It was long after midnight before they'd managed to calm down the children and the worst serious damage from the conflict had been repaired, Scott, Ororo, and Jean ended up in the sick bay with the injured.

Logan had now slipped into a coma, at last, his condition already having been critical from deliberately touching Marie on the Statue of Liberty for half an eternity to save her life. Thanks to his healing factor, a condition that was hopefully helpful rather than life-threatening though. There weren't any really dangerous wounds he'd suffered. He just had to refill his energy reserves after transferring them to the young girl.

Xavier, too, seemed to be on the road to recovery by now, as Jean had noted with relief. This major Brotherhood strike did not seem to have left any permanent damage, to any of them.

Even the two teenagers who had accompanied their newest, decidedly too boisterous resident from Germany to town, had easily been able to get to safety after their courageous attack on Toad. To him, fortunately, it had been more important not to leave his post. Except for a little exhaustion, Bobby was feeling, as he'd never used his ice rays that intensely before, and Jubilee's long face about the extra homework Scott had given the two of them for their recklessness, they were fine.

"Hank says, surgery went smoothly. A couple of weeks of rest and she'll be okay," Jean finished her report on Katja's condition last, on a positive note as well, with audible relief. Treating internal injuries of this kind was beyond her skills as a GP; that fear of possibly being helpless in such a situation at some point had always weighed on her.

On days like this, they should all count themselves damn lucky that a former team member who had actually not parted ways with this mansion on good terms back then was nonetheless willingly stepping in anytime there was a great need arising.

"You should have locked him in your office to keep him from running off again right away," Ororo grumbled, only half-joking. "We haven't seen him in months. He can't run forever."

"Then he would have climbed the air vents to escape," Jean returned with an equally weak grin. "You know how he gets. Give him time. Eventually, he'll be alright with the situation. Especially after what happened today, he wants to lay low again for a while, until we know how Washington will react. But if our new roomie keeps taking such incredibly good care of herself, he'll probably have to be back here soon anyway."

"Yeah, not going to happen on my watch. Maybe we should consider using a tracker collar."

Shaking her head, Ororo looked down at Katja, who was still sedated after the procedure, which had not been entirely harmless after all. "Charles must have known from the beginning, ever since he spotted her in Germany with Cerebro. That much commitment from day 1 is not something to be taken for granted. Let's just make sure it doesn't lead to another surgery, shall we?"

Jean and Scott chose for the same silence once more that seemed to have been the only language between them for far too long. Katja was probably not the most popular topic between them right now. The two of them had already been conspicuously avoiding each other since their return from the city.

Ororo sighed silently. In a way, it was relieving to know that she could probably save herself any awkward attempts at assistance regarding that matter from now on. For a few days now, she actually had had to wonder if useful support of such a kind had even ever existed.

"Should we get Logan and her to their rooms?"

"I'd rather keep Logan here. He won't be waking up until tomorrow. When he does, I'd like to check on him again right away." Jean's fingertips briefly grazed the broad bandage on Logan's forehead, almost casually.

"I'll keep an eye on him and Charles via the cameras. But Flashwind's IVs, I can change upstairs just as well. I prefer to have her close by to us for a while anyway before she possibly challenges Mojo next."

Scott didn't even ask. He simply lifted Katja into his arms, endlessly gently, just like he'd taken her all the way to the Blackbird earlier, and carried her upstairs so that the young woman could recover from her first mission for the X-Men.

Ororo wished she could have been certain that the three of them would indeed not have to meet again in this treatment room in the foreseeable future to have a conversation of this kind. Especially after tonight, sadly, she was painfully aware of how small the chances for that were.

When Scott left the room assigned to Katja at her arrival, Jean was waiting for him outside, just like expected.

His partner, however, had no glance for him to spare for the moment, staring at that unicorn painting on the wall instead.

The far-too-silent sound when Scott cleared his throat was a telltale proof in his own voice of how little he liked what was inevitably to come now, how badly he rather wanted to get back to the unconscious woman in that room behind him instead. But after that night, things couldn't go on the way they had he had no choice. Besides, everything but clearing the air – far too late, anyway – wouldn't have been fair to Katja, either way.

Still only slowly, Jean turned to him. Her eyes were tear-stained.

For seconds, they just stared at each other, searching for words, both unable to make a start. It hurt too much that the very thing they had fought for so long had suddenly become inevitable.

