Author's note: Thanks to all reviewers!!! This chapter contains my pre-written chapter 20.
As Joy requested, I put in a date scene additionally. Actually there wasn't one in my first draft. Hope you like it, Joy! ; ) Oh, and Logan's disgust for ducks is true! He says it in season 3, I think, of the animated series. But not why he feels like this.
Don't forget, ya ain't alone, darlin'
After four more months and a few more dates, Logan and Jean walked next to each other in a park in April, while Michael was chasing doves in front of them. They reached a lake after a while and stopped there, since Jean saw that her son was looking at the ducks in interest. Walking over to the lake with him, she explained the animals to the boy, while Logan remained in safe distance at a tree and crossed his arms while watching them. He smiled when he saw how Michael took a piece of the bread his mother offered him and began to feed the ducks with it. The blue of the boy's eyes was so light that he was able to see them perfectly from his position and he finally had the answer to the question, if Scott's eyes had been red, too. Apparently not. While he leant back against the tree and watched over them, his thoughts drifted off to a date they had about two months ago. It had been the first time after Scott's death that he'd heard her laughing again. A moment that had made him more than happy…
It had been in early February when she'd told him she wanted to go to a street party in Manhattan. They had taken a car instead of his bike, due to the snow that still covered the ground and streets. Ororo had often said during that time that she couldn't remember they ever had so much snow. After they'd arrived in the evening, they had walked through the streets and watched people passing by, celebrating and some even dancing. He'd only been able to shake his head. He'd rather shoot himself than dance on the street. He'd also been successful in avoiding cotton wool, even if she had bought herself one and tried to talk him into at least tasting it. Instead he'd chewed his sugared and had looked at her in surprise when she'd practically turned into a little child again and had wanted him to win a cuddly toy for her. Of course he'd done it. The only thing that had upset him was that he hadn't won the wolf he wanted, but the teddy bear she wanted. Nevertheless, he'd stopped pouting when she'd given him a happy smile. After spending a few hours with walking around, she'd spotted a poster on a street lamp that had announced a firework. "It's in fifteen minutes," Jean had said after looking on her watch.
"So?" Logan had replied.
"You're going into the wrong direction, Logan. The firework takes place over there," she'd complained when he'd begun to pull her with him.
"Actually, darlin'," he's said. "You'll have a better view on it from over there." He'd pointed at the opposite site of the Hudson River."
"We'll never make it," the redhead had replied and had received a smirk from him.
"Well, then you better start runnin'," Logan had said and she'd shrieked his name when he'd taken her hand and had started running towards the bridge.
When they'd reached the opposite side of it out of breath, the first fireworks illuminated the dark sky. "See?" he's asked and tried to calm his heavy breathing. "Right on time…"
"Good for you!" Jean had replied and slapped him against his arm, before she'd gone over to the railing and leant over it to watch the firework.
He'd stopped next to her, his hands buried in his pockets while he stared into the sky, too, before he'd given her looks from aside. "You cold?" he'd asked her since he'd noticed that she'd wrapped her arms around herself.
"No…not really," Jean had replied and he couldn't help but roll his eyes, before he'd stepped behind her and pull her close.
"What's with you girls and never admittin' it?" he'd asked her, feeling how tensed she was. They'd remained like that until the firework was over and he'd suggested they return to the car before she'd fetch a cold. In the car he couldn't help but smirk when she'd began to look at the teddy from all sides. "Now ya wanna have the wolf, eh?" he'd teased her, but she'd given her a shake of her head.
"No chance, Logan," Jean had replied. "I think I'll give him your name…"
"My name?!" he'd asked. "Forget it. And besides, what makes ya think it's a boy, huh?"
"Of course it is. And besides what makes you think it's not a boy?" she'd given back.
"Because it's an insult if that thing has my name, darlin'!" he'd replied and nodded at it.
"Why? It's a cute little teddy," she'd pouted and pulled it close, making him cock an eyebrow.
"Not the only thing that's lil' about him," he'd mumbled and she's started at him. "What? It's true!"
"Men," she'd groaned and shaken her head, before she'd looked out of the window.
When they'd reached the mansion again a few hours later and he'd parked the car in the huge garage. He'd used the button on their way out, but somehow the automatic door was blocked and they'd gone outside to see what was wrong. "Great," Logan had cursed and began to work on it, closely watched by the redhead, who'd held her teddy-Logan close.
