Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months.

Ethan was a big boy and definitely a handful. Marie struggled to keep up with his frantic feeding schedule, the never ending diaper changes but luckily, Kitty ignored Marie's "I can do it myself" attitude and insisted on helping, which gave the single young mother a little bit of time to rest here and there.

During those rare moments of quiet, when Ethan was quietly sleeping in his crib, Marie would stare at him and shed silent tears. The little boy looked just like his father.

At first, she thought the fact that her son was the spitting image of his father was nature's cruel joke…but eventually, she coped with seeing her baby boy's wild brown hair and piercing hazel eyes every day.

When his first smile looked like more a mischievous smirk, she couldn't help but laugh.

As Ethan grew, so did Marie's affection for Logan. Every special moment she spent with her son reminded her of Logan and made her feelings for him go oven deeper.

She'd begun settling into her life at the mansion, tutoring the youngest students and undergoing intensive training under Scott and Hank's instruction. She wanted to make sure that she could protect herself and Ethan…should the necessity arise.

When her son was 5 months old, the professor asked Marie to go to Philadelphia with a class as a chaperone. Apparently Hank had to bow out of the trip for some government meetings, leaving Jean and Scott short one adult. Of course, the professor told her that she could take Ethan if she thought she could handle the jobs of motherhood and chaperone simultaneously.

Marie was hesitant, and initially refused to go, but after Kitty agreed to go on the trip with her, she was packing Ethan up for his first trip away from the mansion.

A few weeks later…

Logan sat at the bar, nursing a beer as he watched the hockey game on the tiny television behind the bar counter. When the game took a turn for the worse for his team, he tossed some money onto the counter, finished off his beer and favored the bar tender with a brief wave before walking out of the tiny establishment and out into the cold night.

As he walked up the dark road, he could have sworn he caught a brief trace of a familiar scent, but he brushed it off and continued making his way to his trailer.

When he reached his home, he started to put his key in his door, but suddenly, all of his senses alerted him to the presence of another feral.

He unsheathed his claws and growled, but before he could make another move, Victor stepped from around the side of the trailer, wearing a sinister smirk, "Hey little bro. Why so tense?"

Logan sheathed his claws, "What the fuck are you doin' here?"

"You never called…you never wrote…"

Logan tried to seem nonchalant as he opened his trailer door and stepped in, "Yeah. Well. Stayin' in touch never has been my strong suit."

"I guess not. Especially when you're on the run."

"What are you really doin' here, Vic?"

Victor stepped into the trailer and looked around at his brother's meager home before plopping down on the single tiny couch in the "living room" area, "I'm the calm before the storm, Jimmy. Stryker brought me back into the fold when you and your frail disappeared. Let me get involved with the breeding program…"

Logan's eyes widened when he thought of Marie's friend, Jubilee. Victor casually plucked at his nails, "Accidentally killed the bitch he hooked me up with…think her name was Lauren…"

Logan shook his head in disgust, "Fuck, Victor…what the hell is wrong with you?"

Victor ignored his brother's question and sighed, "So, after that didn't work, Stryker decided he wanted to pool his resources and recover his primary target…and his first soldier."

"Well, as you can see, I live here alone."

"Oh. I know. Stryker has a separate team for your frail and your kid. He knew I could track you without any problems."

"So, you're here to bring me in? Go ahead."

Victor sighed, "Look Jimmy, you've done a lot for me. You had my back when no one else did, so I'm gonna give you a head start. I'll tell Stryker you were gone by the time I got here, deal?"

Logan nodded slowly as Victor stood and started to leave, "Vic…when you said that he had a team for Marie and E—the baby…what do you mean?"

Victor sighed, "He's putting together a team right now. The target is a mansion in Westchester…"

Logan's eyes widened as his brother walked out of his trailer and disappeared into the darkness.

He grabbed up some belongings, as well as the cell phone Charles had given him, and hit the road in the beat up old truck he'd purchased from his boss.

As he drove, he tried to call Charles several times, but never got an answer. A sickening feeling told him that he was too late.

For a while, he thought about driving straight to the facility that he and Marie had escaped from, but his instincts kept telling him to just head straight to Westchester, so he did.

It took him two full days of driving before he finally pulled up to the gates of a darkened mansion. The gates were ajar, and the security system seemed to be deactivated, so he parked his truck on the street and cautiously proceeded down the driveway to the main house. He went to the side entrance and was startled to find that the door was open. One look into the mansion told him that Stryker had been there. Tables and chairs were overturned, art that had once hung neatly was askew or knocked from their place on the wall…and every single light was off.

