Hey guys :)

Ninth chapter's here :D Luhverse, once again, you're a genius ;)

The title of this one 'Give it a go' is from the movie's OST of 'Real Steel.' and is by Timbaland and Veronica

Another day in mutants' paradise for you ;) But don't get too comfy, things are about to move in the next chapters :)


IX. Give it a go.

Amalia woke up to a light snoring noise. She wasn't in her room and she panicked, getting out of the bed quickly, ready to fight whatever could come. But the place was quiet, the silence only disturbed by a man's breathing. Looking at him, she was surprised to find Logan and her cheeks started burning. Why was she in his room? Had she slept in his arms? Why? What had happened? And where was Liam? As she tried to recall what had led her here, the previous night gruesome sight of her hand sticking into her stomach and cutting through her flesh came back to her. Then she had been taken in the infirmary by Logan where she had fallen asleep. Not knowing what to do, she stayed there in a corner of the room and let her gaze slid on the Wolverine's sleeping features. His left arm was lying across the mattress, where her body had been a few seconds ago and the thought of his arm and hand on her made her blush harder. Throwing a quick glance at his alarm clock, she took notice of the time. It was almost three o'clock in the afternoon and her stomach growled to tell her she needed to eat something. She hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon and she needed the food badly. Without a sound, she left the room and went to hers to take a shower and get dressed. After a quick glance around the room that told her someone had took care of her filthy bed sheets, she threw away her bloody and raggedy pajamas before stepping into the bathtub. She let the water wash the tenseness and nervous stress from the previous night before putting some clothes on. She had retrieved a turquoise short-sleeved t-shirt and a white pair of shorts from her closet and put them on top of a white bra and panties. She then slipped her black skater shoes on over a pair of white socks before heading to the kitchen, on the first floor. The hallways were empty because the students were attending their afternoon classes and she enjoyed the quietness of the place. Grabbing some leftovers in the fridge, she heard a voice in her head.

'Hi, sis'.' her brother voice greeted her, genuinely happy she was okay. 'Did you sleep well?'

'Yes, thanks, Liam. Where did you sleep last night?' she asked him while eating some salad.

Somehow the answer he gave her was embarrassed.

'I was with Kitty.' she heard him say in her head and she chuckled at how uncomfortable it made him. 'Don't laugh at me, okay? It's weird to sleep in someone else's arms…'

A light laugh escaped Amalia's mouth at his sentence.

'You slept in a girl's arms? Whoa, way to go, bro'.' she teased him. 'You're grown man now.'

She could almost see him pout at her words before he changed the subject:

'You can speak, lady! How are Mr. Howlett's arms? As warm and safe than you had imagined them to be?'

Amalia almost chocked on her food as the tall professor enter the room, yawning. He had showered, shaved and changed his clothes, wearing his usual jean and white wife-beater under an opened flannel shirt.

'What? Did something happen between you two?' her brother carried on, teasing her in her head, making her blush hard. 'Way to go, sis'!'

But she didn't respond, her gaze following Logan as he grabbed a bottle of water and some food from the fridge.

'Uhm, I have to go, Liam.' she told her brother to end the conversation. 'I'll see you later.'

'Yeah, right. I'd better focus on Mr. Wagner's class anyway. See you…'

And with that he was gone from her head. As she shoved another lettuce leaf in her mouth she watched the Wolverine on the sly. He was making himself a sandwich in silence. He then sat on one of the stools in the room to eat and his eyes met hers. She looked away, embarrassed by what she saw in them. There was a mix of concern, pain and some feeling she couldn't decipher but was making her blush. She quickly finished her plate and went to the sink to wash it, still silent. She could feel his eyes on her, burning a hole into her back, as she wiped dry the dish. Once she was done with it, she put the plate back where it belonged and made her way to the hallway. As she reached the door, she stopped and bit her lower lip to prevent herself from crying again.

"Thanks. For last night." she then said in a low voice, not turning to look at Logan.

Not waiting for an answer, she left the kitchen and went outside. The sun wasn't at his highest point anymore but it was still quite hot. She thought the lake shore would be a better place to rest in this heat. She headed toward it, strolling under the trees where the temperature was cooler. Once she reached Brakestone Lake, she found a nice spot on some rocks and took off her shoes and socks to dip her feet in the water. It wasn't too cold and it felt nice on her skin. She considered diving into the lake but the memory of the swim she had taken there three weeks ago came back to her, stopping her. Dipping her finger in the water, she started to draw geometrical patterns on the rocks next to her.

