I don't own the X-Men and I ain't makin' any money off 'em neither.


I motioned for Logan to get back on the ground and sat up on the cot. I was pretty impressed at how convincingly he played a corpse. He'd be great in one of those Halloween fun houses.

The man walking into the tent was average height but solidly built. He was one of those guys with severely angled facial features. Made him look a bit like a cyborg. Creepy. I watched him come towards me and my stomach turned knowing what he wanted to do to me. Flashbacks of my imprisonment by Bastion flashed through my brain. It wasn't going to be the same result. Not only had I grown up but, this time, Wolverine is no more than a foot away.

"Don't worry, baby, this is going to be the best ride of your life."

He knelt down in front of me and I smiled back.

"Oh, I'm sure I won't be the only one in for a ride today."

Snikt.

Wolverine came behind the man in a heartbeat, claws poised at his throat. Cyborg's face went from cocky assurance to terrified faster than I realized possible. I almost giggled.

"So, let's have a chat. Why don't you start with telling me who your merry little band is and what you're going to do with all this firepower?"

I thought we were going to be in for one of those back and forth negotiations where he gets all huffy and Wolvie draws a little blood as a reminder that we're serious. But this guy was far less tough than he looked. He opened up like a frat boy for a beer bong.

He gave us a rundown of the operation. They were supplying arms to a small radical group that had broken off from the Friends of Humanity. This was just one staging area for the weapons and ammunition to be distributed via truck and helicopter to at least thirty five different safe houses throughout the U.S. And Canada. Apparently, no one in this operation, not even Stocky Man, knew of all the different drop locations.

"So that's it? All the information you know."

"Yeah, yeah, that's it. Just don't kill me, please." I swear he was about to cry.

Logan grabbed him around the neck and applied enough pressure to knock him out, but not kill him. Of course, now we had an unconscious bad guy in our tent and no plan as to what to do next.

"Okay...plan?"

"Only two options, darlin'. Sneak away or blast out."

"Based on the fact that my head still feels like there's a large, hairy dude in there with a jackhammer, I'm voting for the sneak away."

Logan considers me for a moment. Then his hands move to either side of my face and he presses our lips together. For a man adept at killing and who likes to growl in every day conversation, he's an amazingly tender kisser. I seriously do not want him to stop. Ever. But, this isn't the time for a make out session and he stops. His forehead touches mine.

"I'm sorry this turned south, Jubilation. I don't like seein' you hurt."

"You've seen me in worse situations than this. I can handle it, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. But I got your back."

"You always do."

He kisses me on the forehead and turns to the back of the tent. Moving to the wall, he releases his claws and slices the fabric quietly. He takes a look outside.

"We're clear. They don't even have a lookout."

I go to grab my pack and he stops me by placing his hand on top of mine. I start to protest how I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but one look in his eyes tells me that after everything we've just revealed to each other, there's no way he's going to let me take any unnecessary risks. I let Logan put on his pack and sling the other one under his arm.

We duck out the back of the tent and in just a few long strides, we're in the cover of trees again. It only takes the two of us a few minutes to be well clear of the camp's site line. My head is still throbbing, but we've got to get the hell out of dodge. I push past the stabbing pain that shoots up the front of my face with each step. I so do not want to look in a mirror.

Logan's head tilts to the side and I know he's hearing something. It's apparently not urgent enough for us to stop so I don't bother to ask and keep following his steps. It's funny, I always thought hiking down was easier than hiking up but I'm having a hell of a time concentrating on placing my feet in a safe place so that I don't fall on my ass.

We go at a brisk pace for at least thirty minutes and I almost run into Logan's back as he stops in front of me.

"What's wrong?"

"You are, darlin'. I can hear your breathin' and heartbeat. You need to get some rest."

The last thing I wanted was to get caught by the insane terrorist posse. I knew there was something wrong, but we had to get down to our vehicle.

