At five minutes to eleven, wearing loose fitting jeans, a gray linen shirt and blue slip on canvas loafers, Ororo opened the door to the greenhouse, her gift for Logan clasped firmly to her bosom. Her heart was thudding with anticipation as she crossed the threshold then closed the door. No sooner had she stepped into the building did she see a glow of light coming from the back of the room. With senses on alert, she walked tentatively to the glow.
"Logan?" she called out softly, knowing he'll hear her.
"Back here, darlin'. By yer orchids."
Ororo smiled, wondering if he remembered sharing that life altering kiss by the orchids. The smile he graced her with told her that he did remember. He too had changed, now dressed in a pair of his worn out jeans and white sleeveless shirt. She looked about the room and noticed several lit candles strategically placed around the area. A decorative Middle Eastern blanket was on the floor, with a bowl of her favorite fruits on one corner. There was a mini cooler with a few bottles of beer and water. It was an unexpectedly nice romantic setting.
"Did you do all this?" She asked.
He ran his hands down the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah."
"I like it." She stretched out her hand, holding his gift. "For you," she whispered shyly.
Logan's eyes shot up in surprise and inquiry. He wasn't expecting anything from her. They only brought each other little trinkets when they went away. He wasn't aware that she took a trip.
"I went to Africa about six months after you left," she informed him, finding it hard to withdraw her gaze from his intense one. "Like you, I felt a compelling need to answer to my primitive side, so I was granted a three month leave and I went back home."
"Where in Africa were ya? 'Cause I was in Lagos a few months ago." Logan bent his head to open the gift box. He grinned at seeing the bronze zippo shaped to look like his claws. He gently lifted the zippo out of the velvet-lined box and admired it. "Nice bit 'o craftsmanship." He flipped it open and ignited it, testing it. He grinned again then walked over to her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Thanks, darlin'."
"You are welcome." Ororo laid her hand where he kissed her. "And to answer your question, I went to my village in Kenya for a while. Then I travelled to Tanzania, Zambia and Egypt. You were a busy man travelling all over the place?"
"Felt the need ta visit places that impacted my life."
"And what did you bring me back?" She asked slyly.
He chuckled, walking over to grab the gift bag he had hidden between two orchid plants. Extending the bag to her, he said, "I hope ya like it."
She eagerly tore into the bag, her hand grabbing at nothing but tissue before her fingers gripped the crystal clip barrette. She looked up at him. "I thought I lost this."
"I found it under my bed. By the way, thanks fer keepin' up my room fer me."
She went back to the gift bag and smiled when her fingers clasp the satin box. She placed the gift bag on the table next to her and lifted the lid of the box with trembling fingers. She gasped with pleasure when she beheld the stunning sterling silver sapphire and pearl lightning bolt brooch. She gingerly lifted the exquisitely crafted piece and admired it. She lifted shimmering eyes to him. "This is quite stunning, Logan. Thank you."
The look of pleasure on her face caused his lungs to constrict. "Yer welcome," he said huskily. "I wanted ta get ya somethin' that represented ya."
She continued to carefully twirl the brooch around, admiring it. "Why do you always get me silver or platinum?"
He stepped closer to her, carefully taking the brooch out of her hands and replacing it back it its box, laying it back into the gift bag. He then took her by the hand and tug her down with him to the blanket on the floor. He turned her hand face up and rubbed his thumb over her palm.
"Simple, 'Ro. Silver and platinum represent the planet Venus and Venus also happened ta be the Roman Goddess of love and beauty. After the moon, Venus is the next brightest natural entity in the night sky." He brought her palm up to his lips and kissed it, his tongue coming out to dampen it. "You, are my own Goddess and are everythin' Venus represents."
Ororo shivered at his words and caress. He wasn't one for dishing out compliments, but when he did, he went all the way in. She was ready to melt into him. His words left her wanting so much more, but they needed to clear the air first. She tilted her head slightly, her hair cascading down the side of her face like a glistening waterfall. "What is happening between us, Logan?"
His eyes riveted to hers at her expected, yet unexpected question. Her throat closed as tightly as the fists she clenched in her lap. She held the compelling force of his eyes. "Are ya sure yer ready?"
"Yes. We did have an understanding that we needed to settle things between us once you came back."
Logan nodded. "Fair enough. I hope ya ain't tired, darlin', 'cause when we're done, I don't want no confusion between us and where we're headin'."
Ororo shifted in her position on the floor and reached for the bowl of fruit. Logan reached into the cooler for a beer. He was going to need it and then some.