"I never thought this place could be so nice before I met you."

She was startled as she heard Logan's voice in her back and was about to stand when he told her not to. She heard him sitting a few feet from her, behind her.

"I… I'm sorry, Amy." he said, struggling with words, voice low and husky. "I'm not very good at this, but I need you to listen to what I have to tell you."

The way he had called her surprised her as much as it made her blush and she stayed silent, waiting for him to carry on.

"I'm sorry but… I can't stay away from you." he told her quietly. "I know you said you wanted me to, but I just can't. It hurts too much."

Amalia didn't answer, speechless, as he continued to speak.

"We are made from the same wood. You said that to me a while ago and I think you were right. I can't let you go… I care too much about you. And yesterday night, after I saw you… drenched in blood… It was like a punch in the guts. I can't leave you alone."

She turned her head toward his voice to look at him, still remaining silent. His eyes were closed as he sat with his feet flat on the ground and his hands resting on his knees. Somehow he seemed at peace as he spoke again.

"I just can't." he told her, opening his eyes and looking straight at her. "Do you understand?"

Tears were running freely down Amalia's face but she nodded. As he saw that she was crying, he quickly got up and kneeled in front of her before taking her in his strong arms, pulling her onto his chest. At this point she couldn't stop herself and he let her cry as much as she needed to, rocking her to comfort her.

"I… I'm sorry, Logan…" were the first words that escaped her mouth in a rasping voice, her throat sore from all the crying. "I… All those awful things I said to you…"

He stroked her hair, soothing her.

"It's okay. I know." he whispered in her ear. "You didn't mean them."

Amalia shook her head against his white wife-beater.

"I didn't want to hurt you." she carried on, between sobs. "But I couldn't stop myself. I thought you would… You would see right through me. I couldn't tell you how I felt. I thought you were going to push me away. So I…"

"So you did it yourself." he said, finishing her sentence making her nod against him. "Oh god! You don't know much about life, but you sure know how to hurt a man, Amy."

His words increased her cries and he stroked her hair again.

"It's okay, Amy. It's okay." he told her again. "Look at me."

She lifted her head up to see his face through her tears. He was so close to her now, his eyes staring back at hers and his free hand had cupped her right cheek.

"I love you, Amalia."

Then, like the most natural thing of the world, he sealed their lips in a kiss; making her blush as her heart was beating so hard she thought it might explode. Her mouth was a little salty from her tears but he didn't mind, he liked the way her lips felt on his. It was like a satin veil and soon he wasn't able to stop himself, kissing her more and more deeply. He was craving for her touch as much as her skin and he let the hand that was still in her hair slide along her back, searching for the hem of her t-shirt. She pressed herself hard against him, driven by the same desire and she let her hands find the way under his white wife-beater where she caressed his skin with pleasure. But, against all expectations, he stopped her, parting lightly from her.

"Easy, girl. Take your time." he told her with a smile. "We don't have to rush things."

Amalia nodded before stroking his cheek.

"What about we take a swim?" he asked her after kissing the palm of her hand. "It's gotten hot here."

She chuckled and nodded once again. They took off their clothes and entered the water in their underwear. Enjoying the coolness of the lake, they played in its water for almost an hour before getting out. It was around five o'clock and they knew that soon the place would be filled with students so they just lay on the grass en let the late afternoon sun dry their skin as they stayed there, in silence, just enjoying being with each other. When the bell rang for the last time of the day, they just put their clothes back on before heading to the mansion to grab a snack. They walked slowly, next to each other, her tiny hand resting in his big one. As they reached the kitchen, she looked at him, nervous.

"What is it?" he asked her as she grabbed an apple.

"What are we going to do about the others?" she asked him, not sure how to put her thoughts into words.

He looked at her, surprised by her question before coming closer.

"You want to know if I care about what people will think if I do… that?" he asked her before kissing her lips lightly.

Closing her eyes, she almost dropped the fruit resting in her hand.

"I don't care, Amy." he told her as he parted slightly from her. "I don't want it to be a secret."

She nodded, trying to stop her lips from smiling an irrepressible grin. He chuckled a laugh at her behavior and kissed her once more. As he ended the kiss, they heard someone gasping behind them. Turning around, Logan found Bobby looking at them and gaping at what he had just witnessed.

"Bobby?" Marie's voice was heard behind him as she entered the kitchen too. "What is it? What happened?"

Not paying much attention, Logan grabbed two small bottles of water in the fridge and some cookies before taking Amalia's hand in his and leaving the room under the students gaze. The redhead blushed hard but she squeezed his hand in hers as they went back outside. They sat in the grass once again and ate their snack in silence.

