1Chapter Ten
It was early Sunday morning when Logan slid into bed, after letting his clothes drop to the floor of the bedroom, beside Joanna. He groaned softly in her ear, wrapping an arm around her waist, already partially sleeping, just taking deep breaths, smelling the mix of her shampoo and body wash.
"How was your drive?" Joanna asked, sleepily.
"Fine -I didn't mean to wake you up."
"It's alright." Joanna put her hand on top of his, resting her head back against his chest. "I was sort of waiting up for you anyway."
"No need to do that." Logan shook his head.
"I wanted to -I missed you."
Logan smiled, moving just enough to press a kiss to her temple. "I missed you too -but we can talk in the morning, alright? I'm beat."
Joanna smiled softly, "Okay. Go to sleep." she patted his hand, and then felt him relax behind her.
Early the next morning Joanna awoke as Logan slid from bed in the wee hours of the breaking dawn.
"What are you doing?" She asked, reaching for him.
"Taking a shower." He leaned down to kiss her softly. "I'd ask you the same, but it's pretty obvious."
"You just got back like an hour ago. Stay here." Joanna begged, making a soft mewling in Logan's ear, pressing soft kisses to his throat. "Please?"
"Mm...we'll cuddle some other time, darlin'. I got stuff I gotta do today." Logan coaxed her arms back to her sides. "I promise -after seven o'clock tonight, I am all yours."
"Logan, you need sleep...you just got back...come on -you've got nothing to do today that can't wait until later this morning...come on...another hour? For me?" Joanna clasped his hand.
"Sorry darlin'." He shook his head. "I'll try and catch a little shut-eye later this afternoon though, okay?"
She sighed, "Okay...I wish you wouldn't have driven straight though. You could have stopped over someplace last night."
"It's okay...I'm a big boy. I know what I'm doin'." He pressed another kiss to her lips. "Seven tonight...we'll go out. I think it's time we start thinking about our wedding, hm?"
"Really?" Joanna smiled.
"Yea." Logan nodded with a soft smile. "Really."
"So, obviously Rogue would be my maid of honor." Joanna was scribbling notes in a notebook, sitting in Logan's lap in the rec room, while everyone else was out doing their own thing. "And I would want Jubilee, Ororo, and Tori as bridesmaids."
"Uh-huh." Logan nodded.
"Whose your best man?" Joanna asked, raising her eyebrow and turning to look at him.
"I don't know." Logan wrinkled his brow. "Charles if he wants it."
"Okay." Joanna nodded, "I like it. It would be really nice for him to be part of it." She turned to press a kiss to Logan's lips. "If it wasn't for Xavier's School...we probably wouldn't have ever met, would we?"
"Probably not." Logan shook his head. "Thank god for men like the Professor."
"Amen to that brutha Logan." Joanna grinned, kissing him again, before setting back to work. "Okay, besides the Professor, you need three groomsmen."
"Well, I think Remy, and Kurt...how about Kevin?"
"Canada-Kevin? Drunk-every-Saturday-night Kevin?"
"Hey, I like Kevin."
"Well, I like Kevin too!" Joanna smiled, shaking her head. "Sure. We'll call him tomorrow."
"Okay...so now that it's all decided, what's next?"
"Well, we should probably decide when... Which season?"
"How about the summer?"
"Okay. So, June, July, or August?"
"Well...July always gets so busy around here...August is always a scorcher... So how about June?"
"Day of the week?" Joanna raised her eyebrow.
"Are you going to put your two cents in about this?"
"No..." She shook her head. "I like what you're saying."
"Okay...how about a Saturday?"
"Okay." Joanna pulled out a calendar from behind her notebook, flipping to June. "How about...June fourteenth?"
"Sounds perfect." Logan smiled, pressing a kiss to her lips.
"Do you know what this means." Joanna asked, turning to put her arms around his shoulders.
"Hmm?" Logan raised an eyebrow.
"We've actually decided something solid...we have a wedding day." She grinned.
"So we do." He nodded. "You gonna go run and tell the girls?"
"No." Joanna shook her head. "I'll tell them in the morning."
Logan pressed another kiss to her lips, and nodded, "Okay. What's next on the list?"
Four days later, Joanna began to shop for dresses with Rogue. She made several appointments with bridal shops around the Bayville area, and New York.
"I don't care what you put me in, sugar, so long as it ain't pink." Rogue was flipping through the dress racks at Sarah's, a hometown sort of bridal shop.
"Actually, I was thinking of green. You like green." Joanna lounged on a couch, a large dress book on her lap. "Green for you, and red for the others."
Rogue shrugged, "Are you even sure you know what you want?"
"All I know, Rogue, is that I don't want m mother involved. She's one of those mothers who would just take over and run the whole show."
"Got it. Your mom is not to know."
"At least not until all of my arrangements are made...maybe I can con her into just showing up, shoving her into a dress, and then chaining her to a chair, maybe a gag."
"Well, it would certainly be fun for Logan." R ogue mused, "I think he might actually take some sick pleasure in chaining up your mother."
"Oh, shut up! That is so -...well, no. I can't lie. He probably would enjoy himself." Joanna smiled.
Rogue sighed and plopped loudly down onto the couch, "So...what are we looking for?"
"My dress, your dress, and dresses for Ororo, Tori, and Jubilee." Joanna ticked the names from her fingers. "And my Mom."
Rogue picked up a magazine from the table, "Are you going traditional white?"
Joanna sighed, "I don't want to...I've never really liked white...maybe white with some kind of colored embroidery...no lace! I'd want a darker color."
"Sounds very you." Rogue nodded.
"And I want a wreath instead of a veil."