"You two were always a thing, in one way or another." Ororo had appeared at the end of the hall unnoticed, as so often, watching Jean and him with sadness but not surprised in the least. For that, she, just like Charles, had tried dousing the flames in the last few months and weeks before Liberty Island, to no avail. "You were about the same age and your mutations equally powerful when you first met here back then. Instead of competing and fighting each other as teenagers, you mutually boosted and challenged each other. You were always great partners. Everyone was basically just waiting for you to hook up. You were the Mutant High's dream team."

For a moment, their friend paused. The way she lowered her head, lost in thought, revealed a hint of guilt over this pressure she and several others in the mansion had maybe put on Scott and Jean with the best of intentions, without any of them even perceiving it as such. "Maybe there is such a thing as too perfect."

After an almost invisible nod, as if to give them absolution for something that could only be their own decision – had to be no one's but theirs this time –, Ororo vanished into her apartment, closing the door behind her without a sound.

The grandfather clock at the end of the corridor with its discreetly silent, deep chimes announced the imminent sunrise after the end of a damn long day in New York.

Jean finally took heart first, vaguely nodding towards Katja's room. "What was that? No one you need to worry about?" Though it sounded more amused than reproachful, her arms were crossed so firmly in front of her slender frame that it looked almost painful instead of comforting, of protective.

Scott's shrug felt similarly stiff, as if in slow motion. "That wasn't exactly planned." What would have been the point of denying it now? Jean knew him better than anyone, and if she'd wanted to go entirely sure, all she would have had to do was take a single look into his mind. But even without her powers, she must have known all along. Long before him, probably.

Scott's hurt pride regarding Logan must have felt like pure mockery for Jean, no matter how serious her little crush on this intolerable guy was. The silence became more and more unpleasant. Maybe they didn't actually have that much to talk about left. If they were being honest, that had been the case for a while; Scott hadn't been lying about that to Katja earlier.

But there was still one thing Scott needed to know, as a final confirmation to himself that Jean and he were indeed long past that point of no return. "What was that? Just another patient?"

"I can no longer tell what it is or what it will become. It's just … attraction." Jean's voice became quieter by the word; her shoulders were starting to shake.

When Scott hesitantly took a step toward her, she immediately backed away, shaking her head defensively. That would not have made any more difference. "But that has long stopped being the point, hasn't it?"

"Yes." Scott had to use all but force, to hold still. He just hated it when Jean was crying. But she was probably right. Another tense approach would have been the stupidest thing they could have got up to right now, now that they were finally about to take that final necessary step.

He was endlessly grateful for Jean to be the one who finally got it out. It would probably have taken him a couple of hours more, just for fear of hurting her. "We've had beautiful days."

"Yes. You were always the one." Scott shook his head helplessly, still unable to comprehend what had ruined that once so unwavering foundation so deeply. "I never even thought about looking for anyone else."

"We weren't looking. We've been found, by something the two of us can no longer give each other. That's something neither of us could help."

Jean swallowed thickly, straightening her shoulders. "I'll never forget you, Scott."

That raspy tone in her voice shattered the last of Scott's restraint. Despite Jean's brief resistance, he just had to pull her close once more.

And it did her good, he noticed immediately, even though she lost that battle against her quiet sobs for good now. Especially when she was feeling down, Scott wanted and would continue to be there for her.

"Nothing can ever change how important you are to me, Jean. You know that, right?"

"Yes. It's as Ororo said – we belong together. No one will ever be able to destroy what the two of us have. You will always be my brother."

Just gently, Jean rested her hand on Scott's face when he was just about to let her go, pushing him back only far enough to look him deeply in the eyes, in a way not many people around him had ever learned how to do, two fingertips at the back of his neck with gentle pressure, her arm still around his waist, seeking purchase. "Wait, I … This image of you from the last few days is nothing I want to take with me into our friendship. I want to remember the good times."

There were certain wishes Scott still couldn't deny her.

In the end, their last, minute-long embrace ended up being one of the most beautiful they had ever enjoyed, though they were both crying when they finally let go.

"That must have been awful for you guys."

