Saints and Sinners - By Darlin

A/N - Thank you very much for the reviews, Artemisn, kravitzkid, lilWolvie, Monica Keller, Nobody's Angel, Starlight Lover, and storms-rose.

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Chapter Three - Hmmm

When Ororo went downstairs thirty minutes later she felt unusually on edge. Would Logan be there? Actually, why would he want to hang out watching TV with her? He'd never wanted to hang out with her and the others before, excluding Jean the sex kitten that is, so why would he show up tonight? And if he did what would he be trying to prove? And why should it even matter to her of all people? Then again, she reminded herself that they were all supposed to be giving him the benefit of the doubt. It still didn't help calm her nerves.

When she reached the media room she saw Bobby had already claimed the couch as his. Looking around the room she noted with some satisfaction that he was the only one there. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn't that she was trying to be unfair but she honestly wasn't used to socializing with Logan no matter how much she was willing to give him a second chance. She started to turn the lights off like she usually did but changed her mind thinking, if Logan did show up how would it look if the room was all dark and . . . and what? She shook her head at her silly thoughts; never the less she left the lights on. She put her giant sized tub of popcorn on the coffee table in front of Bobby then started to sit down.

"Hey, turn the lights off will ya, O?" Bobby asked.

"What're you watching?" She asked as she went over to flip the light switch.

"Waiting for My Wife and Kids just like every Wednesday, duh," he said and reached into the popcorn grabbing a large handful. "You sure got enough, huh?"

"Thought we might have more people," Ororo said easily. She plopped down on the loveseat, which was at an angle to the couch. She wished she'd gotten there first since the couch was directly across from the wide screen television making it the best seat in the house. Bobby's long thin body was sprawled out quite comfortably all over the couch and she was still in the process of deciding whether or not to shove his legs off or not so she could sit there too when she heard a deep gravelly voice.

"Soda anyone?"

Bobby and Ororo looked up to see Logan entering the room with two six packs in his hands. He tossed a drink to Bobby and sat down beside Ororo putting the six-pack of soda on the coffee table and the six-pack of beer on the floor. He opened a soda then handed it to her and helped himself to a beer. He carelessly threw an arm along the back of the loveseat as he settled back comfortably letting out a long "Ah" of satisfaction. Ororo was staring at him wondering who this man was but when he looked at her and laughed she quickly turned her attention to the TV.

"What ya watchin'?" Kitty asked when she stuck her head into the room.

"My Wife and Kids same as every Wednesday night," Bobby said without turning around.

Kitty hesitated for just a moment then she came in and chose an overstuffed chair to sit in. Logan was surprised she was joining them but he also felt relieved. He knew Kitty had been scared of him ever since the revelation that he'd left Scott to die. He liked the kid – she had heart, and he was glad she might be trying to get past her fear of him. He handed her a soda which earned him a small, albeit, nervous smile. He had a crazy thought for a moment that it didn't get much better than this. As the night wore on he realized he felt comfortable sitting next to Ororo and the show wasn't that bad. In fact he couldn't remember laughing so hard in a long time.

"That was a funny show," Logan admitted when the show went off. "Made his kid live in the flamin' garage!" And he burst out laughing as he thought about Michael putting Junior out of the house.

Bobby looked at Logan kind of funny before he got up mumbling something about his bedtime. Ororo frowned knowing Bobby couldn't possibly be serious and she wondered if it was just an excuse to get away from Logan. She heard Bobby whispering for Kitty to help him with something and watched the two of them leave. Oddly enough it didn't feel as strange or as creepy as she thought it might be to be left alone in the dark watching TV with Logan the homicidal killer.

"Good popcorn," he said with his mouth quite full.

"Only the best."

"Most people just microwave it."

"I'm not most people."

He looked at her and grinned. "I'm beginning to realize that."

When the George Lopez show was over Ororo stood up and stretched. Logan fumbled around on the ground for the remains of his six-pack.

"Crap!"

