Simple Dreams

2) I Wanna Be Loved Like That

She was humming in the kitchen and the smells coming from the oven were almost as tantalizing as Marie's personal scent. The room was only half done but the oven and sink worked and electricity was on for the fridge. According to his woman that was all she needed. She used his work table as a counter for cooking when he was done building for the day.

He'd tried to talk her out of it more than once but she was stubborn. She laughed when he said so and told him that's what he got when he married Irish-Italian by way of Mississippi. When he'd grabbed her for a kiss that made him dizzy in more ways than one she'd poked him in the stomach and admonished him to behave if he wanted dinner.

When Marie talked in that tone of voice he knew better than to mess with her. She wasn't above using her mutation to lay him out. First time she'd done that he'd been blustering and growling about the Ice Dick and Jubilee after they'd been less than polite to Marie. He'd been all for kicking in some heads regardless of age or gender. And when he wouldn't listen and looked set to go do just that Marie'd got that look in her eye that said don't screw with the Rogue.

And then she'd kissed him. He'd sagged at the knees and still wanted to keep kissing her. He'd had the thought that he'd gladly kiss her until he passed out.

When he'd woken up from his involuntary nap she'd been very calmly sewing up a hole in one of his shirts. Something smelled like pot roast and corn bread. "You ready to listen to reason now Wolverine?"

Well he hadn't had much choice and that had tickled him to no end. She wasn't as big as he was but the Rogue was every bit as dangerous. He'd been able to smell that she was a little worried about his reaction to what she'd done but when he grinned at her she'd relaxed. And they'd talked. He'd done a little more blustering but mostly he let her speak her piece in a way he'd been too busy blustering to really hear before.

They didn't completely agree with each other but they did finally come to a compromise. She was going to speak to Ro about the attitude of the various team members. Logan would invite anyone who had to nerve to address him directly for a sparring session in the danger room.

He chuckled as he remembered that. The only person who'd have the nerve to talk to him had been Ro. And all she'd asked was that he try to remember that this was a school with impressionable young minds. Of course she'd said that after she'd caught him and Marie necking in the lounge instead of watching the movie.

"Hey baby." He called as he took off his boots in the mudroom. It was more like a mud lean-to at the moment but it functioned well enough. "How'd it go today?"

When he came inside she was grinning that Rogue's grin and almost bounced over to him. "You are looking at the newest preschool teacher at the Institute. Well preschool and day care but that's all right." She wiggled her fingers at him threateningly. "So behave sugar or I'll make you come be a climbin' tree for the munchkins."

"Damn, threat like that...you been listening to Ro? Or just the me in your head?" He dropped a kiss on the top of her head as he headed for the fridge. "You need any water baby? Or are you good for now?"

"I got some right here." She held up a bottle of water and took another sip. "Oh, got some more good news."

"Yeah?" He leaned against the fridge door and looked at her. She wasn't wearing gloves; they got in the way when she was cooking. "Jubilee finally shut her mouth about women's lib and feminism?"

"Sugar I said good news, not a damn miracle." Marie rolled her eyes.

"Lemme have it then darlin'." He grinned and moved closer as she pulled something bubbly and delicious out of the oven. "Oh my god you made lasagna..." He almost fell to his knees. Marie's lasagna was really something to be worshipped.

"That's not the good news." She laughed at him as she set it on the stove top to cool. "It's to celebrate the good news."

"Well damn, this day gets better and better." He wrapped his arms around her middle and kissed her hair again and risked pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Hmm...keep goin'." She murmured huskily and shivered in his embrace.

"How long does that need to cool?" He rubbed his mouth over her soft neck and jawline. "Think we could have desert before dinner?"

She turned in his arms and kissed him hard on the mouth, demanding and hungry, her body pressed full length to his. He groaned as those full breasts pushed against his chest and his hands drifted down to the curve of her ass and squeezed. She felt so damn good. Her skin always smelt like sin in his nose, dangerous and hot, tempting him to kiss and touch more and more.

"Wolverine, take me to bed." That sweet magnolia voice was low with need and demanding.

"Yeah." He didn't want to stop kissing her and as long as the pull didn't start he figured he had time. Soft and willing in his arms, the mattress wasn't far away and he laid her over the blanket before he tore off his clothes. Marie was wiggling out of hers and reaching for him before he could grab the silk sheet from under the pillow.

"Not yet." She gasped as he found her breasts with his mouth and tried to grab for the silk with his free hand. It was easy to take her at her word, tempting as she was.

He'd never get tired of that white skin, soft and silky against his rough hands. That soft damp nest of curls between her thighs and the length of her legs as they wrapped around his waist was as close as he'd ever come to heaven. And hearing her moans as he sucked and teased her breasts had to be too perfect for this earth.

She was slick and hot as he rubbed the length of his cock over her curls and grabbed a condom from the box that served as the nightstand. "No sugar. Not this time. Please." Marie wrapped her bare fingers around his thick length and tugged his body towards hers.

Not for the first time he listened to his pounding blood instead of what little sense was in his head and did as she asked. He forced himself to slow down, to savor her, slippery wet flesh, clinging and tight around his cock. He wanted to remember this, the first time they'd been skin to skin together. Her moan was echoed by his as sensation began to overwhelm them.

Sweet cries of need. Grunts of satisfaction. Animalistic groans from both of them as they strained and pressed and took one another. A roar of completion as the Wolverine filled his mate with seed and a high pitched scream in his ears as her body took him in and bliss devastated her.

They were panting and half laughing at the clothes scattered around them like a bomb had gone off. He lowered his body to hers and kissed her again. She always melted against him when he kissed her softly and he loved that as much as he did her heated passion when his mouth demanded it. "Hmm...sugar is the blood almost back to your brain? Figure it out?" She was teasing him now.

