Disclaimer: Never pretended that I came up with these characters on my own.
Author's Notes: Well, now that the site is back up and running, we can get back to the normal updating schedule, knock on wood. I wanted to thank everyone who's reviewed thus far, especially those of you who reviewed between June 10th and June 14th. I got all of your kind reviews, but the site didn't record them and now they're missing. Just wanted to give you a special shout-out. Enjoy this next chapter! And thanks, again.
****
Unexpected
by Kristen Elizabeth
****
Well if you knew how much this moment means to me
And how long I've waited for your touch
And if you knew how happy you are making me
I never thought that I'd love anyone so much
It feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from
It feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong.
-Chantal Kreviazuk
****
"Are you okay, darlin? I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Storm opened her eyes as he pulled out of their intimate lock, instantly missing the feeling of his heat within hers. "I assure you, Logan. I am feeling no pain."
With a sigh, he laid down next to her, sweaty body alongside sweaty body. A long moment passed between them. "What are we doing, Ro?"
"Sex," she replied, simply. "In honor of Remy and Rogue's wedding and the removal of my last few stitches."
If Storm had glanced over, she would have seen him frown. "We gotta figure this thing out," Logan said. "What we are...what we want."
"I don't think we're ready yet," she whispered a second later. "Maybe we won't ever be. Maybe we're just destined to be good friends who are good in bed, and that's it."
He ran his hand down his face. "Is that what you want?" She said nothing. "That's what I'm tryin' to tell you." Logan rolled onto his side to see her better. "I want…"
She placed her slender fingers against his lips. "There's nothing wrong with what we have here."
He grabbed her hand in a gentle, but unbreakable grip. "What are you afraid of, Ro?"
"Nothing," Storm said, completely unconvincingly. "And you are the one who couldn't say the words, remember?"
Logan released her and fell back down onto the pillows. "Yeah. That sounds about right."
"It's all right, Logan." She propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at him. "If watching Remy and Rogue's struggles has taught me anything it's that when you're given any small amount of happiness, you should take it, and not sit around wishing for something more. You make me happy." She pressed a soft kiss onto the broad plane of his chest. "Do I make you happy?"
He closed his eyes as her kisses trailed down the toned ridges of his stomach. "Darlin'…you have no idea."
"Then…" She straddled his legs and hit him with her most sultry look. "…we should take that. And not concern ourselves with the details."
Logan bucked under the pleasure of her mouth, but managed to say, "Someday, Ro. You're gonna want the details."
Storm lifted her head. "We will worry about that someday. But not right now."
He shook his head, as she loved him with the tip of her tongue. "No…not right now."
****
Mystique held up both hands. "I come in peace."
Rogue had to laugh. "Ya come in peace?" She tilted her head to one side. "Momma." The word came out without any of the affection afforded to such a bond. "Ya ain' never learned the meanin' o' the word."
"A low blow, but not entirely untrue," the woman who'd raised her admitted.
"Just how the hell do ya keep gettin' in here, anyway? We're supposed to have a foolproof intruder alert thing goin' on."
"Don't insult my intelligence by insinuating that I shouldn't be able to get around Charles Xavier's alarm system."
Rogue shook her head, more inclined to be angered than amused. "Ya should prob'ly tell me what yer comin' in peace to do, an' quick. If Remy wakes up…well…let's just say yer not his favorite person lately." She paused. "Come to think o' it…yer not mine either." She pointed a finger at the red-haired woman. "Ya drugged me an' took me to Erik."
"Yes, I did."
Justified rage swelled just beneath her breast. "Do ya have any idea what he did to me?? He fed me stuff…stuff that made my baby come too early." She gestured to Madeline. "Look at her. She's perfect, but she almost didn' make it. Would ya have even cared if she hadn'?"
Mystique's eyes narrowed. "You're going to believe what you will, child, but I would never knowingly harm my daughter's daughter."
"Then, why'd ya do it?"
The simple question hung in the air. Mystique ignored it for a moment as she studied the tiny baby in the incubator. "She'll favor you, not the Cajun, thankfully."
"Leave Remy outta this," Rogue snapped. "Or Ah'll wake him up an' let him play cards with yer ass."
"You'd do that to your own mother?"
She swore softly. "Yer not my momma. If ya felt anythin' for me like what Ah feel for Madeline, ya couldn've handed me over to the one person Ah hate more than anyone."
