It was about quarter past eight when he slammed his way into the boathouse though the kitchen door. Everything that could have gone wrong today, did. His motorcycle broke down halfway between the city and North Salem, his cell phone stopped working and he had to teach a kid who thought he could pick his pocket, some manners. All he wanted at this point was to wash the grime of the road off his body and get some rest. As he entered the house, her heady scent immediately attacked him. Her scent was all over the damn house to remind him that she was constantly there. When Charles had forced her assistance on him, his plan was to stay far away from her while she was here doing whatever she was doing. But he soon found out that he was fighting a losing battle. He couldn't escape her no matter how much he tried. The woman was ingrained his mind, heart and soul and there was no getting around that. He was damn tired of fighting and only wanted some semblance of peace in his life. It was a forgone conclusion that he had to end his torment.

He didn't bother with the lights, allowing his excellent night vision to guide him through the home. He made a beeline for the stairs, disrobing as he moved through the house. So distracted by his thoughts that he didn't even pause to realize he had company.

"Good night, Logan. I trust you had a productive day," Ororo said politely, her head bent over her task. She knew what he was about. He was doing his best to avoid her at all costs. She was saddened by this, because it was her hope to have a chance to confront him and get all the bitterness and hurt out in the open.

Logan stopped on his way up the stairs and growled softly. How the hell he didn't realize she was there was beyond him. He turned around and was almost brought to his knees at what was in front of him. There she was, giving him an enticing view of her ass, as she bent over an opened box. She looked like she belonged in his home. Lately, that thought wasn't too far from his mind. He shook his head at his foolishness.

"The kitchen appliances and furniture," she paused to indicate the furniture secured in plastic and tarp, "were delivered today."

She stood to face him and almost did a double take when she saw that he was practically undressed from the top. She tried to ignore the rippling muscles of his arms and chest. In his hands were his beaten leather jacket and plaid shirt. She caught the intense look in his eyes and immediately turned away, searching for something to say. She looked at the box she was rummaging through when he arrived. "In this box are some decorative pieces Charles had in storage. I am going to see if anything will fit in here."

"Yer here late," he muttered without preamble. His voice was rather harsh.

Ororo knew she did not owe him any explanation but offered one all the same. "The men took their sweet time bringing the items inside the house. I had thought to have them leave the items outside and have Peter and Jean help move them in, but the men were being paid to bring them in the house, so…" she stopped and shrugged helplessly. She noticed how her hands trembled and silently cursed that effect he had on her.

"Ya take yer job seriously," he mumbled in reply and turned to climb the stairs.

"I do. Obviously, you are not appreciative," she returned, completely turned off by his apparent surly mood and quite frankly, tired of it.

The little nagging voice in his head told him to ignore her and continue his way upstairs, but the Wolverine was fed up, restless, exhausted from dealing with all the damn feelings he had for her, in desperate need of getting laid and itching for a fight. "Ya don't have ta be here."

Ororo read the signs well. He was spoiling for a fight and being annoyed with his attitude and the desire he spurred inside her and tired of their stalemate, she was going to give him one. "No, I do not. But since Charles asked me to do this for him, I did. Why is he bothering to accommodate you is beyond me."

He did his best to ignore her, but her next words said so softly was his undoing. "Ungrateful ass."

All his frustrations boiled over and after the day he had, he was going to indulge them both with that fight he was spoiling for. He retraced his steps to stand a few feet from her. His eyes narrowed. "Ya got a problem with me, Goddess?" He sneered.

She didn't know what had possessed her to sink to this level, but here she was. "I damn well do. You are the most stubborn, selfish, ungrateful man I have ever known. Charles is doing this because he cares about you, but you cannot see that. It is always about you." A rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.

She was so into her tirade that she didn't notice that he was directly in front of her, invading her personal space. She felt his hot breath on her face. "Ya know nothin' 'bout me. Who the hell are ya ta judge me?"

Realizing her error, she tried to step back from him, but caught herself trapped between the box and his hard body. She scowled. She was the mistress of the elements, and she wasn't going to cower away from this confrontation. She took a deep breath. She'll be damned if she was going to back down from him. This was a long time coming and she was going to give as good as she got. She arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow and went all the way in. "I know…"

"Ya know nothin'!" He roared, cutting her off. His steel gray eyes latched onto her sky-blue ones. Her heart jumped and she became flushed, a delicious warmth pooling between her legs. There was no help for the arousal that resulted.

He sniffed twice, swearing he smelled something like arousal. What the hell? She was forever screwing with his head. His eyes tapered in suspicion.

Tampering down the sudden rush of feelings, she picked up where he cut her off. "I know you refuse to see what is in front of you. I know you can be a blasted ass at times." She knew she was on thin ice when his nostrils flared, and his eyes grew darker in color. But, by the Goddess, she was too far gone to stop now. "I know when things gets too much for you, you run away, refusing to deal with your problems. You are a damn…" She stopped suddenly, knowing she was about to go head off the cliff.

"Ya want ta finish that?" Logan's voice was deceptively soft, but the threat in it was unmistakable.