Ever since gaining consciousness already – mentally still quite shaken by the last events –, Katja was feeling, thanks to a hearty dose of painkillers in her blood, as if this whole morning was a very surreal and not exactly pleasant dream. With Scott telling her then what he had done in such a hurry last night, she promptly regretted ever having shown him that she was interested in him. What had she done? Years of partnership forgotten in seconds, just because she hadn't been able to control herself ... About high time to grow the fuck up, put her own wishes in the background, and make sure that Scott and Jean would pull themselves together.

The two at least had to discuss the whole thing properly first ... Somehow, Katja would then get over her own disappointment. There was a lot more at stake for Scott and Jean, because of their professional partnership regarding the X-Men and at school alone.

"Listen ..." She quickly pulled her hand away that Scott had been holding ever since she'd woken up, trying to put on a tight expression. "This is madness. We don't even know each other. You're engaged ..."

"We were, yes." Scott backed away from her bed a bit with his chair, and Katja hated herself for feeling her heart clench painfully on the spot. His lips narrowed in that irritated gesture he'd met her with at the beginning, too, his jaw thrust forward in tension. Her reaction hurt him more than Katja would have expected.

Had he actually meant what he had told her yesterday, that he had feelings for her? What if his all but aggressive flirting had been much more than provocation toward Jean all along, unlike Katja had decided to believe for reasons of self-preservation alone at some point? What if he did ...?

Lowering her head in shame, Katja suddenly noticed that there was indeed no more ring on Scott's left hand. Her throat tightened again instantly. "I'm sorry ..."

"I'm not," Scott replied calmly. "Jean and I have been bullshitting ourselves about being meant for each other for far too long. We were never perfectly happy with each other, but we were also never frustrated enough to admit that to ourselves. It wasn't until two people showed up here, completely turning our heads, that we realized we mistook a love between friends with something that lovers should really share. If it hadn't been for you, Jean would probably have been able to somehow say no to Logan after all, out of pure loyalty. Then we would just have continued fighting regularly for the next few months, hurting each other until we couldn't even stand being in the same room. You think that's better? Jean will continue to be one of the persons in my life closest to me. That keeps the pain in check. But if you push me away now, I'll seriously fall on my face about love for the first time. Then I guess I was very wrong about you."

"Would that be so unlikely? How well do you think you know me, Scott?" But Katja's determination to keep up this charade was already collapsing in on itself.

She ran her hand through her completely knotted hair in agitation but lowered it again with a small groan because her body still protested against such frantic movements. The brief pain at least helped her to finally wake up fully and ponder what she'd just been told.

She didn't take Scott for someone who could always open up like this. That was something he'd just done for her.

It was only fair, meeting him with the same honesty. "Alright, fuck it. For me, nothing has changed since last night, Scott. I just needed to make sure … Besides ... I never believed in that in that whole love at first sight crap. And now it suddenly feels as if that's happened to me of all people. That's pretty scary. I'm afraid that this bubble is just waiting to burst."

The brief tension slipped from Scott's broad shoulders. Again, he reached for Katja's hand, slowly, with obvious relief on his face. This time, Katja didn't pull away.

For that, it just felt too damn good. These damn butterflies in her stomach, as soon as this man looked her way, how her pulse began to race every time ... And that nervousness, as if Scott, despite his limited vision, would be able to see her a lot clearer than maybe she could do so herself ...

Such a thing didn't come from nowhere. Now it was just a matter of whether they were both willing to let themselves fall into this promising emotional chaos.

"It's me who's to blame for that fear as well. You didn't exactly see me as the most reliable partner in the last few days. You can also blame that on the fact that Jean and I haven't had anything to say to each other for months. Or on your irresistible appeal. Pick one."

The cynical undertone in Scott's voice made the unbearable cheese in that little compliment a little more bearable. For seconds, he was visibly trying to collect himself, to leave exactly this immature and also hurtful half-baked flirting since Katja's arrival behind that wouldn't get them anywhere. No matter how much fun that had been occasionally ... Now it was time for both of them to make up their mind, before more than an ego or two would be damaged.

"I can't say I have no reservations at all. But I want to give this a try at least. Life as a mutant can be damn short and dangerous. Too short to easily let good things go. If we take our time now, it's not impossible, one of us won't be around in six months, for whatever reason. You know ... Far too many people that I meet are afraid of me. Strangers on the street seeing my VISOR. Our own allies, long-time visitors of this mansion, when there's yet another building blowing up because of me. New pupils, the moment they learn about my gift, whenever I do as much as touch my glasses. But you … You never startled even once in my presence. You knew immediately that I'm no different from any other man. That was very important to me. Because right now ..."

