he had made peace with the entire situation, he still had his moments of doubts. Did he do the right thing?
He chose that moment to turn around and was struck dumb at the sight before him. He was looking at a living, breathing Goddess. Never had he seen a more beautiful sight. He continued to stare at her, mesmerized. Slowly, as if in a trance, he rose from his perch on the railing and on trained feet succumbed to her lure. Before he knew it, he was standing before her.
"Thanks, 'Ro." Ororo jumped a bit in surprise when she opened her eyes and saw he was standing less than a foot before her. The deep rasp of his voice caused her to shiver in anticipation. Anticipation of what exactly? She had no idea.
She didn't even try to pretend to not know what he was thanking her for. Keeping her voice as unflustered and calm as possible, she murmured. "You are welcome, my friend."
A silence fell between them, thick with something unspoken. Ororo glanced down at her feet, slightly shifting her weight, while Logan scrutinized her predatorily.
When Ororo raised her eyes back to his, she knew it was time for her to get to the true reason for seeking him out. This had to be done now, tonight, as she didn't want to play these games much longer. It was time for her to come clean with him. She had already lost so much in such a short time and she couldn't bear the thought of losing him too. Besides, honesty was the only route to travel when one was dealing with the Wolverine.
Her eyes closed momentarily while she gathered her thoughts. She summoned one last ounce of courage.
"Logan?" She said softly. "May I ask you a question?"
Sensing her unease, he replied, "Ya can ask me anything, 'Ro. But I can't vouch fer ya likin' my answers."
"So what are you saying? I should ask at my own risk?" She asked impishly.
"Ya know me, darlin'. What ya see is what ya get."
No arguments here, she mused silently.
Ororo took a hard, deep breath. Here goes nothing…or quite possibly something. "I have been wondering something for a while now," she began, her eyes looking at everything except him. Her nervousness increased tenfold. Goddess! This was harder than she thought. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to back down now. She needed to know and know now.
"'Ro? Ya alright?" Logan rumbled after her sudden silence, his brows furrowed.
She closed the small gap between them. He peered at her through hooded eyes as she made her way to stand directly before him. He was positive that the raw need and naked desire were visible in his hazel eyes.
He was temporarily rendered immobile when she confidently reached a well-manicured slender hand out and delicately caressed his mutton-chopped cheek.
"'Ro," he muttered, leaning into her caress, savoring it, desperately needing it.
Warmth spread through her from head to toe, hearing the tenderness in his gruff voice. "Why did you stay?"
Her softly spoken question let loose the floodgate of emotions he had been keeping close to his chest for such a long time. He reached for her, holding her head between his hands and tilting it back to look into her eyes. He wanted no misunderstandings between them. "Ya sure ya want ta know, darlin'?"
Ororo swallowed nervously and then nodded. She kept perfectly still and ordered a halt to the response of her body. It was in vain.
Logan moved his finger tips slowly across her delicate features, outlining every one. "I stayed fer ya."
"For me?" She breathed.
"Fer ya, darlin'." He murmured, so tempted to fuse their mouths together. "Only fer ya. I couldn't leave ya ta deal with this by ya self."
"Is that the only reason?"
He gave into temptation and kissed her then, long, hard and earnestly. Hot white lightning seared through him. Her breath escaped from slightly parted lips. Strong arms wrapped around her back and molded her against his body perfectly, that Ororo was dizzy by the sensations.
When at last they pulled apart, he growled. "That answer yer question?"
Her smile was a languid one. "For the most part," she replied in barely a whisper. "Logan? What are we doing?"
"What we should've done a long time ago," he rumbled. "'Ro…there's so much I need ta tell ya."
"There is much I am in need of telling you too, Logan. Do you have time?"
"Baby, I got more than time." Suddenly, he caught her under the knees with one arm, holding her close with the other and picked her up in his arms as he walked over to take a seat in the wrought iron chair she had vacated earlier. Seated on his lap, they clung to each other, enjoying the feel of each other. Neither spoke, nor moved for minutes. His body was strong and warm and offered her its usual security.