Now Ororo was an intelligent woman. She knew when to back off and when to press on. Unfortunately, all common sense fled when one was dealing with the Wolverine. The glare she gave him was hot. "Coward. Always with your head up your ass feeling sorry for yourself, not caring about anyone else but yourself!"

Her heart was racing and her breathe was coming out in pants. She tried to cram down the desire that was taking over her body. She took deep calming breaths to gain control of her emotions.

Logan laughed harshly. "That's rich comin' from ya, Goddess. Now, let's talk 'bout what ya are." He growled, stepping away from her, hiding his reaction to being so close to her. Her scent was drugging him, quickly pulling his beast over the edge.

"I am listening. Say what you must, Wolverine." She taunted.

"Yer a prissy controllin'..." He paused, not wanting to go there, especially knowing how he still felt about her.

Ororo scoffed, not being fazed by his comment. When you have been labeled many things because people misunderstood why you had to be the way you were for the betterment and safety of mankind, the names eventually did not have the impact they once did. "It is not like I have not heard that before. You think you are the first to say that to me?"

Logan visibly stiffened. "I ain't surprised. Ya could freeze hell."

She blinked rapidly and shrugged off his insult. "Heard that one too. But you do not see me feeling sorry for myself when I am insulted."

In a flash, he moved closer to her, his piercing stare dissecting her. His eyes were no longer their beautiful gray, but dark, signaling the Wolverine had escaped his confines. Tension cackled between them ruthlessly and Ororo shuddered, knowing their impasse was going to come to an end right now. She felt completely bare under his gaze and for all her earlier bravado, desperately sought an escape from the dangerous beast looking at her. Logan knew what she was doing and put an immediate stop to it. The time had come to settle this grudge between them.

With a vicious howl, he pounced, grabbing her, and yanking her to his chest. He paid no attention to her grunt. She was more than likely trying to conjure up a lightning bolt to fry his ass, but he ignored that possibility too. The Wolverine was going to take what he wanted. He snarled before stamping his mouth on her lips in blatant possession. Her shock at his actions wore off and before she knew it, she was responding just as hungrily to his kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and felt her melt into his hard frame. All the pent-up feelings, passions and desires finally exploded to set their bodies and emotions on fire. The kiss was brutal, and they were soon caught up in a maelstrom of pleasure that neither wanted to break free from.

Ororo brought her arms up, draping them around his neck, pulling him closer into her softness. Logan's hands moved to her denim-clad ass, molding her to his hardness. All rational thought fled them and all that was left was the inevitable eruption of the desire between them. When the need for air became too great to ignore, their lips fell apart, but their hands remained where they were. Their eyes devoured each other as they struggled for breath. Finally, Logan rubbed his chin against her hair, his beast retreating some as he gained some semblance of control. Ororo's arms slowly moved from around his neck to wrap themselves around his waist.

They stood in that position for a long time, words failing both. They were held immobile by what just happened and all the erratic feelings coursing through their bodies. Logan felt as if he was drowning and he had no clue where they go from here, but he knew holding her like this was the most peaceful he had ever been during the past year and he sure as hell was not apologizing for taking what he had wanted. As far as he was concerned, she could toss all the lightning bolts and rolled all the thunder she wanted. After a while, he was the first to break the silence. His voice was rough. "I ain't apologizin'."

She was trembling in his arms, and he felt her smile against his naked chest. "I do not expect you too."

Ororo was firmly rooted in place and terrified because of what happened. Where they went from here, she did not know, but she did know that she was not going to be foolish and let him go again. All the courage she had mustered over the months to mend her broken heart broke through. The previous words of the Professor, Hank and Jean swam in her head, making what she needed to do clear. Someone had to take the lead and she decided it was going to be her. The big question at this very moment was, was he ready…was she?

"If ya got somethin' ta say, ya better say it now," Logan said, his voice hard, borderline angry.

"I am tired of fighting," Ororo whispered. "I cannot continue to go on like I have."

"We got too much shit ta work through." He sounded hesitant.

"I know. But I am willing if you are. I want you. I want us." There. She took charge. She was done beating around the bush. She wanted to be happy for once.

Willing? He will be a fool not to grab this opportunity. They were not stupid to believe that all their problems were going to be resolve overnight. There was too much bitterness and feelings between them to work through, but they both wanted this and were strong and determined to make it work.

After a few beats of silence, he stepped away from her, running frustrated hands through his hair. He was trembling slightly. He sighed heavily, lifting uncertain eyes to meet hers that were focused on him. "Ya sure?"

"I am," she replied slowly but with conviction, "But it seems as if you are not."

He shot her a quick glare. It was not so much as he was unsure as if to pursue a relationship with her, he'll be an idiot not to take what she was offering. What he was unsure of was the level of her awareness of how much work and time it will take for them get to that "happy place". "Ya do realize that things ain't gonna be honky dory in couple a days, right?"

Ororo snorted before going to sit down. After that kiss, her legs felt like jelly. She was not naïve to believe that they had suddenly overcome their problems. "I am not a starry-eyed teenager, Logan. I am sensible enough to know we both have numerous issues to work through, both separate and together. But I do believe it is worth it."