He slowly walked inside and began poking his head into each and every room. He used his enhanced senses to try to sniff out any survivors…or lingering enemies.

It felt like it took him forever, but he was able to clear the top and main levels of the mansion. He almost gave up his search when he remembered the hidden lower level. He searched the wooden paneled wall for the secret elevator that led to the lower levels for several minutes before he finally found it.

When Logan entered the hallway, he immediately heard the sound of beating hearts and breathing. He followed the sounds to a locked door, "Hello? Is everyone alright in there?!"

The people on the other side of the door quieted considerably. He knew they'd probably be a little nervous about opening the door for anyone after an attack, so he sighed, "My name is Logan. The professor knows me. I'm Marie's friend. You know Marie?"

The door slowly opened and he was soon peering down at several small, frightened faces. The children ranged in age from 8 to 14, and he could tell they'd been hiding out in there for hours…if not a whole day. Logan motioned for them to come out, "Come on. They're gone. You're safe now."

The kids began murmuring amongst themselves. Logan stopped one of the older ones, "Where is everyone else?"

The tall, gangly teenaged boy trembled a little bit as he shook his head, "They took them. Miss Munroe…the professor…everyone else…they took them. Miss Munroe left us in here and said she was gonna go see if she could help the others, but she never came back. They took her. They took her! They took her!"

The teenaged boy dissolved into a fit of hysterical tears as one of his friends comforted him. Logan looked around at their scared faces and sighed, "You guys eat?"

An hour later, the kids were hunkered over sandwiches and various snacks in the dark kitchen as Logan stared out the window, listening and watching for any signs of danger. One of the kids came up to him and gently tugged on his hand, "Are they comin' back, mister?"

Logan looked down at the little girl's wide, frightened eyes, "No, kid. They got what they came for. You're safe now."

Since the attack was so recent, the kids were unwilling to separate from each other…or him, so they all gathered in the library with some pillows and blankets and curled up for sleep.

Logan stood watch, but eventually succumbed to sleep some time during the early morning hours.

He was awoken suddenly by the sound of a vehicle pulling in front of the mansion. He looked out of the window to see Jean stepping out of one of two large vans. She was talking to Scott as kids began to pile out of the vehicles.

Logan quickly sprinted out of the library and to the front doors before throwing them open, "Where the hell were you?!"

Jean's mouth dropped open, "L-Logan…what are you doing here?"

"Takin' care of the few kids Storm managed to save from Stryker's invasion."

Scott, stepped forward, "What?! Stryker's invasion? What are you talking about?"

"Stryker was here. He came here…and Marie…and Ethan…they're gone. He took them…and everyone else. There's a few kids left, but everyone else is gone."

Scott shook his head, "No. Oh God. No."

Jean shook her head, "Logan. Marie and Ethan—"

"Logan?"

It was probably the sweetest sound he'd ever heard in his life. He turned his head to meet Marie's eyes as she stood outside of the second van, holding a sleeping Ethan against her chest. Kitty stood next to her with one hand on her own chest and another on Marie's back, perhaps to keep her from passing out in shock.

He felt like he was moving in slow motion as he walked toward them.

When he finally stood in front of her, he couldn't find the right words to say, "I thought—"

"We have to see about the other children and arrange a move to the safe house", said Scott as he, Kitty and Jean shooed the kids into the mansion, leaving Marie, Ethan and Logan out front.

"How did Stryker find out where we were?"

Logan shook his head, "He has his ways. I was trying to make it here before he did, but when I got here, he'd already come and gone and these kids…"

Ethan's soft whine caught her attention, "Oh. Crap. He's due for a change and nurse."

He stared intently as she moved around him and toward the doors, but he quickly said her name, "Can I…come with you?"

Marie stared at him for several moments before nodding, "Yeah."

Logan followed her as she walked to her room. Once they arrived, they could tell that Stryker's forces had been in her room. Marie shuddered, "I can't believe he found us…"

"Don't worry about that. I'm gettin' you two outta here as soon as you get packed."

"They're goin' to a safe house. Where will we go?" she said as she laid Ethan down and began changing his diaper.

Logan began straightening out her room, "I dunno. Far away."