"What's wrong?"

"I had two beers left and that little Popsicle took 'em!"

"How do you know it was him?"

"What, you think Kitty swiped 'em?"

Logan laughed but Ororo started to leave.

"Hey, it's just one beer a piece for 'em – it ain't gonna get either of 'em drunk. Maybe get Kitty sick but she'll live."

"You're a seasoned drinker they're not."

"And a homicidal killer – don't forget that."

"Will you please stop that!"

"Why if it's the truth?"

"Okay, you creeped me out when you first came here, I admit it but you have to admit you were checking us all out like you were planning how you were going to kill us – well except maybe Jean."

"I was," Logan stated with a smirk.

"I knew it! I just knew it! My instincts are never wrong! I am so good!"

"Good thing to trust 'em. Most people don't."

"So Jean was so good in bed you just changed your mind, huh?"

"Nope. Chuck changed my mind."

"Literally? I mean did he . . . ?" Her words died on her tongue as she realized she was sounding like Hank doubting the Professor.

"Nah. I just saw he had the right idea so I told Mags to screw himself . . . more or less."

Ororo looked at him carefully. It was one thing to feel as if a teammate was the enemy but something all together different when you found out he actually had been. Then there was the whole Scott left for dead deal. Add the two up and it didn't make her feel so good. Trust your instincts he had said but should she when a man who admitted that he'd planed to kill them was telling her this? She didn't say anything just turned away from him and started picking up their mess.

"Why doesn't Xavier have a housekeeper?" Logan wondered aloud.

"I guess unless we could get a mutant whose specialty is cleaning up other mutants messes we're stuck with the cleanup ourselves. But you don't have to stand around, you can help too."

Logan was actually enjoying the view as she bent down to pick up stray pieces of popcorn and soda cans but he tore his eyes away from her shapely derriere and started to help her.

"We better check on Bobby and Kitty though. We wouldn't want Kitty getting drunk and throwing herself at Peter."

"I'm not sure Petey likes girls."

Ororo stood up and stared at Logan in shock.

Logan shrugged and said, "What he likes maybe he doesn't even know."

"I hope he figures it out because Kitty has a major crush on him."

"The way you were talking about his 'bod' I figured you did too."

"Me?" she laughed.  "Peter's not my type although how can I not like a man with pecs bigger than Arnolds?" She laughed. "But really being in another relationship right now would cramp my style. I'd been thinking about breaking up with Hank ever since we got back together. I don't know. I need time for myself. I'm not one of those girls who think the sun and moon revolve around a man and if I don't have a man my life's over. Besides rebound relationships always suck – they never last."

Logan chuckled.

"So what about you?" Ororo asked.

"Whaddya mean?"

"You are over Jean aren't you?"

"Yep."

Ororo frowned. "Is that all you have to say?"

"She was like poison?"

They both laughed.

"Maybe more like an addictive drug?" Ororo suggested then tried to be serious. "She'd kill us for talking about her like this."

"I get the impression you could care less."

"If you were a gambling man you'd be rich."

"I am a gambling man."

"Too bad I don't bet."

Logan watched Ororo as she leaned against the wall and looked off into the distance as if she were lost in some deep thought. He wondered why Hank had been so blind to her incredible spirit. He knew she tried to act hard and tough but underneath her cockiness he could tell she was just trying to survive and didn't quite know how. He'd only paid attention to her body before but now he was beginning to see she was vulnerable under her tough for show exterior. She was a puzzle to him and he liked that. He stepped close to her leaning an arm against the wall so his head was near hers.

"I had a nice time tonight," he said, his voice quieter than usual. He put his other arm against the wall on the other side of her head so she was effectively trapped.

"Me too," Ororo said, swallowing uneasily.