"What do you want to do?" Logan asked her when they had finished their meal.

Amalia shrugged and looked around her.

"Wanna play basketball?" he said, pointing at the sport field.

"Why not. It's been a while." she answered him while getting up.

They made their way to the basketball court where they played for almost an hour. Like the previous time, a little crowd gathered around them, cheering them and enjoying the game. Amalia lost once again, but it didn't mattered. She was just happy to be around him again and to know he felt the same way about her. After that, they took a walk in the woods before going back to the mansion. The redhead made them crepes and they ate them with some ham and cheese, while chatting casually about their next self-defense course. They were about to leave the kitchen once again when Professor Xavier entered the room.

"Hello, Amalia. Logan? Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked the Wolverine. "Alone."

The tall close quarter combat teacher nodded before following him. As he left the kitchen, he turned to Amalia and smiled at her.

"See you later." he simply said while winking at her.

She smiled back and watched him leaving before going to the common room. She sat on the couch and turned the TV on, skipping through channels to find something interesting. She was there since a few minutes when she was joined by her tree usual friends and her brother.

"Amy!" Kitty exclaimed as she took place rather violently next to her, happy to see the redhead. "How was your day? I didn't see you in class."

Liam took place on her other side and hugged her hard.

"It was nice." Amalia answered her, smiling, once her brother had released her. "I went for a swim in the lake. You should try it sometimes. The water is really good with this weather."

Bobby brought a chair and sat on it, Marie on his lap.

"Where you alone?" he asked her suddenly.

He was the only witness of the kiss she and Logan had shared in the kitchen, and she already knew what he was implying.

"No." she answered casually. "I was with Logan."

Marie and Kitty exchanged a glance, the later more pleased by the news than the former. It was common knowledge that Rogue had a crush on Logan for some time until Bobby became her boyfriend and somehow she still had protective feelings about the tall professor. Oblivious of this, Liam nudged his sister side with his elbow.

"Way to go, sis'." he told her with a wink.

Amalia chuckled at his words, remembering the talk they had telepathically when she was in the kitchen, after she had woken up.

"I wanna know all about it." Kitty said to her, curious about the juicy details.

But Amalia shrugged before telling her there was nothing to say.

"We played basketball after that and took a walk in the woods." she explained, smiling at the memories. "See? No big deal."

She then changed the subject, asking for her friends' notes of the day classes. They chatted casually until Logan came into the room. He nodded to everyone as they greeted him and he made his way around the couch where he stood behind Amalia, his elbows resting on its leathered back. Waiting for the redhead to finish what she was discussing with her friends he looked at the TV that was still playing a comedy. After a few minutes, she turned her face to him, curious he wasn't saying anything.

"I think we should talk, Amy." he whispered in her ear.

The redhead nodded and excused herself before getting out of the room, Logan's hand on the small of her back. Glancing around the hallway to see if they were alone, she asked the tall man what he wanted to talk about.

"I had a talk with Chuck, earlier." Logan said in a quiet voice. "And he knows."

Amalia frowned, not really understanding what he was telling her.

"About us." Logan said while motioning his index finger between the two of them. "He knows about us."

Worry came upon the young woman face as she felt an uneasy feeling creeping inside her head. Was Professor Xavier going to stop them being together? She waited for the man in front of her to speak, anxious.

"He said he was okay with it as long as it doesn't have an impact on your grades." the Wolverine carried on. "So from now on, I'm going to make sure you're working your ass off on every subject, okay?"

Amalia chuckled at his words and the way he was serious.

"Don't worry. I won't stop studying because we are together." she told him. "I'm not that stupid."

He stroked her hair before kissing her lightly.

"Good." he said with a smile. "I prefer smart girls anyways."

Smirking, she punched him in the shoulder to stop him from joking some more. Logan laughed at her behavior before kissing her again. But it didn't last long. Hearing some footsteps behind them, the tall professor ended their intimate exchange before facing the new comer.

"Hi, Mr. Howlett." a small voiced greeted him.

"Hey, Millie. Why aren't you in bed?" he asked the blond teenager, almost scolding her.

The young girl, who Amalia recognized from her first day at Professor Xavier's institute, apologized before turning toward the redhead.

"I… I didn't want to disturb you." she said in a tiny voice, worried she might get into trouble. "I just wanted to talk to Amalia about Liam."

The redhead and her companion exchanged a look, both frowning.