"Logan, please. Let's just get to a safe place and then I can rest, okay? I don't..."

That's all I got out before the pretty little starts clouded my vision. I reach for Logan and feel his arms around me as I pass out.


For the second time in less than a day, I woke up in a place I didn't recognize. This time, instead of a tent, I was looking at the walls of a shallow cave. Logan sat on the edge of the opening, scanning the forest for any sign we had company. At the sound of my movement, he turned around quickly and came to my side. I smiled and put my hand on his cheek. His scruffy beard was the best feeling in the world. He smiled back, took my hand in his and kissed my palm. This man knows how to give me shivers.

"Welcome back."

"Sorry I flaked on you, Wolvie. You carry me in here?"

"Nah, I dragged you down the mountain to this cave. Very Neanderthal of me, dontcha think?"

My laugh only jarred my face again and I winced in pain.

"Sorry, darlin', I shouldn't have been crackin' jokes."

"Totally worth it. Where are we?"

"Oh, we're a good way down the mountain now. I heard a small ruckus after we left camp, but I don't think those guys really want to track us down. We'll stay here for the night and we'll be back at the hummer in just a few hours."

"Peachy."

I turn so I can lay on my side and Logan helps me shift gently to the right. He sits next to me and puts my head on his leg. His left hand falls on my shoulder and my right hand opens, inviting his to resume its place there. We're both comfortable sitting in the quiet, watching the light fade from the sky. My thumb moves lazily back and forth over his hand. I can sense that he's looking at me and I turn my body slowly so I'm lying on my back, looking up at his face.

His eyes are so intense. Many times, I can read Logan's temperament just by looking at them. He may be a man of few words, but those black orbs convey more feeling than an entire novel. Tonight, they're telling me that we're together. That I'm his. Damn, I want to cry again.

He shifts forward and kisses me. Once again, his mouth is gentle and loving. He doesn't push the kiss and we languish in each other's mouths. Our tongues slip around one another's and I revel in the taste of him. There's an urgency growing between us. It's all I can do to control myself right now, despite how crappy I feel. I reach my hand up, weave my fingers into his hair and am rewarded with a low growl from deep in Logan's chest. I want this man and I don't give a rat's ass if we're in a cave and I've got a concussion.

Logan stops suddenly. His head tilts back and let lets out a long breath.

"You're going to be the voice of reason here, aren't you?"

"Well, one of us has to or I'm gonna to take advantage of the woman I love in a dark cave while she's seriously hurt."

The words coming out of his mouth have the same effect on me as a paralyzing dart. I can't move and am having trouble breathing. I search his eyes and, once again, am faced with tenderness and love.

"You just said..."

The smile returned.

"Yeah, darlin'."

A big ol' grin spread across my face and I just let myself stare at him for a minute. It wasn't exactly the typical roses and champagne romantic setting but, then again, we weren't the typical couple. I was just happy to be here with him despite the injuries, the drama and the lack of indoor plumbing. It was as perfect as it could be.

"You know we're both idiots."

He laughs that throaty, rumbling laugh of his.

"This ain't news, sweetheart. But why are we idiots now?"

"We've been dancing around, avoiding each other like the plague when, instead, we could have been making out."

"Trust me, I know, Jubes."

"Well, when we get home, you're taking me on a proper date. I don't want you to think I'm easy."

"If you think this was easy, I hate to see what you think is diffiult, girl."

His hand strokes my hair and my eyes drift closed, listening to the sounds of the forest. I don't think there's any amount of champagne and roses that could compete with this moment right now.


We'd made it back to the hummer in good time despite my constant headache and needing to stop and rest. Logan had used the phone in the car to call back to the mansion so that by the time we arrived, Beast was already waiting for me at the door. Always the mother hen, he shuttled me down to the med lab for a CAT scan and any other test he could possibly run. I think sometimes Blue just liked to play doctor. I sat on the exam table while he used a small, portable x-ray machine on my cheek. The man did love his toys.

