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Author's note: Flag on this chapter for one last round of extremely mature content. We're nearing the end, thanks for reading!

Sam

"Sure not much of a party, girl." I sighed noisily and set my plate of steaming food on the sprawling table across from where Rachel dejectedly picked at her own meal. She looked up and scowled up at me as I dropped into my chair.

"What did you expect?" It was just her and me, and yeah, not gonna lie, I had been expecting more. Not a huge pat on the back or anything, but I thought we all deserved a little celebratory moment. We had found our friends and saved the day. Nine months of guilt and worry and angst and we had beaten the odds, we were bringing them home. I was itching to wrap each of them in a big embarrassing hug whether they wanted one or not, and had been looking forward to just doing something simple, like hanging out together as a family. Lila and most of the small crew were sleeping, Hank was in sick bay, so of our group that left Anna, Logan and Remy unaccounted for. I wanted to ask her where Korvus ran off to, but her scowl told me to leave that one alone for the moment.

"Rogue on her way up?" I asked and tucked in with less enthusiasm than I normally mustered towards a hot plate of food after days of rations.

"She's busy," Rachel said tartly. I paused mid-chew. What had gotten stuck in her craw?

"What about Logan? I haven't seen him since we got back on board. Can you give him a telepathic whistle?" She exhaled in an annoyed hiss.

"No. I can't. My injuries left me with a nasty headache, so Hank gave me a dose of neural inhibitors. They block my telepathic powers so I can't 'hear' anything."

"Like you're wearing a big pair of noise cancelling headphones?" She rolled her eyes, but smiled just a little bit. I would pull her out of her bad mood if it killed me. "What else did the Doc say?" She chewed thoughtfully and swallowed.

"Not much, truthfully. Korvus had it pretty much handled before Hank got to me. I have a slight concussion and some bumps and bruises. Nothing major. Hank gave me the neural inhibitor to help me 'relax'," she raised her hands and made air quotes on that last word, but frowned again. "Then, he got really weird. He was working on testing some blood sample of Rogue's while he was talking to Korvus and me, but when the computer brought up the result, I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head. He must have saw something he didn't like, I guess. He started mumbling to himself, and then he kicked us out of the room." I looked at her, slightly alarmed.

"What do you mean something he didn't like? Is there something wrong with Anna?" She looked at me dismissively.

"He obviously didn't tell me, Sam, and the effect of the medicine he gave me was blissfully instantaneous, so I couldn't read his mind, either. So, I don't know, and, really, right now? I don't care." I stood irately and leaned over the table to catch her glare.

"What the hell, Rachel? What do you mean you don't care?" She crossed her arms and stared at me, but I returned her look with an unexpected fury. There was no way I was letting her piss on my parade, not without a mighty good reason. She flicked her gaze towards the star covered windows of the dining room.

"I went to find her…" her voice thickened. "…and she was…rolling around on the shower floor with Remy." She was embarrassed, and I guessed I kind of understood that feeling. I knew Rachel still hadn't forgiven Remy for his relationship with Ororo and was still really angry at him, but she cared for Anna and her happiness. It was a tough spot for all of us to be in; it was like watchin' a train wreck in slow motion. You knew what was gonna happen, but couldn't do a damned thing about it.

"Damn, that had to be awkward. Nobody wants to walk in on that…" I grimaced. Better her than me, that was for sure, but part of me was mighty disappointed that Remy hadn't fessed up to Anna before he tried to get into her pants. Rachel's face was pinched, her eyes suddenly gleaming with angry tears. I came around the table and knelt next to her chair. "Don't be too angry with them, Rachel. They're going through things we can only imagine. This is something they've got to work out between the two of them." Rachel shook her head.

"Don't you get it? She's just as bad as Gambit. How could she do this to Logan?" she whispered. I tipped my head at her, sure I hadn't heard her right.

"Logan?" I asked, really damned confused. "I know he's probably gonna be pissed about Gambit fooling around with Ororo when we get home, but why should he care what Remy and Anna are doin' in the shower?" She snorted and gave me a withering look.

"Think about it, Sam. Anna and Logan have been together all this time, all alone, just the two of them…" She raised a hand and gave me an expectant look. "Even you can't be this oblivious, Guthrie." I pulled myself up and sat in the chair next to her, replaying the last couple days in my head. Logan's reaction to Rachel's mind link, his absolute fierceness to find Anna, her claws, her flinging herself into battle and into his arms…

"Sweet Jesus!" You could have knocked me over with a feather. Rachel nodded as comprehension made me blink rapidly. "No!"

"Yeah."

"So they were…" I couldn't say it out loud, it was too weird. "…while on Earth, Remy and Ororo were…" I lifted my eyebrows. I didn't know if I owed Gambit an apology or a punch in the face. Probably one of each.