Breaking the silence, Ororo said, "I am happy you stayed, Logan. I was starting to believe that I would not get an opportunity to…"
"Ta what, darlin'?" He prodded. His voice rasped close to her ear, his warm breath rousing the hair at her neck.
"To tell you how I truly feel about you."
She felt and heard his heart hammering in his chest from where her head laid against it. "I have always wanted you…needed you." She fell silent for a few seconds before lifting her head from its resting place, to peer into his eyes. She continued on a whisper, knowing that he could hear her. "Logan, I have felt a bond between us, from the very start. I just did not think it was worthwhile to pursue because your attentions were focused…elsewhere. So, I buried my feelings and settled for being your friend. I never thought that I could capture your eye."
Logan closed his eyes hearing the hurt so evident in her voice. It finally hit home for him how much he had hurt her keeping up his act with Jean. Shame washed over him as he realized the role he played in intensifying that hurt. "I'm sorry, 'Ro," he muttered in disgust. How could she think that she wasn't good enough? Christ, he had a lot to make up for.
"I like to think that we needed to go through all that we did so that we would end up right here, at this very moment." She smiled, holding him captive with an almost loving gaze. "Look at us now…we are open and honest with each other."
"Took too long if ya ask me," Logan rumbled. "It should've been that way from the jump, 'Ro. But I had my head too far up my ass ta do anything. Only thing I've done is chase after a woman I knew I had no chance wid." He ran his free hand through his hair agitatedly. "Shit, 'Ro. Ta think…all the time we've…I've wasted runnin'…" he stopped in further disgust.
Absentmindedly, Ororo's hand slipped under his wife beater, stroking his heated skin. Logan growled at the contact. His hand stilled hers, knowing that their conversation would most likely be curtailed if he didn't stop the caress.
"My first instinct after ya and Cyke brought me and Marie here was ta run. Wheels promisin' me some answers to my past wasn't what kept me here. What kept me here was you, darlin'. When ya stared me down and told me that you had already chosen a side." He smiled crookedly at her, absently stroking the back of her hand still press to his skin."Even when I would leave, it was you that brought me back each and every time, baby." He sighed and shifted in the chair a bit. "Then the whole Stryker mess showed me how strong, loyal and dedicated ya were…how much ya meant ta me. Then at Alcatraz, standin' there wid ya, ready ta battle Magneto and Phoenix, I realized that I needed ya, like I needed air."
Ororo's heart leaped into her throat at his revelation. She kept her cool and kept her eyes trained on him, encouraging him with her sweet smile, knowing how hard it was for him to reveal his feelings. Many thought that he was incapable of feeling things other than anger and rage, but they were so wrong and had been wrong all these years. "I never thought that ya would want me, 'Ro, I've always thought that ya deserve nothing but the best because ya were…are the best. It took a while, but my animal forced me ta acknowledge that it was you I wanted…needed."
She sensed the biggest reveal yet forthcoming, so she wisely kept silent. Logan exhaled loudly, then took a huge gulp of air. "I chased after Jeannie ta escape what I was feelin' fer ya." He leaned closer to Ororo, his voice raspy, yet clear. "I loved Jeannie and would always will, but not the way everyone thought I did. That belonged ta ya and only ya 'Ro." He smiled crookedly at her. "Do ya understand what I'm sayin' ta ya, darlin'?"
Ororo nodded, her heart beating at a frantic pace, filled to the brim with joy and love for the hardened battle-scarred man before her. She withdrew her hand from under his top and reached up to cup both sides of his face lovingly. "I understand perfectly, my dearest."
He reached up and placed his hands on top of hers. "My mind was a mess and I didn't have a damn thing ta offer ya. Ta top it off, I'm an animal. The only thing I do best is kill. I figured ya wouldn't want anything ta do with that. Ya're goodness, 'Ro, not badness like me."
She knew exactly what incident he was referring too and she knew that this was more than likely the only chance she was going to get to show him that what he had to do was for the betterment of mankind and mutantkind. She peered into the face that bespoke such might and courage, "Logan, sweetheart, while I know you will never forget, I do think that it is time you move past what happened. You and the rest of us did what needed to be done. You are our hero, Logan."
