A/N: Sorry I've been neglecting this story for so long! I've just recently got the writing bug again (as you can no doubt tell from all the updates I've been doing on my other stories) and finally opened up this story again. I had some problems with this chapter, but I finally managed to get it finished to my liking. I hope you guys enjoy it!!


Part 9: Steppin' Out with My Baby

Logan stood at the bottom of the stairs in the main foyer like a teenaged boy waiting for his prom date. Well, at least that's what he assumed he felt like. He never remembered going to any proms, but this was close enough.

Instead of a dozen roses, Logan had placed two rose plants out in her greenhouse where she always kept it warm. Since he planned on taking the Audi TT out tonight, he figured they had an extra fifteen to twenty minutes before they had to leave. He had also decided to wear the white fedora and, looking in the mirror, an old memory seemed to pull at the back of his mind. It involved a blonde haired woman but he couldn't see her face.

However, before he could concentrate on it, he heard the clicking of heels on the stairs. He turned to face the most beautiful woman he had ever known walk gracefully down the stairs.

"You are beautiful." He breathed out. The shocked expression and the slight curl at the edge of his lips was the best compliment Ororo could have ever wanted. She smiled ravishingly at him as she joined him on the floor.

"You look exceptionally handsome." She complimented, taking his offered arm. When they began walking towards the hallway and not the door, Ororo looked down at her lover. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." Logan replied, smiling.

Ororo sighed in contentment as he led her to the back patio. Luckily, they had recently placed a stone walkway to Ororo's garden so her heels didn't sink into the ground as they walked over. Logan could see his breath as they walked but Ororo didn't seem to notice the cold.

"Logan, this is my greenhouse." She said, confused. "I do not…understand…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes fell on two of the most beautiful rose plants she had seen. One had peach colored buds on it while the other had a mixture of deep pink and pale purple. "Logan, how on earth did you find rose plants in bloom in January?!" She exclaimed.

"I'm a man of many secrets, darlin'." He said smiling. She walked towards the plants and delicately touched the almost-opened flowers.

"They're wonderful." Ororo said, turning to face him.

"I'm glad y'like 'em." He said. "Now, m'lady, shall we go to dinner?" He held out his arm.

"Of course." She said with a slight curtsey. As she slid her arm in his, she glanced back at the roses and then walked with him to the garage.

They arrived at the restaurant in record time and Ororo couldn't help but laugh. If anyone else had driven that way, she would've been terrified. But she trusted Logan and he knew it. Logan quickly hopped out of the car and then winked at her as he opened the passenger door for her.

"Why thank you." Ororo said, smiling broadly. Goddess, she thought, I can't stop smiling! I'm acting like a teenager!

She looked at the building they had stopped at and faltered slightly. It was an old brick building, not an elegant restaurant like she had hoped. Logan saw the doubt flicker across her face.

"Trust me." Was all he said as he led her to the side of the building. The alley was brightly lit and colored lights framed a doorway. He opened the simple door and ushered her inside.

Ororo gasped as she looked around. Inside of the old, seemingly run-down building, a small, stylish restaurant bustled. The ceilings were somewhat high and the dining room seemed to be very spacious, even though she could tell it was small. She counted twenty tables and was impressed Logan was able to get a table for New Year's Eve. The scents of various spices filled the air and Ororo found herself salivating slightly. A beautiful chandelier hovered above what looked like a dance floor and flickered. Upon closer inspection, Ororo noticed the chandelier was a classic chandelier filled with candles instead of bulbs. In fact, she now noticed that every light source in the dining room was a candle. As she scanned over the room, she smiled at the various simple floral arrangements that were on each table. She also smiled as she noticed the stage in front of the dance floor that had what looked like a jazz band warming up on it.

Logan watched Ororo take in the restaurant and smiled. He knew she would like this place.

"Ah, good evening, Mr. Logan!" A portly man greeted. He was dressed in a classic tux and had a small moustache.

"Evenin', Charlie." Logan greeted, shaking the other man's hand.

"And who is this radiant young woman?"

"Charlie, this is Ororo Munroe. Ororo, meet Charlie, an old friend of mine." Logan introduced. Charlie bent down slightly and kissed the back of her hand. Ororo blushed and glanced at Logan, who was smiling.

"It's an honor and a privilege, Ms. Munroe." Charlie said. "Although why you're with this man is beyond me."

Logan rolled his eyes and Ororo laughed softly.

"Now, if you'll just follow me…" Charlie trailed off, leading them towards a table near the dance floor with a perfect view of the band. "The band will begin playing momentarily." He told them as he pulled out a chair for Ororo. She sat down and Logan followed suit. "Here are your menus. Your server should be here shortly."