After she finished changing Ethan, she sat down on the edge of the bed and unbuttoned the top of her shirt before casually pulling her breast out. The baby quickly latched onto her nipple and began suckling as she looked up and continued their conversation, "We have to have a plan. I don't want to just put my son in a car and start a never ending road trip. The safe house is the best option for him."

He was briefly dumbstruck by the sight of her naked breast, but recovered in time to respond, "Our son."

"Excuse me?"

"You said 'my' son…he's our son."

She sighed, "I'm aware of that. It's just that, I've spent that last few months doing the middle of the night feedings, changing the diapers and bathing all by myself. It's just been me…so excuse me if I forget that you're a parent as well. You haven't been here, dealing with the everyday realities of being a parent."

Logan looked at Ethan as he continued to nurse, "You know why I had to leave."

Marie pursed her lips and let out a breath, "I know…and I'm sorry if I'm makin' you feel alienated…but this is hard."

Logan stared at the baby as he slowly moved away from Marie's nipple. She quickly covered her breast and put Ethan over her shoulder to burp him. Within a few seconds, the baby let out a small burp.

She smiled, "Atta boy."

"He's beautiful. Has he been doin' OK?"

Marie nodded and held Ethan in front of her to look into his smiling face, "Say yes I am. I'mma big boy. Yes I am…yes I am."

He watched as she kissed the baby's nose and gently lifted him in the air, just enough to make him squeal in delight.

"You're uh…you're really good with him."

She looked over at Logan and noticed the way he was staring at her. She cleared her throat, "Well, he's a good baby."

Marie cringed a little, "I really wanna go to the bathroom. I've spent hours holding it…"

Logan slowly held his hands out, "I can uh…I can take him while you do that."

She looked between Ethan and Logan's outstretched hands, "Um…you sure?"

"I'm not gonna hurt him."

"I didn't say that-"

"Then stop actin' like my hands are made of poisonous snakes and let me hold my own kid while you take a piss."

Marie slowly handed him over, "I'll be right back. Ok?"

Logan slowly held the baby close to his chest, awkwardly at first, but soon relaxed as Marie hesitantly walked to the bathroom.

When Marie returned, he was sitting in the rocking chair, gently swaying back and forth. She smiled a little, "I figured he would pass out after getting some boob."

Logan smirked a little, "A boob man…like his daddy."

She rolled her eyes, but smiled in spite of herself as she sat on the edge of her bed, "I didn't know if or when I'd see you again…or if you'd ever get to meet Ethan."

"I wanted to see you. I wanted to meet him…so I kept thinkin' that one day, I could figure out a way to stop Stryker so that we could—"

A knock at the door interrupted him. Marie opened the door and found Jean standing there, looking frazzled and not at all like her usual, meticulously put together self, "We're leaving in an hour to head to the safe house. Will you two be coming?"

Logan slowly shifted Ethan against his chest and stood, "Where is it?"

"Maine."

He looked down at the sleeping infant in his arms, then to Marie's worried eyes before he slowly nodded, "We'll meet you downstairs in an hour."

As soon as Jean left, Logan and Marie went to work, packing up her and Ethan's belongings. An hour later, the remaining residents of the mansion were loading up two vans, one SUV and a vehicle with children and necessities. Marie, Kitty, Logan and Ethan traveled in the car.

They stopped only once for gas and a very structured restroom stop, but six hours after they departed, they pulled up in front of a stately mansion hidden outside of a small town in Maine.

Logan began walking the perimeter of the vast property to get familiar with the sounds and scents of the surrounding area.

By the time he made his way back to the house, Scott was sitting on the front stoop, staring down at his cell phone. He glanced up to look at Logan, "Trying to get Hank on the phone. He's still in DC."

"If he's as important as you people say he is, maybe he can help us."

Scott sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Hopefully…uhhh…Marie's upstairs, getting settled into your room."

"Thanks", he said as he bounded up the stairs.

He immediately found himself in a large marble foyer with a curving staircase and ornate crystal chandelier. The kids were milling about, getting settled in and Jean was walking down the stairs, "Logan, have you seen Scott?"

"Just passed him outside. Which room is Marie in?"

"Go to the top of the stairs, go down the right hallway and she's in the last door on your left."

A few seconds later, Logan lightly knocked on Marie's door. When he heard no answer, he tried the handle and walked inside. The room was large, well-appointed and obviously one of the "master suites". It had an attached sitting room where Marie would likely want to set up Ethan's pack and play.