"Yeah." She turned to me and grabbed my arm. "Its Anna I'm angry with right now, Sam. I know that it isn't fair to single her out in this mess they've all made for themselves, but, fair or not, this is how I feel. I know I should be happy we found her, happy that my friend is alive, but I am really pissed off at her. I expected better of her. I believed, stupidly, apparently, in her true love, in her happy ending. I had chosen my side, I was team Anna all the way. I defended her and vilified Remy and Ororo, called them all sorts of nasty names to their faces, when all the while she and Logan were doing the same damn thing. I don't know how to feel here, Sam, I really don't. I don't know if I'm even allowed to feel anything, because as Korvus so thoughtfully pointed out," she angrily stabbed her fork into her food. "It's ultimately none of my concern." Her eyes pleaded with mine for understanding. "But it gets so much worse, Sam, so much worse. I saw in Logan's mind how much her cares for Anna. He loves her, like, really loves her." My stomach bottomed out. "He loves her, and she's down the hall half-naked, humping that Cajun bastard in the shower…" A growl thundered behind us and we jumped. Logan stepped into the dining hall's entryway, and I had a new face to add to my nightmares of the man. "Logan, I…" Rachel stammered, but he browbeat her with one stare. She shrank so far into her seat I thought she was gonna slide under the table. Without a word, he spun around and stalked back off down the corridor. Rachel and I exchanged identical mortified faces.

"Speaking of awkward…" I mumbled uncomfortably, my body shaking like a leaf on the breeze.

"Yeah. Thank you neural inhibitors. I didn't need to 'hear' the inside voice of that growl." She bit her lip. "I feel like such an ass. Korvus was right; this is none of my business. They're my friends, but I need to just stay out of it." Her green eyes went wide. "You don't think he'll hurt anybody, do you?"

"No." I shook my head firmly. "Of course not." He had definitely gotten an earful of our conversation, but the man I knew wouldn't attack a teammate over marginally bitter gossip. "Right?" I asked, uncertainty creeping its way into my voice. The man I knew also wouldn't get himself tangled in another twisted love triangle involving his teammates, I was sure once had been enough even for his long life. Was it still called a love triangle when four people were involved? Was it a love square? I shook my head and stood, suddenly tired of all of it, my appetite and good mood spoiled. "I think that they're all adults. Your honey's right, we need to stay out of their business." I waved and walked to the doorway. "I'm hitting the hay, Rachel. I suggest you do the same."

I listened for arguing or the sounds of a fight on my way back to the room I was sharing with Lila, but all was eerily quiet. Korvus and the rest of the crew, except for Jat, the engineer taking the night shift on the bridge, had bid us a regretful goodnight a couple hours ago and returned to their quarters. I knew that the band of misfits Rogue had sandwiched together to form a crew had woken up shortly after our arrival and had wanted to make a night of it, but between our laundry list of injuries and the long drawn out medical examinations, they had all lost steam. I was real appreciative to them for all they had done for us, we would have to find some way to repay their surprising kindness.

The door to me and Lila's room swished open softly, and I saw her beautiful body bathed in the light from the corridor. I quickly stepped inside and quietly washed my face and brushed my teeth, then slipped under the sheets behind her. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight.

"Mmmm…Guthrie…." She mumbled sleepily and snuggled her backside against me. I kissed her neck and let her presence calm me down. She was struggling to wake up. "Time to go home?" She whispered. I kissed her smooth cheek.

"Not yet. You go on and sleep some more, baby. You'll get us all home tomorrow." Home. But Earth wasn't really home for her, was it? Not anymore. Tears burned my eyes, and I bit my lip hard to keep from sobbing. For so many months, I had been so damned focused on finding our friends that the thought hadn't occurred to me that once they were home safe, once they were back on Earth, it was all over. Lila would leave again and go back to her life, without me. She stirred and turned in my arms, her sleepy eyes finding mine in the dim light of the room's windows to space. She touched my cheek with her warm fingers.

"What's wrong, Sam?" she whispered. I manned up and swallowed my tears, but my voice quaked when I opened my mouth.

"When we get back to Earth, you're leaving aren't you?" She took a deep, shaky breath. Maybe the thought hadn't occurred to her, either.

"I suppose so. I have a tour to get back to, as long as Doctor McCoy gives me a clean bill of health." I nodded silently. It was selfish of me to expect anything different. I should have known better than to let myself get this close to her again. "Sam," she asked gently, "what if I asked you to come with me?" I inched closer and found her lips with mine.

"What if I asked you to stay?" We twined our bodies together, clinging to each other frantically until the false dawn.

Rogue

I was a coward for not finding Logan the second he walked away from me. The velvety blanket of space spread in front of my eyes, and I hugged myself, shivering in the thin silk robe my former nemesis turned ally and current Korvus crew member Glitter had grudgingly lent me. The observation deck of Korvus's newly acquired ship was dim, lit only by the spiraling galaxies winking through the crystal clear dome. I should have probably taken time to talk to the crew, to ask what had happened to them since they left us on Earth, after all I had been their captain for about five whole minutes and their enemy before that, but I just couldn't deal with making small talk right then. I sighed, and my breathing echoed back at me, the only noise in the quiet, secluded room.