A nervous smile curled on Scott's lips. Compared to his usual composure, it was a beautiful look on him. "... I'm nothing but a guy with a huge crush asking a woman to give him a chance."

In the end, it was that expression of self-doubt that gave Katja the courage she needed. No matter what Scott said, he probably wouldn't have had a lot of trouble, finding women interested in him without making much of an effort. But he didn't act like it. He was just as afraid of a no as she had been at first.

That thing she was feeling deep inside might be just a beginning, but it certainly felt right. Katja closed her eyes for a moment, trying to concentrate solely on her feelings, in a way she maybe consciously hadn't ever since mutating. And they spoke a clear language, not least in the shape of the bright sunshine, which, after the occasional raindrops a few seconds ago, was now falling on her windowsill again.

Let it be crazy then. This whole thing was crazy, what had happened to her, this house ... Everything that was to come next. What Katja was about to do with her life. If she was allowed to walk at least part of this exciting road together with a man she was in love with – why not? Even if it might go wrong in the end ... There were indeed chances, you didn't miss out on. "No need to ask. This woman has already lost her heart."

Not a second later, they were in each other's arms, happy to have made that leap, to have stopped hiding behind brittle words. Suddenly, Katja wanted nothing more than to know how Scott's lips would feel on hers. She backed away a little, her cheeks promptly glowing. Shyness in this man's presence hadn't completely disappeared yet.

Tenderly caressing the side of her neck, Scott leaned in slowly, then paused. "I hope you don't mind me calling you Katja ... 'Flashwind' would be so impersonal ..." The way he pronounced it, actually sounded surprisingly nice. Someone had been practicing there …

When Katja laughed softly, he bent closer to her and kissed her, very lightly at first only, the mere touch of a butterfly's wing. Then his hand tightened on her neck, pulling her near until her lips parted instinctively. Their tongues touched for a first, cautious game.

Katja nestled her face against the side of Scott's neck, enjoying the sensation of warm skin against hers, Scott's deep inhale. Just like her, he was responding to even the slightest touch ... Maybe such a natural kind of gravity was impossible to explain. Perhaps it was a phenomenon no less mysterious than Katja's mutation. And these little flashes in her own soul, at least, could get no one hurt.

She could have sat there like this forever, but she was still pretty exhausted, and her side was hurting, especially in the spot that had just been patched up. "Would you ...? There's room for two here." Her cheeks were burning instantly from something that could easily be taken the wrong way.

The fact aside that she felt far too battered for any intimacies beyond kissing, going all the way after one date – especially one that had more been of a battle for the sake of humanity – wasn't her thing. It was something she'd already made Fabian mad with in the beginning. But Fabian didn't belong here. The thought of him didn't even trigger mild anger anymore, little more than the soft cough of thunder outside. The guy was history, now even more so than before.

"Of course." Scott willingly lay down with her, clothes, boots on and all, which was so unlike the rest of his accurate behavior, it made Katja grin briefly. Not that she minded. Not when he took her in his arms so infinitely cautiously, so as not to hurt her, with his head pillowed on the shoulder of her good side.

When Katja's fingertips started straightening, still somewhat shyly, Scott's neatly short-cropped but slightly messed-up hair, they brushed against the sturdy hard rubber of the two straps that held those ruby-quartz-coated glasses together at the back of his head, the same color as his hair and therefore almost invisible for casual glances. Only for a moment, she paused, surprised at how often it happened that she completely forgot about this.

Almost instantly, she could feel Scott's body tensing against hers, the same protective defensiveness trying to creep into his muscles that he showed almost everyone around him with his conspicuously upright gait and this iron unapproachable expression, for keeping people at a distance.

Not only for their protection but also for his own, Katja suddenly realized. It had to be hard enough, living with such a limiting mutation that didn't even allow you to look at beings close to you without a disturbing barrier. Of course, one wouldn't want to be constantly reminded of that.

She wanted to get it across to him, somehow, that something like that did indeed not count for her, not one bit. And that she trusted that admirable control Scott was demonstrating every second. But she didn't know this man nearly well enough yet to have any idea how to make that happen. He would have to help her with that. If from now on, the two of them always tried to talk to each other as openly and at the same time respectfully as they just had, that hopefully wouldn't be a problem.

