Marvel owns the X-men, no profit is to be made from this work.

-=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=-

"I thought I'd find ya out here."

The McDonald's was the highlight of a strip mall that had a bank, a few shops, a walk-in clinic advertising it as being open twenty four hours, and a convenience store that Logan stood out front of stripping the cellophane from his cigar. It was over priced and dried out, but it wasn't so much about enjoying it as losing himself in the routine.

Watching her walk across the parking lot with a brown bag of carry out, even from the other end of the parking lot he could smell the fried up greasy fare that drove him away. "Hey babe."

"Two quarter pounders, no ketchup."

Taking her hand instead of the bag, he lead her off to a lamp pole and sat down on the cold concrete base, pulling her onto his lap so she had a warm seat. Tucking his crummy cigar behind his ear, only then did he accept the bag and dig in.

"How's the gang?" Asked between bites, he could see Kitty and Pete going through some ritual with their meals, trading pickles and sprucing up their burgers. Kitty had a couple of the little trays usually meat for ketchup, stripping open packets of vinegar and filling them up for her fries.

"Gettin' by with the basics, food, promise of a home to go back ta, shower helped." Rogue whispered as she looked off to the restaurant.

Shower fresh, breathing deep her scent it carried with it the memories of all those showers they had shared together since their friendship that had seen years had turned to love. Just a bit of give and take, he knew why she was out there braving the cold, she was waiting for that bit of routine that made everything feel normal. Wolfing down the last of his burgers, he plucked his cigar and handed it off to her.

Pressing it between her lips, he found the box of matches that had been a spoil of war and lit one up, his lady puffing away to coddle the growing ember. Cherry red, she passed the cigar back and breathed deep the smoky smell she usually loved, yet on this occasion coughed and pulled away from his embrace.

"That bad?" Logan asked, puffing away at it and trying to look as though he were enjoying it.

"Sugah, the nose knows..." Rogue said with a tilt of her head, smiling indulgently at him as she took another few steps back leaving tracks in the snow.

"An afficionado now are ya?" Logan asked as he had another slowly draw on the crummy cigar.

Watching her crouch, gathering up snow and moulding it into a tight little missile, he dared her with his eyes. His Rogue was one that rarely backed down from a dare and this time was no exception, a face full of snow with slush falling down his shirt the result of that dare. His cigar was snuffed as it fell into the snow with a hiss, crushing it under foot and gathering it up with the rest of his trash.

"Ya can smoke for me when we get home..."

Home, the word had its own gravity that tugged at his heart. Tossing his trash and chasing after her, she broke into a run that she would lose. He saw her wolf in how she danced around the military truck that had spirited them away, peeking over the hood and ducking around the tail end keeping it between them. It was a game of ducking and dodging and throwing snowballs at another, panting breath and gasped shrieks from his lady as snow fell down her shirt.

"I'll tattle!" His reputation was on the line, the big bad Wolverine making a fool of himself for her. He didn't care, didn't care about the snow or the slush or the cold that crept into him as he slung under the truck and tripped her with a sweeping leg. She fell, scrabbled away, but he caught her ankle and pulled her into his arms.

Holding her in the snow with her heart pattering away and her breath fogging with every huffed breath, it was exhilarating and relaxing all at once, just welcome reminders of what they were fighting for. Family, friends, and home.

"I'm cold." Rogue whined, playing the wounded party as he held her against him, his own heat enough to drive away the winter chill.

"There's a Timmy's across the road." Coffee, donuts and more. A life on the road had him familiar with every coffee shop, truck stop and family restaurant. Their trip up to Alaska had been an education for her on how to enjoy all that fare as she never before had, more than enough money in her pocket for that run.

A look to the restaurant saw Pete and Kitty curled together in a friendly embrace drinking coffee, while the wife Wagner sat colouring in crayons with her husband. "...could get Lee some Timbits."

"Get Kit to ask Harris how he takes his brew, we'll get something fer the trip back to the base."

Hefting his Rogue back to her feet, he brushed her off as an excuse for some frisky fondling, sharing smirks as she texted away to find out just what the Corporal took in his coffee. He was off chatting to some pretty girl at the counter, enjoying the fringe benefit of playing chaperone and by the smile the young lady had he was making good.