"Erik only said he wanted to talk to you; he never mentioned anything about keeping you drugged," Mystique calmly replied. "And I went along with it…because I care for you. As a mother."
"Sure."
"I want what's best for you, my Rogue."
Rogue shook her head violently. "No, ya don'. The only thing ya've ever wanted outta me is what's best for whatever plot ya've got goin'. Are ya still pissed that Ah don' jump at yer beck an' call anymore? Does it still burn ya up that Ah joined the good guys?"
"Good is a relative term." Mystique's gaze shifted to Remy as he slept. "Your X-Men claim not to kill, yet they welcome back killers with open arms."
"Ah told ya…"
The older woman cut her off. "I had hopes that you would work him out of your system. But then I was informed that not only were you planning on having his baby, but you were actually going to tie yourself to him for life." She paused. "I couldn't let it happen."
"Ah don' figure how it's any bit yer choice to make."
Mystique lifted her shoulders nonchalantly. "One day, you will understand. When your own child grows beyond your reach, falls in love, begins planning her life without your input…you'll know why I did what I did."
"Ah am beyond yer reach. An' Ah am in love," Rogue said softly. "This big ol' lump of Cajun righ' here…Ah love him so much it hurts sometimes. It kinda balances. The lovin' an' the hurtin'. Lord knows we've done enough o' both to each other."
"You think he loves you?"
She shook her head. "Ah don' think. Ah know."
"Perhaps. For the time being, he might find marriage amusing. But eventually…"
"Ya know somethin'?" Rogue put her hands on her hips. "Ah've turned that same damn thought over in my head so many times…Ah really don' need everyone else doin' it for me. Maybe Remy won' ever be able to get from me the only thing ya'll seem to think he wants…or maybe it's not even that. Maybe it's just the only thing ya'll think Ah've got that's worth anythin'."
Mystique sighed. "That is not what I…"
"What ya'll don' realize is that he loved me a long time before we got stuck in that cave together. An' he's gonna love me a long time after. If that really was the only nigh' we're ever gonna get, it was enough. We got Madeline outta it, an' made a good memory. A really good memory." She took a step towards her surrogate mother. "Ain' ya all for mutant rights?" Mystique arched one eyebrow. "Well, the only righ' this mutant wants is the righ' to live her life with the man she loves, who for some crazy reason, loves her back."
"Dear child…"
Rogue stepped back. "Make no mistake, **Momma**. This mutant'll fight for that with every breath she's got. Are ya gonna keep tryin' to take it away from her?"
Mystique let out another little sigh, and sideswiped the question yet again by looking at Madeline, the undeniable proof of the love her daughter spoke about. "If all of this truly makes you happy…" She looked back up at Rogue. "That's your problem."
"Yer maternal compassion is overwhelmin' me," Rogue muttered. "Next time ya get the urge to drop by in the middle o' the nigh', try to remember that we don' really like ya here. So…"
"You're going to be a good mother," Mystique said, shortly and simply.
The younger woman looked down at her gloved hands, caught off guard by the tender statement. "Ah'm gonna try." Her wistful gaze drifted to Remy. "He's gonna help me."
"I believe that you believe that." Before Rogue could protest, she continued, "And that will just have to be good enough for me. And for Erik." She moved closer. "It is your life and your heart. As long as you know that they're safe with him, it ought not matter to anyone else. Even me."
Rogue dipped her head in a nod of acknowledgement. "Bye, Momma."
Before Mystique slipped back into the shadows, she gave her surrogate daughter one more look. "Don't give up hope, my child. There is always a way."
She was gone as quickly as she had appeared. Rogue blinked; it was almost easy to imagine that the entire conversation had just been her imagination. Until Remy spoke.
"You all righ', ma chere?"
"How long ya been awake, swamp rat?"
"Long enough." He lifted his head and scratched his cheek where the folds in the sleeve of his tuxedo jacket had left impressions on his skin. "Gambit would've jumped in wit' cards flyin', but it seem like you doin' fine on your own."
Rogue walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around his chest, and rested the side of her head on his back. "Thanks, sugah." She let out a tired sigh. "It's been a long day."
He covered her hands with his, stroking her through the sheer, white material. "Dis not de way I ever t'ought I'd be spendin' my weddin' night…" He paused just long enough to incite her temper before continuing, "But I like it, chere. I like it."
She rolled her eyes at him, but squeezed his body even tighter. After a moment of content silence, Rogue spoke, hesitant this time. "What did ya picture yer weddin' nigh' like?"