He shrugged self-consciously before leaning back to rest on his side. He took a swig of the beer. "My first impulse when me and Marie came here, was ta run. Then I saw ya and my instincts told me ta stick 'round fer a bit. I didn't know what the hell it was all 'bout, 'til I started feelin' things fer ya."
Ororo's heart leaped into her throat at his revelation. She kept her cool and kept her eyes focused on him, encouraging him, knowing how hard it was for him to open up. "I came up wid a lot of reasons why ya would never want an animal like me. So, I did what I did best, I ran."
Ororo sensed a big reveal coming, so she wisely kept silent.
Logan exhaled loudly, then took a huge gulp of the beer. "I chased after Jeannie ta escape what I was feelin' fer ya." He leaned closer to Ororo, his voice raspy, yet clear. "I've never loved her contrary ta popular belief." He sighed and raked his hands through his hair agitatedly. "Look, 'Ro. Chasing Jeannie was meant ta ferget 'bout ya. But nothin' I did made me ferget ya. Ya have ta believe me. Jeannie meant nothin' ta me."
Ororo's heart began beating rapidly with immense joy at his admission. She was sure that with his keen hearing, he could hear it. She looked into the eyes she loved, into the face that bespoke such strength and courage. "Oh Logan. We could have saved each other so much heartache."
He reached for another beer, having long finished the first one. "I wasn't ready yet, 'Ro. My mind was in a mess and I didn't have a damn thing ta offer ya."
"That never mattered to me, Logan," she whispered.
He cocked his head and looked at her. The dim light of the candles giving her an ethereal glow. His beast howled with impatience, wanting the man to hurry up with his explanations and claim their mate. "It mattered ta me, 'Ro. Ya're so damn beautiful, generous and lovin'. Ya deserve nothin' but the best."
She remained silent, feeling tears welled up in her eyes.
"Ya know I have an animal inside me, which is part 'o me," he continued. "That part 'o me laid claim ta ya as its mate a long time ago, 'Ro. I didn't know how ta deal with that. It was always a battle between my human and feral parts. Ya know that."
"That is why you would always leave," Ororo said astutely.
He nodded. "Yeah."
Ororo crept over to get closer to him. She laid opposite him, facing him. She reached out and caressed his cheek. "Why did you not tell me?"
He closed his eyes and relished her soft fingers running along his stubble. "Again, I wasn't ready." He grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to each of her fingers. "This last trip away was different. Ya know that when I came ta ya ta say goodbye, I was fightin' a losin' battle with my beast. He wanted ta claim ya, while me, the man wanted ta continue runnin'. But I knew I had ta make a decision. The beast wasn't gonna rest until I did."
"The kiss?" she asked softly.
"That kiss was the definin' moment fer me. After that, I was sure of what needed ta be done while I was away."
They looked at each other and the truth of what they were feeling for each other was revealed. Raw need and desire crackled between them. He breathed deeply, drinking in her scent as if was the source of his humanity.
"Wow."
"I'm not done yet, darlin'."
Ororo chuckled lightly. "I think I should explain some things as well, before we reveal more to each other."
"Fair enough."
Ororo closed her eyes, taking in the enormity of the conversation so far. She took a deep breath, as the words came to her easily. "Logan, from the very beginning, I felt a connection to you, more specifically, your baser self. Like you, I tried to ignore it and run from it. But it was of no use. So, I just let myself succumb to it."
Logan stroked the back of her hand absentmindedly, held captive by her beguiling eyes.
"It hurt me immensely witnessing your single-minded pursuit of Jean and seeing what it did to Scott. So, I sucked it up and settled for being your friend. I also thought that you could not love me because I did not measure up to Jean."
That shocked him. He frowned. How could she think she didn't measure up? Didn't she know that she was the most beautiful of women? Didn't she now that Jean didn't and couldn't hold a candle to her? Then his eyes lowered in shame when he realized the huge role he played in exacerbating those feelings in her. "I'm sorry, 'Ro," he muttered self-deprecatingly.
Ororo reached out and as she did the last time they were in this spot, place her index finger on his lips. "No, no. You did not make me feel that way. I have felt that way for as long as I can remember."
"What'd ya mean?"
She sighed. This was the part that she dreaded talking about. "I have always felt like a pariah here," she frowned. "Being the only black person and a woman no less, with white hair and blue eyes did not seem attractive. It was definitely not the norm here in the States."
"Ya're beautiful, darlin', Stunnin'." He uttered with absolute conviction.
She graced him with a soft smile. "Jean came to me with an offer of friendship then and Charles did what he could to make me feel comfortable in my new surroundings." She reached over and absently stroked his chest. "However, there has always been something about Jean that I did not connect with. Do not get me wrong, I love her dearly, but there was just something that prevented us from truly bonding as sisters."