"I'm no hero," he retorted. "Havin' ta take Jean out was one of the hardest things I ever remember doin', but it wasn't the kinda thing that would have had me runnin'." He turned his face, kissing the palm of her right hand where it still laid against his cheek. "I've made peace with everything, 'Ro…everything that happened ta me since comin' here. I had too if I wanted a future wid ya…one free of all the things that held me back."
Tears clouded her vision. These rare words coming from the Wolverine were reviving her in a way that she never expected. "Thank you, Logan," she whispered throatily. "You staying after all that has happened was the best thing to ever happen to me. I did not want to face a future without you. Losing Charles, Scott and Jean crippled me, but losing you would destroy me." Her tears finally flowed freely down her smooth cheeks as she gave in to the immense emotions churning inside of her.
Logan held onto her for dear life as she gave into her emotions. It was such a rare thing for her, that he felt privileged just to hold her, occasionally offering her words of comfort. But soon enough, he realized that the rain gently falling in tuned with her emotions, was going to soak them if he didn't get them inside. In one swift motion, he stood to his full height, gently cradling her to his chest and walked back inside the library, using his foot to close the door. Still, holding her, he moved over to the main entrance to the room and locked the door and then walked over to the settee loveseat, taking a seat.
A few minutes later, her tears subsided and he would have thought that she had drifted off to sleep if he didn't feel her nuzzle the crook of his neck. "Ya ok, darlin'?"
"Mmm," she voiced, changing her position on his lap so that she was straddling him. Their eyes met and locked. Each was powerless to control the intense emotions whipping up in both of them, so they simply capitulated to them, allowing themselves the luxury of basking in the glow of their feelings for each other. Ororo saw mirrored in his eyes, the same hunger she felt and she shivered knowing that it was all for her.
"I ain't goin' nowhere, darlin'. I'm here ta stay."
Her smile was brilliant. "Good," she breathed. "I have plans for us."
His bushy eyebrows shot up in intrigue. "Is that so?"
"Uh huh. Lucky for you that you are going to stick around to find out what they are. You are going to be a very active participant in these plans."
Logan laughed a rich, hearty sound. Ororo loved it. "Could hardly wait, darlin'." He then sobered a bit. "So we good?" He asked, not wanting any misunderstandings or confusion between them from this moment on.
"Oh, we are good, bub. But there is still one thing I would like to make even clearer," Ororo replied boldly. "Allow me to make it clear," she uttered before knotting her arms around his thick neck and lowering her mouth to his.
It didn't take Logan long to take over the kiss. His tongue slipped past her lips, where it immediately collided with hers. He leisurely and wantonly explored every sweet tasting crevice of her mouth, causing her to strain against him wanting more. His tongue withdrew, but hers followed, sliding along the roof of his mouth. He answered her moan with a long, low growl, pulling her closer to him. He was like a drug addict at that moment, unable to get enough of his addiction.
Breaking apart to draw in breath, he gratingly chanted against her ear, "Mine, mine, mine."
Ororo had never received such a sexually explicit kiss before. Struggling for air herself, she sank her hands into his thick, soft hair. "Goddess," she rasped. She gently pulled on his hair, until he was facing her. The need on his face reflected hers and she immediately knew where she would be spending the night. "And just in case that was not clear enough…" She brought her face closer to his. He could almost see the air puffing through her lips as she voiced, "I love you."
The crooked smile he graced her with was a comforting balm to her already content soul. Anxiously, he scanned her face and lovingly his callused fingers traced her features that had been a constant part of his dreams for years. Then, he gathered her to him fiercely and wrapped his arms around her as though he would never let go...Hell, he wasn't planning on ever letting her go. The power of his embrace robbed her of breath, but she gladly gave into it. "I love ya, 'Ro."
And that said it all. Their future wasn't set in stone and was still uncertain, as the mutant debate had once again become a hot topic in Washington. They knew that there will always be danger, as it was a part of the life they chose to live. But they knew that together, as a team, they were unwavering and formidable. The RoLo combination was a fearsome one and God help the Magnetos, Phoenixes and Strykers of the world who come to their doorstep seeking trouble.