Author's Note: Not a lot of reviews on the last few chapters. I'm not gonna say that I'll stop writing if you don't review, because I've already got the story finished. I'd just like a little more support. Thanks to anyone who reviews after reading this chapter.

xXx

Her pillow was soaked with tears, and she couldn't stop her weeping. Ororo had been lying in her bed with her face buried in the pillows for nearly an hour. Her head throbbed, her eyes were wet and puffy, and she knew that she needed Logan, but felt that she couldn't go back to him.

"I love him," she finally admitted to herself, "Oh, Goddess, I love him. And I've ruined everything." She rolled over and gazed at the ceiling, watching it spin as she became dizzy and closed her eyes.

xXx

It had been a week since she had talked to him or even glanced in his direction, and it was driving him mad. Logan had no way of knowing that it was Ororo's pride that kept her from running to him, melting into his arms. He assumed that she was angry with him, and he beat himself up for what he'd done every time he thought of it.

The bench in the cemetery, swathed in velvet shadows of moonlight, brought back memories that cut deeper into his heart every time he lingered on them, but still, he couldn't help going there. The memories were ghosts, calling out to him, drawing him into an abyss of pain and regret. Logan entered the darkened cemetery and sat between the tombstones of Scott and Jean.

"I guess you were right about me, Cyke," he said, hurling a flower onto Scott's grave, "I'm an asshole. It's all I've ever been, and all I was meant to be." He tossed a flower at Jean's tombstone.

"What do I know about women, anyway?" asked Logan, "All I really know is how to sleep with 'em; not how to love 'em right. I tried, though, I really tried with her. I wanted it to work, ya know, I wanted to be the one for her. I tried not to fuck it up, but, in the end, I'm just an animal."

He growled and walked away from the cemetery, heading for the garage. Logan heard Scott's old motorcycle calling his name; the desire to hit the open road had never been so great in his life. He knew that he would end up right back here, because, in the end, he needed to be wherever Ororo was, even if he'd never have another chance with her again. The responsibility to protect her was still his and his alone.

All that he wanted now was some time to himself, to try to let go of everything.

xXx

Cries and moans filled Ororo's bedroom as she tossed and turned against her pillows, wrestling with the nightmares that had haunted her for the past week. There he was, his eyes blazing, his black fur rough on her exposed skin. He was everywhere, all over her, inside of her; she couldn't shake him off, couldn't fight.

In slumber, her arms and legs flailed, kicking her bed sheets away from her body. With one final scream, she awoke to the soft, reassuring light of her bedside lamp, and scanned the room to make sure that she was alone. A sob escaped from her throat as she fell back against her pillows and felt tears streaming down her face.

"When will it end?" she spoke to the silence of her bedroom, "How can I make it stop?"

She knew the answer; knew all too well. It was all that she'd been able to think about all week. The solution to all of the Hell that she was going through. Just giving it the slightest thought sent glowing warmth and stinging terror searing through her body all at once.

"I need him," she whispered, the realization dawning on her like an answer from the heavens, "I need him now."

Ororo threw her covers away and left the room, not even caring how she looked at this point. She followed the hallway to his room, and took the knob nervously in her hand. She let out a sigh of relief when she found that it was open and she stepped into the room. Oh, Goddess, it smelt like Logan, like his cologne. She'd never been in his bedroom before, and was amazed at how his presence permeated everything; one would know that it was Logan's room just by setting foot in it. Ororo had never felt more at home.

She said his name, but was met with no reply. She tried again, but still, nothing. Making her way through the room in the darkness, she found a bedside table with a lamp and clicked it on. The room was flooded with light, and Logan was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe he's down in the kitchen having a beer," she attempted to reason with herself, "Or perhaps he can't sleep and he's just wandering the halls."

Ororo tried to stay calm, but tears flooded her eyes. He was gone, and she knew it. She had driven him away. In a frenzy, she ran to his closet, and sobbed in relief when she found all of his clothes still there. Likewise, when she checked the bathroom, all of his toiletries were in their place. He hadn't left for good; he would be back.

Still, this was no consolation. She wanted, no, needed him now. She needed his arms around her, his words of comfort whispered in her ear, even his lips against her skin.

"Oh, Goddess," she moaned, crawling into his bed and burying herself in the covers for another good cry.

xXx

Hers was the first scent that he found upon reaching the mansion. Quickly, he parked the motorcycle in the garage and followed the smell of her sadness. To his immense confusion, it led him straight to his bedroom. He called to her as he stepped into the room, and was answered with a gasp.

"Logan?" she asked, looking up into the doorway.

"Ororo, what are you…?" S

She sprang up from the bed, launching herself into his arms and clinging to him.

"You weren't here," she sobbed into his chest, "I had another nightmare. It's been happening to me all week, and I wanted to come to you, I wanted to so badly, Logan, but I couldn't. I hurt you, and I didn't want to bring my problems to you after what I did. I just couldn't help it anymore; I…I…need you."

"Oh, jeez, Ororo," he took all of her speech in, "I thought that I was the one who hurt you. I thought you didn't want anything to do with me." He placed one hand under her chin and turned her face up so that he could look into her eyes.

"You never did a thing wrong. I led you to believe that I could handle anything, and it turned out that I couldn't. I enjoyed the kiss at first; it was perfect. And then my mind took me back to that night, and it was no longer you touching me. It was him, and I couldn't stop myself; I just panicked," she told him.

"I understand," he whispered to her, his words falling softly upon her ears. She lifted a hand to where his rested on her cheek, and pulled his hand away, bringing it to her lips.

"I knew that you would," Ororo threaded her fingers through his, "That's why I feel safe with you. No matter what happens now, I know that you'll understand and you'll be able to help me. I want to try it again, Logan."