Logan stilled her hand absently stroking his chest. "Tickles."
Ororo giggled, then immediately sobered. She was now at the part that was the hardest to put into words. However, seeing the encouragement on Logan's face, made her realize that frankness was best. "There was a man before you came here. His name was Forge, a gifted mutant inventor. I was nineteen when I met him and he was a decade older than I was. He wined and dined me, told me what he believed I wanted to hear and treated me like a Queen. Before long, I was in love and I thought he loved me too. Naturally, he asked me to marry him and I of course said yes."
She sighed and closed her eyes. Logan sensing that it was hard for her to open up about this hurtful part of her life, reached across to brushed a few strands of hair away from her face, to offer her some semblance of support.
"It all came crashing down three days later when he withdrew his proposal and ran off with another woman he was having an affair with. Suffice it to say, I was devastated and the weather reacted to that devastation. After all was said and done, I withdrew within myself and tried incredibly hard not to let my emotions get the best of me."
Logan felt for her. He knew her emotions and her mutant abilities were interconnected, so he could only imagine the toll it took on her to keep her emotions in check. It all made sense why she had appeared to come off as coldhearted at times. "I'm sorry, darlin'. Ya of all people don't deserve that."
She smiled tremulously. "I realized that it had to happen to bring me to this point in my life." She reached for his hand and linked their fingers together. She pierced him with an intense stare of her own. "I told you all of this to explain why I felt the need to take a hiatus of my own. For so long, I have caved into and lived by society's rules, ignoring my true self. It took its toll on me. I needed to get back the connection with my primitive self and to exorcise the ghosts of Forge and my other insecurities."
He looked at their joined hands, before raising clear eyes to her. "I understand, 'Ro. I needed ta exorcise my ghosts too. I had ta get it together in order to do what the beast inside has been urgin' me ta do fer the longest time."
"And that would be?" Her question was barely a whisper.
He reached out and settled his hands on her shoulders lightly, before inching them closer together. Now face to face, their breaths intermingling with each other, he responded, his voice deeper than usual, "To choose a mate."
"A..a..mate?" She stammered.
He grazed her cheek with gentle fingertips. "A mate." His voice lowered and became husky. "My beast laid claim ta ya longtime ago, 'Ro. Ya're our chosen one."
Stunned by his words, Ororo laid there, staring at him in stupefaction, her eyes wide. She didn't hear him correctly. Did she? She saw herself mirrored in the dark depths of his eyes and was further shocked to see the tears spilling over her lashes.
Logan reached out and gently brushed her tears away with his thumb. "Come on, darlin'. No tears."
"You chose me to be your mate?" She asked unevenly, shyly.
"It's always been ya, 'Ro. Believe that. Everythin' had ta fall in place before I was ready ta let ya know." His thumb then moved over to mesmerizingly trace the delicate curve of her jaw. "Ororo, believe me when I tell ya that I love ya, more than words can say."
Complete and intense joy was evident on her face. Her eyes held his captive and he knew in that instant that all his life's struggles had brought him to this moment. "Oh Logan, Logan. I love you. I love you. I love you," she chanted.
She didn't know she had reached for him until she saw her hand smoothing back an errant strand of dark hair from his forehead. She watched as her fingers move nimbly over the contours of his ruggedly handsome face. He watched her expression. Her eyes were closed, her lips were parted as she emitted a sigh. His mouth was suddenly there, meshing with hers. His tongue slipped past her lips and traced the row of teeth. A gentle nudge was all it took for her to open her mouth and submit to the mastery of his mouth.
Breaking apart to draw breath, he rasped against her ear, "Christ, darlin'." Nibbling lips wandered along her neck to her ear. He teased her earlobe with his tongue and caught at the lobe with his teeth. Her laughter turned into gasps of ecstasy when he probed the inside of her ear with his tongue.
Ororo shuddered. "The kiss we shared before you left signaled a major change in our relationship. I just did not know that this was how major it would be."
Logan's laughter echoed in the stillness of the greenhouse. "That kiss just made me hungry fer more of ya, darlin'."
She shook her head, attempting to dislodge his mouth. They had to finish their conversation before they got carried away. "So, what does this means for us, Logan?"
"Well what do ya know 'bout matin'?"
"I know…" her voice held a trace of desire. She coughed to clear it. "From what I have seen in Africa, once a male chooses his mate then it is for life. He usually gives her a marking to let others know that she is taken."