"Our weddin' night?" he corrected her. "Not sure I should be tellin' you in front o' de bébé."
Rogue pulled away and forcibly turned his head to see her. "Ah wanna know."
Remy slid into a dangerous smile as he swung around. He walked his fingers up her outer thighs and gently gripped her hips, positioning her between his legs. With him sitting and her standing, her breasts were exactly level with his face, just the way he liked it. He looked up at her. "You sure, ma belle?" She nodded, numb with the heat of his breath through the flimsy satin of her wedding dress. "Maybe I don' tell you…but show you?"
But his mouth was already there before she could even answer. Teasing, nipping, suckling, he used the material that separated his tongue from her flesh to his advantage until she whimpered his name, and then he stopped, letting the wet material cool in twin spots. He ran his hands up her sides, and brushed his thumbs over her well-loved nipples. "Dere just somet'ing 'bout breasts," Remy murmured, almost to himself. "You feed ma Madeline from dem…" He replaced his fingers with his mouth again. "But all I want is t'love dem."
She plunged her fingers into his thick hair, her head thrown back in sheer pleasure. "Hank'd prob'ly say…somethin' 'bout a complex…or somethin'….Ah can't really…think righ' now…."
"Don' t'ink, ma chere." He reluctantly stopped in order to stand up. When she opened her eyes, she found him looking down at her with an intense look of desire. "Jus' say you gonna let dis Caj'n show you everyt'ing we can do toget'er."
Rogue licked her lower lip, making it shine in the light. "Yeah. Ah'm gonna." She looked around. "But…here?" Remy glanced significantly at the infirmary bed where she'd spent so much time after Madeline's birth. A little chill of excitement ran down her spine. "All righ'. Just…gimme a sec."
To do so, Remy walked to the infirmary door and carefully closed it. After turning off the only overhead light still on, he gripped the cold, metal handle of the door for a second, collecting himself. Just bringing her pleasure had worked him up to a steely state. He took a breath and turned back around.
She'd slipped out of her wedding dress and naked except for her white gloves, slipped between the crisp, clean sheets. As they were only pulled up to her waist, the breasts he loved lay exposed. "C'mere," Rogue beckoned, crooking a finger at him.
He swallowed, suddenly feeling fourteen again. "Chere…you know you take de very breat' out o' me?"
"We'll keep the sheet between us," Rogue said, her voice trembling slightly. "If ya keep yer shirt on…Ah can hold ya."
Remy's reply was to shrug out of his tuxedo jacket and loosen the bowtie. He advanced on her, flinging the tie away, not caring where it landed. When he was at the bed, he reached into the pocket of his black pants and pulled out a pair of gloves that when he pulled them on, fit like a second skin. Rogue twisted the edge of the sheet around her own gloved fingers. "Remy?"
He eased onto the bed like a serpent approaching his prey. The smoldering glint in his eyes made heat pool at the center of her body. She lay back against the pillows and looked up at him. "Show me, Remy."
"Ma belle…" he whispered, stroking her cheek. The material was so smooth, she nearly gasped at the sensation. "My wife." Propped up over her on one elbow, Remy let his hand trail down the long length of her throat, over her delicate collarbone and down to her breast. Pausing to gently knead her nipple, he replied, "I show you."
When his hand dipped between her skin and the covers and found her heat, Rogue gave herself up to the pleasure, cursing herself for having denied it for so long. His fingers loved her with skillful strokes while he watched her face for every reaction. She gripped the pillow underneath her head, lifting her hips up to meet him, but he urged her to lie still. Her scars were still healing, and he'd die before he hurt her ever again.
He brushed his lips over hers for a second time that day when she came, but it was her soul that bled a little into his. As her breath returned to her, she opened her eyes, staring at him with love and wonder. "Dat won' be de last time for dis, eit'er, ma chere."
Rogue's expression melted into a devilish smile as she ran her own hand over his hip, letting it cup his firm butt. "Your turn, swamp rat."
****
Hank found them the next morning when he came in to feed Madeline. Separated by both clothing and bedding, they were, nonetheless, entwined in the most intimate of embraces as they slept.
He shook his head and pulled the curtain around the bed, in case anyone else decided to wander in before they woke.
As he fed Madeline, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Darling child," he told their daughter. "I will not be surprised if your parents come up with a way to give you a brother or a sister in the future."