He nodded. Good. At least her eyes were wide open. His guess was that the next ninety days will either make or break them. The next ninety days was going to demand from them their most grueling work. Getting beyond years of acrimony and hard feelings was going to take a lot out of them both. The blood sweat and tears were going to be necessary if they were going to build something viable together. Not to mention their need for privacy in a public setting as the mansion. Privacy was a must if this was going to work.

"We'll have ta do this in private."

Ororo scoffed. They were two of the most private people in the mansion and she did not have a problem with them going about their personal business privately. But then again, is privacy to work their issues out, even an option? "I agree. But we live in a place where privacy is virtually unheard of."

Logan exhaled loudly and went to take the seat next to her. He leaned over, his elbows resting on his thighs. "We could meet here," he offered. He glanced at her to see her looking straight at him with a soft smile.

"I own a small cottage a few miles from here." She offered. The Wolverine glanced at her, his brows shooting up. "What? I too need to get away from this zoo at times," she answered his unspoken question.

Silence reigned for a while, both occupied with their own thoughts. After a long time, Ororo shifted, bringing herself closer to him. Tentatively, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and was thrilled when he leaned into her. She sighed before voicing her thoughts. "Logan, I have no illusions about us carrying on a relationship as if nothing has transpired between us. However, I do know that for us to move forward, we have to lay all our cards on the table." She stood, suddenly needing to put some distance between them.

She turned away and walked to the bay window, where she can see the moonlight reflecting off the lake. "If Jubilation did not get hurt, were you ever going to come back?"

Logan's eyes followed her every movement since she stood. Apparently, they were going to start this tonight. He sighed his answer. "Eventually." He glanced at her, noticing he was still looking at her back. "I know I had ta come back ta tie up whatever loose ends I had here and that was it."

"Was I a loose end?"

Her voice was so soft, that only one with his hearing could have heard her. He growled softly. "Honestly, no." If he wasn't watching her as closely as he was, he would have missed the slight stiffening of her shoulders. Nevertheless, he voiced his thoughts, "Everybody includin' ya knew my feelings, but I didn't know how ya felt 'bout me. Ta me, ya had already made up yer mind ta have nothin' ta do with me."

She nodded. His honesty was hard, but she accepted it. "So, if you had known where I stood in regard to us, you would have done something about it?"

"Can ya turn around and look at me? I don't want ta talk ta yer back." He waited until she turned around and lifted turbulent eyes to his. "No. As far as I was concerned, the ball was in yer court. I ain't had nothin' ta apologize fer and I had already said my piece."

"I never thought that you would ever be interested in me." Her eyes conveyed the rest of her statement. You made no secret of Jean being the one you wanted. She tried not to show the hurt and vulnerability she constantly felt at his steadfast pursuit of Jean.

Logan eyed her, his sharp senses picking up on what she did not say and what she was feeling. "How would ya ever think that when all I got from ya was the cold shoulder?"

The uncharacteristic softness of his voice clenched her heart. Ororo went to him, cradling his jaw in her hands. Her eyes held his as she whispered, "I am sorry, Logan."

His eyes closed, allowing her simple apology to flow through him. "'Ro…"

Her lips twisted in a self-derisive smile. "I was so busy protecting my heart and telling myself that you could never want me, that even I believed it."

Logan leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. "I told myself I had no shot wid ya. That ya wanted nothin' ta do with the chaos that always followed me. I guess we both did the same thing and it worked too well."

His expression was exposed and for a moment, she got a glimpse of the real Logan, the man that was hidden beneath the rough and tough exterior. She swallowed hard, her hands going up to twine around his neck. "So, we are really going to do this?"

Logan smiled slightly, taking her hint that this was the end of their hard discussion for the night. He moved away from her to grab the shirt he had discarded earlier, quickly donning it. He went back to her and enfolded her in his arms. "Yeah," he replied gruffly. "we're gonna do this."

Ororo felt as if she had come home, being wrapped in his arms. She reached up and touched the side of his face, running her fingers through his soft stubble. "Hmm…sounds really good to me," she murmured, a soft smile tugging at her lips.

Her arms eventually found their way around his neck, and she smiled up at him. "So, first date?"

Logan's brows shot up as his lips lifted in a smile of his own. His hands settled on her hips. Slowly, he leaned in, his lips grazing hers, murmuring, "Whenever yer ready," before fusing their lips together.

*It's about time!*

Both Logan and Ororo jumped back as Charles' voice echoed in their heads.

"Dammit Chuck!" Logan shouted.

Charles' response was to convey to them that he was granting them both the rest of the week off, before breaking their psychic links with a hearty chuckle.

Ororo and Logan looked at each other before erupting in laughter. A few seconds later, Ororo found herself the recipient of a crushing embrace. Immediately, her arms went around him, reveling in the feel of this hardened man that she once thought was lost to her. Now that they were on the same page, they were not harboring any fantasies that this would be a smooth ride. Happiness was not guaranteed, especially living the lives they did and with both being the strong-willed people they were. But if they could both get through the antagonism that had plagued their relationship from the beginning, they were confident that they can forge a relationship that would be both solid and loving.

This is the end of this story. Thank you all for reading.