"Thanks, Charlie." Logan replied and the other man bowed slightly and then hurriedly walked back towards the door.

Logan and Ororo sat in silence for a few minutes while Ororo continued to look around the room. Logan smiled slightly and picked up his menu. His eyes scanned the pages but he wasn't really reading. He still couldn't believe he was on a date with Ororo Munroe. It just seemed too surreal, like a wisp of a dream. Of all the women he had been with, Ororo was certainly the most interesting. After all, how many men get to date an African goddess?

"Good evening." A young woman said as she stood next to the table. "My name is Stacey and I'll be your waitress this evening. Our specials are listed on the inside flap of the menu. May I start you off with some drinks?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful. I'll have an apple martini." Ororo said, glancing at Logan briefly. The surprise in his eyes amused her but he didn't make a comment.

"I'll have Jack Daniels on the rocks."

"They'll be right up." Stacey said with a smile. She quickly disappeared towards the bar and Logan chuckled.

"Drinkin' again, eh?"

Ororo blushed but just smiled at him. "I haven't felt this alive in ages, Logan." She admitted. "I thought I might live a little, as you say, tonight."


Dinner continued famously, to Logan's pleasant surprise. He figured his normal bad luck would curse the evening and Sabretooth would show up during dessert. Of course, he needn't have worried. After an exquisite New York style cheesecake, something Ororo insisted upon, they had left for the concert hall. The seats were two of the best in the house and Logan beamed as Ororo's smile lit up her face when the band began to play. Ororo's eyes were glowing with her happiness as they listened to the concert that evening. She tried to glance at Logan from time to time, attempting to determine if he was enjoying himself. Ororo wasn't sure if he was having a fun time, but Logan also didn't seem to hate the music. His face was somewhat neutral, except when he caught her eye and winked.

Logan could tell Ororo was watching him out of the corner of her eye during the show. It amused him to know she was concerned. As if he could help but enjoy himself that night, he mused. Here he was, a bar-room brawler at best and killer at worst, sitting in a concert hall with the most elegant woman he knew. He looked at her and studied her facial expression for a long moment. Ororo's attention was completely focused on the music, her face an expression of pure rapture. If only he had known it was this easy to please this woman, he would have done it years ago. Smiling briefly to himself, Logan turned his attention back to the final musical performance of the evening.

The conductor finished with a flourish and, along with the orchestra, bowed to a standing ovation. Logan fought the urge to whistle and smiled at his date. Ororo blushed slightly at the attention and followed Logan out of the hall. The noise within the entrance hall was borderline painful to Logan's sensitive ears and motioned towards the exit. Nodding in understanding, Ororo followed Logan quickly through the crowd, into the New York air.

"That was wonderful!" Ororo exclaimed as he twirled her outside. She laughed and fell into his arms.

"I'm glad you liked it, darlin'." He replied, kissing her briefly on the lips.

"Did you enjoy it?" She asked, slipping her slender fingers in-between his calloused ones.

"Yeah." Logan said, pulling her towards the car. "I remember hearing that stuff when it was written."

Ororo looked at him surprised but didn't say anything as he opened the car door for her. She allowed him to usher her into the car, caught up in realizing how old Logan could possibly be. While she knew he was old, it just never occurred to her that he remembered anything about his life before Weapon X.

They sat in silence for a long while as they drove down back streets of New York towards the highway. Logan could tell Ororo was deep in thought, but he also knew she would eventually bring whatever it was she was thinking about up in conversation. She wasn't one to be timid when it came to a difficult conversation, that was for sure. Sometimes it just took her a little while to bring up the topic, he thought with some amusement.

"I wasn't aware you remembered that far back." She finally said, watching him carefully as she spoke.

"I get glimpses." He replied fairly casually.

Ororo nodded, not knowing where to lead the conversation. Despite the years of friendship they shared, Ororo had trouble telling when he was hiding his emotions. He was so good at hiding them and it bothered her to think he was doing that with her right now. Of course, she knew some topics were taboo and she had never brought up his past before. However, the way he replied, she couldn't tell if he wanted to end the conversation or not.

"It's nothin' t'concern yerself with." Logan said, breaking her line of thought. His tone was unreadable, but his brow was creased.

"What?" She asked, slightly surprised at his reaction. He was no longer casual in his appearance and Ororo frowned.

"My memories." He said flatly. "They don't concern you."

"I'm sorry if I offended you." She said softly.

Logan looked at her out of the corner of his eye and nodded once.

They continued to drive in silence and Ororo couldn't help but feel it was somewhat tense between them. She kept her eyes locked to the window, but she didn't really see anything as they drove.

