"Jubilee...don't put the rattle that close to her face...she'll go cross eyed."

Marie was sitting on her bed while Jubilee played with Taylor as she sat in a bouncy chair on the floor, "Come on Tay Tay...grab it."

"Jubes...she's three months old. She doesn't even know what it is."

Jubilee just laughed and began playing with the baby's toes, "Damn she looks like Logan..."

Marie looked up with a pained expression on her face. Everyone knew Taylor looked just like her father. She was him...a cuter, much more feminine version of him.

It was all in her piercing hazel eyes and her wild wisps of brown hair that refused to lay down, no matter how much baby lotion Marie applied. Jubilee caught Marie's expression and muttered an apology.

She couldn't keep track of the number of times she had tried to explain Logan's jewelry plan to Marie, but she had given up for fear that she would lose her as a friend.

It was almost funny...Logan's name had become off limits...just as Jean's name had been.

Jubilee said goodbye to Taylor, then got up and left. Marie nursed her daughter, changed her diaper, then laid her down for a nap. She had been slacking on her workouts and needed to do something other than breastfeeding to work off the baby weight.

She changed into her gym clothes, switched on the monitor and snapped the portable receiver to her belt before quietly creeping from the room.

Marie headed down to the gym and started her workout, not realizing that the thick walls of the lower levels interfered with the reception of her monitor.

Logan stared up at the mansion for nearly ten minutes before he got off of the bike and slung his bag over his shoulder. When he walked in, the halls were empty. Probably because everyone was in class.

He soon found himself in front of the door of the room that he and Marie had shared. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he knocked. He waited for the door to open, but when it didn't, he knocked again...still no answer.

He opened the door and looked around the room. Her scent was faint here...overtaken by the smell of spackle and paint. Logan noticed that all of the marks their relationship had left on the room had been repaired.

Had she done this?

One look at the plastic covered furniture and bare bed told him that the room had been vacant for some time. He backed out of the room and looked around, wondering where she could be.

Suddenly, his keen ears picked up on a sound that jolted him into action. Before he could properly register what he had heard, he began rushing toward the source of the noise.

It was as if a driving force was drawing him to the source of the sound. His instincts had taken over. He needed to respond to this.

He opened a door to a large bedroom suite and stepped in, whipping his head from side to side. His eyes immediately fell upon the crib that stood a few feet away.

Logan was panting...not necessarily from physical exertion, but from confusion and desperation.

Why was there a crib here? Whose room was this? ...Why did this room smell so much like Marie?

He took a few trembling steps toward the crib and looked down at the whimpering infant.

His breath caught in his throat as he clutched the area over his heart. Tears immediately formed in his eyes as he dropped to his knees and stared over the side of the crib. He felt like he couldn't breathe.

Logan put a large hand over his own mouth in an attempt to stifle the shuddering breaths that accompanied his tears as he stared down at the infant.

His daughter.

She was beautiful. From her wild brown hair to her tiny, balled up fists...she was everything he had dreamed about and so much more.

When he had regained enough composure, he slowly stood and took a deep breath. Logan reached down and slowly picked her up. Her whining slowed as he held her out in front of him, examining her as if she were some sort of work of art.

She stared right back at him, unafraid and unfazed by the large, burly man who held her within his grasp. After a while of staring at each other, she favored him with a toothless grin.

Yep...this was his daughter.

Logan smiled back at her and brought her to his broad chest. He held her there and kissed her head, closing his eyes as he took a deep whiff of her comforting, fresh scent. He was memorizing her so that he would never lose her again.

When he reopened his eyes, he recalled the phone conversation with Storm that made him come back.

"I really think you should come back...if you do, you need to realize there'll be a lot of things you're going to be angry and confused about...but just know there's a reason for it."

He staved off his anger as he looked down at the tiny baby in his arms. Marie would bear the brunt of his anger later...but for now...he had questions.

What was her name? Was she born the day of the accident, or later? Is she healthy? Does she have everything she needs (and wants)?

Logan sat in the rocking chair and stared down at her, intensely studying her from head to toe. He gently took each of her hands and examined the tiny little nubs that were her fingers. He kissed her soft hand and took off her socks, smiling as he counted each of her tiny toes.

He didn't even look up when Marie opened the bedroom door and gasped to find him there, holding the daughter she had told him was dead.

Marie didn't realize the monitor hadn't been working until she was on her way back up to her room.

When she opened the door, she thought she was dreaming. He couldn't be here...could he?

His voice was frighteningly calm and even as he continued to stare down at the baby, "What's her name?"

Shit...he was there. She felt like passing out, but she grabbed a hold of the door and stumbled into the room.

He spoke again...still calm...still even, "What is her name, Marie?"

"T-t-taylor...Taylor Victoria."

He continued staring down at the infant, "Does she need to eat or be changed?"

Marie stared at him for a while, then shook her head, "She just woke up, so...yea..."

"Show me."

She stood and walked over to the changing table. He met her there and gently laid Taylor down. Marie pulled out a diaper and started to unfasten her daughter's outfit, but Logan took the diaper, "Wipes."

She lifted up the lid of the wipe warmer that sat on the counter and watched carefully as Logan gingerly began the process of changing his first diaper.

When he was finished, Logan picked his daughter back up and cradled her protectively against his chest.

It was then that Marie realized that he hadn't looked at her. He grunted, "Food..."

Marie reached for the baby, but Logan let off a little growl. Almost as if he didn't trust her to give her back. She pointed at her chest, "She eats right here, Logan."

He relented and handed her the baby.

For fifteen minutes, he watched his daughter as she nursed. He tried not to get distracted by the sight of Marie's bare breasts. They had too much to deal with for him to have the time to ogle her tits. He was too angry.

She sat the baby up and began burping her. He sat across from them, staring at Taylor with an intensity that would have frightened her if she didn't know him better. She knew he was watching over her...admiring her.

Logan shifted his eyes to the floor when Marie tried to look at him. The truth was, he wanted to keep from looking at her until the baby was asleep and they were far enough away so that his anger toward her mother wouldn't disturb her. If he looked at Marie...all hell would break lose.

Review/feedback! Logan's trying to remain calm in the presence of the baby, so don't think he's not going to go crazy later! I have him being extremely protective/responsive of Taylor because he's got those animalistic instincts that tell him to protect his cub no matter what. Also, he's been living for three months thinking that the kid he actually had been excited about having was dead. He's been dreaming about her and what could have been and he's finally being faced with the reality of having her.