Logan nodded. "Yep. The markin' is forever. Once we mate, the bond is unbreakable. We become more attached ta each other and won't be able ta resist each other. Do ya know how the markin' is done?"
Ororo trembled. His words sending electricity coursing through her entire body. "It is usually a bite on the female's neck, which lasts forever. It is done during…" she blushed. "It is done during the mating act."
"Ya mean when we make love don'tcha?" He couldn't help but tease her.
Logan laughed at the shocked look on her face. He leaned over to peck her lips softly. "Sorry, darlin'. But only ya will find the classy way ta describe somethin'. Don't ever be afraid ta express yerself 'round me. Ya know I would never judge ya."
She nodded, unable to utter coherent words.
"But there's more ta becomin' my mate," he continued. "There are actually two parts ta it. The first part is like an engagement, where we get ta strengthen our bond and commitment. The second part is when the relationship is made complete by havin' sex. It's when I actually bite ya and our bond is fer life. Our connection gets stronger, more concrete. Between the first and second parts, I court ya, to show ya my strength, show ya that I'm the only alpha that can keep ya safe and protect and cherish ya. Once we mate, I can't reproduce with no one but ya and cheatin' on ya ain't an option. My desire is only fer ya and no one else. Once we mate, we're more or less married."
Ororo laid there, completely fascinated as he explained the mating ritual to her. It all sounded so complex, yet so simple. She shimmied closer to him, touching their foreheads together. "I have some questions."
"Shoot."
"So, is it safe to say that we have completed the first part?"
He inhaled deeply, allowing her scent to course through his body. "Yeah, darlin'."
She nodded, running her fingers over his fabric covered chest. "Do I have to mark you as well?"
"Not necessarily, but its normal ta do so, if ya want."
"Well, I want others to know that you are mine," she whispered seductively. "All mine."
Logan's eyebrows shot up at the sudden change in her. The woman just went from shy to seductive in the span of a heartbeat. And he loved it. "I'm all yers, darlin'. Only yers."
"Good, because I do not have to want to assert my territorial rights."
"Christ, 'Ro. Ya're turnin' me on talkin' like that. When I left ya, ya were shy, what happen?"
She raised eyes shining with desire and love to his. "Once I reconnected with my primitive self, I became more uninhibited, more sure of myself. You like?"
"Damn right, I like." He reached for her lips again, kissing her deeper, hungrily. His hands move up to encircle her neck. His thumb grazed over her collarbone. He then rearranged their bodies, so that she was lying directly under him. He braced his body on his elbows, so as not to crush her with his weight. Catching her bottom lip between his teeth, he worried it gently. She murmured something incoherently.
"What's that, babe?"
"What time is it?"
"Dunno. Didn't wear my watch," he replied. "Why? Ya in a hurry ta leave me?"
She frowned. "No, not at all." She raised herself so her mouth was beneath his. "I was just curious. We can stay here if you want." She locked her hands behind his neck, pulling them both down, until her back rested against the floor.
He nuzzled her neck while her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. "Let's get comfy," he whispered. He pushed the long forgotten bowl of fruit and cooler with their drinks off the blanket, then maneuvered his body so that he was lying behind her, spooning her. He gently tugged her closer and wrapped his arms around her. The desire to constantly touch her and the need to be near her, overpowering.
Ororo joined their fingers together. "Logan?"
"Yeah, darlin'?"
"Is it normal for me to feel secure, but yet possessive and jealous?"
He gave her a gentle squeeze. "It's normal. Hell, I'm possessive and jealous too. But ya got nothin' ta be jealous 'bout, 'Ro. I aint' goin' nowhere."
She sighed. "I know. But others may not understand what our relationship is about."
He grunted. "Do ya care what others think, 'Ro?"
"No. I do not."
He squeezed her again. "Then we'll be alright. I can't promise ya that we're gonna have smooth sailin', but I can promise ya, ya're stuck with me."
"I would not have it any other way, my dearest. I love you."
"I love ya too, 'Ro. Yer mine."
She snuggled down deeper next to her chosen mate and closed her eyes, a smile on her face. Her last coherent thought before she let sleep claimed her was that above all else, she was going to support and love and cherish her chosen mate and provide him with the pack she knew he craved.
Logan tightened his arms around her as she snuggled closer. He was calm, but he wouldn't be at peace until he finally marked her for life. His beast was disappointed that he hadn't completed the act tonight. However, Logan knew that, as this was vital to his very existence, it was something he wanted and needed to do right. This was without a doubt, the biggest and most important task he was undertaking and he couldn't afford to play games with it nor mess it up.
The End. Thank you for reading.