He stared into her crystal clear blue eyes and moved towards her as if to kiss her. Ororo leaned almost involuntarily forward to meet his lips but then she pressed herself against the wall, her breath coming faster than she cared for. He looked at her as if he couldn't figure her out then he smiled. She felt a sudden gush of desire something that she hadn't felt in a long time and for a crazy moment she wanted him to take her in his arms but he didn't. He just looked at her.

"You're beautiful. Spirit. Soul. Everything." He shook his head. "Hank doesn't know what he's missing."

"Don't I know it," Ororo grinned and pushed at his chest.

She tried not to think about his gloriously muscular pecs but failed so she gave into her urge and let her hand trail up his chest over the thin t-shirt he was wearing. Logan closed his eyes for a moment but when he opened them Ororo was slipping under his arm making her escape.

"Good night, Logan."

He grinned and let her go.

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That night Ororo laid in bed looking out her window. The gentle rustling of leaves was slowing lulling her to sleep and her eyelids soon grew heavy and closed. She hadn't been asleep for more than thirty minutes when she cried out and suddenly sat straight up in her bed. She blinked and looked around her room. Eerie shadows were dancing along her walls as the moonlight illuminated the leaves from outside. It made her dream seem even more ominous and real. It had seemed so real and scared her so badly that she was shaking. She could feel her heart beating faster than normal.  Her hand covered her chest absently as she took in deep calming breaths.

She tried to lie back down and go back to sleep but even the soothing night sounds outside had no affect on her. She couldn't stop thinking about her dream. Hank and Logan had been fighting as if they intended on killing each other. They had been fighting over her.

"What have I done?" she asked herself, smacking herself on the forehead. "Hank will probably never speak to me again and I don't blame him. I've lost a good friend. Lost a good friend and apparently gained an inept homicidal killer as a buddy. Horny homicidal killer at that."

After a moment's reflection she laughed.

"I don't need Hank. He wasn't even a good friend. He certainly doesn't know me and he doesn't care about me - not the real me. He's only sorry he doesn't have a girlfriend anymore. I bet he's trying to find another woman on the Internet right this minute! If he gets a girlfriend I'm . . ." she growled angrily as she envisioned Hank hunched over his computer searching for women.

"Blast him. I could wring his neck. I should never have let myself be sucked back into that relationship. What was I thinking? Nothing sensible that's for sure. I felt sorry for him more than anything. Stupid, stupid, stupid," she groaned and covered her head with a sheet.

After while she stuck her head out and turned on her side away from the window.

"I miss him," she whispered. She sat up, the sheet falling into her lap.

"I wish he hadn't treated me like crap. Why couldn't he have trusted me and just loved me? Am I such a horrible person? What am I supposed to do?"

She sighed and answered herself: "Go on with your life girl."

After another moments reflection she giggled. "Hmm, too many men around here with delicious bods to be worried about Hank anyway. No, don't even go there! I have to stop thinking about other men . . . although . . ." and here she paused as she considered her latest thought. "Hmm, it is a good way to get over Hank.

"Hmmm, Peter. Hmmm, Logan!" She laughed at herself.  "I sound like Homer Simpson," and she laughed again. "Too yummy though. Yeah, yummy and nuts the both of them. How could Peter not like girls? And Logan likes girls too much. I think he was actually going to kiss me there for a minute!"

She rolled over onto her other side and kicked her covers off her.

"Nice chest though, the horny bastard. I don't know what I was thinking. I think I was actually going to let him kiss me for a moment. I have to be losing my mind. That would explain it. Man, I have to get my act together or next thing you know I'll be acting like Jean."

She started laughing again at that thought and said to the empty room, "Please don't let me be that stupid and horny and desperate."

Ororo lay in bed trying not to think about Hank. She'd been so tired earlier that she'd fallen asleep easily but now she was wide awake – too many things on her mind. After awhile she just let her mind drift and a smile crept onto her face. Sometimes even if it wasn't the smartest thing you just had to let yourself think of something else in order to let go of your problems. Soon she fell asleep thinking about Peter and Logan modeling swimsuits for her. Hmmm, nice.  Very nice.