I wasn't sure things were entirely settled with Remy. He deserved the chance to be happy with Ororo, if that was what he wanted, but I had forgotten the effect he still had on me. Even when I didn't want him to, he could still sweep me off my feet with one look. I stepped forward and placed my hand on the observation dome's heavily shielded opening. How had things gotten so complicated? I should have been happy we were rescued, euphoric to be heading home. I had a warm bed to sleep in tonight, had a hot shower, all these things I had dreamed about for months, but I felt absolutely out of control. Numb, in shock, I traced the shape of imagined constellations with my fingers against the cold glass. The last few months had been so difficult, we were so frantic every day…was that all it had been? He hadn't even come looking for me to see if I was okay. Had we been just two desperate people reaching out for each other?

I smelled him come into the room, heard the weight on his familiar footsteps. I quickly wiped the tears that had formed in my eyes. His enhanced senses lingered in my system, and Hank thought they always would. I hadn't wrapped my head around that reality yet, but in a way it was kind of comforting to know he'd always be a part of me, even if we weren't…I felt his warmth as he came to stand behind me.

"Couldn't sleep." His whisper rumbled huskily in the quiet. I shivered, or trembled, at the sound of his voice, couldn't tell which. Suddenly, I was very conscious of my nudity beneath the scant garment I wore. He grunted and ran his palm down the liquid thin material covering my arms. "You're too cold." I started shaking, and bit my lip hard to get myself under control. "Hey…" he whispered, alarmed, "…don't…" He wrapped his arms around me and I let him pull me back into his warm, solid chest. We stayed silent for a few seconds, sensing each other's heartbeats. He rested his chin on my shoulder, and I felt him smile. "Guess we should have talked about it, huh?" I leaned my head back and laughed a laugh that was thick with phlegm.

"Didn't think you were much for talking," He squeezed the breath out of me.

"We have nothin' to feel guilty about, darlin', you know that, right? I don't regret a thing, and neither should you." Regret. Like it was all over for him. My stomach tied itself into knots and I tried to pull away from his grasp but he held me tighter. "I'm not worried about what they think, Rogue. They'll understand." Rogue again, not Anna. "LeBeau'll take you back, forgive you. You two can pick right up where you left off, if that's what you want." His voice was low, but his scent was thick with sadness and longing. I lifted a trembling hand to touch his cheek, and turned my face towards his.

"And what if that's not what I want?" He let out a shaky breath, and his mouth moved towards mine as my curves melted back into him. His breath rasped against my lips.

"What do you want, Anna?" I tried to show him by pushing my hips into his growing hardness, but he stilled me with his rough hands. "Say it, darlin'," he hissed. "I need to hear you say it."

"You, Logan. I want you. I want us." He growled and crushed my lips with his; wrapping an arm around my waist he drew me forcefully back. The other hand roamed to my chest and kneaded my breasts beneath the silk. I arched my back and rubbed against him shamelessly. The ship was silent except for our soft moans. Anybody could walk in on us, but in that moment I didn't care. I needed him, I wanted him, and the heat between us wouldn't be denied. His mouth bit its way down my throat, and his hand slithered down my fluttering stomach to find the opening of my robe. I choked back a low whimper as he slid a finger inside of me, sending a hot flood of desire through my body. His mouth moved to my ear.

"This can't be over between us," he choked. "Please don't say it is." I answered him by pulling the fabric up over my hips. His breath came in heavy shaking gulps; he pulled his hands from me and undid the drawstring of his pants. I braced myself on the cold glass in front of us and he groaned and shoved into me from behind, filling me utterly. No low, slow, hungry build this time, it was hot and fast and hard, a frantic passion gripping us both as we reared against each other. He dug his fingers painfully into my hips and his hands and mouth moved over my body possessively, reclaiming me. I bent lower, rocking my hips to meet his every frenzied stroke. I was close and he knew it, knew how to make my body sing. He thrust into me madly and it sent me over the edge in a crushing, pulsing wave that pulled him along in its wake. We stayed still when it was over, afraid to move, both of us shaking and sweating. He finally pulled out of me, and I felt our mingled warmth run down the inside of my thigh. Straightening us, he turned me to face him. He swallowed hard, and in the dim light I watched his eyes move up and down my body, hungrily following the opening of the robe that hung loosely on my shoulders. He tenderly touched my cheek.

"You're under no obligation to me, darlin'." He whispered sadly. "I know part of your heart will always belong to him, but I want you to know where I stand, how I feel…" His other hand rested on my cheek and tipped my face toward him. "I love you, Anna."

"Oh?" I asked quietly and smiled teasingly at him. He laughed throatily.

"Only took gettin' stranded alone together on a rock halfway across the flamin' galaxy..." He moved his hands to grip me around my hips beneath the robe and drew me against his chest. His eyes radiated an uncharacteristic uncertainty. I debated torturing him a little as payback for the grief he had caused me since our rescue, but he had said it first when I couldn't. He deserved all that I had to give him and more.

"I love you, too, Logan. I don't want anyone else but you, and this thing between us, it's real and it's true. I love you, and not just because I was scared, or lonely, or homesick. I love you for your fire and passion and strength, and I'm not ashamed of us or what's happened." He kissed me fiercely.

"Come to bed," he whispered against my mouth.

"Not tired, sugar," I teased.

"Neither am I."