A/N: Welcome to a sprawling series of bedathon one-shots.
Surprise! I am the collaborator working with JohnPaulGeorgeandRingo :D The first one-shot in the series is called "Nap, Snooze and Slumber" and is full of Rogan goodness!
We will also be on AO3, under the same name. Our goal is to provide you with stories of our favourite couple and all the different ways they can share a bed.
Summary - Logan and Rogue have broken up after a stormy relationship, but they share a kid and still have to co-parent. Will it bring them together or drive them further apart as new lovers appear on the scene?
It had always been the same. Their differences driving them apart, yearning pulling them back together. In the six years since they'd known each other, Logan knew he'd always be tied to Marie, despite the fact they now shared a kid together. A rambunctious two-year-old called Jamie, who had the fiery temper and dark chocolate-colored eyes of her mother and the wild spirit and tawny hair of her father.
The child had been born of love, and although they both adored her, their relationship hadn't been smooth sailing.
This time, after a few months continuous movement, things were different when he got back. Marie seemed to have a new beau, a tall cajun who had a shifty smile and smelt like the wind, impassive and ever-changing. So much so Logan could never get a reading on him, and that majorly pissed him off. And the fact that Marie seemed to hang on his every word, that spark in her eyes flaming when she looked at the guy. Just like they used to do when she looked at him, he realized.
His time on the road wasn't anything more than self-induced torture. He missed seeing Marie around, even if she had been driving him crazy for the last few weeks leading up to his departure.
The mishap had happened just after the Cure. Rogue, drunk on the feeling of liberation and too much whiskey, had sought Logan out to really give him a piece of her mind. Forget the fact she'd only just turned eighteen and was illegally hitting up bars with Jubilee and Kitty, Logan disapproved that she was over-sexualizing herself for the benefit of strangers. The fact that it seemed to turn on every guy in five miles apart from him, drove her to distraction… and more whiskey. And at one in the morning, when he had decided curfew was up and dragged her back home, they had a screaming match on the gravel driveway. Which succeeded in waking up the entire mansion, including Jubilee and Kitty, who had returned without Rogue an hour beforehand.
Once Rogue had had the chance to cool off and sober up, Logan tracked her down at the edge of the property, moping and feeling sorry for herself near the lake. She sat on the sun-warmed jetty with her bare feet dangling in the water, sweats rolled up to the knee.
Logan made himself comfortable beside her and when Rogue leaned in to rest her head on his shoulder, he wrapped an arm around her. Her apology was silent and full of suppressed meaning, but he understood nonetheless. As they both stared out over the still lake, he told her things he'd no memory of telling anyone before. About how he felt connected to her in a way that couldn't be explained. That it wasn't just that she had a piece of him living inside her head. It had been before that, perhaps even as far back as when he'd stopped his truck all the way back in Alberta. Sometimes those thoughts scared him. He was worried she wouldn't feel the same way, that those thoughts were changing and becoming something even more frightening. Something physical.
Her response was to turn and bring her lips to his. The kiss was heated and ended with them both lying half-dressed on the jetty, breathing hard. Logan didn't want to spoil the moment by telling her he couldn't keep any more promises, so he didn't. Their arrangement continued in much the same way for a while, in secret. Logan still came and went, Rogue focused on her further studies, slowly morphing back to tame, sweet Marie.
At about the six-month mark, Marie began to question the Wolverine's intentions. He told her all these things about desire and dreams but made no moves to further their relationship. When she confronted him about it, he told her not to worry, that he was content in loving her the way he did. Marie didn't overtly tell him what she wanted; security, a place of their own, perhaps a promise of things to come. He left her each time with his tags and the mutual unspoken understanding that she was the only woman in his life.
The weeks apart became harder on Marie, watching her friends grow and leave the nest. Each time Logan came back, she resented him a little more. For all the things she deserved but didn't want to ask for. She didn't want to have to make him want the same things she did. Each time he left, the ache of longing settled and grew in her stomach.
At first, Logan had thought she'd gotten pregnant on purpose, a way of forcing him to stick around. That made him want to get in the wind more than anything. It turned out it was his own fault. He'd thought his enhanced senses were tuned in enough to pick up on the subtle changes in her cycle. Turns out that living in a school more than half full of women with interconnecting cycles and hormones flying around left right and centre were enough to skew even the most sensitive of noses.
When he'd finally gotten up the courage to return and apologize, Marie had detached herself from him, and a little of that spark had left her eyes. He'd hurt her, badly. Although she accepted his remorse for the way he handled the situation, she realized that deep down he didn't want the added responsibility of being a father on top of the one he'd made to her on the train what felt like a lifetime ago now.
But he could take that responsibility and shove it back up his ass. She didn't need him and his selfish ways. She knew she would never be able to terminate the pregnancy, so faced up to the fact she would be a single mother. Thank god she still had her friends and the mansion for support. Her early pregnancy was tough, feeling queasy throughout the day and vomiting in the evenings only. She was so exhausted she would turn in early and try to sleep through the worst of it.
Logan kept up his sporadic appearances throughout the months, returning for a longer stint nearer the due date. Marie didn't want him anywhere near her during the labour but he kept vigil outside the med-lab, growling if anyone but Jubilee or Hank passed within a few feet of the door. Once the baby was born, she allowed him in to see the newborn girl. She told him she was going to name her Jamie. Logan was coming to accept that Marie didn't want him as a part of her life anymore. That thought tore him to pieces.