Enjoying a late night walk with his wife, the snow came down in fat, fluffy flakes and the street lamps were ensconced in halos of amber down the road. They bled together as a golden garland with the red and green of traffic lights as accents. Only a few cars were on the road with the distant rolling thunder that of snow plows making it safe.

"Might as well get her a hot chocolate too." Logan mused as he held the door for his lady.

Rogue beckoned him with her eyes and a sultry smile, and he did as bidden leaning in for a kiss as he towered over her. Chaste, simple and sweet, he kissed her nose one last time and urged her in with a tilt of his head.

"With whipped cream, and cinnamon."

That he remembered that detail scored him a point, a favour to be paid back later. Just another of the little details he was coming to learn about his family, his pack. The little things that showed he cared by noticing them, remembering them.

-=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=-

"Nugget."

Heeding his wife's wish, Kurt dipped one in barbeque sauce and fed it to her as she coloured. They commotion had blown over, most of the patrons having asked their questions and taken their pictures before getting back to their own meals. There were some that hadn't taken to their company, had taken their orders to go and only at leaving had the misguided courage to shout their taunts and insults. He ignored them, and his Jubilation was too tired of fighting to care.

"I used to do this, back when I was a kid. Most of the time my parents wouldn't be caught dead in a McDonald's or any kind of fast food places. But for special occasions like my birthday we'd go." Jubilee murmured, shading in a section of the colouring exercise.

She wasn't one to talk about her life and to hear of her as a child was a delight, just like she had shared with him all the memories that came back thanks to one photo given as a gift. They had a promise of dinner with Warren and his father, a reunion of sorts.

"Usually it'd be what they called wholesome food, but trust me...we ate out a lot. Milk, cereal, juice. That's about all you'd find in our kitchen. They made big with the American Dream baby, so it was all about giving back to the community Dad would say. That's how him and Mom met, she was a waitress and he worked in the kitchen of some lil restaurant."

"Humble beginnings." Kurt whispered, resting his chin on her shoulder and watching as she flipped the placemat over to start to doodle and draw.

"From the kitchen, to University, all the way to Beverly Hills. Way I heard it when I was two they decided to get outta the condo life and get a house. It looked so fricking huge back then, but I just had to go and street view it...seems smaller now."

Offering her another nugget, she finished it in two bites and carried on with her sketching. Looking past her, he saw Kitty and Pete chatting over coffee and by the way Kitty laughed and looked embarrassed he wondered if Pete wasn't teasing her in some way. The canned music of the restaurant was set to an easy listening station, a bit of pop, some light rock, some oldies, just a melodic white noise to lend the diners some privacy.

"We should probably get back to base, Sir, Mam."

For wearing combat boots, Corporal Harris proved light on his feet, carrying with him a large bag of take out likely meant for his fellows. Gathering his wife and her nuggets, Kurt followed after the Corporal who only needed a polite nod to have Kitty and Pete following along. Heading back to the truck, they were met by their missing members with Logan carrying a couple of take out trays of coffee while Rogue walked with a couple boxes of donuts.

Piling in, the smell of coffee and sweets overtook the truck. The drinks were passed around as the Corporal made for the highway, holding his between his thighs lest it spill. Nibbling on the Timbits that made the rounds, his lady curled up with him enjoying her hot chocolate with a whispered confession that his was better, swearing to her that he would treat her once they returned home.

"What do you think about your Mom?" Jubilee asked in the quiet that had fallen over the truck, broken only by the radio playing a local rock station.

"What do you think of her?" Kurt asked instead, not sure he had time to answer such a deep question.

She stalled with a disappointed wrinkle of her nose and a sip of her hot chocolate, considering the question as the warmth spread through her.

"I wanna give her a chance." A whisper nearly lost in the rattle of the truck, Kurt smiled at it and tied her to him with his tail. It was something she liked he knew, and she melted against him feeling safe.

"That makes me glad to hear, because so do I." He had been taught forgiveness and he saw his Lord's hand at work with that unexpected revelation and reunion, but to know his wife was willing to had his heart soar.

"I'm just not calling her Mom." Jubilee said in a huffed breath.

"Perhaps Mother?" Kurt teased.

"Nope."

"Momma?"

