Logan got out of the car, pulling a cigar from his jacket, and slammed the door. He watched Marie as she got out, wrestling with a wriggling, slobbering puppy who was trying his best to get away. "Remind me again, darlin', why are we getting a dog?"

"Because they're cute and cuddly and...," he could hear the grin in her words, "They remind me of you."

"So I'm cute and cuddly?" He actually had to smirk at that.

She turned around, walking backwards up the driveway. Her grin was so wide it had to hurt her face. "No. You're furry and you drool a lot, too."

Logan just rolled his eyes. "You realise that makes you a bigger pervert than me?"

Marie shrugged. "I can live with that. Besides, I'm sure the kids will like him." She hugged the dog who immediately tried to lick her entire face.

"Mommy!"

Logan smiled. The kids were gonna love the damned dog.

Logan wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand but all he succeeded in was smearing paint on his face instead. He groaned inwardly as he set down the brush and paint can.

Had anybody had told him, say, a year ago that one day he'd be painting the picket fence of his own little house, Logan would probably have died laughing. But here he was, jeans bearing smudges of paint, laughter drifting over to him from the small house behind him. He scoffed. He'd become everything he had loathed - and he found he kinda liked it.

Marie came down the stairs from the patio, wearing their daughter in a sling on her back and carrying a tray with lemonade. She looked good. She looked happy. And that, surprisingly, mattered more than his admittedly wounded pride.

She smiled at him. "You got somethin' there, sugar." She pointed at his forehead, offering him a handkerchief she'd whipped up out of nowhere.

Logan wiped at the paint, then planted a kiss on her nose. "Thanks, darlin'." "Any time," she whispered against his lips before kissing him. When she drew back, a smirk that went beyond snarky graced her lips.

"What?"

"Jean called," she said, still with that smirk. "They're coming up here for Thanksgiving."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Define 'they'."

"Oh, just her, Scott, Storm... The gang." She chanced a glance at the fence behind him. "Might wanna get that finished, why doncha." And still grinning like an idiot, she returned to the house.

Logan groaned. Scooter was going to have a field day with this.

Marie heaved one big sigh and sniffled loudly. "This is so sad."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Darlin', I don't get it. Why do you girls always watch movies that you know will make you cry? Is it a woman thing?"

She sighed. "I don't know. Besides, don't act like you never cried through a movie." Logan cocked an eyebrow at her. "Me? Never." "Don't act all bad-ass-y with me. I saw you cry like a baby halfway through 'Brother Bear'." She grinned, remembering the event all too well.

"Just for Jimmy's benefit so he wouldn't feel like a pansy."

"Which he wouldn't do if it weren't for you telling him that showing feelings makes you one."

"Well, it does." Conversation over - for him - he turned back to the computer.

Marie smiled lovingly. He always acted the badass in public, but she knew he could be the most sensitive person on earth. He just wouldn't be caught dead acting it. Not outside of their room, anyway.

And that was just fine with her