He kept coming to check on Marie and the baby, asking if they needed anything and offering to help. A few times, Marie asked if he could pick them up a few things from the store but seemed entirely self-sufficient otherwise. Their relationship had gone from friends to lovers to enemies and hadn't stopped rocketing all over the scale since. They were now in a more firmly cemented friendly state, and Marie even offered a smile the next time Logan came to visit them. The next, she asked if he wanted to hold his daughter. Then look after her while Marie took a quick shower. In those few minutes alone with the young child, Logan became enamored. He fell in love with everything from her tiny upturned nose, a replica of Marie's own, to the inquisitive gaze of her wide-set deeply brown eyes.
When Marie returned, covered in a towel and hair wet, she stopped in her tracks back towards the bed. Logan sat holding the sleeping infant with tears streaking down his cheeks. He told her he was sorry for everything that transpired before, and promised he could do better, if not for her, but for his daughter. Her heartstrings sufficiently pulled, Marie forgave him and once the baby was safely in her crib, Logan pulled her into his arms.
The Wolverine staked his claim on his girl, letting her know in no uncertain words that she belonged to him, and always would. And dammed if she wanted him to belong to her too. Just things would never be that way, and she just had to face up to that fact.
The truce lasted a short while before Logan got that itch to get moving again. Marie recognized the telltale signs; shortened temper, self-seclusion, more time smoking and drinking whiskey than human contact. She didn't like him around Jamie when he was like that, not that he would do anything to harm the infant, but it wasn't the best environment to raise a child whose mind was like a tiny sponge. Marie didn't fight it, quietly accepting his need for freedom and a long stretch of open road under his tires. But it didn't stop it from tearing her heart a little more each time.
Things continued this way for a year and a half until a new recruit joined their live-in team. Tall, dashingly handsome with the softest of southern lilts, Remy LaBeau was the mansion's hottest new commodity. At first, his cocksure attitude infuriated her, but underneath the confidence was an understanding and caring man. He was also an excellent lover. And as a plus, he seemed to adore Jamie.
Logan was less than thrilled about the new resident. He felt the man was taking his place in not just Marie's life, but Jamie's too. It didn't help he could smell him all over the room they used to share together, and on Marie and their child. He hated it. And the fact he now understood how badly he'd fucked up. She was no longer pining for him like a love-sick puppy. The tension came to a head one afternoon while Jamie was napping. The rest of the school was in classes and Marie took the opportunity to squeeze in a workout in the lower-level gym. Logan sought her out, like she so often used to do, the deeply suppressed urge to fight now forced to the surface.
"We need to talk," he said from between his teeth.
"Oh, what about?" Marie replied curtly, not turning from the punching bag she was hitting at random intervals.
"Jamie. That cajun dick…"
"Remy." She interjected.
"Swamp rat," He corrected, "Is making a move in on my family."
She paused to shoot him a blank look.
"We've never been a family, Logan. You made it pretty clear you don't want a family."
"Just because I need my space, it doesn't mean I don't care about you both."
She laughed, once, fakely, and resumed punching the bag, a little more vigorously.
"Needing your space and leaving us to fend for ourselves while you go out drinking, fucking and fighting are two entirely different things."
"I never slept with anyone since you?"
That stopped her.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
There was a long, awkward pause.
"That doesn't change anything, Wolverine. You weren't there for us."
His head lulled back while he contemplated the gym ceiling, all foam titles and fluorescents.
"You have no idea how I regret that."
"Yeah, now I've finally moved on! Are you just here to drag me back down? Because if so, there's the door!" She gestured wildly to the exit with her boxing glove still firmly attached. "Remy makes me happy!"
Logan nodded slowly, taking in the enormity of those few words. Then closed the distance between them with a few long, decisive strides. The energy seemed to crackle between them for a few seconds, his hunger, her indignation, all-consuming and fierce, like wildfire.
Then his lips came crashing down on hers. She fought it at first, pushing into his massive unyielding chest with little success, but relaxing into him when his arms came up around her. She could never resist when those lips moved from her mouth to her neck and behind her ear, caressing as they went, carrying soft whispers and LIES!
"NO!" She screamed, finally breaking free, "You don't get to do that again! You don't get to make me love you and then rip out my heart when you leave again!" Tears of hurt streamed down her face, mingling with the sweat she'd worked up only a few minutes ago.
"Baby, please?" Logan could hear the pleading in his own voice, past caring. When it came to matters of life or death, the Wolverine's pride went to cower in a small, dark corner.
"I hate you!" She sobbed.
It was now beyond words. He had to show her how much she meant to him. This time, he approved slowly, pausing each time she showed a micro reaction to his advances. When he was close enough, he wrapped her in his arms and she crumpled into him, sobbing loudly.
He held her until her cries subsided, breathing in the stench of salty betrayal. And when she was calm she looked up into eyes that held a familiar pain.
"You never once asked if I wanted to come with you?"
He responded honestly and automatically, "I was afraid you'd say no."
"But you never asked."
"What if I were to ask you now?"
Marie blinked away tears as she took in his sincere expression.
"It's too late…"
Logan watched with mounting dread as she pulled off the boxing gloves, exposing her hand, and on the second to last finger on her left hand, sat a dainty platinum engagement ring.
"He asked me last night. We're getting married."
To be continued…
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