"Those stay on all night?"

"They need to." To her relief, Scott just gently reached out, and breathed a kiss on the back of her hand before guiding it to his shoulder; sometimes that was all the communication it took.

"After a few years with a mutation, certain instincts do set in. By now, I almost never wake up with my eyes open. But especially after nightmares, the danger is far too big that it might happen after all. It's uncomfortable, I know. Sorry." For a moment, he actually made a move to untangle himself from her.

This time, it was Katja, wordlessly putting her arm tighter around him, signaling him that she wouldn't have wanted to interrupt these so very important first minutes of closeness for anything in the world. One or two small irritations from glasses on her skin the next morning were really the smallest evil. "Uncomfortable would be having to lie here alone right now."

She couldn't see Scott's smile in that posture, but the tender way he next pressed his lips against her collarbone, over the edge of that ugly sick bay gown, said enough. The goosebumps he left behind, hopefully, did too.

Soon.

It wasn't long before they both fell asleep, equally drained by all that had gone down.

The battle of Liberty Island was over – and Katja's new life had finally begun.

She had never been the spontaneous type. She usually had her emotions under control. Charles had taught her that very early on when he had taken her in. It was Logan who had changed everything.

Thoughtfully, Jean stared at the man who was still such a stranger to her, but who caused feelings in her that she hadn't even known existed.

She wasn't supposed to be here.

The ugly cut on Logan's forehead had finally closed completely. His skin, too, had a healthier tone than earlier, when he had left his coma for a few minutes, just long enough for Jean to bring him up to date. Now he was only sleeping to gather enough strength so that he could get out of here as soon as possible, as he had informed her with a wry grin. And there wouldn't be a lot more of it he needed. There were a lot of things to do for him today.

The Professor, who was growing stronger by the hour, wanted to keep his promise to Logan right this afternoon and find out some data about him. He owed Logan that, he had just said briefly, when Jean had dared to protest such an early return to work for Charles, and that was probably true.

But it also meant that Logan would almost certainly be gone by tomorrow morning at the latest, possibly forever. Even though he had fit in surprisingly well with the X-Men team during the fight, and even though Jean had a feeling, he wasn't that unwilling to be here, because of his steadily growing friendship with Marie alone ... Logan surely wasn't someone able to last anywhere for more than a few weeks at a time. The search for his past would always come first. And he simply deserved it to finally find some answers, to then maybe overcome, in the long run, his memory loss completely.

And who could know what would be waiting for him in that lost past? Or who?

Jean would only be in the way of all that.

It was pointless. She would finish her work in this room and leave Logan alone. That was easiest for everyone. Bending over her patient, she pulled the last IV needle from his arm.

In a single move, Logan jumped off the bed, his implants snapping from his hands. Much like he had the first time they'd met, he pushed Jean firmly against the wall behind her, with an iron grip around her wrists.

This time, she had been more or less prepared and didn't even try to resist, instead sought his gaze, however disoriented it still was. "Logan, it's me. Look at me. Listen to my voice."

"Jean ..." A startled jolt went through Logan's body. He quickly lowered his hands, regret marking his rugged features. "I'm sorry. It was just that damn dream again ..."

"I know. I'm alright." Jean noted without surprise that just being near this man once again made her heart beat faster. Had she really thought for even a minute that she could just wipe that feeling away, forget about it? She made no move to push Logan away from her. There was no need for that anymore.

Instead, tentatively still, she put her hand to his chest, above his equally suspiciously racing heart. "Tell me how you feel?"

Logan promptly grinned suggestively and braced his arms to the left and right of her head. "Never been better, doc."

It would have been far too easy, to continue this entertaining but rather aimless flirting. As long as Logan wasn't up to date regarding certain interpersonal relationships in this house, Jean didn't want to be that asshole. And earlier, he hadn't wanted to hear anything about that.

Without the cover of that facade of playful provocation, though, it suddenly became much harder to look him in the eye, although Jean had never had that problem with anyone else before. She really hoped Logan wouldn't interrupt her again. She didn't want to chicken out at the last moment. "I need to tell you ... You and I ..."

"Right." Only really realizing what he was doing there, Logan shook his head reluctantly and stepped back. "Forget it. I don't like ruining relationships when someone doesn't know what they want. Got something to do with respect. Believe it or not, I have values like that from time to time, too."

