"You ready?"

"Wait...gimme the rules one more time?" Marie managed to hide the playful grin that threatened to dance upon her lips as he groaned and almost rolled his eyes.

"Listen this time, all right?" He let out an exasperated sigh, one that would have fooled anyone into believing that he was truly annoyed with her. But she knew better. She saw the way the corner of his lips almost bent upward into his trademark grin as he spoke. Marie also saw the way in which he used his hands to accent everything he was trying to explain. It was unnecessary, but he did it anyway.

Dragging his hand across the floor a few inches before him, he lifted his eyes to look at her. "No crossing this line." She pushed her lips into some semblance of a pout and gave him the best puppy eyes she could muster up, considering the present circumstances.

"Not even a little bit?" She grinned then, inching her index and middle finger over the line, as though they were tiny legs marching over the barrier. Logan's brow creased in frustration, and he grabbed the hand, free of leather, and returned it to her side.

"Not unless you wanna declare yourself loser before we get started." Sticking her tongue out at him, Marie rested her hands back in her lap and regarded him, trying to keep the childish giggle from rising from her throat. She was twenty now, there was no need for immaturity. Especially in such a promising situation like this, "I'm sorry. Please continue." For a moment, he just remained silent, one eye raised, as he looked her over. He could smell the mischief coming off her, and he didn't like it. Well...he did and he didn't. He didn't mind it, since usually it ended up making him a very happy boy. But unlike the other times, he didn't know what she had up her sleeve. Heightened senses tended to make him a curious man, not to mention impatient.

"No crossing this line at any time."

"I got that part, Logan. What exactly do I do?"

"It's a staring contest. Simple as that. Y-"

"Starin' contest?" He sat back, regarding her, small grin at last making an appearance, as she angrily interrupted. "God Logan, you're king of the stone face, how does that make this a fair game?"

"If you'd stop interrupting, darlin', I'd tell ya." He chuckled to himself as she returned a glare, her face twisted and reflecting indignation. "You do things to get your opponent to mess up."

"Such as...?" She cocked her head slightly to one side, allowed her curiosity to show through to him. But he wouldn't give in so easily.

"You'll see. It'll get easier as you go along. You ready?"

Logan prepared to start, but was interrupted when Marie held a hand up, a frown of concentration

"Wait a second. This is a bonifide bet, am I right?" At his hesitant nod, she continued. "Which means there has to be stakes. We gotta decide on somethin' for you to do once you lose." She grinned confidently as he feigned a hurt look.

"Darlin', if you beat me, I'll do anythin' short of bein' nice to Scooter." After a moment's contemplation, Marie stuck her hand out.

"You've got yourself a deal, Sugah." He took her hand in his, shaking it firmly, making the bet official. As she rolled her sleeves up, Logan moved over to his radio and flicked on some music. She wrinkled her nose at it, making it clear that he needed to change the station, and fast. When he put in the Matchbox20 cd she'd gotten him for Christmas, she relaxed, despite knowing that he abhorred the cd. A man's job in life, after all, was to endure anything, so long as their woman was happy.

"Talkin's allowed. The minute you giggle, or cross this line, though, game's over."

"The minute I cross this line, huh?" She inched her way closer to the line, being sure she was close to Logan, but not over the line, and just out of his reach. He remained where he was for the time being, and without any official warning, the contest got underway.

Silence reigned for a good portion of the time. Each was sizing up the other. Marie's eyes wandered over the fine tuned body before her. She was at a slight advantage, as it were, considering she'd seen a great deal of Logan before. Everything boxer shorts revealed, in fact. Where as Logan never saw more than her arms and occasionally her legs. Where she could picture each piece of Logan in glorious detail, she imagined Logan's vision of her was a clouded mystery...no more than a face, really.

Luckily, Logan had a fairly good imagination, after being with quite a few women before meeting Marie. He was able to draw images of what he thought Marie might look like to his mind with a single whim. His eyes roamed over her now, from head to foot. He was never really comfortable, spending time alone with people...and he rarely got to know the women he slept with. Marie was different though. He could read her inside out, better than any book. For a few more minutes, he allowed his eyes to indulge in all her curves and accents, before deciding it was time to play rough.

Marie realized something was coming the minute he straightened his back. She had to suppress a moan, watching all of the muscles stretch and buldge as he pulled one arm over his head, then the other, stretching both before sighing in pleasure, or what appeared to be pleasure. When he looked at Marie and saw a questioning glance, he shrugged slightly and offered, "Sorry. Still stiff from my work out." She was still staring a moment later, before at last shaking her head and nodding in understanding. Barely able to suppress the impulses he was creating within her, Marie gave her eyes free reign, reveling in the broad, muscular chest and tasteful six pack. She didn't even look down as her hands twitched in yearning. She wanted to touch him. Needed to, almost. It was then that she finally began to catch on to his little game.

He was teasing her. He was prompting her, and trying to draw her either over the line or to laugh and make him the winner. Somehow she managed to keep a questioning look on her face, as she began to formulate a strategy to return the favor. All at once it came to her. "Mmm..." She caught the momentary falter in his actions, and watched as he attempted to look at her without wondering what she was doing. When she had his full attention, she flashed him a little grin. "It's always so hot in your room..."

Before he could grasp the naughtiness of her words, she had the hem of her shirt in her grasp, and was slowly inching it up over her head. She knew many things about Logan. For one thing, he was an impatient person. And for another, he had a terrible time attempting to control his hormones. In fact, in several cases, it was the hormones that did the controlling. Not that that made him a bad person, of course. Just made him impatient and...other things.

