AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thank you, thank you, and thank you again to those of you supporting Human After All! I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have received the amount of interest and appreciation that I have been given. Quick shout-outs to each of my reviewers: tanya2byour21, superawesomejennifer-thatme, and desy!

And now that the pleasantries are finished, let's see what's cooking in the Xavier manor at 3 AM, and I'm not entirely talking about the food…

CHAPTER 2: WHAT'S COOKIN'?

Marie and Logan stepped into the dimly lit kitchen in comfortable silence, Marie sitting at an elegant chair in front of the island as Logan pulled open the refrigerator. Marie watched him rummage through the fresh produce and bottles of juice in search of something a little less nutritious. Moving on to the pantry, he still failed to find a snack that would satiate his craving. Resorting, finally, to whatever weeks-old potato chips he had stashed in his ruck-sack, he said over his shoulder, " 'Ro, Marie said you keep this place stocked. Are ya holdin' out on me? 'Cause I don't see anything but rabbit food in here."

Startled, Marie glanced at the doorway, finally noticing Ororo standing just outside.

"Logan," she said. It wasn't a question, nor a speculation; it was simply a statement.

"Trying to sneak up on me like that doesn't work. I smelled you down the hall when I first set foot in this place. Not a bad smell, though, not at all," he said, backtracking a little. Not everyone could scent out people like the Wolverine, after all. He sniffed the air. "You smell a little like rain, in the spring. In the mountains." He shot her a lopsided grin and popped some chips in his mouth.

Ororo was quiet a moment; then, turning on her heel, she said, "Room's just the way you left it, Logan. Welcome back."

Logan crunched his potato chips thoughtfully as the school's new headmistress disappeared down the hall. When the bag was empty, he said, "You'd think they'd been expecting me to come back." Looking at Marie, he asked, "Were they?"

"The students figured you were gone for good. I knew better, and I always thought Storm felt that way too." The Wolverine pondered this for a moment.

"What made you think I was coming back?"

"Well," Marie said simply, "you're here, aren't you?"

Logan smiled slyly at that.

"You got a point there, kid," he allowed. "You got a point. But seeing as how I've been gone a while, how about you get me up to speed? Tell me what I've missed." He paused. "Starting about two months after I left, how 'bout."

"You haven't missed an awful lot," Marie began as Logan dove back into the refrigerator with renewed interest. "You know that Storm took over the Professor's position. Beast has taken up teaching chemistry and biology along with his new government post – both of which focus on mutations. I've sat in on a couple of his classes, and the brighter students love them, but you know how it is with Beast and his science… You either catch on fast, already know what he's talking about, or get left behind."

"Good for Fur Ball," Logan said.

"Mmm," agreed Marie. "Everyone graduated in May. Not me – I missed too much when I – " she faltered " – when I left for a while." Logan stopped looking for food and looked at her. He took particular notice of the way she was blushing, her eyes glued to a corner tile of the kitchen floor across the room. He straightened with a can of soda, closed the refrigerator, and sat in the empty chair beside her. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Are you continuing classes?" he asked, partially in an effort to distract her from what was tormenting her mind but mostly out of genuine concern for her education. She was 'cured' now, and government grants supporting Xavier's School once the Professor's personal funds ran out were not a guarantee; the loss of funds to run the school could pose a potential problem for Marie's future without a solid education.

"Oh, Logan," Marie chuckled, her voice starting to choke up, "What classes could benefit me here? What good are they to me now, now that I'm – cured?"

Logan cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"So, maybe Danger Room sessions wouldn't work for you now. But the professor made sure to include some contemporary classes too, to keep the curriculum well rounded, and isn't this school accredited or something?" Marie chuckled half-heartedly as Logan toyed with his unopened soda.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Logan," she said. "You're sweet for tryin' to make me feel better, anyway. I'll be alright. I've just had a lot weighin' on my mind lately – it doesn't take a whole lot to set me off these days." She sighed. "I guess I'd better turn in. I hate that I'm bringing you down as soon as you walk in the door." She stood to leave and turned towards the door of the kitchen.

"Marie." Logan reached for her arm, and she turned back with eyes that still weren't quite dry. "It's good to see you, Marie. Really good." A smile crossed her features like a sunrise. She leaned in close to hug him, her head settling neatly where his shoulder curved into his neck, and held on tight. Logan reciprocated with one arm, breathing in her sweet, familiar scent. He couldn't place what exactly she smelled like, but it brought to his mind images of tiny pink flowers. He smiled and allowed himself to hug her with both arms for just a second, and when he did, he heard her speak softly.

"You too, Logan. Nobody here's missed you more'n me."

She pulled away and smiled a little awkwardly. "Night," she said, and turned quickly towards the doorway again. Logan watched her leave, cracking open his soda at last. He heard a door down the hallway open, then shut, and he swiveled his chair to face the island. Taking a long swig, he thought, I don't know if this is home, but it sure feels good to be here.

A/N: So, I teased you just a little bit in my foreword. There wasn't a whole lot cooking – at all! – in this chapter. The final scene where Marie embraces Logan could be seen as romantic, but what I'm really trying to do there is reaffirm the close relationship they have fostered throughout the movies – their romantic relationship will develop from that point. I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to update – I've allowed myself to fall a little behind in my classes this semester, and this week has been a big catch-up week for me! But I can promise you that I'm constantly coming up with great ideas for this story, and believe me when I say that it's not going to be your typical fanfic where nothing really happens except for the relationship I've always dreamed of seeing on the silver screen. I'm going to be throwing some curve balls into the plot, and if this story goes according to plan (and my talent is sufficient) it will feel like an actual sequel to Last Stand. I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say about it! Thanks for reading folks, I hope to have kept you entertained thus far! =)