A/N: I took it upon myself to declare it time for a nice Christmas story, even though it's kinda early.  ;)  I also decided that the "new" X-Men (Storm, Wolverine, etc) have been a part of the X-Men for about eight years, since they never really tell us in the comics…

A/N part 2: This is based on the comics and might tie into my other stories if it goes well. I'm a Ro/Lo shipper all the way and this is the possible beginning of my Ro/Lo relationship storyline. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (despite my deepest wishes). I only ask them to come out and play when Stan Lee's not looking…ok, now on with the story!

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Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (pt1/?)

          It was quiet and it must've been close to two in the morning. A lone figure stood in the middle of the backyard, his hands shoved in his pockets. He didn't think it was too cold, but he was just lying to himself. Shivering slightly in his flannel and jeans, Logan watched the snow float down onto the ground and looked back at the mansion. A few bedroom lights were still shining through the windows, but he supposed they were most likely doing some last minute wrapping. After all, it was Christmas Eve.

          Logan noticed the lights in the loft were off and he sighed slightly. He was hoping she'd still be awake, but no such luck. He hoped she would understand his gift this year, but he didn't want to hope too much. So far, she hadn't picked up on his deeper meaning of the thoughtful and often expensive gifts over the past five years. Burying that line of thought and his emotions, his shoulders slumped a little and he turned to go inside. The snow was almost a foot deep and he smiled, knowing Jubilee would be ecstatic. Last Christmas hadn't been all that white and she had been rather disappointed about it.

          He pushed his way to the garage door on the side of the house and scooped the snow away so he could pry open the door. Once inside the dark garage, he shook off the snow and hung his wet flannel on a hook, leaving him dressed in a simple black tee shirt. With a grunt, he kicked off his boots and opened the door to the kitchen.

          "Good morning, Logan."

          He almost jumped ten feet, but he would never admit that. Instead, he tried to act calm and turned to face the speaker.

          "Hey, Ororo." He greeted. "How come yer still awake? Yer light's been off fer a while."

          "I was waiting for you to come in." She replied. Ororo was wearing red silk pajamas and big white fluffy slippers. She was sipping on a mug of hot chocolate while eating a homemade sugar cookie. Her hair was down and slightly curled. Logan nearly sighed in appreciation, but he caught himself.

          "Why's yer hair curly?" Logan asked. He poured himself a glass of milk in the meantime, much to Ororo's surprise.

          "I was shopping with Rogue today and she insisted I get my hair done." Ororo rolled her eyes at the memory.

          "You went shopping today? On Christmas Eve?" He raised an eyebrow. "Yer braver than I am."

          "It was not by choice." She smiled. "I promised I would help her buy a gift for Remy."

          "It looks nice." He said, with his back to her.

          "Why thank you, Logan. No one else seemed to notice today."

          "I'm always watching, darlin'."

          He glanced at her over his shoulder to flash her a crooked grin and then turned to open the cookie jar. Jean had made a fresh batch of chocolate chip that day and he just couldn't resist milk and cookies on Christmas Eve. Since coming to the mansion, he had always had this late night snack on Christmas Eve. Of course, this was the first time he had been caught in the act over the past eight years, so Ororo was staring at him, very much shocked.

          "What are you doing?"

          "I'm preparing to fight Sabretooth. What does it look like?"

          "I never would have guessed that you were a 'milk and cookies' kind of man, Logan. To say the least, I am surprised."

          "Hmph." He mumbled around a mouthful of cookie. "Ya just never asked."

          "No, I guess not."

          "So why were ya waitin' fer me, Windrider?"

          Ororo Munroe was usually very straightforward and confident when dealing with her friends, especially Logan. However, at his question, Ororo suddenly felt like a young girl once more. She was nervous and started to fidget with her cup of hot chocolate. And of course Logan noticed. He sat down across from her at the island and dipped a cookie into his milk, waiting for her to answer.

          "I was…" She trailed off, looking for the right word. "Well, I guess I was lonely. I was hoping you'd keep me company for a little while."

          Logan raised his head and simply looked at her, at a loss for words. She was lonely and wanted to spend time with him. While he had the same feelings, he was surprised she felt the same way. Then again, they had been close friends for some time, so maybe he was just putting too much thought into it.

          "Well I'd be happy t'stay up with ya fer a while, darlin'." He smiled with a cookie between his teeth. He held out another cookie and Ororo began wondering how many he was planning on eating. "Cookie?"

          Ororo smiled and took the offered cookie. Without asking, she dunked her cookie in his glass and he chuckled.

          "So what did you buy Jubilee for Christmas this year? She's been shaking the box all day." Ororo asked between bites.

          "You'll see." He replied. "I'm not one to tell. Where's the fun in opening gifts if no one's surprised tomorrow morning?"

          "You're right, as usual, Logan. I sometimes can't help but ask. I suppose it's the child in me."

          "C'mon. Let's go check on the Christmas tree and make sure nothin's on fire." He stood and picked up his glass of milk, almost protectively. He then reached into the jar once again and pulled out a handful of chocolate chip goodness.

          Ororo followed his example and grabbed a few cookies for herself. They walked down the hallway silently and entered the front den. A large Christmas tree sat in the middle of the room, cut down by Logan and Hank almost a week before. Everyone had added to its decorations, even Logan, and the colored lights filled the room with a soft rainbow-like glow. Together, they sat on the old couch in the room that was known to be the most comfortable in the entire mansion. They each sat on an end, leaving the middle cushion empty, and turned to talk to each other. Ororo had pulled her legs up underneath her and her slippers were left on the floor.