She never took her eyes off him, just grinned as his eyes slowly grew to be two big, round saucers. His brow had creased instantly, and she watched as he slowly rubbed his palms against his jeans, licking his lips from nervousness and apprehension.

The last thing on Logan's mind at that particular moment was control. That, and the stupid game he'd suggested, of course. He was busy taking in the amount of skin that he'd never before been priviledged enough to see. He moved from the tempting neck, down to the well toned stomach, then back again just for the fun of it. His hands itched with the need to follow where his eyes had been, and slowly he made his way forward.

When he had made it so he was just about to take hold of her, she jumped into the air, crying out in triumph. "HA!" He jumped in surprise, completely bewildered, until the bet flooded back into his mind. Closing his eyes tightly, he moaned, then re-opened them to gaze down at the floor. Marie stood above him, snickering, as he saw his hand, firmly planted on the ground, half way over the line, halfway behind it. A low growl began in his chest and continued in a steady path until it had snuck out. He was trying to be furious, but it was difficult when Marie was pacing about, still sans shirt, no doubt planning his consequence.

She watched him sit back resignedly, rubbing his face some with his hand to calm himself down. Were it not for this bet, she'd have given him an alternate route of release, but a bet was a bet, and she had planning to do.

Staring at the stack of cds that she'd left in his room by mistake, Marie sighed and turned to continue her pacing, when she remembered something and turned back. An evil grinned encompassed her entire face as she moved over to the cd player to retrieve the cd she wanted. "The karaoke on your cd player still works, doesn't it, Logan?" Glancing over at him, she noticed his face go a shade pale, before he gathered up his courage and dignity and nodded. "All right. You get the microphone, I'll get the umbrella and videocamera." Not bothering to answer the question Logan asked through his eyes, she opened the door to his room and hurried downstairs to retrieve the two objects in question.

That task easily achieved, she returned back to his room, shutting the door quietly behind her. Logan had, in his anxious state, lit a cigar and presently had it hanging from his lips. Seeing her, he moved to pull it out, but she shook her head at the action. "You c'n leave it. It'll make a prettier picture, I think."

Another growl was directed at her, but she ignored it, instead setting up the video camera on its tripod.

"What the hell is all this about, Marie?"

"You said anything short of bein' nice to Scott goes, sugar. That is...unless you're chicken." A sharp, indignant grunt came from him, as he snatched the microphone she offered him.

"I'm no chicken, an' you know it, kid. Whadda I have to do?"

Marie shrugged her shoulders as though it were really a normal task he was about to complete for her and the camera.

"You just have to sing along with this song." Somehow, she managed to keep the grin from her face as his entire attitude appeared to relax.

"That ain't so bad..."

"Right. Here." She held out the open umbrella for him, which he took, raising an eyebrow at her, hoping she'd explain. "Oh. It's just...you know...a prop. Whenever you're ready..." He held the umbrella above his head as she directed him to, and pushed the play button on the cd player. For a while, he couldn't hear anything but the sound of rain. Suddenly though, the music began to accompany it, and dread flooded his system. He opened his mouth to refuse, but Marie shook her head sharply, giving him a look that said "a deal's a deal." Plastering a scowl onto his face, cigar still hanging out of the corner of his mouth, he began to mumble along with the words.

"Um. Logan, darlin', I can't hear you." Slumping his shoulders even more, he raised his voice fairly loud, so that he was practically yelling the words.

"It's raining men...hallelujah it's raining men, amen!" The words were sung through clenched teeth, and she could tell that the knuckles of the hand holding the umbrella were white from clutching it so tight. "God bless mother nature...she's a single woman too..."

He winced slightly, realizing exactly what the words were, but continued through the entire song until he was greeted with the wonderful sound of the song ending.

By this time, Marie was rolling about on the floor, dying from a fit of giggles that had long since possessed her. Throwing the umbrella down onto the ground, Logan put his cigar out using his desk, then tossed it into the garbage on his way out the door, leaving Marie with a threat that he would get his revenge one way or another. For now, he was going out, probably to cool down so that he didn't kill someone who looked at him funny.

---

When he returned to the Mansion, he knew something was afoot. All the lights were off, save the ones lighting the living room. Upon opening the door, he heard a howl of laughter that belonged to none other than Scott Summers. Clenching his hands into fists at the thought of the man, he stalked down the hallway to see what it was that amused Prissyboy so much.

He froze when Ororo stumbled into the hallway, then froze, her face contorted in an attempt not to laugh right in his face. "Logan...hello..." She bit her tongue a second, and Logan waited for her to calm herself, assuming she had something in particular to say to him. "You were out, were you not?"

"Yeah. Had some things to take care of..."

"I see. Is it raining hard?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said-um...never mind Logan, I shall see to it myself." None too soon, she managed to move by Logan and escape to her attic room, though he heard her laughter echoed through the upstairs hallway from his position outside the living room door.

That's when he heard it. The faint music of a certain song he decided to ban from the Mansion. "It's Raining Men" was blaring, accompanied by the roaring laughter of the entire team of X-Men, minus Storm, though she had earlier been involved, he suspected.

Throwing the door open, his eyes darted to the television as everyone present fell silent. Stalking toward the television, he ejected the tape from the VCR, growling continuously as he watched Scott and Jean turn several colors while holding in laughter.

Stopping just outside the door, he turned and pointed to then all. "Not one word of this, you hear me? Not. One. Word." Being sure to send them one last evil glare, he slammed the door shut behind him, intending to dispose of the video tape for good. One day, when she least expected it, he'd get her good. Real good. He didn't just think it, he KNEW it.