****
To Be Continued (yes, there will be more...)
Author's Notes: Well, now that the site is back up and running, we can get back to the normal updating schedule, knock on wood. I wanted to thank everyone who's reviewed thus far, especially those of you who reviewed between June 10th and June 14th. I got all of your kind reviews, but the site didn't record them and now they're missing. Just wanted to give you a special shout-out. Enjoy this next chapter! And thanks, again.
****
Unexpected
by Kristen Elizabeth
****
Well if you knew how much this moment means to me
And how long I've waited for your touch
And if you knew how happy you are making me
I never thought that I'd love anyone so much
It feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from
It feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong.
-Chantal Kreviazuk
****
"Are you okay, darlin? I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Storm opened her eyes as he pulled out of their intimate lock, instantly missing the feeling of his heat within hers. "I assure you, Logan. I am feeling no pain."
With a sigh, he laid down next to her, sweaty body alongside sweaty body. A long moment passed between them. "What are we doing, Ro?"
"Sex," she replied, simply. "In honor of Remy and Rogue's wedding and the removal of my last few stitches."
If Storm had glanced over, she would have seen him frown. "We gotta figure this thing out," Logan said. "What we are...what we want."
"I don't think we're ready yet," she whispered a second later. "Maybe we won't ever be. Maybe we're just destined to be good friends who are good in bed, and that's it."
He ran his hand down his face. "Is that what you want?" She said nothing. "That's what I'm tryin' to tell you." Logan rolled onto his side to see her better. "I want…"
She placed her slender fingers against his lips. "There's nothing wrong with what we have here."
He grabbed her hand in a gentle, but unbreakable grip. "What are you afraid of, Ro?"
"Nothing," Storm said, completely unconvincingly. "And you are the one who couldn't say the words, remember?"
Logan released her and fell back down onto the pillows. "Yeah. That sounds about right."
"It's all right, Logan." She propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at him. "If watching Remy and Rogue's struggles has taught me anything it's that when you're given any small amount of happiness, you should take it, and not sit around wishing for something more. You make me happy." She pressed a soft kiss onto the broad plane of his chest. "Do I make you happy?"
He closed his eyes as her kisses trailed down the toned ridges of his stomach. "Darlin'…you have no idea."
"Then…" She straddled his legs and hit him with her most sultry look. "…we should take that. And not concern ourselves with the details."
Logan bucked under the pleasure of her mouth, but managed to say, "Someday, Ro. You're gonna want the details."
Storm lifted her head. "We will worry about that someday. But not right now."
He shook his head, as she loved him with the tip of her tongue. "No…not right now."
****
Mystique held up both hands. "I come in peace."
Rogue had to laugh. "Ya come in peace?" She tilted her head to one side. "Momma." The word came out without any of the affection afforded to such a bond. "Ya ain' never learned the meanin' o' the word."
"A low blow, but not entirely untrue," the woman who'd raised her admitted.
"Just how the hell do ya keep gettin' in here, anyway? We're supposed to have a foolproof intruder alert thing goin' on."
"Don't insult my intelligence by insinuating that I shouldn't be able to get around Charles Xavier's alarm system."
Rogue shook her head, more inclined to be angered than amused. "Ya should prob'ly tell me what yer comin' in peace to do, an' quick. If Remy wakes up…well…let's just say yer not his favorite person lately." She paused. "Come to think o' it…yer not mine either." She pointed a finger at the red-haired woman. "Ya drugged me an' took me to Erik."
"Yes, I did."
Justified rage swelled just beneath her breast. "Do ya have any idea what he did to me?? He fed me stuff…stuff that made my baby come too early." She gestured to Madeline. "Look at her. She's perfect, but she almost didn' make it. Would ya have even cared if she hadn'?"
Mystique's eyes narrowed. "You're going to believe what you will, child, but I would never knowingly harm my daughter's daughter."
"Then, why'd ya do it?"
The simple question hung in the air. Mystique ignored it for a moment as she studied the tiny baby in the incubator. "She'll favor you, not the Cajun, thankfully."
"Leave Remy outta this," Rogue snapped. "Or Ah'll wake him up an' let him play cards with yer ass."
"You'd do that to your own mother?"
She swore softly. "Yer not my momma. If ya felt anythin' for me like what Ah feel for Madeline, ya couldn've handed me over to the one person Ah hate more than anyone."