"Try what again?" he asked. She stood on the very tips of her toes so that her lips could catch his. When he returned the kiss this time, it was all him, and no one else.

"I want to finish what we started in the cemetery. I want to feel you, to touch you…I want you to make love to me."

Suddenly, he pulled away from her, holding her at arm's length and staring at her as though she were mad.

"You want…what?" he inquired. Her lips began to tremble and her eyes brimmed over with pain.

"Oh, no, don't get upset," he attempted to calm her down, going to her and placing his hands on her shoulders, "I'm sorry; I'm only thinking of you. Trust me; the last thing that you can handle right now is…that."

"How do you know what I can and cannot handle?" she demanded, swatting his hands away and turning to leave. He grabbed her and spun her around, holding her to where she stood. Her eyes went wide, she began to breathe heavily and irratically and Logan knew that his harsh treatment of her had caused her to remember things that would be better if forgotten.

Not knowing what else to do, he let go of her, hoping that she'd stay to hear him out. She took a step backwards, almost falling to the floor, but steadying herself at the last moment. A shiver ran down her spine, and she wrapped both of her arms around her body to stop it, but she didn't move. The look on her face was questioning, and fearful at the same time, as though she needed some kind of explanation from him but was frightened of what he might say.

"Listen to me, Ororo. When I get…excited, the animal in me takes over. I can't stop myself; it's all just instinct. Believe me, there's nothing that I want more right now than to have you, but I don't want to reach a point where you need me to stop and I can't. It would only end up hurting both of us."

He advanced on her slowly, his arms open to her, and she took the opportunity to fling her arms around him. Logan had hurt her, yes, but the need to be close to him still burned inside of her, and she didn't want to let him go.

"You can't just try?" Ororo asked, "Please, you have to, for me…for us. I have to do this, face my fears, or else I'll never get over it. I don't want to play this…this game, where sometimes you can touch me and sometimes you can't. I want to be able to give myself to you completely."

He shook his head and stroked her back, his heart breaking as she began to weep once more.

"Please," she whispered, "Oh, Goddess, please."

Logan's love and his sheer desire for her won out over his sense of rationality. His put his hands under her body and lifted her off of the floor, carrying her like a bride, as gently as he had the night that he'd found her bloody and defeated on the kitchen floor. He placed her on his bed and crawled on top of her, planting a kiss on her forehead, then both of her cheeks.

"I can't watch you crying," he told her, "I can't see you needing something and deny you. I just hope that we both don't end up regretting this."

She cupped his face in both of her hands and kissed his lips, whispering, "I never will."

"We're going to take this slow, Ororo. We're not gonna get too excited, too fast. Maybe if we do it that way, I can keep control."

"All right," she agreed, reveling in the feeling of his lips on her neck and all of the sensations that he was stirring up inside of her. She slipped her hands underneath his white wife beater and began to pull it over his head, exposing his strong chest to her. Distant thunder began to rumble outside as the weather witch was slowly undressed by her feral lover, who unclasped her bra and brought his mouth down upon her sensitive, milk-chocolate nipples.

While his tongue worked its magic on her breasts, Logan's hands slid down her body to remove her panties and stroke the neatly trimmed patch of white hair between her legs. She gasped and moaned his name as his fingers invaded her, finding and stroking her throbbing bud of pleasure simultaneously. A blush of passion stole over her entire form as he worked to please her, and, all too soon, she was panting and grinding against his hand as her climax hit her.

He ran his fingers through her hair as she came down, pressing her cheek to his chest and breathing heavily. Each breath of hers that fell upon his skin only excited him more, and it was, perhaps, the greatest challenge of his life to maintain control over his libido.

"Logan," she said, out of breath, "Please, give me more."

"Are you sure?" he asked, "Sure that you're ready?"

"Yes…yes…" Ororo shut her eyes in preparation as he moved in closer. He made sure to enter her gently, but still, she gasped.

"Whoa, you all right?" the concern was obvious in his voice.

"Maybe," she squeezed her eyes tightly together and braced her palms against his shoulders.

"I can…" he began, but she shook her head and looked at him, focusing on his face, particularly his eyes.

"No," she said, "Do it, just keep your eyes on mine. As long as I can see your eyes, I'll know that it's you."

"OK," he agreed, kissing her cheek and moving softly out of her before bringing his hips down to crash against hers. Ororo clung to him, her arms wrapped tightly around his body, and, all the while, she gazed at him. The only time his eyes left hers was when he moved his lips to her ear to whisper words of genuine affection and comfort, or to hers to offer a kiss.

"Thank you," she said, wrapping her legs around his waist as she felt his excitement, and her own, mounting. He could say nothing in return; the most he could give her was a grunt of pleasure.

"Ororo," he moaned at last, "I'm gonna…I'm about to…"

"Yes," she said, "I know." Her kisses stifled his grunts and moans as he flooded into her, his hips bucking fiercely against her.

Afterwards, they lay together, his head resting on her chest while he listened intently to the soft, even rhythm of every breath that she took.

"Logan, that was the most beautiful thing that anyone has ever done for me," she told him, running one hand through his sweat-dampened hair.

"I'm just glad that you got through it all right. How was it for you?" he asked. Ororo hesitated before she spoke again.

"At first, wonderful. And then terrifying. After that, it was just a mixture of the two. Perhaps next time, it can just be wonderful, without all of the fear," she said.

"I hope so," Logan said. She nodded and yawned.

"Hold me," she requested, "Don't let me go. I want to sleep with you, just like this." He nodded and stroked her hair and her back, comforting her into sleep as he had in the past, and as he would many times to come. When her breaths at last became shallow and even, he ran his index finger over her cheek and pulled her body closer to him.

"I love you, Ororo," he whispered into her ear, "and I always will."

With that said, Logan was finally able to join her in slumber.