"Uh huh." Rogue wasn't paying attention to what Joanna was saying, flipping through the pages boredly.
"Rogue...are you okay?"
She sighed, "I'm sorry. I just...I'm not into this girl-wedding stuff."
"I'm sorry. Maybe I should just call my Mom?" Joanna mused.
"Jo, you know I want to help! It just seems so hard for me to relate to this."
"Why? You don't think you'll ever get married? Rogue, you and Remy have been dating since senior year!"
"Yea, but, I can never do anything with him. It's hard, Jo. I love him. I want nothing more then to just be wit him, but if I ever hurt him? How would I live with myself?"
"Oh, Rogue..." Joanna moved closer to her best friends, putting her arms around her. "You make me feel so helpless."
"You can't save everyone, Jo." Rogue sighed, "I'll deal -so, a white dress with dark embroidery, huh? What's not going to clash with the bridesmaids dresses, is it?"
"What'er you reading?" Logan asked when he slid into bed later that night.
"A bridal magazine." Joanna shrugged.
"Learn anything new?"
"...If I decide to break off the engagement, our annoucements have to say that it was mutual, even if it wasn't."
"Oh. Good to know." Logan nodded.
Jo yawned, tossing the magazine aside and shrugging down into bed after turning off the light.
"Logan?"
"Hm?" Logan asked, putting an arm over her waist.
"Do you ever think about our future?"
Logan smiled, pressing a kiss against the back of her neck, "Like what?"
"Like...our jobs, kids, where we'll live."
Logan shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I always thought we'd stay here for a few more years then move up north, or maybe get a place near your parents. If we had kids, maybe move someplace suburban, where it's less crowded."
"We should go live on a tropical island." Joanna smiled, holding one of his hands against her stomach. "Just you, me, and the natives."
"Hmm...there'd have to be snow though. I like snow."
Joanna scoffed, "Ugh, cold!"
"When it's cold, I can hold you all night...It's to uncomfortable when it's hot."
"We'd have air conditioning." Jo grinned.
"Sorry darlin', I'm nixing the tropical island...maybe for our honeymoon."
Jo sighed, "That's okay. I'm more of a city girl anyway."
"What do you think about? When you consider our future?"
Joanna shrugged, "Staying on here, maybe getting a house in town, or nearby. Having a kid or two."
"You really want to stay in Bayville?"
"The happiest times of my life were right here in Bayville. It's a good town, nice people, good atmosphere. Don't you like it?"
"Yea, I guess it's okay." Logan shrugged. "The job is good, but it seems like we aren't getting enough space for us."
"That's what Canada is for, Logan."
"Hmm...I mean, maybe you should think about branching out...I've been all around the world. I could settle anywhere and be happy, but you've only seen half of it so far." He pressed another kiss against her neck. "It's up to you, darlin'... Right now, we should just get to sleep."
The room was quiet for a few moments.
"Logan?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
Logan smiled against her neck, "I love you too."
"Please tell me we get to wear this!" Jubilee picked up a clipping from a magazine, giving it a scrutinizing eye.
"I thought about it, but it's kind of expensive." Joanna glanced up.
"Oh...well, keep it in mind. It's beautiful." Jubilee placed it back and sat down on the couch beside her. "Have you made any of your other plans?"
"Yep. Kurt agreed to play minister for us, the ceremony is in the back, and the reception will be in front."
"Flowers?"
"Red and white rose arrangements." Joanna pulled a book from within the mountainous piles. "A spray bouquet for me, and the bridesmaids, yours will be slightly smaller." She flipped through the book to show the younger girl a picture of what she was talking about.
"Pretty." Jubilee nodded. "You seem to be becoming a bit overwhelmed..."
"Well...a little bit. Rogue is helping a little, and I haven't told my mother yet..."
"Well, If you need anything, Jo, just ask. We'll all be more than happy to help you out." Jubilee smiled, touching her and. "Just ask."
"We should get out here." Logan yawned, biting at the back of Joanna's neck while the two lounged in bed on an early Wednesday morning. "Go on a vacation..."
Joanna smiled, "Did you have something in mind?"
"Just a couple of days away... all the work is almost done at the manor. It's completely been renovated. It looks fantastic. I want you to see it."
"Hmm...Do we really want to chance that kind of travel..." Joanna reached back on tugged on the back of one of her wings. "I don't know if my image inducer can handle that kind of use. It's already been getting a work out for all of the wedding stuff Rogue and I have been doing in town lately."
Logan made a small noise of agreement, running his fingers over the smooth black feathers, "I guess you're right...but I'm sure it could handle it."
"I just hope all of this is gone by the June."
"It will be." Logan assured her. "And if it's not...well, you'll still be the most gorgeous bride. I love your wings." He pressed a kiss to the tip of one, his hand reaching under the covers to grab her tail, "This on the other hand, I could do without." The tail twisted, wrenching out of his hand.
"It has a total mind of it's own, Logan. I can't help it." Joanna smiled a gainst the pillow, before stretching her arms.
Logan snorted, and pressed a kiss to her lips, "I still say we should get out of here for a week or two. Recoup from all of the activity."
Joanna raised an eyebrow, "In place of another?"
"Maybe." Logan grinned, "You know me so well."
"We'll have to see what the rest of the week brings us." Joanna shrugged just as Rogue knocked briefly on the door before opening it.
"Hey, there's a situation in Chicago the Professor wants us to check out. -Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt y'all's private time." Rogue shielded her eyes.
"We'll be right there." Joanna assured her, and shook her head as Rogue closed the door. "Come on, Logan, looks like it's time to save the world again -or at least Chicago."