"Erik only said he wanted to talk to you; he never mentioned anything about keeping you drugged," Mystique calmly replied. "And I went along with it…because I care for you. As a mother."
"Sure."
"I want what's best for you, my Rogue."
Rogue shook her head violently. "No, ya don'. The only thing ya've ever wanted outta me is what's best for whatever plot ya've got goin'. Are ya still pissed that Ah don' jump at yer beck an' call anymore? Does it still burn ya up that Ah joined the good guys?"
"Good is a relative term." Mystique's gaze shifted to Remy as he slept. "Your X-Men claim not to kill, yet they welcome back killers with open arms."
"Ah told ya…"
The older woman cut her off. "I had hopes that you would work him out of your system. But then I was informed that not only were you planning on having his baby, but you were actually going to tie yourself to him for life." She paused. "I couldn't let it happen."
"Ah don' figure how it's any bit yer choice to make."
Mystique lifted her shoulders nonchalantly. "One day, you will understand. When your own child grows beyond your reach, falls in love, begins planning her life without your input…you'll know why I did what I did."
"Ah am beyond yer reach. An' Ah am in love," Rogue said softly. "This big ol' lump of Cajun righ' here…Ah love him so much it hurts sometimes. It kinda balances. The lovin' an' the hurtin'. Lord knows we've done enough o' both to each other."
"You think he loves you?"
She shook her head. "Ah don' think. Ah know."
"Perhaps. For the time being, he might find marriage amusing. But eventually…"
"Ya know somethin'?" Rogue put her hands on her hips. "Ah've turned that same damn thought over in my head so many times…Ah really don' need everyone else doin' it for me. Maybe Remy won' ever be able to get from me the only thing ya'll seem to think he wants…or maybe it's not even that. Maybe it's just the only thing ya'll think Ah've got that's worth anythin'."
Mystique sighed. "That is not what I…"
"What ya'll don' realize is that he loved me a long time before we got stuck in that cave together. An' he's gonna love me a long time after. If that really was the only nigh' we're ever gonna get, it was enough. We got Madeline outta it, an' made a good memory. A really good memory." She took a step towards her surrogate mother. "Ain' ya all for mutant rights?" Mystique arched one eyebrow. "Well, the only righ' this mutant wants is the righ' to live her life with the man she loves, who for some crazy reason, loves her back."
"Dear child…"
Rogue stepped back. "Make no mistake, **Momma**. This mutant'll fight for that with every breath she's got. Are ya gonna keep tryin' to take it away from her?"
Mystique let out another little sigh, and sideswiped the question yet again by looking at Madeline, the undeniable proof of the love her daughter spoke about. "If all of this truly makes you happy…" She looked back up at Rogue. "That's your problem."
"Yer maternal compassion is overwhelmin' me," Rogue muttered. "Next time ya get the urge to drop by in the middle o' the nigh', try to remember that we don' really like ya here. So…"
"You're going to be a good mother," Mystique said, shortly and simply.
The younger woman looked down at her gloved hands, caught off guard by the tender statement. "Ah'm gonna try." Her wistful gaze drifted to Remy. "He's gonna help me."
"I believe that you believe that." Before Rogue could protest, she continued, "And that will just have to be good enough for me. And for Erik." She moved closer. "It is your life and your heart. As long as you know that they're safe with him, it ought not matter to anyone else. Even me."
Rogue dipped her head in a nod of acknowledgement. "Bye, Momma."
Before Mystique slipped back into the shadows, she gave her surrogate daughter one more look. "Don't give up hope, my child. There is always a way."
She was gone as quickly as she had appeared. Rogue blinked; it was almost easy to imagine that the entire conversation had just been her imagination. Until Remy spoke.
"You all righ', ma chere?"
"How long ya been awake, swamp rat?"
"Long enough." He lifted his head and scratched his cheek where the folds in the sleeve of his tuxedo jacket had left impressions on his skin. "Gambit would've jumped in wit' cards flyin', but it seem like you doin' fine on your own."
Rogue walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around his chest, and rested the side of her head on his back. "Thanks, sugah." She let out a tired sigh. "It's been a long day."
He covered her hands with his, stroking her through the sheer, white material. "Dis not de way I ever t'ought I'd be spendin' my weddin' night…" He paused just long enough to incite her temper before continuing, "But I like it, chere. I like it."
She rolled her eyes at him, but squeezed his body even tighter. After a moment of content silence, Rogue spoke, hesitant this time. "What did ya picture yer weddin' nigh' like?"