Jean put a hand on his shoulder before he could get too far away from her. "That's what I was trying to tell you earlier. There's no more relationship to ruin."

"I'd better watch my back in the next few days," Logan commented after a moment of being caught off guard. "No interest in finding out what blast does to my skeleton. You know, I really don't like that guy, but stealing Scooter's girlfriend as a thank you for saving my ass? If that man pulverizes a few more roofs soon, he's got my blessing."

"Not going to happen. You just triggered what was long overdue." Jean brushed back a strand of hair that didn't need to be brushed back, then clenched her fist because her own indecisive fidgeting was getting on her nerves. The cards were on the table. It was now or never. If she didn't try at least, she would always wonder if she hadn't missed something crucial in her life. And there had already been far too much of that kind of sacrifice.

She took a deep breath, raising her head. Her hand found Logan's supernaturally strong upper arm. "I've never dealt with a difficult situation like this. I don't know how we're going to handle this whole thing. But there's something, and if you want ... All I can say is I don't want it to stop." She knew she'd won when her awkward stutter put a wide grin on Logan's face.

A moment later, she was in his arms, enjoying a first stormy kiss. And that they wouldn't stop there, they both knew immediately. All the pent-up passion of the last few days exploded at once. All worries and doubts drowned in a whirl of pleasure and excitement, replaced by that sensation of an unnaturally muscular body pressed against hers, by the sight of Logan's bare chest, the possessive way he was holding her.

Provocatively slowly, Jean caressed his leg with hers, nipping his lower lip a little, with her hips nudging tightly against his, making it clear to him what she wanted, what she couldn't possibly have waited for, not today, not after that night. And this unbridled, mindless passion, too, she was experiencing for the very first time in her life.

Grabbing her thigh, Logan pulled her even closer, to let her feel the rapidly growing hardness between his legs. His tongue dove deeply into her mouth, pushing hers back before Jean could get the stupid idea of wanting to say anything. She had awakened his instincts, in more ways than one.

Only now did they both notice that his claws were still out. "You keep on messing with my head, Red."

"Sorry?" Jean made a move to squirm away from his grip, just to tease him a little. "Want me to stop?"

"Don't you dare." Logan's lips wandered over her neck, surprisingly tenderly, towards her ear, while he was inhaling deeply over and over. The excited throb answering Jean's demandingly circling hips told her how much he was enjoying letting himself fall fully into her scent, being imprinted on her by it as only someone with Logan's animalistic mutation could do. Which had probably already started to happen when they'd first met.

It was a thought increasing Jean's lust so quickly that it made her downright dizzy. Underneath her tight jeans, her panties were soaked against her skin, a sweetish demand for more that noticeably only raised Logan's arousal thanks to his supernatural sense of smell.

"Are there a lot of people coming here at this hour?" To Jean's surprise, though, it was still Logan having a rational thought or two left.

A soft hiss behind him when the locks of the large steel doors clicked shut, had him startle.

"Not now, they will", Jean grinned. She took advantage of Logan's surprise to smoothly duck under his arm and saunter back to the stretcher. It would be tight and not entirely comfortable, but for now, it would do ow. Still better than all those whispers if she'd taken Logan back to her apartment in the broad daylight.

His claws were still out. She had to be careful not to bump into them – and at the same time couldn't suppress a warm shudder. It was unnatural, yes, and frightening, especially for him, of course, because he had no idea who had done all this to him, but also exotic and ... damn attractive.

Jean had half and half expected it, had hoped for it a little if she was honest, and her only reaction was a hoarse sigh when she felt the cool smoothness of adamantium on her body, at her neck, then lower, before her coat slipped down her arms, falling to the ground. Her entire chest was covered in goosebumps. She knew the X-rays, of course, she'd taken them herself ... She knew about Logan's anatomy, the indestructible alloy beneath his tanned skin, those steeled muscles. But to feel it, against her own body ... It gave this whole game an extra kick.

She couldn't remember ever experiencing such cravings far from what they called normal with anyone in her life. It had been nice, in the past, sure, but always quite the same. With Logan, there would be none of this considerate but eventually monotonous tenderness, at least not on the first night. Right now, they both just wanted relief from what they were both bringing out in the other, without having wanted that in the slightest in the beginning.

Jean felt hungry eyes roaming her body. She could swear, she could still feel Logan's hot breathing on her neck, although he was waiting for the time being, just watching her.