Logan kept trying to think of something to say, to break the tense silence that filled the car, but he was drawing a blank. He was surprised that she brought up his memory issue, but he made sure not to show it. Logan didn't like to talk about his past with anyone on the team. Charles was usually the only one who breached the subject, and even then he hadn't mentioned it in years. He used to have telepathic sessions with the Professor, but when they didn't lead anywhere after a year, he stopped them. Xavier had told him it probably wouldn't work, given his complex psyche, but Logan had insisted on at least trying.

He still got glimpses from time to time, but he could never truly believe them. Implanted memories still floated through his brain and he couldn't always decipher the real from the fake. Logan had decided, long ago, to stop trying. It was too painful. And besides, now he had eight years of memories as an X-Man and he knew those were real. That was good enough for him.


They didn't speak for the rest of the ride and Ororo was angry with herself for bringing up the subject. The night had been wonderful and she felt as if she ruined everything. When they reached the mansion, Logan went to open her door but she opened it for herself. Logan stepped back from her, waiting for Ororo to walk up the front stairs. When she called up a strong wind and flew towards the loft in silence, Logan felt as if someone was crushing his chest.

"Ororo!" He called after her. She didn't respond as she landed close to the sun light that led to her room. Ororo glanced at him with tears in her eyes and then entered the building without saying a word.

Cursing to himself, Logan walked through the front doors, slamming them behind him.

He managed to screw up the only good thing that had happened to him in years. Ororo was hurt and he was sure she wouldn't talk to him tonight. If only he could be a little more trusting, he told himself. It was Ororo, after all. It's not like she was trying to pry.

Logan found himself in the kitchen as he pulled off his coat and tie. He tossed his fedora on the table, disgusted with himself. The kitchen was thankfully empty as he pulled open the large refrigerator. Kurt had left a few beers and he pulled them out.

Running his hand through his hair, Logan took the two brews and went outside. He leaned his fists on the wall that surrounded the patio and tried to figure out how to fix this. His head was down and most people would have considered him off-guard. Those that knew him best would know Logan was still automatically analyzing the scents and sounds around him.

That's why he was surprised to hear someone walking softly through the snow, attempting to sneak by without being noticed. Breathing in, Logan smiled to himself as he recognized the cigarette scent that filtered into his nose.

"Early night, Gumbo?" He asked without moving.

"Dammit." Gambit muttered, stepping into the light. "Remy thought he was downwind."

"You were." Logan replied, turning to face his teammate. "But you still made enough noise in the snow."

Remy flashed a smile and shrugged.

"What happened t'the concert, mon ami?" Remy asked, walking towards Logan. He pulled out a cigarette and offered one to Logan, who gratefully took one. Remy held out a finger and lit the end of each with a simple spark of his power.

"Concert went fine." He replied, breathing in the nicotine. "I thought you were goin' out with Rogue?"

"We had a bit of a spat." Remy said. "So she kicked Remy out."

Logan nodded, knowing how turbulent their relationship was lately. He was certain they would break up within a week. Of course, they'd be back together about three days later. If anything, they were predictable.

"Where's Stormy?" Remy finally asked, stealing one of Logan's beers. Logan opened his beer and took a long drink.

"Upstairs." He said vaguely.

"Logan be in de dog house, neh?"

"Somethin' like that."

Remy chuckled and shook his head as he drank.

"We be two sad hommes, non?"

Logan nodded and finished his beer. The cigarette burned down slowly and the two teammates stood in silence as they finished them.

"Well, homme, Remy gonna get some shuteye."

Logan nodded in response and he was alone again as he heard the door close behind him.

Annoyed with himself, Logan slowly made his way inside and collecting his things from the kitchen. He walked up to the men's dorm and passed by Warren's room, where he heard the disturbing noises of Betsy and Warren in the throes of passion. While the rooms in the house were fairly soundproofed, he was still able to hear everything within the rooms on the floor.

Sometimes, he hated his powers.

He stepped into his room and closed the door with his foot. He began pulling off his clothes, tossing them in a heap on the ground. The noise from Warren's room was still clearly audible to Logan and he cringed. He hated hearing such private things, feeling like he was eavesdropping almost.

If only he could slip upstairs and join Ororo. The sounds of the mansion were more muffled upstairs. The first night he stayed with her, just three nights ago, amazed him. While he enjoyed his stay for other reasons, Logan was so pleased that he didn't have to filter out the sounds from his surrounding teammates. Logan realized he could sleep soundly up there. He didn't hear the video games Bobby played until three. He didn't hear Warren and Betts enjoying themselves almost every night. He didn't hear Kurt praying softly in German. He didn't hear Gambit talking with Rogue about power inhibitors.

Sighing deeply, Logan threw himself on his bed and tossed his pillow over his head in an attempt to shut out the noise.


Well, what did you guys think?? Please review!

PAF
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