"Our weddin' night?" he corrected her. "Not sure I should be tellin' you in front o' de bébé."
Rogue pulled away and forcibly turned his head to see her. "Ah wanna know."
Remy slid into a dangerous smile as he swung around. He walked his fingers up her outer thighs and gently gripped her hips, positioning her between his legs. With him sitting and her standing, her breasts were exactly level with his face, just the way he liked it. He looked up at her. "You sure, ma belle?" She nodded, numb with the heat of his breath through the flimsy satin of her wedding dress. "Maybe I don' tell you…but show you?"
But his mouth was already there before she could even answer. Teasing, nipping, suckling, he used the material that separated his tongue from her flesh to his advantage until she whimpered his name, and then he stopped, letting the wet material cool in twin spots. He ran his hands up her sides, and brushed his thumbs over her well-loved nipples. "Dere just somet'ing 'bout breasts," Remy murmured, almost to himself. "You feed ma Madeline from dem…" He replaced his fingers with his mouth again. "But all I want is t'love dem."
She plunged her fingers into his thick hair, her head thrown back in sheer pleasure. "Hank'd prob'ly say…somethin' 'bout a complex…or somethin'….Ah can't really…think righ' now…."
"Don' t'ink, ma chere." He reluctantly stopped in order to stand up. When she opened her eyes, she found him looking down at her with an intense look of desire. "Jus' say you gonna let dis Caj'n show you everyt'ing we can do toget'er."
Rogue licked her lower lip, making it shine in the light. "Yeah. Ah'm gonna." She looked around. "But…here?" Remy glanced significantly at the infirmary bed where she'd spent so much time after Madeline's birth. A little chill of excitement ran down her spine. "All righ'. Just…gimme a sec."
To do so, Remy walked to the infirmary door and carefully closed it. After turning off the only overhead light still on, he gripped the cold, metal handle of the door for a second, collecting himself. Just bringing her pleasure had worked him up to a steely state. He took a breath and turned back around.
She'd slipped out of her wedding dress and naked except for her white gloves, slipped between the crisp, clean sheets. As they were only pulled up to her waist, the breasts he loved lay exposed. "C'mere," Rogue beckoned, crooking a finger at him.
He swallowed, suddenly feeling fourteen again. "Chere…you know you take de very breat' out o' me?"
"We'll keep the sheet between us," Rogue said, her voice trembling slightly. "If ya keep yer shirt on…Ah can hold ya."
Remy's reply was to shrug out of his tuxedo jacket and loosen the bowtie. He advanced on her, flinging the tie away, not caring where it landed. When he was at the bed, he reached into the pocket of his black pants and pulled out a pair of gloves that when he pulled them on, fit like a second skin. Rogue twisted the edge of the sheet around her own gloved fingers. "Remy?"
He eased onto the bed like a serpent approaching his prey. The smoldering glint in his eyes made heat pool at the center of her body. She lay back against the pillows and looked up at him. "Show me, Remy."
"Ma belle…" he whispered, stroking her cheek. The material was so smooth, she nearly gasped at the sensation. "My wife." Propped up over her on one elbow, Remy let his hand trail down the long length of her throat, over her delicate collarbone and down to her breast. Pausing to gently knead her nipple, he replied, "I show you."
When his hand dipped between her skin and the covers and found her heat, Rogue gave herself up to the pleasure, cursing herself for having denied it for so long. His fingers loved her with skillful strokes while he watched her face for every reaction. She gripped the pillow underneath her head, lifting her hips up to meet him, but he urged her to lie still. Her scars were still healing, and he'd die before he hurt her ever again.
He brushed his lips over hers for a second time that day when she came, but it was her soul that bled a little into his. As her breath returned to her, she opened her eyes, staring at him with love and wonder. "Dat won' be de last time for dis, eit'er, ma chere."
Rogue's expression melted into a devilish smile as she ran her own hand over his hip, letting it cup his firm butt. "Your turn, swamp rat."
****
Hank found them the next morning when he came in to feed Madeline. Separated by both clothing and bedding, they were, nonetheless, entwined in the most intimate of embraces as they slept.
He shook his head and pulled the curtain around the bed, in case anyone else decided to wander in before they woke.
As he fed Madeline, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Darling child," he told their daughter. "I will not be surprised if your parents come up with a way to give you a brother or a sister in the future."
****
To Be Continued (yes, there will be more...)