He was respecting her wish for a second of a break – the only reassurance she might have needed regarding his wildness after all. He would not hurt her. Not any more than she wanted him to, anyway ...

With her former partner, Jean wouldn't have even dared to bring up something like this, for fear of what he would think. But such desires had apparently been lurking in her mind for some time already. Which was probably one of the main reasons Logan and she were so into each other. What might come out of that ... remained to be seen. For the moment, Jean didn't want to brood over it. There were far more interesting ways to pass the time.

Without turning around, she lasciviously raised her arms to pull her tight top over her head, which was already half-cut to pieces as well. Her bra was next, her pants, her underwear, her pumps, she didn't even think about it for a second. The cool floor under her bare feet was a relief for her heated skin. The sensation couldn't sate her irrepressible desire though. And why should it? Why wait for what Logan and she both wanted so much? Why hold back, now that a man had appeared out of nowhere, with whom Jean did not need to suppress this raunchy side of herself, that she had not even been aware of until now?

Logan's quiet growl made every hair on her arms stand up straight.

He still managed to hold back ... But surely not for long.

"So? Does it look like you imagined it?" she asked, still with her back to him, in a smoky voice, she almost didn't recognize, like some X-rated movie's lead. Not some smutty porn – more like a long thriller that was all about adrenaline ... What was this man doing to her?

"Shouldn't you of all people know the things I am imagining?"

"No." In a brief moment of sober seriousness, Jean looked back over her shoulder. "Unless I happen to lose control of my gift, which fortunately is rare, I don't read minds without being asked to. And certainly not yours. Telepath ethics."

He hadn't even sounded irritated, yet she thought to see a hint of relief in Logan's gaze, to see his posture relax a bit. His loving smile released a whole army of butterflies in her stomach that, for once, had nothing to do with what they were about to do. He wanted to be close to her. To learn how to trust her. Tonight wouldn't be a one-time thing.

Unconsciously, Jean had actually already prepared herself for the exact opposite, so that the disappointment afterward would not be too big. And it frightened her that even that would not have kept her from spending this day with Logan. It was a big burden slipping from her shoulders there unexpectedly.

They would try. No matter the outcome. They wanted to. Knowing that added a soulful note to the hot flame of lust blazing between them that wouldn't have been necessary, not with this man ... But it was still a hell of a lot nicer when it was there.

Holding Logan's gaze, Jean turned to face him fully and sat down on the stretcher he'd been lying on a moment ago, drawing her legs up in a provocative gesture and wrapping her arms around them. Break was over. Now her partner was allowed to collect his prey. That game she'd never known she could play at all was beginning to be more and more fun.

Jean didn't know exactly what she had expected, but certainly not the calmness that Logan approached her with. Perhaps he had just interpreted her brief hesitation correctly. That he would show so much consideration was really the last thing she had thought of him, with how he had acted so far. For now, he didn't even get rid of his own remaining clothes. Instead, he let his gaze wander slowly over her naked body.

Although that close examination had Jean blush, it burned her skin, and she wanted nothing more than to feel those strong hands on it again. It must have been years since she had been so touch-starved. Her hand trembled when she reached out for Logan. Her knees were literally shaking when she tried to lower her legs back down – tried.

A firm touch on her thighs made her pause, softly hissing in a breath. She willingly leaned back, propped herself up on the stretcher, and followed the clear request in the shape of a brief squeeze to spread her legs so Logan could stand between them.

He wasn't even really touching her yet, and yet she thought to feel the steeled hardness of his muscles against her much slimmer body, intimidating ... and so incredibly arousing. It became difficult, keeping her posture, to present herself the way Logan wanted her to instead of simply crossing her legs behind his waist, pulling him close, and ripping the rest of his clothes off his body ... With her powers, it wouldn't have taken her half a minute. But now it was he who demanded patience, and she had to wait.

And the evil tactic actually succeeded. A first, barely suppressed moan escaped her lips when a hand slipped down her chest, from the unprotected throat she so willingly presented to Logan, down her sternum, her stomach, until it finally stopped right above her sensitive middle where there was not only a faint sheen of sweat glistening.

Under different circumstances, Logan's dirty grin would have made her blush. Now it just goaded her.