"What is it, Millie?" Amalia told her with a gentle tone. "Is my brother in trouble?"

The young girl threw a quick look around, checking they were alone in the hallway before facing the redhead again.

"No, I was just wondering if…" she hesitantly said before taking a deep breath. "Did Liam mention me?"

The blond-haired teenager was blushing so hard she could be used as a beacon in a full blizzard storm. Amalia smiled before biting the inside of her mouth not to laugh.

"He did, yes." the redhead answered the petite girl nicely. "Several times actually."

And it was true. She recalled her brother talking to her about this nice young lady he thought was 'quite intelligent' and 'cute'.

"Do you want me to give him a message?" she asked with a kind smile. "Or maybe I could speak to him on your behalf, what do you think?"

Even if Amalia thought it would be impossible, the teenager's cheeks grew redder as she nodded.

"It would be awesome." she said with the cutest voice Amalia had ever heard.

The redhead nodded, agreeing to her request before telling her to go to bed because it was late. The girl thanked her before leaving the hallway as she ran toward the staircase, in order to get back to her room. As she straighten up and faced Logan once again, she found his eyes on her, a mysterious glimmer in his eyes.

"What?" she asked him, curious.

Logan smiled even more mysteriously and put his left hand in his pocket, while the other one wrapped the young woman's shoulder, he then lead her back to the common room to join their friends who were playing a car race game on the TV. Tapping him lightly in the shoulder, she silently asked him what he was thinking as he had looked at her that way. After several attempt, he finally gave in, slightly chuckling.

"I just thought you would make a wonderful teacher… and mother, one day."

She froze, shocked by his words. She never thought she would have heard those kinds of words in the Wolverine's mouth, but there it had happened. Recovering from her surprise she smiled at him.

"Just watch me." she whispered in his ear.

She then turned her face to her brother who was so engrossed into the game he had his tongue in between his teeth.

"Liam." she called him.

As she only was answered by an inarticulate sound, she called him again in a stronger tone.

"Liam."

The teenager grunted and he turned his eyes on his sister.

"I think it's time for you to go to bed, now." she told him in a calm tone that brooked no argument.

Around her, the room fell silent and everyone's eyes turned toward the two siblings. Her brother looked up at her, mouth agape, speechless, before getting up.

"Yes, you're right." he told her before gathering his stuff.

He walk toward her and kissed her cheek nicely before saying good night to everyone and leaving the room. Once she was sure he was far enough and wouldn't hear her, she grinned as people looked at her with respect in their eyes.

"Nice!" Logan congratulated her before kissing her hair. "That's my girl."

She chuckled before escaping his arm, that was still on her shoulder and sat where Liam was a few seconds ago, taking the controller he had left.

"So, how do you play this thing?" she then said, her eyes glued to the screen.

Bobby laughed before explaining the controls to her. Once she had memorized them all, she played with them during almost half an hour. Logan sat on the arm of the couch and watched her with an almost imperceptible smile. She lost two races against the Iceman before giving the controller to Kitty.

"I think it's time for me to go to bed too." she voiced while getting up.

Her companion followed her while saying that he'll see her to her room. So Amalia told her goodnights and the two of them left the room, his right arm around her shoulder again. Even if they walked slowly, they reached her bedroom door too quickly for her liking and she sighed at the sight of it.

"Goodnight, beautiful." Logan told her gently before giving her a passionate kiss.

He was driving her crazy and, as their lips were hungrily moving against each other, she grabbed the hem of his blue jean and pulled him closer to her, pressing herself onto him. The sweet scent of her body filled the wolverine's mind and he deepened their intimate exchange, pushing her as silently as possible against the wainscoted wall of the hallway. His hands left the back of her neck to slide under her t-shirt, grazing her soft skin with pleasure, making her moan. They both wanted more and the only thing that was stopping them from carrying on was the teenager sleeping behind them, in Amalia's bedroom. It was the sound of a door opening in Logan's back that forced them to end their kiss. Turning to see who it was, the tall professor grunted as he was greeted by Scott's words.

"Get a room!" he told them, before entering his own.

Logan and Amalia shared a surprised look before both snorting a laugh.

"Goodnight, Amy." he told her once again, his voice huskier than usual.

Knowing he was trying to control himself, she lightly kissed his cheek.

"Sleep well, Logan." she said, whispering it into his ear before entering her bedroom quickly.

She knew that if she stayed for too long in the hallway with him, they wouldn't be able to stop themselves, so she headed toward the bathroom to take a cold shower before slipping into her favorite night gown and getting into bed.