DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! They made me so happy! Here's the next weekly update:
X X X X X
CHAPTER 49
The teenagers in the rec room grinned like stupid when they saw the little girl skip into the room next to her heavily packed parents, wearing a long sleeved tee with the colorful letters of 'daddy's little sweetheart'.
"Daddy bought me hamsters!"
Storm's features became a little concerned. "Don't you think she's a little young for a pet?"
Wolverine only snickered. "Ain't real hamsters, Ro." When a noise emerged from the furry something in Laura's hands, he sighed heavily and rolled his eyes heavenwards. "Are real hamsters as loud as that plastic crap?" He got a few head-shakes from his students. "Also doubt flesh and blood hamsters need a stroller or a slide or even a fuckin' skateboard!" He let himself fall exhausted into a just vacated armchair, a boy hurriedly had left at his teacher's snarl. "You can't even throw this plastic crap into the pan, when it isn't workin' anymore!"
"Logan!" Marie glared daggers at him, picking Becca up from her baby seat.
"What? It's the truth, Kid!" He stared at her bewildered, stretching his cramped limbs and resting his boots-clad feet on the coffee-table, earning a disapproving glare from the weather witch. His gaze fell upon the plastic bags he'd parked next to the table. "And if that stupid pet wouldn't be loud enough Laura wanted a friggin' fire engine with light and sound!"
His agitated expression brought not only a grin to Storm's lips. "And did you buy it?"
Rogue laughed at Logan's dark scowl. "'Course. Ya won't believe how fast Laura got the 'Daddy I want this' combined with the puppy dog look!"
Pete watched Kitty and Jubilee look through the purchases curiously, placing the Zhu Zhu Hamster boxes onto the tabletop, while more students gathered on the couch. "You know, Christmas isn't far away." The giant said, his eyes on the Wolverine.
Logan snorted. "Only bought her two hamster sets. There are enough left for Christmas and Birthdays till she's allowed to get boozed legally."
"Doubt she'll like that stuff when she's a teen." Jubilee put in and turned her attention towards the next shopping bag.
"Oh you sure?" Logan saw Marie's horrified features, but didn't care for once. "Rogue tried to persuade Laura to buy some stupid plastic horses, 'cuz she wanted that crap."
"That ain't horses but ponies, Logan!" The brunette exclaimed, annoyed that he made fun of her favorite toy as a child.
A frown was on Shadowcat's features, her gaze trained onto the young mother. "Oh, you mean those 'My Little Pony' ponies?"
The brunette's cheeks were flushed brightly red. "Umm, yeah."
"I really loved those!" Jubilee's face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Me, too! Still have them in the basement. I couldn't give them away." Kitty grinned like stupid, happy about the wonderful memories of her childhood, those toys held for her.
Startled Logan's gaze switched from one girl to the next. "Didn't anyone of you play with dolls?"
The Asian popped her ever present gum and faced the man. "Does beheading Barbies count, Wolvie?" Everyone giggled about Logan's hitched brow and blank expression those words caused.
Storm leaned forward and peeked into another bag. "What else did you buy for Laura?" When it came to his three girls Logan showed completely different sides of his personality and everyone had noticed this.
"A double-sided easel, an easel pad, crayons, Play-Doh, wooden ABC-blocks, plastic building blocks, two 'touch and feel' books and a book with bedtime stories. Though Becca can already play with the last two." Marie listed every item her love had groaned and rolled his eyes about when she had added it to their shopping cart.
"And a dozen tee shirts, socks, underwear, four pants, two pj's and one dress." Logan continued, still feeling a little sick remembering the prices. It was time for a few cage fights, not only to restock his finances. "Oh, and one denim jacket, a coat for the winter, boots and lazer sneakers."
"Oh, the Disney pajamas are so damn cute." Marie pulled a Bambi themed nighty from one of the bags and held it up, so the other students could see it.
"Clothes buying is stupid." Laura muttered and let her hamster race over the couch table of the rec room. Before the toy could fall over the edge, Pete picked it up only to set it back onto the tabletop, so the furry thing would return to the girl.
Marie chuckled. "She already shares that opinion with ya, Logan."
"Nah… The clothes shoppin' for Laura was fun."
Marie smirked at her mate. "Only 'cuz ya had a perfect view on that soccer mom's butt while she bent down to change her son's shoes." She knew Logan was looking at other women and checking them out and it would be weird for a guy like the Wolverine to don't do so. It didn't mean anything and she was glad he didn't try to hide it from her. After all, she had a copy of her love in her mind and would notice his reactions about other women the one way or the other.
"Yep. Say it was fun. Good thin' she had to make her way through over half a dozen till one pair fitted and got the approval of her runt." He chuckled and leaned back in the chair.
Marie shifted her sleeping daughter and ran her fingertips over the pink fabric. "Laura wasn't the only one, who got new stuff. Becca also has a winter jacket and a dress now."
"Fits perfectly together." Jubilee lifted the doll-sized yellow sundress from a bag and held it next to the winter-ly clothed baby.
"The dress was a left over from last season and was reduced." That wasn't a lie, but the brunette tried to keep the impression that Logan wasn't buying EVERYTHING for her baby – this could be a bit too suspicious WHY he would do so – and she usually told her friends that she got the baby stuff really cheap and used all of her allowance. But everyone knew Logan loved to spoil Becca and her mother with presents and even came back with a rattle or soft toy from his trips to pick up supplies for the school.