Earning himself a fanged bite that easily pierced his spare shirt, it was just hard enough to hurt that he yelped but still playful in intent. Her ear was bit in reprisal, just a light nip, and that earned him a pinch that he answered with a kiss. Holding her lip between his fangs, he looked into her lidded eyes and savoured her warm breath.

"We'll see..." Jubilee conceded, having been given a very compelling argument.

Giving her a chaste kiss after their playful one, he let everything else that need be said be told without words. With a wife so wild he found the simplest gestures could driver her to distraction, but he was coming to adore her pert little nostrils flaring as she read him by his scent. All he knew was that he wanted to bed his wife and reinvent the act all over again, all from the comfort of their cabin with a fire burning to lend the smoke and warmth to the night.

And in the window he saw she read him loud and clear as told by her flared nostrils, flushed cheeks, and the way her shirt couldn't hide her interest. And though he held her hand and his coffee, his tail teased and tickled her with promises of what would come with their homecoming.

-=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=-

"You're pretty comfy Pete, why haven't you found a girlfriend yet to enjoy this?"

"That is what University is for Katya."

Smiling at his affectionate namesake for her, Kitty got back to hacking away at all the raw data she had stolen from the Program installation. Hank and Raven were piloting the Blackbird and catching up, and now and again she'd sneak up just to remind them she was there or just to eavesdrop on them. It was so very odd to think that her very first boyfriend had dated the estranged mother of one of their own.

"Well, just make sure you let me vet them first. You know, Facebook stalk them a bit, check their credit, school, any priors..." Kitty rambled, trying a little brute force with one stubborn bit of protected data where finesse had failed.

"Only if you promise not to scare them away."

Offering her pinky, Kitty made a promise to use some discretion in her inquiries. She had nursed a few flames for the boys around the school, and because of those crushes she didn't want to see any ending up with anything less than their one true love.

"Promise, you deserve the best Pete."

And at the mention of finding love, she saw how his eyes turned to Jubilee and Rogue alike, the wedded ladies, and how he looked down at her after a look to the cockpit. She had found hers, or at the very least a man who truly intrigued her because only time would tell. Slamming her laptop shut, she was too distracted to delve any further into that very dark rabbit hole. Already she had seen her science twisted to a perverse vision without decency or any sense of morality, and the worst of it was how brilliant the theory had been behind the appalling applications.

"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds..."

"Oppenheimer."

Kitty smiled up to Pete, but it was a sad smile as she remembered listening to a brilliant man tell of the ushering in of the Nuclear Age that had been born out of desperation, bloodshed and total war. There was a dark legacy leftover, and the Cold War that she had learned of in school became a shadow in the corner of her eye, a thing that brought fear and dread and gooseflesh dotting her skin.

"I asked the Professor why we hide, all before Alcatraz. Hindsight is a bitch." Kitty spat, curling up with Pete and resting her head on his lap.

"It won't get better if someone doesn't fight for it."

Taken back to history classes and essays, Kitty remembered one cram session with Pete where he had said those same words. They had been studying the civil rights movement, and what a bloody fight that had been. Dogs and fire hoses, all for the sake of going to school with people who were only different because of such trivial differences as skin and ancestry. Compared to that Mutation was an order of magnitude different, and the fight would be a long one with much blood already spilt from both sides.

"Hey, one more promise Pete. If it doesn't work out between me and Hank, and if we're both a couple of thirty something singles...do you wanna have a kid together?"

Shock, surprise and embarrassment were writ across his face and that was all she had wanted to see. Yet at the same time it was an idle thought she had toyed with for a long time and the world as she knew it now made it only the more reasonable. She wanted to have her own legacy, someone to raise and love no matter that crap shoot that was genetics.

She wanted someone who would have a couple of seemingly ageless aunties to grow up with, who could then have their own bundle of joy. And so on and so forth, knowing there would be someone to tell stories and embarrass her and talk about how things used to be.

"Sleep on it, I'm in no hurry."

Closing her eyes and curling up with him, she didn't know how far it was to Westchester and home, but she wanted to let sleep spirit her away through that world of dreams. She had a nice one she'd been told about once, by a kindly man who proved himself no saint or messiah, just a man who made mistakes and had to live with them. But he had given her hope, and that was something she wanted to pay forward.

"Sweet dreams Katya."

-=+=–=+=–=+=–=+=-