Marie had always found it damn funny that her Wolverine who was so intelligent and damned analytical could, in her words, 'turn into a dope' whenever he got a hard on for her. Apparently she'd seen a Robin Williams sketch that said men had enough blood to run their penis and their brain, but not at the same time. Wolverine had to admit that when she put it that way she wasn't wrong.

"Well whatever we're celebratin' I like it." He muttered and remembered that he should roll off of her so her skin-

"Figure it out yet?" She grinned at him teasingly as he stared down at her.

"You turned your skin off?" He hoped that was it. Hoped for her sake that she'd found the control she so desperately wanted. He wanted more than anything in the world for Marie to have that dream of being a wife and mother. He wanted that dream too. His wife. Mother of his children.

"Hmm...it only lasts for an hour or so...at least so far." She smiled. "Hank has been a huge help. Figured out that it's been stuck on because of what happened when I first manifested. He thinks it's a subconscious thing. My mind tryin' to protect my body. Since Cody was...well a typical boy."

"So does he think you'll be able to flip it on and off when you want?" Logan was truly enjoying the feel of her against him. Silk sheets, body stockings, scarves...they were all great and he'd love being with her no matter what but lying with her skin to skin... He knew she'd truly believed that they'd never have that.

"Yeah, apparently me only being able to do it for an hour is just my brain getting in the way." Marie's smile turned a little shy. "But he... he studied some of my cells...he took scrapings from my insides...and my cells don't react to foreign bodies the way my skin cells do."

"Put that in dummy talk for me, my brain hasn't really gotten it's blood supply back yet." He shifted inside her and she moaned as he made his point.

"He thinks that I'll be able to carry a baby, even if I don't get my mutation fully under control." She was almost in tears with joy at the idea. "He's cautiously hopeful. He'd like to do some more tests...but he thinks...maybe I've absorbed you so much that my body is adapting. And he thinks my mind might be accepting you as safe so I'll have an easier time turning my skin off with you than anyone else."

"So maybe if we had a baby you would know that its part of you and me and you'd be able to touch the baby without worrying about your mutation." Logan rolled her over so she was straddling him and grinned up at her. "Even if you only get it under control for a coupla hours, that's enough time to nurse and hold a baby." He couldn't stop grinning at the thought.

"Exactly." She was riding him now, sliding up and down him until he could only grasp her hips and hang on.

"You know it ain't on when you're asleep?" He groaned the question out. "Why'd you think I love wakin' you up so much? I can seduce you when you're asleep and you wake up all hot an' ready...it's so good baby."

"God Logan!" He couldn't be sure she'd heard him as her orgasm crashed over her and his followed hers almost immediately.

Resting together again he felt the buzz of her mutation turning on slowly and he lazily found the sheet and tucked it over her limp body. "Hmm..." She sighed and sat up. "You must be starvin'." She grabbed his shirt and pulled it on while he did the same with his jeans.

"I could eat." He grinned. "You certainly give me an appetite." The cheerful leer he gave her made her giggle.

She dished up the lasagna and pulled out the salad she'd made while he grabbed her wine and a beer for him. Any other time she liked a Molson as much as he did but when they had Italian Marie liked a glass of red wine.

"What was that song you were hummin' earlier?" He asked later. He liked lying next to her on the mattress while she used his shoulder as a pillow and read a book on her tablet.

"Oh, it's an old one. Country group called Shenandoah, you know, after the river?" She smiled at him. "'S called 'I Wanna Be Loved Like That'. It's just about a simple life with love that doesn't need fancy trimmings."

"I like that." He let his fingers stroke through her hair. "You don't regret it do you? Sayin' yes to me? This simple life?"

"Never sugar." She twisted to look him in the eye. "I was actually thinkin' its time we set a date."

"Don't wanna wait 'til the house is done?" He looked around the open area. It was very basic still. Hence the mattress on the floor five feet from the kitchen.

"It's been seven months. We spent three of that in your old room at the school. We could say five months from now, the date you proposed...and that would give us enough time." She smiled at him teasingly. "I never wanted a huge wedding. Just a little ceremony and a party in the cafeteria for the folks at the school."

"You should at least have a pretty dress and flowers and stuff." Wolverine wondered if he'd truly lost his mind. He should be thanking God that she didn't want a huge wedding that would take another year to plan. Instead he was trying to convince her that she needed all the trimmings.

"Logan, for me it was never about the wedding, it was about bein' married, bein' loved. My simple little dream. I'll find a dress that I like and I'll carry some flowers that smell good. But I never cared about the gown and the veil and the reception." She kissed his shoulder. "I'm marryin' you. That's all I need."

"You change your mind we got enough to spring for a fancy thing you know." He pulled her closer and kissed her again. "Long as I'm alive you'll never want for anything baby. I promise."

"I just need to find a ring for your finger." Marie grinned at him. "Nobody'll believe you married a homely little gal like me. I need to make sure all those barflies know you're off the market."

"Baby you're beautiful." How she didn't see it was somethin' he'd never understand. But he'd have a word with Ro tomorrow about a dress and flowers. Marie would enjoy a little shopping trip with Ro and the weather witch wouldn't make it all about her the way Jubilee would.

Author's Note: So a little bit of action for the Wolverine...and some progress for Rogue. I think she'd get further with Hank than she would the professor. And Hank always struck me as more sympathetic. Xavier was always about embracing the mutations but he could 'pass' for human easily enough.

I figured Hank might also have more time to work with Rogue and he'd understand that desperate need for normalcy, as much as she can have. And he'd be willing to help her with it, using any method that was safe.