"You should watch it," she'd warned him. "If you pull too strong on it the snow on the roof can fall down…"
Logan had given her a cocked eyebrow and with one strong pull he'd managed that the heavy door finally closed. "See?" he'd said and turned around. "Nothin' happened." Well, at least not as long as he'd said it. Because all of a sudden they'd heard a loud rumble and he'd not even managed to turn around as the whole load of snow crashed down on him. Being shocked first, Jean had burst out into laughter when he'd reappeared again and looked like one huge snowman that had escaped a horror movie. "This ain't funny!" Logan had growled and struggled with the thick snow that had held him captive. "Would ya mind helpin' me?!"
Still holding her belly and laughing her head off, the redhead had raised a hand and pulled him out of the mess with her powers. Just as he'd finally stood on solid ground again he'd nearly slipped and fallen onto his butt, which made her laugh even harder. "Okay, that's it…," Logan had growled and had taken a great amount of snow, which had hit her only seconds later.
"Hey!" Jean had protested and had been hit by another snowball of him.
"Think that's funny, darlin'?" he'd asked and quickly turned around when she'd raised her hand, just to see how the snow began to float in the air. "That's unfair…"
"Is it?" she'd smiled, but hadn't reckoned with his quick jump before she'd let the snow crash onto the spot where he'd stood before. She'd only seen a shadow moving as he'd suddenly reappeared next to her and had grabbed her quickly, just to let her fall onto the huge pile of snow.
"My turn!" Logan had smirked and began to put snow on her, which had resulted in a snow fight that had soon woken up Ororo and some X-Men, who'd thought they'd been attacked and had run out of the mansion alarmed…
Yes, it had been the first time she'd laughed freely and the happiness had also reached her eyes back then. And he still had to grin when he remembered how pissed Ororo and the others had been because of the false alarm. "Why are you not coming over?" he heard Jean asking and awoke from his daydream.
"No, thanks," Logan replied with a disgusted look.
When they proceed to walk further through the park, Jean gave him a look. "Why didn't you join us?"
"I hate ducks," he grunted and buried his hands in his pockets. "That's all."
Hearing it, she couldn't help but giggle. "Why's that?" she asked but he shrugged.
"Dunno. Must be a bad experience with them," Logan said and she laughed, just to link arms with him.
At the mansion, hank arrived for his weekly visit and was greeted by Ororo when she opened the door. Since she was still occupied with preparing lunch, he followed her to the kitchen and offered her his help. "Where's Jean?" he asked after a moment. "Isn't she usually helping you?"
"She's out," Ororo replied and put the potatoes into the pot.
"Alone?" Hank asked but the woman shook her head.
"No with Logan and Mikey," she said and he froze in his movements and gave her an odd look.
"Why with him?" he demanded to know and she turned around with a shrug.
"Why not?"
Giving a short laugh, Hank shook his head and put the meat into the pan. "I can't believe he's still trying it!" he said angrily.
Sighing loudly, she crossed her arms. "Logan really doesn't want Jean for his bed only, Hank! He's taken care of her and Mikey."
"Yeah?" the man replied skeptically and handed her the pan. "I could tell you some things about Wolverine that will make you think differently about him…"
Ororo put the pan onto the stove and shook her head. "I don't care. All I know is that he makes Jean happy and laugh again and that's more important to me than anything else," she said ad walked over to the door. "Could you watch over it, please? I still need to do some things." Waiting for his nod, she left the kitchen.
A bit later Jean entered and ran into Hank, who stood next to the stove. "I heard you were out with the Wolverine," he instantly said when she began to fill a feeding cup with juice and she nodded. "You shouldn't do this, Jean…"
Hearing it, she turned her head with a frown, since he somehow sounded concerned. "Why?"
"You don't know him." Hank told her and held her gaze.
"And?" Jean shrugged while closing the cup.
"I know some things about him."
"Which things?"
Giving the pan a short look, Hank shrugged and crossed his arms. "Things he's done in his life, for instance? What kind of person he is," he told her. "If you knew, you'd keep away from him and especially Michael. Wolverine's dangerous, Jean!"
"I doubt this!" Jean said with a skeptical look.
He shook his head. "You're wrong!" he replied. "Wolverine's is a trained assassin, he's killed people. He's the creation of some scientists of the government and they trained him to kill. He's an animal, Jean!"
