Chapter 2: Logan

Logan, tired from his Danger Room sessions, stopped in the dining room to see if Ro and the squirt were ready to make their way home. Though he loved his teammates, he loved his solitude more, or at least as much solitude one could get with a wife and kid. Kid, he thought as he walked through the crowded room to the table where his sister, her new boyfriend, his son, and his best friend sat.

He still struggled with the thought that he was officially someone's guardian. He had his reservations at first when Ro approached him with the idea but he quickly warmed up to it after Ro's very convincing argument. The passionate lovemaking session in the woods helped to seal the deal. Even so, he had still worried about it but now, after 4 years, he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, including the times when he wanted to strangle the kid but that's just life, right?

Logan looked around again just to confirm what his nose told him, Ro wasn't there.

"Hey Logan. How's it going?"Anna asked, as she glanced up from feeding Brandis a grape, much to her tablemates' dismay.

"It's going. Hey squirt. Know where yer mom is?"

"She went home. She said to tell you to meet her there," he replied, glancing up with a mischievous smile on his face.

Uh oh, Logan thought, something's up. "She sick or something?" he asked, turning his attention to Remy who just watched everything silently.

"Nah, mon ami. She just needed a minute to 'erself," Remy replied, "She even left the squirt in Remy and Rogue's care tonight. What do ya say, squirt. Ya done wit ya dinner?"

Logan looked at his friend in surprise. Normally, Ro would let him know when she was leaving the squirt with their friends. "Remy, what's going on? Something I need to know about Ro?" he asked, concerned.

"Non. She be fine. Don't worry," he told him, getting to his feet. Leaning down and covering the squirt's ears, he whispered, "She wanted to have some quiet time without da kid."

Logan, getting the message, nodded. "Hey squirt. Don't give the Cajun and Rogue a hard time, alright?" he told him, holding his hand out for a fist pound.

"Okay," Nique responded, bumping his fist against Logan's.

"Ya remember the drill right?"

"Yeah. Do what they say the first time and no talking back. If something happens, call your cells. Got it, Dad," Nique replied dryly, making the others laugh.

"Alright. Just checking. See ya guys tomorrow," Logan replied, heading out the patio door, making his way to the walkway that would take him to his house.

After he crested the slight hill, his senses went on alert. He sniffed deeply and slightly relaxed as he recognized the scent.

"Trying to sneak up on me, Bets?" he called out as she emerged from the shadows and fell in front of him from one of the low branches of a nearby oak.

"Is that even possible?" she asked, standing from her landing.

Logan's eyes did a quick, appreciative glance over her body, admiring the way it filled out the cat suit she wore.

"Something ya need, Bets?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is," she said, closing the distance between them.

The beast within growled at the closeness of the female that wasn't its mate but the man stood frozen, his mind telling him to move back but his body refusing to respond.

It seemed to happen in slow motion as her lips descended on his. When they touched, the beast roared, pulled the man from his trance. His senses, still alert to their surroundings, caught the unmistakable scent. He jerked away from Betsy's touch and turned, his heart dropping at the sight of his wife's face. Without a word, she took to the skies, heading to the mansion.

"What the fuck, Bets? What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Logan asked, pushing her back and angrily wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Taking the initiative," she replied simply, not fazed by his angry display, taking a step closer, "The way I see it Logan, you need a woman who compliments you in every way. And from where I'm standing, Ro doesn't have what it takes to handle a man like you."

Logan gazed at his teammate, his anger rising. In the moment he stood there glaring at her, he remembered all the looks, the innuendos, the comments, and the brushes against him. He remembered the comments he had heard as he walked past doors and areas where she and her friend would be talking. All of it, he ignored, knowing that she wanted to get a rise out of him, literally and figuratively but he refused to give her the satisfaction.

It dawned on him that she had planned this and now that she had created a situation between him and his wife, she was hoping to capitalize on it. This bitch didn't know him very well at all, he thought, a small smile creasing his face, becoming a feral grin.

"So ya thought ya would come and show me that ya could handle a man like me," he replied, his voice deep, slowly closing the distance between them.

"Mmm, now you're seeing it my way," she replied taking the liberty to touch his chest, slowly running her hands up to wrap her arms around his neck.

He cringed inwardly and fought back the beast that strained against his mental block, ready to take the female out who had spoken about its mate. With supernatural speed, Logan had her up against a tree with his claws embedded in the tree on either side of her body.

"Let me clear one fuckin' thing up for ya right now. Ororo is my wife and nothing you or anybody else can do is going to change that or how I feel about 'er," he said snarled, inches from her face.

After a moment, he retracted his claws and set her roughly on the ground, "Now since we teammates, I'm gonna overlook this serious lapse in judgment. But if ya want to continue living, I advise ya to keep your fuckin' hands to yerself and keep me and Ro's name out ya mouth." He stood there for a moment taking in her surprised look and quick nod, confirming that she understood what he told her. Satisfied, Logan pulled away from and without a backwards glance, headed to the mansion.