The Asian kept staring into the space before her. "What's wrong, Jubes?" Kitty asked.
"Uhu… just trying to picture Wolvie in a toy store."
"Shut it, Yellow. Fetch some bags and help us carry that crap up." The feral growled and got to his feet.
"I'll help, too." Kitty called and saw Pete also leap to his feet.
X X X X X
Half the school was gathered in the doorway of Rogue's room, curious to finally have a peek into the young mother's home. Some whispered - still in disbelief – that John's story was true and that there was indeed a connecting door to the Wolverine's room, which Logan had closed upon entering when the first students were about to inspect his room. With a snarl and scowl he had banned the onlookers effectively to his mate's threshold.
"I would help to assemble Laura's bed." Pete offered in his Russian accent and looked around for a big package.
"Thanks, Pete, but she's sleeping in mah bed." Marie smiled, shaking her head. "Keeps the nightmares away." She stroked the toddler's head as the little girl was pouring the wooden ABC-blocks from the plastic box, spreading them onto the floor. Becca, finally awake, was crawling between the legs of her mother's friends until the wooden blocks caught her attention and the baby began to suck and chew on an 'E'.
The young mother let her gaze travel over her furniture, the space between the crib, changing table and her bed was now occupied by the double-sided easel, the building blocks and the fire engine, the shopping bags with the clothes were placed onto the mattress, leaving almost no free space. Sighing she picked Becca up, replacing the block with her pacifier. Her gaze centered on her mate, who leaned casually against Marie's dresser. "Logan, Ah think Laura needs a little more space to play. And since Becca began to crawl recently it's even more cramped."
Logan pushed away and with a fling of his wrist threw the door close, into the face of the watching students. "So, what have you in mind, Kid?"
"Ya hardly use your desk." She saw his brow quirk upwards. "Ah could move mah school stuff over to your desk and remove that monstrous table from mah room to give the girls a playing corner."
"Sounds like a plan." The feral approached her and lifted his daughter from her embrace, Becca immediately grasping the shiny dog-tags hanging around his neck. "But Chuck has to give his ok and we've to think 'bout a way to get that desk through the door in one piece."
"Don't worry your Adamantium skull about this, Logan, Ah already have a plan." She said mysteriously and sprinted from the room with a smile – passing by the other teenagers on her way to get the professor's permission. "Oh, please get the girls ready for bed!" She called over her shoulder.
X X X X X
An hour later and with the help of Colossus' strength and Shadowcat's phase-ability, the desk was safely stowed away at the attic without a single dent and the resulting space was already occupied by a 'Hello Kitty' carpet and Laura's new toys. Jubilee had helped Logan to change the toddler into her new pj's while he had put a new diaper onto his baby daughter and then placed her into her crib – his whispers were inaudible to the Asian but she had no doubt about their meaning when she watched his tender eyes and the soft smile as he kissed Becca good night.
Now, her friends had left and Marie was trying unsuccessfully to read a bedtime story to Laura. But the girl was wide awake and was jumping on the mattress next to an exhausted Rogue when the door opened and Logan returned from the attic.
The feral arched his brow at the sight of the hyperactive toddler. "Why the f-" He saw Marie's pointed look. "Fine." His mate's scowl vanished immediately. "Okay, why is the kid like the Energizer Bunny on speed?" He eyed the child warily, confusion on his features. "It's way past her bedtime and she's far from tired."
Sighing, Marie closed the book and approached her mate. "Ah have not the slightest idea, sugah."
Storm pasted by the open door and Laura immediately caught her attention. "What's going on here?"
Logan ran his fingers through his dark hair and faced the weather witch. "Dunno why, but our little trip made her everythin' else than tired."
Ororo let her gaze travel through the room until her eyes fell onto an almost empty package of sweets on the nightstand next to the toddler. "Did she have all those jelly beans for dessert?"
"Umm, yes?" Logan stared at the woman puzzled.
"Ohh, shit!"
"Marie?" The feral growled half- asking what epiphany had hit her and half angry at her cussing – they had agreed to watch their language around their daughters and Marie had been very strict about it with him.
But the brunette ignored his scowl and picked the leftover sweets up. "The sugah, Logan!"
In the background Laura was still jumping on the bed and was now half-singing and half-shouting "Shit!" She turned towards the adults innocently. "What's shit, daddy?"
The Canadian growled low and lifted his daughter up from the bed. "That's a word you'll forget immediately." He shot a sharp look at his mate.
"Why?" The little girl was already fidgeting with her father's dog-tags.
"It's an adult-word, kiddo. That's why. And you're a kid." He fetched her new sneakers from the floor and turned to leave. "Now let's get down to the gym."
"Daddy?"
"Yeah?"
"When I'm a adult I'm allows to say adult-words?" Laura asked with her huge green eyes trained onto his hazel orbs.
"Then yes."
"Logan!" Marie exclaimed in disbelief, but the feral turned around, his expression serious.
"What?"
X X X X X
A/N: I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. The next will be up next weekend (as usually) and will skip in time a little and will have Scott baby-sitting and changing cute little Becca…