To her disappointment, he let his hand move back up, around her waist to her back, where he held her tight so she could let herself fall completely. So that she could lean back further when a first kiss grazed her chest. Only Logan's quick, deep breath, leaving the small, dark buds of her curves tightening almost painfully, revealed how hard it was for him not to touch her in a completely different way. Not leaving bite marks on her instead of gently exploring her breasts with his tongue and lips, then every part of her chest until her hands tightened hard around the edge of the stretcher and she could barely keep her legs up. Not burying his fingers tightly demandingly in her flesh, in her hair, instead of pleasuring her with long, slow caresses down her arms, her back.

Yet he did, and this careful approach clearly increased his own arousal as well. Again and again, this growl mixed into his voice, the look on his face becoming unhinged. And still, he was holding back.

Until finally, it was Jean, thrusting her hips toward Logan's in a silent invitation. Feeling the significant bulge in his pants had her moan sound far louder this time. She gave up on her hold to pull Logan close but had to claw down on the stretcher again a moment later. Her head fell back, a silent gasp coming from her lips as Logan's clever mouth was suddenly teasing her belly, the tickle of his thick beard moving lower. Briefly, she was tempted to startle back, unsure of the kind of explosion of sensation awaiting her next, when she had already been reacting so violently so far ... But Logan's grip around her thighs allowed for no easy escape. Fortunately. Her fear immediately felt stupid to herself when a warm, wet intruder started grazing her most sensitive spots, her mind taking a leave for new spheres.

She could feel Logan's trembling more than she could see it, his growl never-ending now. She didn't need to read his mind to know that his instincts had taken control like an animal's going for the pheromone source. Except Logan didn't treat her like a cheap mating partner. He was being passionate, but not ruthless. He made her his, with his tongue, but he was doing it to turn her on. The intoxicating smell of her lust mixed with sweat heavily infused the air which made it hard to think of anything but wanting more ...

Again, it was Jean unable to stand it any longer, this unbearable heat gathering exactly where Logan was busy blowing her mind. His fingertips had found that one, hidden spot where every touch triggered a violent tremble in her body. With his movements there growing ever faster, just like those of his tongue inside her ... If she was going to stop him, she had to do it now.

With the last of her willpower, Jean let go of the stretcher with one hand, using her powers to unzip Logan's pants, which had become far too tight anyway. She doubted she could otherwise have interrupted him in what seemed to be one of his favorite pleasures.

He startled as she had at the touch of his claws, and they both had to chuckle. They better got used to that quickly. Mutations did have their advantages ...

Jean used the moment to bury her hands in Logan's hair, something she'd secretly wanted to do ever since she had seen him for the first time. With intent, she pulled him up to her and turned to her side, letting herself sink all the way back onto the stretcher, pulling him with her without compromise. At that moment, even if he had used all his strength, she would have overpowered him. Enough waiting.

Restlessly, her hands stroked his broad shoulders, his chest, down to his behind, where she lingered for a moment too long, purring softly before reaching under the rough fabric of those damn sick bay pants. That ass felt even better than it looked ...

More than curious, she wanted to slip her hand between their bodies, but Logan grabbed her wrist, letting her know with a quick shake of his head that there was no time for that. She had turned him on as well, without doing much.

"Protection?"

Right, that. Something Scott and Jean had never had to worry about, and accordingly, Jean hadn't given it a second thought now either.

And she was all the more impressed that Logan did. After all, he wasn't really someone who had to worry about carrying or transmitting any illnesses. There was probably another concern on his mind. One that he didn't need to have with Jean, not without a lot of extra steps on the way ... Well, there were things you didn't discuss until much later in a relationship.

"Clean and protected," she replied thus only with a brief smile before untangling herself from him and once again using her powers to strip him of the offending pants altogether.

It was like lightning hitting her body, making every muscle tense when she could feel Logan's throbbing length press against her lower body. She could no longer tell if it was her moans or his when his right hand moved to her core once more, rough fingertips pushing into her until she was ready for him. Not that counted.

When he let go of her, there was no transition, not another moment of waiting, of stalling. He was taking her, she was letting him in.

Jean clawed at Logan's back with her nails, with a surprised cry when a height washed over her as if her partner had moved inside her even once. The tension had been too big up until now, she had longed for him far too much. Panting, she pressed her whole body against Logan's, allowing his quick, demanding thrusts to carry her away on another wave. And this time, there was no end in sight.