He walked further into the room upon hearing Marie's voice, accompanied by the sound of running water, coming from the attached bathroom. When he got to the doorway, he paused to take in the sight before him.

She was in the shower, holding Ethan in her arms as she sang to him. He could see her through the glass door, but she didn't see him as she continued singing a soft lullaby and gently shushing the cooing baby as she gently swayed back and forth.

He stared at them for several moments before he moved back into the room. He went back down to the car and brought up the remainder of Marie and Ethan's belongings, then promptly returned to set up Ethan's pack and play in the adjoining sitting room. He'd just put the mattress down when Marie emerged from the bathroom with their son, wrapped in a fluffy towel.

She smiled upon seeing the set up pack and play, "Thanks. You didn't have to do that."

Logan shrugged a little, "I wanted to."

Marie laid Ethan down on the bed and finished drying him off before she got him dressed in his pajamas. Logan watched carefully as she discretely opened the top of the towel and nursed their son, humming to him as she stroked his dark hair.

When Ethan fell asleep, she re-closed the towel and walked over to the pack and play to lay him down.

Logan clasped his hands together as his eyes followed her body as she walked around the room, searching for the bag that contained her pajamas. He tried not to stare, but dammit…he couldn't help it.

He'd always been attracted to her, but now that he'd seen her be so attentive and amazing with their son, he couldn't help but want her even more.

Marie glanced up and cleared her throat, "You're staring."

"Sorry. I just…uh…you always take him into the shower?"

She shook her head, "No. Only when he's extra fussy. After bein' stuck in a car for six hours, he was a little tense. That, and we're in a new place, he needs a little extra cuddlin'."

Logan nodded, "You're really an amazing mom."

Marie noticed the way he was looking at her and slowly shook her head, "Don't."

"Don't-what?"

She sighed and closed her eyes, "Don't look at me like you're in love. You're just givin' me that look cause you're seein' me take care of your son and it's just confusin' you. It's not real."

Logan stood and started walking toward her, but she grabbed her pajamas and walked into the bathroom. She attempted to close the door behind her, but Logan stopped the door and pushed his way in, closing it behind him. She backed away a few feet and shook her head, "I'm not strong enough for this."

"The look I'm givin' you is real, baby…the same way I can tell what's in your eyes when you look at me. I've spent every day of the past ten months, dreamin' I could be back with you…" As he spoke, he backed her up into the wall opposite the shower. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, "Dreamin' about meeting my son…" he kissed her other cheek, "Dreamin' about holding you both in my arms…" he murmured as he kissed her lips.

Marie moaned pitifully as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The kiss was long, wet, passionate and ended all too soon as Logan broke away to yank open her towel to reveal her naked body underneath. He visibly shuddered upon seeing her in all of her glory and immediately unbuttoned his pants. Once his erection was free, he grabbed her up by the waist and forced her legs to wrap around his hips, "…and every night…I dreamt about bein' inside of you again…"

She bit back a loud moan as he thrust forward and drove his full length inside of her. Her entire body arched and froze against him as they both paused to relish the feel of her wet heat surrounding his throbbing cock.

When she adjusted, she slowly relaxed against him and looked into his eyes, "I missed you."

Logan ran a hand down her face before yanking her lips forward to hungrily kiss her as he began feverishly pumping into her wanton body.

He'd missed her so damn much. He'd wanted her for so long.

It wouldn't be nice, or slow or gentle this time. It was going to be rough, frenzied and desperate…

He fucked her with abandon, pouring every single emotion he had yet to express into every single thrust, kiss and suckle. Marie did the same, desperately clutching his body to hers as he transferred her from the wall to the edge of the sink counter.

She felt his thrusts grow erratic as he moaned and whispered breathlessly, "Give it to me, baby. Cum for me…cum for me…"

Within seconds, Marie did as she was told.

Somehow, they both remained mindful of the sleeping infant on the other side of the door and managed to not scream or roar as their mind-numbing orgasms seized control of their bodies.

Logan's thrusts slowed as he finished emptying himself inside of her and softly kissed her lips, "Oh god…Marie…"

She smiled and kissed him again as she stroked his face, "I'm glad you're here. I feel…safer…for myself and for Ethan."

Logan looked into her eyes and pulled her close, hugging her tight, "I'm never leavin' you two again. Ever."


So sorry for the super long delay. The grammar, story structure and overall flow of this chapter was awful and my life is crazy, so it took forever to make this crap even partially post-able!

Review please!