          "So, where'd such a refined lady get those fluff balls?" Logan asked, pointing to her slippers.

          "An early gift from Remy." She explained, nibbling on a cookie. "He claimed that they 'screamed Stormy' when he saw them."

          "Ha!" Logan laughed. "You'd only let him get away with somethin' like that."

          "Yes, I do let him get away with quite a lot, that awful 'Stormy' name being one thing."

          "Hey, at least yer not 'Wolvie' or 'Wolvster' or 'Wolverino'."

          "I suppose I should count my blessings, hm?"

          They smiled and continued to eat their cookies in silence. Ororo's eyes wandered to the stockings hung on the mantel and smiled. Quite a few of them were very tattered looking and should've been replaced years ago.

          "Do you remember our first Christmas here?"

          "How could I forget?" Came his reply. "It was just us, the Elf, and Seany boy. The five goodie two shoes and everyone else all went home and Chuck went to Muir Island to visit Moira. It's one of the best holidays we've had, I think."

          "I agree. I remember that Kurt was so excited. He bought all of us gifts and I did not know anything about exchanging Christmas gifts!" Ororo laughed. "I was so embarrassed when he gave me a present and I had nothing to give him in return."

          "Hey, you managed." Logan said.

"I had to give everyone plants because I had little else to give." She said, embarrassed.

"I kept that plant fer years. It died when we went to Australia, though."

"I did not know you had kept it."

"Yeah, we all kept 'em. I think Kurt's survived until recently."

Ororo smiled and stole a gulp of milk from Logan.

"I definitely liked what Sean got me."

          "Well, a bottle of Irish Whiskey isn't what I would have called a 'Christmas gift'."

          "Hey, you just said yerself ya didn't know anythin' about Christmas, so who're you to judge?" He said, his voice revealing a hint of amusement.

          "You could've told me." She defended herself, smiling. "No one bothered to tell me why we had a tree in the house with bulbs and lights on it."

          "Yeah, but ya figured it out. Besides, it was a lot more entertainin' watchin' you look at everyone else like a bunch of idiots."

          "I just did not know why they would cut down and bring a tree inside!"

          "It is kinda ridiculous." He agreed. As he dusted off some crumbs from his shirt, he stood up and walked to the radio. Ororo watched him and drank the rest of his milk as he put on a CD. To her surprise, Judy Garland's voice spilled out of the speakers.

          "Have yourself a merry little Christmas

          Let your heart be light…"

          After placing the empty glass on the table, Ororo looked up to find Logan's hand extended to her. She slipped her hand into his and was pulled into a relaxed embrace. They began dancing together and Ororo smiled. While she was taller than him, this still felt right and she was perfectly happy at that exact moment.

"Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are near to us
Will be dear to us once more…"

          They continued to sway to the song and Logan inhaled deeply, taking in all of the scents at that very moment, committing them to memory. Ororo leaned back and looked into his eyes. They both smiled and he leaned into her once again.

          "Someday soon we all will be together
          If the fates allow
          Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow
          So have yourself a merry little Christmas now"

          Ororo's heart dropped slightly when Judy Garland's song ended. She didn't want this moment to end. However, her fear faded as she heard the sweet voice of Bing Crosby pouring out of the stereo seconds later. Logan's voice soon joined and she almost laughed. Who knew Logan had such a nice voice?

          "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

          Just like the ones I used to know

          Where the treetops glisten

          And children listen

To hear sleigh bells in the snow…"

He continued to sing to her as they danced around the room and her eyes seemed to twinkle with joy. As Brenda Lee suddenly came on, Logan brazenly dipped her and she clutched to his shirt, laughing. He spun her around and laughed as she almost hit the tree.

"Rockin' around the Christmas tree

Have a happy holiday…"

 

          As the song ended, they both collapsed onto the couch, laughing as if they were children. Neither noticed it was almost four in the morning as they shared their final cookie.

          "I didn't know you could sing."

          "Not too many people do, so keep it to yerself or else Chuck'll have me singing those awful carols tomorrow." He winked at her and she nodded.

          "You're secret's safe with me."

          "We're outta cookies." Logan said sadly.

          Ororo glanced at the clock and gasped.

          "It's four!"

          "So it is." He smiled at her horrified expression.

          "I still have presents to wrap!" Ororo jumped up and slid on her slippers. "I did not think we would be up so late."

          "Ya want some help, darlin'?" He asked, standing next to her. He fought the urge to wrap his arm around her waist protectively.

          "No, I think I can manage. But thank you, Logan." She paused. "For tonight."

          He winked at her as they exited the den.

"Don't mention it, 'Ro."

After a quick stop in the kitchen, they walked up the stairs together towards her loft.

          "Well, see ya in a few hours. Maybe I can get another dance from ya tomorrow night?"

          She shrugged slightly, teasing him. "Who says I'm not already spoken for tomorrow night?"

          "I'll just kill whoever's with ya." He said, a lop-sided grin just barely visible.

          "Goodnight, Logan." She smiled, shaking her head.

"Yeah, yeah. G'night, darlin'." He hit her on the ass lightly as she turned and she glared at him as he made a hasty retreat to his room, chuckling the whole way.

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Well, should I continue or just toss this in the garbage?? Please R&R and let me know what you think! 

~*PAF*~ Jubes