"How is she, Hank?"

"Oh, she'll be just fine, Logan. Her concussion is fairly mild and the small fracture in her cheek will heal quickly thanks to the technology at our fingertips here. She'll be here just for a few hours while I make sure everything is progressing normally."

"Great, because we got a date for beer and pizza."

"Yep, I promised, Jubes. A large pizza. With onions."

"Wait a minute. I never said onions."

"You know I like onions, darlin'."

"Okay. Fine. Get onions. Just don't expect to get any lip action afterward."

That made Beast press the wrong button on the machine he was tweaking. A long, beep sounded. He looked from Wolverine to me and back to Wolverine again.

"You...two?"

We both shook our heads.

"Well, my stars and garters. It's about time."

"That's what we said, Blue."

I smiled at Logan and he smiled back at me.


It actually took less than a few hours for Hank to work his voodoo on me. I was still a bit woozy from the medication he gave me but I felt worlds better than yesterday. When we left the med lab, he gave me a big hug and shook Logan's hand. It was like we'd gotten married or something. But it was sweet to see that one of our closest friends was totally supportive of us. At least that would make it easier to deal with the other members of our little family who may not be so thrilled at the idea.

Logan walked me up to my room where I was dying to get a shower and clean up. But I pushed that idea aside as soon as he'd helped me inside with my pack and set it down. Screw the 'proper date'. I closed my door and moved to him immediately, wrapping my arms around his neck and sliding my fingers into his hair. I slowly kissed him, exploring his mouth with my tongue. Logan's arms pressed on my back, and I wasn't sure if it was even possible to get any closer to him. It might have been the medication or just my hormones but I felt like I was floating. My senses were totally heightened and it was as if I could feel and taste and hear him all at once. My head was spinning from his hands running over my torso. He'd begun move his fingers under my shirt and I could feel his need growing more intense by the second. At this point, I care less that we hadn't showered in two days.

I ran my hands back down over his chest and began to undo the buttons of his ever present flannel shirt. I wanted to run my fingers over his bare skin, touch every inch of him. God, I wanted to rip his shirt off. I'd gotten the first few buttons taken care of when the knock came at my door.

"Jubilee?"

Scott. Fuck a duck.

Logan's forehead rested on my shoulder. His breath ragged and fast.

"That guy has the worst goddamned timing."

"I know, I know." I took a breath and answered Scott. "Just a second, please."

I put my hands on either side of his face and looked him in the eyes. "Soon, babe. Very soon."

"I wasn't in a rush, darlin'. But you started it."

I cocked my right eyebrow and smiled. "You're damn right I did. We've wasted too much freaking time as it is." I took a breath and allowed myself to calm down. Step at a time, Jubes. Step at a time. "Look, we'll brief Scott, get showed and changed and go get that pizza and beer. Our first date, remember?"

My hand stroked his face. "We have all the time in the world now, right?"

"Damn straight."

We kissed each other one more time before opening the door for Scott. He was more than a little surprised to find Wolverine in my room but we avoided that conversation by going right into the pertinent mission data. He took in all the information and asked only a few clarifying questions.

"Thanks for doing this, you two."

"No problem, Scott. I'm always up for a nice backpacking trip that involves wigged out guys with guns and getting a concussion."

He really seemed genuinely concerned. For as much crap as I give the guy, he is a good team leader. But he still needs to pull the stick out of his ass and loosen up.

"Yeah, I was sorry to hear you'd gotten hurt, Jubilee."

"It's okay. I had Logan there to back me up."

He looked at us both and and I could just imagine what might be running through his mind right now. But he was smart enough not to push the issue. Which, really, was a very good thing since both Wolverine and I were tired, dirty, hungry and really freaking horny. Scott turned around to leave.

"You two make a good team."

I took Logan's hand and squeezed it lightly.

"Yep...that we do."


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