Author's Note: OK so I'm not getting as many reviews as I did with my last one...only three of them for the first chapter. Does this mean that you guys aren't reading this one, or just that you don't like it as much as the last? I don't know if I should continue with the story if no one likes it. Please, if you'd like to see further chapters to this, then tell me so with a review.
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Ororo pressed her ear against the door of Logan's office, only to hear him arguing with one of his students.
"Kid, I asked for a brief description of the process of fertilization, and you gave me the lyrics to the Discovery Channel song," she heard him say, "after you pull a stunt like that, you really expect me to raise your grade on this test?" Ororo's eyes went wide in shock only for a second, and then, she couldn't help but grin. Perhaps roping Logan into teaching Advanced Health wasn't the brightest idea that she'd ever had.
After a few more muffled words that Ororo could not discern through the heavy wood of the door, a boy who looked to be in about the tenth grade emerged from the room, literally glowing orange with anger and muttering curses under his breath. Instead of allowing the door to slam behind him, Ororo caught it and entered the room. Logan, who had returned to grading test papers, looked up as soon he heard footsteps against the parquet floor of his office. He smiled when his eyes fell upon his visitor.
"I hate teaching human reproduction to a bunch of goddamn hormone factories," he said, "Are you sure that there was absolutely no one else who could have taken over the class?"
"Trust me, Logan, you were my last resort," she assured him, "So, how are you enjoying having your own office?" She walked over to him and plopped herself right onto the desk, sitting on the stack of ungraded quizzes in front of him.
"I like it. Like it a lot. It's nice to have a place to go to get away from the rugrats," he replied. She nodded and looked around. The office had been vacated just a month ago when its old occupant had moved back home to take care of his ailing mother. Logan had only had it for two weeks, barely enough time to do anything with it as far as decorating. All that he had so far was a brown leather sofa, a potted plant that Ororo had taken from her greenhouse for him, and the stereo system that had previously been in his bedroom. Since he did most of his sleeping in Ororo's room nowadays, he'd decided to move his stereo into his office, where he'd get more use out of it. A pile of CDs lay on a shelf underneath the one that housed the stereo.
"Not even a placard or pictures on the walls or desk," Ororo thought, making a note to have his name engraved on a placard for his desk. Then, another thing occurred to her. "Maybe…in nine more months, he'll have baby pictures to frame and display on his desk. Or…maybe not." Despite the fact that the room was slightly warm, Ororo shivered. She still wasn't sure whether or not Logan would take the news well. She wasn't sure that the idea of being a father, having responsibilities and obligations towards a child, would appeal to the wild Wolverine. She looked away from Logan and down into her lap.
"'Ro…what's wrong, baby?" he asked. The word "baby" landed on her heart like an anvil.
"Don't call me that," she whispered.
"What, baby?" asked Logan. She nodded and he shrugged, not giving it a second thought. Ororo began to click the heels of her black pumps together, and she bit her lower lip in a gesture of obvious anxiety.
"What's wrong, 'Ro? Did you need to talk to me about something?" Logan inquired.
"Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all. I just…came to see how you were doing," she replied, too quickly for his liking.
"Ororo, you know I can tell when there's something on your mind. You wanna just come out and tell me, or am I gonna have to drag it out of you? I don't really wanna spend another night bangin' on your bedroom door," he stated flatly. He reached for her hands, gathering both of them up into his own, and she looked at him with the faintest hint of a tear in her eye. She hadn't cried in such a long time; not since that first night they'd spent together, and she didn't want to start now, if she could help it. She took a deep breath, steeling herself, and then took the plunge.
"Logan, you…you love me, don't you?" she asked.
"You don't even have to ask; you know that I do. Always," he replied, without hesitation.
"Always," she repeated, "No matter what? Not even if what I'm about to tell you isn't what you want to hear, no matter how it affects you, will you still love me? Because, Logan, I don't think I could stand it if you…if…" her voice broke and tears sprang to her eyes.
"Oh, God, Ororo…what…what happened?" he asked, standing up from his desk chair to put his arms around her. She clung to him, resting her head on his shoulder as she cried.
"I just…well, you know, I've never really had a family of my own," she said, her words coming out in rapid-fire, interrupted occasionally by a sob or a sniffle. She pulled away to gauge his reaction, but his face registered only worried confusion.
"My parents died when I was young, and then I was alone until I came here," she continued, "Charles, he...he became my second father, and Scott, Jean, and I were practically like siblings; we were a family. And now all of that's gone, and the only hope that I have left rests with you. I've been so scared to tell you. I guess I just don't think I'll be able to handle it if you get upset, because…because I want this so much, Logan. I'd give anything to keep it."
"Ororo, what are you trying to say, honey," Logan said, trying to discern what she had been saying in between her sobs, "What's the matter, what's…what would you give anything to keep?" Her eyes met his, and she freed her hands, using both of hers to guide one of his to her stomach. In his eyes, emotions passed by like floats in a parade…confusion, comprehension, shock, awe.
"You…you're…we…" he stammered. She nodded, and a single, solitary tear fell down her cheek. Instinctively, he reached up to brush it away. His fingers felt perfect against her skin, so warm and loving, and she took heart in the fact that she saw nothing on his face but a certain…confused kind of awe, as though he knew what was going on, but it was too extraordinary to truly register. Logan's right hand, which had just been hanging limp at his side, came to join the left on Ororo's abdomen, and he leaned into her, placing a soft kiss upon her cheek.
"'Ro, we're gonna have a baby," he whispered, "You and me, we're gonna have a family." She smiled and nodded.
"Yes, Logan…we are," and then a new batch of tears, this time born from jubilation and love, flooded from her eyes as she wrapped both of her arms around his shoulders, leaning into him so far that she slipped off of the desk with a small squeal. Logan caught her and placed her firmly upon the floor, but did not let her go. He bent down to kiss her mouth, tasting the salt of tears on her usually sensual-sweet lips.
"Ororo?" he asked, breaking the kiss, "You know that I love you more than anything, and you know that I haven't got any family of my own, either. What reason did you have for thinking that I wouldn't take this well?"
"I don't know, Logan. I really don't," she replied, "I'm not sure if it's the hormones, or…I was just…worried about everything, and not just what you would say when I told you. I was scared of…being pregnant, you know, how it would affect me, us. I still am, Logan, thinking about the future, for some reason, it terrifies me."
"Well, you've got no reason to be afraid anymore," he assured her, "I'm gonna protect you and our baby with my life, I can promise you that."
