author: Lucinda

rating: pg/pg 13

main characters: Ororo, Logan

sequel to Winter Tactical Exercise.

disclaimer: Nobody from Marvel belongs to me.

distribution: please ask first.

The snow ball fight disguised as a tactical exercise had been a success. Not only were all of the students in better moods, so were many of the teachers. And since none of the students seemed to realize that the real point had been for them to have fun, they had kept scheduling them. 'Tracking and evading in winter conditions' indeed, they were good for the students, even if they just provided some activity.

Of course, the fact that the snow conditions could be scheduled made things so much easier... And Ororo was delighted to cooperate with the plans. She found it beneficial to practice in such a manner, to accomplish something precisely controlled, yet taken for the random acts of nature.

"I am very glad you had this idea, Logan. Everyone is in a better mood, and the experiences have been... educational." She settled beside him on the couch, a soft smile on her lips.

He smiled at her, a small one, but still... Logan was not a man well known for good cheer. "Like I said... too much sitting still. I picked up the cocoa for this weekend's session. Even some of those add in things you mentioned. Cinnamon drops and peppermint canes, and more marshmallows than any one man should see at one time."

Cinnamon drops... oh, she loved cinnamon in her cocoa. "Logan, you are wonderful." She wasn't quite certain what made her give in to the impulse, but she leaned over, kissing him on the cheek before leaving the room, her cheeks feeling far to warm. At least it was harder for people to tell if she was blushing than Jean, or Marie.

She blushed all the way to her room, feeling oddly like a school girl trying to puzzle out a crush. But that was ridiculous. She was a grown woman, not a silly child, and she did not get crushes. Really, she did NOT.

Except that... maybe she had. It was a bit hard to tell. At the age when the other females here had been learning about crushes and boys and making their first steps into the dating world, she had been a half starved street thief, and then a solitary traveler, and then a remote goddess. She knew how to deal with respect, and with fear, but... this was entirely different. And baffling.

Logan wasn't the most handsome man that she'd ever seen - actually, she could make a good sized list of men whose features were more perfect, more sensual, more refined. And while there weren't many men that she'd encountered in better shape, Logan was far from the first well muscled man that she'd seen. But there was something about him, a presence, a vitality and intensity that he brought to life... It captured her attention, dragged her in, forced her to notice him.

He gave a first impression of being little more than a cranky fighter, hostile and defensive towards the whole world. But then, if you got to know a bit more about him... he had amazing depths of caring, of unexpected compassion, like the way he'd taken responsibility for Marie, helping her when she'd been no more than a would be stow-away in his truck. He would sit and listen to some of the students, the ones that had been hurt and abused, the ones who would be silent and subdued around Scott, or Jean, or the Professor. However violent his fighting might be, Logan wouldn't hurt children.

Logan knew what happened inside the school, knew who was dating who, the right culprits if there had been a prank or small theft, the people most likely to skip class. Maybe it was his hearing, but... he also knew which students were most likely to have nightmares, who would want a bit more reassurance about the school being safe.

He was the most puzzling, contradictory, frustrating man that she'd ever encountered. And she'd been wondering what it would be like to kiss him. He slipped into her thoughts, not literally, but... something would catch her attention, and it would remind her of him. Wasn't that a crush?

By the time Saturday morning arrived, the students once again bundled up to go throw snow balls at each other... errr... practice their winter tactics, that is, she still had no idea what to do about Logan. The only thing that she'd been able to make a firm decision about was that yes, she did feel... something for Logan. Some baffling, frustrating sense of attraction, of interest. An attraction that made her aware of him, granted him passage into her dreams, made her wonder what it would be like to kiss him.

Ororo still felt confused by the situation. Yes, there was an attraction - on her side. But, would he be interested in a relationship? Did she even want to try a relationship with Logan? What if... But considering all of the 'what if's got her nowhere.

She would ensure that there were no last minute adjustments to make for the weather, and then she would make sure that the cocoa was ready for when the students got back. She didn't quite look at Logan the whole time. Well, she kept stealing little glances, but there was no eye contact. Eventually, he went out to check on the students, to make sure they were behaving close enough to alright.

"I must regain control over these... feelings. Before they lead to trouble." She hoped that this wasn't the prelude to disaster.

He came back inside, slipping through the door and moving across the carpet so quietly that she didn't realize that he was there until she smelled the cocoa. Or maybe she had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't heard him. He was holding two mugs of steaming cocoa, one dark grey, the other sky blue with flowers on it.

"Pick a mug... your cinnamon's over there." His voice sounded... almost friendly.

With a small smile, she picked up the grey mug, adding a few of the cinnamon candies to it to add that extra bit of flavor, that added suggestion of warmth. "Thank you, Logan."

He just gave a small grin, and an almost laugh. He set the flowered mug down for a moment, unwrapping a candy cane to stir into his cocoa. "You're welcome, 'Ro. Always."

For a while, they just sat there, sipping at the hot cocoa, the warmth soaking into their hands. She looked up, sensing him right beside her, and there he was, with just a tiny bit of marshmallow caught on his lip. She couldn't help herself, she had to kiss him.

Cinnamon met peppermint in an almost fiery tasting battle, mingling, swirling, propelled by lips and tentatively touching tongues. The flavors clinging to teeth and lips... She could almost feel herself melting into his arms...

There was a sound at the door, someone bumping it, the stamping of many student feet. Startled, she pulled back, looking at Logan with eyes filled with questions. "We... what was..."

"I always thought it was called a kiss." His words were low, to soft to carry farther than the small space between them.

She looked at her mug, emotions churning inside her. This... this changed things. Everything that she thought she'd figured out had been scattered, and she was left unbalanced, uncertain. "But... why? I thought..."

"Maybe you think too much. Maybe you should just... be." There was something in his eyes, intense, primal.

The door opened, spilling students into the room, and a somewhat damp, unhappy looking Scott. Traces of snow still clung to his shoulders and visor. The students swarmed towards the tables, gathering cocoa, adding marshmallows, cinnamon, peppermint...

"What were you two doing, anyhow? They had this... giant snow-ball fight." Scott didn't sound very amused, but then... it looked as if he'd found the snow-ball fight by stumbling into the line of fire.

"We were drinking cocoa, Scott." Logan's words were true enough, but somehow... they pulled away all of the confusion, left out the kiss that had somehow changed everything.

Ororo smiled, realizing then that while she most certainly didn't know where this was going, it looked like she would have time to figure it out. "Logan? Perhaps... we could have another cup tomorrow?"

"I'd like that, darlin'. I even got some more of those cinnamon drops for you."

Oh yes... she would need time to figure this out. But she intended to enjoy every baffling moment of it.

end Mug of Hot Cocoa