Sighing, the redhead turned around and walked to the door, where she stopped again. "I know Logan, Hank," she told him, but the man shook his head. "I know that Logan is a gentle and kind man and I don't care what he has done in the past, even if I appreciate your concern. Now excuse me, but my son's thirsty." With that she turned around again, hearing how Hank spoke up.
"Do you love him?" Hearing it, she turned around to stare at him in shock. "You shouldn't do this…," he said again, but without replying anything, she left.
Upstairs she found Logan sitting on the ground with Michael on his lap, while he tried to teach him new words out of the book that lay on the ground in front of them. Smiling, she closed the door and joined them, handing her son the cup, which he instantly took, while she gave Logan a thoughtful look.
When they took a walk through the garden in the evening, he noticed that she was awfully calm; something that he'd also noticed during dinner. Before he could ask if something was wrong, she turned her head and looked at him. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Logan shrugged and watched how she bit her lip nervously. While they kept on walking he listened to what Hank had told her and kept his eyes on the ground.
"Is it true?" Jean asked and looked at the man next to her who had his hands buried in his pockets, but Logan remained silent first.
"I don't know," he finally said. "It's possible…"
Nodding, she looked away. "Hank's given me the advice to stay away from you," she admitted calmly and he instantly looked back at her with furrowed brows. "But I don't care," she added when they reached the pond and he smiled in relief. Smiling back, she looked up into the clear sky and especially at the full moon that always fascinated her.
Noticing that she shivered, Logan stepped a bit closer. "You cold?" he asked, already knowing her answer.
"No," Jean replied without lowering her head and he chuckled.
"As I thought," he smirked and pulled her close. "Liar!" he added teasingly when she leant into him with a smile. Just standing there for a while, he rested his head on hers for a moment as she suddenly looked up and met his eyes. Drowning into hers, he reached out and touched her cheek softly to stroke over it, before he made use of his chance and placed a careful kiss onto her lips. Pulling away, Logan waited for her reaction and felt relieved to see that she was smiling.
"We should get back inside," Jean suggested and he nodded. Inside they stopped at her door and he was about to say good night, when she bit her lip. "W…would you stay with me?" she asked him shyly and played with her jacket nervously, unsure of what he would think about her request.
"If you want it," Logan shrugged and she opened her door with a smile to pull him into it. Inside, she disappeared into the bathroom while he looked around a bit first, before he checked on the sleeping Michael. After he'd disappeared into the bathroom, Jean began to prepare the bed, hopped into it and gasped when he returned. Not knowing what was wrong all of a sudden, Logan cocked an eyebrow at her. "Somethin' wrong?" he asked and closed the door behind him, seeing how she eyed him from head to toe.
"Do you always sleep in boxers only?" Jean asked calmly and pointed at his tight, black ones.
Coming closer he nodded. "Either that or naked," he said truthfully. "Why?"
"Well…I'm used to a shirt," she replied in a calm voice and eyed him again.
"I can get one if it makes ya feel better," Logan offered but she shook her head and patted the empty spot next to her. She waited for him to lie down before she switched the lights off and tried to calm her racing heart. She noticed that he didn't move an inch and wondered what he was thinking, but didn't know at the same time what to do either. Part of her wanted him to move closer, while the other was a bit scared to just pull him over to her. She didn't want him to get a false impression. In the meanwhile, Logan had stared at the ceiling first, before he turned his head to look at her in the dark. He couldn't believe that he really felt nervous. He never did when he was with a woman and he doubted that he felt this way because it was long ago that he'd shared a bad with someone. He wanted to move over, but didn't know if she wanted it, too. Sighing, he finally gave in to his urge and thought he could at least roll onto his right side. Doing it, he waited a moment before he reached out and wrapped his left arm around her waist; still keeping a distance and waiting for her reaction. It didn't take long and he felt how Jean covered his arm with hers, just to entwine her hand with his. Smiling, Logan finally felt encouraged enough to cuddle up to her and place a kiss onto her shoulder. "Night," he whispered into her ear and leant his head against hers, as she smiled in the dark.
"Night," Jean replied sleepily and, due to the comfortable feeling, soon drifted off to sleep…
Okay, that's it for today. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. Please review, too, since it's important to know for the author to get to know about the "I liked…" and "I didn't like…"'s of the readers. So please keep that in mind, even if you only write a good or not good, okay? ; ) See ya!!